Bridget found herself trapped in a blue box, sinking lower to the depths of darkness. She opened her eyes and ended up underwater again, her chest tightening over, holding her breath for a long time. The light reflected on the top of the surface; Bridget used all her strength and energy to swim back up. As her body grew weaker, a shadow in the form of a ball shape moved over and huddled around her. Bridget grabbed hold of the object as it propelled closer to the top at high speed.

Once she reached the surface, Bridget inhaled. She looked at Midoricha with a grateful smile, who beamed at her right back. The two looked around; the waters surrounding them were wider than before. Not to mention, instead of a forest, they found themselves near buildings. The duo recognized it as their school.

How did we end up here? What’s going on? Bridget cleared her throat as she crawled out of the pool and lied down on the tile floor, staring at the sun blaring at her from above.

“Yeah,” Midoricha added, as he did the same thing. “Why did that happen when we—”

“Bridget?” A familiar voice made Bridget jolt and yelp. Isabelle approached her at a cautious pace and leaned down, blocking her friend’s vision. “I didn’t think I’d find you here.”

“Yeah, I didn’t think I’d be here either,” Bridget muttered dejectedly.

“So, what are you doing?”

“Just taking a swim, apparently.” Bridget sat up and wrung her shirt. “So, what brings you here? Were you looking for me?”

Isabelle nodded. “I have something for you.” She reached into her pocket and pulled out a letter, still encased in its envelope.

Bridget and Midoricha stared at the item, unsure of what to think. “Wow, I didn’t know you get mail as well.” Midoricha pointed out.

“Well, maybe I should dry myself out before reading it?” Bridget said, sheepishly laughing.

“Oh, right, my bad,” Isabelle said, scratching the back of her head.

The trio left the pools and dried off near the entrance to their dorms. Isabelle handed Bridget the letter shortly after.

“So, how’d you end up getting this again?” Bridget glanced up and asked.

“A shadow raven delivered it by the window,” Isabelle explained. “Why do you ask?”

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A shadow raven? No, it can’t be.

“Something wrong?”

“No, it’s nothing.”

Bridget opened it and checked out the cursive writing. After reading the whole thing, her grip tightened as her hands shook.

“So, what does it say?” Isabelle asked, leaning over to peek.

Bridget crumpled the paper and shoved it into her pockets. She glanced at Isabelle with a big smile. “Sorry, I’m in a hurry. I got to get back. Can we talk later?”

“Oh, sure thing.”

.-.-.-.

Bridget ran to her room. She fell onto her bed and buried her face in the pillow. Midoricha floated by her side and nudged her head, hoping to calm her down.

“Bridget, what’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing.” Bridget turned to face the ceiling. “Except Brandi’s coming to visit soon.”

“Huh, who’s Brandi?”

“...My sister.”

“Is it a bad thing for her to visit you?”

“Midori, you have no idea.”

.-.-.-.

Isabelle continued to practice her magic and train with Glenda in the classroom. After another successful attempt, Glenda commented on how Isabelle kept improving each time throughout the class.

“Thanks, ma’am.” Isabelle looked away and rubbed the back of her neck. “But it’s mainly thanks to your teachings and patience with me that I’ve gotten this far.”

“Aw, you don’t need to be modest with yourself there.” Glenda said, adjusting her glasses. “So, what would you like to do next?”

Isabelle’s smile faded, as her mind filled with many questions she wanted to ask. She went with the first thing that came to her mind.

“Well, I wanted to talk about Lauren, if you don’t mind.”

Glenda paused and blinked before responding. “Not at all.”

“I—”

“I already know what you’re going to say. You want to ask why she’s suspended, right?”

Isabelle nodded. Glenda explained the events that led to Lauren's suspension from school before Isabelle joined shortly after. When the teacher finished, Isabelle lowered her head, stunned by what she had heard.

“Unbelievable, that’s awful.” She muttered, then raised her head. “Is there no way for her to get back to school?”

“Who knows if anyone will trust her again?” Glenda said with a shrug.

“But she’s trying to change for the better. I know it.”

“You’re a kind girl. I’m glad we have people like you at our school grounds.”

“What about that other fellow?”

“As of now, we’re still searching for him as we speak.” Glenda walked towards the window and stared out at the horizon. “He’s out there, somewhere, and we will find him, no matter what it takes.” She placed a hand on the window. “That’s what the Principal told me, and I stand by her and wish to help her by any means necessary.”

Isabelle lowered her head and said nothing in response. What was she supposed to say? Could things have been different if she were there?