Keeya got up on her feet and clutched her staff tightly.

“Ah! Are you a magical kid too?” Marcella asked her eyes widening like a cat locking on to its unsuspecting prey.

“Yes, I just got my staff this morning,” Keeya said defensively.

At this Marcella frowned slightly. She brushed her fingertips against the multipointed star. Dawn’s Light shimmered where her fingers had been.

“It’s been a while since I’ve seen one so new. Well, alright then. Let’s walk you through the basics.”

Marcella turned toward her companions and walked forward, her thorny vines undulating under her as they seek out the two magical kids battling the horde of snakes.

If Keeya hadn’t seen her summon them, she would have thought they were snakes as well.

“Now, watch closely,” Marcella said.

She stopped a few paces away from Gabrielle and was now in the center of the basketball court. Holding out her staff at arm’s length Keeya felt, rather than saw, warm energy, almost like the sun on a summer’s day collect around the flower bud at the top of Marcellas staff. It began to glow, turning the pinkish-red petals into a soft sunset orange. Keeya stared, mesmerized, as the flower bloomed. A sphere of bright Dawn’s Light hovered over the flower growing larger so quickly that extra shards rained down like snow. Keeya thought about her silly attempts to use glitter to create the same effect.

“Let’s go babies!” she said triumphantly and the vines doubled in speed, lashing onto whatever limb was closest.

Gabrielle winced and held up the vine wrapped around her wrist.

Joy looked down at her leg and in an instant changed her dance to one where she stood and clapped.

Marco wasn’t as graceful.

“Ow! that’s my leg!” He cried out and almost tripped as the vine held him back mid-charge. A snake took the chance to spring up from the ground, going straight for his throat. Marco stumbled back and sliced the snake’s head off midair.

“Ready!” Marcella called out. Not a question, but a statement.

The flower swallowed the glittering light turning back into its original flower bud shape. Like lights in a tunnel the energy of Dawns’ Light traveled down the length of the vines.

Keeya cautiously walked toward Marcella to get a better view, her eyes never straying from the lights.

“Hey! My knee, it’s healing!” Gabrielle cried out in relief as she wiped the blood away.

Keeya also felt relieved.

Marco and Joy redoubled their efforts. In a matter of moments, the last of the impossibly large horde of snakes was cut down dramatically by Marco’s blade.

Marcella breathed out and like a measuring tape the vines swirled back to her and wrapped themselves around her staff, looking as though they had never left.

Keeya thought they could finally rest easy, and she ran toward her friend.

“Gabrielle! Oh god, are you okay?” Keeya said grabbing her best friend. Gabrielle gulped. Her tan skin had a healthy glow and even her eyes shined.

“Keeya? When did you get here? No wait, that’s not important! Did you see?” Gabrielle said somehow hopping up and down despite her bulky bag.

“It’s Team Garden from Dawn Corp! Joyce Carmine and the twins Marco and Marcella Rossi!” Gabrielle squealed and started hyperventilating. Her large round glasses almost slipped from her face and Keeya laughed.

“Hey fan girl and new girl, be careful, that was a large wave of serpenti, and this is outside the border,” Marcella said.

She didn’t look too concerned. Her staff rested easily across her left shoulder as she checked her phone. She blew a loose strand of straight black hair from her face.

“New girl?” Gabrielle asked. Then she looked at Keeya and noticed for the first time the staff she had.

“Oh… my… god,” Gabrielle managed to get out and Keeya beamed. But Keeya’s smile quickly faded as an uneasy feeling swirled in the pit of her stomach. Marco and Joy hadn’t returned yet.

Suddenly she realized just how quiet the courtyard was.

“New wave coming!” Marco yelled from the left side.

“What?” Marcella said, her face scrunched up in anger and disbelief. She quickly tucked the phone in her back pocket and then gave a loud whistle.

Joy jogged out from the alley she had been checking on the opposite side and joined Marcella and Keeya at the center with Marco just behind them.

Marco smiled crookedly while Marcella glared at him. His black hair was wind swept and a small line of sweat ran down his temple. He adjusted his bomber jacket and aviation goggles that sat atop his head.

“Sorry, guess we got some stragglers from that last wave. About twenty or so,” he shrugged like it was no big deal. He then did a doubled take at Keeya, first to see who else had been crazy enough to come outside the school then at her staff.

Keeya’s heart skipped a beat, and she felt her cheeks grow warm.

“Hi,” she said but Marcella threw her arm in between them.

“Marco, where are they?”

Marco pulled his canvas glove up to check his watch. It looked like an old mans watch. Maybe it was his dads.

Stop it brain, focus, Keeya thought and shook her head.

