“Now,” Professor Bloum said, “our graduates have gathered for a little demonstration. Vigid, Morph, and Luyen studied for fifteen years. Elvora and Tonio graduated last semester. They studied for thirteen years and I may announce that Elvora decided to stay with us and continue the research on campus.”
Everyone clapped their hands, while Elvora bowed down to them.
She was striking. Her calm demeanour resembled an empress, and perhaps she was one.
After they climbed the stage, Luyen took a dried bouquet out of his case and when he mumbled, it bloomed again. He brought the flowers back to life and threw them into the air. Before they touched the floor, Vigid had caught them and let them float to every girl in the audience, except Morph, who in return conjured water over his head and let it drip—while laughing viciously. Tonio stepped forward and sent out a swarm of butterflies over our heads. They were glowing similarly to the alley lights, and Elvora finished the show by making them explode with glistening pearls and shards.
The crowd applauded and cheered.
It left me speechless but I’d noticed that everyone besides Morph and Luyen whispered during the performance.
They seemed casual about it, even though they had studied over a decade and fell into conversations with the new Magicians, explaining how they did it.
When Bloum spotted me standing alone instead of engaging, he went up to me. “Be prepared to read a lot,” he said.
It excited me more than it should have.
The Mage in me surfaced.
Instead of chatting, we just stood there. I would’ve never guessed that he was a Professor if he hadn’t introduced himself. Not a single wrinkle sat on his face, but he claimed to know my grandfather, even though he had left the academy thirty years ago. Bloum should’ve been the same age as Harriet.
“Can I ask you something?” I mumbled.
Professor Bloum nodded.
“How do you know my grandfather?”
“Oh,” he chuckled, “I don’t. I wish.”
“But you just said you learned from him.” My eyebrows pulled to the middle.
“I did. I’ve read all his books, all two hundred and thirty-five of them.” He looked down at his shoes in shame and added, “As well as the six hundred eighty-six mentioned references.”
“I guess I really have to read a lot.”
After talking about Gerogy for a while, he rejoined his students and I left the tent.
Strolling around, I saw the art, music, and theatre clubs advertising their programs while athletes gathered in the gymnasium.
The tribunes filled up. Everyone seemed eager to witness the race. I thought of giving it a chance, but when I eyed Kress on the tracks, I turned around and stormed off.
Before I reached my tower, I got grabbed by the arm.
“Excuse me, Verra, wrong direction,” Claire was pulling me. “Where have you been all day?”
“Studying,” I said, to which she rolled her eyes.
“You’ve got to see Bryon, he’ll run against a graduate today. We’re betting five hundred coins on him.”
Five hundred, a full chest for one race. It took me two years to save up fifty, which I considered a fortune.
We took seats in the first row. Tonio had saved them for us. Two seats, not just one, and I sensed that he was trying his best to be welcoming instead of intimidating. I appreciated him, without getting too comfortable and letting my guard down.
Elvora appeared in front of me as soon as I sat down beside him. “Scoot,” she said, but there was no place I could’ve moved to.
Claire kicked against her leg. “You’re blocking my view.” She treated her like a peasant, and Tonio observed Elvora’s reaction closely.
When she inhaled and opened her mouth to speak, he pulled her down by the wrist. “I don’t have time for your drama,” he whispered into her face and pushed her away from us.
Claire tapped my leg and focused her eyes on him. I remembered how she told me about their meeting at the lover's cross. Apparently, Tonio had fallen out of love while Elvora hung on to it. She appeared to be perfect, especially in the presence of Professor Bloum, but her character changed regarding Tonio. She must’ve been jealous, and Claire enjoyed every moment of it.
“I kicked her hard, let’s hope she won’t come to the party,” she laughed and made Tonio shake his head with a smile on his face. He loved his sister over everyone else, and I understood his suspicion towards me. It was not because he sensed the witchiness, but because I got close to Claire in one day.
Unconsciously, I stared at him, compared the similarities between the siblings. They were identical apart from their eye colours and height.
He caught me in the act. “You look better today,” he said and smiled.
I nodded to him, hiding my inflamed cheeks behind my hair.
Was that a compliment or a diagnose?
The teams assembled, and Claire started explaining every aspect to me. “Graduates against undergraduates, two disciplines.” She pointed at the track.
They pushed half of it to the side and revealed a pool under the planks. Half track, half pool, I couldn’t make sense of it.
The musicians started drumming; The athletes took their places. Kress was standing in front of the pool, and Bryon stood behind it. Both had a graduate beside them in the same position.
For a second, the drums stopped. The frontman blew into the horn, setting the athletes in motion, and Claire began shifting around in her seat.
Kress jumped into the pool and dove to the ground in no time while his competitor struggled. When he broke out of the water, he swam double as fast as the graduate with a stick in his hand. He handed it to Bryon, who started his sprint.
After he built up enough speed, he threw the stick into the air in front of him and the audience gasped.
We sat back speechless while he transformed into a panther and caught the stick with his giant fangs. He was a marvellous creature with sleek fur. The audience cheered his
