Sharp Curve: A #BattleTheBeast SyFy The Magicians Story

Sharp Curve

            Marina calls The Beast the only place they can't watch, in her sleep. Her dream is white space with the occasional flash of images: butterflies, two freckled redheads jumping rope, tendons where a nose should be.

Their words to each other were clear, as the slideshow often wasn't.

"We want the same thing," Marina says.

"That's the trouble wanting power there's only so much to go around, darling." He's British and mocks like a movie villain.

"I want self-preservation and so do you. Another student is going to try to contact her dead..." An image of a blond girl in glasses laughs with an older boy. Marina wishes she could shut her eyes in dreams.

"I'll tell you who, where, when. You can wipeout this whole place. Just leave me out of it. I'm no threat to you." Marina told him.

"I don't understand humans' attachments to the dead." When he said this she knew they had a deal.

"I want out of your time-loop. I want to forget Brakebills."

"Don't we all, hell-cat." He laughs.

"What does that mean?"

"It means: There's no spiteful skin off my nose, so to speak."

*

His laughter rings in her ears when she wakes up. The nurses give her one of the best breakfasts she's ever tasted. But, Marina doesn't forget she isn't a patient or a student. She's a prisoner until she leaves Brakebills. It wasn't any different from last time.

Marina has to appear remorseful at this so-called meeting or they'll be all-up in her s**t, no doubt. Only Dean Fogg and the Brit What's-her-name are on the other side of the table.

"We're so sorry to do this before you've fully healed, Ms. Andrieski." The Brit says. "But, if you could just give us a report of the events. Any details about Quentin Coldwater would be helpful."

Marina has to contain her surprise, and her anger. Why him?

*

They all sat on floor of the darkened classroom.

"So, you were, like, the evil twin?" Quentin asked Marina.

"Quentin was curious," Marina reports, "Everyone was."

Marina thought about how easy it would be to kill Quentin. He had been useless before, crumbling when Julia died early on. He ran to the blond girl who whined because she never could live up to a dead girl. Marina didn't get it. Boyfriends weren't centerpieces. They were pieces to center you.

"Q, stop," Julia said and looked at Marina, "How big is the risk here?"

"There's always some," Marina said, "You have to embrace the fact that magic has a price if you want to be any kind of magician."

Julia was the easiest nut to crack. She was no teacher's pet. She wanted to be better than the teacher.

"I told them the risks. I even told them to go," Marina says.

"Forget this, Kady," Penny said, "Let's go."

He leaned back languidly but his eyes intensely studied the materials the group was circled around. Marina had gotten it all, the bowl of blood and seven different potions. It was so easy here. She didn't have to threaten anyone. Only steal.