by Kayla Bashe
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Later, when Magda’s sleeping—normal sleep, though—you slip out and tell your squadmates that she’s OK.
Abby punches the air and yells “Yes!” while Chant lets out a high-pitched scream.
While Magda was in her coma and you were off-planet, you practiced what you would do when she woke up. Now it’s time to put your plan into action.
You shuffle sideways into Magda’s room with your arms around each other. Chant hums an opening chord, and you begin to sing in harmony, swaying back and forth.
“Oh what a magical morning
Oh what a beautiful day
I’ve got a wonderful feeling
Everything’s going our way!
Sunshine and gumdrops and daisies
Sing to the birds in the trees
Ev’ryone’s feeling so joyful
Down to the fish in the sea!
What has us feeling so cheerful
Bright like the sun up above
I know what makes us so happy
Magda is back, which we love!"
“That was quite splendid,” Magda says, smiling. “Now do come over here—I can’t hug any of you if you all insist on standing.”
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Magical Girl Academy: Awakening Magic, by Kayla Bashe
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“Cruel words from ignorant monsters. Why should their opinions be important to people as amazing as us? In the end, it’s the way we value ourselves that truly matters, and I know we think we’re fabulous. Right, Chant?”
Chant manages a smile, which becomes fully genuine in the space of an eye-blink. “Right!” And then she sings her invocation: “The magic of music is singing in me…”
This time, the invocation catches, so to speak, and Chant clasps her hands at her chest as the glitter of magic begins to swirl around her.
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Magical Girl Academy: Awakening Magic, by Kayla Bashe
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You make eye contact with her. “Chant, listen. You know you’re cool, and I know I’m cool. Doesn’t that mean that what we think about ourselves should matter more than what other people think of us? I believe in you, and you should believe in yourself, too. I know you can do this.”
She nods, smiling, and sings. “The magic of music is singing in me!” This time, the invocation catches, so to speak, and Chant clasps her hands at her chest as the glitter of magic begins to swirl around her.
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Magical Girl Academy: Awakening Magic, by Kayla Bashe
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Your gaze connects with hers. “Chant, listen. Our magic will always be more powerful than their cruelty. I believe in you. You can do this.”
She nods, smiling, and sings. “The magic of music is singing in me!” This time, the invocation catches, so to speak, and Chant clasps her hands at her chest as the glitter of magic begins to swirl around her.
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Magical Girl Academy: Awakening Magic, by Kayla Bashe
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One afternoon, as you’re walking back to your rooms from dinner, you tell Abby something that you’ve wanted to say for a few days. “I’m really sorry about your father, Abby. It must have been terrible to have been hated like that. You totally have my sympathy.”
“It’s all right. I don’t really think about it anymore. Once you’ve killed your enemies, they’re dead enemies, you know? Besides, I’m a very uncomplicated person, thought-wise. I don’t think about the past, because… it’s the past. I focus on what’s in front of me. And right now, Lucy? I’d like to focus on you.” She plays with her hair; then, turning to you swiftly—“I’ve never kissed anyone before, did you know that?”
“I could kiss you,” you offer, as if the idea has just popped into your head.
She grins. “You’re so nice, Lucy.”
Abby’s perfume smells like the forest, and the ghostly pale skin revealed when she pulls off her sweater is perfect for kissing.
Later, much later, on Abby’s bed, you are a very happy pair of monster girls, as sated as lionesses after a hunt.
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(1/1) A few days later…
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Magical Girl Academy: Awakening Magic, by Kayla Bashe
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A few days later, walking back to your suite from the library, you have the opportunity to tell Magda something you’ve been wanting to say to her for a while. “I’m sorry about your upbringing, I really am. It must have been so boring trapped with an evil scientist with only books for companionship.”
She gestures as if to brush your words away. “Really, Lucy, it’s all right. That was ages ago—and besides, he’s too beneath me to be angry at—like a dust mote. Every day, I feel as if the world is opening up to me like a chrysanthemum. And the more I think about it… the more dreams I have. I want to visit all the places I’ve read about in my library, I want to wear the brightest colors ever invented… and I’d like to kiss girls quite a bit more often.”
“You can kiss me,” you offer, as if you haven’t been thinking of it for ages.
She smiles, that easy smile that you’ve been seeing a lot more of lately. “Sounds splendid.”
Her lips are soft against your own, her fingers soft against your skin.
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Magical Girl Academy: Awakening Magic, by Kayla Bashe
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Chant’s transformation distracts your attackers, enabling you to wriggle free.
You spin through your own transformation, following the beat of Chant’s inspiring music.
The sound of accompaniment—harp and drums—manifests from the air. When Chant begins singing, all the monsters wobble or look at each other in confusion and clutch their ears. One of them reaches towards her—with a burst of light, you singe its hand off. It clutches its wrist-stump and roars in ineffectual frustration.
“Angel Light Beam!”
One monster down with hardly any effort, ten more to take out.
With Chant’s music paralyzing most of the monsters, you’re able to destroy the rest with a variety of magical light attacks.
“Wow,” Chant says as she de-transforms. “That was…woah. Wow. Good thing the battle didn’t affect our shopping bags—nothing’s broken. So…let’s head back to school and tell everyone about our victory? Unless, of course, you want to stop on the way to the hoverbus and get ice cream…”
The unfortunate men who were possessed by the monsters are lying on the sidewalk, moaning. They’ll return to full consciousness in a couple hours, with no side effects other than an odd confused feeling and a minor headache. Workin
g together, you move them to the sidewalk; before walking away, you take a chocolate bar from your bag (white chocolate with strawberry chunks!) and slip it inside the tallest man’s backpack.
After all, Maona would say that a true magical girl can always find it in her heart to forgive the unwitting pawns of her enemies.
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Magical Girl Academy: Awakening Magic, by Kayla Bashe
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“We are dreamers and we will be strong
We will find where we belong.
We will write a new song…"
Abby sketches the evening sky outside your window—it’s a beautiful night. Magda is deeply absorbed in a heavy book, and Chant sings and plays her guitar as if she’s performing just for herself.
You’ll join them soon enough—you’ll make a bracelet or write a poem or stretch or practice some dance steps, read a novel that you’ve yet to finish, choose tomorrow’s outfit, design a ball gown. But for now, you’re just watching and thinking. Thinking about how lucky you are to have friends that you love so much.
How lucky you are to be alive at this very moment, to be where you are, to be such an amazing young woman with so many opportunities ahead of you.
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