What is Maybe’s problem? All she has to do is not care and I could be walking out the front door right now.

“You’re going to love it here, you just need to see how great it is!” Maybe says as she drags me through Wizard Prep. “Everyone loves it here. Nobody doesn’t love it here. You have to love it here!”

We whiz by students watching us with confusion in their eyes as they stroll through the halls, minding their own business. We nearly knock a few over as we blow past. Maybe continues to hold onto my wrist, no matter how much I complain about being able to keep up on my own.

“Why do you even care if I leave this much?” I ask as I nearly slam into a kid who can’t be older than eight.

“Because Wizard Prep has never lost a student voluntarily,” Maybe says before coming to a halt. “And you will not be the first on my watch.”

“I can’t tell if that is a threat or not.”

She stops only to give me a deep glare. “It is.”

And then we take off again.

Maybe tries as hard as she can to convince me that the school and magic are worth giving a chance, but nothing lands.

She brings me to watch students practicing some game on the sports field; I nearly get hit in the head with a ball of fire.

She takes me to a restaurant and buys me a pastry that will "...change your life."; it sprouts wings and flies away before I can put it in my mouth.

She takes me to ride the lifts in the library; I almost fall off.

She takes me to the mystical beast's ward; a miniature dragon bites my finger.

I'm exhausted by the time she takes me to a potions shop and gets me a potion she says is perfect for me. After a reluctant drink, my hair turns bright pink. 

I scream, because there is no part of my soul that wants to stand out so much.

"It practically glows!" I cry.

They try to find a potion that will change it back, but they best they can do is turn it white. At least it's less noticable than pink but...ugh!

“It’ll grow out,” isn’t the comfort Maybe thinks it is.

Maybe tries and tries to show me the glory of Wizard Prep, but everything is so far above me I only get more and more messed up.

I simply don’t belong here.

“Last stop. This one you’ll love most of all, I just know it,” Maybe says as she breaks in front of another large redwood door like most of the ones down the Wizard Prep halls.

She swings it open to reveal what looks to be, but who really knows in this building, outdoors. But it is not like the sports field. It isn’t just a large plain of grass and white lines.

It’s like a courtyard of an elegant castle. Grass, green as can be, surrounds a pathway of shimmering greyish-blue cobblestone. Willow trees line the outer walls of the yard, all drooping low enough to provide shade for the students lounging under them, but not drag along the grass. It's extra peaceful as the sunset has started to cast brilliant orange over everything.

It’s beautiful, don’t get me wrong. But I am not sure what Maybe intends to show me here to get me to stay…

“Stand right here,” she says as she grabs my shoulders and places me right in the middle of the courtyard.

“Why?” I ask, letting her guide me and assuming there is a nice view or something from that spot.

She lifts her hands like she’s about to wave them. “I’m going to make you fly!”

“WHAT?” I scream and duck like that will cause whatever spell she’s about to cast on me to zip right over my head.

Fortunately, as soon as she starts talking in enchantment-language, a deep and loud voice calls out, “Oh look, guys, she isn’t a vampire. She can touch sunlight,” and then a few others laugh in response.

I see Maybe’s face change from excited to instantly annoyed as she lowers her hands and swings around to the guy who spoke.

He’s a shorter guy, even shorter than me, but loud.

“Very funny, Alex. At least I’m close enough to the sun to actually feel it,” she says and the rest of the students around the shorter guy let out a round of “ohhhhhhh”s

“In what way are you attempting to torment some poor student today?” asks a voice that I instantly recognize and it sends shockwaves through my entire body: some good, some terrified.

There, glistening in the golden light of sunset, is Prince Rhettlin, looking as dashing as he had when he’d left me in that stairwell hours prior.

Lower your head, I tell myself. Hopefully, he won’t recognize—

“Wait. Hey, is that New Guy? What? Nice hair! It didn’t take you long to enjoy the perks here." There is a noticable difference in his voice, far more casual than he'd been with me earlier.

Still, curse. Why did he have to notice me?

Be normal. Just be normal, Allen. Talk like a human…

“Oh, uh. Y-yeah, I… uh. Hair, yeah. T-thanks.” I’d nearly already forgotten that Maybe had turned it white already.

There isn’t enough time for me to hate every fiber of my being before a tall, muscular, broad, blond-haired guy steps forward from behind the Prince and starts eyeing me up and down.

I swear this guy could eat me whole and I wouldn’t even have the right to argue.

Sweat rolls down my face as he looks at me.

“Wait this is him? This is the new student?” the broad guy says with a laugh in his tone.

“He’s cute!” peeps a red headed girl standing next to the short guy named Alex. “No wonder daddy needed you to protect him. He’ll get chewed up otherwise.”

A short but pretty blonde haired-blue eyes girl hits the redhead on the shoulder playfully. “And I’m sure it’s probably scary to start at a school like this in the middle of the year. It’s good they don’t leave him all on his own.”

I think she’s my favorite.

Other than the Prince, obviously, who I didn’t notice had walked up right beside me while I watched the others argue over whether I am going to survive here or not.

He is so close to me. Don’t look him in the eye. Don’t look him in the eye.

