“Damn, Nana and Poppy are that old? I mean we knew supes live long lives, but wasn’t that like over a hundred years ago?” Marshall’s outburst makes Dad chuckle.
“I wouldn’t let Nana hear you call her old, but you are correct; that was one hundred and ten years ago. They were only in their twenties when they came to this realm. They didn’t have me until they were older, and the war ended about seventy years ago now.”
“What caused the war in the first place?” I feel like the more we find out, the less we actually know.
“So Astrexus is a lot different from Earth, said to be tied more to Faerie than any other realm, especially since it was the first the fairies supposedly found when they started looking for safe havens when a war broke out in their own realm. Earth is younger than Faerie but it has had life on it longer from my understanding.There were only plants here when the fairies found it, but it’s said to have had trees so tall they got lost in the sky. They lived here for a while, and some supes believe dinosaurs are actually creatures from Faerie. However, they didn’t have as much access to their magic here because the worlds weren’t linked. So the story goes, a few of the strongestfairies alive used their power to make a realm between the two worlds, where they could still access their magic. Humans showed up and from there, the stories differ depending on who tells them.”
“Wait… so like the bible? Evolution? Is there a consensus on that?” Marsh interrupts. I suddenly realize the sun has long gone down, making the room dark, and Dad can barely see more than our shadows on the screen, so I throw a little flame at the fireplace to give us more light than the meager amount from the kitchen.
“If you wouldn’t interrupt, I was getting there,” Dad chides. “As I was saying, some claim the first humans they came in contact with were Adam and Lillith in Eden, while others believe it was actually cavemen. So they settled in Astrexus, and centuries later somehow either them bringing humans to the new realm or going to Earth, fairies and humans started mating. That’s said to be how other supes came to be. There are hundreds of different types of fairies, and whatever bloodline sired the child determined what kind of supe it would become. However, when the war in Faerie ended the new Queen called all the fairies back, most went. The ones that stayed are said to be the original rulers of Astrexus. Faerie’s gates were closed and have not been opened in centuries, but the magic is still tied together in the two realms.”Toto, I don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore.Marsh chokes on his laugh at my thought, making it seem like a cough. I can’t believe how fucking crazy of a turn our lives just took
August 11th Morning
The night we arrived ended after the two hour long phone call with our dad, but a week and a half later I still feel like I have more questions than answers; it doesn’t help that we haven’t been able to find any information regarding magical twins or Astrexus. We’ve even checked the campus library, to no avail, since they only have certain sections open while they conduct inventory. On the other hand, I’ve seen Tyler around the school several times over the last 10 days, though he turns tail and runs every time he sees me, which I honestly find hilarious.
I’m lying in bed, cursing myself out for still not getting curtains for my bedroom windows. The views and natural light are amazing, but my eyeballs getting baked more than Snoop Dogg by the sun at the asscrack of dawn every morning… not so great.
I had just rolled over, covered my face, and dozed back off to sleep when I sluggishly register the sound of the adjoining door to our bathroom burst open before I feel my brother diving ontomy bed. Of the two of us, he is definitely the morning person, while I very decidedly am not.
“Wake up Maggie! We have our magical assessment at noon, so you need to get up, shower, and get dressed. It’s also site change day for your dexcom and omnipod so you need to do that before we go eat.” He rushes out everything so fast I can’t get a word in edgewise, even if I were more coherent. Sitting up, I yank the pillow from over my head and smack Marsh across the face with it. Repeatedly.
“It’s like seven in the morning”. SMACK. “It will not take four hours to do all of that.” SMACK. “Why are you waking me up already?” SMACK. He snatches the pillow from me and shoves it under his ass. I throw myself back down so I can hide under the covers, hoping he’ll let me sleep a little bit longer. Unaware of my silent wish, he jumps on top of me so he’s straddling my stomach. The blanket is pulled up under my chin so I can’t move my arms. He grabs the pillow from under his butt and starts smacking me back, though it’s a lot softer than I was hitting him.
“It is eight in the morning.” SMACK. “You take long fucking showers.” SMACK. “You take ten years to wake up fully.” SMACK. “And I’m starving, so get up!” SMACK.
I pull a little bit of electricity to my fingers and zap him through the blanket. “Owwwwww!” He jumps up, rubbing his side where I got him.
“That’s what you get, asshole. Now get out, so I can get up and go shower.” I toss the blanket off myself and slide out of bed. Marsh flips me off over his shoulder as he walks back towards his room.
I grab a towel from the linen closet and hang it on the towel bar by the shower. After stripping my pajamas off, I decide since it’s site change day I’m going to take what diabetics refer to as a naked shower. Normally we shower, bathe, and even swim while wearing our dexcom and omnipod. So when the site change daysoverlap with my showers or bath I love to take advantage of getting to scrub my whole body and not having to worry about one of my devices getting caught and ripping out.
Stepping under the spray, I let the hot water run over my body and relax my muscles. Marsh and I have been practicing with our magic as much as we can since we got our powers, and that makes your body feel like you’ve been running a marathon. Knowing this doesn’t stop me from making little water tornados in the bottom of the shower. After double shampooing and conditioning my hair, followed by scrubbing my whole body with a new sugar scrub I ordered last week, I decide I’d better get out before my brother gets impatient and drags me out. I throw my long curly hair up in a microfiber towel after putting my leave-in conditioner in. If I don’t keep myself busy I will stress about our assessment and psych myself out. So I focus on rubbing my lotion all over my body and then putting moisturizer on my face.
