She looked like she was about to cry. He genuinely felt bad for her, especially after getting a glimpse of her thoughts and seeing how hard she’d worked at being abstinent.
“You... you aren’t entranced?” asked Nurse Susie.
“Nope,” said Lee.
Her mouth fell open in shock. “Then, as long as you don’t tell anyone about this... I’ll still be able to stay here?”
“I don’t kiss and tell. It’s one of my rules.”
Nurse Susie brought her hand to her chest and let out a massive sigh.
“Uh, so, that stuff I said while we were, you know…” She shrugged. “Sometimes my dirty talk runs away from me, ha ha. Can you also forget about that?”
“Consider it done,” said Lee. “You should be careful though. I have, uh, more experience with this kind of thing than some of the other students here. They might not be able to handle you, if you get what I’m saying.”
He had to walk a fine line. He didn’t want to tell her how he knew the truth of what she was, but it still felt dangerous to let her continue being the college’s resident nurse without first confirming that she was back in control.
“I’m not normally like this, really,” said Nurse Susie. She cleared her throat. “I guess I should finish your examination before I send you on your way.”
She took a calming breath and sat back down next to Lee. He’d pulled the sheets back over him, and as Nurse Susie pulled them back to take another look at his body, her eyes fixated on his tool in a familiar way.
“Nurse Susie?” said Lee. “Uh… Nurse Susie.”
She licked her lips and let out a low sigh.
CHAPTER 22
Eventually, after nearly half an hour of trying to keep Nurse Susie calm enough to do her job and confirm his state of health, Lee left the infirmary. He felt like crap, and each step he took made the back of his head pound in protest, so he headed straight for his dorm.
Tess had stuck around after his encounter with the succubus and having her walk alongside him in total silence felt more than a little awkward. There was only one question he could think of to pop the tension, so he asked it.
“You’re not upset about what happened with me and Nurse Susie, are you?”
“No,” said Tess. “I dare say, it was kind of fun to watch.”
“Okay,” said Lee. He frowned, feeling oddly unsatisfied by that answer. “Really, though? You’re not jealous at all?”
“Oh, Lee,” said Tess, with a somewhat condescending sigh. “I’ve had a long time to come to terms with what I am. Jealousy is an ugly thing for the living. For a ghost, well, it can often turn into the plot of a cheesy horror novel. That’s not really that appealing to me.”
“Fair enough,” said Lee. “Just be sure to communicate your feelings to me if they change.”
“You’re so chivalrous,” said Tess. “The only thing I found annoying about that affair was how it interrupted what we were in the middle of.”
“Well, we’re almost at my dorm room,” said Lee. “How about we—”
He came to a stop as he reached the dormitory’s outer door and almost walked straight into Lead Instructor Mattis.
“How about we what?” asked Mattis.
“I was just, uh, thinking out loud,” said Lee.
“Come with me, Initiate Amaranth.”
He followed her, but only after a second or two of hesitation. A sinking feeling formed in the pit of his stomach, and it only intensified as Mattis led him north across Primhaven’s campus, to the foot of the First Tower.
She placed her hand on the exterior door, which was made of polished copper. A glyph flashed underneath her palm, and a doorway’s worth of metal dissolved into nothingness. She didn’t say anything as she led Lee into the space beyond, a large chamber with several rows of seating and raised dais in back.
There was also a massive, circular pillar in the center of the chamber with another copper door at its base. Mattis led him into it, activating another glyph switch that revealed the floor inside to be an elevator, which immediately began ferrying them both upward.
When it finally stopped and the door reopened, Mattis led him down a hallway, which exited out onto a balcony on one of the First Tower’s upper levels. The wind was stronger so high up, and not only could Lee see over Primhaven’s walls and out onto the frigid Alaskan landscape, he was high enough to see some of the Zephaphine Islands.
Not just high enough to see them, but close enough to step onto them, too. The nearest one was right next to the balcony, perhaps a three-foot step or jump when it swayed into range. Its surface was covered with grass, wildflowers and a basketball court.
Head Wizard Odarin was currently shooting his layups, using his spells to collect the ball when he missed or sometimes to cheat entirely. He wore black mesh shorts, a blue tank-top, and a Nike headband. He groaned when he saw Mattis and Lee stepping from the balcony onto the floating island.
“Come on, Alora,” said Odarin. “This is my practice time!”
“This is the student I spoke of before,” said Mattis. “The one we need to have a chat with.”
“Fine.” He rolled his eyes and came over to them, though he kept most of his attention on alternating between dribbling the ball and spinning it on his finger.
“Initiate Amaranth,” said Mattis. “Lee. Do you know why the Cropping is necessary?”
Lee felt his palms clam up. He looked back toward the balcony and the elevator only to discover the island had drifted further out again, denying him even the slightest chance of escape. They were hundreds of feet in the air, high enough to make the students walking across campus below look like ants.
“I... just don’t understand,” said Lee. It wasn’t so much an answer to her question as it was the default state he’d been in for a long time. Zoe was gone, and every step he took to find out more about what had happened to her only seemed to raise more questions and expose him to new risks.
