Twilit Mage

Chapter 7: Persona Non Grata

BREAKING: Inside sources confirm that two Twilit Mages have been admitted into Andromeda School of Magic for the upcoming school year.

The principal of Andromeda refused to comment on the issue, although remarks from the teaching staff implied that there may have been bribery involved, while others strongly suspect that Light Mage authorities might even have threatened the school board to admit them. At least one of the admitted students is also suspected to have been directly or indirectly involved in the recent DC airport explosion, although solid proof for that rumor has yet to be found.

The man leaned down to skim over the rest of the article, then he gave a nod and a thumbs-up. "You've mastered this, haven't you?"

"It's okay to post, then?"

"Please, go ahead."

~ ~ ~ 

The first thing Mercury thought when she turned around the corner and saw the bus stop was that this was another very weird place.

She was in the middle of an old industrial area. All around her were rusty old factories and half-empty parking lots, the streets deserted, the smoke and steam emerging from a few distant chimneys the only sign of life. Most of the buildings weren't in use anymore, the walls crumbling, the windows broken. In some places nature had taken back the area, dandelions sprouting through the concrete, moss and ivy crawling up the walls.

In the middle of this gray, ghostly scene, looking as if it had been planted on the wrong street by accident, was a brand-new, shiny bus stop. There was no schedule anywhere and no bus in sight; the only sign that she hopefully wasn't in the whole wrong place was the girl standing at the side of the street, a huge suitcase at her feet, her face half hidden behind a book.

She looked familiar, Mercury thought. But she couldn't really pinpoint where she had seen her before.

For a very long moment she just stood there, her eyes darting about, wondering if she should talk to the girl. Asking if she was in the right place was probably a good idea. Or it would be, if she knew any way to phrase it without sounding like a total nutcase if she happened to be wrong after all. And that girl was so immersed in her book...Wouldn't asking her just be a bother? Mercury hated to disturb people, and this girl would definitely be disturbed...

She walked a little closer to the curb and looked around. No sign of the school bus. But it would come soon, right? It was supposed to arrive in ten minutes. Nine now. How much longer till it came into sight? Should she go look around for other bus stops just in case, to make sure she wasn't wrong? What if–

No good. If she just continued to wait here in silence, her brain would get her convinced she was in the wrong place.

She took a deep breath, opened her mouth, glanced at the girl a few feet away, and closed it again. No way, she couldn't do it. This girl looked so serious, reading that strange book in...what language was that?

She'll definitely think I'm an idiot...I can't do this...

Mercury closed her eyes. Enough of that. She couldn't stand around here panicking. She'd just have to swallow her anxiety and speak up. A short, easy question...how hard could it be? And it was still less bad than missing the school bus!

"E-Excuse me!"

The girl looked up, and Mercury shrank, feeling even more intimidated. On top of obviously being smart, this girl was also very pretty. She was a little taller than Mercury, slim and graceful, her clothes simple and elegant, her skin the slightest tint of gold, her silky auburn hair tied back into a long French braid. Dark, long-lashed eyes lay in a defined face with pronounced cheekbones, meeting Mercury's gaze with quiet, distant interest.