Inyanga's Star and Other Constellations

Circles - Mingxia's Star

On the first day of Magicians College, Mingxia's parens had two pieces of advice for her. "Sit in the front." In the front seat of their moto, Ma looked over, half concentrating on flying, and with the windows open, aer black silk hair levitated.

"But Ma, I like sitting in the back." Even with her own parens, some days Mingxia's voice came out small, like that of a mouse. "Shouldn't I make use of the vision improvement spells if they allow me to see from the back of the lecture hall?"

Ma landed in the parking lot far from al-Maysan, parked under the shade of thick Lillywood branches.

"That brings me to the second recommendation. Don't date in first year. You need to take the time to learn who you are. But when you do date, pick someone with glasses. Smart. You may think everyone who gets into Magicians College is smart. No. That's not right. I have met many unintelligent magicians in my long life. College exists for one reason only. Money. To make money. And to do so the college must admit who can pay. I guarantee that to you."

Nervously adjusting her animated blouse, lilacs blowing in a white breeze, Mingxia didn't point out that if a student wore glasses, she probably could not afford a vision correction spell — which both disproved Ma's theory about money and would make this potential love interest less appealing to Ma. Would Ma want her to date someone poor? Probably not.

Did Mingxia want to hear her parens say as much out loud? Probably not.

And if they admitted everyone who could pay and no one who couldn't, what were the standardized tests for?

Yet Ma was tender and when aeh reached from the driver's seat to wrap Mingxia in a hug, Mingxia felt cocooned and did not want to extend her wings and leave the protective chrysalis.

"Aren't you excited?" Ma must have asked that because aeh could feel Mingxia quivering. "Remember your breathing exercises, like Doctor Asakaze said. Take a deep breath. You will do fine. When you have a magician's license and a magician's salary, we will be able to afford the anti-anxiety spell subscription."

Mingxia didn't point out she wished she could have the spell now. Now was when she needed the medicine. So she could make friends. When she was a successful graduate and licensed magician, she would be through the hard part already. Getting the medicine spell then would be antithetical.

She didn't say that because she was busy taking deep breaths as she got out of the moto, and because she noticed that Ma chose to drive, even if they had to walk from the parking lot, even if it was a steamy early Septembris day. No cooling spells for them, no expensive link portal. As a moto mechanic, Ma had a vehicle that came with anti-grav, propulsion, and even air cooling as a company benefit.

On the steamy early Septembris day, Mingxia's Ma walked her to orientation. She held her Ma's hand. Outside al-Maysan, Mingxia didn't care if the other students saw her holding her parens' hand; she even wished she could ask Ma to pick a student to introduce her to like she used to when Mingxia had been a child on the playground.

Instead, Ma left, pulling her hand free, when all the other parens were gone. This was the part Mingxia couldn't do. The other students clustered in the courtyard under al-Maysan, waiting for the portal to let them into the library hall, and every cluster felt impenetrable. Backs to her. No way into any of the circles. What do you say to someone you don't know?

She had friends, yet every single one of them had sat down next to her and just started to talk. Now, as if she were at a school dance and standing by yourself was infinitely worse than not dancing, life outside the circles got worse with each passing second.