Dvarek took one glance at my schedule and let out a low whistle.
"This is some very advanced course work."
"Really?" I asked, my voice betraying my worriedness.
"You're taking Light Weapons first period, Medium Weapons second, and Heavy Weapons third. And second semester you transfer to the advanced courses for them. Fourth period you have Stamina first semester, and... Advanced Stamina second? Only Stamina aligned people take Advanced Stamina, and if you were you wouldn't be in Heavy Weapons."
"Well, I--"
"What are you aligned to, anyway?"
Flesh magic is divided into seven branches according to certain abilities of the human body: strength, speed, stamina, which is also called endurance, mind, life, death, and creation. Any flesh mage can use any of the types of magic, but every one has a branch that they are stronger at, or "aligned" with.
"I don't know which I'm aligned with."
"What, your parents didn't know?"
"They wouldn't tell me."
Dvarek looked at me with a suspicious glint deep in is eye.
"Let's see... lunch, obviously, and fifth period you have an open period. Those are rare, cherish them while you can. Sixth period you have First Aid this semester, and... Advanced First aid second semester?! Why the hell is a freshman in Advanced First Aid?!"
Dvarek spun his head to me, fear and pity mixing on is face. The bottom of my stomach fell out.
"What's wrong with Advanced First Aid?"
"It's for seniors and skilled juniors. By then they've gotten good enough at blocking pain to take the course."
I gulped. "Blocking pain?"
"In First Aid you learn to reattach severed body parts. In Advanced First Aid they remove internal organs and have you reattach them."
The color drained from my face. I looked to Dvarek, scrambling for a way to get out. Dvarek smiled a weak smile in an attempt to reassure me.
"You wouldn't be in that class if you weren't capable. You'll be fine."
"I guess... what about ranged weapons?"
Dvarek laughed. "You don't take that until you are a senior." The grin vanished from his face. He flipped over my schedule and looked at the back. He glanced to me and then back to the schedule. "Night classes."
"Which ones?"
"First Creation this semester and Advanced Creation second, then Summoning first and Advanced Summoning second, and finally Ranged Weapons first and Stealth/Assassinry second."
"No martial arts?"
"Nope. Wait, what are these..."
He looked at the bottom of the page carefully reading something. He handed me the schedule.
"Read those."
Strange symbols were written across the bottom of the paper.
"What are those?"
"Runes," replied Dvarek.
"But I can't read r--" Suddenly, the runes resolved themselves into words that I could read normally: Please report to Proffessor Long's room fifth period.
I looked up to Dvarek.
"Proffessor Long is the martial arts intructor."
"So why write the note in runes?"
Dvarek looked up the table.
"Daniel, come here."
A tall, broad, muscular boy walked over.
"Yeah?"
"Can you read these?"
Daniel looked at the paper then at me.
"Yes."
Dvarek once again looked for someone at the table.
"Adam, take a look at these."
A medium build blond pretty boy lithely slinked to where we were sitting.
"Do these show themselves to you?"
"Yes."
Dvarek nodded his head, as if his hypothesis was being proven.
"J--"
"Already here, Dvarek."
Dvarek jumped about a foot in the air. "You have to stop doing that, Joshua."
If a flesh mage could look nerdy, Joshua did. His eyes betrayed a very advanced intellect.
"Yes, I can read those runes."
Dvarek quickly counted off on his fingers.
"George. Tjaden. Come here."
George was a skinny guy with bright eyes and a bounce in his step. Tjaden was thickly built with a strong German nose, and as he got close to me, I realized he smelled faintly of cooked meat.
"Can you two read these?"
Both nodded.
Dvarek turned back to me.
"Runes only allow themselves to be read by those the writer feels worthy to read the message. We represent all of the branches of flesh magic except death, of which there are no students at the academy right now. Whoever the writer of this message didn't want to read it, flesh mages are allowed to."

The rest of my day passed boringly enough. That night as I got ready for bed, I wrote in this entry in this journal.
I hope tomorrow goes well.