The impact at which the spell slammed into the tree was enormous; shattering the windows and sending shards of glass across the class. In a matter of seconds, the tree completely disappeared and the room became as silent as a graveyard.

June and Hubert slowly arouse from under the safety of their desk.

The room was a mess. Books and papers were lying all over the floor, windows were shattered and furniture was capsized.

'Students,' Cazoom pinched the bridge of his nose, 'exit the class.'

They did as they were told and silently left the room with Cazoom closing the door behind them. The ringing sound of the school bell echoed in the empty hallway.

June didn't know what to think of the event. The tree that Cazoom always warned them about, from the beginning of the year, gone in seconds. And then immediately she felt sorry for the kid who casted that spell; the punishment that he'd have to suffer.

Hubert was looking at her.

She shuffled her feet uncomfortably. 'I'll see you around, then.'

'Yes,' said Hubert. 'See you around.'

*

June was awoken the next day at the sound of an urgent voice over the intercom.

'Students are to remain in their dorm rooms until further notice. Do not panic. Our staff will be awake and alert. We will be patrolling the corridors, making sure everyone is in their dorms.'

June opened her eyes. Nicole grabbed her hand, dragging her out of bed and to the balcony.

'You have to see this –' she whispered.

At first, June didn't notice anything. Then, through her sleepy eyes, she saw it; she saw the neon blue crack in the sky, breaking apart clouds.

'What is that?'

'I have no idea. Did you hear the announcement? They're telling us not to panic, but it sounds like they're the ones panicking. Look – the school is so quiet. Everyone is in their dorms.'

Indeed. It was the first time in the entire year June could hear the leaves of Enchanted High's gardens shuffle with the breeze without the din of voices interrupting.

'What do you think happened?' Nicole asked.

June suddenly thought of Sorcery class, the previous day. The Wishing Tree.

She opened her mouth to speak, but a beeping sound interrupted her.

It came from the same drawer. Nicole pressed her thumb against it. This time, they didn't hesitate to jump in. A few moments later, they appeared in cubicles, Charlie already talking.

'Yes, I've heard –' he was saying, as they stepped out of the cubicles. 'But – yes, yes – it's a sign, yes –' he paused. 'Alright.' He hung up and turned to June and Nicole. June noticed he looked tired. 'I suppose you've already noticed the bizarre sky?'

They nodded.

He began walking, and they followed him. 'There has been a small ... accident. We first saw it last night as it appeared, and we notified the Headmaster. They conducted a search. Looked for anything that was missing.'

They reached their office. Charlie went to his usual spot, leaning against Nicole's desk. He was silent for a few moments, rubbing his tired eyes.

Then, 'The tree is missing. The Wishing Tree from –'

'– the Sorcery class.' June finished. She had guessed correct.

Charlie nodded. 'The light in the sky – it's an indicator. It's the barrier around Enchanted High. If something leaves the school, it has to break through the barrier and we'd know. But we don't know where it is. Or what happened to it. We believe it has vanished – but we could be proven wrong.'

He paused to let that sink in.

'But here's the interesting part. You're going to look for it.'

There was a stunned silence.

'The agency decided to team four of you together and send you out –'

'Wait,' June interrupted, 'the four of us?'

'Yes, the four of you,' said Charlie. 'As I was saying –'

'Why us? Why Enchanted high students?'

'I suspect we'd need to keep a close eye on students, and teachers – this incident is not one of those mistakes that happens at Sorcery class. Even if it is, we should investigate. This is a good opportunity to test your year's training.'

'But,' said June, 'how are we supposed to find something that's vanished?'

'We're not entirely sure that it vanished. It will depend on the spell that the spell caster casted.'

Just then there was a knock on the door.

Charlie opened the door. Two boys walked in. June recognized one as James, the boy from History class that she was paired with.

'June?' he looked at her. 'And ...?'

'Nicole.'

'Ah. I'm James.'

The second one stepped forward, and Nicole shrieked.

'You!'

'Me?'

Nicole was fuming. She gathered herself, frowning deeply.

June did not recognize him. He shook her hand, white teeth flashing. 'Dominic Stuart, pleasure to meet you.' He extended his hand to Nicole, who glared at him. He dropped his hand. 'Alright, alright ... mate –' he addressed James, 'how'd that potion go?'

James shook his head, grinning. 'Not too good.' He and Dominic laughed.

'Let's get back to business, shall we?' Charlie said. 'I'll be right back.' He left them in an awkward silence.

