The Young and Gifted

27. neon

Hope was in the room, staring at the glass bottle with the still caterpillar. It was sick and her goal was to heal it and give it a growth spurt at the same time. She was trying to both in one go to see if she had the ability to combine two spells into one. It was certainly harder. She grabbed both sides of the bottle again and whispered, "Sanus annos." She opened her eyes but nothing happened. She sighed with frustration and picked up her pen to scratch off a word. She tried again. "Sanus adultus."

"Trying to perform necromancy?" 

Hope jumped and nearly dropped the encasement altogether. She turned and spotted him with relief. She caught her breath and smiled. "Landon."

He pointed to the still caterpillar. "I'm not a professor at magic but I am pretty sure this is some sort of black magic?"

Hope glanced at the bottle in her hands and placed it on the table. "Oh no, I am trying to working on a healing and maturing spell."

"Ah, okay. Cool," he nodded. "So I was thinking of ways to ask you this and, I'm going to warn you. I am not the brightest human being on earth." Hope's eyebrow rose in question and Landon reached in his pocket to hand her a stack of flashcards. 

Hope slowly read the first one. DEAR HOPE. She found herself smiling big as she flipped through the thin sheets of paper.

I KNOW WE GOT OFF ON A COMPLICATED BEGINNING.

AND WE ARE IN A ROUGH SITUATION RIGHT NOW. 

BUT I WANTED YOU TO KNOW. 

THAT WITHOUT A DOUBT. 

I REALLY, REALLY, REALLY, LIKE YOU. 

SO...

WILL 

YOU 

BE 

MY 

GIRLFRIEND?

Hope's head shot up to him and she realized that she had tears of joy in her eyes. She threw her arms around him and nodded frantically, "Yes. Yes, yes, yes, times infinity."

Landon sighed with relaxation and coiled his arms tightly around her. "Thank god. I spent a good hour wondering if I added too many really's." Hope laughed in his arms and pulled back to kiss him.

They broke off quickly after that and Landon waved, claiming that he had assignments to hand to Dorian. He shut the door and Hope picked up the bottle again. She crossed out another word and closed her eyes again, "Sanus pulchritudo."

This time when she opened her eyes, she felt her heart palpitate with delight when she spotted the butterfly flap in the bottle. Its big beautiful lavender wings brushed against the glass and Hope planned to release it. But the moment of satisfaction didn't last long because the glass shattered swiftly and cut her palm. 

Hope winced back with pain, jumping back when threads of blood began to leak from her fingers and hands. She swallowed and stared at the dead corpse of the bug. She packed up her notes and bolted out the door. Because she now realized that she had to be really, really, really, careful with her magic. Because if she didn't, the glass might as well be the school and butterfly was her friends. Maybe even the entire world.

*

Kaura was against her bed, staring a the ceiling as the music drilled into her eardrums. It was loud and obnoxious but it helped to mute her beating heart. She wasn't fazed when Penelope barged in with a slight frown. Kaura rose on her elbows, pulling her earplugs out.

"You will never believe what is happening," she huffed, sitting on the rolling chair. "Lizzie is trying to talk with Josie again. After last time, I don't trust her to be around Josie anymore. Who knows what she'll do this time to break us up again?"