Chapter 7

“Twinkle, twinkle, little star / How I wonder what you a-”

“Hey, Henri. Henri!”

“-re / Gah! What, what?”

“What does this word mean?” Ladd Korr shoved the school rag in his roommate’s face and pointed.

“‘Irreparable?’ It means it can’t be fixed.” Henri of the Ox glanced over the page. “I thought you said you were gonna look up your opponents. Why are you reading the C&C section?”

“I got bored. Isn’t this the guy you look up to?”

“I never said I look up to him. I said it would be cool to be as popular as he is when... oh, but maybe not anymore. Looks like that popularity stabbed him in the back.”

“Hm. I thought fans were supposed to be good to you. How could they make him lose the Tournament on purpose...” Ladd muttered.

Henri gave him a deadpan stare. “You’re in my way.” He pushed Ladd, reaching for the bass keys on his piano keyboard.

“Oh...!” Ladd hopped backwards.

Henri took a deep breath and positioned his fingers.

“Twinkle, twinkle, little s-”

“Who’s Calissa Rin-Rinta...tah? Tale –?”

“Ladd!” Henri messed up again. “Why are you bothering me? Go play outside like you normally do, or something. Don’t you have to practice?”

“In this rain?” Ladd looked out the window and then back at Henri.

“What, you’re not strong enough to stop the rain?” Henri grinned, then dropped the smile as soon as he saw the gears in Ladd’s head go. “No! No, Ladd!” Henri jumped off the small black bench and held his arms out to either side, blocking Ladd’s exit. “I was joking! Don’t- Don’t ever try that!” Henri breathed a loud sigh of relief when Ladd frowned, glassy eyes downcast.

“You’re right. I probably... shouldn’t.”

“Why don’t you ask permission to use the study labs? That’s what the other mages all do.”

“I did. They’re all booked.”

“Oh. I guess the shoe-ins got a head start?”

Ladd nodded. “Probably.”

“I’m sorry.” Henri put a hand on Ladd’s shoulder. “I’m sure you’ll win anyway. No one is as strong as you!”

“...Right!” Ladd met his eyes again, all dewed up.

* * *

Linette leaned against the wall outside the classroom on the second floor of the first-year building where Ladd’s schedule said he should be.

Tristan Efaz, standing across from her, rubbed the back of his neck.

“Do you think it’ll be a while longer?”

“Powers, I hope not.” Linette tipped her head backwards.

“Only first-years get stuck like this. They’re not used to forcing the class to end on time.” Tristan smiled at the floor.

“You guys force it? What do you mean?”

Tristan looked up again. “Ah. I guess if you’re early in your second year, you’d suffer, too.” He chuckled. “You have to know when to tell the professor that you want out.”

“...Huh. Okay.” Linette kicked at the air in front of her. Tristan laughed with his mouth open, eyes sparkling. Linette stared in judgement.

“You really have no patience at all, do you?” Tristan paced to the wall Linette was sinking against. “I thought this since last week.”

“Who, me?”

“Who else?”

Linette grumbled. “I don’t know about that...”

Tristan laughed again, sliding down the wall and planting himself on the floor. “You should get comfy. It’s – oh.” He put his hand on the wall behind him to leverage his body up again.

“Finally!” Linette separated herself from the building, too. The door to Ladd’s classroom had just opened, and a steady stream of students was trickling its way out. Their person of interest jumped a few inches sideways when he noticed them.

“Lin!” Ladd shifted his weight forward and threw his arms around her neck.

“Ow.” She protested weakly, patting his back. Tristan, now standing, opened his arms next to them. Ladd blinked at him, and Tristan pouted. Ladd giggled in that ridiculously childish voice and switched targets. His arms snaked around the older boy’s slim waist and squeezed hard.

“Ow.” Tristan grinned and ruffled Ladd’s hair.

“Your jacket smells cold.” Ladd nuzzled his forehead on it.

