The next day, Kait enjoyed her bread peacefully, staring absently at the blizzard outside.

Suddenly, Taylor yelled, “Oh no, I’m going to be late!” A minute later, he practically tumbled down the stairs, ready to leave despite his bedhead. Kait said nothing as he panicked, and once he’d slipped on his shoes, he opened the door.

He quickly shut it, then pulled his phone from his pocket. “Oh. It’s a snow day. Whew.” He turned around only to see Kait watching him passively. “Erm, hi.”

“Sleep well?”

“Y-yeah?” He blinked, his mind finally catching up with the present. “W-wait, how did I even get back home?”

“I floated you back,” Kait said innocuously. She set down her bread, then took a bite out of a whole, cooked potato while blankly staring at Taylor.

“You know, you could smash that potato…”

“Ai kwnow,” she said before swallowing.

“How does ‘speaking through a mouthful of food’ translate through that spell of yours?”

She shrugged. “Don’t ask me.”

“Then who do I ask?!”

“Not the courier!”

“I should’ve expected a weird response like that,” Taylor muttered. “Anyway, you floated me back? How does that work.”

Kait shrugged again. “Magic.”

“I-I know, but can you seriously make people levitate?”

“Of course I can,” she said. “I can fly, you know.”

“You can fly? I was sure that was just a myth.”

“Isn’t your dad a witch archaeologist? Shouldn’t you know this stuff?”

“He’s more of a Renaissance one but everyone knows the myths about witches flying on brooms. I just thought it was an exaggeration since I’ve never heard of any other magic that can do that.”

“Nope, it’s true. Though I find it weird that we’re already myths. It’s only been four-hundred years, right?”

“Dad said that The Crusaders of Kallaran destroyed most of the records on the witches. Apparently, that’s why we know so little about them.” He paused. “But I guess that’s not a problem when you’re around.”

“Yeah,” she said uncertainly.

Taylor took the seat opposite her then yawned. “Anyway, I’m just glad it’s a snow day.”

“You don’t like school?”

“Who does?”

Kait took another bite out of the potato. “Anyone who goes to a witch’s school, I suppose. School days were my favorites.” She looked out with a distant expression. “Might I ask you for something?”

Taylor placed bread in the toaster. “Ask me what?”

“Could you teach me some Terainian?”

He leaned against the counter. “I’m not against it, but can’t you just use spells to get by?”

“Of course not! I can’t read, and if for some reason I can’t cast magic…” she grimaced. “I’ll be lost.”

“Well, it’s your life. I’m sure you know best. But I don’t know if I…actually, I think I can teach you some.”

Kait stared Taylor dead in the eyes. He averted his own. Suddenly, she burst into laughter.

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“What’s so funny?!”

“Nothing at all, Taylor.” Kait took another bite out of her potato, grinning mischievously. The toaster suddenly popped up, causing her to jump in shock. “Oh, fuck! What is that thing?!” she yelled.

Taylor blinked with a disgruntled expression. “A toaster. And what is a ‘fuck’?”

Kait glanced to the side. “Uhh…it’s just a…phrase.”

“Another weird phrase?”

“Oh, theis glam easl!” Kait said in her native language.

She and Taylor sat on the floor of her room, which was just as plain as it was on the day she’d moved in.

Kait stared at the notebook before her, where her alphabet wristband was sitting. She cleared her throat. “Thae yealow frug jumped.”

“You really aren’t all that bad,” Taylor said. “Your accent isn’t even that thick.”

She clenched the wristband. “It seems like I already know how to speak Terainian, but I’m just, you know, four hundred years outdated.”

“Just, huh?” Taylor chuckled.

After they exchanged a few more phrases, Kait said, “Hm…either way, I think that’s enough for today.”

“No problem. It was…fun.” Taylor stood and began walking out, but he stopped in the doorway and spoke with a subdued voice. “Hey, Kait?”

“What?”

“If I needed help, would you help me?”

She considered the question seriously. The way he’d said it, he wasn’t talking about some small favor. I shouldn’t get involved. “I’d…I woul-would.”

“Thanks. It really means a lot.”

As he walked out, she put a finger to her lips with a surprised expression. She hadn’t meant to say yes, not so unconditionally.

But I want to help.

“Thanks. It really means a lot.” Hailey heard Taylor say, muffled behind a wall.

Hailey sat on her bed with a downcast expression. She reached into the bag of Wishie-Washies at the base of her bed without looking, only to be greeted by nothing but thin plastic.

“Thatch it all,” she cursed as she lifted the bag up and flung it across the room, only for the air to stop its momentum just a few feet from her. She glared at the bag with disdain, then reached out with her foot to kick it futilely another half foot. She took a step off her bed, toward the bag, and paused to gaze hatefully at it.

Then she stomped on it. She stomped her heart out, mouthing, “Thatch it all!” over and over as she imagined the plastic bag turning to shreds underneath her foot. The bag was, unsurprisingly, impervious.

Hailey finally kicked the bag into her hand, then threw it. Somehow, the bag rebounded off the air and landed at her feet. She stared at it, her expression turning pained, then she gave it a pathetic heel-kick as she walked back to her bed, sending it gliding across the room and into the door.

Out there, people were living their best lives, and inside…

I…I just need time.

But she didn’t feel that way. She felt horrible, and not because of something as simple as grief.

As if! I’ve been in my room for almost two months and I don’t feel any better.

But she didn’t feel ready to go outside. She felt scared, even though it was difficult to admit.

I have time. It doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter at all. I can do whatever I want, and nobody can hold that against me because I’m…grieving. No, because I’m…I just need time.

But I don’t want to stay in here.

She wanted to believe that she chose to hide under her blankets, that she was doing what she wanted, that she could leave and resume her life at any point. Yet she struggled to even imagine herself leaving her bed again, let alone making her way to the door.

Suddenly, she heard Kait’s voice through the wall. “Hey, are you there, Hailey?”

Her thoughts hit the brakes as she realized she was being spoken to.

“Well, if you’re listening…I just wanted to say that you can talk to me if you want. I know you don’t want to talk to Taylor or anyone you know…but I promise I won’t judge you or try to make you do anything you don’t want to.”

Hailey didn’t respond.

She heard Kait sigh. “Well, think about it.” The voice faded out as Kait walked from the wall.

Hailey silently put her back against the wall as the torrent of thoughts and emotions flooded her again, and she eventually forced herself to make a decision.

I’ll just go back to bed and…and figure this out tomorrow.