Chapter 3 #3
Trailing outside, not too far from Katherine and Tara, was another pair I had looked forward to seeing again.
“Sup.” Carter fist-bumped a friend of his from the tennis team with his free hand before being dragged away by Jennifer, who had her fingers interlocked with his other hand. “Whoa!”
Carter took dramatic tumbling steps beside his girlfriend, half playful and half serious, since Jennifer didn’t let up until they escaped the growing crowd.
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.