“My...?” Tristan tilted his head and frowned, trying to make sense of the kid’s mind. Ladd turned his face back to Linette.

“To what do I owe the ple – no, wait.” Ladd grabbed his chin. “That’s not the phrase I want.” His eyebrow went up and he started muttering. “It’s too nice. I should be meaner if I want to –”

Linette sighed. Ladd frowned at her. “What?”

“Are you going to act mad at me?” Linette barely resisted putting her hands on her hips.

“I’m not acting, I am ma–”

“I’m sorry,” she cut in. His mouth fumbled. “I didn’t mean to yell at you last time.” Ladd tightened his grip on Tristan, who brushed his shoulder. They both waited.

“What, I apologized!”

“Don’t huff at him. You know how hurt he was.” Ladd nodded against the leather jacket. “But, hey,” Tristan pried Ladd off of him. “You don’t wanna forgive her?”

“Hrm...” Ladd pouted until his lips hurt. Tristan shook his shoulders gently.

“Come on, buddy. You should be good to your friends.” The pout shrunk. “I already lectured her, okay?” Ladd met his eyes, then Linette’s.

“Promise you won’t do it again?”

“Promise.” She jumped forward and grabbed Ladd’s hand. “Friends?”

A shy smirk made its way onto Ladd’s face unbidden. He opened and closed his hand around hers. “Okay...”

Linette did her best not to roll her eyes and started leading him down the corridor. “You have time to practice today, right?”

“Yeah.” Ladd sped up to match her pace and glanced back. Tristan was following close behind. Ladd grinned and pulled hard, starting them at a run down the hall. He let go of Linette’s hand when they reached the stairwell and he sprinted down on his own. Tristan caught up quickly, bound down two steps at a time, and slid in front of him on the landing. He swooped him up.

“Hey, slow down!” Ladd was cackling. “If you’re gonna race, at least be fair.” Ladd relaxed, and Tristan released him. “We’ll start once we leave the building, got it?”

“Got it. Lin, come faster!”

“Geez...” Lin stomped heavily down the remainder of the stairs and then burst into a sudden sprint. She looked back only for a split second to stick her tongue out at the boys.

“Hey!” Ladd whooped, breaking into as fast a run as he could.

The seventh-year building, where the study laboratories were all located, was on the opposite corner of campus. The students were wheezing with scorched lungs when they arrived six minutes later. Except Tristan, who had completed the run in less than five minutes and so had time to catch his breath.

“Such... useless...-ly long... legs...” Linette panted, clutching her knees.

It was Tristan’s turn to stick his tongue out at her.

Ladd wasn’t out of energy yet, though. He zoomed up two flights of steps before slowing. Linette and Tristan reached him as he was turning from the third floor up.

“Whoa, whoa.” Tristan stretched out a hand to pull him back. “We’re on here today, buddy.”

Ladd stopped on the next stair and spun on his heel, his entire face a loaded question.

“The fifth floor was just last week. I got dibs on a good one this time.” Ladd came off the step.

“How?”

“What do you mean, ‘how?’ I was pretty early in line back when the trimester started.”

“Then why didn’t we use the room here last week?” Ladd followed them into the third-floor hallway.

“Oh, that.” Tristan slipped his hands in his pockets. “My friend asked to use it for a few days.”

“He made me book one on my own so that his friend could dress up a bunch of mannequins,” Linette chimed. “In potato sacks.”

“It’s burlap, Lin.”

“Same thing.”

“No, it’s...” Tristan pushed his tongue in his cheek. “Okay, yeah. It's the same thing.”

“Is your friend in fashion?”

Tristan’s hand went to Ladd’s shoulder, subconsciously urging him to walk faster. “Yeah. We probably would have done it together if I wasn’t a mage.”

“You like clothes, too?” Ladd was indeed slowing down so he could talk. Also subconsciously.

Tristan paused and looked down at the accessories decorating his uniform. He wondered if that was supposed to be a joke. “You can’t tell?”

