It felt heavy in the Death building. That was the best way I could describe it. Hayden looked tense, and I swear Azalea's skin paled. We had some large hurdles for us to cross if we were going to survive this class for an entire year.
Mr. Ahimoth's class was the only one where we decided to sit clear in the back. The last thing any of us needed was unwanted attention from our teacher at the front. Despite Azalea looking ready to flee the room at a moment's notice, she and Hayden talked softly. I sat back and listened.
A tap on my shoulder caused me to turn my head. "Is this desk taken?" someone beside me asked. I looked up to see a man standing over me. My eyes instantly went to his. They were extremely blue. It contrasted a lot with his black hair.
"No. Go ahead," I replied. My voice came out way stiffer than I intended.
As he sat down, he glanced at my friends who had stopped their conversation. With a slightly raised eyebrow, he asked, "Are you alright? You all seem nervous."
Wow. How observate. Azalea was ready to flee the room or pass out. Hayden was as taut as a bowstring. I sounded like I had learned about human emotions only five minutes ago. I rushed out, "I'm fine."
He laughed. "There is nothing to worry about. This class is going to be fun."
I whipped my head to face him, glaring. "Oh really?" I questioned.
"You sound like you do not want to be here?"
I stared at him for a second before admitting, "This is probably the last place I want to be."
With a sly smile, "Do not worry. I will make this class enjoyable for all of us." He extended his hand. "Alexander."
I took it and replied, "Seraphina and my friends, Azalea and Hayden."
Before Alexander got to reply, Mr. Ahimoth started class, and our lips were sealed. Even Alexander seemed to not dare speak over Mr. Ahimoth. Hayden and Azalea only gave me a quick glance before turning their full attention to the front.
By the time class had finished, several muscle groups were sore from how tense I had been. As soon as we were released, Azalea, Hayden, and I bolted. I think Azalea took her first full breath in an hour once we were outside.
"I have to head to Water. I will see you tomorrow," Azalea said before she darted off.
"Want to meet up after class?" I asked Hayden. She agreed and picked a meeting spot. We said our goodbyes and I headed to Life.
As I approached Mrs. Alinsky's classroom, I heard my name. I turned to find Alexander following me inside.
"Looks like we have Life together as well," he said. I gave him a tight smile. Better than being completely alone I decided. I hadn't formed an opinion on him yet.
The room was mostly full when we entered. Alexander scanned the room. His face suddenly lit up.
"Garnet," he exclaimed, bolting towards the edge of the classroom. At the end of one of the rows, a girl's head popped up and turned towards Alexander.
Alexander sat down at the desk next to her and said, "It is good to have another class together."
"Likewise," she said, glancing my way as I sat on the other side of Alexander.
"This is Seraphina. I met her in my previous class," Alexander introduced. "Seraphina, this is Garnet. We have Storm together." I was starting to notice that Alexander spoke in a similar cadance to Azalea. He sounded even more articulate than Azalea. It made me wonder what his background was.
"Nice to meet you," I said, putting on what I hoped was a friendly smile. I was still shaking off Death class.
Garnet returned the smile. She was much shorter than Alexander or me. Her long, black hair flowed down her back in messy waves. "Nice to meet you too," she replied. Her green eyes moved away from us and to the front of the room as Mrs. Alinsky started class.
Life class was a lot more relaxing than Death class. Mrs. Alinsky's soft, steady voice caused the tension to leave my body. Having this after Death would hopefully cleanse the palate so I don't feel heavy the rest of the day.
Once Life ended, I breathed a sigh of relief. I had survived my first day of classes. The three of us left the building, and I saw Hayden waiting for me at the bottom of the stairs.
"Looks like you had company," Hayden commented, glancing at Alexander and Garnet at my side.
I gave a quick introduction for Hayden and Garnet. Then I asked, "What should we do now?"
"My brother told me about a cafe just down the street. I wanted to try it out," Garnet replied.
"Sounds good to me," Alexander stated.
Hayden and I nodded. "Lead the way," Hayden said.
The cafe Garnet mentioned was only a block away from campus. It was a small wooden building. Inside was tight and cozy with several secluded rooms connected by narrow hallways. Hayden, Garnet, and Alexander ordered their drinks while I opted to not get anything.
"You sure?" Hayden whispered to me after she finished her order.
"Yeah. I don't want anything," I replied. The truth was that I didn't have the money to spare, but Hayden didn't need to know that.
