“Oh, and then there’s my sister,” Nile said, casually dropping the line like it was no big deal.

“Wait -your sister? That’s where she went?” I asked, my tone dripping with disbelief. Small world? No, that phrase didn’t even come close to cutting it here.

“She’s been here,” Nile replied, shrugging. “Well, no, not here anymore. She’s back home now, but yeah, she was here. Believe me, I’m just as surprised as you are.”

“Hold up -what’s your sister’s deal? What is she?” I asked, leaning forward. Talk about awkward. If one of my exes was here too… especially Kylie.

“She’s an angel,” Nile said, so casually I almost expected him to check his nails.

I blinked -and then I scoffed. And Nile’s ears turned red as he realized exactly where my mind went. “An angel? Okay, seriously, what is it about our town? Does it breed Sups or something?” The absurdity of it all was almost laughable. There’s no way that woman was an angel. She practically had horns, she was so wicked.

Nile’s grin widened, his temporary embarrassment vanishing. “See? Sups. It’s catchy. It works.”

“Yeah, fine,” Hopper muttered, clearly annoyed to be conceding to his ridiculous naming conventions. “Whatever.”

“So, what you’re saying is,” I continued, careful not to let my errant thoughts betray me, “our little town doesn’t just breed normal people -it breeds special people. People like us.”

“Awakened,” Hopper interjected firmly, with the air of someone who wanted to be taken seriously. “We call them Awakened. Anyone who can see this world and interact with it? That’s what they are.”

“Awakened,” Nile said, nodding as if testing the word. “Yeah, but, like, think about it. You say that in public and people are gonna start thinking you’re talking about woke-this or woke-that. It gets confusing. Awakened, woke -same vibe, right? So Sups is better. Shorter. Like supernatural but cooler.”

“Take it up with the nomenclature department, Nile,” Hopper said dryly. “Maybe send a strongly worded letter to the writers’ guild.”

“Okay,” I cut in, grinning. “So, how do I get… sorted? Or whatever?”

Nile gestured broadly. “You go to the Great Hall. They’ve got this huge biometric system -it scans your aura or your essence or something like that. They kind of explained it, but I was a little preoccupied at the time.”

I raised an eyebrow. “You? Not paying attention to the details? Shocking.”

“Hey, man, this place is crazy,” Nile shot back.

“Got that right,” Jester chimed in, standing up abruptly. “Anyway, you guys, I’ve got a thing. A date. Catch you later.” He gave a little wave and practically bolted for the door, leaving the rest of us staring after him.

“Subtle,” Hopper muttered, rolling her eyes.

Once Jester was gone, Hopper and Jinx shifted closer, clearly ready to get back to the discussion. “So,” Hopper said, “after you get sorted, what happens next? Do they just hand you a schedule or something?”

“Pretty much,” Nile replied. “First, you go through orientation. It starts at the admissions building, Orientation Hall. They show you around the campus, point out the landmarks, give you the dos and don’ts -basically how to survive. Then you head to the Great Hall next door for placement. That’s where they figure out who you are, what you are, and where you’re supposed to go. They determine your strengths, weaknesses -basically, what makes you tick. Then they give you a list of recommended classes.”

Hopper sighed, shaking her head. “And Nile’s results came back inconclusive, so he gets to do whatever he wants until they figure him out. I was so jealous.”

“Yep,” Nile said, his grin practically glowing. “Unlimited electives. It’s like being a free agent in the magical draft.”

“Interesting. Okay, so…” I glanced over at Jinx, raising an eyebrow. “I guess we should go there then? See what it makes of me.”

Her expression shifted, surprise flickering across her face. “Wait -really? You actually want to stay?” she asked, her tone caught between disbelief and mild annoyance.

“Yeah, why not?” I said with a shrug, trying to sound casual. “I mean, for now, I’ve got a little time left to figure things out. Plus, I’d like to know what I am.”

“Yeah, sure. Whatever. Fine,” Jinx muttered, her voice dripping with disappointment. She stared at the table, her fingers idly tracing the edge of her glass.

Hopper, ever the peacekeeper, leaned in with an encouraging smile. “Hey, Jinx, come on. Maybe it really won’t be so bad.”

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Jinx gave a short, humorless laugh and shook her head. “Yeah. Sure. Whatever you say.”

A heavy silence lingered for a moment before I clapped my hands together, forcing a grin. “Okay, so that got somber real fast. Anyway, I’m done here. You guys ready to head out?”

Nile stood, brushing imaginary dust off his sleeves, a cheeky grin plastered on his face. “Actually, I’ll see you guys later. Hopper and I have a class to get to. History, of course. It’s like getting a lecture about fantasy and sci-fi, except, you know… it’s real. Totally my thing.”

I smirked. “Figures. If there’s one thing you’d actually pay attention to, it’d be that.”

“Exactly,” Nile said, unabashed. “And hey, if you need me, you’ll probably find me either in the library or the Imaginarium. Those two spots? Chef’s kiss. Best places on campus.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Or we could just set a meeting spot, you know, instead of playing magical hide-and-seek.”

“Fair point,” Nile admitted, snapping his fingers like it had just occurred to him. “Let’s make it the Imaginarium. Before lights out. We’ll meet there and head out if needed.”

