Okay, so I am determined to master this whole energy thing. I feel like once I understand this whole energy concept everything else will just start to click in my head. It is literally the foundation for most magic.

So, even if it means I have to work one on one with Lorelei for a while, I will not be dissuaded. No matter how cute Vega is. She may have gotten me to skip yesterday, but one day is more than enough for me to recharge. No more playing around. I have set my own personal goal to at least have a great grasp of energy before winter break is over.

"The basics of understanding Energy is being able to read the main signals," Lorelei explained to me.

I stared at the whiteboard as she wrote something down in a red dry erase marker.

"When someone is projecting their energy, when someone is low on energy, and when someone is actively using their energy for a spell. Once you can identify these, we will be able to go over the many branches and signals of energy use."

"Before we do that can I ask you something?"

"You're going to do it anyway even I say no," she says in an annoyed tone.

"Caster Energy, where does it come from?" I ask.

"Good question actually, I'm surprised." She mumbles that last part.

I lean forward in my desk and look at her with eager eyes, ready to take notes.

"Well, most Casters believe in Vitalitism, which is a religion that says the energy that makes up Caster magic, comes from space, the cosmos. Some even say the moon is a giant conduit for this energy, maybe even produces the strange energy. Just like Christians believe in Jesus Christ, the son of god, Casters believe in the Cosmos, which is like this living force, kind of like destiny or fate. This force is very much like our God, we pray to it, hold worship services for it, we have strange holidays around it, just like Christians have their religious holidays. You don't have to be a Caster to believe in our religion, it is actually believed that many non-Casters have a strong connection to the cosmos without even knowing it." She explains.

I write notes.

"Of course, not all Casters believe in the Cosmos. Some just simply take the scientific approach to it. That Casters are capable of feeling this natural force on earth. Very much like gravity. Caster's bodies are biologically different from others, of course, the science around Casters is still mostly unknown. And it doesn't explain everything, like how Casters can turn previously non-casters into casters. It's actually very complicated."

"How many Casters would you say there are that don't believe in Vitalitism?" I ask.

"Out of all Casters, it is estimated that roughly 30% don't believe in Vitalitism, and the number grows at a steady pace." She explains.

"Hmm," I write that down.

"Why the sudden interest? I thought you were against all of this," she gestures to the room.

"I'm not against learning, I was against you teaching me. There is a difference. But apparently, you are the expert, even among the world of experts. Which is super surprising to me because you look so young."

"Ah, so you researched me," she smirks and leans against her desk.

"Duh, got to know who I'm dealing with here."

"Well, you're right, I am an oddity. I'm only 27, but I've been researching energy since I was just a kid, even younger than you. I was top of my class, graduated with more than one honor. Wrote well-known thesis papers and even made a discovery in the field of energy research. I'm well respected where I come from. I was able to join the four pillar council on merit alone."

"What did you discover?" I ask.

"I made the discovery that it's possible for Caster's energy to intermingle with each other, and it is even possible to combine the energy of two completely different casters and make unique spells. For example, a fire and a water caster can combine their powers and energy to create a steam spell. The research is still in the early stages but one day it will rewrite everything we know about casters and be taught in schools."

"Wow," I blink in surprise.

"It's because of my status and who I am that I'm able to get away with a lot of things, like attacking the council. Some would even say I'm untouchable." She gloats.

"Noted... how did you meet Cyrene?" I ask.

She smiles to herself as she stares at the ground, lost in a memory.

"I had just started working for the four pillars, I was tasked with helping the only star caster further develop her energy. She got sent over to Don Caster for special learning. I thought she was going to be like a kid but was surprised to find out she was only a year younger than me. A student of the celestial council, well-known jock. We did not get along at first, she was full of herself, I was full of myself. We butted heads and egos. It was one of those things where we pretended to hate each other and let tensions build until we just smashed our faces together and made out." She chuckles.

I can't help but giggle too.

"After we kissed, it was useless trying to pretend we weren't feeling things for each other. Most of our training sessions just ended up being an excuse to make out with each other on the job. The rest, as they say, is history. What a weird way to meet your true love, but hey, I'm not complaining. I'm positive we'll get married one day, maybe even soon." She says confidently.

Eesh, I have to fight every fiber in my body not to cringe outwardly. But I definitely do cringe inwardly. It kind of makes me feel bad, which is shocking, I know. Me, feeling bad for her!? But, as I said, maybe I never gave her a fair chance. She seems to genuinely love Cyrene and even acknowledges she has an ego and anger issue.

