Story: Middle Part 11
[[Continuity Note: I decided that descriptions would probably be more useful than anything else.
Alf just went to a council meeting then decided to go to sleep. Meanwhile the parents discuss his future. We pick up the next morning.]]
The next day Alf discovered that he was going to be starting training sessions with one of the Aldus family members. As head of the family, Mr Aldus was too busy tending to things. When Alf asked what sort of things, Mr Aldus had said: Family things. Alf had put "What does Mr Aldus actually do?" amongst the other thoughts to be thought later.
It turned out that Jessica's aunt who lived in the house was actually the one who usually taught kids about their magical powers. They thought it would be a bit mean to put him in with another pair of nieces who were currently having lessons (Jessica had graduated from her lessons about a year earlier), so Alf would be having private lessons from Aliana (who he conceded to not calling Mrs Aldus because it would confuse him with Karen who was in his mind the Mrs Aldus, and because at twenty-nine, she wasn't really that old yet).
He met Aliana the next Tuesday, when Alf would be regularly having lessons from now on. She was, well, Alf would describe her as a gypsy, but as she was not known to roam at all beyond the boundaries of the Aldus land. It was something of a legend, how long she'd lived in the house, though Mr Aldus would state that she was his baby sister.
[[I so wanted to do more tonight... ugh. This has taken first priority over studying, that is so wrong... Now I remember why I wrote barely anything the first two days, I was still in study mode... and now I'm not. Now I just want them over.]]
Story: Middle Part 10
[[Continuity Note: Whatever do you reckon?]]
Mrs Aldus popped out at that moment, greeting the three waiting for her. Apparently they were in the penthouse suite of one of the biggest hotels in Zurich.
The meeting was being held around a gigantic table in the middle of the next room. Alf was introduced to council member after council member, promptly forgetting each's name to make room for the next one. The council leader appeared to be a woman named Adelina Granada. She was from Nicaragua, a country Alf was pretty sure he'd never heard of before. In fact, most of them were, and he wondered why the magical community had decided to live in such strange countries.
After a brief overview of Alf's heritage, and the telling summoning of the book, the council began to debate the important matter of possible methods for assimilation and whether or not their integration was even necessary. Alf began to get bored, though to tell the truth, he had begun to get bored throughout the entire proceedings. The council, in the way that officials often do, had the ability to make any subject boring. Surely the fact that you exist throwing the country into political turmoil would entertain you? Alf just struggled to stay awake when he would normally be tucked into bed. He wondered why he hadn't thought about that when they left at nine o'clock at night. Perhaps he'd thought that he wouldn't be tired, or jetlagged or completely thrown off. It seemed that all the usual symptoms of long distance travel were there, despite the lack of twenty-hour long plane journey.
Saying a fond farewell (and secretly hoping never to see them again), Alf and the Alduses headed for Sydney. They quickly bundled him into their car, keenly aware of their young friend's fatigue, and dropped him off. Alf left the adults to their talk, heading straight to bed without a thought.
[[End scene.]]
Official Character List
[[I realised that I keep forgetting their names, so here they are. I guess I'll update this post and flag it at the side for easy access.]]
Major Characters
Alfonso Struthers - (14) The Main Character. Bites his nails a lot as a nervous habit. Is in year nine at East Hills High School.
Damien Reid - (14) His ex-best friend, has red hair
Jessica Aldus - (15) a girl whose family has a history of witchcraft in it
Rock Aldus - (16) Jessica's cousin and a boy who's never been able to use magic before. Enjoys bullying Alf. Has a brother.
Kent Struthers - Alf's father.
Miriam Struthers - Alf's mother.
Frederick Aldus - Jessica's father
Karen Aldus - Jessica's mother
Aliana Aldus - the dentist's wife and Alfonso's magical tutor, Rock and his brother's mother.
Dexter Wiley - magi-wizard who studies Alf and co.
Mary-Ann Aldus - magi-wizard who studies Alf and co. Frederick and Aliana's cousin.
