I reached out for my red tie, Logan suggesting we look casually professional. Black dress pants, white dress shirt, and a tie was simple enough. Once we got in, we'd be given uniforms and our blazers would signify what section we were placed in.
Logan explained it was a method for students to be aware of who they decided to challenge both during class sessions, but also out in the halls where people potentially got into fights. To me, it just felt like a good way to brag about how awesome you were. I didn't care what color I got. Just let me learn something new to add to the knowledge I'd gained from reading in my spare time the many books Mother and Father had in our library.
I lifted my collar up and hooked the silk fabric around and let both ends rest on my chest as I flattened my collar in place. I was ready to make my tie when I paused. I don't even know how to tie a tie. Hmm, I feel like I should know this. Wait, no I shouldn't since I'm a girl and not a guy. Uh… maybe I should call Logan. No, that would be embarrassing.
I heard a quiet snicker and I glanced up at Mom who had her hand covering her mouth. Her shoulders shook as she fought not to laugh at me.
"I'm sorry, just your expression. You look so focused, like you're attempting to conduct an advance spell in your mind,” she giggled, walking forward to face me. She reached up and began making my tie until it was absolutely perfect.
"There,” she whispered and I frowned.
"When you look at me… does it remind you of Gabriel when he was older?" I asked. She looked up to meet my sad eyes and smiled, her hand rising to rub my cheek.
"I won't lie and say it doesn't. When I walked in, just for a second I saw your brother. The memory of him being all nervous for his first day at the academy and having no idea how to tie his tie. I had to teach him step-by-step because he had no other friends at the time," Mom admitted.
"You won't show me?" I asked.
She shook her head. "You have Logan and something tells me you'll have friends who will teach you how it feels to be a male, Jewel,” she confessed.
"What makes you so confident I'll have friends? Brother was popular, wasn't he?" I pondered. I always thought Brother was a hero and that everyone knew who he was. It felt that way when so many students attended his funeral, shedding tears like he was the leader of their wizard team for the mage warrior Olympics.
Mom sighed, walking over to Logan's bed and sitting down. She patted the seat next to her and I joined her on the bed, turning my body so she knew she had my full attention.
"Gabriel was an individual who was shy in the beginning until he got to know a person's characteristics. The moment he knew you wanted to be his friend, not because of personal gain or benefit, he'd open up like a blossoming flower. However, people like Gabriel don't fit in with Brighten. I guess that's what I learned after years of teaching there. You know, you always turn a blind eye to things until your own child or loved one gets harmed by everyone's ignorance." Mother lifted my hand up, turning it over to stare at my palm.
"Brighten Magic Academy is very competitive. Students are ruthless to one another and it’s even hard to trust those you called friends. Reputation is a big thing there. If you project yourself as confident in both your craft and knowledge, you’re an instant magnet for positive attention. You get along easily with people so I'm not worried. I… just don't want what happened to Gabriel to happen to you." She choked on the last sentence and glanced away as she fought to compose herself.
"Mom," I whispered.
She met my gaze and smiled, gripping my hands with hers. "I believe you will do fine. I know I put you in this mess, but maybe there's a silver lining with all of this? Again, if there ever comes a time where you don't want to do this anymore, just say the word and you can come back home."
"I'll keep that in mind," I replied.
It was comforting to know I could come back home and not feel like a failure if this magic school wasn't for me. I wasn't concerned that my magic or knowledge wasn't up to their standards. My concern was the people- the students who turned a blind eye to my brother but then cried and mourned like he was their best friend.
Whatever bullying he experienced, they watched and whispered about it, but no one acted or stopped it until it was too late.
"We should head downstairs and see you both off," Mother suggested, rising up to her feet. I followed her lead and nodded in agreement, walking over to look in the mirror one last time before turning to face her.
She gave me a proud smile and I decided this would be the best time for me to apologize. "Mom. I'm sorry for snapping at you the other day. I… just have been frustrated with everything. I shouldn't have taken it out on you," I confessed, feeling horrible. I bowed my head, waiting for her to reply.