She knows she's a bitch, and she owns it. I can respect that. I don't like it, but I respect it.

"Anyway! Back on topic," she stands straight and goes back to the board.

I feel guilty and I'm not even the one who cheated. Should I tell her what I saw? No, it's not my business, but maybe I should talk to Cyrene. Speaking of which, where is Cyrene? She promised she'd sit in on our first sessions to keep the peace, but she's a no-show today.

I wonder if she's with Asherah.

"The easiest one of these signals to understand and identify is when someone is using their energy for a spell. Spells not only have physical markers, like Glyphs, but also draw in energy from the surrounding area. The shift is very easy to spot." She resumes her previous lesson.

I go back to taking more notes.

Halfway through the lesson we take a break to grab a bite to eat, Cyrene is still nowhere to be found, Lorelei texts her while I leave to go grab food.

"Ugh," I plop down at the usual table next to Vega.

"So, how's it going?" she teases.

"My brain hurts," I pout while unwrapping my burrito.

"Must suck never getting a break from school," Darko joins us at the table.

"Eh, it's not so bad. I do learn a lot of very helpful things." I say.

"Like what?" Vega asks.

"Like how to make an energy field. We were working on that before lunch break. It's like my own personal mosquito net, how cool is that?" I say.

Everyone at the table laughs.

"What? What did I say?" I pout.

"You are so adorable sometimes," Vega kisses my cheek.

"More like she's a total moron." Dariyah chimes in.

"No one uses energy fields as mosquito nets," Darko adds.

"What do you use it for?" I ask.

"It's like your own personal bubble armor. Depending on how strong it is, you can even stop bullets." Nerissa says.

"Or keep smoke from getting into your lungs." Bastion adds.

"I once used mine to break a fall," Ro shrugs.

"Hmm," I ponder that while I chew my food.

"No Gunner and Wieland again?" Darko asks Dariyah.

"They are taking time to heal and get over everything," Dariyah says with a serious look on her face.

It reminds me of what happened, and I feel bad all over again.

"Can't you just heal them?" Bastion asks.

"I tried! But they are both being stubborn. It's a pride thing, I think. I don't know what their problem is, but it's getting on my nerves. They just need to kiss and make up already." She complains.

"To be fair, if I was them, I'd probably not let anyone heal me either," Ro says.

"Why?" I ask.

"It's like battle scars, war stuff. Reminds me who the enemy is, what they've done to me. Never forget kind of thing." She explains.

"But shouldn't you move on? I mean if the opposing side promised to stop and be better, why still hold a grudge?" I ask.

"You wouldn't understand." She sighs.

I eye her in confusion.

"Some of us don't have the luxury to forget the lesson we learn whether in the present or the lessons of our ancestors," Nerissa adds.

"Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me." Ro finishes.

I sigh, I guess there are some things I will never understand.

I wonder if I was born a Caster like them if I would feel the same way they do. Maybe me being normal first makes me biased towards the other side of things. I can't help that I want to believe the best of the outsiders, I was an outsider. But I wonder if I was an insider if I would still feel the way I do. Maybe I'd be very bitter like all of them.

"Look on the bright side, now that Vega is student body vice president, maybe we can start getting some changes around here." Dariyah slaps her harshly on the back.

She glares at her.

"You won!?" I ask.

"Yeah," she sighs in disappointment.

"Why didn't you tell me!?"

"I was hoping if I ignored it, it would go away." She pouts.

"I don't think it works like that," Darko chuckles.

"You shouldn't have run if you didn't want to win," Nerissa says.

"I had to; trust me, I would have pulled out if I could. Lysander is a little—"

He clears his throat behind her, making us all flinch, except for Bastion who noticed him walk up.

"Angel! Is what I was going to say," Vega turns to him.

"I'm sure it was," He smirks at her.

What does he have on her! Ugh! It's going to forever bother me.

"Can we help you?" Ro says sarcastically.

"That's Mr. President to you," he says smugly.

"Did you really just come over here to gloat?" Nerissa eyes him, unamused.

"No, well mostly no, but that is an added bonus." He shrugs.

"So I repeat, can we help you?"

"I'm here to fetch my VP, we have a meeting to attend, or don't you remember?"

Vega pouts.

"Stay strong," Dariyah pats her on the back.

"Dari," He says to her.

"Don't speak to me." she snaps at him.

