“Are you ready for another productive day of training?” Gregory stood in the entryway just at the foot of the stairs.

“Sure am,” Anastasia gave a thumbs up.

“Well I’m afraid that I won’t be the one teaching you today,” Gregory said. “I have something to attend to, unfortunately.”

“Wait, who's teaching me then?” her eyes drifted over to Walter. Walter’s face didn’t budge.

“Don’t worry,” Gregory laughed. “I would never make you have to learn from Walter.”

“Rejoice,” Walter said. “You would not survive a day of training with me.” He walked up behind him with a jacket, helping him put it on.

Anastasia sighed. Walter was just a peach.

“Ana!” a voice came above her. She looked up to see Sadie standing at the top of the staircase, her finger pointed into the air. “Today, you get a private lesson with me.”

It took Anastasia a moment to realize what Sadie was saying. “Wow, really?” A smile bloomed on her face.

“That’s right,” Sadie struck a pose. “Now get your butt up here.”

Somehow, Sadie always made her entrance at the perfect time. Anastasia imagined Sadie lying in wait, biding her time until the perfect moment for her to chime in. Then again, maybe Sadie was just good with timing. She tried not to overthink it.

Anastasia moved toward the stairs, but Walter’s arm blocked her way. “Your belongings, please,” he said.

“Oh, of course,” Anastasia handed over her bag containing her camera and phone. “Sorry.”

“No problem at all, Miss Harrow,” he was stoic, but his voice hinted at a slight friendliness. She gave him a smile.

“Well, I suppose I can rest assured that you’ll all get along while I’m gone,” Gregory smiled broadly. “I must be off then.”

“Gregory!” Sadie hurried down the stairs. “My autograph session is tomorrow. You’ll be there, right?”

“Of course,” Gregory walked toward the front door. “I wouldn’t miss it for anything.”

“Yay,” Sadie clapped her hands together.

“Good luck with your training, Anastasia,” Gregory waved.

“See you,” she waved back. With that, he left the house.

“Well let’s get going then,” Sadie said. She grabbed Anastasia by the arm, pulling her up the stairs. They left Walter behind as they made it up to the second floor.

“Are you sure you have enough time?” Anastasia asked as they walked down the hallway. “Aren’t you busy?”

“Oh it’s fine,” Sadie giggled. “There’s really only so much prep I can do myself. I can spare a few hours.”

“And… you’re okay spending that time helping me?”

“Of course I am,” Sadie let out an uncharacteristic snort. “Friends help each other, right? Besides, I can’t let you go on thinking Gregory’s the only one that can teach you anything.”

“Thanks,” Anastasia said.

Sadie opened up the door to Gregory’s study. “Then let’s do this.”

Anastasia hesitated. “Wait, we’re doing it here?”

“Duh,” Sadie said. “Gregory says that a consistent learning environment is key in a magician's training.”

“Oh,” Anastasia stepped inside. “I guess that makes sense.”

“Besides,” Sadie hurried over to grab chairs for them to sit in. “My room is gross, and I don’t want that messing up your opinion of me.”

Anastasia had a feeling that was the real reason they were here, although she imagined that there were many more rooms they could potentially use in place of this one. After all, this was a gigantic mansion. Then again, even if Sadie was the only member of her family here, there were still lots of familiars around. If they saw her training, there was nothing to stop them from telling Sadie’s parents about her secret.

“So what’s first?” Anastasia sat down on one of the chairs.

“Hmm, that’s a good question,” Sadie put her hand on her chin. She didn’t exactly seem confident in teaching. “How’s your fire stuff coming?”

“It’s good,” Anastasia perked up. “I’ll show you.” She put her hands together and started rubbing. Almost immediately, fire appeared, taking shape into a small ball. She held out one hand, letting it rest just above her fingers.

“Nice,” Sadie smiled.

“And I can do this too,” Anastasia narrowed her eyes. The fireball slowly levitated from her hand and started to float around the air above her. “I can use wind magic to lift it up and move it around.”

“Wow,” Sadie said. “You can already maintain two types of magic at once? Gregory’s going to be so excited!”

Anastasia felt her cheeks flush. She wouldn’t admit to it, but she was secretly very proud of herself for figuring that out.

“If you can already do all that, then we should move on to water,” Sadie sat down across from her.

“Really?” Anastasia cut off her flow of magic and the ball of fire disappeared. “Do you think I’m ready?”

“Beats me,” Sadie grinned. “But let’s do it anyway.”

“Oh… Okay.”

“So fire is pretty intense, right?” Sadie started. “I mean, compared to wind anyway.”