"Sweetheart, I should be apologizing. I'm grateful to have a child who puts up with a mother that forgets who her child is eighty percent of the time. Guess my meds are working rather well today, perfect timing too. Thank you for putting up with me and this silly disease. I'm sorry you haven't been able to live the life I would have wished for you,” she apologized.
"I'm living a good life Mom," I reassured her.
She shook her head. "You've missed events, dances, parties, hangouts, all because of me. You never got to enjoy what being a teenager was all about and even Logan lost out on some of those same things because both of you wanted to ensure I was well. I hope maybe this opportunity will let you enjoy those things you missed."
"Mom," I whispered, feeling awful that she realized how her health problems had affected us all. I reached up and hugged her; she sank into my hold.
"I know I haven't been the best Mom. I wanted more for our family, but I'll always support you, even when I may not be fully present. I love you, Jewel. I just want you to know that." She cried and I blinked back my own tears that welled up in my eyes.
"I love you too, Mom. I'll be just fine at Brighten. I'll get good grades just like Gabriel did. I'll do my best and make him, Father, and you proud," I vowed.
This opportunity could have been a blessing or a curse, but I wasn't going to half-ass it. I'd live my new life as Jinn and see what the fuss was about this magic school. Most importantly, I'd figure out what cycle Brother wanted me to end.
Whatever it was, I would figure it out and end it, just like he said.
"Is that Logan Cross?"
"Oh shit, he's actually attending this year?"
"Who's the dude with him?"
"For a guy, he's hot as fuck."
"Thank goodness we don't have girls here or they would be all over him."
"Ugh, I bet if he's walking with Cross, he's just as powerful as him."
"Hey, you never know. He could just be leeching off him."
I walked confidently through the halls of Brighten Magic Academy, completely unbothered by the commotion Logan and I were making with our arrival. From the moment we walked onto the property, people had been staring at us left and right.
Students’ girlfriends and sisters were all squealing from the gates and Logan informed me that girls waited hours before the school started just to see the hottest guys enter the gates. Apparently, we were now trending on Brighten's hot duo list.
Brighten was like a town of its own. The property was twice as large as Natala and had its own internet platform where people gossiped and dedicated their time to updating the site with the latest news: "Logan and the mysterious hot guy with black and red locks"
It made me curious if females were the ones who ran the website because girls were like hawks when it came to the latest news on anything, but I couldn't be too judgemental when I had no evidence of that yet.
We reached the line for the entrance to the main office and I wanted to grumble under my breath at how crowded it was. It's not that I couldn't handle crowds, but it was simply a pain in the ass being packed in a hall like sardines just to take some silly test. It didn't even determine if you got in or not. It helped the guidance counsellors figure out the best skill set to match you with and pl
ace you in that so-called power level system which determined what color blazer we got. Totally silly and unethical, but hey, I was a girl pretending to be a guy, hoping I wouldn't get caught on the first day of school so I couldn’t really judge.
We stood for fifteen minutes and the smell of multiple colognes was starting to irritate my nose. Whoever invented AXE body spray wasn’t doing any favors for anyone. I glanced at the board that showed how long our wait time would be. I had to hold back my growl of impatience at the digital display that showed '125 MINUTES WAIT' in red electronic font. Logan's hand brushed against mine, his pinky finger twisting around my finger.
"You okay?" he asked, noticing my discomfort from my irritated expression.
"Yes. Just wondering what I hate more, waiting in line or being packed like sardines while waiting in line," I grumbled.
I wrapped my pinky around his, squeezing it tightly. His little show of support did wonders to ease my growing annoyance, but I really wished it wouldn't take so long.
"If you’re so confident, why don't you come right up?"
I raised an eyebrow at the voice and Logan and I leaned over to our left to see a bulky male in blue jeans and a black t-shirt with multiple rips in the middle. I frowned at his appearance; his black hair was a mess of spikes and he had an eyebrow piercing that made me cringe.