Mattis shot a glance at Odarin, who had drifted back onto the court and was preparing to take a three-point shot. “Lee, as I’m sure the Head Wizard would also stress, the Potential carries with it inherent danger. Even those who only have a small capacity for it could end up serving as vessels for demons from the Other Realms or victims of any number of supernatural creatures.”
Mattis seemed torn between keeping her focus on Lee and shooting scowls at the errant Head Wizard.
“Is this where it happens, then?” muttered Lee. “Are you going to force me to undergo the Cropping?”
“No, I’m not,” said Mattis. “At least not yet. I think you’re a lot more talented than you realize. But you have to understand. This is serious. If you can’t meet the basic requirements of your classes, then we’ll have no choice. We’ll make sure that you are taken care of afterwards, perhaps even with a position as a servant here at Primhaven.”
There was a lot Lee wanted to say to that, namely that the idea of giving someone a memory wipe and then giving them a job as a servant seemed like slavery without the chains. He kept his mouth shut instead and did his very best to look chastened and obedient.
“Do you play basketball, Lee?” called Odarin. “Me and you, let’s go. I’ll even let you have the ball first.”
Mattis shot the Head Wizard a glare that could have stripped paint off wood. She sighed as she turned back to Lee, shaking her head slightly.
“Primhaven is a college that... has had to adjust its standards for many things,” said Mattis. “In your case, Initiate Amaranth, I think it would be a waste not to give you a small amount of leeway. I will continue to monitor your progress, including giving you extra lessons after my Meta-Magic class each week if necessary. I brought you here today to encourage you to do your best. Magical aptitude is far more common than strength of character.”
“Watch this dunk!” shouted Odarin. “Ha, I call it the seismic slam!”
***
Lee collapsed onto his bed once he finally made it back to his
dorm, feeling an overwhelming mixture of exhaustion and discouragement. Part of him wanted to run, to figure out when the next plane was leaving from the airstrip and make sure that he was on it. But running away from Primhaven would also mean running away from the truth of what had happened to Zoe, and he might not ever get another chance to uncover it.
“I’m so sorry, Lee,” whispered Tess. “This is all my fault.”
Lee was lying on his stomach, and he felt the chill of Tess’s ghost form as she slid into place beside him. He pulled her into his mystic stream on reflex and rolled so that they were looking at each other face to face.
“It’s not your fault,” he muttered. “You’re the only reason I’ve made it this far, anyway.”
“You got hurt because of me,” said Tess. “Lee… I don’t want that to happen again.”
She reached her fingers out and intertwined them with his.
“I think you should consider forming a pact with me,” whispered Tess.
Lee immediately shook his head. “That’s not happening.”
“Why not?” asked Tess. “It would let you use the Potential through me and cast spells from my essence, if you needed to. It would keep you from…”
She trailed off, but Lee knew exactly what she’d wanted to say. It would let him avoid the Cropping in exchange for opening him up to her completely. It was a lifelong commitment, a permanent agreement that would let each of them draw from the strength of the other. She would have access to him in a manner so complete that it would make the possession he’d seen the specter do a few days earlier seem like a crude puppet show if she ever decided to take control of him.
“I can’t,” said Lee.
“Why?” Tess’s voice betrayed her, cracking slightly as she spoke the word. “Why not, Lee? If the alternative is losing your memory, then—”
“Because I don’t trust you!” he snapped.
It hadn’t been what he’d been meaning to say, and he immediately saw the hurt the words caused Tess. She pulled back, letting her fingers slide from his, blinking rapidly to try to outrace oncoming tears.
“That wasn’t…” Lee scowled and grabbed her hand again. “Look, what I mean is that this is all just happening so fast. It almost doesn’t feel real. Tess, you’re pretty, you’re smart, you’ve got a weirdly cute sense of humor, and... you just seem so eager to help me.”
Tess’s teary eyes narrowed slightly. “You think I’m just leading you on, to get what I want?”
“It’s not that I think that, it’s just…” Lee sighed. “I know so little about you. If you were leading me on, I’m not sure I’d be able to tell.”
“Lee, that’s so mean!”
Tess stood up from the bed and ran toward the wall, assuming her usual position for jumping and phasing through physical objects. Except, Lee still hadn’t released his mystic stream, which led to her running headfirst into a barrier that was still physical for her, only avoiding slamming her head due to the cushioning of her arms.
“Ow!” she cried.
Lee couldn’t help laughing. He slid off the bed and moved to where she’d fallen, pulling her into a hug.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “I’m really bad at finding the right words when it comes to this kind of thing. What I meant was that I came to Primhaven for a reason, Tess. The more time I spend with you, the easier it is for me to start to forget that, I guess. I feel guilty for not focusing on why I really came here, and it brings out the worst in me.”
“No, I get it,” said Tess. “I’m not leading you on, Lee, but I’d be lying if I said that I wasn’t hoping that you would eventually... sort of... have to make a pact with me.”
She looked at him again, this time unable to keep her tears fully in check. They streamed down her cheeks, creating tiny, wet paths that weaved through her freckles and eventually ran along the edge of her chin.
