Fantasy Just Like Stars

[EveningWillow]

​

Jade Pierce was nervous and noticeably so, which was something that was very rare for her. She was a more hidden creature with her emotions but as she paced the crowded hallway, barely able to see the deep color of the mahogany walls as people lined each side of it, it was obvious that she was going crazy. Her long golden hair tied back and her eyebrows were clenched in concentration as she wrung her hands together. The thin but well shaped lips that she had were moving at a fast past, muttering her answers until her breath. Jade was a great test taker, but it was not every day that one suddenly finds themselves at Brakebills University, a college for magic. This test was whirling and time sped by, she could have easily screwed over her only chance to be properly taught the craft. She heard the name "Madison Pegla, please step inside." and she knew that she would be called next.

Jade remembered ever detail about the paper test and the private exam with one of the professors, they kept staring at her like they were worried. "Oh I bet I'm a dud of something, dammit." she muttered under her breath until eventually she heard her own name being called by the older than time secretary "Jade Joy Pierce, please come inside." Jade's head snapped over to the white haired lady peeping her head out of one of the doors and she slowly made her way down. She could feel all their eyes on her, some whispering already rippling through the crowd. She thought that she could at least hide her family line for the first year if she made it, but she was already catching snippets of her last name and then her father's name. Rolling her eyes, she slipped into the office and came face to face with a familiar set of eyes. "Hello Dean Taylor." Jade greeted shakily as the bald African American man stood and shook her hand. "Please Jade, call me Kyle like you always have, I am your father's best friend after all."

​

 

[Zel814]

Ethan had been walking all morning, mostly because it was the only thing when he was on edge from another rough night, and it helped clear his head. As he walked through the university, he remembered there would be new students coming soon, and thought this would be the perfect opportunity to see some new faces. It wasn't that he was really interested in meeting anyone; he had one friend and that was good enough for him, but something he couldn't explain drew him to the hallway. He couldn't put his finger on it or explain it, but there he was standing where a large group of guys and girls were waiting for their meetings with the dean. He stood at the corner of the hallway, out of view for the most part. He noticed a young woman just down the hall about to be called. There was something about her that made him stare, but he couldn't explain why. When he heard her name "Jade Joy" called, he slipped back into the hallway, and continued to pace around the hallways.

As he got to the other side of the dean's office, he faced the wall. He knew he likely shouldn't and could get in severe trouble, but he slowly called to the shadows to blanket him. He slipped into the shadows and made him way into the very dark space of the dean's closet. Once in the closet, he sat down, put his hear to the door and listened to the conversation that followed. He couldn't explain what made him so curious about her. Maybe she was someone he had seen before but didn't remember...

 

[EveningWillow]

Jade stiffened lightly and glared at the Dean, still harboring a grudge against him and the rest of her family for not telling her that she was a practitioner until just a few years ago when she had already found out on her own. He motioned for her to sit and shot her an apologetic glance "I know that you have a lot of questions, but first we must discuss how you did on your exams and if you have made it into the five year program here or not." Jade swallowed almost audibly and sat, folding her hands, she calmed herself when suddenly this feeling of curiosity washed over her that was not coming from her. Again, her eyebrows clenched in her signature wondering/stressed look, but instead of assuming that another person was there in the room other than the Dean, the secretary and her; she assumed the curiosity was coming from one of them.

"Is everything okay? I keep getting a sense of worry from you and curiosity from someone in this room." Jade asked, which made the Dean's eyebrows raise. "You are gifted in empathy, it may end up being a specialty of yours. Which is what I wanted to talk to you about. You have been accepted to Brakebills University." Jade could not believe her ears, the bright smile on her face lighting the entire room around her. She nearly squealed but he Dean put his hand up to calm her "However, the worry is here because you and people like you are in danger." Jade froze in her seat as he continued. "Did you notice that the tests were confusing, which multiple answers? That is because you are a very rare type of practitioner, there are only 27 of your kind in the world, 7 in America and only 1 other in this school. Jade Joy Pierce, you are a Starling."

