My stomach growled when I came out of the closet. A group of passing students whistled at the two of us, “Ooh, two lovers getting it on in the janitor’s closet.”

Ki flashed me a malevolent grin and ran after them, “Lovers, huh? Let’s talk about this. Come back here.”

She left me at the door as my new sister chased the suddenly fleeing students. The moment she left me, I felt the connection to Kalli return. She was sitting by herself in the cafeteria waiting patiently. Mel, you’re back. What did she want?”

I don’t really know how to explain it. She thinks we might be related. We share the same bloodline.

I felt her gasp. Do you mean the M bloodline? Please tell me she isn’t another Shaw.

Yes. The M bloodline. She doesn’t know what it means either. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that she also doesn’t know her dad.

My stomach rumbled and I suddenly had a dilemma. Did I want to find something to eat or make it to class on time? Before I had a chance to debate, Kalli appeared in front of me. When did she move? I hadn’t noticed.

She held a plate of delicious-smelling food under my nose. Surprise.

I inhaled the succulent aroma as though it would somehow fill my stomach.

Thank you. I am so hungry.

The plate contained several meatballs sitting on a bed of blue noodles in a brilliant red sauce. The meat didn’t taste normal.Each meatball had its own distinct taste.The first filled my mouth with the flavor of thanksgiving.How one bite could have so many unique flavors made no sense to me.

I tasted turkey, ham, stuffing, mashed potatoes, yams, and even three different kinds of pies in that first bite. Normally stuffing all of that into my mouth at the same time would have killed me but somehow, magically, it all seemed to work.

The second meatball was Chinese.There was sweet and sour, orange glaze, and fried rice for good measure.The noodles were chewy with a bitter flavor that seemed to go with everything.The sauce added a sweetness that made every bite have more of a kick.

By the time I had finished eating, I felt like I had taken a culinary world tour. Kalli clasped her hands behind her back as she smiled at me playfully. It’s delicious, isn’t it?

That was amazing.

She beamed at me. I wanted to share that with you. I’m sorry that Alex was such a jerk. I told him to get lost after you left.

So that’s why you were alone when I came out?

Kalli nodded and grabbed my hand, dragging me toward the classrooms. Yes. He wants to apologize to you after school. Is that okay?

I didn’t want to deal with him but I agreed to make Kalliphae happy. After we had walked halfway to class she asked, What else did you talk about with that girl? Everyone I talked to about her is scared of her.

You mean Ki? She gave me some advice about my class and how I should get rid of some of my traits. Did you know that skills get weaker if you have too many?

She listened intently as I went over the contents of our conversation. I conveniently left out the more embarrassing bit about me being called Ki’s baby brother.

Kalli’s grip lingered on my hand as we arrived at my next classroom. So, will you meet up with us after school? Alex wants to know.

I blinked at her.

How do you know what…wait. Are you in a group with him?

The guilty look on her face made me feel sorry for asking. She replied. I’m in a group with a lot of my classmates. We talk in it during class. They say it relieves the boredom of lectures. Would you like me to get you an invite?

That’s okay. I’m already in a group.

That wasn’t the right answer. Her eyes flashed as she asked a simple question. With who?

Wendy invited me to join a group this morning.

Kalli slowly extracted her hand from mine as she turned to walk away. I thought I saw a little sadness in her eyes when she turned back to look at me one last time. Will you join us after class?

I’ll be there.

Now I knew why Kalli hardly spoke to me during class. She was busy with group chat. I decided to try talking to Wendy in group chat.

Hey Wendy. Are you there?

I felt her as soon as the words left my mind. She was pleased. I was wondering when you’d say something.

I had a busy morning.

She giggled in my ear. I saw. You had lunch at my cafeteria but when I got there you were gone.

Yeah. I met Ki and she wanted to speak to me in private.

Wendy seemed confused. Who?

Her name is Kiki. Her last name is Morin I think.

The girl was shocked. I didn’t know what to make of her reaction. Melvin. Kiki Morin is probably the most gifted student in my year. She never talks to anyone outside of a few top students at The Academy. What did she want with you?”

She just told me that I look familiar. Then we traded some information. That was pretty much it.

Wendy became serious and gave me a warning. Be careful around that girl. You didn’t make a deal with her, did you? Whatever you do, don’t agree to any kind of a trade with her. If she gets you to agree to something, you will be magically bound to it.

Do you think she would know about magical contracts?

My question made the girl hesitate. After some thought, she replied. She would be the best source of information on contracts in the entire school. The problem is that she won’t tell you for free. Several students are already enthralled by her.

What do you mean enthralled? Are you saying that she made them her slave?

Wendy chortled. They might as well be. When someone defaults on an agreement with Ki, she can make any penalty that she wants. She’s like a living contract.

Ancient Celestean turned out to be a very interesting class when I wasn’t getting kicked out of it. Mr. Lestat nodded approvingly when he saw me in my seat, “I see you managed to stow your summon this time.”

I nodded and said, “Now that I know how, it’s not a problem.”