“Yeah, that’s true,” she replied. “Besides the difference in motion, I feel like my whole body is reacting differently. It’s like feeling a really strong emotion or something.”

“Right,” Sadie put up her finger, most likely in an attempt to look studious. “Well water is basically the complete opposite.”

“What do you mean?”

“Think about it like this,” Sadie said. “If fire is a double fudge chocolate cake, then water is like cheesecake. Get it?”

“...No.”

“Uhh,” Sadie looked like she was starting to break out in a sweat. “Okay, so imagine fire is like double fudge brownies.”

“Sadie, I’m sorry but…” Anastasia interrupted her. “I don’t really understand this whole… pastry analogy.”

“Umm,” Sadie looked down at her hands. “Okay, I got it. Think about fire like a… big raging fire. Yeah, and water if like a quiet little river. Got it?”

Anastasia appreciated Sadie’s effort, but comparing fire to a fire seemed like cheating or something. “I… got it.”

“Phew,” Sadie wiped her brow with her sleeve. “Anyway, basically, you’re going to have to be really calm when you make water.”

“Calm?” Anastasia asked. “Can you not use it in a fight?”

“Oh, you definitely can,” Sadie said. “Maybe ‘calm’ isn’t the right word. It’s more like ‘focus’, I guess.”

“Focus… Okay, so what should I do?”

“Watch me,” Sadie settled into her seat, cupping her hands in front of her so Anastasia could see. Anastasia put her hands out as well.

“First, calm your breathing,” Sadie lowered her voice. “Before my shows, I always do this. I breathe in for three seconds, hold it for three seconds, and then exhale for three seconds. Let’s try it together.”

Anastasia inhaled, taking in as much air as she could and then held it. She waited for Sadie’s signal, and then let it all out.

“Don’t worry,” Sadie said. “This is just for practice. Once you get the hang of it, you won’t need to do that.”

“Okay,” Anastasia said. She didn’t feel any more relaxed after the breathing exercise. There was a tightness forming in her chest, but she decided to ignore it.

“Remember how you had to make friction to make fire?” Sadie asked.

Anastasia gulped. With all the trouble she went through trying to snap her fingers, how could she forget?

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

“With water, you really need to pay attention to your flow of magic,” Sadie went on. “When you feel like it’s about to overflow, focus all of it into your hands.” Her hands suddenly filled up with a clear water. “See?”

“Wow,” Anastasia said.

“You give it a try,” Sadie moved her hands and the water disappeared.

“Alright, I guess it sounds easy enough,” Anastasia looked down at her cupped hands and took in the deep breath. She followed through with everything Sadie said, and started sending her mana beyond the gate.

But the feeling Sadie was talking about would come. She tried again. This time, she tried letting more mana go, hoping it might result in that overflowing feeling. Still nothing.

She tried again, but nothing. Nothing. Nothing. It wasn’t working. Sadie’s hand on her wrist suddenly snapped her back to reality.

“Ana, what’s the matter?” Sadie looked at her, her eyes filled with worry.

Then she noticed it. She was covered in sweat, her breathing ragged. It felt like she had just run a marathon.

“One second,” Sadie jumped up and hurried over to Gregory’s desk. She took out a glass from a drawer and filled it with water at his sink. “Drink this.”

Anastasia took the water and gulped it down.

“I’m… sorry,” Anastasia managed to choke out. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me…”

Sadie moved her chair up a little closer. “You’re still upset about what happened yesterday, huh?”

“What?” Anastasia asked. “You mean those detectives? I’m… fine, really.”

“You don’t seem fine,” Sadie made eye contact with her.

They sat like that for a moment.

“Alright, so I’m not fine,” Anastasia sighed. “And I don’t see how you could be either. Those people treated you like a criminal.”

“Yes, they dd.”

“You shouldn’t have to put up with that,” Anastasia bit her lip. “They’re the ones that should be watching their words.”

“Ana, let me tell you about something,” Sadie held up her hand to stop her. “Just listen, okay? It’s not everyday that I open up to someone.”

Just from looking at her, Anastasia could see that Sadie was embarrassed. “Okay,” she nodded.

“I’m not the best magician, and I’m definitely not the person that my parents envisioned I’d be when I was born,” Sadie said. “There’s always been a lot of pressure on me to behave a certain way, you know?”

Anastasia could only imagine what it was like to have parents as wealthy as Sadie’s were. She didn’t know what it was like to have parents with high expectations either. After all, he parents passed away before her teen years. She decided not to say anything. It would come out more like a one-up than a contribution.

“Anyway, I started acting out against that when I got older,” Sadie went on. “I even got in a few fist fights in high school.”

“Fist fights?” Anastasia’s mouth dropped open.

