The next day arrived, Zyn reluctant to get out of their hammock. They stared up at the ceiling with glazed eyes, wondering if they should bother trying the assessments again.

I’ll never get my magic. Not in time for school this year, anyway. My body is taking too long to adjust… 

They sighed and hopped out, nearly tripping on a pillow that sat beneath the hammock. Zyn kicked the pillow away bitterly, where it hit one of the many shelves lining the orange-painted walls. A few stones on the shelf fell to the floor with a clatter.

Whoops… I hope I didn’t wake up Ren!

Zyn moved to pick up the fallen rocks, placing them back on the shelf in their precise order. They nodded in satisfaction once the stones were organized, admiring the many colors. Their eyes landed on a green rock, the image of Mint springing to their head, as the stone was the same tone as Mint’s hair.

Hmm…I wonder if Mint ever had any trouble in the magic assessments? They’re always so anxious about everything, and they have trouble connecting with magic on a regular basis. Maybe they can help me!

Filled with a fresh excitement, Zyn called out their morning greeting, no longer caring about waking up everyone. They hurriedly got dressed in their typical fashion, throwing on a bright blue robe with swirling wave patterns to top it off, then ran out their room and down the spiral steps of the tower.

They crossed the family room on the first floor, went through the Tai Chi Studio, and entered the Courtyard. Then, they slid to a sudden stop as a thought hit them.

Is Mint at the school yet? I didn’t see them arrive yesterday, Zyn realized. I guess I’ll look in the student quarters… Maybe they have the same room as last year?

Zyn glanced down at their feet and realized that they were standing on a stone slab. The elevator, which sat right outside the Tai Chi Studio, was one of four around the Courtyard. The enchanted platforms brought people to the second, third, and fourth floors of each building.

“Second floor,” Zyn commanded.

Railings appeared on all sides of the elevator, preventing them from falling off as it hovered in the air. Soon enough, the platform stopped outside the second floor. The front railing went down, allowing Zyn to open the door and enter. 

Zyn hardly went to the student quarters, not having much need to. Each floor of the western, northern, and eastern buildings looked the same. A large bathroom sat across from the door upon entering the quarters, and a hallway was dedicated to student rooms. The rooms each held a bed, wardrobe, and desk. Of course, students were allowed to bring their own furniture and other belongings too.

Their room was on the left, right?

Zyn shrugged and bounded down the hall, glancing around as they went. Most of the doors were labeled with the students’ names, though some were blank as they had no occupant yet. At the end of the hall, Zyn slid to a stop, catching sight of Mint’s name to the left. They grinned and knocked on the door.

“Mint! You in there?” they called.

A moment later, the door opened, and Mint blinked sleepily around. They smiled at seeing Zyn standing before them. “Hi, Zyn! What’re you doing here so early?”

“I wanted to see if you could…help me,” Zyn said tentatively, all too aware that Mint might panic at the thought.

Mint’s green eyes widened, their shoulders rising. “Oh, um…with what?”

“Just advice!” Zyn said hastily.

Mint let out a sigh of relief. “Oh, good! Advice I can do! Maybe… I don’t think I’m the best with advice, but I can try.”

They stepped aside to allow Zyn into their room, then closed the door. Zyn glanced at the art and posters that were already hung around the walls, mostly depicting animals and creatures. A large bag of clothes sat on the ground, the wardrobe on the left wall half-open to show that it was barely filled. A desk sat in front of the window overlooking the Courtyard, while a bed sat on the right wall beneath another window.

“Ooo, cool! You got a view of the Greenhouse?” Zyn asked, rushing forward to look out the window over the bed.

“Yep! An upgrade from my room last year. So, uh, what can I do to help?” Mint asked, picking up a blue bracelet from the desk and putting it on her wrist, signaling to Zyn that she was identifying as a girl.

“Well, since your magic can be…hard to connect to,” Zyn began hesitantly, “I was wondering…how did you get through the magic assessments?”

“Wait…didn’t you have magic last year?” Mint asked with a frown, sitting on her unmade bed.

Oh, no! I forgot she didn’t know anything about me not having magic! “Umm, yeah, I did, but…I’m having a really hard time connecting to it since I started the testosterone potion,” Zyn lied. “Dad wants to make sure I can connect to magic before I start school again…”

“Oooh, that makes sense,” Mint said with a nod. “Why don’t you try a wand? The wand should help you connect. That’s how it is for me, anyway. Actually, I can’t do magic without a wand at all. I never earned the body channeling certification…” She dropped her gaze as she fiddled with her thumbs in clear embarrassment. “If I didn’t have my wand, I’d be…useless…”

Zyn had no idea how to reply, an awkward silence falling for a moment. Then, they said, “But we can’t use wands in the magic assessments…can we?”

Mint shrugged. “I dunno. We couldn’t have wands as first-years, since there was no point giving us a wand if we didn’t have any magic yet…”

“So how did you get through magic assessments?”

“Your dad had to do a mirror call with my family,” Mint said in a small voice, closing her eyes. “My parents were so afraid I wouldn’t be able to come to school, since my magic was very sporadic. So they asked Mr. Caihong if he’d accommodate me. They knew the assessments would make me too anxious to perform. He agreed, and I was able to do a bit of magic while he watched on the mirror. So he let me in, and I never had to do the assessments.”

“Oh.” Zyn frowned, tapping their foot on the ground as they thought. “Well, I guess I could always sneak my wand into my pocket, in case it’s not allowed. But if Dad adjusted the assessments for you, he’d surely allow me to do the same! Thanks, Mint!”

Mint smiled at them. “I’m glad I could help. Wait…I did help, right?”

“You did!” Zyn said, their grin widening. 

Mint sighed in relief. “Oh, good,” she murmured.

The bell rang loudly, signaling the start of breakfast. Zyn exited Mint’s room while she got changed from her pajamas, then the two went to the Eating Hall together. Ren and Sarala were already in line, so Zyn and Mint joined them, ignoring the first-years complaining about them cutting. The four students ate together in the western garden, chatting until the magic assessments were set to begin.