Molly thought History and Transformation of the Magick World would help keep her awake, but she was wrong. Maybe putting students to sleep was just what history classes were meant to do.

It had been over a week now since she had banned the spirit sprites in her hall from touching her. Although it took her a few tries the first time to get the banning right because she had to fully concentrate and catch the spirit sprites off guard, it was easy for her to do now. She just had to be careful still. If they touched her before she banished them, sticking their little fingers into her nerves, her concentration was lost, and she became too frazzled to do the spell.

Now, thanks to the banning, she could sleep most nights. Also, even after using the app that helped her fall asleep, she had not returned to the place of ice.

Her hand slipped off her face as Miss Weelt discussed the fear many had when magick had first become known to the larger world. But why? Molly never understood why so many feared it when it was accessible to anyone who was willing to learn. She wondered if, once the fear was quelled completely and the kids her age grew older, most, if not all, of society would use magick; if it would take over the majority one day.

From what she had learned throughout this last week about the magickal side of society, they faced many of the same issues that the non-magickal society did. Throughout history, the magickal community had worked hard to keep their children from falling into the bad ways of magick, much like the non-magickal community did regarding drugs and other things. Before the All-Seeing-Time, and still now, they had systems and jobs in place to manage the once-hidden society. Only a few of those jobs in the magickal divisions had become redundant after the All-Seeing-Time. The trolls and even the griffon Molly had seen multiple times no longer needed to be hidden, so the divisions that had worked to hide magickal creatures disbanded. Another division was now required to protect and manage magickal creatures for the many communities.

What they were learning in class right now was how the magickal community had gotten rid of all the guns and weaponry in the entire world.

The magick community had called those weapons unnecessary-imminent-death-chaos, imminent-death-chaos for short, and expressed that they were watching nations fall for no reason to machines that required no power, strength, or talent to hold and wield. They wanted to show the world that magick did exist, but it was not to be hunted or messed with, it was to be left alone, and it was here to help create a better life.

All the witches and magickal beings who had been brought together because of technology had put aside all the strife they had with each other to find a way to get that point across, and they had. Molly admired them for that.

Derrin, who was a few seats away from her in class, was continuously rotating a vial of green-blue bubbling liquid, which he’d been doing this since the beginning of class. She was surprised that the teacher hadn’t said anything to him but wondered if Miss Weelt had even noticed since her glasses were too fogged up on her thin face for her to see anything.

It seemed like Derrin was also trying to stay awake. His head drooped then he snapped back up to look at the teacher with wide eyes, and a few drops from the vial spilled out onto his fingers.

Derrin cursed.

Molly wondered why it was open in the first place unless it was to allow in oxygen.

Suddenly, feathers began sprouting from his finger where the liquid had soaked into it. Grey-white feathers emerged, first just a few, but then they covered his whole hand, until he had what looked like a small wing attached to his arm.

Miss Weelt was standing over him, her glasses nearly falling off her nose. “What are you doing besides interrupting my class?”

“None of your business,” Derrin shot back, trying to hide his hand under his desk.

But the teacher grabbed it before he could.

Molly watched as the teacher quickly drew out what looked like a blue-green soul’s essence from the feathers with her own, then closed her hand into a fist. The feathers disappeared, turning to dust on Derrin’s desk before vanishing.

“I will tell you this, if you wanted to keep that, you are bad at holding onto magick.”

Molly couldn’t help smiling as Miss Weelt returned to the front of the class.

***

After class, Molly didn’t look in Derrin’s direction, wanting to avoid his wrath. Instead, she headed straight to lunch, hoping to catch Ova there.

A line of students hung around near the cafeteria, waiting for friends coming from their classes. Ova was there waiting for her while playing with the bronze buttons on her red blouse.

“How was class?” Molly asked, coming up to her.

Ova shrugged. She had several red bumps on her arms and a few on her neck. Molly hadn’t yet had the courage to ask her what they were. She felt it might be rude, especially since Ova often seemed to overshare, and yet hadn’t wanted to talk about this.

“Yours?” she returned.

“Somewhat entertaining. A boy in our class basically turned his hand into a wing,” Molly said, then walked with Ova to the line on the first floor of the cafeteria to get their food. They had eaten at the top floor a few times last week, but it was more crowded than they liked.

“Really? In History and Transformation? How?”

“He had a vial of liquid.”

“Weird. What’s his name? Maybe he’s in one of my classes.” Ova grabbed up a freshly made peanut butter and jelly sandwich, while Molly went for the fish, tempted by the lemon steam curling to the lights above it.

“Derrin. I don’t remember his last name.” Molly scooped some steamed carrots sprinkled with nutmeg onto her plate before filling a cup with clear water from a spout hooked to a machine.

