Lunchtime occurred in Rixonia. All the classmates spent their time in the improved cafeteria. Lauren waited for the lines to disappear before walking toward the food display case. She plopped her tray on the vertical table and stared through the glass, thinking of what to get.

Footsteps and a sliding tray rang through her ears as Bridget moved over next to her, also with a tray in hand.

“Hey, have you tried those Cauldron Cupcakes? They’re pretty tasty.”

“Huh?” Lauren blinked. She looked in multiple directions before staring at Bridget again. “Were you talking to me?”

“Yeah, I still am,” Bridget replied.

“Oh, I thought you were still...”

“Honestly, I had to process what I heard recently, about your reasons for doing what you did.” Bridget bowed. “I’m sorry for how I’ve treated you in the past.”

“I still never told you,” Lauren said, scratching the back of her head and turning away.

“The point still stands that you had your reason.” Bridget took two cupcakes from the display stack and gave one to Lauren. “Say, I’m going to train and learn how to control my magic later today. Would you like to join me?”

Lauren’s mouth gaped. Did she hear that right? Her eyes grew misty as a smile spread across her face. “Yeah, I’d love to!”

The two smiled at one another. They finished filling up their trays and headed to a table. From across the distance, Brandi watched them with a glare.

.-.-.-.

Zelda looked over at the papers she had worked on while discussing topics with Glenda. A loud knock on the door caught the two by surprise. Before Glenda could answer, the door slammed open, and Brandi stormed over to the desk.

“Hey, lady, I need to talk to you about something!” she exclaimed, slamming her hands on the desk.

“Brandi, show some respect!” Glenda thundered. “You can’t talk back to her like that; besides, she’s busy!”

“Sorry.”

“It’s fine. No need to worry.” Zelda waved it off nonchalantly. “Now then, what do you want? If it’s regarding your sister—”

“It isn’t.” Brandi interrupted, pointing at the exit. “It’s about the other girl.”

“Lauren?”

“Yeah, obviously, I want you to expel her!”

“Huh? Why?”

“I noticed that when that girl got angry at me earlier, I saw her possessing some kind of...”

“Dark magic?”

“Yeah, wait. You know about it?” Brandi slammed her fist on the desk. “Then why are you keeping her around?”

“Now, now...” Zelda brushed it off, staying calm after the outburst. She placed her elbows on the desk and rested her hands on her chin. “She’s only suspended for a little while. Lauren is making up for past mistakes.”

“Shouldn’t you keep a better eye on her? What makes you think she’ll change for the better?”

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“I trust her. You don’t attend this school anymore, so don’t pry into other people’s businesses.” She gave the student a menacing glare. Brandi’s body froze as a shiver fell down her spine, speechless. “You’re here to sightsee, not to bother the students, right?”

Brandi sighed reluctantly. “Yeah.”

“Good. If that’s all, then get out of my office, now.”

Brandi clenched her fists, wanting to talk back, but knowing it would be a losing battle. She stormed off and slammed the door behind her, creating a booming echo throughout the office. The room got silent as Glenda gulped and trudged over to her mistress.

“Uh, was that necessary? Don’t you think you came off a bit harshly there?”

Zelda turned and clicked her tongue, forgetting about keeping her appearance in front of her lower peer. “Maybe, but she needs to learn how to handle and deal with it. She can’t get what she wants just because she graduated and used to be popular.”

“I mean, fair enough, I guess, but she still might not take it well.”

.-.-.-.

Brandi stormed off in a huff, her feet stomping on the floor as her blood boiled to a degree.

How could they dismiss me like that? If their school gets destroyed again, then it’s not my problem.

She walked toward the central hub and sat by the fountain to relax. She glanced at a familiar figure resting on the bench across from her.

Brandi's face perked up as she approached and called out to get the girls’ attention.

“Hey, Isabelle!”

“Huh?” Isabelle sat up and rubbed the back of her neck. “Ah, hey. Sorry, I didn’t see you there.”

“Are you feeling better?” Brandi asked as she sat next to her.

“Yeah, I have. Thanks for checking on me the other day. I appreciate it.”

The two stayed silent as they listened to the serene atmosphere of the rushing waters from the fountain. Brandi’s heart pounded against her chest as her hands turned to balled-up fists. What Isabelle said the other day…

She inhaled and exhaled before popping the question.

“So, about the other day, when you said you hated watching ‘friends’ fight.”

Isabelle glanced at her. “Are we not friends?”

“I didn’t say that. More like, I wanted to know if I heard that correctly or not.”

“Of course.”

“Yeah, that’s what I— wait, really?”

“Are you okay?”

No, this feels weird. Brandi stared at her lap in silence. Could I become friends with someone like her? This…

“Hey, Isabelle, I’m back!” Benjamin’s voice interrupted her thoughts.

The two girls turned as the Dark Magician walked towards them. Benjamin stopped and spared a confusing glance at Brandi, who did the same thing. Isabelle had no problems introducing them to one another and describing them the best she could in a single sentence or two.

“Wait, so you’re the previous winner?” Benjamin asked. “I don’t recall seeing you in the books.”

“You never heard of me?” Brandi placed a hand on her chest and her jaw dropped open. “Not even from the teachers?”

“Yeah, they hadn’t mentioned you to me.”

“Are you, by chance, also new to the school grounds?”

“What? No, why would you think that?”

“How else have you not heard of me?” Brandi leaned over and whispered to Isabelle. “I can’t believe you’re stuck with him as a partner.”

“Uh...” Isabelle didn’t know how to respond to that comment. She chuckled lightly as beads of sweat rolled down the back of her neck. “Well, it’s difficult for me to handle some assignments or get a hold of how this school works.”

“Yeah, but you don’t ‌need another person to help you with that. You can learn that on your own accord—”

“What do you think you’re telling her?” Benjamin interrupted, crossing his arms.

“I don’t know why you care—”

“Enough, you guys!” Isabelle snapped. “How many times must I say this? I hate seeing friends fight!”

Benjamin turned to her and blinked. “Wait, you consider me your friend?”

Brandi rolled her eyes and buried her face with her hands. I can’t believe he thought that. Although, I’m not one to talk. She scratched her cheek, glancing at Isabelle. You’re not like the other peers in my classes. To be honest, I wish I had someone like you to talk to during my school years. Maybe things could’ve been different.