Monday marked one month into my first year at Acamancy, and boy has it blown by. Today, Friday is the day of the announcement of the Water Mani Apprentice! Leadership decided to move Group Two Training to today, with us, so we can all find out together. Water Mani's are the last Element Classification to find out. Mitch's Group 1 Wind Mani Training got moved to Tuesday with Mal and the rest of Group 2, Mallory got announced as the Wind Mani Apprentice that day and I couldn't be more proud of her! As for the rest of the Element Classes, Lylah barely edged out Summer for Light Mani Apprentice, and it is no surprise that Calum is the Ice Mani apprentice. I didn't hear who got Plant Mani, I just know it wasn't Bree or anyone else from Group Two, since Pax leads that group and he said it probably was someone from Group One. I don't really know any Stone Manis, aside from June who I rarely see, so I haven't heard any news from them, but Jameson told us that we are last to be announced so I know they have chosen someone. Well there's a possibility they did not, since it is not mandatory to choose an apprentice, so maybe that's what happened for the Plant Manis.
Today also marks the first day that the Fire Mani's will begin joining us in Defense Against Danger. We have been working on a few maneuvers to counter flames. My favorite involves a Wind ManI and Ice Mani to join me. I draw the water from a nearby source, since as Manipulators we cannot create the elements, just control them, it only takes the tiniest amount for an element for manipulation to collect, expand and control it, but since I am still perfecting my Drop Expansion, I need a larger source of water for most techniques. Because there is no water on the West Field, Professor Swift usually allows us to bring a container of water to class to use. The Ice Manis need freezing temperatures to form the water into snow or ice, and speaking as it is only newly October we are not at such frigid weather just yet, so they bring a block of ice or something along as well. The seasonal weather calls for frequent windy days so they luck out there, and there are always stones and some kind of plant life for the other Mani's to use to train, which makes some Elemental Control easier to practice, with more accessibility.
Anyway, I got sidetracked, as always. The new maneuver requires me to tap into the water source we bring along, expand the water and shift it in front of me, then the Ice Mani I am partnered with will freeze the water, partially into a shield, and the rest of it will be turned to smaller particles of ice that the Wind Mani powerfully pushes toward our "danger," which today will be a small amount of flame produced by our guests. Because of their flame and our dry field not being a safe combination, Dean Phoenix has been here all morning setting down flame resistant tarps and things for our course later. I heard from some of the Year Twos that they haven't combined the Fire Mani's with us on a frequent basis for Defense Against Danger in over a decade. The last time they did three people were hospitalized and Dean Philips called for the cease of combined course. The last several years they have been trying it out again slowly, allowing them to join in about once a semester, but the jump to biweekly is a huge step and I am anxious to get there and see how it goes!
But I need to not get too ahead of myself. I have been letting my mind wander too much during AEE today, Calum spend most of the morning bragging to anyone who would listen about being Ice Apprentice, but I heard from Aspen, the 18-year-old Ice Mani Year One, that he barely passed her up, within the last week, in artistry and she was a solid option as well. After Calum finished telling me all about the celebration that Jett threw for him after he was selected, we partnered up to work on some artistry together. Now he is completing the ice sculpture that I helped him gather enough liquid to create, so I began to space out.
When the final 5 minutes of AEE rolled to a close, I dashed over to the South River for Water Mani Skills. I have been waiting for this all week, all year in fact, so I don't want to waste a moment.
When I arrive and see Jameson and Waverly talking with Baylee right next to them, my stomach drops. Of course, Waverly would choose Baylee, she is incredible. As I head close I notice Theo sitting by the river and practicing some drop expansion, it's his nervous habit generally, and it makes the lump in my throat double in size. Waverly talking to Jameson, Baylee here early, Theo off on his own, while none of that is out of the norm, put it all together with Theo's nervous behavior and it's a setup for my own heartbreak. I plop down next to Theodore by the River, follow his lead, and work on some drop expansion of my own. As usual when we are together, Theo and I work in silence.
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The Echoes of Rivalry & Ruin (The Acamancy Series I)
FantasyThe Academy of Manipulation and Control was built on that exact premise: to manipulate and control its students and their gifts. 150 years ago, the Founders created the school to control its students, and their gifts to manipulate the elements, and...