Thomas nodded. "There are, but not many. We don't get sick nearly as often, either, and most non-magic diseases don't affect us." He grinned. "The common cold still goes around, sometimes. But in general, if you say the average non-magic gets sick, like the flu or something, once a year, then you could say that we get sick once every five to ten. It's very uncommon."

I nodded, that was good news. I hated being sick. I swallowed nervously and asked my follow-up question. "Could any of them make it harder to use magic?"

He was quiet for a moment. "Very, very rare ones. After you get better, except in incredibly extreme cases, then your magic is fine again."

That was even better. "Will yours be?" I asked.

Thomas sighed and shook his head. "No. I... Well, mine's gone for good."

Oh god. "But..." I stopped myself. Even though I didn't even have my own wand yet and hadn't known about magic for more than a week, the idea of not being able to do it was horrible. I couldn't imagine how awful it must have been for Thomas. But, I was still so curious, not to mention worried. Could I lose the ability to do magic too? Apparently, my concern was obvious.

"Don't worry," he said softly. "It won't happen to you."

I nodded. "Okay." Suddenly, I was worried about him, instead of me. What had happened? "Can you…" I stopped myself. It wasn't exactly my business, and I didn't want to push something depressing. "I'm sorry, forget it."

Thomas sighed. "Don't be sorry. This is all new to you. You've probably got a million questions, and I'd rather answer them than let you go around with some preconceived misconceptions or something. Please, ask."

"No, it's okay. I don't want to pry."

He smiled a slightly sad smile. "It was a long time ago; I've come to terms with it. You're not prying."

"I just..." I hesitated. "Mariana explained to me how even though she and TS are human a lot of the time, they can still see and hear things that people who aren't magic can't. Like Dani's eyes and stuff."

Thomas nodded. "And you're wondering if I can. Yes. I'm still a magic." He gestured to the partially burned paper on the nightstand. "Ready to get back to it?"

"Yeah." I went back to visualizing the paper bursting into flames and aiming my wand at it. I went through the wands several more times, and all of a sudden, it worked. Real flames licked the smoldered part of the paper, and there was even smoke! "I did it!" I cried.

"That's it, then," Thomas said with a grin. "Congratulations, you've got a wand." He tossed the burned paper into a trashcan and took the remaining seven wands. "Now, you can practice whenever you like."

"Really?" That didn't sound very safe. "What if I set something on fire?"

Thomas laughed. "You won't. In order to cast a spell, as you've just seen, you need a wand, a word, and intent. You've got the wand and the word, but unless you actually intend to set something on fire, it won't happen. Remember, your wand and magic are both an extension of you and your will. If you reach out with the intention of shaking somebody's hand, you're not going to punch them by mistake, are you?"

"I hope not."

"And the stronger your will is, the better your spells will be. And, you've got a pretty strong will, so don't worry."

"I do?"

Thomas laughed. "Yeah. That night Dani went overboard, I... trust me. The point is if you are, say, trying to warm something up and you're afraid you'll set it on fire... Well, then, you're probably visualizing it catching on fire and it just might." I looked nervously at my wand, and he quickly added, "But you're not nearly powerful enough yet to cause any damage. You'll just end up with some sparks, don't worry."

"If you say so," I said. "So, I can warm things up too?"

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

"Right. I think I told you before, magic is all based on elements. Fire magic, for example, has several concrete concepts. Ones that you'd expect, fire, obviously. As well as heat and light. You should be able to mess around with all three at your level. As you get more experienced and powerful, you can start casting fire magic that is a bit more abstract like cleansing or healing. And all fire magic is cast just by using Mar, so having intent and being able to visualize what you want to happen is critical, especially later on. Got it?"

"I do." I rolled my new wand around in my hands. "It's amazing."

Thomas grinned and nodded. "It is. I'm sure you're tired. Any other questions?"

He kept talking about getting more powerful and being able to cast more in the future. "How long until I'm good? Like, I mean, until I can do all that stuff and use other elements and things?"

"Well, you never stop learning," Thomas chuckled. "But, don't worry; soon, you'll be really seeing results."

That brought me to another concern. "What do I do after the voyage is over? I mean, I won't have you to teach me."

