Snakes and Ladders — Goldeen Ogawa

Miss Corianne Birch is fifteen and dealing with all the usual problems attendant upon a girl entering a new school. Unfortunately she also has to deal with a cruel and dangerous hazing ritual which has already left one of her classmates in a state of nervous shock. Fortunately Corianne has a rather unusual guardian; the magician Bouragner Felpz, who takes any excuse to go poking about dark, ominous places, and is more than happy to shed some light on the mystery of the terrifying shadowy snakes.