Oh Hex No

Everyone had been extra hard on him after the incident with the vials, and Erik really just wanted to go home and get a little sleep before he had to rise early and get back to work. Now he found himself sitting at his kitchen table, across from the frilly witch who had gotten him in trouble in the first place.

He could read Serena's type right away. No doubt, she came from a long line of magic users and was a top student in all of her classes. She didn't seem mean or cruel, but Erik was cautious around her anyways. One wrong move to offend her and she could probably shut him down for life. They awkwardly sat in silence while Erik waited for the water in the kettle to come to a boil. He should have told her to leave, but his mother's voice rang in his head and scolded him for being impolite. She had broken into his apartment, but he wasn't going to be impolite.

He briefly glanced up and saw that she was staring right at him with no shame. She was so polished that she almost glimmered when her lips turned up in a smile, and he awkwardly gave one back. Finally, the kettle started to whistle and he broke from the awkward situation to pour the tea out.

"Um, cream?" he asked. "Sugar."

"Both, please," Serena said. "Double the sugar."

"Double the... okay."

He did as she asked, though it seemed she was drinking more of a sugary milk than tea at that point. They both took a sip of the tea quietly, until Serena finally broke the silence.

"So did Jorgenson give you some extra work to do for the broken vials?" she asked. "Maybe an extra paper? I can help you write it. It's the least I can do."

"I already took care of it," Erik said. "Like I said, it's fine. Don't worry about it."

"I still feel like I need to do something to make up for getting you in trouble," she said. "I mean... they threatened your wand. That's kind of a big deal."

"I hear that threat a lot," Erik admitted. "It puts me in line, but truthfully I don't think they could actually take it for a petty reason like that."

"Or flunk out," Serena said. "I don't take you for the lazy type, though."

"Thanks, I guess."

"So do you take night courses?" she questioned. "I'm really wondering why I've never seen you."

"You probably have," Erik shrugged. "You just didn't notice me. I blend into the background easily."

"It's more than that," Serena insisted.

"I'd rather not talk about it," he said.

"Are you not actually a student?" she guessed. "Or maybe you already flunked out?"

"No," Erik said sharply.

"Sorry," she mumbled. "Didn't mean to offend. I'm just trying to understand why you don't live in the dorms."

Erik felt like his tea tasted a little bitter now, and he set down the cup to reach into his pocket for his wallet. He took out his student identification papers and set them down on the table, then took his wand out of the inner pocket of his jacket and set it next to the papers. They were both proof that he was a student, though his wand had no fancy decorations or flourishes. It was sleek and smooth oak, with a simple gold band around the very bottom of the base. Not so much for decoration, but just as a metal to channel magic energy. Some wands got them through precious metals while others got them through gemstones, but they had really done the bare minimum for Erik.

Serena glanced at the papers, then back up at Erik.

"Okay," she said. "Point proven. You didn't flunk out. So what's your situation?"

"It's complicated."

"I have time."

"Why?"

"Because I want to know."

He let out a deep sigh. It was clear Serena had no intention of letting this go, so he gave in. If she looked down on him like dirt, it was just the way things would be.

"I'm an officially admitted student," Erik explained. "I have been for four years. I just haven't been enrolled in any classes yet. I sign up, but I'm not granted entry into them."

"What?" Serena frowned. "That makes no sense."

"I know," Erik shrugged. "It's a stupid loophole they found to keep me down."

Serena looked incredibly confused, so Erik sat up in his seat to further explain.

"The short version is that they don't want me around," Erik said. "The official school board, I mean. My father had magic in his bloodline, but my mother didn't. He left before I was born, so I was raised without magic influence in my life. When I was a kid we found out I had a magic sensitivity, and by law I had to take the affinity exam. I think everyone assumed that since I was raised poor and fatherless to a mother no one respected, I'd fail and that would be the end of it. Instead, I scored in the 99th percentile. So once again, by law, they had to give me a wand and admit me to Mondhaven.

They found the loophole when it came to tuition. We couldn't afford it, so they made a deal that I could work to pay it off. We assumed it meant I would work while I studied, but clearly that wasn't the case. I run errands for the professors in exchange for little to no pay, but every year I'm told I still haven't made enough to enroll in classes."

Serena had turned a little bit pale in disbelief at the situation. Erik thought she would be disgusted with him, but she seemed sorry for him. It was the first time anyone had ever reacted in such a way, and he didn't know how to act.

"That's horrible," she said softly. "You're basically a servant. By force. But why?"

"They don't want me bringing down the reputation of the school with my dirty background," he shrugged. "They can't take my wand and send me away unless they have just cause, meaning I would have to break a law or intentionally harm someone. I can't flunk out if I'm not in any classes. Instead, they're stringing me along until I decide to give up and drop out on my own accord. It's less messy that way."

"And you've been going along with it?"

"It's stupid, isn't it?" he said with a humorless laugh. "I know I won't get anywhere, but I'm still too stubborn to let them win."

"No, I think it's incredibly brave."

He was startled when she said this. He never considered himself brave, but Serena seemed serious about it.

"Well, 'brave' isn't going to make a difference to the admissions board," he said.

"You really haven't learned any magic in the time you've been here?" Serena asked.

"I managed to teach myself some," he said. "I got my hands on the first and second year books, and theres some sigils and runes I could do without too much help. Simple stuff, though. That's it."

"That's unfair."

"It's fine," Erik said. "Sorry, I shouldn't be complaining. I'm lucky to have gotten this far. Anyways, it's getting dark out. I can walk you home."

"Oh," she said softly, surprised at his abrupt end to the conversation. "It's alright, I can walk home myself."

"I'd feel more comfortable if you weren't alone in this neighborhood."

She didn't argue, but she seemingly hadn't thought about it either. Erik lived in a seedy neighborhood, and while it was close to the academy, students didn't venture out that way very often.

As they walked he kept the light conversation away from his past and his situation with the school. It didn't feel right to be dumping so much information out on a stranger. Though he had to admit, for one of the frilly rich students, Serena was kind. She didn't look down at him or treat him badly, and it was refreshing. She probably pitied him and he still didn't deserve to breathe the same air as her.

Erik paused and frowned when he heard a ghoulish screech nearby. Serena came to a halt as well. She looked around with wide eyes and her hand slowly reached for her wand. The night came to a still and eerie silence for a moment, and Erik heard the screech again. It was coming from an abandoned factory just across the street.

The factory had been closed for nearly a decade, and the windows were boarded up. Suddenly, one of the boarded windows ruptured and a dark creature that looked like it was simultaneously made of smoke and goo came bursting out of the factory. Long tendrils came out of it and solidified into limbs, and glowing purple eyes landed on Erik and Serena.

Serena made an attempt to pull her wand out, but the creature moved faster than anything Erik had ever seen. It came towards them at a full sprint with that eerie screech, and Erik grabbed Serena by the arms and yanked her out of the way just before she was decapitated by one of the creature's razor sharp claws. Each one was massive, and had a deadly curve like a scythe.

Serena and Erik both fell over and he pulled her out of the way until they were pressed up against the wall. For a moment, the creature stalked up to them like it wanted to rip their heads off. Suddenly it screeched again, and its limbs retracted back in until it was smoke again. Then it zipped off into the clouds.

Erik took a minute to catch his breath, and suddenly realized he was still holding a trembling Serena.

"Sorry," he mumbled, letting go of her. "Didn't mean to throw you to the ground. I think I tore your dress."

"Forget the dress," she said. "That thing almost took my head. What the hell was it?"

"I don't think we should stick around to find out."