"Sorry," I said in response to his exclamation of surprise.
After showering at supernatural speed, I rushed back down the hall, nearly busting it on the slick tile floors thanks to my wet flip-flops, and got dressed. I made it to the shuttle station and watched as it drifted away from the platform, jam-packed with students. I knew from yesterday that the Arcane University flying stagecoach had just left from across the valley.
I checked the time. Fifteen minutes to go. Another stressful thought kicked me in the stomach. I had no idea how to get to class. I checked my notifications and saw an unread text from Lina.
Download the University guide app on your phone. It'll tell you where everything is.
Thanking the heavens, I went on the Arc Store and downloaded the app she recommended. I searched for where to buy books, and it traced a winding route that led to the university book store. Then I searched for my first class, Elementary Magic. By the time the coach arrived, I knew I'd have no time to buy books and also make my class in time.
I piled into the coach along with the other students, my nerves taut and a cold sweat breaking out. This was not the way I wanted to start my college career. The second the shuttle set down on the other side, I jumped off and followed the outlined route. When I reached the end, I looked at the sign outside the closed door and realized it was not Elementary Magic, but Elementary Enchantment. Chest tight, I scanned the nearby rooms and finally spotted the right one. Apparently the app wasn't completely accurate, but it had at least brought me to the right area.
I eased open the door. It betrayed me with a loud creak. A thin-faced woman with a stern face glared at me as she wrote something in the air with her wand. I gulped and stepped inside.
"Well, well. The late addition arrives late." She looked me up and down. "This will be your one and only tardy allowance, Mr. Slade. Do you understand me?"
"Yes, ma'am. I'm sorry."
Giggles erupted from the class. I stepped past a partition blocking my view into the room and horror washed over me. The classroom sign hadn't been kidding. This was elementary all right. Miles had put me in a class with little kids.
Chapter 23
Humiliation must have turned my face fifty shades of red as I hunted for a desk sized for an adult and failed. Every one of them was built for a munchkin, not a teenager.
"Find a seat now," the teacher said.
"But—"
"Sit!" she said, pointing to an empty desk in the last row. A girl with odd silvery hair sat in the far back corner, isolated by empty desks to either side of her.
I took the desk to the girl's right, wedging myself into the ridiculously small seat. My knees bowed out to either side, and I had to slump.
"Very good," the teacher said and turned back to her writing.
I glanced up at the writing and saw her name. Ms. Crab. What an appropriate name.
"Now, I want everyone to turn to page ten in their textbooks," Ms. Crab said. Her eyes fixed on me. "Mr. Slade, please read the first paragraph."
Every head swiveled my way.
I cleared my throat and glanced helplessly at my empty desk. "I, uh, don't have a book yet."
Her eyes narrowed. "Stop mumbling and speak clearly, young man."
"I don't have a book, Ms. Crab."
She nodded, as if that statement told me everything she needed to know. "I think it's obvious what sort of student you are, Mr. Slade."
"Please, I'm usually a lot better—"
"I did not say you could speak," she said in a deadly quiet tone. Her eyes went to the other students. "What is the punishment for being lazy, class?"
"The dummy cap!" they all shouted at once.
I almost opened my mouth to ask what they were talking about when a rainbow-colored cap with a spinning propeller atop it floated through the air and landed on my head. My hands automatically went to pull it off, but Ms. Crab flicked her wand, and my hands slapped atop the surface of the desk. Try as I might, I couldn't move them an inch.
"You, Mr. Slade, are a lazy boy. Until you prove otherwise, you will wear the dummy cap. If you do not have your book tomorrow, or if you show up late, you will wear the cap again." She narrowed her eyes to laser focus. "Do I make myself clear?"
I gulped and nodded. "Yes, ma'am."
"Yes, Ms. Crab," she said in the slow tone someone usually reserved for a particularly dim-witted student.
"Yes, Ms. Crab," I said, forcing the words between clenched teeth as anger simmered in my blood.
"Do not use that tone of voice with me, young man, or I will evict you from this class in a heartbeat."I drew in a deep breath, reaching hard for the happy place hiding inside me, and with a fake smile, said, "I'm sorry, Ms. Crab. It won't happen again."
She gave me a look indicating she didn't believe a word out of my mouth, turned back to the class, and commanded someone else to read the paragraph.
