7. Chapter 6
Her mouth hung open in shock as she watched the oaf of a man run off the bridge without sparing a thought to help her.
But he might have bigger problems than her wrath, as three burly men sprinted after him.
A few other passengers jumped to the sides of the room as they barreled through.
She let go of the tension that held her body in place and stared at the mess in front of her.
“Son of a…” she muttered under her breath as she bent down. As she reached her hand out toward Lou’s broken pot, someone came up next to her.
“Oh God, you good?”
Ivy looked up to see a woman, maybe about her age, standing over her with her dark brows etched with concern over small purple-tinted oval sunglasses. When their eyes met, the woman’s kind smile faltered for a brief second before it came back.
“Could be better.” Ivy shuffled shattered bits of clay to the center of the mess. “Some jerk ran into me, and I dropped Lou, and now he’s going to die if I can’t get his pot fixed.” Okay, die was a strong word. But she refused to let some asshole kill her beloved plant.
“Here, let me help you,” the woman offered.
The sun shone on her deep brown skin as she moved, causing the golden shimmer on her cheeks to sparkle.
She pushed her long, neat black braids over her shoulder before kneeling to grab some of the items that had rolled farther away.
“Focus on the plant, and I’ll get what fell out of your purse. ”
“Thank you. I really appreciate it.” Ivy took a deep breath before moving her hand over the pile and reaching for her magic.
The clay pieces slid across the tile, clunking back together awkwardly, before the dirt and fern swirled gently through the air and into the pot.
It wasn’t perfect, but she hoped it would be enough to get him to Arcania, where she could get a new one.
With one last flick of the wrist, a bubble formed over the fern to rehydrate any moisture lost.
“That’s a pretty helpful spell,” she pointed out while handing Ivy the few things she had gathered. “Plants aren’t my forte. But my brothers broke enough things when we were kids, I picked up enough restoration spells to keep our parents in the dark about it all.”
“Thanks,” Ivy said, smiling gently over at her. “And thanks for helping me. I was worried I was going to be late for my train after what happened.”
“I’m Maeve, by the way.”
“Ivy.” She reached out her hand, and Maeve shook it gladly.
“Well, I’ve gotta get back for one last hug. Otherwise, I’ll never make my train.” Maeve laughed, throwing her thumb over her shoulder. Ivy followed where she pointed, where a group of seven people of various heights and ages watched them impatiently. “It was nice meeting you!”
“You too,” Ivy said, as a small pang of jealousy hit her in the chest.
Maeve grinned before standing to go back to her family. Her mother had a tissue clutched in her hand, with which she dabbed her tears away. Her father beamed at his daughter as she returned to the group, and they quickly trotted off to their destination.
Ivy made it to the platform with a few minutes to spare, and her racing heart finally returned to a normal beat when she handed the attendant her luggage and ticket.
The train was a beautiful mix of black and cobalt blue steel with Arcania Academy written in large silver letters beneath the passenger windows along the top half of the cars.
When she stepped inside, clusters of students were finding their seats, talking about their studies, and chatting about their summers.
The inside of the car was much more spacious than her hometown’s train, with wide aisles, plush blue velvet seats with some in groups of four facing one another with a collapsible table between.
She wasn’t feeling chatty enough to sit with three strangers for another five hours, so she continued down the aisle until she found a pair of empty seats toward the end of the second car.
She took the seat next to the window and placed Lou on her lap again, holding him securely as if the man from before would somehow run into her again.
But what were the chances of him being on the same train?
“Hey! You’re going to Arcania, too?” Maeve beamed over at her and waved. “Mind if I sit with you?”
“No, of course! Please sit,” Ivy said. “But yeah, I am. This’ll be my first year.”
“Mine too.” Maeve shrugged her tote bag off and placed it on the rack above their seats before sitting down. Her fingers played with the strings of her dark purple tie-front cardigan that covered her white tank top. “A little nervous about it, but I’m sure it’ll be perfect. What are you studying?”
“Alchemy and botany, specifically for alchemical medicine.” It was only her last chance to find a real solution to restoring her parent’s magic. No pressure. “How about you?”
“Two programs is ambitious!” Maeve said excitedly. “I’m doing three myself.”
Ivy’s eyes widened. She’d have a full plate with only two. She couldn’t imagine adding more. “Three?”
