Benjamin, Isabelle, Harry, and Chi-Chi made it back to their temporary home base as they gathered on the living room couch. Benjamin poured the earnings out from his hat and onto the table to count them up, while Isabelle checked something on her phone. Harry and Chi-Chi slept on the rug, snuggling against the fuzz on the carpet.

“Hey, Benjamin, do you know that Sebastian fellow?” Isabelle asked as she put her phone away.

“Yeah,” Benjamin replied. He took a quick glance at her. “Why do you ask?”

“Well, are you two friends, rivals, or something else entirely?”

He turned away, scratching his cheek. “Well, it’s complicated.”

Isabelle cooed and leaned in closer. “Do you want to go into more detail?”

“No!” Benjamin shook his head and waved it off. “Don’t get any ideas!”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about...” Isabelle teased him with a catlike grin.

“Seriously...” Benjamin grumbled under his breath. He shook his head and changed the subject. “Hey Isabelle, how has your progress been so far?”

“Hmm? What do you mean by that?”

“Have you asked your mom permission to go enroll in this new academy?”

This again. “Oh, yeah, I have.”

“Good to hear. What was her response?”

Isabelle hesitated as her fingers twitched. “She told me she’d think about it.”

“You’ll never know when the school opens up again.”

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“I’m aware. But you’ll see, my mom will let me go when the time comes.”

“Ok, if you say so.” Benjamin got up and left for the kitchen. “I’m thirsty. I’ll be right back. Need anything?”

“No thanks, I’m good.”

“Alright.”

Once Benjamin left, Isabelle’s smile faded as she stared at the table and sighed.

“How can I convince Mom to say yes?” she asked herself. “If I can’t get her to change her mind and let me attend the academy...” Her eyes were on the brim with tears. “What do I do? How am I going to tell Benjamin?”

“I’m back,” Benjamin called out. He entered the room with a glass of milk in his hand.

“Oh, back so soon?” Isabelle quickly wiped her eyes and straightened her back.

“Yeah, I was just getting something to drink, that’s all.” Benjamin sat back down and set the drink aside on the coaster. “So, are you ready to tell me the truth?”

“Huh? What truth?”

“About you and your mom.”

“H—How’d you know?”

Benjamin tipped his hat and grinned. “The great dark magician is good at a lot of things, like reading people’s faces, for example.” He dropped the act and spoke seriously. “Also, I heard you across the room. You were very loud.”

“Oh.” Isabelle lowered her head and slumped her shoulders. “Sorry.”

“Look, if we’re going to do this as partners, we can’t keep secrets and lie to one another. Got it?”

“Ok, I admit, even though I did ask Mom for permission, she might not actually let me attend the school. When I tried explaining to her, she grew suspicious of the idea.” She sighed and stared at her hands. “We might not attend the same school after all at this rate...”

Benjamin scratched his chin and stared off into the distance. “That is a big problem.” His eyes widened as he turned back to face her. “Hey, you did say she might not let you enroll, right?”

Isabelle nodded. “Point being?”

“We still have a chance to convince your mom before it’s too late.” Benjamin snapped his fingers as his face brightened up. “I got an idea.”

“Ooh, what is it?”

“Can’t say right now. I need time to prepare and plan for it. I don’t want to bring your hopes up if it doesn’t go well.”

“Oh. Well, there’s always a Plan B, right?”

“Yeah. I’ll let you know when something comes up.”