Dominic twisted his ring on his finger, gazing at June and Nicole. 'Which one of you is the water manipulator?'

'That would be me,' said June.

Dominic looked at her. 'A little demonstration?'

June felt a flutter of nervousness. She was still beyond controlling her abilities, but she tried anyway. She curled her palms over each other, separated them, and, like a single string of silk, she brought out the water from the lines in her palm. It curved into the air over them, flew around in circles soundlessly, and into her palm.

Dominic whistled. 'I'm a fire manipulator.'

Nicole grunted at that.

'Alright, I'm back,' Charlie walked in with yet another person strolling behind him.

'Who's he?' James asked.

Charlie brought him forward. 'Meet Lexis.'

'Hi.'

June, Nicole, James and Dominic were staring at a boy, the same age as them, short in height with fiery red and yellow hair.

'He's not an agent,' said Charlie. 'I brought him so we could speak to him. He's the one who casted the spell.'

*

'So you're saying you were in class and you felt a sudden urge –'

'More like a strong force.' Lexis said.

'Okay a force,' Dominic continued. 'And you just flipped through the book randomly and picked a spell.'

'Yes – but it was not me,' Lexis defended himself. 'I don't remember anything more.'

'What about the spell?' Nicole asked. 'Which spell did you use?'

He shook his head.

'At least try?'

Lexis scrunched his face in thought. For a good few minutes, they all waited in silence while he thought. Occasionally, he would blurt out something, but dismissed it.

Finally, he said, 'I can't remember it.'

Charlie sighed, his shoulders sagged. He mumbled something under his breath about this not being the thing he asked for his birthday.

And Lexis shot out of his seat, pointing at Charlie. 'Birthday! January the twenty-eighth – page one-twenty-eight!'

'Anybody has a copy of the spell book?'

'There are a few spares in the library.'

'Okay, we'll go up there and –'

'Not now,' Charlie said, glancing at his watch. 'It's late – you're not allowed roaming the schools this late.'

'But the library –'

'Tomorrow you may go,' Charlie ushered the five of them out the door. 'Not now. Go straight to your dorms. The teachers will be coming around to check on students. See you tomorrow.'

He shut the door on them. They waited in silence for moments. In those few moments, they wordlessly agreed to disobey Charlie's orders.

The impact at which the spell slammed into the tree was enormous; shattering the windows and sending shards of glass across the class. In a matter of seconds, the tree completely disappeared and the room became as silent as a graveyard.

June and Hubert slowly arouse from under the safety of their desk.

The room was a mess. Books and papers were lying all over the floor, windows were shattered and furniture was capsized.

'Students,' Cazoom pinched the bridge of his nose, 'exit the class.'

They did as they were told and silently left the room with Cazoom closing the door behind them. The ringing sound of the school bell echoed in the empty hallway.

June didn't know what to think of the event. The tree that Cazoom always warned them about, from the beginning of the year, gone in seconds. And then immediately she felt sorry for the kid who casted that spell; the punishment that he'd have to suffer.

Hubert was looking at her.

She shuffled her feet uncomfortably. 'I'll see you around, then.'

'Yes,' said Hubert. 'See you around.'

*

June was awoken the next day at the sound of an urgent voice over the intercom.

'Students are to remain in their dorm rooms until further notice. Do not panic. Our staff will be awake and alert. We will be patrolling the corridors, making sure everyone is in their dorms.'

June opened her eyes. Nicole grabbed her hand, dragging her out of bed and to the balcony.

'You have to see this –' she whispered.

At first, June didn't notice anything. Then, through her sleepy eyes, she saw it; she saw the neon blue crack in the sky, breaking apart clouds.

'What is that?'

'I have no idea. Did you hear the announcement? They're telling us not to panic, but it sounds like they're the ones panicking. Look – the school is so quiet. Everyone is in their dorms.'

Indeed. It was the first time in the entire year June could hear the leaves of Enchanted High's gardens shuffle with the breeze without the din of voices interrupting.

'What do you think happened?' Nicole asked.

June suddenly thought of Sorcery class, the previous day. The Wishing Tree.

She opened her mouth to speak, but a beeping sound interrupted her.

It came from the same drawer. Nicole pressed her thumb against it. This time, they didn't hesitate to jump in. A few moments later, they appeared in cubicles, Charlie already talking.

'Yes, I've heard –' he was saying, as they stepped out of the cubicles. 'But – yes, yes – it's a sign, yes –' he paused. 'Alright.' He hung up and turned to June and Nicole. June noticed he looked tired. 'I suppose you've already noticed the bizarre sky?'