 

[Zel814]

Another starling? Was Ethan hearing this right? And it sounded like she could sense his curiosity. Just as he was considering going back into the shadows and back into the hallway, he tripped over something hiding in the closet. It made a loud clatter against the door. Ethan realized they likely heard him and wondered if he should disappear now or be found out. He only had a second to make the decision, given they were only a few feet away. The dean would not be amused by this. He quickly let the shadows take him back, but he was slow enough that if they opened the door, his transition back into the shadow might be able to be seen. Normally, Ethan kept to himself, but he was well-known by the dean for meddling, usually to help though.

About a month ago, a female student was returning to her dorm when a male student attacked her. Ethan had come out of the shadows and nearly choked the male student with air magic. While he was praised for helping her, he was also reprimanded for nearly killing the student. The truth was, had no one intervened, he likely would have, but he hadn't told anyone that. He took the scolding, and continued about his business. And they didn't know about all the other incidents that he was involved in. Maybe it was better that way. As he emerged back into the hallway, he took a deep breath, realizing though that the dean likely caught him.

 

[EveningWillow]

Jade was shaken out of her shock by the sound of a large bang coming from the closet, it was one of those sounds that would normally not be too frightening but in such silence - it shook her to the bone. Jumping from her seat and gasping, the secretary quickly rushed over to the closet. Jade's fear only grew when the door was opened and she could see that there was nothing in there. Turning to the Dean, she asked in a shaky voice "I may not be in control of my magic but that was not me, what just happened?" To which the Dean was steaming and he snapped "I know exactly who that is, that boy knows no privacy."

Without saying anything else, he walked over to the secretary and whispered something into her ear that made her run out of the room. Sitting back down, he assured her "It was just one of the students here with the ability of shadow traveling, this is not his first breach of privacy or meddling. I will talk to him later. I just want you to know that you cannot be found out, this university is protected but if no one knows what you are - it will give you a lot more protection. Now take this, it will lead you to your housing, you will find everything you need there." Jade cautiously took the origami owl and walked out, watching it come to life and start flying, leading her to the courtyard. It was so surreal, its eyes moving and wings flapping. Mesmerized, she giggled and followed after it, hoping that her year here would be good.

​

 

[Zel814]

After catching his breath, though realizing he was likely going to hear from the dean later, he walked to the courtyard. Ethan was wearing all black with a hood over his head. While he was handsome, he covered most of his body up. Many girls had been fascinated with him, because of his mystery, because no one knew who he was really or where he came from, but he had turned down anyone who asked him for a date. It wasn't that he didn't find them attractive, because he did. It was just that he knew the consequences of getting in a relationship, even if it was brief. Besides, he had had glimpses into some of their thoughts and he didn't wish to see more. It was hard enough dealing with his own nightmares, he didn't need theirs.

As he entered the courtyard, he climbed on top of a table and took out a notepad. He started scrawling some notes on it while others were eating or on their laptops or phones. While he did use technology frequently, he wasn't into social media, and he much preferred a notepad and pen. There was something organic about it that he enjoyed. He wrote down a few notes when he noticed an owl flying into the courtyard. This immediately caught his attention and he nearly dropped his pen as he watched. The sight of Jade again, made him stop everything he was doing. He simply stared. He couldn't explain it, once again.

 

[EveningWillow]

Jade was so preoccupied by the owl that she did not realize that she was being stared out, smiling still as she pulled her hair out of its pony tail, letting it fall free around her. Then, that familiar curiosity washed over her, and somehow she just knew that it was coming from the same source. Stopping, she looked around, her blue - grey eyes sparkling and searching around. She could see a few girls glancing over at this hooded figure that was sitting on a table, but her eyes didn't stay on him for long. Her eyes met his and although time froze for that moment, she tore her eyes away as she smiled more secretively. She could feel him, probing at the back of her mind, she could only tell because her mother often did the same thing.

