"I just don't get it," David said.

He swung his hand around over the page, much faster and stronger than he needed to. At least, more so than Cary ever did. It looked like he was just flapping his hand around, rather than trying to cast a spell.

"Punt Paractice," he practically shouted.

But nothing happened. No colors spread across the paper. The paint in the cup stayed where it was. Whatever he was doing, he must have been doing it wrong.

"I just don't get it," David said again. "I mean, you had no problem with it." He flipped his hands towards Cary, gesturing wildly in her direction. As he did, a dollop of paint came off of his hand, hitting the paper that was in front of Cary.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Cary asked. She wasn't sure if she was supposed to be insulted by what David said. But she didn't. She knew that he didn't mean to offend her.

"I just mean... I mean you didn't even want all of this," David said, motioning around to the art room.

There were still a few students in the class that hadn't managed to cast the spell, but most of them had. The last few were still working feverishly at it, while they waited for Mr. Biv to arrive for class. He wasn't usually late, which seemed to indicate that they were going to be moving on once he did. Those still struggling were working extra hard because of it, trying to catch up with the rest of the class.

"You would have been perfectly fine staying home," David said. "Away from the magic and witches."

"And you wouldn't have?" Cary asked. "Tell me, David, if you didn't know that magic existed, would you really have felt like you were missing out?"

"Yes," David said. "I had. All the time. I just... Well, I didn't think it was an option. But, yeah, I guess you're right. It's worse, knowing that magic exists, but I still can't manage the smallest thing."

"You'll get there," Cary said. Despite her words, she wasn't sure that he would. It was just what Mr. Biv kept telling people in the class. All the teachers kept assuring them that they would get there. That they were all sorcerers and would have magic. But what if some of them didn't? What if David was just a kid in the magical realm, and not a sorcerer?

Cary looked around at the classroom. There was a board in the corner for their class, filled with the pictures that the students had done. Some of the pages had faded back to their blank white, but enough of them still showed the paintings that the students had accomplished in those first few weeks. Cary's single red streak was hanging in the corner, all that she had managed in the weeks that the class was practicing the spell. But the other students had managed more, with overlapping colors and pictures that looked like actual things. Forefront on the board was a beautifully done picture of a team of superheroes that practically leapt off the page. With enough magic, Cary could almost believe that they would.

But David hadn't managed even the small streak. He turned back to his paper, desperate to get the spell down before the teacher returned. No matter how many times he waved his ring hand around, how hard and fast, or soft and slow, it was just not working. Cary knew David well enough to know what he was thinking. That he was worried that there was nothing magical about him at all.

"God, I shouldn't have wasted time on that stupid team," David said, as he picked up his cup of paint and tossed it into the corner. The paint splattered up, hitting several of the paintings over there. And yet, the paint went right through them, hitting the paper underneath the artwork, not hitting the pictures themselves. It only showed in those gaps in the illusions.

"That's enough, class," Mr. Biv said, as he came inside the room. He was carrying a cardboard box, which he deposited on the table in the front of the room before turning to the students in front of him.

The class dropped to silence as everyone turned to him, eagerly awaiting the next spell. Three students that were still struggling with the first one kept at it, but even they were looking towards Mr. Biv. Just before he started talking, though, one of the three let out a little squeal.

"I did it," she said, pointing towards the paper in front of her.

"That's great, Alex," Mr. Biv said. "We can hang that later. However, for now, we're moving on. For those that haven't managed Punt Paractice just yet, don't worry about it. You'll get there eventually. Some students have better luck on our next spell anyway."

Mr. Biv reached into the box in front of him, scooping out several items. It took Cary a moment to notice what they were from the other side of the room. But as Mr. Biv started tossing them into the air, and they each headed unerringly towards the students, Cary noticed that they were ping pong balls. Each of the students managed to catch the balls as they came to them. But for the two that were still working on Punt Paractice, the balls hung there in the air in front of them, waiting for them to reach out and grab them. Cary stared at those balls for a moment, at the obvious use of magic to hold them aloft. It still bothered her a little to be surrounded by so much magic, even though she had gotten past her fear of being surrounded by witches.

When the balls headed towards their table, Cary grabbed hers and moved to catch David's as well. But David snatched the ball out of the air before it could make it close enough for Cary to reach it. He held it in front of him, moving it back and forth as if examining every facet of its surface.

"Now, this new spell takes a bit more effort than Punt Paractice," Mr. Biv said. This comment caused several groans to flow out from the students, mostly those that struggled with the first spell. David just sat back heavily onto the stool behind him, his hands falling into his lap, as he glared over at Mr. Biv. "But in some ways, that's a good thing. With Punt Paractice, it's the elements around you that hold the intent. The paints... colors that you're using for the spell." Mr. Biv glanced over at Cary when he said that, smiling. Clearly, he remembered her using the color from the cup, rather than the paint inside it. "But now, you need to picture what it is that you want this spell to do. I want you all to look at your balls–" Laughter came up from the front of the room, but Cary couldn't see what it was coming from. "Look at your ping pong balls," Mr. Biv said, straining his voice. "And picture what you want it to look like."

