Juliette was perfectly willing to follow Mr. Magister's instructions to get back to a regular schedule. The next few months went by normally, until May rolled around and Mrs. Proditor came back.
Ms. Amicus was moved to the math department, and Mrs. Proditor became the magic teacher in her place. Mrs. Proditor really seemed to like Juliette, as well as Alex and Penny, giving them special help in class and smiling in the halls.
Mrs. Proditor had also replaced Mrs. Justus in their Saturday lessons, where Alex, Juliette, and Penny continued to learn their other powers.
However, the one thing they never did was transform. Juliette didn't know if Mr. Magister was trying to protect them or if he didn't think they were ready, but she was glad if it. Juliette was settling into the school, getting used to life here. The pain had even begun to fade if her family not coming for Visitor's Day.
And then Mrs. Proditor sprung the field trip on them.
***
"Now then, I have a surprise for you." The teacher beamed around the room at them. "We're going on a field trip!"
The reaction was as expected: chaos. Everyone was talking eagerly with their friends, speculating about the trip and where it would be.
Then, remarkably, they quieted. Mrs. Proditor looked at them, nodding in satisfaction. "Thank you. As I was saying, our trip will be to a forest near here, where we will investigate magical activity."
Isn't that what the third years do? Juliette thought.
Mrs. Proditor continued. "I'm sure some of you are wondering why we are doing this now, instead of during your third year. Well, we will still be taking the trip then, and while we do similar things, this trip is closer to home, more of a fun warm-up. You will get to sleep in cabins, we will have campfires—"
She lost them, the class erupting into noise once more.
And once more, they fell silent. "There will be parent permission required for this," the teacher continued briskly, "so I suggest you start some letters home. I have stamps, envelopes, and paper for anyone who needs it."
This time, when the chattering broke out, Mrs. Proditor didn't do anything to stop it. She passed out stamps to the students crowding around her, and as the bell rang many left the room.
Juliette exhaled softly. Well, I'd have to do it sometime. This is a good excuse to write.
"Come on!" Emma said. "I don't have any stamps."
Penny didn't move. "My mom send a ton with me so I'd write. You guys can use those if you want."
"Thanks, but I— I want to talk to Mrs. Proditor about something. You two go ahead to your classes," Juliette said.
"All right, seen you at lunch," Penny said as she headed out. Emma stayed put.
"You can leave too, you know," Juliette told her.
Emma shrugged. "I could. But we're in the same class. And if I go by myself then I'll have to sit alone at my desk and not talk to anyone like some awkward social exile."
Juliette blinked and stifled a laugh. "Um, okay. We wouldn't want you to be an awkward social exile."
Emma nodded solemnly. "No, we wouldn't."
Mrs. Proditor smiled down at them. "You girls need stamps?"
"Yeah, thanks." Juliette took the stamp and grabbed an envelope. "I was wondering, what if your parents, um, don't give you permission? Or don't reply?"
"Well, I suppose you wouldn't be able to go." Mrs. Proditor said.
"Oh... all right." Juliette turned away.
As they left the classroom, Emma chatted about the trip, Juliette nodding along with her. For the time being, she pushed the thought of the letter out of her mind.
***
But in the dorm that night, the worry came back as all Juliette's roomates began their letters.
Juliette knew she was being ridiculous about this, but couldn't seem to stop herself.
She was afraid. Why hadn't her father and Margaret come to Visitor's Day? Most likely, they had been too busy. But if they were, wouldn't they have written a letter telling her why?
Part of Juliette wondered if something had happened to them. Would the Malum target the family members of the Fabulosa?
But the rest of her couldn't banish one persistent thought, that wouldn't go away no matter how hard she tried.
What if they didn't care enough about me to come?
Hehe. Another late update.
I'm really sorry, but I think I'm going to have to change my updating schedule to once a week, every Wednesday. I've had a bit of writer's block, and I've got a lot going on.
Sorry, and thanks for reading despite the late updates.