Today was the day I would finally know what day it was. No more writing tally marks on papers—okay, I wasn’t actually doing that. A few days in, when I realized I wouldn’t be going back anytime soon, I started keeping track of how long I had been here. Fifteen days. It would be nice if there were only fifteen more days until I got to go home…

  After getting dressed for the day, I walked to the library where Zephyr was thankfully already there. I wouldn’t have to track him down.

  “One calendar, please.” I stepped in front of the desk he was standing behind, interrupting him from sorting books on the desk behind it.

  “Elaina, was it?” He straightened his glasses as he turned to me.

  “Y-Yes. Wow, I’m surprised you remembered my name!” I smiled. People didn’t remember me very often back home.

  “I try to remember everyone’s names.” Right, I’m not special. “As for a calendar…” He pulled out a calendar — not unlike mine from back home, just a little more book-like, and placed it on the desk, opening it in the process. He pointed to a day, saying, “It’s Spring fifty-fifth.”

  “…What?” I said, dumbfounded.

  “The end of the season is coming soon.” That did not help.

  I stared at the calendar, trying to make sense of it myself. Weeks seemed to be ten days long, and the top of the page said “Spring.” Were seasons sixty days long? But that wasn’t nearly enough days…

  Zephyr cleared his throat. “There are six seasons in Meridia: Winter, Spring, Lightpeak, Summer, Autumn, and Frostwake, each lasting sixty days. There are six weeks in a season, each lasting ten days.”

  “What about the other five days of the year?” I asked.

  “What other five days?” He raised an eyebrow.

  That was a stupid question. “Never mind.” I shook my head. “Thank you for the calendar.” I took it graciously, flipping through the other pages once it was safely in my hands.

  “Is there anything else I can help you with?” he asked, stopping me in my tracks.

  He seemed approachable. If his Talent really was empathy, he at least shouldn’t chew me out? “How long have you been at the manor for?”

  “Since I was eight. So ten years.” Wow, he had those numbers ready.

  “That’s… really young. I haven’t seen any other kids here?” Was it perhaps more common in the past? Or were kids kept separate?

  He opened his mouth for a moment before closing it again, as if about to say something. “It’s… a long story,” he finally settled on. “Why do you ask?”

  “How come you’ve decided to stay here for so long? You seem very skilled in magic; surely there isn’t much left for you to learn?”

  “Ah… The manor is… my home, so to speak. To leave it would be to leave my family. I have no desire to do so no matter how much magic I may possess.” He straightened his glasses again and smiled at me. Somehow, it didn’t look sincere. There was a deeper reason behind it, I was sure.

  One thing that had left me curious, and even bothered me to an extent, was why people had chosen to stay after learning magic. Maverick, I supposed, was due to his immortality. He didn’t seem to like being here — rather, it seemed like he had to be. Finn seemed oddly secretive about his own past; I doubt he’d answer me if I asked. And now Zephyr?

  People weren’t trapped at this institution, I hoped.

  I clutched the calendar close to my chest and started walking back to my room to plan Maverick’s demise— I mean, hang it on my wall. I had just stepped off the elevator, reaching the desired floor, when I noticed a purple-haired girl staring at me a few feet away.

  That was Rosalie, wasn’t it? I recognized her from the pictures in her room.

  “Elaina.” It was a statement, not a question.

  “Y-Yes?” I replied, nervous by how commanding she sounded. Unlike Maverick, you could practically feel her magic leaking out of her just by looking at her.

  “I wanted to talk to you. Come with me to Sylvis’ office.” She brushed against me as she made her way to the elevator. I quickly turned around and followed her back in. Why did she want to talk to me?

  We rode the elevator up one more floor and entered Sylvis’ office. The owner and Maverick were already there, seemingly waiting. Was I the only one who hadn’t known this was planned?

  “Good morning, Elaina.” Sylvis smiled at me warmly.

  “Am I in trouble?— Is this about the plants yesterday?” I quickly covered my mouth, scared that Finn, Aidan, and I had done something wrong.

  “Plants?” Rosalie asked confusedly, her voice still detached.

  “Oh, that’s right! Elaina and her friends planted pyrosnappers in your garden yesterday.” Sylvis beamed at Rosalie. Guess that means I’m not in trouble — at least for that.

  “So you were the one responsible.” Rosalie turned to me. Her expression scared me, but then again, all of her expressions had. “You have my sincerest gratitude.” She smiled at me — just a little.

  I thought I would faint from relief.

  Wait.. She actually liked those?! I know Finn said she would but… I didn’t actually believe him.

  “Rosalie wanted to meet with you, considering—" Sylvis was immediately cut off.