“You had a reason for coming here, Lee,” whispered Tess. “I’m the opposite. I’ve been here for no reason, just invisible, just existing. And then... I met you.”
She smiled. Lee pulled her against him, hugging her tight and gently running a reassuring hand through her hair.
“Can we just stay like this?” he asked. “I might not be ready to make a pact, but that doesn’t mean I want to let you go.”
Tess sniffled and pulled back from him slightly. She smiled and tapped a finger on his chest.
“Only if you let me redeem my first date,” she said.
Lee chuckled. “I think that can be arranged.”
CHAPTER 23
Tess stayed with Lee for another hour or so, the two of them mostly just hugging, kissing and enjoying each other’s company. She only left when Toma finally arrived back, saying something about giving the two of them some “guy time” to catch up.
“That was so insane,” said Toma. “They had to cancel the rest of alteration class after you went down. People were screaming. You should have seen Eliza, she looked like she was about to—”
Someone cleared their throat from the dorm’s entrance, and Eliza walked in, arms folded. Toma seemed to tense up a little. Lee just gestured for her to join them.
“I’m fine,” said Lee. “Really. I think I needed the extra sleep, anyway.”
“It’s so ridiculous that Instructor Harper hasn’t faced any consequences for what she did,” said Eliza. “She obviously doesn’t know her own strength if she used a spell strong enough to overwhelm a basic spell shield.”
“Yeah, uh, I guess not,” said Lee.
“She looked really guilty after it happened,” said Toma.
“For good reason,” said Eliza. “It was her fault. What a bitch.”
Lee raised an eyebrow and glanced over at Toma. He was pretty sure it was the first time he’d ever heard Eliza swear.
“Anyway, uh, I stopped by to see how you were doing,” said Eliza.
“I’m hanging in there,” said Lee.
“Do you think, uh, maybe once you’re feeling better, you might want to…” Eliza blushed slightly and cleared her throat. “I mean, if you’re still having trouble with your spell shield and wanted to get some practice in, maybe I could... help you? Like, outside of class?”
She looked oddly flustered, which made it hard for Lee to say no, even though agreeing to practice spells with her would only make his life more complicated.
“Sure, why not?” he said. “I could also use some help on the more academic subjects, too. Maybe we can turn it into a general study group?”
“I would love that,” said Eliza.
“Toma?” asked Lee. “Any interest?”
“I only study when I’m about to fail,” he said. “So yeah, of course I’m interested.”
***
The next few days passed by quickly, with Lee falling into a somewhat regular routine. He didn’t see much of Tess, though she assured him that it was because she was busy with “ghost things” and was still looking forward to their date. The study group with Eliza and Toma brought his attention to the fact that, while he couldn’t cast spells, there were aspects of the magical academic life that he could manage.
Lee made a special point to avoid Instructor Harper, fearing the road her recently inflamed suspicions might lead her down if he put himself in her power. He skipped elemental magic class, which he knew she was the Instructor for, and planned on figuring out whether she’d be assisting for alteration class again before showing up next time.
He found both his enchanting and alchemy classes to be engaging, if not enjoyable, if solely for the fact that he finally managed to find a silver file in Enchanting class suitable for defensive purposes. His illusion class, on the other hand, presented a few complications.
Lee was on his way through the Seruna Center to the classroom when he heard someone call his name. He was running late, and the hallway was empty. It took him an embarrassingly long time to realize that the voice was Eliza’s, and it was coming from the women’s bathroom.
“Lee!” she called
. “I need help. Can you come in here?”
He walked over to the door leading to the women’s bathroom and hesitated.
“Are you alone in there?” he asked. “Otherwise, I don’t think—”
“Please!” said Eliza. “Just get in here!”
She reached a hand through the half-opened door and pulled him inside, which gave him his first glimpse of the problem. Eliza was in her underwear, covered in ink, and blushing furiously. Lee did his best to control his anger while also averting his gaze.
“Some of the girls that hang out with Kristoff’s clique decided to play a stupid prank on me,” she said. “They waited until I was in the bathroom stall and then poured a bowl of ink onto me. Then, they waited until I’d taken my robe off to try to wash it off before running back in and stealing it from me.”
Eliza shook her head, looking so angry that it was hard to tell whether she was about to burst into tears or punch the bathroom mirror.
“Assholes,” said Lee. “It’s probably because of how much you’ve started hanging out with me and Toma.”
“It’s because they’re petty, and childish, and a bunch of sore losers! They’re jealous of the fact that I’m good at magic without being a part of their stupid group. Especially after what happened the other day at the tavern.”
Eliza slapped her fist down on the sink. Lee set a hand on her shoulder, then flicked a glob of ink out of her hair.
“I can go grab you a new robe from your dorm if you give me the key,” he said.
“Thanks,” said Eliza. “I need to get cleaned up first. This ink is impossible to get off.”
She turned to face him, showing the dark blotches staining her face and chest. Lee frowned and tried to brush some of it off, his hand traveling down the side of her neck and a tad lower than he’d originally intended. It took him a shamefully long time to realize that he was cupping one of her breasts, and a few more awkward seconds to pull his hand back.
“Whoops,” he said. “I didn’t mean to do that.”
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