Marie Clavel - Belgian council member
Camila Vasconcelos - Peruvian council member
Jose Plata - Uruguayan council member
Derek Aldus - Australian council member (Kent's cousin)
Ewa Markiewicz - Polish council member (Council spokesperson)
Lucie Beauchamp - Mayotte council member
Hafiz Muscat - Omanian council member
Kisora Shiwalik - Bhutanian council member
Bela Kun - Hungarian council member (male)
Pierre Fulke - Martinique council member
Adelina Granada - Nicaraguan council member (council leader)
Runólfur Sigbjörnsson - Icelandic council member
[[Something tells me that people usually pay more attention to choosing names and that of people from different nationalities.
And of course there are more members, but I'm going to go watch Bert's Family Feud, lol.]]
Alyssa Marx - a girl in Alf and Damien's year. Possible love interest, but not in this book... it would look out of place.
Owin Ramon - Alf's supervisor at the nursery. The NaNoWriMo anagrammed character.
Eric Aldus - Rock's older brother.
Minor Characters
Mr and Mrs Reid - Damien's parents
Chris and Mark - guys in Alf's year. Part of the bunch Damien hangs out with when Alf's not there.
Principal Porter - Principal at East Hills High School
Ms Welch - Year nine's year teacher (year advisor). Go to person for the grade.
Mrs Thiess - The Deputy principal
Ms Mathers - an English teacher
Gabriela - one of Jessica's cousins
Dr Aldus - the dentist, Aliana's husband and Rock's dad
Deborah and Alexandra - Alyssa's friends.
Characters who live in the Aldus house temporarily:
Markus - Canadian who likes ice fishing
Alison - Hippie who takes fashion advice from a mouse
Mr and Mrs Magalot - fat parents
Bella and Sebastian Magalot - fat children of the fat parents
[[If you're wondering what the difference between major and minor characters is, it's a last name... or a first name as the case may be.]]
Story: Middle Part 9
[[Continuity Note: How many different ways are there to write the same
thing?
By the way, I'm writing on the bus because a story's not my story if
it wasn't penned (or penciled in this case) on the bus]]
"I'll go in first then, shall I?" Mr Aldus volunteered, seeing Alf's
hesitation. He stepped up to the mirror then said "Council Meeting".
The glass shimmered slightly, then Mr Aldus stepped through,
disappearing from view.
"You'll want to wait for the shimmer to stop before you step through,"
Mrs Aldus advised. "I'll follow to make sure you get there."
"Okay," Alf nodded. He turned to the mirror. "Council meeting," he
said, somewhat hesitantly. The glass surface shimmered brighter before
settling to show exactly what it had shown before. Blink once, Alf
realised, and you could easily miss it. Alf then wondered, briefly, why
the mirror wouldn't show you the room you were stepping into, but didn't
ask his question as Mrs Aldus was gesturing for him to go.
He lifeted a foot and stepped through hesitantly, and immediately felt
like an idiot as Mr Aldus stood in a lavish hotel room, looking at him
expectantly. Alf quickly finished his journey, slightly alarmed by how
easily he'd managed to travel almost halfway across the world.
Mr Aldus took his arm and let him away from the mirror slightly. "Come
on. The mirror won't let anyone through if someone's in it, but it
doesn't mind once you're completely through."
Two seconds later, a woman stepped out of the mirror. It wasn't Mrs Aldus.
"Oh hello Frederick," she greeted Mr Aldus, kissing his cheek in the
continental way. Her accent sounded French to Alf, but he could easily
be mistaken. "Is this the boy, then?"
"Yes, this is Alfonso," Mr Aldus introduced.
"But please call me Alf."
"I'm Marie Clavel," she introduced herself, kissing him on the cheek as
she did Mr Aldus. "Is Karen coming?" she asked, rolling the r.
"Yes, she'll just be a second," Mr Aldus responded. "She was to follow
Alf."
[[And that's where I got off the bus.]]
