Hawthorne's Institution For The Abnormal, affectionately nicknamed IFTA, is a private boarding school located somewhere nestled in the Canadian Praries - However, thanks to some fancy spells, no one really knows where it is or where to find it - accept to those who already know where it is. The climate around the school is usually hot in the summer, and cold in the winter. This makes each season perfect. IFTA is nestled in a chunk of land large enough to hide it, and to have a city nearby.

The students of IFTA are invited to join, based on their "abnormalness." If they cant really live in the real world, they're sent to IFTA. The invites come in the mail, and are picked up the following week. They're brought to the school by a teacher and a dragon.

There is no uniform, or agelimit at IFTA.