“Give it five minutes,” he said.

Macella thought for a minute.

“Hm, okay this might be perfect.”

She grabbed Keeya by the arm and dragged her past everyone.

Keeya felt exposed at the front of the group.  

“Alright new healer let’s see what you can do!”

Keeya yanked her arm out of her grasp.

“Healer? What are you talking about?”

“Yeah, Marcella what are you talking about?” Marco said coming up to stand beside Marcella.

He looked up and squinted to where he had come, probably judging how much more time they had left before the stragglers came.

“This kid is a brand-new magical girl, just look at her magical staff, it’s oozing Dawns Light.” Marcella said in a huff.

“Yeah, but why do you think I’m a healer. I’m clearly a warrior,” Keeya said puffing out her chest.

Marco looked her up and down again.

“What makes you say that? Normally you’d need to go to the lab to find out.”

Keeya paused, feeling deflated. Would she get in trouble if she told them about the warehouse? But how else could she prove it to them…

“Look, I’ve been a healer for almost five years, trust me I know the type. Marco and Joyce get in position. New girl- “

“Keeya,” Keeya said

“Keeya, you will stand behind them and give them some of that delicious Dawns Light. Normally you wouldn’t give it at the start of battle, that will just make you tired and useless once they run low. But they are already running a bit low from that last wave, just enough for the baby healer to top them off.”

Keeya glared at Marcella. Did she have to be so patronizing? And she was a warrior! Then a thought came to her. If she failed to heal them then it would prove she was a warrior, plus she wouldn’t even need to mention the warehouse incident.

Keeya visibly relaxed and rolled her shoulders, holding her magic staff in two hands.

“Okay, show me what to do all knowing healer.”

“I’ll let the sarcasm go just this once,” Marcella said and pointed toward Marco and Joy.

“Okay, so I want you to picture you are holding a spray can, could be for cooking or cleaning, it doesn’t matter. I want you to visualize that you have the liquid inside you and the staff is your can.”

Keeya felt ridiculous trying to imagine such a thing. But she thought it was all the better since it would probably fail. Still, she didn’t want to make too bad an impression, so she closed her eyes, trying not to visualize deadly snakes swarming in their direction.

“Healers, are crucial in battle, because we don’t just heal, we recharge the Dawns Light in our teammates”

I know

 “-who then use it to fill the snakes.”

“Wait, what?” Keeya asked, turning toward Marcella and completely losing her concentration.

Marcella grabbed Keeya’s chin and turned her head forward.

“Focus, this is real.”

Keeya felt heat creep up on her face.

“But, yes, it’s not a well-known fact outside the companies and government but these snakes love Dawns Light. So, we pump the little shits up with so much that they burst into ashes. If you feed them slowly, they just get bigger. Warriors are crucial in stuffing them with Dawns Light quickly.”

Marcella’s lowered her voice, all chill lost.

“Now, feel the warm energy burn in your chest. You must release it, you have to release it toward your teammates.”

Keeya did feel it; it was like when she just had a cup of hot cocoa. It was warm and comforting.

“Marcella! They are in the courtyard, pushing forward now!” Marco said cautiously moving forward.

I gotta do it now, feel the warmth and spray it out, like spray paint.

Keeya’s blood roared in her ears, and she gathered the warmth as quickly as she could into her imaginary spray can. Soon she felt like she was holding a small sun in her hand. Then she pressed down.

“Holy-“Marcella cried next to her. She heard Gabrielle scream and then Joy and Marco cry out.

Despite wanting to fail her way to warriordom she didn’t want to see their disappointed faces.

After a few minutes Keeya opened her eyes, one at a time, surveying how badly she failed.

But to her surprise all the snakes had vanished, the swirls of ash dissolved in the wind. Marcella and Gabrielle were rubbing their eyes.

“Wait…what just happened,” Joy said looking around the courtyard.

“New girl pumped out too much Dawns Light,” Marco said, also in awe.

A bird sang in a nearby tree, then another. The sounds of kids talking and sirens rushed in like a wave.

Keeya fell to her knees, shaking all over.

“Keeya! What’s wrong?” Gabrielle cried out and held her.

“Tsk merda. Girl, you used up too much,” Marcella said clicking her tongue. She put a hand on Keeya’s shoulder filling her with warmth again.

After feeling like she had swallowed a gallon of hot chocolate she pushed Marcella away, feeling nauseous.

“I’m good, you can stop.”

“Fine, see if I give you any in the future.”

“Hey, um... Keeya, right? You, okay?” Marco said standing in front of her. He offered his hand and Keeya took a few deep breathes before letting him help her up.

“So, like now may be a bad time to ask but you want to join our team?”