“I’m so proud of you!” Penelope says for the dozenth time. She glances around at the groups of students near us. “Do you want to get pictures with any of your classmates?”
I look around and see that a lot of my fellow graduates are taking photos together, grinning at the camera with their arms slung around each other. Something hot bubbles up in my throat, but I shove it down, forcing a smile. “No, I’m good.”
Really, it’s fine. Some people wave at me and say congratulations as they pass, but nobody makes a point to find me. Nobody rushes up to me. And why should they? I’m friendly with everyone, but I never made time for deep friendships.
During my first year here, people would sometimes ask me to hang out or grab a meal together. But I was always too busy, and by the time my second year rolled around, the invitations had stopped.
Everyone knew they shouldn’t bother.
I clear my throat, shoving away the vaguely disquieting feeling as I look at my siblings. “Should we get something to eat?”
Max smiles, his expression lighting up at the idea. “Sure. I’m paying.”
“No, I am,” Pen insists.
“You paid last time.”
“Yeah, but that was in Boston, so that doesn’t count. In Portland, you paid last time, so it’s clearly my turn.”
I grin as I listen to them bicker good-naturedly, then raise my hand, arching a brow. “Considering you both flew out to see me graduate, I think that means I get to pay. It’s the least I can do to thank you.”
Max drapes an arm around my shoulder, pulling me in for another hug. “Of course we came, little sis. You think we’d miss this? Not a chance.” Then he grins. “But I’m still paying for dinner.”
I laugh, and we all head toward my dorm so I can change before we go into town. The strange feeling in my gut dissipates as Penelope and Max talk excitedly on either side of me. Maybe I missed out on some of the normal college experience by being so focused on my studies, but I have an amazing family that loves me and supports me one hundred percent. And soon, I’ll have the job of my dreams.
That’s plenty.
Right?
After my graduation, Penelope and Max stay in town for a few days, helping me move out of the dorms and into the small apartment I’ve rented in Portland. On their last night, we have dinner at my new kitchen table, and then it’s time for them to go.
My brother hugs me as Penelope grabs her things before the taxi arrives to take them to the airport.
“Hey, I’m really proud of you, kid,” he tells me, his voice warm and sincere.
I hug him back hard. “Thanks.”
Max pulls back and claps me on the shoulders, ducking his head a little to meet my gaze. “Try to relax once in a while, okay, Rae? See where life takes you. Let it surprise you.”
I blink, not quite sure what to say to that.
The undercurrent of concern in his tone takes me by surprise. Penelope and Max have always dropped comments here and there about how I work too hard and stuff. They’re my older siblings, so it’s basically in their job description to worry about me. But Max sounds really serious about this. Like I’ve been messing up somehow, and he wants to give me some important life advice before I get myself hurt.
Huh.
“Yeah, okay.” I give him what I hope is a reassuring smile. “I will.”
His green eyes narrow a little, as if he can see right through my bullshit, but before he can say anything else, a horn honks outside.
“That’s the cab,” Pen says, bustling into the room with her suitcase in tow. She glances at Max. “You ready?”
“Yup.” He gives my shoulders another squeeze, then steps back to give my sister room to hug me.
“Talk to you soon, Ms. IUM Agent,” she says teasingly as she squeezes me tight. “I can’t wait to hear all about it. You’re gonna do great.”
“Thanks.”
The horn honks again, and they hurry outside. I stand in the doorway and wave as they get into their taxi and drive off.
Once they’re gone, I head back into the kitchen to clean up from dinner, turning on some music so that the place doesn’t feel so quiet without my siblings here. And even as I keep myself busy, Max’s words keep floating through my head. Not just his words, but the look in his eyes as he spoke. As if he were seeing a side of me I’ve never even seen myself—some part of me that made him sad.
Does he really think I’ve been missing out on life that much?
Let life surprise you, he said.
But what’s the point in letting life surprise you when you can study hard and work hard and take charge of your own destiny? I didn’t get that job at IUM because I just relaxed and went with the flow. I got it because I worked my ass off and earned spectacular grades and spent hours honing my application.
And that’s a good thing. Without all that work, I might’ve missed out on this amazing opportunity.
Still, as I drift off to sleep at night, I can’t shake the lingering feeling that there’s something else I’m missing instead.
Chapter 4
My alarm goes off just after five o’clock on my first day of work. We don’t have to be there until eight, but I want to give myself plenty of time to make sure I don’t forget anything and that I’m not in a rush.
When I show up at the Institute of Unpredictable Magic headquarters, which is located just outside of Portland, I can see right off the bat that I’m one of a dozen new recruits. That’s not particularly surprising, since I knew I wouldn’t be the only one they hired. When I applied, the woman I spoke to mentioned that they get hundreds of applicants and only take about a dozen at the most.
I hope I don’t look as nervous as the others. Every one of them is staring around with wide eyes as we’re ushered inside the complex.
I have to admit, though, this building is pretty intimidating. It’s a huge, multi-level compound, and the Circuit obviously put a lot of money into it.
Since magic users keep our powers secret from normal humans and have entire communities hidden within larger human cities, we have our own separate government as well. Local governments are called Circuits, and entire states are run by the District Circuits. Then there’s the High Circuit, which governs all the magic users in the country.
Given how important Unpredictables were during the magical attack by a deranged megalomaniac a few years ago, I’m not surprised that IUM is so well-funded now. The primary mission of the institute is to find and support Unpredictables, many of whom were driven into hiding during the years when we were oppressed. They also identify new Unpredictables when their magic sparks and help them find the training program that best suits their particular powers.
But the other part of IUM’s mission is to protect the magical community from any new threats that may rise. Our wide array of magic makes us uniquely suited to the job.
I keep my expression calm, glancing around the massive entry hall as we’re escorted through. I don’t want to gape and stare like everyone else. I want the IUM admins to see that I’m ready for this and can handle anything.
We’re led to a small assembly room with some fold-out chairs arranged at one end, probably for a presentation or orientation of some kind. I pick a spot toward the back, surveying the other recruits. Some of them are in their mid-twenties like I am, and some are older. I recognize a few from Griffin, but grimace as I realize I don’t know their names.