Sarah was sick. She wasn't actually sick, and she hadn't had to stick her fingers down her throat or fake a cough or even talk about cramps.

No, she'd just called in and excused herself from school anyway. Technically, her mom or someone was supposed to call in, but the ladies in the office never checked. They didn't even ask what she was sick with, they just took her name and marked her down as excused. It was easier now that she drove herself to school. For that matter, it was easier now that she didn't wish she was sick every day.

And it was a lovely fall day. Too lovely to spend at school, really. The morning was crisp and cool, and even though the sunny day promised to warm up a bit, it wasn't going to get too hot to enjoy comfortable clothes. She was driving west, so the rising sun was at her back, dappling through the pine trees as the road curved through the mountains. Sarah smiled as she sipped her thermos of green tea.

And even though school was important, some things were more important. At least in principle. Deciding what was best on any given day was sometimes a challenge, but Sarah thought she was up to it. She didn't think magic was something to build a career around, so Sarah figured she should still plan on college. It would probably be useful for a lot of different jobs, so she was still on the lookout for something relatively hands-on that looked interesting long term. But she hadn't found anything yet, so she couldn't just drop out. But a day off now and then was fine.

Especially on a day like this.

Sarah let the radio scan through the available stations, looking for something she liked. It didn't take Sarah too long to find a Rihanna song to blast as she drove down the highway. She didn't know it well enough to sing along, but she could tap on the steering wheel and bob her head in time to the beat.

Maybe she'd grab takeout and picnic for lunch. There were a few beautiful parks along the river. She hadn't just sat and read a book for pleasure in months. Finding a spot under a tree sounded wonderful. She might even take a nap. Of course, she might not be able to. She was going to call Alexa as soon as she got to the university campus. She'd probably call Jill too. They were probably in class themselves, but it didn't feel right to swing by and not let them know.

If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

Maybe they'd want to picnic with her, which would be equally lovely to a quiet day of solitude. Apparently, fall classes weren't as intense as summer classes, but they both had taken a pretty heavy schedule. Either way, Sarah was going to enjoy a day of relative freedom.

The visitor's lot was full, but that wasn't a problem. Sarah drove around a bit, but rather than risk a spot on campus that required a pass she found street parking a few blocks away. She stretched a bit as she got out. She pulled her black jacket out of the back seat and took a sip of green tea as the jacket zipped up against the last of the morning chill.

There was a soft breeze that kept blowing her hair forward into her face, so she fished out an elastic from a deep pocket to pull her hair back. She walked along the wide sidewalks into the campus, following a path under wide shade trees. A few of them were already starting to turn yellow. In a few weeks they'd be brilliant, especially if they could avoid a hard frost for a bit longer.

She slowed her walk, letting people pass her as they hurried to and from various buildings. The students on campus all made it look like the crack of dawn, never mind that the sun had risen over three hours ago. Sarah smiled at all the people wearing sweats, at their glazed looks or their unkempt bedhead. Some people were coming out of classroom halls, and if anything they looked more sleepy than those who had just stumbled from their dorms. Maybe she'd wait until later to call Alexa or Jill.

Sarah knew right where she was going. A big 'L' shaped building sat in the center of campus, and pretty much every student enrolled at the university either went in or walked past it on a regular basis. Each entrance had a few big wooden benches lining the pathway outside. Sarah sat down on one, tucking a leg underneath herself so she could face sideways.

She smiled to herself again, reaching out a finger like she was tracing the grain of the wood planks. Pure blue light was streaming from the bracelet on her wrist to her finger and then settling into the wood, invisible to all the people passing by. Sarah was chewing on her tongue, concentrating to keep her lettering even and clean. She'd practiced at home, making sure she could write neatly. It had taken real effort to keep her handwriting from looking like an ugly scrawl, but now it was coming all too easily.

She had a slip of paper in her pocket with a phone number and email address written on it, along with the message that everyone had decided would be best. Other than the number and address, she'd decided to ignore most of it. She knew what she wanted to write.

"You're not crazy..."