When I was unpacking, I set up an organizer under the sink to hold all of my medical supplies so it's easy to find and out of the way. After finishing my skincare, I go through the routine of getting everything lined up to get my devices back on, since Marsh was kind enough to draw up my insulin and have it waiting on the counter for me. Placing the omnipod on my left thigh and dexcom on the back of my right arm, I shuffle through the assortment of adorable patterned stickers I ordered for both devices to find a matching set. Today we are going with a dark green design that has different birds on them. I’m just pulling on my leggings when my brother's patience wears out and he flings open the bathroom door.
“Are you almost ready? I’m practically withering away while I wait for you!” He’s in a pair of black sweat pants, an old Van Halen shirt that belonged to our dad, and his favorite purple Converse.
I look down at my outfit in comparison; black leggings and a The Pretty Reckless shirt I got when we saw them at a festival two years ago. I’m glad I was planning on wearing my green high tops today. We’ve often accidentally matched each other’s clothes. Even when we would stay the night with different friends we would come home matching. At this point in our lives, it’s something that’s become normal for us, just like him busting into the bathroom not caring if I am dressed. It’s never bothered me because we came into this world together and we’ve grown up together. People in our small hometown used to make disgusting incest jokes, but I never let it get to me since there will always be shitty people with small-minded opinions. We’ve known he was gay since we were kids, and even though he is my brother, honestly he is also my built-in best friend. He had to help bathe and dress me when I was struggling to control my blood sugars when I was first diagnosed. To me, it wouldn’t have been any different having a guy best friend rather than my brother. Our dad of course would have done anything to help, but it would have been a lot more awkward for him to help.
After I pull my shoes on, I grab my bag that carries all of the stuff I keep handy for a sugar emergency. For our birthday Marshall bought me a Loungefly bookbag to add to my collection, and this one is the full size Scooby-Doo snack bag. It’s my favorite because it fits everything I would normally carry in a purse, plus extra supplies in case of an emergency site change, snacks, a cooler pouch for my insulin, my glucose nose spray, and gels.
I have learned over the years that as a witch my sugar levels fluctuate more frequently when I use magic. So we are almost always prepared for everything. I also wear a medical alert bracelet, since Marsh and I really aren’t together every second of the day. We’ve taken separate classes, had different part-time jobs, and separate friends. However, the few friends I did haveknew how to help in case of an emergency. Here though, it’s just us, so it makes me nervous if something were to happen when we’re apart.
Every time we leave the dorm I’m blown away at how stunning this place is. There is artwork lining the walls, and amazing decorations. The common room is empty when we walk through to the main door. I guess the other students prefer sleeping in as much as they can before classes officially start. We follow the path from our dorm to Manor hall so we can get breakfast. They serve a little bit of everything, so there are always tons of options, and the food here has been amazing so far. “How do you think the assessment is going to go?” I ask as he opens the door for me.
“I think it will go great. We both have our full powers, and we know how to use them for the most part. Dad and our grandparents made sure we at least had a basic understanding. I know we will hopefully get to find out what our core power is, too,” he replies as we make our way through the building. “I wonder if us being mirror twins means we will also have the same core magic or what,” he muses as we make it to the dining room.
We both get our food, taking extra care to fill our plates since we will have to use a lot of magic today. While we made sure to both get eggs and sausage for the protein, I got french toast and Marsh got pancakes. Having diabetes has made me hyper-aware that diet is all about balance. I try to be careful about how many carbs I have, however, I refuse to miss out on the things I love. I did that when I was first diagnosed and I became very close to developing an eating disorder because of it. Marsh and my dad thankfully noticed how I was struggling and between their support, a nutritionist, and a therapist, I learned how to balance eating safely without giving up any of the foods I love.
“I can’t get over how amazing the food is here. I’m going to gain so much weight,” Marsh groans around a mouthful of food.
“Fuck, I know. Don’t get me wrong, I loved Dad’s cooking, but these french toast sticks are to die for!” I take the last sip of my orange juice.Sugar-free, of course.I push back my chair to stand, but Marsh waves me off.
“I’ll grab refills while you finish eating. Remember, you’ll need all your energy for later.”
I swear, he acts more like a parent than my sibling most of the time. I’m glad I’m not really someone that wants to date or sleep around, since he would make it nearly impossible. According to him, no one will ever be good enough for me. Back in high school, I had to sneak around with a couple of guys that weren’t too scared to hook up with me. Thankfully, he and I had different jobs so I could meet people he didn’t know. Here, dating would be inconceivable with him being around so much. Marsh sets my drink down and winks at some guys walking by. I scoff because, of course, the universe has decided to gift him way more game than I have. My poor vagina is going to turn drier than any desert on Earth with the way things are going for me.
After breakfast, Marsh and I walk together in silence to the combat training arena. I’m so nervous I’m nauseous, and I can feel through the bond that Marsh is too. It’s one thing doing the assessments when you're sixteen since no one really expects much out of you. Here, you are expected to learn complete control of your magic. For witches like us, you find out if you’re a core or an anchor and find your circle–if you have one. Most importantly, you figure out what you want to do with your life. I know I want to follow in my mom’s footsteps and open an apothecary like she had, but the thought of potentially finding a circle scares me.