Ancient Celestean as a language was a lot like the language of magic, only from what I could tell I couldn’t use the words as spells. Mr. Lestat explained, “Celestean is an ancient language but not a dead language. It is used inter-dimensionally by magical families to record their history. Using a unique language prevents any real knowledge from falling into the wrong hands by mistake. Non-magical hands, that is.”

Most of the students in the class worked on drawing Celestean runes on parchment using magical quills with ink that turned red if the student made a mistake. Some of the more advanced students sat in the back of the room with parched leather-bound tomes which they slowly translated.

Mr. Lestat spent the rest of the class lecturing me about the history of the language and the ancient Queendom of Celestea.

In my next class, magical history, Mrs. Maxwell informed me that she was not taking questions when I raised my hand. She insisted on having me flip to chapter 16 and read line per line from the book. I soon became bored and tried to chat with Kalliphae.

What class are you in?

She was startled and then very short with her reply. Magical lineage.

That sounds interesting. What kinds of things are you learning about?

It felt like Kalli was getting aggravated, though I couldn’t exactly tell by what. Mel, I’m a little busy right now. Can we talk later?

I thought you joined a group to chat during class. This class is so boring today.

The girl’s feelings softened a bit but she explained, I am in a conversation in group chat right now. It’s hard to pay attention to three conversations at once. Can we talk after class, please?

My heart sunk at the idea of Kalliphae wanting to talk to the rest of the group instead of me. Even though I knew that it was impractical to ask her to ignore a group full of friends for me, it still hurt.

Giving up on Kalli, I decided to try Wendy again.

Hey. Are you busy?

I was met with silence. Just when I was about to give up, Wendy’s voice answered in my head along with familiar sounds. Yes. I’m here. I may or may not be in the bathroom.

I blushed and averted my eyes even though I couldn’t see anything.

Sorry. I’ll try back later.

Wendy replied quickly. No no. It’s okay. Don’t go. Just pretend you don’t hear or feel anything and talk to me. What’s up?

Not much. I was just bored in class and needed a distraction.

She smiled and asked, What class are you in right now?

Magical history.

Wendy answered as I tried my best to ignore what she was doing. Yeah, that class can be boring. Mrs. Maxwell likes to just read from the textbook sometimes. Other teachers are a bit more interactive.

Tell me about it. What class do you have right now?

She giggled. I don’t have any more classes today. I take a few advanced classes in the evenings and help out in the beginner’s classes in the morning. Otherwise, I do free study.

What kinds of things to do in free study?

Wendy didn’t answer for a minute as she finished up. That’s the great thing about free study, I can branch out into anything. I have been spending a lot of time with the research club in the library trying to pick out a specialty for my wind magic.

You know, Kalliphae joined a big group to chat in during class. Why aren’t you in a group like that? It must have been quiet before you grouped with me.

She was quiet again. I checked to see if she was doing anything private, but she was just walking down a hall. Her voice was very timid when she replied. I was in a group. I left it so could I talk to you.

When class finally ended, I stretched in my chair and yawned.

Are you busy right now? I was going to meet some of Kalli’s friends and I don’t want to go alone.

Wendy was pleased that I invited her. Sure, I’ll pick you up at class.

The green-haired girl was waiting at the door by the time I made it out. I waved and asked, “Were you waiting for me?”

She flashed me her trademark smile and awkwardly wrapped her arms around me in a hug and replied with a giggle, “Maybe. So where are we meeting Kalli?”

I wasn’t sure. I checked the map. Kalli’s last class was close by so I led Wendy in her direction. When we arrived, I saw Kalli with the same group of older boys from lunch. Kalli’s eyes widened and I detected a hint of emotion from the girl because she sealed it off. I smiled at her and waved, “Hey, Kalli. How was class?”

Kalli waved back and her lips curled up in a slight smile, “Hi, Mel. I see Wendy is with you.”

Wendy stepped in front of me and said, “He didn’t want to be ganged up on by your friends. I heard what they did at lunch.”

Kalliphae blushed and replied, “They are here to apologize about that.”

Alex moved closer to Kalli which gave me an instant desire to punch him and said, “Yes. I’m very sorry about laughing at you earlier. I didn’t mean anything by it.”

My mouth dropped open, unable to find words to express how I felt about that. Kalli stomped her foot, “And?”

The red-haired boy flinched, “Um, and it won’t happen again?”

Kalli heaved an exasperated sigh, “I suppose that will do. Will you forgive them, Mel?”

I didn’t want to but I found myself saying, “I guess I do.”

The other kids with him also mumbled apologies. Once I felt like the show was over, I turned to Kalli.

Now what?

Kalli looked guilty. They want to work out again. It’s a daily routine and if I want to get stronger I have to keep at it.

She wasn’t wrong. While I wasn’t exactly thrilled with her choice of exercise partners, I did recognize the need for training.

Okay, have fun. Do you want to do something after?

Kalliphae tossed a glance at Wendy and replied. Sure, just the two of us?

I wouldn’t have it any other way.