"You mean colors?" someone asked, raising their hand near the front of the room.

"Colors, shapes," Mr. Biv said. "It could be on the surface, or almost carving away at the surface to make a miniature figurine."

"Uh, aren't ping pong balls hollow?" someone asked. He tapped on his ball a few times, listening to the echo.

"Mostly, yes," Mr. Biv said. "But remember, this is an illusion. You won't really be carving away at the ball. You're going to make it look like you are. You can keep the bottom half in place and make a small diorama on top. Or you can carve away at the whole thing, making a small toy soldier."

Mr. Biv took one of the ping pong balls out of the box next to him, holding it in his hands. He waved his ring hand over it, mumbling two words. "Snoiod Suas," he said, his voice just barely reaching Cary at the back of the room. When his ring hand fell away, he was no longer holding a ping pong ball, but a tiny pink unicorn. He walked around the room, showing his work off to the students. As he got closer to Cary, she could see that the figurine looked very lifelike. She could almost imagine the thing prancing away up his sleeve.

"Now, everyone concentrate. Picture the end result. Once you have it locked in your mind, wave your ring hand over the ball and say 'Snoiod Suas'."

The class once again dropped into silence as everyone started focusing on their ping pong balls. After seeing Mr. Biv's beautiful unicorn, Cary thought that she would do something similar. But instead of a unicorn, she thought of doing a mermaid. A small mermaid swimming through the ocean. But something told her that just picturing a mermaid wouldn't be enough. That she needed to know exactly how the mermaid would fit within the space of the ping pong.

At first, she thought of having the mermaid along the bottom of the ball. She wanted to hold the mermaid, so that would be the obvious place for it. But the bottom of the ping pong ball was too small. It somehow made more sense that the mermaid would be in the middle of the ball, allowing for her to be as big as possible. So, Cary pictured her in the middle, swimming along through the water.

Once that image was in place in her mind, Cary moved her hand over the ball. "Snoiod Suas," she said, as she focused on that image. But nothing happened.

Cary looked around at the other students. They were all still staring at their balls, oblivious to her failed attempt at the spell. Everyone, that is, but David. He was just smiling over at her as if to say, "See? Not that easy, is it."

"Remember," Mr. Biv said. "Hold the ball with your off hand and wave your ring hand over the ball."

"Oh," Cary muttered to herself, when she realized that she was holding the ball with her ring hand. She quickly switched hands. It was a bit awkward for her to hold the ball on her off hand, on the tips of her fingers so that she could see it all. Once it was in place, she tried again. "Snoiod Suas," she said.

Again, nothing seemed to happen. At least, not at first. Cary twirled her ring hand around the ball several times. Each time, the ball seemed to change slightly. It was subtle at first, a shifting from white to a deep blue. She couldn't see the changes happening, blocked from her view by her hand passing over the ball. But when her hand went behind it, more of the ball had shifted to blue. It took her six passes around the ball before the head of the mermaid started to form. Her hands were reaching out in front of her, stretching towards the edge of the ball. As Cary's hand kept twirling, the rest of the mermaid's body started to appear. Once the mermaid was in place, two more twirls of her hand had the rest of the ball turning the dark blue. And as she moved her hand back and forth, the blue shifted around, looking like so much water. Like a ball of water, with a tiny mermaid swimming inside. Cary could still feel the ball there, feel the weight of it. It felt as dry and warm as it always did, rather than the cold, wetness that the water would have been. The mermaid was just swimming there, like she really was swimming through the water, free of anything and everything weighing her down.

And when her fin seemed to move in her hand, Cary let out a little shriek, dropping the ball to the table.

"What's wrong?" Mr. Biv said, coming up to them.

The mermaid was rolling across the table, heading for the edge. Cary could almost picture her swimming onwards, free of even that connection. But as the ball rolled away, the mermaid was swimming around in loops, head over tail.

Just before the ball fell off the table, Mr. Biv scooped it up. He held the mermaid in his hand for a moment, watching the fin moving back and forth. It looked like the mermaid was swimming faster than she had for Cary, as if she was desperate to get away from the man holding her.

"Impressive," Mr. Biv said, as he looked down at the mermaid in his hand. "This spell doesn't usually allow for animations like this, but I'm not that surprised that you managed it. Good job, Cary. I can see great things in your future. You might just end up in the House of Sight in a few years. It'll be interesting to see what you can manage with a little more study in illusions."

Mr. Biv brought Cary's ball around the room, letting everyone see her work. The students oohed and ahhed at the ball, with a few of them tapping it. But the whole time, as Mr. Biv showed everyone there what one could do with the spell, David's eyes never left Cary. And the jealous expression never slipped from his face.