Gifted to the eleven year old girl upon leaving for boarding school, the blue leather journal has dolphins engraved on the cover and is held closed by a single elastic band. The inside cover has three words, inscribed in silver, in her mother?s flowery script; ?Nuumil? and ?My Hope? written directly beneath it. Accompanying the journal is a silver pen with the young girl?s name engraved upon it??Amanda Ravenlock.?
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5 September 2006

Mommy left in the morning today and I had classes. I?m real mad because dad didn?t come and visit us before we left yesterday. Maybe mommy didn?t tell him she was sending us away. He should have came and saw us anyways. Moradin has been upset. I think he misses dad a lot. I miss home too but it?s nice here. There are lots of kids and games to play when we?re not in class.

Today I had history of RhyDin class, elven, mathematics, music, and common reading and writing. I?m playing the harp first in music and then piano and maybe the flute later. My elvish is very good because mommy likes to speak it to us. This morning at breakfast I sat next to an elf girl named Sithra and she lives across the hall from me. Moradin lives in the other wing of the building where the boys are but it?s not so very far. I wish he was closer. What if he has a nightmare?

I want to go home and see my brothers and sisters and be in my room. Mommy is going to get in trouble without me. She says I can?t leave and it?ll be good here. Tomorrow I have magic lessons and a special after school sparring class that only special kids get to take. I?m going to go and see Sithra?s new doll her daddy gave her before coming to school. She gets a new one every year.