Jade closed her mind as much as she could, although she hadn't been trained a lot in it. The owl was starting to disappear down one of the trails and she needed to catch up to it. Looking at him one last time, she thought something loudly enough for him to catch it with his magic "Nosy aren't you? Hasn't anyone ever told you it's disrespectful to get into someone's head. Goodbye, Curious Boy." Then she was gone, running after the paper bird that was leading her towards a cabin mansion, her jaw slowly dropping as she came up upon it. "Oh my goodness, this is going to get interesting." she sighed.

 

[Zel814]

Hearing her thoughts directed at him jolted him a little as he was not used to this. He was a bit stunned and sat there for a long moment as she wandered off after the owl. When she was finally out of sight, Ethan resumed writing in his notebook. Now that she was out of sight, it was almost like things were just as they were before she stepped foot on campus, except that they weren't. He couldn't stop thinking about her eyes, the way she sent him out of her thoughts, and if he had heard correctly, was she called a "starling" as well? In spite of his curiosity and wonder, he knew there was nothing to come out of inquiring further. He wandered back to his dorm which one of the ordinary, less known ones further from campus. He picked it because it was easier to not be noticed.

As he wandered that way, he was required to walk near one of the cabin mansions, which he assumed more well-off students lived. As he passed, he glanced only briefly, wondering if this was where the new girl lived. Based on her attire and general demeanor, he wondered if perhaps she would live in one of the better dorms. But he only looked briefly to see.

 

[EveningWillow]

Jade was already inside, looking out the window at the owl that was now flying away, probably back to the Dean. Then she saw that same hooded figure, but this time the lights of the house made it easier to see his face rather than just his deep eyes. She had to admit that he was handsome, but his curiosity of things matched with his obvious willing isolation was enough to keep her cautious. Before she had the chance to turn around and look around the cozy abode, the group of new students upstairs suddenly came down to greet her. There was a girl behind her in a minute flat, looking over her shoulder and whispering "Don't even think about it. My older sister goes here, he enjoys having women fall all over him and then he lest them down."

While the girl seemed a little self centered, Jade could only feel the best of intentions coming from her. Looking over, she saw the beautiful auburn haired girl and smiled. "Thank you, but I didn't need the warning. I am not here looking for romance, I am here to learn magic." Jade then walked over to the rest of the group and met them, their names being lost to her the moment she heard them, save for Rachel, the girl who had warned her. A bunch of them drank and did some smoking but Jade knew that her first class was early thanks to the folder with her schedule being on her desk. It was called Latin Roots and had to do with incantations. Heading upstairs, she settled down for the night.

 

[Zel814]

Ethan was used to waking up early in the morning. He always had at least one early class, so he was up before dawn. He did his normal routine: went through his blue journal, reading at least a few pages, and then took a shower. He was still thinking about that girl from yesterday. There was something about her that he couldn't name, something about her that enchanted him. He wondered if he would see her again; surely there was a chance, right? He had no dorm mates, due to some issues that happened a couple of months ago. He walked toward his first class, swinging his backpack over his back.

Ethan had taken Latin Roots last year, but he was paying for his tuition by being a tutor. This meant that he had to sit-in the class and be there to assist any students that needed it. Ethan had two jobs through the school, one being the tutor and the other working in the cafe during some of his lunches. While he had some money, it wasn't nearly enough for the expensive costs of the university. As he walked into the class, he took a seat at the back of the room, pulled out his notebook and waited for class to begin. He kept his hood on, like normal and started scrawling notes, while everyone else were taking out laptops or texting on their phones.

 

[EveningWillow]

Jade could not believe that she was late, she had never overslept a day in her life; not once. Her heart was pounding and she suddenly felt like a child about to be scolded by her parents or a teacher. Running down the courtyard, she burst into the hallway and saw the number on the first door reading "Room 100". Looking at her paper she saw that the Latin Roots class was in room 107. Turned, she hurried quickly down the hall as the numbers 101, 102 and 103 flashed by her in a blur, her watch ticking at 07:59:39. She could hear several other classes already starting and her heart had beat its way up into her throat. There were many things that could happen but she was not going to be late to her first class.

