After their second class, the boys strolled toward the cafeteria for lunch.
On the way, Spruce began teasing Linden. "When your mama started Hecate, she was so talented in magic, but you’re not," he smirked and patted Linden on the back.
"Seven lines and one dot," Linden responded casually.
"What?" Spruce wasn't sure what he meant.
"That’s what I saw," Linden clarified. "The first scroll had five lines. The second one - seven lines and one dot. The third one - six lines, and the fourth one - four lines and one dot."
"You’re kidding, right?" Spruce took a step back, in order to get a better look at Linden, who just shrugged.
"Why didn’t you speak out in class?" Aspen asked.
"My ma already had me checked several days ago, and I have no interest in becoming a magus, so whatever," Linden said without even looking at the boys. "I don’t care about it, so if you don’t believe me, you don’t have to."
"I believe you," Yew said. "You use magic all the time. I thought it was, because you grew up with a mama, who’s a magus, but it makes more sense now. Other kids don't use spells all the time like you do - not at our age."
Spruce looked at Yew, then at Linden, then back at Yew. "I thought I’m a roommate of a genius, but it turns out you’re the roommate of a genius."
Yew blushed, and looked away, recalling that the same could be said about Linden.
Linden looked at him with a questioning look, almost as if he wanted to ask, "is there something I should know?" But he never said anything, and maybe Yew only imagined it.
After eating lunch, they headed to their afternoon class - Exercise of Magic.
Around the same time, their other classmates also arrived at the East Exercise building. Some came alone, others in pairs or in groups.
Whenever they entered through the door of the classroom G, the first thing they saw was a wide hall with no desks and no chairs, and other students who were either standing or sitting on the floor.
All the boys in the classroom were curiously eyeing the gal, who although tall, looked too young to be a teacheress. Her black hair was tied in a bun with a hairclaw on the back of her head. She had big light pink eyes and plump cherry red lips. Her face looked like the face of a good mother or a caring counselor.
She stood in front of the confused first year students, and looked around the gym. She was visibly puzzled by something, but once it was the time to start the lesson, she resolutely set aside her personal worries, and calmly spoke toward the kids, "well, let me explain this. Exercise of Magic is not a class taught by a teacher. Normally, the fifth year students are in charge of this class in order to help you learn."
She looked at the door, once again looking troubled. "There were five students assigned to tutor this class, so I have no idea why am I here alone. Give me a moment." She couldn't keep her cool, and burst out of the classroom, leaving all students confused.
Outside, she closed her eyes, and began nervously pacing back and forth. The moment she stopped, she shouted out of nowhere, "What?!"
The students heard her, but no one was willing to go outside to take a look. They still remembered how easily they lost points in Cacao's class, and no one wanted a repeat of that.
The gal spoke calmly but decisively, as if she was talking to someone, "get here right now, or I’ll fry your ass." For a moment she was quiet, then she shouted, "right now!"
The boys, who were too afraid to leave the classroom, gathered near the windows, observing their tutor, as she remained aggravated in one and the same position.
For several minutes she remained standing, while tapping her foot on the ground.
Eventually, another student around her age approached her. "Chill," he said. "It’s only the first day. I’m sure these kids don’t even know how to get back home without a map."
He was taller than her, and he didn’t look like a good student at all. His brown hair were standing upward on his head like needles. He wore an M-shirt with a hood, and he kept his hands in his pockets. His countenance looked like he just successfully robbed a bank.
"How do you expect me to handle it alone?" the fifth year gal almost screamed.
The guy sighed then responded, "watch. I’ll show you how to handle it." He entered the classroom, stood in the center and asked the boys, "do you have any questions regarding the topics covered by the teachers in today’s classes?"
Nobody raised a hand.
The guy waited a moment before he announced, "good, then the class is dismissed. See you tomorrow." He headed to the exit, but before he could reach it, the gal grabbed him by the arm.
"What do you mean the class is dismissed? You taught them nothing!"
