Chapter 6: Finding Their Place
The next morning, Joy woke to the sun streaming through the curtains of her dorm room, the warmth of it doing little to ease the knots in her stomach. She sat up in bed, groaning as she glanced at the heavy schedule parchment that lay on her desk. Her first official day of classes at the Council had barely started, and she already felt overwhelmed.
Her schedule was packed. Elemental Control, Magical Theory, Potion Crafting, and a daunting class called Council History and Protocol. There was barely time for lunch in between, and evenings were filled with study hours, which seemed more like mandatory isolation periods for focusing on magical texts.
Joy tugged at her short blonde hair, feeling the pressure of it all. “How are we supposed to keep up with this?”
From across the room, Ash stretched lazily, clearly less concerned. “We’re not,” he said with a mischievous grin. “I mean, come on. Council History and Protocol? I’m already planning to skip that one.”
Joy shot him a look, half-serious. “Ash, if you start skipping on the first day, you’ll get us all in trouble.”
He just shrugged, unbothered. “I’m not saying skip everything, just the boring stuff. You can’t be a rebel if you follow every rule.”
Zephyr, who was perched on their bed tying their boots, looked up and smiled slyly. “Ash has a point, you know. We can’t be all work and no play. Especially not with the twins around.”
As if on cue, Priya and Rhea burst into the room, their fiery hair bouncing as they danced around. “Ready for your first day?” Priya asked, but it was clear neither of them were concerned about classes. They were far too excited about their latest idea. “We’ve got a little… extracurricular plan for after class.”
Rhea giggled. “We’re going to prank Dani. We’ve got everything set up.”
Joy blinked. “Dani? Are you sure that’s a good idea? He seems… I don’t know, patient. Like, really patient.”
“Exactly,” Priya said with a wicked grin. “But even he has a limit.”
Ash raised an eyebrow. “I’m in. What’s the plan?”
Zephyr leaned forward, already eager. “Count me in too.”
Joy hesitated for a second, thinking of her packed schedule, the pressure to keep up, and how new everything still felt. But then she glanced at her friends, the twins’ infectious energy, and something in her loosened up. Maybe a little fun wouldn’t hurt.
“All right,” she said with a smile. “I’m in too.”
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Classes were just as overwhelming as Joy had feared. Elemental Control was intense, with the instructor—an older witch with sharp, hawk-like eyes—pushing them to harness their magic with more precision than they’d ever been asked for before. Joy struggled to keep her light magic steady, while Ash, predictably, turned his fire spells into a bit of a show, drawing curious looks from the other students.
Then there was Potion Crafting, which involved long hours hunched over bubbling cauldrons and meticulous ingredient lists. Zephyr took to it easily, their movements smooth and confident, while Joy found herself almost knocking over a flask of dragon’s blood when her nerves got the better of her.
By the time they got to Council History and Protocol, Joy was exhausted. The endless talk of ancient witches and formal rituals blurred together in her mind, and she found herself doodling in the margins of her notes, already counting down the hours until the day was over.