“Sounds good,” I replied.

With that, Nile and Hopper left, chatting about class schedules as they walked away. Jinx and I were left sitting together at the now considerably quieter table. She turned to me, crossing her arms in a way that told me a conversation was coming, and not necessarily one I was going to enjoy.

“You ready to go get sorted?” she asked, her voice neutral but laced with something… else.

“Yeah, sure,” I said, hesitating slightly. “Why does that sound so ominous?”

She gave a small shrug, trying to play it off. “It’s not ominous. Just… I didn’t think this would turn into an extended stay, you know? I thought we’d come here, get your cure, and leave.”

“Ah,” I said, leaning back. “There it is. Alright, spill it -what’s your deal with this place? Why don’t you want to be here?”

“It’s nothing,” she said quickly, brushing me off. “It doesn’t matter.”

“It does matter,” I pressed. “Look, if you don’t want to be here, we can leave. Seriously. I’ll drop this whole thing right now.”

She laughed, the sound tinged with bitterness. “That’s ridiculous. I’m sorry for putting my crap on you. Figuratively speaking.” She paused, running a hand through her hair. “It’s just… being here, around my sister, knowing I still haven’t found my brother… It’s like this place is a detour. A detour I don’t have time for.”

I softened, leaning closer. “Jinx. If this feels wrong for you, we can go. I don’t need to do this sorting thing. I can just drop a note to the director and we’ll leave.”

She shook her head, her smile returning faintly, though it didn’t quite reach her eyes. “No, no. That’s ridiculous. Besides, this place might be the best option we’ve got, especially with the whole… time thing.”

I blinked. “Wait. Time thing? What are you talking about?”

She hesitated, as if unsure how to explain. “Time here… works differently. It’s outside normal time. If we leave, we reenter the normal world only moments after we left, even if we’ve been here for weeks. It’s weird, but useful. And even for humans, being here doesn’t age you much. A week here could be, like, a day out there.”

I let that sink in. “Huh. So it’s like magical time dilation. That’s… actually pretty cool.”

“Yeah,” she said softly, fiddling with the edge of her sleeve. “So if you want to stay and figure things out, it’s not the worst idea. And maybe, once you’ve gotten your bearings, you can help me find my brother -or at least figure out what happened to him.”

I nodded, my resolve firm. “Absolutely. I want to help. You know that.”

Her lips quirked up in a small, grateful smile. “Thanks, Declan.”

With that settled, we left the mess hall, and attempted to find our way to the admissions building for orientation.

It wasn’t until we were standing outside the cafeteria that I realized our mistake and began cursing loudly.

“Whoa dude, what’s the beef?” I heard Nile’s voice ask casually.

“What are you doing here, I thought you left for history lessons.” I asked confused.

“We did,” Hopper answered, pushing aside some information hovering above her school tablet. It was the standard issue that all the students seemed to have. And it was cool as heck.

“Man I’ve got to get me one of those,” I breathed.

“How can you even use it?” Jinx asked.

“That’s the thing, it’s accessibility options are state of the art,” I replied, watching as Hopper finished what she was doing before stowing away her tablet.

“Sorry for interrupting,” I apologized, realizing they hadn’t actually answered my question. You were saying?”

“They cancelled the class. So we have a free period,” Hopper said. Her tone did not sound happy to have avoided schooling… very strange. Come to think of it, she did have a certain fluffy haired resemblance to a famous muggle born I remember reading about. Especially when she had been scrutinizing the readout on her tablet.

Nile clapped a hand on my shoulder. “Alright, man, I’ll catch you later. Just drop me a message in my inbox through the system. I’ll check it and we’ll meet up.”

I blinked. “Wait, there’s a messaging system?”

Nile smirked. “Yeah, of course. It’s like a built-in comms network for the students. Pretty basic stuff. You didn’t think we sent messenger ravens or something, did you?”

I shot him a deadpan look. “Honestly? At this point, I wouldn’t be surprised.”

He laughed, shaking his head. “You’ll get the hang of it. Anyway, I gotta run. Have fun with your whole… sorting situation.”

With that, Nile and Hopper started walking off, leaving me standing next to Jinx. I turned to her expectantly. “So, do you know how this comm system thing works?”

Jinx shrugged. “Nope. But I’m sure my sister does.”

“Hopper, mind showing us how it works?” I called out.

Hopper turned back, rolling her eyes. “Oh yeah, sure, no problem. I mean, it’s not like I’m busy. Nor that it’s literally part of the orientation, so you’ll get the whole tutorial soon anyway.”

“Right,” I muttered. “Well, since we’re skipping ahead, I appreciate the crash course.”

She gestured toward her own device, tapping it. “It’s pretty intuitive. Much like the schools paths. Just think of it like texting, but magical. You get a unique identifier when you’re enrolled, and messages are sent through an enchanted etheric network. Basically, think at the screen, send your message, and boom. Instant delivery.”

“Think at it? You mean, if I wanted to get somewhere, all I had to do was think where I wanted to go, and voila?” I asked surprised.

“Sort of, I mean you do have to actually put in the effort -you know- walking? It’s not like we suddenly just teleport,” Hopper answered as if explaining to a surprisingly slow student.

“That… actually sounds suspiciously simple,” I admitted.