My mother knew what she was doing. I didn’t want to consider her help, but she left an answer to my problems lying on the kitchen counter. I couldn’t ignore it.

I wanted to believe the things my dad did. He always preached how we didn’t need magic or a lot of money to get by, but it was so often that I saw how life could have been with it.

I used the spell. Time was running out, and as much as I wanted to keep my word that I wouldn’t rely on stolen spells, my mother had given me the key to a locked door. It didn’t feel good, and I wasn’t going to say thank you, but I gave into the weakness of a moment.

On Tuesday, June 2nd, I woke up at 9 in the morning. By 10, I was on my way to the town’s theater to meet BJ for the internship. There were only four people selected to participate, myself, BJ, an elf that went to our school, but I’d never met before, and a red-haired girl named Vista. We all arrived on time. For some reason, we weren’t let in until 11 o’clock by an old white guy wearing a black and white tuxedo. He looked like a stereotypical magician with his magic wand, top hat, and white gloves. Out of everything about him, his handlebar mustache was probably the most ridiculous. His name was Matt Pitt, and he ran the town’s magic organization.

The old guy escorted us all into the building, where we found seats before the main stage. He went up on stage and stood behind a podium to give what was obviously a rehearsed speech. Up until then, I was groggy from waking up so early on a day I should have been sleeping in. I might have tried to sleep while Matt gave his speech, but a nudge from BJ quickly gathered my attention.

“I’m glad you decided to better yourself over getting drunk and spending weeks out in a desert,” BJ said while we watched the old-timer fiddle with a microphone as if he’d only just discovered the technology.

“You know I hate long car rides anyway,” I joked as I stretched in my seat.

Before either of us could say anything else, our advisor finally spoke. He spoke for a long time. The old guy killed half an hour before he got to anything worth remembering. By that point, I’m sure everyone else, much like myself, was straining to keep their eyes open. His voice dragged on at a snail’s pace. There was no excitement in his tone even when his words should have carried character. It could have been his reading from a piece of paper that made him so monotone, or perhaps it was his age at fault. Either way, I was seconds away from using my ears to strangle myself.

“Spells are fickle. They require strict, organized, thought-out craftsmanship. The public knows magic that has been meticulously studied and simplified. What you will learn here is how to craft new and spectacular magic. By the end of these eight weeks, you may very well have your own spells that will forever be unique and coveted by your families. You’ll craft something new,” Matt said in his dead tone.

As he paused, it was hard to miss as four unannounced bodies walked on stage and stood to the side of his podium.

“But first, you need to know the basics. To qualify for this internship, you were asked to submit an original spell. This was a test to weed out those who were capable of taking risks from those too meek or meager to measure up. Now that you are here, you will each be paired with a mentor who will teach you the proper ways to go about this dangerous art.”

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One by one, Matt introduced the four strangers, and as he did, spotlights came alive to highlight their presence.

“We have Del Toro, famous for his animal spells. Gwen Hastings, Daybreak’s first magician to ever be featured in publications like Wizards Weekly and Magic’s Monthly. Young Prince, Daybreak’s youngest self-made magician who has created more than half a dozen household spells known across the world. And of course, the lovely Lady Beth, who acts as my right hand here in Daybreak,” said Matt.

They all looked like characters ready to be featured on Primetime TV. Their clothes were fancy; even Toro, with his blue Jean’s and open shirt, wore leather boots that probably cost more than my dad’s car. Each of them had a presence that made them pop, some more than others.

“There are four categories of magic. Practical magic that fulfills a specific purpose and is open to be used by the masses. Battle magic, which carries negative or harmful effects, most of which can only legally be used by law enforcement, the military, and special cases. Showman’s magic, magic that is done in performance. And finally, Leisure magic can be used by anyone but doesn’t serve a single purpose. Your mentors each specialize in a particular branch of magic. We’ve decided who to pair you with by the categories of magic your submitted spells fell under,” Matt added before we were all asked to stand and walk onto the stage.

BJ stayed with me as we left our seats. My limbs were stiff from sitting for so long.

“Isn’t this incredible?” BJ said with excitement as we made our way up the steps onto the stage.

The way she described the internship, I believed we’d all be working together. I didn’t expect to work one on one with actual professionals. In a way, it was amazing, and it was also mind-numbingly boring. To be fair, it was the first day, and introductions had to be made. We weren’t to any of the good stuff yet, but I had to hope there would be good stuff at all.

“It’s something,” I said with as much energy as I could muster, but that wasn’t much.

Once we were on stage, we had to figure out who we’d been paired with. It didn’t take long. Our mentors knew who we were and held signs with our names on them. I was going to be spending the next eight weeks with Lady Beth, while BJ was stuck with Young Prince.

I might have made fun of all their ridiculous names, but my parents named me Pitch because my mom was convinced I’d grow up to be a singer someday.

Lady Beth was definitely right hand to Matt. With a blood-red cocktail dress, high heels, and black hair, she looked more like a magician’s assistant than a main act. But who was I to be so critical? Had I been judging, she would have scored high regardless of the getup she wore out in public. At least she wasn’t as old as Matt. That might have been a deal-breaker. I had to try my hardest not to undress her with my eyes, but Beth woke me up in more than a few ways.

As I stepped up to my new advisor, I debated with myself on how to make introductions. Lucky for me, I didn’t have to make the first move.

“You must be Pitch,” Beth said.

“And you’re Lady Beth,” I replied.

I offered my hand, but she wouldn’t take it. I suppose she wasn’t the type for handshakes, so I retracted my palm awkwardly and put it away in my pocket.

“I was thoroughly impressed with your spell,” she said.

“Thank you... I guess,” I said, unsure of how to take a compliment to something that had turned me into a walking circus act.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen a curse with such a highly effective nature,” she praised.

“Yeah ...it’s really something alright,” I replied with obvious disinterest.

The individual pairings left the stage, but Lady Beth and I stayed behind. We were alone, with only the spotlights and empty seats acting as an audience.

“When I tried it, I nearly went mad. You were cruel to submit your entry as a common locator spell without warning of side effects. The way it merges the user with whatever creature it’s meant to locate, I’ve never witnessed anything like it. It took me three days to find a remedy,” she said.

It took a moment to register what she said so nonchalantly.

“Wait, you used my spell!?”

“Of course. I had to verify that it worked.”

“But, you’re not a...” I searched for the proper words.

“A half-breed? No. As I said, ‘I found a remedy.’”

“Then you have a cure!?” I exclaimed.