The girl sitting next to me gave me a shy smile and angled her book so I could read from it, even with my hands still glued to the desk. By the end of class, I wanted to kill Miles. And Shelton. And probably Ms. Crab, too. The class revolved around defining magic, how to use it safely, and that one should always ask permission from their parents before spell casting. I estimated the educational level to be about fifth grade, judging from the ages of my classmates.
After class ended, Ms. Crab waited until everyone else had filed out before flicking her wand and releasing my hands. "I only allowed you in here because Miles told me you have exceptional potential, young man. But if you think for an instant I'll allow insubordination or tardiness, you had better adjust your attitude." She flicked her wand again and the dummy cap flew from my head and landed neatly on a hat rack in the back corner of the room.
"Yes, Ms. Crab," I said, resisting the urge to defend myself, curse at her, or pick her up and break her over my knee. The woman's wrinkled face looked tough as old leather—a perfect match for her attitude.
I shuffled out of the classroom, head hanging low. What a horrible start to the school year.
I checked the schedule and saw my next class, Elementary Meditation, started in five minutes, which meant I still couldn't go to the book store. Thankfully, the room was just down the hall. Bracing myself, I stepped through the door and into a room reeking of incense. Instead of desks, rugs of various shapes, sizes, and designs lay at regular intervals on the floor.
A hand touched my arm. "Oh, you must be the Slade boy," said a middle-aged woman wearing what looked like a sari. She pushed back curly rings of brown hair from her face and looked me over with bright blue eyes. "Miles told me all about you." Her voice was soft and dreamy, but excited all at the same time.
"Nice to meet you, Professor."
"Belinda, please," she said smiling. "Here, let's get you a foundation and a totem." Before I could say another word, she led me to the wall where even more rugs hung. "Close your eyes, and let the universe guide you, Justin."
"Uh—"
"Close your eyes," she repeated in the voice a hypnotist might use and slid her hand across my eyelids. "Now, let the universe tell you which is the right foundation. Hold out your arm."
"Like this?" I said, keeping my eyes closed and extending an arm straight out in front.
"Exactly." She turned me around once. "Now walk forward and find your foundation."
I took two steps, tripped on something, and stumbled forward, barely catching myself on the wall.
Belinda exhaled a pleased sigh. "Open your eyes, and claim your foundation."
I followed her instructions and found myself leaning against a black rug with pink cats frolicking on it. "This one?"
She nodded. "And grab a token from the barrel next to the door without looking inside."
I pulled the rug from the rack on the wall and walked to the barrel. Avoiding the temptation to look inside, I reached in a hand and pulled out a plastic cat.
What is it with me and cats? I couldn't help but think of Stacey and Nightliss.
"How interesting," she said. "Now, please find a place for your foundation, take off your shoes, and relax."
I saw familiar faces in the room and realized it was the same group from first period. I set my rug next to the silver-haired girl in the back corner of the room. Again, I noticed the clear space around her.
"I'm Justin," I said, holding out my hand.
"Hi, Justin," she said, in a quiet voice, glancing at my hand, but not shaking it. "I'm Morgana."
I knew I was probably freaking her out, thanks to the huge age difference. I realized how Barry Papadopoulos must have felt back in grade school, and not because his name looked impossible to pronounce. He'd been homeschooled for years, but apparently his education hadn't been up to par. Instead of fifth grade, he'd been stuck all the way back in first grade with my group.
To us, he'd practically looked like a grownup, and we used to ask him all the hard questions: Where's the best place to buy candy? Which superhero has the coolest outfit? Why are girls so dumb?
I had a feeling these kids wouldn't be asking me for advice, especially after my humiliating first impression in Ms. Crab's class.
Once class started, it only got weirder. Belinda told us to stop, listen, and feel Gaia. It seemed more like a new age class than anything about magic. About the only feeling I got from Gaia was a cramp in my left butt cheek from sitting on the floor too long.
Arcane History came next. When I entered the room, the teacher looked up from a textbook and did a double take. My chest tightened. It was Zagg.
He narrowed his eyes and came over to me. "You have news?"
I nodded. "But that's not why I'm here."
"Wait a minute." Zagg's eyes went wide. He shuffled through a stack of papers and pulled out one with my name on it. "You're the late addition?"
My face heated up. "Yeah."
His eyebrows rose. "Sorry, but this is just, well, pathetic. What's someone your age doing taking Elementary Arcane History?"