Finally she saw two doors with the number 107 - one for the front and one for the back of the classroom - and rushed over to it. Trying the doorknob she found it locked, her watch reading -7:59:55, the room was filled already save for one seat next to the door she was at, at the back of the class and next to someone she couldn't see. Concentrating slowly, she looked down on the other side and saw the key that locked it. She could see the key turning as her hand did, but it was harder than she imagined; she would need an incantation or a word to help her. "Recludam" she whispered, thanking the heavens she studied Latin in high school. As the term for unlock past her lips, the key snapped inside the lock so the door could open and she walked through just as the clock tower above her started to chime, not knowing that the curious boy next to the door witnessed everything.

 

[Zel814]

As she walked into the room, Ethan observed her quietly with a little bit of smirk, like the situation amused him somewhat. As she sat right next to him, he whispered, "The professor always locks the door at 8. Kinda obsessive when it comes to that...but I don't think he noticed you come in." He offered a genuine smile. "My name is Ethan. Let me know if you need any help." He felt like he had said the completely wrong thing, but he took a deep breath and continued writing in his journal. When the professor began to write things on the board, Ethan wrote across his paper in Latin. He was still not an expert at it, and he had only taken the class once before, but he had been studying Latin books all summer, as it was something that really fascinated him. Besides, his mother had enjoyed the language deeply, so learning the language felt like he was connecting with her in some kind of way.

It was noticeable as they sat together that he had a large scar on the top left side of his face. It looked like a knife wound, but if one looked closely enough, there were remnants of a magical spell, so it was likely magic was also involved. Ethan's backpack was laying on the floor and had several books in it. Notable among the books were a red and blue journal. They were rather thick, as well. He carried no laptop and there were no signs of any electronic devices on him.

 

[EveningWillow]

Jade had put her back pack between her and the wall, pulling out a large blank notebook when the man besides her suddenly spoke up, or rather quietly, to her. She paused in surprise, always figuring that he was just a silent sort of being, and turned to him. Offering her nicest smile as her eyes met the ones that she hasn't been able to get out of her head since the moment that she saw them. "I noticed... I hope he didn't see me.." She looked up front and saw that he was writing his name on the board and some things about himself. Looking back at the man as he told her his name, she nodded and opened her own notebook and noted these things on the first page.

"Professor Daskalos. 57 years old. From Greece. Graduated from Ekpaídefsi University in '87. Discipline is Knowledge - Specialty Photographic Memory."

Jade tried to concentrate on her writing as the professor started to speak and the board was erasing itself when he cued it to, and yet she found herself glancing over at her neighbors notepad every now and again to find that it was entirely in Latin. Amazed, she looked up at him lightly, wondering loudly what year he was in and hoping that he would hear it. Although, the thought that he just happened to be trying to read her mind also made her feel a little uncomfortable. She was glad that she didn't have that ability, it felt almost stalkerish to try to get into someones mind.

 

[Zel814]

Ethan wasn't trying to hear her thoughts, but it was difficult not to pry when he was so curious about her. He did, however, listen briefly. When he heard her thought about was year he was, he wrote down, "year 3. I took this class last year. I'm a tutor." He wasn't an expert at Latin at all, but learning it came kind of naturally to him likely because his mom was so fascinated by it. Now, there were other areas he struggling in, but language was something that just flowed right for him. His mother said the more languages you learn the better, because they traveled so often, it became a great advantage to them that their mother understood what their enemies were saying.

Ethan continued to write on his notebook. After writing some more Latin words, he began to doodle. He tuned out to what most of the professor said, because it was mostly about the syllabus and what they would learning. There would also be a demonstration or two. He wrote down on his notebook and scooted it to her. "Would you like to have a late breakfast after class?"