I let go of Logan's pinky, sliding my hands into my pockets, then walked forward. Logan followed me, not even trying to stop me from doing something as reckless as taking this guy's offer. It actually made me smile because one thing Logan knew about me was I had never turned down a challenge. It just wasn't in my stubborn nature.
I walked right up to him, towering over his 5'8” frame and tilted my head to the side. "I'm here. Can I get this test over with? I have shit to do," I scolded, having no tolerance for this kid who was trying to act all tough, but I could see the fear in his eyes and the slight tremble in his hands.
"Uh-" he began but Logan cut him off.
"Oh, we can? You shouldn't have. Thanks man." Logan patted his shoulder and walked right past him into the office. I smirked, following his lead. The two female secretaries watched our little interaction and when their eyes landed on us as we got close, both of them blushed like we were celebrities of some sort. Ugh, great. We're even having an effect on these ladies. They're like as old as my mom. Oh that just sounds weird.
"Id- Identification… please,” the blonde woman asked, stuttering over the two words. Logan and I exchanged a look before pulling out our wallets, and taking our IDs out. Thankfully, Ms. Landsford had hooked me up with a male identification and documents to go with it. I didn't know what connections she had, but to get all my documents and application sorted in only a short few days was amazing in itself.
"Thank you,” the other brown haired female said, giving us back our identifications. "Step up to that magic scanner. Simply place your hand on the scanning device and the machine will create a temporary wand for you to use for the test."
We nodded and Logan walked up first to the white scanner. I noticed the people in line peering through the glass, trying to get a glimpse of Logan's results. I fought a sigh, already exhausted with this place and school hadn't even begun yet.
Logan placed his hand on the device and it beeped. Logan's name appeared on the screen before a loading magic circle began spinning on the screen. After a minute, another beep sounded off and a bright gold wand materialized.
A few people gasped and others began to whisper, but Logan seemed unbothered by the commotion. He picked the wand up and walked back to me, sliding the thing in his pocket like it wasn't a big deal.
I didn't hesitate, walking straight up to the machine and laying my large hand on the scanner. It beeped again and I felt the head of the light scan my hand slowly. The magic circle appeared again as it loaded my results and I tried to ignore the looks I was getting through the glass. I didn't know that boys could be just as nosey as girls. Maybe it was the whole "ranking" thing that was hyping everyone up.
The machine beeped and a bright red wand appeared. The gasps multiplied as I picked it up, but I didn't spend my time staring at the smooth wood, only getting a glimpse of the gold flowers that decorated the top half of the wand before I shoved it into my back pocket and returned to where Logan stood. His expression was blank but his eyes told me I'd done something to catch people's attention. He nodded to me, a signal meaning he'd explain when half the student body wasn’t watching our every move.
"Perfect. Please go down that hall and you will be paired with one more person. The test is three against three,” the blonde woman explained. We nodded and put our hands in our pockets before we turned and walked down the hall she had indicated. As we followed the signs towards the larger waiting area, I took a calming breath. Logan paused, looking back to see if anyone was following. When no one appeared, he turned back to look at me.
"That was annoying,” he grumbled, pulling his hand out of his pocket.
"I agree. Pain in the ass. I'm already tired," I mumbled. He smiled and reached out to ruffle my hair. I figure it was his way to comfort me, seeing as he couldn't brush my cheek or kiss me like he would when I was a girl.
"Your magic holding up?" he inquired.
"Yup. No issue there. I'm just tired of all the sudden attention. I don't get why they were so hyped up over the wands. Not to mention that kid was irritating. Don't challenge someone if you can't fight back," I growled. Logan chuckled.
"Your feisty side wasn't left behind with the switch, huh?" Logan commented. We began walking again but at a slower pace.
"You love every side of me," I chuckled. I noticed his confident smirk when he turned his head slightly to meet my gaze.