Ova pondered for a moment. “No. I’m pretty sure he isn’t in any of my classes.”

They sat down at one of the only empty tables they could find, which was close by the fountain.

“Do you mind if after I eat, I run to Mrs. Heard? I need to ask her something,” Ova took a bite of her sandwich. Ova still refused to call Mrs. Heard, Celta out of respect, although Molly couldn’t help to let the name Celta slip past her tongue.

“Of course. Are you okay?”

“Yeah.… Just…I know I shouldn’t have, but the tarot app that Koz made—I used it. Sometimes I compare it to my own decks, and it… well… it said something different. A little more sinister. And I can’t decide whether it’s because Metis is upset at me that I second-guessed her guidance or if I’m overthinking everything. I’m sure it’s fine. I’m sure that she isn’t upset. I’m sure I’m fine. I’m fine.” Ova laughed, then itched at her neck. “Unless maybe Metis wants me to go to Mrs. Heard today because she’s cunning. Metis is, not Mrs. Heard. This could be her plan all along.”

“You don’t think the app just messed up?” Molly knew little about tarot decks and had never really cared to learn. When Ova had first mentioned it, it had seemed like it would be handy to see what was approaching one’s life until she saw how Ova was acting now, freaking out about it. Molly did not want to be like that. She wasn’t sure if it was worth it.

Ova started scratching at her arm, hard enough that Molly thought it might bleed. “What usually goes wrong is the interpretation of it OR if my thoughts went a different direction when asking the question. But this was different. Look.” Ova shuffled through her small bag and took out three thick cards. “I brought these to show Mrs. Heard.” She laid two of them down on the table in front of Molly. One had an interesting map or compass in the middle of it and the other had a woman holding up a thick, short stick that was glistening and silver. “Two cards came up the same as my physical deck: the Wheel of Fortune card turned upright, which could mean that a change is coming, and the Magician reversed, which could mean trickery, illusion, or being out of touch.” She laid down the last card she had pulled out. This one had a giant, haunting building in the center. “But the last one on my physical deck was the Tower upright, which means that a sudden upheaval is coming. I don’t know what that means! Then when I turned to the app, the last card changed to Ten of Swords, which means failure or collapse or defeat!”

“Why do you do it if it upsets you?” Molly asked her friend, who had gathered the cards and were clutching them at her chest.

“It opens awareness to the world and connects you to the universe and energies. It helps the practice of watching out for something. I’m sorry. I’m not meaning to… I… usually people don’t freak out as much as I am… I just—” Ova was trying to catch her breath.

Molly extended her hand across the table and tried to grab for Ova’s, but Ova retreated hers with tears in her eyes.

“Ova. It’s ok.” Molly understood the fear that came with not knowing what would happen or not being in control. “I’m here for you, just like I know you are here for me.” Molly laid her hand out over the table again, waiting until Ova took it. When Ova did, Molly squeezed it tight. A few tears fell from Ova’s eyes as Ova took in a deep breath. “If something happens, we will figure it out. What else is the magickal side of this world for if not finding solutions.”

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

Maybe she was depending on the magickal side a little too much and giving it too much credit. But it was where the only hope she had lay too.

“Thank you, Molly. I think I’m going to find Mrs. Heard right now.” Then she got up and one tear dropped onto the table before she left. Her tray of food had been barely touched.

Molly got up to throw it and hers away, having lost her appetite. She wanted to find Koz. She was sure he was in the technology room again. She wanted to ask him if maybe the app was wrong so that she could calm Ova down.

But before she made it back to the food line, where a conveyor belt was running to the back of the counters where the trays of food disappeared, she saw that boy again who had been separating the creature spirit over a week ago.

He was standing by the fountain, talking to Lily.

Molly set the trays down at an empty table, then went over to the boy. She wanted to ask him what exactly he had been doing. She wanted to see if maybe he knew more about spirit magick than what she had seen. If perhaps he could give her a little guidance on the right way to go to set her own foundation so she could learn as much as she could. This last week, Molly had only been able to make it to the library twice alone with how busy she was, and she did not find anything that helped her. Everything was confusing, and there was no order to things, as if the teachers wanted resources there for the children, but did not want them to get too ahead of themselves.

Then, when she tried looking up empty vessels (which didn’t seem to exist) or protecting herself against spirits on the internet, she got so much conflicting information, spells, and options that she didn’t know which ones to try without hurting herself.

The closer she got to Lily and that boy, she swore that she smelled the welcoming aroma she had smelled before on Trennly… as if either Lily or the boy used the same shampoo.

