“It could help the were-corgis during the full moon.”
“Once again, were-corgis aren’t real.”
“You said the originals were humans who did something unholy. Would using the potions lab to make edibles for the students be considered unholy enough for me to manifest were-corgis?”
“Not even close and I’m almost certain you’re one of the tricksters.”
“I’m going to make fetch happen with were-corgis,” I whispered.
“I’m not sure why you’re so obsessed with that.”
“That book had a profound effect on me.”
“Clearly. We have your tuition sorted and I can get you in the kitchens, but no edibles. Do you have any questions for me?”
“Yes. If we’re going to be on teams, I want to be on Sage’s team.”
“Hrm, you were taken from the same lodging. She seems to have a bigger effect on you than were-corgis, since that’s all you’ve asked me after we kidnapped you. That might be a hint for who she is. Do she feel the same pull?”
“Mate, she doesn’t even know my name, but if you put us on the same team, I can finally tell her since you ruined a very big reveal I had planned by kidnapping us both.”
“I suppose that’s fair. I’ll put you on her team and use your donation to help stock the healer clinic. I’ll even let you work in the kitchen to pay your tuition, but if drugs and corgis end up on my campus, I’m going to know it was you. You can go.”
I stood up and saluted. I was just taking the piss about were-corgis, even though I did enjoy that book. I just kept going to blow smoke up the headmaster’s skirt when she looked that shocked it came out of my mouth.
Honestly, me being a trickster made a lot of sense on paper, but I could just feel in my gut that wasn’t right.
Iwasn’t all that sure about the food, but I ate it anyway because I was hungry. I was used to alotmore spices. I didn’t know any of these people. Most of them didn’t look like me. I was conflicted. If I was going to be going to university with these people, I should introduce myself and make friends. I just really didn’t want hate thrown at me because of what I looked like.
So, I sat by myself. No one joined me. I guess that was that. But when the pretty redhead came out of her meeting with Headmaster Mykene, she plopped down across from me and smiled.
“Hi, I’m Sage. I’m not interested in some of the cliques that are forming at the other tables. Do you mind if I join you?”
No, I didn’t. She was gorgeous. I wanted to make friends, but I wasn’t interested in joining a clique, either. Everyone should have left that behind when they graduated from general secondary.
“Khalid.”
“Nice to meet you. Listen, spoiler alert, I’m not sure what Headmaster Mykene is going to drop on you when she meets with you, but I basically just found out the man who raised me isn’t my father and my mother had an affair with some anonymous reincarnation in another country. Poof, there I was nine months later.”
“Are you okay?”
I loved my father. He was hard on me, but he was also amazingly supportive and kind when the situation called for it. I’d be devastated, but I’d still love him and want him in my life if he wanted that, too.
“Oh, my father is completely awful. He hates that I wasn’t a boy like this was the dark ages and he needs a male heir for the throne. He’s the kind of televangelist that swindles donations from his congregation by telling them God wants him to have a new car or private jet. I’mthrilledI have no blood ties to him, but it’s going to make figuring out who I am a little complicated. Sorry to dump on your when we just met, but this is honestly a lot.”
“Same. I’m Egyptian and Muslim. My country has a long, rich history. I could literally be anyone and anything.”
“So, you believe all this?”
“I’ve always had faith. I didn’t believe it at first, but then I saw magic.”
“Yeah, that part was wild. They snatched me right when I woke up, so I didn’t get a chance to eat or grab my glucose tabs.I was starting to feel bad, so I was able to eat it, even without my insulin with me. I can eat it as long as I have insulin, but my dad is an idiot and would never let me. That was honestly the best ice cream I’ve ever tasted.”
It was. And I was glad she got to enjoy it. Before I could say anything, I got called to my one on one with Headmaster Mykene and boy, did I have some things to get off my chest. I unloaded as soon as I sat down.
“You need to rethink this whole snatch and grab scenario. A lot of you can’t tell the difference between Muslims from different countries and you snatched me at theairport.I thought I was being profiled, arrested, and kicked out of Oxford for absolutely no reason. I would have heard you out if you asked me to listen over tea and if you had someone who could do magic like you did, I would have believed you. The only reason I’m not making an even bigger scene is because you tookeveryonelike that.”
“I apologize and it’s not actually my idea or something I approve of. I’m the headmaster and I have a lot of sway, but things like that have to be voted on by the council andtheythink if we talk to you in your element instead of ours, you’ll refuse to come. Some of them also think if we sent a supernatural instead of havingmedo magic, some of you might react badly and hurt them. Supernaturals are hard to kill and most times, they can heal from bullets, but if they get shot in the heart or head, it’s hard to come back from that.
