Mina waltzed to the back of the class, taking a seat alongside Oliver who unpacked his bag and readied his materials. Out of the corner of his eye he watched while his friend made herself comfortable, her desk clear of any textbook. Not even a pen to take notes was present. Like many of her professors, he knew that she was capable of more than her lazy efforts. He remembered how he both envied and admired her as a child when they used to play. The world around them seemed to light up when she used her powers. Creatures flocked and frenzied when she was near and nature flourished. The stars in the sky shined brighter and the sun was more radiant. He<i>knew</i>she was special. Everyone knew she was special and they never shut up about it. If it weren’t for the neglect in her early years by those who mattered most to her, she would have left him behind long ago. The bitterness budding inside him was a product of fear and jealousy though he knew he should be happy to have her return to her true glory, but she was his only friend. Once the wariness subsided among their peers, she would leave him.<br/><br/>“Hey, what’s the matter? You look constipated,” Mina whispered over to him, her trademark smirk hanging on her lips playfully.<br/><br/>“I’m fine,” he chuckled softly to conceal his worries, picking up his pencil.<br/><br/>They were mere minutes into the lesson when a commotion disrupted the silence of the room. Mina looked to Syn, who had swiftly diminished the glowing chains that shot up from the ground. Her eyes caught sight of the Head Master at the door. Even she didn’t believe that he was proving that the rumors were true. A first year could tell that his claim to lordship was authentic. Now, it was Mina’s turn to be worried as the two disappeared from her sight. Though she intended to pay attention, it became difficult. She didn’t know if she was in trouble or if Syn was throttling the old man for his underhanded attempt. When he returned, Mina breathed a sigh of relief and finally turned her attention to the instructor.<br/><br/>“Many of you have been practicing incantations and spells the very moment you were able to form words, but what if I told you that magic is so innate within you that you don’t actually have to utter a command at all?” Professor Pelletier questioned, watching as students exchanged looks between one another. “Let’s take a simple fire spell. Inferni . . .” she commanded, bringing a little flame to spontaneously appear and hover in her palm. “And, Inferno.” The woman opened her other hand and a larger flame appeared. Upon closing her hands, both the flames extinguished but she resurrected each of them perfectly without saying a word. “My will alone, and the power of my mind, summons them. When in battle, calling out your spell allows your opponent to know how to counter your attack. It is usually best to conceal your attacks to maintain the element of surprise. Do I have any volunteers?”<br/><br/>Hands jutted into the air quickly, and one by one the professor brought up an eager participants. While many of them could not make the two flames appear at all, others could summon one but not the other.<br/><br/>“Ms. Gregory, congratulations on your recent success. Since you are conscious for the first time since the year started, why don’t you give it a shot?” The professor asked after sending a discouraged student back to their seat.<br/><br/>“Do I have to get up?” Mina asked, sitting up a bit straighter. There were pockets of snickers here and there.<br/><br/>“I suppose not. Go on then.”<br/><br/>Under normal circumstances, she would fail purposely. The way she saw it, she didn’t need to prove herself to anyone. But, her ability had been in question all day. So, Mina opened one hand to easily produce a small flame, the size of a fire that would consume the wick of a candlestick. In the other, she summoned the larger flame, hot enough that the row in front of her could feel the heat on the back of their necks.<br/><br/>“Exemplary.” The professor smiled, expecting as much. “And how did you do it?”<br/><br/>“Well . . . I just . . . I actually don’t know.” Mina responded, genuinely stumped. She never really sought to understand her power since it came so naturally to her.<br/><br/>“Class, your assignment for this evening is to practice. A week from now, you will present to the class and you will be graded for completion. Ms. Gregory, your assignment is to understand<i>how</i>. You should all understand how because when you do, you can control—with great precision—the skills you’ve learned and you can do so without a word. Let us continue.”<br/><br/>Mina extinguished the flames and relaxed in her seat, smiling over at Oliver, who was as astounded as the others.<br/><br/><i>“May I sleep now?”</i>Mina asked her guardian as she opened her mind to him. With all the excitement, she wasn't nearly as tired as she would have been without participating, but she felt she earned a break.