“Now don’t go posting about that,” Sadie frowned. “It might sound shallow, but that kind of stuff could affect the way my fans think about me.”

“Oh, no,” Anastasia panicked. “I would never do something like that.”

“I know,” Sadie stuck out her tongue. “So yeah, I was kind of wild, but I’m lucky enough that I never went over the line.” She ran her fingers through her hair before continuing. “Can you guess why?”

Anastasia thought for a moment. “You… had people that stepped in to stop you.”

“Right,” a faint smile appeared on Sadie’s face. “I had friends and a brother that always knew when to pull me back just as I was about to go into the deep end. Even now, I don’t always do the best job of holding back my emotions, but I have people in my life that help me know when to stop. I’m… really thankful for that.”

“Are you saying that… I almost went off the deep end?” Anastasia asked.

“You bet I am,” Sadie jumped out of her chair and gave Anastasia a hug. “Which is why you need me to pull you back from going too far.” She moved away, showing her bright shining eyes and warm smile.

Anastasia started sobbing.

“It’s okay,” Sadie pulled her close again.

“I’m sorry,” Anastasia cried. “I was so angry… I wanted to kill them. I wanted to kill them for treating magicians like that.” She grabbed on tighter. “I’m so sorry, Sadie.”

“No apologies,” Sadie said. “I just want you to be confident that violence isn’t the way to fix all these problems,” her voice was soft, but then it suddenly turned intense. “You were right about that detective though. He’s a total asshole.”

Anastasia started to laugh, and Sadie followed. The two of them held each other like that for what felt like forever. Finally, they separated.

“Feeling better?” Sadie asked.

“A lot better,” Anastasia wiped a tear from her cheek.

“Good enough to try making water again?” Sadie sat down in her chair again.

“I think so.”

“Okay,” Sadie clapped. “Don’t feel like you have to push yourself though.”

“Don’t worry. I think I can do it,” Anastasia took another deep breath and started focusing on her hands again. She let her mana flow through her and through the bars of the gate. After a few seconds, something new started welling up inside her, very different than it felt when she made wind or fire. It was like a gentle current carrying her along a stream. It was working. She was doing it.

Sadie’s phone suddenly went off, completely destroying her concentration. The abrupt change practically made Anastasia fall out of her chair.

“Uh-oh,” Sadie said. “It’s from my manager.”

“Y-Your manager?” Anastasia asked, trying to hide her frustration.

“Sorry Ana, I gotta take this really quick,” Sadie pressed the button on her phone and then brought it to her ear. “Hello?”

There was a moment of silence as Sadie listened to whatever it was that her manager was saying. “No, that’s not okay,” Sadie grunted. “I’m not having metal detectors tomorrow. Absolutely not.” There was another pause. “No, I mean that we’re not giving into fear like the rest of the city is.”

Anastasia was starting to feel awkward, and it seemed like Sadie realized that almost immediately.

“Hey, give me one second,” Sadie said into the receiver and then covered it with her hand. “Sorry Ana, will you be okay by yourself for a little while?”

“Oh, yeah, of course,” Anastasia responded.

Sadie mouthed the word ‘sorry’, and then went back to her phone. “I’m back,” she said, hurrying over to the door and going outside. Anastasia heard her go down the hall until she couldn’t hear her voice anymore.

As soon as she was sure Sadie was gone, Anastasia jumped up from her chair and went over to Gregory’s desk. She pulled open the tea leaf drawer and reached down, lifting up the false bottom.

Inside, was the same notebook from before. She hoped it was just a log of magic tea leaf experiments, but the more she thought about it, the more uneasy she felt. Why was he hiding it? She pulled it out and opened it to the first page.

Day 2,565: D1 through 9 have all expired today. As unfortunate as it is, it was to be expected. The doses of mana I forced into each of the subjects was still far too much. All nine subjects in group E remain connected to me, and many of these bonds appear to be strengthening. I will move onto the next stage with them.

"Day 2,565?" she mumbled. If she was reading that right, then this experiment had been going on for a ridiculously long amount of time. Was this really about preserving tea leaves? The next few pages were filled with a series of numbers she couldn’t understand. She flipped ahead until she reached the next day.

Day 2,566: Unfortunately, E group does not seem to be fairing much better. With the connections solidifying, I attempted to open my flow of mana to them. However, the connection with subjects E2 and 3, as well as E5 and 6 were immediately cut. I’m not entirely sure how the other subjects are responding yet. I’m going to do some adjustments with my flow of mana, but it looks like I might soon need to put all of my attention on group F.

Anastasia skipped past the pages of numbers again until she arrived to the page she had read before. It was about E1 through 7 expiring, and E8 and 9 ‘showing promise’. She still wasn’t sure what that meant. She flipped ahead to the day after that.