“Girl, I know.” Maeve chuckled. “Between arcane projection, astronomy, and mythos, I’ll practically be reciting spells in my sleep.” Her hands shot up with caution. “Metaphorically, of course. I’m not trying to set any curtains on fire like my brother did in his first year.”
“Your brother went to Arcania?”
She nodded, her smile fading slowly. “My whole family has.” When she glanced out the window, she waved.
Ivy followed her stare to where Maeve’s family was on the platform, waving back ecstatically. Her mother was in full-blown tears, and her youngest brother rolled his eyes while playing his video game. “Wow, that’s…”
“A lot of pressure?” Maeve said.
Ivy looked back in time to spot Maeve’s hand falling into her lap. “I guess I didn’t think of it that way.”
“Don’t get me wrong, I love my family. They’re my biggest support system.” She fell back against the seat, her glossy lips shifting side-to-side as she shrugged. “It’s also a lot of shoes to fill.”
“Yeah, I’m sure that must be difficult.” Ivy wouldn’t know what that was like.
After all, she wasn’t sure where her parents finished their studies or if they even did before their magic disappeared.
She had a lot riding on her success at Arcania, too.
Not only for her parents but also for finding Briar.
“If they all went there, are you familiar with the campus?” Ivy asked.
Maeve’s brow rose. “Nervous about getting lost?”
“You could say that,” Ivy said, chuckling slightly, hoping it was enough to cover her real reason for asking.
“You should be fine,” Maeve said. “I’ve studied the campus map for years.
Only thing you’ll have to worry about is the exams. People often get lost in there.
Usually for a day or two. Though one year, it took the school two weeks to find one student.
Oh, and the forest is massive, so I wouldn’t recommend going for an off-path hike. ”
“Wait, what?” Ivy’s voice squeaked loudly enough for the people across the aisle to peer over for a second before returning to their conversation. “How do people go missing during exams?”
“Oh, not like exams for your classes,” Maeve said, turning in her seat. “There’ll be a school-wide exam each month to test our magical preparedness. It was all in the school guide. Didn’t you read it?”
Admittedly, she’d been a little distracted by the note from Briar to read much else. “I guess I missed that part.”
“We’ll hear more about it at orientation, anyway.”
Ivy sighed, playing with the hem of her skirt. “Are the people who get lost in there always found?”
“Oh,” Maeve said softly, her smile fading. “I’m guessing you’re talking about the student who…” She leaned in closer, her voice lowering to a whisper. “Died last year?”
“Yeah, I guess I was.” Her chest deflated. It shouldn’t surprise her that Maeve believed it. Practically everyone did. But a part of her hoped that wasn’t the case.
“It’s the first time I’ve heard of that happening,” Maeve said, her bottom lip sinking into a pout. “I always thought of Arcania as being in its own magical world. But it made me realize nowhere’s safe from tragedy. I only hope her friends and family are alright.”
“Me too.” Ivy fell silent, still mindlessly staring at the students walking past while her mind repeatedly told her to hold back her tears.
If she and Maeve continued to be friends once they got to Arcania, the truth about her relationship with Briar would likely come out.
She didn’t want to drop the whole “I’m best friends with the dead—but not dead—girl” before they touched on the grounds.
Then a familiar face walked down the aisle.
A face that made smoke billow out of her ears like the smokestack on top of the train.
Figuratively, of course. She wouldn’t waste her magic on intimidating him.
Instead, she settled for what she hoped was the best death glare for nearly killing her beloved Lou.
His cheeks were flushed pink, and the area around his ocean-blue eyes was red.
Did he run through the entire concourse and knock over other unsuspecting travelers?
When his gaze met hers, she faltered a bit.
A pulse of magic passed through her like a gentle wave washing over a rock on the coast. Or like a sheet of silk brushing over her skin.
Foreign, yet comforting. If she weren’t so focused on him, she’d probably miss it entirely.
Whatever it was, it only made her grit her teeth more. He quirked a single brow, looked at the plant in her lap, and back to her face before continuing on.
“Is he…?”
“Yes,” Ivy groaned. “That’s him. You think the campus is big enough for me to avoid him for the next four years?”
Maeve cackled, rummaging through her bag until she pulled out her book. “Probably not.”