Carter waved farewell to his teammates, knowing he’d see them at the first and final game of the season. He’d heeded my warning last year and finally worked up the nerve to tell his coaches he had to step down from the team to focus on his internship. It wasn’t anything they weren’t used to. Third years almost never followed through on sports or extracurriculars. Their main focus had to be their internships, especially if they wanted to land in a guild.
Name: Carter Howe
Branch: Rejuvenation (Vitality)
Given his magic and the versatility he had with it, Carter had a lot of options. Hell, I’d write him a letter of recommendation myself, considering he saved my life. But it honestly all came down to whether he ended up with the right mentor this year. Cerberus didn’t have the best rejuvenation witches, and I knew Chanelle mentioned they’d be outsourcing to other guilds to fit the right bill for their student body, but honestly, I only wanted the best for Carter. For all my students. Admittedly, I’d always have a soft spot for Carter above the others. After all, he was the only reason I was here to see and support everyone.
Once they’d gotten inside, Jennifer squeezed Carter’s hand tighter, focusing on his emotions above all others.
Name: Jennifer Jung
Branch: Psychic (Empathic)
Given the whirlwind of thoughts that hit me with this cluster of excited and anxious students, I could only imagine the emotions she had to endure.
A sharp pain of familiar stress struck Jennifer, and she buried it. The emotional wavelength was from someone she knew, someone I knew, too.
I cocked my head as Jennifer and Carter made their way through the lobby. Working my telepathy past them, I made my way back outside yet again. A nervous mind anxiously stood alone and watched everyone else make their way inside. I stretched my telepathy so I could glimpse this familiar mind, and much to my surprise, I spotted Yaritza standing alone in a blue dress, digging her heel into the pavement and working up the strength to step inside and smile.
Name: Yaritza Vargas
Branch: Cosmic (Star Shower)
Rarely did Yaritza show anything other than excitement for things to come, life, a random event, or quite literally anything. I lingered by her as a phantom of psychic energy, trying to find the source of her nervousness. It didn’t dwell on the surface of her thoughts, but it ate away at her all the same. The more I searched, the more I began to realize how little I knew Yaritza compared to some of my other students. She always seemed fine. Truly content, and like a fool, I check-marked her off my to-do list of those to concern myself with. She wasn’t the only student I glossed past, ignoring pain that didn’t immediately catch my attention.
There were a few homeroom coven students who’d slipped through the cracks, so I could favor others and prioritize their needs as I worried for their well-being.
I shuddered, guilty and consumed, and let my telepathy cling close to Yaritza as she finally found the courage to step inside. With a bubbly smile and an exaggerated wave, she greeted everyone around her. None would notice the depression etched into her soul. Even I barely felt the trace amounts as forced joy covered insecurities. Pain and stress that’d been rooted deep inside her for years. Depression I’d ignored because it never outshone the illusion she put on, even internally.
My shoulders hunched, shamefully retreating into myself in horror that I’d missed this for so long.
The room swelled with elation, twisting thoughts into a frenzy of excitement, and before long, I’d lost track of Yaritza’s sorrow or much of anything aside from the buzzing energy at the sudden arrival of everyone’s favorite enchanter.
Milo waved to the crowd of students, ushering them to follow him toward the front doors of the building.
“It’s an honor to have you all here,” Milo announced. “Every enchanter is eager to start working alongside you, to see the magics you’ve learned to harness, the skills you’ve mastered, and the wonder you’ll bring to the industry.”
Cheers of delight followed, and Milo paused, allowing the energy to simmer some before he continued.
“Join me outside. We could take the stairs or, like, a million elevator trips, but I think a group as classy as you all deserve to meet their mentors in style.” Milo levitated, leading the way to the upper floors of the Cerberus Guild, where he’d had several windows removed and turned into entryways that’d quickly funnel in hundreds of eager teen witches flying around the building.
I groaned and made my way to the elevator. Insufferable.
I keptmy telepathy looped close to my students, allowing a meager manifestation to float by them throughout the open space of the offices. This kept my mind mostly calm in the presence of hundreds of eager thoughts and the busy bustle of the city. Seriously, since the expansion of my telepathy, things had become even more chaotic in my day-to-day.
They’d cleared out all the cubicles belonging to the acolytes to make room in this space for the interns’ arrival. It’d all get sorted back soon enough, but Cerberus Guild likely wasn’t used to hosting several hundred students for announcements such as this. The room was cramped and stuffy and filled with far too many people, from eager interns, annoyed acolytes, and bored enchanters.
Guild Master Campbell stepped up to the podium, introducing herself, the importance of guild work, and how honored she was to be a part of this process before graciously stepping aside and making way for the new coordinator.
Chanelle practically floated as she approached the podium. Much like Campbell, Chanelle came out in a sleek business suit. The vibrant yellow of her blazer and pantsuit accentuated her deep brown complexion, and the gold of her blouse framed thejewels around her neckline. Since stepping up into this position, Chanelle had done everything in her power to match the prestige of the elites she worked side-by-side with each day. Even if it seemed to eat into her meager budget. Comparatively, at least. She might’ve left the classroom, but she was still far too close to education to make any real money.
The crowd of students cheered her on with almost as much excitement for her arrival as they did for Milo’s. I rolled my eyes. She’d never survive outside the classroom. She liked building student connections far too much. It was annoying how she treated them like friends. At least she didn’t do it in a pushover way; she merely used some tragic technique to make kids feel like equals through connection and blah, blah, blah.
I took a tense breath and let go of the thoughts. I was no longer a teacher. It was like carving out huge chunks of my identity, but I needed to stop dwelling on who I was and focus on who I needed to be in order to stop the Celestial Coven.
“It’s wonderful to see all your faces this morning,” Chanelle said. “Most students will be meeting their enchanters here this morning, but a few of you will be going to another guild for your internship. The purpose isn’t that we couldn’t find a placement for you in these wonderful halls, but rather that we found a more suitable mentor elsewhere. We want what’s best for your magic and potential. It’s important to ensure that everyone is paired with a compatible enchanter.”
“Oh, who cares about the speeches and bullshit,” Gael said, tuning out Chanelle’s speech. “I just want them to get to the part where I’m working with Evergreen.”