He smirks.

"See you later," Vega sighs before pecking me on the lips and leaving with him.

We are so going to talk about this later.

"I still can't believe you two ever dated," Nerissa says to Dariyah.

"Wait, you dated him!?" I say in amazement.

"Shut up, before I punch your teeth out," she threatens me.

"Talk about the strangest couple, ever," Ro adds.

"I like to block out that part of my life," Dariyah bites aggressively into her sandwich.

"But, but, you two are so different," I say.

Darko laughs.

"Say one more thing, I dare you." She glares at me.

"How and why did you two ever get together?" I shake my head, trying to wrap my brain around this new info.

"The running theory is that Dariyah lost a bet to him," Bastion says.

"She won't tell us," Nerissa adds.

"Maybe he lost a bet to her," Ro snorts in amusement.

"Okay, I'm leaving." She gets up and stomps away.

Everyone but me laughs.

"I'm so confused," I say.

How does prime and proper suck-up boy date mean and grungy rebellious girl? I don't get it. And I thought my relationship made no sense. Yeesh.

"They broke up a little over a year ago, Dariyah is still sensitive about it. He broke up with her. Well at least, that's what he tells everyone. But it seemed pretty mutual." Nerissa explains.

"They dated almost two years," Ro adds.

"It was a sight to see." Bastion says.

They all hum in agreement.

"Glad I missed that," I shudder.

They laugh.

"Well, I have a showcase to prepare for. You guys still coming tomorrow?" Bastion asks.

"You know it," Nerissa flips her hair and smiles at him.

"See you there then," he smiles back before leaving.

"You so like him," I say to her.

"Please, don't make me laugh." She snorts.

"Oh come on," I say.

"I have things to do," she quickly gets up and leaves.

I frown after her.

Ro snorts in amusement.

"She likes him right?" I say to her.

"According to Nerissa, she doesn't like anyone. The girl is so stuck up she hasn't dated anyone before. I think she's just scared to get rejected." Ro stares after her.

"Been there, done that." Darko sighs.

"You've had a girlfriend, or err, a partner. Not to assume anything." I say.

"Relax," he laughs. "Straight as an arrow here. But no, I tried asking a girl once. Got turned down, hard. Gave up on dating after." He shrugs.

"To be fair, she was out of your league." Ro points out.

"To be fair, almost everyone is." He sighs.

"Who?" I ask.

"You don't know her, she's a Necro Caster. She's like the shy quiet type. Super pretty."

"Also, super weird," Ro adds.

"Which is why I thought I had a chance, but she turned me down flat and walked away. She avoids me at all costs now." He sighs.

"That's mean," I grumble.

"She's one of the best Necro Casters out there, she was even able to give life to an inanimate object once. Super scary. Super creepy, but also pretty badass." Ro says.

"Emm," Darko hums in agreement.

"She's a legend, even if she is super weird and creepy," Ro says.

"Noted..." I say.

"Well, I should probably get going too, see you around," Ro says.

"Then there were two," Darko says.

"I don't think you should think everyone is out of your league," I say.

"But they are."

"No way! League smeague. Screw that line of thought. You're a pretty upstanding guy, most of the time when you aren't being a bully to me."

"Sorry about that by the way," he interrupts me.

"The point is, you need to have confidence! You are Darko, an awesome sound caster extraordinaire! Don't just let people walk all over you." I slam my fist into the table.

He laughs.

"I'm serious," I pout.

"I know, which is kind of adorable." He says.

"I'm more than just adorable you know," I grumble.

He chuckles.

"Girls love confidence, and kindness, and funny. You can be funny right? So just go out there and be awesome. The girls will be lining up in no time." I say smugly.

"Oh, how I wonder what goes through that head of yours sometimes." He shakes his head.

"Whoever this chick is, she's missing out. That's all I know." I cross my arms.

"Thanks," he chuckles.

I get a text from Lorelei saying the rest of our session is canceled.

"Ugh I got to go," I say while looking at my phone.

"Why?"

"Lorelei is ditching me! But I left all my stuff in the room. I have to go get it before she leaves." I quickly get up.

"Well, see you for dinner I guess."

"Right and remember, confidence!" say as I runoff.

"Will do!" he holds up a thumbs up.

Poor guy, he's not that bad looking actually. If only he took a chance and believed in himself. Well, one step at a time I guess. At least he's not a bully anymore. I'm sure I can get him to be dateable in no time.

Just leave it to me!