Ladd stopped and sized him up. He turned his head, trying to see from a different angle. Tristan sighed and strode over to him, placing a hand on the back of his neck to guide him forward. “Your eyes lack talent.” He heard the soft gasp behind him and glanced over. He winked at Linette to reassure her that the comment would end there. Ladd didn’t seem to notice.

Tristan reached back and put his other hand behind Linette’s neck – gentler, though. “Alrighty.” He nudged them in front of him. “Let’s not take all day just getting there, okay?” He rushed the two forward to halfway down the other side of the long hallway. Then he dropped his arms, digging into his left pocket and procuring a key on a chain.

“Ooh.” Ladd stared as Tristan unlocked the door and swung it open. This study room was just as bare as the one on the fifth floor. There was a large aluminum table in the middle and a stack of folding chairs at the far wall, between the windows. Tristan moved quick, rolling the table to that same wall within seconds. Linette closed the door behind them.

“Ready whenever you guys are.” Tristan locked the table wheels and hopped on top. He crossed his legs over each other. “Whose turn was it?”

“Mine.” Linette stood on one side of the room center and a pillow of water formed near her instantly. She took a deep breath but still winced when Ladd’s power gripped her Water. She sucked in between clenched teeth, mentally clawing for control as it was ripped from her grasp. She grunted.

The Water splashed onto the floor.

“You missed,” she growled at her opponent.

“You got stronger.”

“Okay, your turn, Ladd.”

The child nodded and a bubble grew in front of him. Linette threw her attention at it and grabbed the reins. She watched Ladd’s face. How was such a young kid so unphased? Linette urged the Water forward. It hit Ladd’s chest, and he blinked.

“Good job, Lin.” Tristan dried Ladd’s clothes and nodded at her. “Go.”

She Created Water and sent It flying towards Ladd as quickly as she could. It paused right before landing. That grating tear returned. Linette hissed.

“Come on,” she shouted, yanking the Water back under her control just as it started to turn around. She felt it before she saw it; Ladd smirked at the Water. It wrenched out of her and slapped her shoulder. “Ah!”

“Don’t worry, I’ve got you.” Tristan Absorbed the Water and offered her a smile. She told herself to calm down just in time to block Ladd’s next Move. It crashed onto the floor between them. Linette clicked her tongue. She would have scored again if only she hadn’t spent so much mental energy on keeping her promise.

“Why are you getting angry again?” Ladd frowned at her while he tore the Water she Created away and threw it on the floor. The frown deepened when she met his eyes with pain in her own. “What?”

“Can’t you be more gentle? It never felt like this when I practiced with Tristan last week.” She glared at him.

Ladd’s face fell. “You guys practiced without me?” He turned his hurt to the older boy. “Tan!”

Tristan shrugged. “You know how stubborn she is.”

“Still...”

“But we brought you back, right?” He looked at Linette. “What’s bothering you?”

“He feels too... aggressive.”

“Huh?”

“What do you mean?” He adjusted his seat on the table.

“Like it hurts. Almost.”

“Really? It’s not supposed to.”

“I’m hurting you?” Ladd’s expression softened. Linette averted her eyes.

“I don’t think you’re doing it on purpose. But... maybe because you’re trying too hard?”

“Lin. The power doesn’t work that way.”

“No?”

Tristan shook his head.

“Ladd. Try taking mine.” The fifth-year Created a ball. His eyebrow twitched at the fierce tug. What was this...emptiness? “You’re right, that is weird.”

“Am I doing something wrong?”

Linette and Tristan glanced at each other, then at Ladd, both shaking their heads. “Probably not.” Linette sighed. “It might be because you’re that much stronger than we are.”

“Why don’t we take a break? It can’t be easy doing that over and over again. Not like that.” Linette breathed a huge sigh of relief, nodding. Ladd lapped over to the table and tried to climb on top. It took an embarrassing number of attempts. Tristan laughed.