School for Gloria and her friends had been quiet as they eased their way into Sophomore year. While each girl now possessed magic, and training had been going well, nothing apocalyptic had occurred.
Apocalyptic was the word Katie had used as the vacation came to an end. Katie, not wanting to repeat her mistakes from last year, was open with her little sister. Kellie in the other timeline had explained her concerns to her daughter. She feared that things more powerful than they could fathom were gathering against them. That the girls all traveled between the various timelines so easily was a beacon that would draw the powerful like a moth to a flame. This was the reason that so many were now being trained in magic. While the other timeline seemed to be ground zero for everything, Gloria still needed to be ready.
As September gave way to October, things were still quiet and normal, or as normal as things normally were. Katie and Kellie were planning for their wedding, which would take place over winter break. Gloria already knew she would be part of the wedding party, it was just the maids of honor that needed to be decided on.
Katie's friends were also in contact with Gloria on a regular basis, especially Samantha. The young mother had decided to return home, taking online classes in order to finish her degree. Since Mike had been drafted by the Yankees, he wasn't around as much as Samantha wanted. As result she decided to move home. This resulted in both Gloria and Jackie acting as babysitters for Tricia.
Babysitting for Katie and her friends was proving to be quite profitable. More often than not Gloria and her friends found themselves watching Tricia, Morgan, Lynne, Kari, and even Tommy. Babysitting for the next generation of wizards thankfully had been quiet so far, but everyone was always waiting for some sort of mishap to occur.
As Gloria now entered school with Sasha, she could see Felicia and Adam happily chatting by the lockers. "Hey Glo," Felicia said happily. Gloria smiled as she now joined her friends. "Hey guys wheres everyone else?"
"Nate had to do something for student council," Adam said. "You know my bro, not gonna be happy til hes president of the school."
"Yeah and Diane and Naomi were getting final approval for their anime club," Felicia added. Gloria nodded. "Okay so where's Jackie," she asked.
"Probably seeing her milf girlfriend off to work," Adam chuckled, causing Felicia to elbow him in the gut. "Sorry," he wheezed. "But you know its probably true."
Gloria sighed, Adam was probably right. Jackie had been making a habit of seeing Ann off to work before teleporting to school. Jackie had begun to become quite adept at magic so that her parents wouldnt ask questions about her absence. Still Gloria worried, Jackie's grades had actually slipped slightly. While it only meant she went from top of her class to second, she worried that Jackie may be taking things too seriously with Ann.
"So Gloria," Sasha asked. "You and Diane have any peer mentoring to do today." Gloria nodded, shaking of her concern for Jackie for a moment. Gloria had joined the peer mentor program, meaning that if any new students came to school she would show them around. While there were other duties as well, showing around new students and making them feel comfortable always made Gloria happy. "Yeah supposed to be meeting them in about 15 minutes," she said. "Better get going, I'll catch up with you later."
Saying her goodbyes, Gloria now made her way towards the principal's office. The school was now beginning to fill with students as school was getting set to begin. As she entered she could already see the secretary waiting with the student Gloria would be escorting. "Oh hello Gloria," she smiled. "So glad your here. Diane already took her mentor. It appears you'll be showing her around. Shes a freshman this year, so just help her get to class."
Gloria smiled as she approached the girl. The girl appeared to half white and half Asian, with long chestnut hair and a cute face. Gloria couldn't help shake the feeling that the girl seemed familiar. "Hi I'm Gloria Turner."
Yuriko Harris looked up at Gloria, a small smile on her face as she extended a hand towards Gloria. The youngest daughter of Cole and Kumiko Harris was on a special mission from Merlin himself. Things were about to happen this year that would have an impact on everyone's futures. No one save Merlin knew the girl was traveling backwards in time. She was on a mission, a mission in which both timelines hung in the balance. "I'm Allison," Yuriko smiled. "Nice to meet you Gloria, looking forward to getting to know you."