“Some advice, New Guy,” he says, leaning into me with something that sounds like it is supposed to be a whisper, but is loud enough for everyone to hear. “I would not recommend hanging out with this.” He nods toward Maybe.

“Ha ha ha,” Maybe states, stagnant and dry before walking over, shoving the Prince away from me, and wrapping her arm around my shoulder. 

Can she do that?!? Can he not arrest her or something?

“Jokes on you because we are roommates because someone forgot to fill out his paperwork,” she continues, “And we are going to be best friends. Right?” The stare in her eyes tells me I can’t remain silent, as much as I want to.

“Uh. Yeah. Best friends. Yes.” I nod as extra confirmation so she doesn’t sick her sewing needles on me in my sleep or something.

The broad, blond guy squints his eyes and begins to circle Maybe and me like a vulture, waiting for me to keel over and die so he can eat my flesh. “He doesn’t look that impressive. I want to see him do some magic. I bet he can’t even create a thunderstorm.”

Well, when you’re right, you’re right. I certainly can’t do that, I want to say, but the serious Marcus Mudfoot vibes about this guy keep my mouth closed. I didn’t need to find a new Marcus on day one at my new school.

Please. I beg of any higher power!

“Ignore him. He’s just afraid you’ll take his place as top student next year,” the Prince says and stops the broad guy’s circling by holding onto the collar of his shirt.

“Oh… no. No—” I start to stutter, but Maybe pushes in front of me, faster and louder.

“He just might! You better watch your back, Oli. Allen’s one of the best wizards I’ve ever seen!”

“What? No, I—” 

Why would she say that? She’s going to get me beaten into the ground!

“Oh yeah? I heard quite differently,” says this so-called Oli. “Heard he doesn’t even know what a focus is. If that’s the case, we should prove it. Right here, right now.”

Oh no. Please. I just escaped my daily torment from Marcus Mudfoot.

I close my eyes and wait for him to shoot a fireball at my face, or whatever he is going to do.

But nothing ever happens. 

Instead, all I hear is the Prince speak up, “Oli, cool it. Or I’ll freeze your brain again.” There is a growl to his voice I'd never heard.

When I open my eyes, the Prince is right in Oli’s face, with a scowl and his eyebrows low and intense. They share in this serious stare, the meaning of which I can’t make out, before Oli drops his whole demeanor and backs up to a tree a few steps away and pouts like a grumpy child.

Did Prince Rhettlin just… stand up for me?

The Prince of Starstorm kingdom stood up to his friend to protect… me?

No one ever stands up for me! Certainly not someone with his stature and… looks.

The Prince shakes his head with a sigh and his attention finally returns to me with a flash of his sparkling teeth.  “Anyway, New Guy, ready for class tomorrow?”

It takes me a much longer second that I want to snap out of my gaze and clear my head enough to respond. “Oh. Yes. So ready. So super duper ready.”

Curse of the Realms, could I be any more of a loser? Just respond like a normal person!

“Great!” The Prince claps his hands like my awkwardness doesn’t come off to him at all. “I shall pick you up from your dormitory tower. You will not find your way there otherwise. Do not even try. I do not want to get a search party out looking for you on your second day.”

“Wait. You’re actually going to mentor him? Like you promised? That’s rich,” Maybe says with an eye roll. I’m starting to learn that is her go-to move for everyone. “I don’t think I believe you.”

The Prince bows at both Maybe and me, which feels so wrong. “Such is my honor for the next three months,” he says then stands tall and points a finger right at me. “You cannot escape me so easily, so do not even try. Better get used to seeing me around, because we are going to have many long days together. Study session. Late nights. Hope you are prepared. You, my friend, are going to show that exam who is boss.”

Long days? Study sessions? Late nights? With… with Prince Rhettlin.

My heart begins to thump all the way out of my chest at the thought.

Oh, Merlin, what I wouldn’t do to spend more time with the handsome Prince who protected me from not-Marcus-Mudfoot…

But prepared is certainly not what I am.

Still, I reply, “Oh. For sure. I’m so prepared. So… so prepared. Late nights and… whatnots.”

“Perfect. See you around, New Guy,” the Prince says as he starts to walk away, waving back at me with a fluid, princely wave.

I can hear his friends chuckling and giggling as they leave.

The redheaded girl says, “He’s adorable. I hope he makes it past the exam.”

“Yeah. I kinda like him,” says the pretty blonde girl.

“He’s not going to make it a week,” says the broad guy. 

Then, I can’t hear the rest as the whole group of beautiful people disappear under one of the willow trees. All the eyes in the courtyard follow them as they walk, and for the first time, I realize everyone has been staring at us the whole time.

Just like they had in the hallway when I first arrived.

Of course they have been. Who wouldn’t stare at Prince Rhettlin?

“He’s such a prick,” Maybe says with crossed arms and a foot stomp. “Sucks that he might actually keep his word and you’ll have to spend all term with him.”

“Yeah. He’s awful. It will suck so much...” I say with absolutely no truth behind the words.

He seems perfect to me, in every way.

Maybe straightens up and relaxes. “Guess that’s not going to help you want to stay here anymore. I understand if you want to leave, now.”

“You know,” I say as I stare at the tree the Prince disappeared under, “I might stick around a bit longer.”