Chapter 41
Finals week descends upon Arcadia Academy in a bustle of frenzied energy and exhausted determination.
With the library’s extended hours, there’s a constant stream of students spending hours lost in their research and studying, only stopping to attend classes, fuel themselves with a combination of coffee, food, and the occasional illicit cigarette while tucked into one of the building’s outdoor alcoves.
I throw myself into studying and writing research papers with an intensity that borders on mania. Now more than ever, I need to prove myself. Every exam I pass is proof that I belong here, that the board made the right decision in letting me stay.
The written exams are challenging but manageable.
I've kept up with my coursework throughout the semester, so the material feels familiar even when it's difficult.
Dr. Lowry's Magical Law and Ethics exam is brutal, with three hours of essay questions about precedent and policy, but I walk out feeling cautiously confident.
It helps that Callista might have snuck me a copy of the exam from last year for studying purposes while letting me know that it rarely changes.
Professor Showen's Introduction to Magic and Magical Theory exam is nerve-wracking, but the absence of Clarissa’s presence serves as a reminder of all the events that have transpired over the last few weeks.
For as much as she insisted I was beneath her, I’m here now and she’s not.
I manage to ace the written portion of the exam and perform the practical demonstrations for Professor Showen with very few hiccups.
My Natural Spellwork course involved a combination of multiple-choice and essay questions related to herbal characteristics and uses, medicinal remedies, what types of spells work best for particular intentions, and how moon cycles affect spellwork.
For Plant Physiology and Biochemistry, I turn in my final research paper after completing my required presentation to the class.
We had been allowed to choose any topic from the course to expand upon, combining both magical and scientific information into a research paper that we’d all need to do a ten-minute presentation on.
After a significant amount of research in the library and experimentation in the greenhouse, I manage to nail my presentation on calcium waves as a common language between physical and magical stimuli in plants.
By the time I’ve finished my last final of the week, I’m buzzing with adrenaline and ready to celebrate. For the first time since arriving at Arcadia, I feel like I’ve truly earned my place.
On Friday night, the five of us gather in Callista’s room to celebrate. She’s gotten multiple bottles of champagne—apparently there’s a small general store on the island just off of campus, one of the few buildings I had noticed on my way in—and laid out an arrangement of snacks on her bare desk.
“To surviving the semester!” Callista announces, raising her glass.
We clink our glasses together, cheering, and take a sip.
Max sprawls across the small couch. “I can't believe we actually made it.”
“Speak for yourself,” Avery teases. “I never doubted us for a second.”
Delilah laughs. “You're still an undergrad. Come back and say that again if you decide to get your master’s.”
“Also,” Max says, “why have we not been hanging out in this room instead of mine and Vivian’s? This one is so much bigger!”
“My roommate was always in here and is a total piece of work. Like, the complete opposite of me, so totally boring.”
We fall into laughter as we bounce back and forth in our conversations, sipping wine and talking about anything and everything.
“So what's everyone doing for winter break?” Callista asks, refilling our glasses. “Please tell me someone has exciting plans so I can live vicariously through them.”
“I'm just going home to see my family,” I say. “It'll be nice to have a few weeks of normalcy. No magic or murder accusations.”
“My parents and I are going to spend Christmas at my grandparents’ estate in Connecticut along with a ton of other family members. I’ll probably spend a lot of time playing chess with my grandfather and avoiding the rest of the family.”
Max snorts, but the contentedness that had been in her expression only a couple minutes ago has faded.
“What about you, Max?”
She shrugs in an attempt to look nonchalant. “I’m staying on campus for the winter. I don’t really get along with my family much anymore.”
Interesting. Max has never talked much about her family, and the fact that she’s staying on campus for the entire break makes me wonder just how bad her relationship with her parents really is.
“That sucks, but knowing what I do about your family, that makes sense,” Callista says sympathetically. I make a mental note to ask about Max’s parents next semester. “Mine just throw money at me and hope I'll stop embarrassing them at society functions.”
“Rich people problems,” Avery mutters, but the statement holds no malice.
We talk late into the night, our conversation wandering from topic to topic.
I don’t tell them about Alaric’s theories about something sinister taking place on campus.
I figure I’ll speak to him about it first and let him know I’d like to tell the girls, because I know I can trust them.
I also don’t mention the strange prediction from the Oracle at the Samhain ball, even though it’s been reverberating in my mind since that night.
I’ll tell them everything at the start of next semester, but for now, I simply want to enjoy the warm contentment of being surrounded by friends.
There will be time for investigation and theorizing next month.
Outside, through Callista's large windows, the first real snow of the year begins to fall, visible only in the orange pools of light cast by the lamps lining the pathways. The thin flakes melt as soon as they hit the ground, but they’re beautiful all the same.
The next morning, I wake up with a slight headache and the pleasant exhaustion that comes from staying up too late laughing with friends.
Most students have already left, and many of the rest (aside from the few who are remaining on campus) are leaving now, rolling their suitcases toward the gate where the ferry awaits on the other side.
I've already said goodbye to the girls, aside from Max, who I’ll see again tonight. The rest of them left this morning, and my own flight isn't until tomorrow, giving me one more night at Arcadia before I return to my normal life.
There’s just one more person who I need to say a temporary goodbye to.
I find Alaric at his house, and he answers the door in jeans and a sweater, his dark hair damp from having showered.