  “You’re an Ethereal.” Rosalie’s gaze was still firmly planted on me, her soulless eyes looking into my very worried brown ones.

  “Rosalie! This isn’t the topic we agreed on talking about!” Sylvis mumble-shouted at her. I had never seen her so angry before. Angry, but also in a childlike sense — as if she were afraid of losing the trust that was bestowed upon her.

  “Hm? I thought we had made that very clear. Oh, don’t tell me you haven’t already told her?” Her gaze shifted from Sylvis to me again. Can you stop looking at me?!

  “Told me what? What’s an Ethereal?” I asked.

  “An Ethereal is…” Sylvis trailed off as if trying to find the right words. Or perhaps she was intentionally stalling.

  “Rosalie and I are Ethereals.” Maverick shrugged.

  I froze.

  And then literally froze. My hands, at least. Not only that, but there was a spark of what I wanted to say was electricity fizzling through the ice.

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  “I’m… the same as you two? I’m as powerful as the two of yo,u despite not being able to use magic? I’m… Going to live for hundreds of years?!” I couldn’t comprehend it. None of this made sense. Why me?! Why someone who was raised on Earth their whole life?! Why now?!

  “Elaina!” Maverick shouted as he ran over to me, a faint red light emitting from his hands as he placed them on my arms. It was then that I realized my arms had begun to freeze over…

  No… If my arms were freezing over, then that meant no part of my body was safe from my emotions. What if I froze my heart?!

  “Elaina, calm down. It’s going to be okay.” Maverick crouched down to look me in the eyes. His concern was… genuine. But why? He hadn’t cared about me before. Was it because he found out I was the same as him that he cared about me now?

  Wait, had he known all this time?

  “How long did you know?” I glanced at everyone in the room. I wanted everyone’s answers.

  “Since the beginning.” Sylvis bit her lip.

  “You too?” I glanced at Maverick.

  “No, actually. Sylvis just told me and Rosalie a couple nights ago.”

  So, he wasn’t keeping it from me after all. Maybe he’s not as big of a jerk as I thought he was. Sylvis, on the other hand…

  “Why didn’t you tell me sooner?!” I turned to Sylvis, my fists flaming in the process.

  “I didn’t want to overwhelm you. You had just arrived, and up until then, you didn’t even believe in magic. To tell you that you not only possess magic but are also an immortal… It would have been too much of a shock.” Sylvis frowned.

  “Then when were you going to tell me?!” Obviously not right now since Rosalie was the one who let it slip.

  “Once you demonstrated control over your powers.”

  “Which could be never since none of you can figure out why I can’t use magic in the first place!” I shouted, the flames around my hands growing in size.

  “I—" Sylvis cut herself off, seemingly unable to come up with an excuse.

  “I think Elaina needs some time to herself. Or at the very least, away from you two.” Maverick gently placed his hand on my back and urged me to the door. I wasn’t a fan of him pushing me, but he was also right. If I had to talk to Sylvis any longer, I might lose control of the magic I already couldn’t control.

  “Are you okay?” Maverick turned to face me as he shut the door to the office. Part of me was worried the other two could still hear us, but another part didn’t care.

  “I don’t know…” I mumbled, trying to blink back tears.

  When I learned that Maverick and Sylvis lived for hundreds of years, it terrified me. I couldn’t imagine being forced to watch all of my loved ones die over and over, powerless to stop the flow of life. Even if I did have that power, it would be cruel and manipulative to deny someone their natural death. After all, we’re humans, only designed to live for so long.

  And now that hypothetical situation was my reality. Perhaps my only saving grace would be for someone to put me out of my misery. What an awful thought.

  “Where’s Aidan?” The question seemed to come out of nowhere. Perhaps what was more surprising was that Maverick finally got his name right.

  “I don’t know. Why do you ask?” I tried to wipe away the tears, but it was pointless — my hands only added more water.

  I felt something soft touch my eye and realized it was a cloth. It slowly dabbed away the tears and excess water before moving to the other side.

  Seriously. Why was he being so nice?

  “Because I know for a fact you don’t want to talk to me right now.” He offered a lopsided grin, and I could tell he was trying to lighten the situation. “Take it from me; don’t isolate yourself, kid.” He ruffled my hair with his fingers.

  Kid. That’s right — compared to him, I’m still a kid.

  I wonder when I’ll start to see people like that.

  I tried looking for Aiden, but I couldn’t find him. Right, he had mentioned wanting to spend more time with his sister now that she’s better. That’s probably where he is. I guess I’ll look for Marge then? Though Zephyr wouldn’t be a bad option, considering the whole empathy thing.