 

[EveningWillow]

Jade nodded lightly when Ethan told her that he was over halfway through his schooling and continued to pay attention to the teaching. Listing the syllabus points which were appearing on the board behind the teacher as he spoke them aloud, she made sure to keep up since the words disappeared almost as fast as they appeared. It was similar to the college she went to prior, except they used slides on a monitor and flick through them fast instead of... magic. Keeping up, she was soon distracted when Ethan's notebook slipped into her vision. When she read what he had asked her, she couldn't help but blush.

"Is he asking me out or something? Oh of course not, he barely knows me; he's just being... friendly I guess." Was her inner monologue, completely forgetting that momentarily that he had the ability to peek in. Shaking the thoughts away, she waited for the Professor to quiet down while he gathered some material to teach the class something. Whispering, she answered "I can't, I have my Physical magics course at 11 and I am going to be in the south wing library until then getting the books I need." Jade turned his offer for breakfast down as she kept her hair like a curtain between them, hoping he would not notice the pinch of pink in her high cheekbones.

 

[Zel814]

He wrote on his notebook again and slid it toward her. It said, "Lunch then at noon?" He wasn't trying to ask her on a date per say, but he wanted to know more about her, for whatever reason. He did listen to her thoughts and wrote next: "Not asking for a date. Just thought I could show you around. I don't date." Indeed, he wasn't planning on getting romantically involved with anyone. In fact, that was something he avoided at all costs, due to many factors. But, something in him needed to know more about her. Maybe there was something magical that linked them and he just didn't understand it.

As the class ended, he gathered up his notebook and backpack and waited to see what her answer would be. He whispered, "When you go to the library, make sure to check for a book by someone named A. Z. Eisenwright. It's not well-known but you will appreciate it." In spite of how confident he looked, talking to a beautiful girl always made him nervous.

 

[EveningWillow]

Jade read the words quickly but didn't respond until the class had ended, slowly packing up as she tried to gather what she wanted to say in the right words. Standing and facing him, she snapped "You know, I understand that it may not be something that you can help but looking into someones mind, reading their thoughts, is so rude unless you have permission. I ask that you don't do that again, and I will be looking for mind strengthening spells." Jade couldn't help but get all flustered. Her blue-grey eyes swirled into a stormy, bright grey as she swung her backpack onto her shoulders. Nodding as she memorized the name of the author that he had offered her and then she answered "I can't do lunch either. I guess I will see you tomorrow."

Without waiting, she stepped past him and out into the hall with the flow of students that were heading out of their early morning class. Jade had to remind herself that she was hear to learn magic, not to deal with a mind-reading-curious boy who liked to pull the mysterious card. Blending into the crowd, she headed outside and looked around in amazement as people sat around on the lawn, performing magic here and there. They were practicing Benign Magic, she could see a group of boys to the left using Air Magic to lift sand up and into swirls of patterns and she smiled, relaxing a little more now that she wasn't around Ethan. Something about him made her breathless, and she couldn't tell if it was a bad breathless or a good breathless.

 

[Zel814]

As she left the classroom, Ethan sighed. This was what he got for never accepting a date, he thought. Perhaps it was for the best. Feeling a bit defeated, he decided to resign himself to the library, completely forgetting that Jade was also going to the same one. He had gotten confused and thought she was going to a different one. He went to the historical section and sat on the floor.

The book by A.Z. Eisenwright was actually a book by a very obscure practitioner. He mentioned early on that this book was about mind-reading. It said in the first paragraph, "sometimes I wished I could just not hear their thoughts, but it's kind of like getting used to mouth breathing and then learning to breathe through your nostrils again."

 

[EveningWillow]

Settling into a lovely seat by the window in the courtyard of the huge library, Jade found herself surrounded by three large hard bound books. The first was a deep auburn color, titled "Latine Linguae Radices Praecipuae by Verbum Aucter" in gold lettering with the frayed binding dancing in the light breeze of spring. It was opened to the twelfth page with half of it laying over the closed emerald small textbook that looked like it could be a novel instead. It was titled "The Obscurity of Telepathy by A.Z. Eisenwright", and next to that was a book with a deep sapphire color and no title at all, opened but laying face down.

