She narrowed her eyes at me. “What are you plotting?”
I considered what the next few weeks at the academy had in store, and a smile touched my lips. “I have an idea.”
Chapter Thirty-Three
“Are you ready for tomorrow?” Yasmin asked, her voice low. We were sitting at our usual table in our prop design class. The spring production ofA Midsummer Night’s Dreamwould debut in a few weeks, and we were finalizing the forest and the light-up flower we were responsible for creating. At other tables, students were testing out the fairy face masks, a lion’s head, and other costume elements.
I set down one of the tree branches and stretched my arms over my head. The other students were chattering away at their own tables, paying us no attention, but Yasmin and I were always careful when discussing magical topics at our nonmagical college.
I lowered my voice to respond, “As ready as I can be. February fourteenth is going to be interesting this year. The Floral Fete can never be a normal event, can it? Last year, therewas the truth-serum-spiked cupcake incident. This year, I’ll be the one causing chaos.”
“Yours is good chaos, B. Everyone will be excited. Just wait.” Yasmin examined the flower in front of her. “You don’t think anyone is going to notice this is magically enhanced, do you?”
I had used my floral affinity to modify a real flower and cause it to light up with bioluminescent genes, but as far as anyone in our class knew, the prop was made of realistic fabric and battery-powered lights.
A student’s phone pinged across the room, then we heard a soft shriek of joy. “Early decisions are in for some of the state schools!”
Yasmin looked at me. “What’s that about?”
“Some colleges do early admissions, where you find out if you were admitted before the normal admission date later in the spring.”
“Does your art school do early admissions? Have you heard anything?”
“I haven’t checked my personal email in a while.” I pulled out my phone.
“It’s not like you’ve been busy or anything,” Yasmin teased.
I scrolled through some junk emails, then I saw it—an email from the art school I had applied to in the fall. “They emailed me,” I said, a strange sensation filling me.
“What does it say?” Yasmin leaned in.
I clicked on the email and read the message. “I got in.” I waited for the moment of exhilaration to come over me, but instead I felt… confused.
“Congratulations!” Yasmin said before seeing the lookon my face. “Or… not?”
“No, I’m glad I got in. I know I always would have wondered, ‘What if?’ if I hadn’t applied. But with everything that has happened and how much I care about the new society I’m part of now, it just doesn’t feel like the right path anymore.”
“If you don’t go to art school, is there something else you want to pursue?” Yasmin asked.
“Honestly, I don’t know. I still love art, obviously. And I love botany now too. And I’ve been enjoying art history as we research da Vinci. I just don’t know what I’m actuallymeantto do.”
“Are you asking for advice or looking for a listening ear?”
I shrugged. “A little advice couldn’t hurt.”
“I think the fact that you just said what you are ‘meant’ to do rather than what you ‘want’ to do means a lot. You’re the first one of us in a long time with all the affinities. There is so much you could be meant for. And uniting the different affinity groups through sharing this centuries-old knowledge you’ve found… That’s a pretty good start.”
I contemplated her words. “But what should I do after this year at the academy ends? I feel like I have a purpose now, but if we somehow stave off Feathergrass’s changes and return the academy to its former glory… then what?”
“I know you’ll figure it out. A girl with as many interests and skills as you have will do well wherever you end up.”
“How about you?” I asked. “Is the plan still to work at a field station in San Antonio?”
“Yes, if possible. I’ve always known I wanted to work at a field station back home and hopefully do an internship there. The downside of being so sure is that I don’t exactly have a backup plan.”
I nodded, knowing exactly what she meant. Until I’d learned I was a magical botanist, my every intention was set on attending the art school where my mom had been a student. There was no plan B. But I had since discovered a whole new magical world, and deciding what should come next somehow felt harder than ever.
We ceased our conversation when we saw our prop design instructor approaching our table. She examined the flower Yasmin was holding. “That’s quite impressive. I can tell you two put a lot of time into it. It’s so… realistic. I think the actors and the audience are going to love it.” She nodded her approval then moved to the next table.
