86
Lucy
“But---”
He slipped into an alleyway, and I saw a flash of light. Then, I heard nothing else. The car glided past the alleyway, and it was empty. He must have used his portal to leave. I flopped back in my seat and looked down at the bag. I couldn’t stop smiling though. I felt warm. When we reached the building, I headed up to my room. Tina popped out of her door with a sly grin.
“I was told you were out with a delicious looking young man! Spill!”
My face heated. “It wasn’t like that. He’s a friend of mine from the orphanage…”
“You’re awfully late getting back from just meeting with a friend,” she said before slipping back inside. “Though I suppose I’ll let you---Is that from Cursed Slices?”
“Yes.”
Tina’s eyes twinkled with knowing. “I’ll leave you alone… for now. Tell me how the cake is, hm?”
I frowned as she closed the door. I could hear her giggling even as I went into my own room. I set the cake on the table and frowned. I got ready for bed and opened the cake box. The slice was huge, but the scent of chocolate made my mouth water.
I grabbed a fork and pulled out my phone to check the rest of my messages. There was a message from Stacy after I told her where I was going with David.
So, you’re on a date.
I huffed and texted back. It wasn’t a date.
She replied a few moments later. I don’t know of a lot of people your age who go to Cursed Slices not for a date.
I frowned and went to go look for some information on the place. Everything I could find swore that it was a popular spot for the university. A lot of the comments said that it was the perfect date spot and a bit on the pricey side. It was basically the most upscale date spot for college students. My face burned as I ate the cake. It was still delicious.
I lay back in bed when I was done and tried not to smile. It wasn’t a date, but if it had been, I couldn’t say that I hadn’t enjoyed it. No shopping, no bars or random food, no appearances of my adoptive parents, and no piercings… I couldn’t have asked for better.
The next day when I got out of my last class before my first training session with Luke, I took a deep breath. I made it a few steps down the main corridor of the university when I heard David’s voice.
“You ate the whole slice and didn’t share, didn’t you?”
I whirled around and scowled at David. His eyes were full of laughter and his smile was huge.
“I… I don’t have to answer that.”
“Of course not, Future Officer,” he smirked. “Just know that it’s pretty incriminating not to answer.”
He laughed and fell into step beside me. “Where are you headed?”
“To see Mr. Whitetower.”
He bobbed his head. “I’m headed that way. I’ll walk with you. How were classes?”
We talked for the short walk to Luke’s office. My heart started to speed up. I was nervous and excited. This could change everything, and it was the first step to making it beyond age twenty-five.
I looked up at David. “Where are you headed?”
“Counseling. Are you going to be okay?”
I nodded shakily. “It’s… not going to hurt, right?”
I shuddered, thinking about the piercings that were still healing and all the other things that had been done to me over the years. Even if it was going to help me in the long run, I didn’t want to go through anything else.
“Working with your internal magic? No, you might get sleeping though,” he smiled and squeezed my shoulder. “I have every faith that you’ll be just fine.”
I smiled, feeling better about going in now. “Thanks, David.”
He nodded and walked off. Taking a deep breath, I knocked on the door.
“Come in.”
I opened the door and he gave me a warm smile. "Ah, Lucy, glad you could make it. Welcome to my office."
"Thank you," I said. “I’m… more nervous than excited.”
He chuckled and gestured for me to take a seat. His eyes twinkled with a mix of excitement and wisdom. "Most people are, but don’t worry. I’m not throwing you in the deep end. It’s Friday! Today, I just want you to get familiar with the things in the storeroom: a bit oof back-office sorting and shelving to get your feet wet. We’ll talk about your goals and have a bit of a lecture. Sounds good?”
The tension drained out of me as I nodded. He got up and led me through a door that led to the room I had been in several days ago.
“This fountain pumps out pure, liquid magic. It’s a bit delicate to maintain and to work with. For now, the important thing to know is that if you dip your anchor in it, it will recharge. Not the fanciest or thorough method, but if you’re in a rush, there it is.”
I nodded and followed him to the backroom. He pointed out all the marked bottles and boxes of materials and explained how they were categorized. It was a lot of information, but it made sense mostly. If I didn’t think about it too hard, it almost felt like I knew this already.
A bell rang. “Ah, last minute requests. Hold on.”
He hurried out to the front and I kept looking around, careful not to touch anything. Some things flashed and glowed as I passed. The box of moonstones seemed to glow brightest when I got near.
“Lucy! Could you bring me that box of bloodroot, please?”
I winced and looked around. I had no idea what bloodroot was. I tried to find, backtracking where I had been, but something told me to turn left and around the shelves. I reached for an unmarked box and looked inside. It didn’t look bloody or much like root, but it felt right. I turned back and went to him. He was hunched over a staff on the desk. He turned and reached out blindly. I opened the box and offered it to him. He rifled through the box and pulled out a piece before placing it on the staff. Lightning cracked down the staff and he hummed as it returned to its normal color. Then, it started to hover. The young woman on the other side squealed.
“You fixed it! Oh, I knew I came to the right place.”
“Good as new. I’ll bill your mother.”
She grinned. “You’re the best. Thank you! Have a good weekend!”
She hurried out. Then, he turned to me with a wry smile. He leaned on the counter.
“How did you know where the bloodroot was?”
I blinked. I licked my lips. “I… I’m not sure. It just… felt right?”
He chuckled and I ducked my head. “I’m sorry. I just… I’m not sure how else to explain it.”
“You have a natural talent, a sensitivity to magic and great intuition. I wouldn’t be surprised if your human parent was actually a witch or a witch descendant.”
I blinked. “You can tell that… just from me finding a box?”
“In a matter of speaking, yes.” He stood. “It’s a good thing. It means your path to getting a grip on your magic won’t be so hard. Perhaps getting free of that restraint will be easier than you think. Shall we continue?”
I nodded and followed him back into the storeroom, feeling less nervous about it all. He took me through the rest of the storage room which was a lot bigger than I thought it was based on where it was in the building.
Once I’d helped him restock things, he showed me where my hour tracker would be. He signed the form, saying that I’d been there before turning to me.
“That’s all for today.”
My shoulders slumped. “It’s… only been an hour or so.”
He laughed. “Lucy, it's Friday. Young people should be enjoying your evening and starting your weekend.”
“Oh, but… the training.”
He rolled his eyes. “No one learns the intricacies of internal magic in one session.”
He nudged me toward the door. “Go on. Go out with your friends. Relax, do something silly. A part of internal magic is joy, you know?”
Joy? I didn’t know what to say, so I nodded, thanked him, and left. I headed toward the front doors of the campus and saw everyone gathering near the front doors.
“Hey, Lucy!” David called.
I turned around. He was beaming with excitement. His eyes sparkled as he reached me.
“Your counseling session went well?”
“Better than well,” he said. “We should celebrate you getting through your first session.”
I tilted my head as I heard everyone agreeing behind me.
“Well… what did you have in mind?”
He grinned madly. “The arcade.”
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