He thought for a moment. "I think you're on your own, in terms of schooling. There aren't any basic schools for grown witches. You'd have to specialize in something, and that's much later on. However, that's what a familiar is for."

"A familiar?" I gasped. "Like that hummingbird or raven whatever?"

"Raven. Raven familiars can take the form of any bird they wish. Smaller birds make it easy to stick around unseen in public. And yes, Fend is Jon's familiar."

That sounded cool. Would I get a talking bird that followed me around? "How do I get one?"

"All witches and wizards do," Thomas said. I was about to ask him for more details, when something in his voice stopped me. Thomas had been a wizard, but if he couldn't use magic anymore, did that mean he didn't have a familiar, either? He studied me for a moment and looked away. "She died," he said softly, guessing what I was wondering.

"Thomas, I'm so sorry. I really... I really appreciate you teaching me all this. I know it must be hard, and I keep asking all these stupid questions that I'm sure you wish I wasn't asking."

He smiled. "Thank you. And don't be sorry, please. Like I said, it was a long time ago. It's just..." He kept smiling, but it turned a bit sad. "It's just one of those things that... never really stops hurting." He shrugged. "Can't change the past though, right? Anyway, please ask whatever comes to mind. You've got a lot to learn and I really do want to help get you off to a good start."

The door opened, and TS walked in. "What's the story?"

"Nothing to worry about," Thomas said. "Jen just got her wand."

TS grinned. "Keen!"

I held it up proudly. I had a wand, a real magic wand. Thomas fished out the paper I had started burning.

"Show him," he said.

I took a deep breath and tried to picture the entire paper bursting into flames. "Mar!" It didn't come anywhere close to the little inferno I had been hoping for but a flame, about the size of one on a small candle, burst into life and licked at the paper before going out.

"Alright!" TS said.

I yawned, and they both laughed.

"I think you should get to bed," Thomas chuckled. "Latin American History, bright and early."

"Oh boy," TS said sarcastically.

"I like it," I said. "I happen to be a History major."

"Hey, me too," Thomas said with a grin. He grabbed my reject wands and handed them to me. "Why don't you give those to Charlie, he'll appreciate it."

"Okay. Um... what do I do with mine? I can't just carry it around in front of normal people, right?"

They both burst out laughing.

"We are normal people," TS said in mock irritation.

Thomas smirked. "Well..."

"Okay, not us," TS chuckled. "But, for future reference, Jen, magics usually get offended if you refer to non-magics as normal people."

"Oh," I said, embarrassed.

"But," Thomas said, "to answer your question: no. You're right. You can't carry your wand out in the open with non-magics around." He frowned. "Normally, the person teaching you would shrink it, and eventually you'd be able to do it yourself. Should've gotten you an air wand. Eh, even then, you wouldn't be able to do it, that's too abstract."

"Do I need it?" I asked. "I could just hide it in my room."

"You could," Thomas said. "The thing is, magical bonds, including those between a witch and a wand, are strengthened by physical proximity. The more time you spend with your wand, the faster your spells with it get more powerful. They'll be better too."

"Interesting." I held my wand a little tighter.

"It's sort of like —" TS began, but Thomas cut him off.

"I feel a bio-chem allusion."

TS snickered. "Never mind," he said, rolling his eyes.

I yawned again, and Thomas stood. "Get off to bed. If I were you, I'd tuck my wand somewhere, or at the very least, keep it in a purse. You'll be thankful when you see your magic improving."

"Okay, thanks. Goodnight," I said. I practically skipped down the hall to Charlie's room. If I hadn't been so tired from using magic, I probably would have. I knocked, and a guy I didn't recognize answered.

"Yes?" he asked. I spotted a girl in a bed behind him.

"Is Charlie here?"

He shook his head. "Nope. No idea where he is."

"Have a good night, then," I said. Charlie's roommate practically slammed the door in my face.

I was a bit disappointed. I had been hoping to show off my wand and give Charlie the extras. I was curious about how he ate it, which, I was assuming, was why Thomas had asked me to give them to Charlie. I passed Dani and Mariana's room on the way to mine and realized I could show them my new wand. I knocked and waited eagerly.