“I was hoping I’d see you before you left,” he says, pulling me into the house and kissing me as soon as the door shuts behind me.
“I couldn’t leave without saying goodbye. Three weeks without you is going to feel like forever.”
“Agreed. But I’m sure we’ll have plenty to talk about when we get back,” he assures me. “I’ll be going to visit my parents, which is always an… interesting experience.”
I laugh. “Good luck.”
We settle on his couch, and the fire crackles in the hearth as we sit together in comfortable silence. Alaric wraps his arm around my shoulders, and I tuck myself into his side.
“Things will be easier next semester,” he says, breaking the silence. “We won’t have to hide anymore.”
“It would probably be best to try to keep things private as much as possible just for the sake of your reputation,” I say. “But you’re right. If we get caught, it won’t be the end of the world.”
“If we disclosed it to the administration early on, we would have nothing to worry about, and if you wanted, you could even come live here,” he suggests.
“Really? You’d want me to move in with you?”
“Yes. Every second I get with you only makes me want you more.”
I smile, my head still resting against his chest, and consider his offer. But then I think about Max and how difficult it would be for her to acclimate to a new roommate, and how many spontaneous girls’ nights I’d miss out on if I lived out here.
“As much as I absolutely love the idea, I think I’ll stay in my dorm. I want the full college experience and to take advantage of the time I get with my friends. Though I’ll absolutely come stay the night over here,” I add.
We fall into comfortable silence again, and I find myself thinking about everything that's happened this semester. The fear and danger and heartbreak, but also the growth and friendship and love. It's been the most difficult and most rewarding few months of my life.
“I've been thinking about those mushrooms and that area of the forest more,” Alaric says after a long while.
“What about them?”
“I still haven't been able to find that spot on my own.
Every time I try, it's like the forest won't let me.
But you've found it multiple times now without difficulty.” He pulls back to look at me.
“Would you try to take me there again before you leave? I want to see if the Chancellor really did clear the area like she claimed.”
“Okay,” I agree. I can’t say I haven’t been curious as well.
The winter afternoon light is already fading as we make our way into the forest, casting long shadows between the trees.
I lead us past the main clearing, deeper into the woods where the paths become less defined. The sense of wrongness that used to permeate this area has dulled.
“It’s right up here,” I say, catching sight of the dead zone just before I feel a resistance, like an invisible wall. “What the hell?”
Alaric stops beside me, his hand outstretched. “They’ve warded the area.” He frowns. “It’s a strong one.”
Through the magical barrier, I can see the circle of gray, lifeless trees and the barren ground that’s less distinct now that the frigid winter has descended. There’s no sign of the mushrooms, which could easily be due to the falling temperature.
“They cleaned it up,” I say. “Just like the Chancellor said. Are you able to get past the ward with your magic?”
He shakes his head. “Not without whoever created it knowing I breached it. We should probably just leave it alone for now.”
He’s right, but something is nagging at my gut. The dead area seems to have expanded little by little each time I visit the area, like life is leaching from the surrounding plants in a growing perimeter.
Without really thinking about it, I kneel on the cold, hard dirt and press my palms flat against the frozen ground.
“What are you doing?” Alaric asks.
“Shh. Hold on.” I close my eyes, reaching out with my magic the way I've been practicing. It's easier now than it was at the beginning of the semester, my power responding to my will with less resistance.
I push my awareness down, through the frozen earth, searching for something I’ve already felt a connection to. I find it a second later.
The mushrooms may be gone from sight, but beneath the surface, the mycelium network is vast, even larger than before. The intricate web connects to the roots of the trees and is spreading beyond the warded circle, growing.
My eyes snap open, and I pull my hands back like I've been burned, gasping. “The mycelium is still there, and it's spreading beyond the ward. That has to be what’s causing all this,” I say, gesturing to the circle of nothingness. “I don’t think the ward is there to protect people from the mushrooms or to prevent them from visiting the site of Mitchell’s death.
I think it’s there to hide what’s really happening, whatever that may be. ”
Alaric's expression darkens. “The Chancellor is concealing this deliberately.”
“But why?”
“It’s what I suspected. It’s part of something larger. And based on the letter from your father, I’d be willing to bet he knew something about it.”
The revelation washes over me like ice-cold water. “Do you think…” I can’t even bring myself to finish the question. Around my wrist, I fidget with the bracelet that belonged to my father. It’s become a habit since I’ve started wearing it.
Alaric nods solemnly. “If he knew whatever secrets were being hidden and was planning on leaving to expose them, then his death may not have been an accident.”
My stomach roils with dread.
My father was killed, and whatever he was trying to warn me about is still happening here at Arcadia.
“I have to find out why,” I breathe.
“We’re going to,” Alaric assures me.
“When next semester starts, I need to tell my friends about everything. We can trust them, and they’re smart enough to help us figure it out.”
He nods, not giving any pushback like I thought he would. “We'll figure it out together. All of us.”
We hurry back to Alaric’s house, away from the darkness in the forest and into the warmth and safety of home.
In my mind, I’m already forming a plan. I’ll be back next semester stronger, more prepared, and surrounded by people who care deeply about truth and goodness.
Though the first semester of my magical education is over, the real investigation is just beginning. When I come back, I’m going to find out what really happened to my father and why.
Whatever secrets are buried here, whatever corruption that has taken root here at Arcadia Academy, we’ve only scratched the surface of.
The truth deserves to be exposed, however grave the consequences may be.
The End