The four of us grabbed a table tucked away in the back. The cafe appeared to be a pretty popular spot. Most of the tables were full and a decent line had formed behind us at the counter. My guess was that it was the students. Now finished with the school day.
Alexander started the conversation. "So what are your majors?"
"Fire. Both of us," I replied, pointing to myself and Hayden.
"Death," Garnet answered. Her voice came out flat.
"Really? That is wonderful. I always thought it would be fascinating to major in Death, but I will settle for minoring in it," Alexander said.
"How can you like Death? It's so morbid and depressing," Garnet commented. I was inclined to agree with her.
"Someone didn't grow up in the Death Province heartland," I mentioned.
Garnet shook her head. "Definitely not. I'm from Aragona. It's a tiny, tiny town very close to the Life Province border."
"What do you major in, Alexander?" Hayden asked.
"Water. My family has a long history of Water sorcerers," Alexander responded.
Garnet's face scrunched in confusion. "Then why do you like Death magic so much?"
"I have always found it interesting," he responded. I heard Garnet scoff beside me.
"Well that's vague," I mentioned.
"What? Do you have a better reason for your major being your favorite?" he challenged.
"I didn't say that, but I do," I said, leaning in. "Fire magic is one of the oldest schools of magic with a rich history. Fire also benefits society with its ability to warm our houses, cook our food, and provide atmosphere. But it also has tremendous destructive power. All purpose I would say." I finished with a smirk on my face. I came up with that on the fly which made it feel even more satisfying. I had never thought about which school was my favorite before.
"I do have other reasons for liking Death magic. My mother was a Death major," Alexander said, crossing his arms over his chest.
"Should have led with that," I stated, matching his stance.
Alexander rolled his eyes. "Anyways, what do your wands look like?" The three of them immediately pulled out their wand boxes. I went a little slower and kept my box in my lap. Just like at lunch.
"Since you mentioned it, why don't you go first?" Hayden said.
"If you insist. Prepare to be amazed," Alexander announced
"I highly doubt that," I commented. Nothing would shock me after my wand.
Alexander paused in the middle of opening his box. "What makes you say that?" I didn't mean for the others to hear that.
A little embarrassed, all I said was, "You'll see." Hayden gave me a knowing glance while Garnet and Alexander looked confused. After a beat, Alexander fully opened his box and lifted his wand. I had to admit that it was a stunning wand. The shaft was black with small, blue ribbons criss-crossing up the wand. On top was a deep blue, metallic orb. It shimmered in a way that reminded me of the surface of a lake. Garnet went next. Her wand was a black base with carved, dark green vines wrapping around it. Hayden showed hers, then it was my turn.
"Now prepared to be amazed," Hayden said as I placed my box on the table.
"You are really hyping up this wand," Alexander commented. I looked at my wand and saw that the orb had changed color again. The red-orange color was still there, but now it was mixed with streams of black and blue. I lifted it to show my friends.
"The hype was warranted," Garnet mentioned.
"It changed color again," Hayden stated. I nodded.
"What do you mean it changed color? Again?" Alexander asked. Garnet's expression matched his tone. Full of surprise and confusion.
I explained, "This morning, when I got it, the orb was red. When we showed our other friends at lunch, it had changed to a mix of red, brown, gray, and green. Now it's this blue, black, red mix."
Garnet looked deep in thought for a second before asking, "What were the majors of your friends at lunch?"
"Storm, Earth, Life, and Fire," I listed.
Realization lit up her face. "It represents the majors of the people around you."
"What?" Alexander asked.
"So we have a Death, Water, and two Fire majors. The black is for me. The blue is for you. And the red is for Seraphina and Hayden." Garnet leaned in close. "You can also see undertones of brown, gray, and green. Those must be for the other people in the cafe." I took a closer look at the orb, and Garnet was right.
"That makes a lot of sense," I said, placing my wand back in its box.
"I wonder if anything else can cause it to change," Hayden said. Her fingers lightly tapped her cup.
I shrugged. Who knew what my wand was capable of. Maybe it was able to predict the weather. I had no idea.
"Well, our first day of learning spells should be interesting," Alexander said. The others launched into talking about what they were most excited to learn. I just sat back and listened. I honestly had very few expectations for the coming days. Because I had basically no idea what I should expect. Still, I could feel my nerves increase in my chest. Today was weird enough. And that was just the beginning.