An old woman could be seen strolling around a large field enclosed by a large wrought iron fence, the perimeter of the property marked by a faintly glowing blue line that ran under the fence. She paused at the large gate (which could be opened only by her and the staff members), also of wrought iron, gilt with silver that formed various symbols such as crosses, pentacles, hexagrams, Taijitus, and many others from the hundreds of religions around the world, and stared out at the forest outside for a few short moments, her eyes penetrating into the space between the trees like darts.
The crone moved on, making her way back to the largest building, lying directly across from the gate. She stepped inside, glancing around the empty, pristine halls as she walked. She muttered something in an ancient language as she reached the opposite end of the building and strode through a set of doors that mirrored the ones she'd previously walked through onto a London street, though another gate, the silver symbols made less obvious than on its twin, separated her from the traffic. After a quick glance around she nodded, spun back to face the brick building, and walked back inside, her eyes briefly flicking to the bronze plaque, tarnished and weathered by time, that declared the building as "SANCTUARY ACADEMY" as she did so.
Once back in the building she trudged through the hallways, climbing the stairs to the second floor to reach a door, wooden as all the other doors were, with a chrome plaque that said "Principal" fastened to it, beyond which she found her spacious, well-furnished office.
The woman settled into a plush velvet chair and stared at her clock, counting the minutes (16, to be exact) until the building would be bustling with new students. "And so a new school year begins," said the Witch of Endor after a few minutes, a faint smile playing across her lips.