  Marge… I didn’t really know much about her, did I? Compared to Aidan and Finn, at least. I didn’t even know where she liked to spend her time. In her room? At the cafeteria? I’d seen her at the fountain a few times, so I guessed I’d go there.

  I looked around, but there wasn’t any sign of her. It was also far too noisy. I started walking in the direction of the front entrance, but I noticed a small crowd walking in. I… really didn’t want to be around people…

  So, I sat at one of the further fountains—the same one Finn had taken me to when we talked about Aidan. It was quiet and isolated—exactly what Maverick didn’t want. But who cares about what he wants? He certainly doesn’t care about my wants—or didn't until now.

  What was I going to do when I got home? Will my family wonder why I’m not aging? What about Matt, Rose, and Carol? Would they think I’m some sort of freak? Would I be forced to tell them about my magic? Would that make me even freakier to them? Why were there fish in this fountain but not the rest?

  “Because too many idiots ignore the rule about not using magic by the fountains.”

  I didn’t say that last thought, so there was only one person that could be.

  “Maverick told me what happened,” Finn explained.

  “Maverick? I thought he told me to find Aidan…” I mused.

  “Yeah, he didn’t expect you’d be able to find him. And judging by your jumbled-up thoughts… I’d say you could really use someone to talk to.” He sat down beside me at the edge of the fountain.

  It was quiet for a few moments. The gentle splashing from the fountain was calming, as was the breeze that occasionally blew through. I’d often imagine the wind carrying away my worries, freeing my spirit, and allowing me to start over as a better Elaina. Perhaps it was silly, but it was one of the few things that calmed me when nothing else could.

  “I don’t think it’s silly at all to want comfort. I’m… sorry your mother left you.” Oh, was I thinking about that? I guess that habit became apparent after the divorce. “I also want to apologize for something else.” He looked hesitant like he didn’t want to tell me.

  “Apologize for what? Not being able to read Sylvis’ mind and tell me sooner?” I tried to joke, but the tone didn’t quite come through.

  He shook his head, releasing the fingers he had clenched. “I realized you were an Ethereal the other day, but I couldn’t tell you.”

  “Huh?” I blinked. “How?”

  “Your ether… I felt it when you lent me your ether. You have way more than the average person; I would know, considering mine is above average.” He scratched the back of his head, looking almost embarrassed by his statement.

  I paused, processing everything. “You couldn’t tell me… why, exactly?”

  “It didn’t seem like the right time. I wanted to tell you later, but Sylvis made me swear to keep it a secret. It was either that or she would've punished us even more severely.”

  So, that’s why he was already in her office when Aidan and I arrived… To think she made him promise…! It’s one thing not wanting to tell me herself, but to involve other people?

  “I’m sorry.”

  “No, you don’t have to apologize.” I shook my head. “If I were in your situation, I’d do the same thing. I can't imagine what would've been worse than the pyrosnappers.”

  “I’m… really not good at this sort of thing.” He scratched the back of his head. “Giving advice, I mean. Making the situation better. I honestly wish I had more to say.”

  “I guess that’s one thing mind-reading can’t help you with?”

  “Comforting people is the worst. There are usually half a dozen thoughts that cross a person’s mind before they settle on their words. Apologies are even worse — at least a dozen then. I… can’t quite process them to where I can remember what worked and what was different. And I was never good at comforting others before the mind-reading.”

  “When did you start reading minds?” I asked. “Or I guess I should ask when you realized you had magic.”

  “About two years ago.” He glanced up at the clouds. For a moment, I half expected the clouds to form clear shapes — magical clouds. I suppose nobody would really have a reason to mess with clouds of all things.

  Finn turned his glance to me — a mischievous grin replacing his lonely smile. He motioned with his head for me to glance back up. When I did, a cloud clearly formed the shape of a cupcake before turning into a flower and, finally, a butterfly.

  I giggled at the gesture. This was something little me would have loved.

  "How did you decide on a lance?" I asked, wanting to know more about him.

  "Lances are cool." He shrugged. "Swords were always boring to me. Lances have so much more range and aren't used as widely. It's easy to catch someone off guard with it."

  "Where did you get your lance?"

  "I didn't — I made it. Which is why I was allowed to use it during the duel."

  "Right." I facepalmed, completely forgetting that I had already come to this conclusion before.

  "Nobody has explained weapons to you yet." This was a statement, having obviously read my mind. "You can only ever create one weapon with magic. It becomes bound to you — its power growing as your ether grows. In a way, you can almost think of it as your companion — your friend."

  "That's an interesting way of looking at it. But I suppose it also makes sense. ...Thanks for talking to me about all of this, by the way." It really calmed me down to the point where I had forgotten why I was worried to begin with.

  And perhaps for a moment, all my worries truly did drift away in the wind.