"What’s going on here?" another gal showed up, standing in the door frame.
She was too short to look like a fifth year student. She had light pink hair tied in a bun right on top of her head, which made her hairstyle look like a mushroom, as it bounced around while she walked. She was wearing a bright red skirt, which ended just above her knees, a white jacket decorated with red hearts, and black high heels with an extra thick layer of the shoe soles to raise up her height.
"Why are you late?" asked the taller gal.
In response, the shorter gal shrugged, "it’s the first day of school. Of course, I take it easy." Her voice was slow as if she just woke up from a nap.
The taller gal wasn't happy with that explanation. "Let me be frank with you two. If you don’t take this seriously, I’ll report both of you." Then she addressed the guy, "by the way, where are the others?"
"Beech is sleeping," the guy answered. "He stayed up all night, and went to sleep near the morning. And Sage hasn't even arrived yet. I think she sent a letter to the teachers that she’ll be late by a week or so." He looked at the short gal, who nodded to confirm that that was indeed the case.
"So it’s only us three?" the gal threw her hands in frustration, but internally she calmly accepted this defeat.
"Two," the guy corrected her. "You’re not alone anymore, so I’ll be going back."
"What? Why?" she asked, looking at his back as he strolled away. Her calm acceptance of the situation was slowly turning into a silent fury.
"Because I already dismissed the class, that’s why," lazily he waved his hand toward the gals.
"Juniper!" the taller gal shouted after him, but he didn’t look back. "Ugh," she stomped her foot in anger.
Meanwhile, the shorter gal entered the classroom, then said, "heya, noobs. I’m Chervil Wandflower Yidianhong Sun, a fifth year student. Hecate has this funny system, where for the first four years you are tutored by older students, and the next four years you can tutor young chicks. This is my first year tutoring, but I’m totally looking forward to it."
"Oh," the other gal was surprised at the appropriate conduct of her yearmate. Slowly her mind forgot about the guy, who had just left.
Chervil continued, "so, since it’s the first day, there’s really nothing I can help you with, because you know nothing yet, and I’m not a teacher, and I don’t plan to teach you new stuff. It’ll be awhile until you start using magic. So let me make it clear. You do NOT have to come to this class. You are not losing any points, if you totally forget that this class exists. When I was a first year student, I skipped all my Exercise of Magic classes," she grinned with self-satisfaction.
"You shouldn’t be saying that," the other gal interrupted, and all the first year students looked at her. "Uhm, oh, right, I didn’t introduce myself yet. I’m Maca Applemint Siilkubar Waterfall, also a fifth year student. And about this class - it’s meant to help you study, so if you don’t understand something in class, you can come here and we’ll help you. There should be five of us, but… well, maybe later the guys will feel like coming."
"Okay, see you tomorrow," Chervil cheerfully chimed then headed for the door.
"Why are you leaving?" Maca stopped her.
"I already said all I wanted to say, and like you said, this class is meant to help those, who struggle in learning. For those who don’t have any problems studying, this is just a waste of time."
"A waste of time?" Maca was appalled by her words.
"No worries, no worries. I’ll still come often, and help the poor babies get better scores," Chervil promised before she stepped outside.
Spruce moved his head closer to Yew, and whispered, "I’d be happier, if she doesn’t come back at all." A lot of his classmates shared his sentiment.
"Uhm, I’m really not sure how to do it alone," Maca addressed the students. "If there’s anything you want to ask, please do. I’ll try to help you as much as I can."
The students remained silent, and Maca tried again, "are you sure there’s nothing you want to ask me? Because if there’s really nothing, then it’s okay to leave. I mean, let’s do this. If you have no questions for today, then you can leave."
Linden got up first, and promptly exited the classroom. Then Aspen stood up, and left with Yew, who was only two steps behind him. While they were heading for the exit, other students began standing up and following in their footsteps. Spruce, who started a bit later, had to push through the crowd, but managed to catch up with his friends outside the classroom.
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