They nodded.

He began walking, and they followed him. 'There has been a small ... accident. We first saw it last night as it appeared, and we notified the Headmaster. They conducted a search. Looked for anything that was missing.'

They reached their office. Charlie went to his usual spot, leaning against Nicole's desk. He was silent for a few moments, rubbing his tired eyes.

Then, 'The tree is missing. The Wishing Tree from –'

'– the Sorcery class.' June finished. She had guessed correct.

Charlie nodded. 'The light in the sky – it's an indicator. It's the barrier around Enchanted High. If something leaves the school, it has to break through the barrier and we'd know. But we don't know where it is. Or what happened to it. We believe it has vanished – but we could be proven wrong.'

He paused to let that sink in.

'But here's the interesting part. You're going to look for it.'

There was a stunned silence.

'The agency decided to team four of you together and send you out –'

'Wait,' June interrupted, 'the four of us?'

'Yes, the four of you,' said Charlie. 'As I was saying –'

'Why us? Why Enchanted high students?'

'I suspect we'd need to keep a close eye on students, and teachers – this incident is not one of those mistakes that happens at Sorcery class. Even if it is, we should investigate. This is a good opportunity to test your year's training.'

'But,' said June, 'how are we supposed to find something that's vanished?'

'We're not entirely sure that it vanished. It will depend on the spell that the spell caster casted.'

Just then there was a knock on the door.

Charlie opened the door. Two boys walked in. June recognized one as James, the boy from History class that she was paired with.

'June?' he looked at her. 'And ...?'

'Nicole.'

'Ah. I'm James.'

The second one stepped forward, and Nicole shrieked.

'You!'

'Me?'

Nicole was fuming. She gathered herself, frowning deeply.

June did not recognize him. He shook her hand, white teeth flashing. 'Dominic Stuart, pleasure to meet you.' He extended his hand to Nicole, who glared at him. He dropped his hand. 'Alright, alright ... mate –' he addressed James, 'how'd that potion go?'

James shook his head, grinning. 'Not too good.' He and Dominic laughed.

'Let's get back to business, shall we?' Charlie said. 'I'll be right back.' He left them in an awkward silence.

Dominic twisted his ring on his finger, gazing at June and Nicole. 'Which one of you is the water manipulator?'

'That would be me,' said June.

Dominic looked at her. 'A little demonstration?'

June felt a flutter of nervousness. She was still beyond controlling her abilities, but she tried anyway. She curled her palms over each other, separated them, and, like a single string of silk, she brought out the water from the lines in her palm. It curved into the air over them, flew around in circles soundlessly, and into her palm.

Dominic whistled. 'I'm a fire manipulator.'

Nicole grunted at that.

'Alright, I'm back,' Charlie walked in with yet another person strolling behind him.

'Who's he?' James asked.

Charlie brought him forward. 'Meet Lexis.'

'Hi.'

June, Nicole, James and Dominic were staring at a boy, the same age as them, short in height with fiery red and yellow hair.

'He's not an agent,' said Charlie. 'I brought him so we could speak to him. He's the one who casted the spell.'

*

'So you're saying you were in class and you felt a sudden urge –'

'More like a strong force.' Lexis said.

'Okay a force,' Dominic continued. 'And you just flipped through the book randomly and picked a spell.'

'Yes – but it was not me,' Lexis defended himself. 'I don't remember anything more.'

'What about the spell?' Nicole asked. 'Which spell did you use?'

He shook his head.

'At least try?'

Lexis scrunched his face in thought. For a good few minutes, they all waited in silence while he thought. Occasionally, he would blurt out something, but dismissed it.

Finally, he said, 'I can't remember it.'

Charlie sighed, his shoulders sagged. He mumbled something under his breath about this not being the thing he asked for his birthday.

And Lexis shot out of his seat, pointing at Charlie. 'Birthday! January the twenty-eighth – page one-twenty-eight!'

'Anybody has a copy of the spell book?'

'There are a few spares in the library.'

'Okay, we'll go up there and –'

'Not now,' Charlie said, glancing at his watch. 'It's late – you're not allowed roaming the schools this late.'

'But the library –'

'Tomorrow you may go,' Charlie ushered the five of them out the door. 'Not now. Go straight to your dorms. The teachers will be coming around to check on students. See you tomorrow.'

He shut the door on them. They waited in silence for moments. In those few moments, they wordlessly agreed to disobey Charlie's orders.