Our classes were going to be just as fast paced, centering on magic practices, and we had a few special classes that not every student would get the privilege to take.
That was what intrigued me the most in the schedule outline, and I was even more thankful that the Notorious Five's schedules matched.
At least being together during the classes would give some closure to what was coming as we got lost in afterschool activities.
The knock on the door tugged me out of my thoughts and moment of gratefulness. I turned my head to the door to see Professor Phoenix.
She was leaning against the door, wearing what could very well be a nightgown beneath the opened black coat resting on her shoulders. It didn't even look like a woman's coat, which left me wondering if it was one of her partners’ and if she'd just woken up herself.
"All done?" she asked, her voice still thick with sleep.
"Yes," I voiced and nodded swiftly. "I'm sorry for making you lack in sleep."
She shook her head as she walked into the room. The door quietly closed on its own as her heels lightly clicked against the tiled floor. She stood next to me in mere seconds before a yawn escaped her, which triggered my own.
"It's so early," she lightly complained.
I was going to apologize but she added, "I haven't slept yet so no need to apologize. Well, barely slept, if a ten-minute power nap counts."
"Was going to take one myself," I admitted. "I really appreciate you doing this for me, Professor Phoenix."
"Aurora," she corrected. "You're old enough and a respected individual in the magic society, Brianne. No need for the professionalism outside of school grounds," she reminded with a smirk.
"I keep forgetting," I admitted.
"Bad habits die hard," she teased. "Since coming here, you've created a far better dynamic than you may realize."
"Huh?" I looked to her in question as her smile spread further along her red lips.
"The nurses gave me the report today that his condition has improved vastly, and it started when you began the visits after New Year’s.”
"No way," I quietly gasped before looking at the bed to see Elijah lying peacefully in his coma state.
Since the discovery of his whereabouts and the understanding that the nurses were gossiping and not really talking to Elijah, I made an effort to visit super early in the mornings.
To be honest, I hadn't told any of the guys, not out of fear they would try to stop me, but because I'd originally assumed it would be a one-time thing.
When I arrived the first time, I simply disliked his overall look. They weren't keeping up his usual clean appearance, from the outgrown hairs of his mustache and facial hair to not turning him properly, let alone bathing him correctly.
His skin was dry, his hair growing out and messed up thanks to the bed hair, and I just couldn't stand someone who used to be my best friend being in a state of obvious neglect.
Maybe it was the picture on his stand of us that pushed me to cave and assist, or I was just too damn kind, but it felt like the least I could do.
His mom couldn't know he was here until we knew the other Elijah's whereabouts, which Starlight and her team were trying to investigate, just like everything else they were dealing with. So he was basically abandoned here.
As much as I also wanted to be upset with the nurses, this neglect had been happening only recently due to the rise of injuries arriving at this private sector. It may have not been enough of an excuse, but I couldn't be hard on them.
They were at least ensuring he was alive, which was what truly mattered.
The hardest part was bathing him, but after doing it a few times and using my magic to aid in the switching of positions, I'd gotten the hang of it.
"They stated they tried responsive therapy and he was able to move some of his fingers," Aurora revealed. "Obviously there's a long way to go, and I'm slightly hoping he doesn't awaken until we have Elijah in our possession."
"Evil Elijah," I nicknamed as I looked at good Elijah. "He'll sense he's out of his coma if he wakes too early," I concluded.
"Yes," she agreed. "And we can't have someone guarding him on a daily basis."
"Is it safe for me to continue coming here?"
"It's fine," she assured me. "I always cloak our energy. As this semester progresses, I'll help you elevate your Spell Traveler capabilities, so you'll be able to travel here on your own and not drain yourself too much."
"Really?" I beamed at her words as she bobbed her head.
"Might as well. You'll need it for the future."
"I'm not sure what I want to do, though," I shyly admitted as I nervously ran my hand through my messy hair. "I'm not sure I want to go to school immediately after."
"You don't have to," Aurora noted.
"Yes, but I've started getting career letters," I confessed and looked up at her calm expression.
"How many?"
"Fifty-four," I began. "Today."
She arched an eyebrow at me before questioning further, "How many have you gotten since the new year?"
"Five hundred and eighty-one."
She literally was speechless as she stared at me for a long moment. "I'll get that dealt with," she muttered and seemed deep in thought for thirty seconds. "It won't distract you when school starts."
"Are we not supposed to get invites?"
"You are, but they normally don't send them out so early, as in right at New Year’s. If they're sending you invites, it means they're desperate to have you and know the competition is going to be fierce," she explained. "Anything resonate with you?"
"That's the thing," I began. "Nothing did. There was no tug of excitement going through them. It was a bit dreadful." I put my head down in shame as I looked to my feet. "I don't want to seem ungrateful because I'm sure there are seniors begging to receive any sort of offer during this semester, but...I'm not sure where I stand. Do I want to learn more? Yes. Do I wish to go back to school? I'm not one-hundred percent sure because where would I go? Witchling Academy is one of the best prestigious schools, and it's not like we have a university, so I doubt I'll find a place to appease my desire to learn more."
I lifted my hands to stare into my palms. "Then there's the fact I really need a break. Just some time to truly explore the world and just live. As much as I think about it, the only problem is we're always being chased, or our holidays are ruined by something from our past. I guess I want an uninterrupted vacation where I can just get lost in discovering new things again. Not just about the world, but about myself as well. Jax said he'd be down for whatever. I'm not sure about the others, but I also don't want to hold them back either."
Lowering my hands, I simply shrugged. "It's just a lot to think about, I guess, and with what we endured during the holidays, I'm still having nightmares and such. At least these visits give me a moment to focus on someone else and easing their suffering."
"You won't have the answers now, but I'm sure you'll know what you want by the end of the semester," Aurora assured me. "And if not, there's no rush."