Wade glances my direction and tilts his head to the side. “Well, actually, this address will be changing soon. I’ll be getting an apartment here in town, so…”
Ms. Cain’s lips curve up into a creepy grimace of a smile. “Isn’t that lovely? Well, be sure to update me when this momentous occasion occurs, would you?” She hands his ID back without even blinking.
Wade nods, accepting the card and putting it back into his wallet. “Of course. You’ll be the first to know.”
“I’m sure,” Ms. Cain says, letting the sarcasm drip heavily from her lips.
Wade shoots a wide-eyed gaze in my direction. I shrug in return.
She is who she is. You get used to her style eventually.
He turns back to the stack of papers, flipping through the first few pages.
“You just need to sign the top one, Mr. Hoffman. The rest are just copies of what I’ve already emailed to you,” Ms. Cain says, leaning to the side to view the line behind us.
“Right, okay,” he says, swallowing hard. His lips press into a thin line and he signs his name on the line, as asked. Dropping the pen, he slides the stack of papers back to her.
“Just the top one is mine, dear,” she says, handing the other back and grabbing a few more papers she had off to the side. “Here’s your orientation packet. Take it to the Auditorium Hall. Everything starts in there. This day is fairly open. Once you perform the Witching Stick ceremony, you’re free to roam the school and grounds in whatever fashion you deem necessary. I’m sure Ms. Blackwood here can show you around,” she says, eyeing me. I smile in return and she flits her bored gaze back to Wade. “Welcome to Windhaven Academy, Mr. Hoffman. I’m sure you’ll fit right in.”
Wade grabs the packet of papers and holds it to his chest. “Thank you.”
“My pleasure,” she says without a hint of a smile. “Next.”
Looping my arm through his, we leave the admissions office and head back out into the hallway.
Wade’s silence fills the space and I turn to him. “Everything okay?”
“Yeah, yeah. For sure. It’s just… I sure as hell hope my inheritance covers the tuition. This has an awful lot of zeroes,” he says, making a face.
My insides twist and I can’t help but sympathize with him. I’d been saving for ages to go to the U, simply because I couldn’t afford to go straight into it from high school like everyone else. There was no way Mom was going to let me take out student loans, either. She’d have a conniption and go on a tirade about how student loans are put in place, so we start out our lives stuck under the thumb of Big Brother.
“I still have some money in my savings. We’ll figure it out. If I have to get a job to help—” I begin.
“In no way are you helping me to pay for my tuition. Nuh-uh, that’s a deal breaker,” he says, shaking his head.
“Don’t be ridiculous.”
Waving a hand in front of him, he cuts me off. “Let’s not worry about any of the real-world stuff right now. I’m in a friggin’ magical school. Now’s the time to sit back and enjoy it. I wanna see what the fuss is about, while I revel in the fact that I’m also here with the most beautiful woman in the whole world. Deal?”
I narrow my gaze.
“Deal,” I say, hugging his arm closer. “Let’s go see what this Witching Stick ceremony is all about.”
Wade beams back at me and I lead the way to the auditorium. The seats are nearly filled already and I’m surprised at the sheer number of new students coming in, especially since this is just the second semester. It’s not even the start of a new year.
When I began, I was off in my own world, focusing on so many of my own inner struggles that I never really looked around. I barely registered the sheer awesomeness of abilities coming from the others around me. Now, as someone who isn’t worried about fitting in, or wondering about my powers, I guess I can breathe a bit. It’s fascinating to see the questions painted across the faces of nearly everyone here. Their anxiety and excitement are palpable.
The two of us maneuver into one of the only two-seat spots left, which are off as far to the left of the stage as humanly possible.
Wade leans in close. “How do you think this thing goes? I mean, do you think the whole Sorting Hat thing was taken from this? God, I hope not.”
My eyes widen and I hold back a laugh. “Wouldn’t that be something? I guess, stranger things…”
“Right, we are definitely in the Upside Down,” Wade nods.
“Not what I meant. I literally meant stranger things have happened.”
His eyebrows lift upward and he laughs. “Oh, right. Habit.”
“It’s one of the many reasons I love you,” I say, smiling.
He turns back to me, looking me over intensely. His silver irises get consumed by his pupils, but as he opens his mouth to speak, a hush falls across the crowd and his lips pinch tight. We both turn to face the stage just as a plume of purple fire dies back from the entrance of a woman in a purple pinstripe suit. Her wild, curly black and purple hair flows around her and she holds her arms out wide, palms up. A tiny smirk branches out across her face and she steps up to the microphone.
“Welcome everyone, to your Witching Stick ceremony. My name is Marva Arlo, but you probably remember me as the disembodied name on your admissions letter,” she says, quirking an eyebrow and giving a knowing look as she casts her gaze out over the sea of people. “I’m Windhaven Academy’s Director of Admission and I’m here to properly introduce you to the world of the supernatural and magic.”
Leaning in, I whisper, “I have never seen this woman before now.”
“This is probably her only gig. Then she goes back to sitting behind a desk,” Wade snickers. “Makes sense as to why she had to make such a big entrance.”
I cover my face, holding back a laugh. He’s probably right. It’s the most theatrical thing I’ve seen take place in the past five months.
“So let me explain to all of you hopefuls on how this day works. The mere fact you are sitting in your seat means you have already been vetted as carrying supernatural qualities. Some of you were gifted from the day you were born; others may not even know what your gifts are quite yet. Each of us run on a supernatural spectrum, so to speak. Our job at Windhaven Academy is to help you develop at your current level and then quickly advance you into your area of magical expertise,” she continues, crossing her arms behind her back and walking across the stage. “Should you be more advanced upon entry, you will be happy to know, your lessons will help you level up further. If you are a magical newbie, on the other hand…” she stops, raising her left hand, palm up to the air, “…then our lessons will start out in the basics as we test you for your innate abilities. Every classroom is warded with enchantments that detect who you are and your level of advancement. This helps to provide your instructor with the ability to teach you where you are at. At this point you might be thinking, ‘This sounds great, Marva, but what does this mean?’”
The director stops pacing across the stage to look out over the audience again. Not a single one of us moves; instead, we’re all thoroughly engrossed in her words. Even me.