The kind of semesters that ran at Brakebills University were strange, Jade realize as she read her white textbook on the structure of life at the university. She learned that there two thirteen week semesters that were mandatory and then there was an optional third semester for students with low marks or ones that wanted to graduate early and start their careers. The first semester started today, on April 10th, every year it starts three weeks after the first day of spring, even if it is a weekend. This semester would end July 10th and the second mandatory one would begin 13 weeks later on October 11th. That one would last 13 weeks, then there was another 13 week break until student began the new year on April 10 yet again. One of the two 13 week breaks could be chosen to do a third semester, but every student is required to partake in an internship for 13 weeks that class isn't in session so third semesters are only used by the desperate or the genius students.

Muttering the words that she was reading to herself, she found herself engrossed in the history of the school as well, and didn't notice someone walking out and staring at her. The sun lit up her honeysuckle hair, which was down and flowing, dancing in the breeze as she smiled lightly into the aged pages.

 

[Zel814]

((I don't think he'd approach her honestly, for right now, because she rejected him, so I will show what's he doing.))

Ethan was sitting about four aisles from her, not even realizing she was there. He was sitting with a history book in his hand near the window when he peered down the way and saw her sitting with three books. He could see the book he recommended and he smiled a little. He wondered if she'd actually read it. The book was about what telepathy was really like, that sometimes it felt like a burden. Ethan hated that aspect of his ability. It took a lot of willpower to resist seeing into others' thoughts, because he had been doing it for so long, it was almost second-nature to him. He decided to do his best not to invade her thoughts anymore, but doubted that she'd notice.

It wasn't in Ethan's nature to ask people on dates. Asking her had made him instantly regret it, even though he said it wasn't a date. He assumed she wasn't interested and had likely gotten the wrong impression of him. He seemed nosy, curious, and maybe arrogant? Most of the time, he kept completely to himself, even though many people were curious about him. He wasn't trying to be mysterious. It just happened that way. As he sat their reading his book, he scrawled something on a piece of paper. Then, he used his air magic to float it over to her. He slipped down an aisle so she wouldn't feel he was observing her.

The note read: I'm sorry for reading your thoughts. -E

 

[EveningWillow]

Jade was in the middle of reading the end of the first chapter on unnecessarily when she suddenly saw a paper floating down to her, landing right in front of her on one of the books. There was a slight shimmer to the paper, telling her that it had been magic-ed and she slowly opened it. Reading it, she instantly regretted how quick she had been to get on his case about it. She understood that it was something that he couldn't help at times, Jade understood that with her empathy, and she had been unnecessarily rude to him about it. Whispering her own message into the paper so it covered the old one, she spelled it to return to its original owner. It soon took flight and went through one of the open windows, down an aisle of books.

It returns to Ethan, landing on his head, it read "Thank you for the apology but it was my fault for making such a big deal out of something you can't always control. I understand your struggle more than you could know. - J" Jade had thought about adding something about catching dinner on her but she was quite certain that he would turn her down considering she had just done the same to him. However, that didn't mean that she couldn't do anything about the slight rift between them. Smiling, Jade began to scheme a little.

 

[Zel814]

After Ethan got the note, he stuck it in his pocket and continued to read for awhile. He passed Jade about a row down from where she was, only glancing for a moment with a nod. Then, he went to work at the cafe. He hadn't really expect much of anything anymore. Truth be told, he really felt he wasn't good for anyone, but he was lonely, even if never admitted to it. That night, he would do what he always did, but he would do so alone, and he didn't need to be recognized for that. At lunch time, he worked like he always did, smiling, being kind to others, but as soon as work was over, he packed up his things and went to class. He had two classes back to back before going back to his dorm. He only had two classes on Monday, but he had more on Tuesday. .As he started to walk toward his dorm, he put his hood fully on and hoped no one would notice him.