of imprint in the area where the magic happened. And with the right equipment or ritual, people can actually see the residue of the magic and figure out what kind it was, at least in a general sense.
I don’t know exactly how it works. I’m pretty ignorant of the latest news and developments in the magical world.
“That’s right.” Maddy nods so hard I worry her head might fall off. “Water. It was amazing, the water just exploded out of the sink—”
“Then I’d like to formally give you an invitation be to enrolled at Neptune Academy,” Aurora says, gently interrupting Maddy. She looks over at me. “It’s our premiere academy for those with elemental magic based on water, and it falls under the auspices of the Phoenix Training Program. The phoenix embodies all four elements: it flies, it bursts into flames at the end of its life, it cries healing tears, and buries its eggs in the earth.”
“Okay.” I remember that school from my search, and it seemed like a solid program—not that I have a lot of reference points for what makes a magical academy good. “When will she start? Are there any things she needs?”
Aurora pulls some folded papers out of an inside jacket pocket. “All the information you need is right here. When she needs to check into her dorm, what sort of courses she can expect to take in her first year, equipment she’ll need… all of it. I took the liberty of securing a scholarship for her, so there should be information on that in there as well.”
Holy shit. That’s… huge. I’ve been worried about getting Maddy into a program at all. Paying for it was going to be a whole other issue.
“Are you… serious?” I ask, and I know I sound like I’m expecting her to demand one of our souls in return. I’m not trying to seem ungrateful, but I have a hard time trusting new people, even if they’re nice.
Scratch that. Especially if they’re nice.
Maddy gives me an ‘Elliot, please’ look.
“Completely. There are a number of scholarships available to most magic academies. We don’t want a person’s income to keep them from getting the training they need. It benefits everyone if they learn to control their powers.” Aurora turns to Maddy. “So? What do you say?”
“I say, heck yeah!” she practically squeaks.
“Good.” Aurora still has that calm smile on her face as she hands my sister the papers and takes a polite sip of the water Mads brought her. “We look forward to having you as a part of the magical community, Madeline. Good luck.”
She nods at me, then gets up and shows herself out.
I close the door after her, feeling a little shell-shocked. In two minutes, that Circuit woman just decided the next three years of Maddy’s life.
“This is amazing!” Mads exclaims, with none of the apprehension I feel. She grabs the glass Aurora used, and I follow her into the kitchen as she heads to the sink. “It’s perfect. We looked at Neptune too! It’s the only one in-state I could qualify for. And it’s only a few hours away. You can visit me on the weekends!”
I take the papers from her and flip through them quickly. Everything does seem to be in order. And Neptune was one of the schools I was looking at already, so it all fits—plus, a scholarship is beyond helpful.
“You’re right. It’s perfect.” I put the papers down and smile at her, forcing myself to let go of my stress and worries for a moment. Mads is excited about this, and I’m not going to rain on her parade by thinking about how much I’ll miss her or all the things that could go wrong. “I think this calls for some ice cream.”
She throws her arms around me in a bear hug. “I won’t be too far away, Elliot. It’ll be okay.”
I wrap my arms around her, blinking back tears as I squeeze her tight. “Don’t you worry about me, little sis. I’ll be fine.”
The next few days are a whirlwind of running around and getting Maddy ready. She’s beyond excited, and I don’t blame her. I’ve done my best to give her a normal life since Mom passed away, but she hasn’t had a ton of friends, and she never got to be a part of the magical community, which I know she’s always wanted to. This is the happiest I’ve seen her in years, and I don’t want to dampen that for her.