Day 2,568: The experiment was a success! E8 is connected directly to my mana, and E9 has been directly connected to him. Both appear to still be fully sentient. The key to its success may lie in the genetic similarities the two subjects. While E2 and 3 were also siblings, E8 and 9 are twins. More tests will need to be carried out to determine if this was the deciding factor. It’s only a matter of time before I can move to doing something on a larger scale.

Day 2,568: Entry 2: I wasn’t able to confirm it until today, but subject F1 has also made a breakthrough. F1 succeeded in transforming, and in locating the irregularity behind the gate yesterday morning. However, he was unable to capture the target. F1 is currently able to retain his human appearance, but if the experiments with the C group are any indication, that capability will not last much longer. If possible, I would like the subject to capture the target before then.

The rest of the notebook was empty.

It took a moment for it all to sink in, and then Anastasia felt a chill run through her body. This wasn’t about tea leaves. If this meant what she thought it meant… Gregory was experimenting on people.

No. That couldn’t be right. There was no way someone as kind as Gregory would do something like this. She would just ask him about it and he’d clear everything up.

She stopped herself again. She couldn’t let her emotions blind her. After all, she only met Gregory five days ago. What if he tried to kill her? Should she try and talk to Sadie? What if she was in on it?

She hated it, but she wasn’t going to be able to talk with either of them unless she had some insurance. She would take pictures of the notebook as proof. She needed to get her camera.

Anastasia put the notebook back in the drawer and walked over to the door. She poked her head out into the hallway. Sadie was nowhere in sight.

She stepped out and quietly shut the door behind her. She walked down the hallway until she got to where it opened up in front of the large staircase. She looked around the corner, and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that the entryway was empty.

She moved down the steps at a normal pace. That way, if someone found her, she could just say that she was going to head home for the day. She reached the bottom without incident and sighed again. Another hurdle cleared.

A sound rang out as her shoe made contact with the marble of the entryway. She froze in place for a moment, looking around to see if any butlers or maids would jump out to ask what she was doing. However, no one came.

She made sure to walk much softer so that the sound wouldn’t carry. She finally made it back onto carpet as she reached the hallway to the right of the door.

She smiled. Just down the hallway opposite from the direction of the dining room, she could see a coatrack. Her bag was hanging from it.

There wasn’t much time. She hurried down the hall and unzipped it. She put her hand inside.

“Miss Harrow,” a voice from behind her practically made her heart explode. “May I ask what you’re doing wandering around the house unattended?”

She turned to see Walter walking down the hallway toward her. “Oh, h-h-hi Walter,” she stammered. “Sadie had to take a call so I ended up alone.” She glanced back at her bag behind her. “I was just checking to… see if I had money for the train tomorrow.”

“I… see,” Walter raised his eyebrow. “Well I ask that you call for me the next time you require the contents of your bag.”

“Of course,” Anastasia could feel herself calming down. “Sorry about that. I’ll… head back upstairs then.”

She walked away from the bag and past Walter.

“Miss Harrow,” Walter’s voice stopped her in her tracks. She turned around to face him again.

“How... is your training progressing?” he asked.

“I-It’s going okay,” Anastasia said, trying to keep herself together. “I’m just lucky to have Sadie teaching me today. She’s been really supportive.”

“Have you summoned a familiar yet?” he asked.

“Oh no, I’m not that far along,” Anastasia tried to laugh. “I still have a long time before I do something like that.”

“If I may offer a piece of advice,” Walter said, standing up straight. “I ask that you be careful.”

“E-Excuse me?”

“With strength comes arrogance,” Walter’s eyes met hers. “Having the power over a familiar means that you have the ability to make them engage in behavior they themselves find… undesirable.”

Anastasia wasn’t sure how to respond.

“When the time comes, I just ask that you remain as humble as you are now,” he gave her a bow. “Man and magician alike were not meant to play god.” He looked back up at her with a blank expression.

Anastasia shook her head. “Thank you for the advice,” she said. “I should get back to training.”

“Very well,” Walter said.

She left the hallway and went back to the entryway toward the stairs. Through the sound of her own footsteps, she listened closely for the sound of Walter following her, but he didn’t.

She hurried up the stairs and back into Gregory’s study. Sadie was still gone. Anastasia walked back over to the desk, and then reached into the sleeve of her shirt. She pulled out her phone. She had gotten away with it.

It didn’t take long for her to take the pictures, but she felt even more nervous than when Walter discovered her. After all, she still needed to confront Gregory about what was written in the notebook.

She just hoped she was wrong about what it meant.