Lily noticed her first and nudged the boy, who was the same height as them, when Lily saw Molly looking directly at him. Molly stopped, waiting for his attention.

“Namu,” Lily growled, nudging him again.

He turned and lowered his questioning brown eyes filled with hate and anger to Molly. Molly felt small under his gaze.

He didn’t introduce himself. He didn’t say a thing. He seemed to be waiting for her to state what she wanted.

“I—I saw you the other day. Last week. In that room. Separating the two spirits….”

Lily stiffened and looked at him.

Molly noticed. Namu seemed to stiffen too. “You don’t know what you saw,” Namu declared.

“That’s why I…I just want to know what it was you were doing. I want to know how you knew how to do that. Why you have one teacher in that period,” Molly rambled.

“Yeah, Namu. Why?” Lily sneered.

Namu shook his head and his eyes turned to daggers. “It’s none of your business.”

Molly had to avert her eyes from his and ended up looking at his hand as he gripped the lip of the fountain. Clear water sprinkled his skin as it splashed up from the dancing falls, but something else was there. A small pink vial was floating near his hand, tipping into the water.

“You came over to talk to me. Why aren’t you looking at me?” Namu’s shout that was directed at her forced Molly to return her gaze with a grimace.

“She’s just curious. I would be too. It’s your fault for showcasing what it is you do,” Lily snipped at him, dipping their hand into the now bubbling water and splashing it at Namu’s face.

He winced, but neither of them had noticed the water was bubbling.

“Mr. Vero must have accidentally left it open when he brought in the cages. It was a rush of a—never mind. It’s none of your business either.”

“Yeah, seems like nothing is anymore!”

The fountain exploded behind them. Not the fountain, but the water. The water continued to bubble over, now a hot pink. The first explosion shook the ground and had people screaming, then the bubbles continued popping like balloons as if gas were building inside them and then releasing.

Molly covered her ears.

“What the hell!?” Namu yelled, staggering away.

Lily and Molly fell back, too, as the bubbles continued to grow and pop.

Teachers stormed into the cafeteria. Some dove to the ground and began drawing symbols on the hardwood floor with crystal-looking wands. Some had containers and were trying to collect bubbles in them before running off again.

Miss Weelt, Mrs. Sleck, and Molly’s Transformation Drinks and Remedies One teacher, Mr. Ferrer, were there too.

“Out now! This needs to be contained! Leave! Scatter!” Mr. Ferrer bellowed.

Some kids were recording the scene on their phones, but another teacher took out her phone and hit something that made all their screens turn black.

This made the students moan as they left.

It looked like Namu had already gone, but when Molly walked away, Lily followed after her.

“That was strange, wasn’t it?” Lily asked once they were out of the room. The teachers then put up an invisible shield to keep the bubbles and themselves inside. The pink mess continued to grow, eating the teachers up. One teacher passed earplugs to the others inside the encasement.

“I don’t understand what happened! I saw this vial,” Molly tried to explain, but realized that Lily was not listening; they were watching the teachers try to control the chaos.

But what if the vial hadn’t been there? Would Molly have sounded stupid if Lily had heard her say that?

Not wanting to further embarrass herself, Molly turned to leave, but then Lily grabbed her arm. “I’m sorry Namu wouldn’t answer you. He has not been answering me either lately. I’m worried about him, actually. Him snapping like that is not like him. He never used to be like that before we started this school together last year.”

“I’m sorry I bothered him. I was just looking for—” Molly stopped herself. She didn’t want to explain to Lily why she was so desperate to learn more than the other kids in her year about spirit magick.

Lily waited for her to continue, but when they saw Molly wasn’t going to, they did instead. “It confuses me. We grew up together, side by side. He was never interested in anything magickal, but came to this school for me. Then all of a sudden… well… this is his second year, and he skipped a Spirit Magick class. He’s in Spirit Magick Three now and has a tutor on the side. He also says he’s preparing for some kind of internship exam. But obviously, it’s changing him and eating him up. Plus, personally, I know he has other dreams he wants to pursue.”

Lily was staring over Molly’s shoulder now as if trying to collect their thoughts.

Molly didn’t know what to say, but then Lily shook their head and smiled down at her. “I’m so sorry. I’m just at a loss. I’m worried about him. And confused. It isn’t your problem, of course.” They let Molly’s arm go, turned away momentarily, and then turned back around. “Here.” They held out something. It was a solid gold bracelet.

“I…can’t,” Molly said, stepping back with her hands up. It was beautiful, but she couldn’t take such a thing, and she didn’t understand why Lily was offering it to her.

