The breeze gently ruffles Zoe's hair as she sits atop a boulder with an envelope in hand. She carefully tears it open, her fingernails finding purchase in the paper. The letter is embossed with a golden symbol. It's unfamiliar to Zoe.

"What's it say?"

Derek's words bring a scowl to Zoe's face. She glares at him, and he shuts his mouth.

Zoe turns back to the letter, and reads it.

Dear Ms. Kim,

It has recently come to my attention that you have become a witch. Congratulations.

However, your witchhood is not the reason I am writing to you. This is a warning, and an offer.

Firstly, it is important you know that unrestricted usage of magic leads to an elevated mana concentration in the air. When a mundane person breathes in too much mana they will experience mana poisoning. This results in mood swings, elevated heartrate, and mania.

I am cautioning you against using your magic too often. The ambient mana concentration in Witchburrow has spiked due to your actions these last few weeks, and those you frequently interact with may very well be at risk.

Stop using your magic frivolously.

Zoe's expression is sour as she crumbles the letter. She doesn't bother reading the next portion, instead trying to process the information. Derek is looking at her like he wants to say something. Zoe groans, urging him to speak.

"Just spit it out, you jerk."

Derek nods, putting a voice to his thoughts.

"I'm just worried about you, that's all."

The tender way Derek speaks sends a pang of longing through Zoe. She looks at him, and he tilts his head. She breaks eye contact, avoiding the urge to hug him. Acting thoughtlessly on her impulses is what caused this whole mess.

Zoe looks out at the wilderness with a bitter frown. Derek clears his throat.

"Are you okay?"

Derek approaches her. She doesn't move away when he puts his hand on her shoulder. Derek continues speaking, but in a softer tone of voice.

"I'm sorry. We should never should have treated you that way, you don't des-"

"It's my fault, Derek."

Zoe's voice is trembling. She doesn't make eye contact as Derek looks to her for an explanation. She explains as calmly as she can.

"The magic was poisoning you. All of you. It's my fault."

Her words trail off to a whisper. Derek blinks. His grip on Zoe's shoulder tightens as he turns her to face him. She looks ready to cry. Derek's face falls, and he takes his hands off Zoe. Derek questions her.

"I-I... Really? What do you mean..?"

"The letter was from a... a magic person?"

Zoe's lack of certainty raises suspicion. Derek questions her carefully, trying not to sound too accusatory.

"So... they know about magic?"

Derek is acknowledged with a nod from Zoe. She turns her eyes to her feet. She's still clutching the crumpled letter in one hand. Derek continues speaking.

"And they said your magic poisons people?"

Zoe winces at the bluntness of the statement, but doesn't deny it. She can hear the disbelief in Derek's tone, so she offers an explanation.

"Using my magic is like... spreading mana. And too much mana poisons regular people. Or at least that's how I understand it."

Zoe's words hang in the air as the two teenagers look at one another. Derek's expression is fighting between incredulous disbelief and shocked realization. He finally settles on realization. He parts his lips, speaking more to himself than to Zoe.

"Is that why I feel this way about you?"

Cool wind sends a shiver down Zoe's spine as she looks at Derek. Her lips tighten into a thin frown. She can feel a tear dripping down her pale face.

Stolen story; please report.

It's my fault.

Zoe whirls around, practically jumping off the rocky formation. Derek gasps in surprise as Zoe leaps down. He quickly runs to the edge. Zoe is already well past the slope. Her lungs sting as she breaks into a sprint, pushing through the trees.

Derek shouts, but his voice is drowned out by the wind whipping past Zoe's ears. Twigs crunch underfoot as she leaves the forest behind her.

The sound of a car's horn pulls her out of her daze. She looks up to see a car stopped in the road, it's headlights shining on her. Zoe is standing in the middle of a road.

She scurries off the road and onto the sidewalk with an embarrassed frown.

Her feet carry her through the suburbs without further input. She's not really paying attention as she arrives home. She walks up to the door, and enters wordlessly. Mom's voice greets her.

"Hey honey, back already?"

Mom is relaxing on the couch with a book in her hands. Zoe looks over at her mother blankly. Mom looks up to see Zoe's state of distress, and immediately stands. Her voice is laced with motherly concern.

"Zoe! What happened?!"

Zoe tries to reply, but a sudden rush of tears leaves her too choked up to speak.

Mom gently embraces her, holding her close. Zoe pushes down her emotions in an attempt to speak. She manages to choke out some words between sobs.

"I-It's all my fault!"

"What's your fault, honey? What happened?"

Zoe manages to shove the crumpled letter into her mother's hands. Mom unfurls the paper, her eyes skimming over its contents. Her brows furrow the more she reads. Zoe buries her head in her mother's shoulder, whimpering softly.

