The Legend of the Eight: The Gifted

21: The Residue of Our Design

TWENTY-ONE: THE RESIDUE OF OUR DESIGN
FEBRUARY 23
WIL DIAMOND

A WARM FIRE CRACKLED AS eight people who were once strangers sat around it, passing a bottle of whiskey among them. They laughed and told stories from their early days at the Academy—all the way back to the infamous Entry Exams.

When a student sought admission to the Academy, they sat through an interview with the Headmistress (Wil's always charming mother) and then demonstrated their magical ability. If they passed, they landed a spot at the prestigious institution. If they didn't, they were sent to lesser-known schools around the World of Magic. It was said some rejects ended up in the Mortal World at Purum but Wil thought they were all rumors. Phoebe was in the middle of telling her Entry Exam story when Drew let out a hearty laugh.

"I'm surprised they let you in!" he joked, taking a swig of the whiskey and passing it to Wil who took a shot of her own. It slid down her throat like butter—she had spent most of her time drunk since arriving at the old boarding house. She figured, the less time she spent sober, the less time she had to miss Damon. Unfortunately, it wasn't working.

"What do you mean?" the freckly girl giggled. She was the only sober one of the bunch and while the others drank their whiskey, she opted for a bottle of Witch's Brew.

"Fi, you never did the demonstration part of the exam!" Drew laughed. "For all they knew, you were some mortal sneaking your way in. Or a vampire!"

"I didn't have much of an exam either," Nicole revealed, reminding the others that her entry to the Academy wasn't quite as orthodox as the rest. "Queen Clarion just talked to me and then that was that!"

"Well, the circumstances surrounding your admission were slightly different than ours," joked Wil before she pressed the bottle to her lips and tipped it back for another drink.

"Now hold on there, Diamond," Drew teased. "You didn't think we'd talk about the Entry Exam stories and not mention yours, did you?"

She couldn't help but laugh and Nicole leaned forward for the rest of the story. As new as she was to the World of Magic, she probably hadn't heard it yet.

"What's he talking about?"

Wil gestured with the bottle for Drew to go on and tell the story and as he cleared his throat to begin, she took yet another drink.

"So you know how Queen C is usually the one conducting these things, right? Well, a few years ago, parents had a bit of a problem with the Headmistress interviewing her own children considering everyone wanted a spot. So they agreed that a teacher would interview any Royals. Mrs. Layweave, our old Potions teacher, was with Diamond for hers."

Wil, having remembered the rest of the story, buried her face in her hands and let out a nervous giggle-slash-whine.

"Well, by some miracle, Diamond managed to make it through the interview part—stumbling, I imagine—and then Mrs. Layweave asked for the demonstration. Now, most people go with a levitation charm. Maybe they light a few candles. Just enough to show they're capable of magic but that they've got plenty more to learn. But what does Diamond do? She goes in there—free magic and all—and sets the whole bloody room on fire! Rumor has it, they had no choice but to admit her because they were afraid she'd burn the whole Realm down without proper instruction."

Wil leaned back against his shoulder and laughed with him, tugging on the blanket she had draped over them. Maybe it was being isolated in that strange place or maybe she was just buzzed, but there, in that moment, she could feel them bonding. The Eight. They were more than just a group of misfits thrown together by fate. They were almost becoming friends. And she liked that.