“My family is rich. It’s not a big deal. It’s an apology for Namu, and I’d like to be friends. You’re interesting anyway. I saw how you came to the school with a mini-troll. I would actually love to discuss that more one day.” They tried handing Molly the bracelet again.

Molly stretched out her hand reluctantly to take it, and Lily slid it onto her arm. “It should bring you comfort. Even if it’s just in the fact that it’s pure gold,” Lily winked. “I’ll see you around.”

They turned, flipping their hair over their shoulder.

Molly stared down at the bracelet in wonder. It was the first thing she had received from a friend here, and it was better than any of the gifts that Rexa or Val had ever given her. It was heavy and solid, and it did feel like it grounded her in a way. It also made her feel important and accepted. Someone in high standing in magickal society—the child of the owner of the magickal airlines, no less—had noticed her and given her a token. She had befriended someone who knew so much about this world and might help her navigate it. Someone who could guide her and show her the best way if she asked. Someone she could lean on.

That reminded Molly about Ova, and how she had wanted to check on Koz’s app. Molly still had thirty minutes of lunch left, which should be enough time.

***

Molly entered the dimly lit technology room and saw Rem and Koz playing another game together, but this time on a tablet. They were sitting with their chairs touching but their heads were far apart as they took turns touching the screen creating symbols in the illusion of mud on an app. Items sprang out from the mud, and then points built up with golden coins on the sides of the screen depending on whose turn it was.

Molly wondered if it was another studying app.

“Umm…” she said hesitantly.

They both jumped.

“Oh, come on!” Rem complained, spinning in her chair with her head thrown back and the tablet in her lap continuing its rush of music.

Koz shifted, dug into his black cargo pants to pull out a green crinkled straw, and handed it to Rem. She took the straw from his hand and put the tablet on the computer desk in front of her before pulling at it. It extended to an unbelievable length and then shortened without making any noise. Molly could almost feel the crinkling beneath her own fingers as if it were imbued with magick.

Rem continued to play with it as she looked at Molly.

“What can I help you with?” Koz asked.

“I just wanted to ask about this app you made for Ova. The tarot one.”

Koz shook his head. “I don’t understand why everyone is so interested in knowing the future, especially when the future comes close to death, something people don’t look at long enough to study or examine anyway. Let me guess: She got a bad reading and it scared her?”

“She got a reading that’s different from the physical reading she did,” Molly explained.

“And you’re asking me if my app is wrong?” Koz asked with a sly smile.

“Well…yes.”

Rem intervened. “Koz is really good at making apps.”

Koz nodded as if that were all the acknowledgment he needed. “My app is not wrong,” he insisted.

“But how do you know?”

“Because it grasps onto the same wavelengths of energy to the question that Ova had asked the world before. There could be many factors as to why the reading was different, but if she used a physical deck, then the chances of it being wrong are even fewer. The energy from the physical deck would still be lingering. My app would have grabbed onto that energy if she had asked the same question.”

“But what factors could have made it different?”

“Well, she could have been asking a slightly different question, wanting to dive deeper into the answer she just got. There is also the factor of whether or not technology was involved in either the answer or the question. If technology was involved, then my app’s reading would have been stronger. Sadly, not much is known about techno magick yet. It’s like a whole other world and magick system. Its own timeline, even. It has its own presence and awareness that knows whether it itself is involved in the future because of the links it creates and establishes. It can make some things in the physical world a little duller—like a tarot card reading.”

Molly was confused and regretted asking. It sounded like nothing Koz had said would help Ova feel better.

“Do you want it on your phone? I have downloaded it for several people in the school. Even some teachers,” Koz rolled his eyes but then smiled.

“I have it too,” Rem said, holding up her straw.

“It also helps in divination classes,” Koz added.

Molly didn’t really want it, but if so many others already had it and if it would help her with her classes, why not? It didn’t mean she had to open it and use it to scare herself like Ova had.

She nodded and took out her phone to hand it over, then felt her face grow hot when she saw Koz look down at her phone with a look of disgust before glancing back up at her with a shake of his head.

It was probably because of the other apps.

Not wanting to hear about it or be judged, when her heart already felt as though it might beat out of her chest, she decided to distract Koz. “So, since you’re really good at computer and technology stuff, what do you want to be when you get older?”

Koz didn’t look up as he answered. “Work for a legit big techno magick company, mainly on computers, or build my own company once the fear of technology and magick calms down. Not anything huge. Although I admire high-tech magick wizards like Yimmet Simmo, I don’t want to be that busy. A few conventions and a few big jobs every year would be great. As long as I still have time to play games.”

He handed back her phone without a smile, then turned his chair away from her to pick up the tablet to resume the game he’d been playing with Rem before Molly came in. Molly took that as her cue to leave.