~

The warmth of the beverage combined with its chocolatey taste does wonders for Zoe's mental wellbeing. She takes another sip of her hot cocoa. Miranda is gently rubbing Zoe's back, a soothing gesture that further calms Zoe.

This girl really needs to take more breaks.

Miranda looks over Zoe's clothing to see bits of leaf and twig stuck to her body. It's clear Derek took her out to the forest. If Miranda wasn't so busy tending to her daughter she would be giving that boy a piece of her mind.

Zoe looks calmer now, so Miranda takes the chance to resume their conversation.

"Feeling better?"

A soft little nod precedes Zoe's reply.

"Yeah... I'm still a little mad at myself, though."

Miranda smirks at her daughter's selfless attitude. She gently pets Zoe's head, looking at the uncrumpled letter in her hand. Miranda assures Zoe she isn't to blame.

"It's not your fault, Zoe."

"But, it is. I poisoned my friends, and you too!" Zoe protests.

Zoe looks ready to go down another spiral of self hatred. Miranda stops her with firm words.

"Zoe, you cannot blame yourself for not being educated..."

"Then who gets the blame, Mom?" Zoe pleads.

A thoughtful look passes over Miranda's face as she considers who is to blame. Esmarelda's wrinkled visage pops into her mind, but it is not entirely her fault either. The boys are to blame for their own actions (even if they were under the influence of mana poisoning.)

"Sometimes things happen, and they aren't anyone in particular's fault. You, Esmarelda, and the boys all share some blame for this."

Miranda lets Zoe marinate in that for a minute. When Zoe doesn't say anything, she asks her a question.

"Do drunk people get punished for their actions when under the influence?"

Zoe furrows her brows. Her retort is sharp.

"Mom, my friends didn't intentionally get mana poisoning!"

Miranda cuts her daughter off with a sharp look. Zoe clams up, but the indignant expression doesn't leave her little face.

"All I'm saying is those boys clearly had something going on before the mana poisoning, for you and for each other."

Zoe scrunches her little nose up at Miranda's phrasing. Her expression shifts to disbelief as she speaks. Zoe's voice comes out quiet and unsure.

"You mean the mana poisoning wouldn't make them have like... fake feelings... for me?"

Understanding Zoe's feelings, Miranda gently nods.

Zoe looks down at her hot cocoa with a sheepish smile. She's grinning to herself despite it all. Miranda gently warns Zoe, cautioning against getting caught up in her emotions.

"Now, Zoe... I know you like the boys, but you should also stick up for yourself."

Zoe's little smile fades to a littler frown. Miranda speaks gently, doing her best not to crush her daughter's heart.

"They hurt you, Zoe."

Sniffles. Zoe rubs her eyes with the back of her hand. She has no more tears to shed, yet her emotions get the better of her. Miranda gently rubs Zoe's back to comfort her. Zoe can't help but whimper sadly. Her voice comes out shaky.

"T-They did hurt me, yeah..."

Miranda squeezes Zoe, holding her close. Zoe continues to speak between dry sobs.

"I-I just- I don't want to lose them!"

"Honey... deep breaths."

Zoe takes a shaky breath. Miranda holds onto her hand, helping her stabilize herself before she can fall into a panic.

Miranda speaks softly to her daughter.

"Zoe, you won't lose them forever. They care about you as far as I can tell."

Zoe nods slowly. Miranda finally holds the uncrumpled letter in front of Zoe, her other hand pointing to the second portion of the letter. Miranda questions Zoe.

"Did you read this part..? It's... important."

Zoe shakes her head. Her brown eyes trace the words on the page.

Now that the hard part is out of the way, I would like to extend an invitation to you.

I run a school for the magically inclined, supernaturally altered, and otherwise unordinary. Here students can learn how to safely live their lives without harming those around them. We also ensure our students are safe from those with ill will for the non-mundane.

I'm offering you a chance to attend my school after your highschool graduation. The only cost is your time.

Sincerely, Headmaster Bartelby Black

"This sounds like a scam, Mom," Zoe cautions.

Miranda points to a bit of text at the bottom of the letter. She points at her phone, a school website clearly visible. Miranda explains.

"I already checked out the school website. It's legit, or as far as I can tell. There's no direct admission of magic or weird stuff like that... just a regular school website."

Zoe scrunches up her button nose. Miranda can't say for certain what she is thinking, but the look on Zoe's face telegraphs a complicated unwillingness.

"My friends can't go with me..."

Zoe's voice is a whisper. Miranda nods slowly, watching her daughter carefully.

When Zoe doesn't continue speaking Miranda cuts in.

"The decision is yours, Zoe."