"That is true," he whispered; the quiet husky voice brought back that weird sensation that made my cock twitch. I wish there was a ‘How To Understand Your Cock For Dummies' book I could borrow from the library.
"You're such a tease," I grumbled and his grin widened.
"I can do more than just tease you after we finish this test and get some alone time tonight," he suggested. My cheeks grew red and I quickly scanned the hall to make sure no one heard that.
"Don't say that so loudly. What if someone hears you?"
"Good. Then they'll also hear that I'm rather picky about who I share you with." He winked and smiled when my face flushed and I glanced away.
"You're not sharing me with anyone," I grunted, walking faster.
He laughed. "Alright, my precious Jinn. Don't be angry."
"Don't call me precious Jinn either. Sounds weird," I retorted. Precious Jewel would be much better. What goes with Jinn anyways? Sexy Jinn? Hmm, if he said sexy Jinn in that low seductive voice of his, that would be a nice turn o- WHAT AM I THINKING ABOUT?! Nope, this was a bad idea! Abort mission. Abort!
I turned the corner and stopped, waiting for Logan to catch up as I tried to put my thoughts in order. Just calm down, Jewel. Just put your female hormones aside until after this whole test thing. Wait, are they really female hormones if I'm in a male body?
"If you're going to have one of your overanalyzing meltdowns, please hold off till after the test," Logan whispered in my ear. I glared at his pride-filled smile, knowing he loved that he had broken my confident attitude.
"I'll get you back for this," I vowed.
"I'll be ready,” he reassured me, patting my back. We walked into the small gymnasium. A male standing at the entrance suggested we walk to the left side of the room. I decided to ask Logan something to distract myself.
"What's the big thing about the wands?" I asked.
"You mean why the guys were all crowding around to see what colors we got?" Logan clarified.
"Yes. They were already gossiping that yours was gold. Why were they all hyped up over it?" I questioned, also curious why they had seemed even more intrigued that I got a red wand. I pulled it out, now taking a moment to appreciate its appearance.
The red had a metallic finish but still felt li
ke a wooden material. The gold flowers on the top half reminded me of little sunflowers, with little purple dots in the middle that you wouldn't be able to see unless you looked closely.
"Wands have a lot of meaning at Brighten. Colors, the design on them, the list goes on and on. These are temporary wands but gold and red are really rare to see during a test. That's why they were all talking and gasping," Logan explained.
"Ah. Interesting. What do the sunflowers mean?" I asked. Logan moved in closer to look at my wand. His breath tickled my skin and I tried not to show how his closeness affected me.
"Sunflowers represent the user’s ability to love. It shows that your loyalty to your partner or partners will never falter, no matter what. The world could be against the person and you'd stay by their side. Your magic aims to strengthen not only yourself but the people around you, just like how sunflower seeds can produce and feed many. Your magic aims to bring happiness and will do what's in its power to correct something that is wrong," Logan detailed.
I was so stunned by his intense knowledge that I didn't reply. He looked up to stare into my eyes and I had to remember to breathe.
"Am I ruining a moment between you two?"
I blinked out of my daze, turning to face the new arrival. He was 6'4” with long red hair braided to one side. He was definitely of mixed descent, looking to be half Caucasian, half Chinese. He had black eyes and wore black jeans and a white hoodie with a red magic symbol on the front.
I noticed the red wand poking out of the little pouch in the bottom half of his sweater. He stared at us, looking rather relaxed.
"Uh..." I looked back at Logan, whose cheeks began to grow red and he glanced away. "Nope," Logan mumbled, which only made the red-haired male smile.
"I can let you guys finish,” he offered.
"What’s your name anyway?" Logan asked, trying to change the subject.
"Nixon,” he replied, his eyes lingered on me. "Your name?"
"Jinn," I replied, my eyes never leaving his.
Logan walked between us, turning to face Nixon, who merely grinned at Logan's interference. "Logan Cross," he introduced, glaring at Nixon.
REFLECTIONS OF YOU (Brighten Magic Academy Book 1) Page 8