Song: "Face the Storm" from The Dragon Prince Season 2 OST

Mother, do you remember when you told me I needed to be less like a tempest and more like a calm ocean? It seemed you had visited the entire planet by the time you married Father and gave birth to me. I had never been to the beach, so I had no idea what you were talking about. So you told me I had to use my powers as a warm glow to thaw frozen hearts, not to burn down the wood with the ice. I have used the heat in my hands to nurture, but within me rages a tempest still. I wonder how not to be an impostor and still follow your wisdom.

❂❂❂

After his second test, Micah's gaze meandered to Light Spinner, whose eyes were noticeably puffy and swollen despite her makeup. Deep concern for her sprouted up in his chest. Is it my fault she was crying? What's going on? "Are you okay?"

She huffed. "Go back to your seat."

He sighed, and after a few moments, he walked up to her desk. "I'm sorry if I made you upset. I didn't mean to be rude - "

"You weren't."

Micah forced a swallow. That's good. I hope she's okay. "Light Spinner?"

"What?"

"You asked me about where I was from, and talking about how I felt helped a lot. Maybe...if you talked about what's going on - "

A scowl. "This conversation is finished, Micah. Drop the matter."

Cold dread seeped into his stomach, but he ignored it. I'm just trying to be a good friend. Am I really that annoying in the classroom? "But Light Spinner - "

She stood, eyes narrowing. "Micah, listen to me - "

"Your hands are shaking - "

"It's no matter - "

"Just let me help you - "

"I said, we're done!" she yelled, her voice carrying in the rafters. Her clenched fists bore plasma, and Micah backed up, heart pounding. Both girls' gazes snapped up from their tests, eyes wide.

She shouted at me. She ignited her light.

Light Spinner gasped, and she extinguished trembling hands. "Micah, I - "

Micah's face burned. "I know. You hate me." His eyes were already welling with tears. You're stupid. What else did you expect from her? She's never been open.

"No, I - "

"May I be excused to the restroom?" he muttered.

Light Spinner paused, then nodded silently. Micah hurried out of the classroom, gripping his stomach, noiseless tears falling. He had never been shouted at by his parents in his life.

She doesn't like me. She grew up in a city of rich nerds. She couldn't understand how lonely I am. How hard class can be.

Maybe some people are just jerks. I shouldn't have even tried to befriend her.

He wiped his tears away, washing his face as the end-of-class bell rang. He would go back for his things once he was sure Emeth Light Spinner was gone.

✧✧✧

The next morning, Micah woke up to find a piece of paper in his hand. The heavy weight from yesterday lay on his chest, even more palpable. In calligraphy - which he'd barely learned to read yet - was written a few words. Meet me at the steam grotto as soon as you're up.

The staff-and-mandala symbol of Mystacor Academy was stamped onto the back, approving him for early-morning tutoring, and he clutched the paper tighter against him. Light Spinner.

 His memory brought her terrified eyes to the front of his thoughts - if the positions were reversed, he'd have wanted her to hear him out. Maybe this is a stupid idea, but I guess I'm the king of those by now. So he got out of bed, brushed his teeth, and walked toward the steam grotto.

When he arrived, he took off the thin sweater he always wore and cleared his throat. "Hello? Letter-writer?"

A hot hand touched his shoulder, and he spun around. Light Spinner wore white linens from her chest to her knees, and her hair was ponytailed. "Micah."

He backed up, eyes narrowing. "Why do you want to talk to me?"

Light Spinner's ears drooped. "Give me a fair chance, Micah. No one else does." She hugged her waist, sighing. "Please?"

The dark circles beneath her eyes still worried Micah, despite his shock. "Okay. Why did you take me to the steam grotto?"

"Because it's a nice place to be in the winter," she said. "Do you have linens under your clothes?"

"Of course. I always wear something I can swim in under my clothes. Why wouldn't I?"

"Well, because you're...a pauper. I thought - " she rubbed her shoulder sheepishly, and heat burned his cheeks. "Never mind. Enter the water in your linens." She stepped into a nearby pool, closing her eyes and keeping her hair out of the water.

Micah pulled off his outer clothes, then followed her. The water was almost too hot to handle at first, but he gradually got used to it, and it felt better the longer he sat in it. "So..." he said. "What do you want to talk about?"

Light Spinner lowered her gaze. "I wanted to apologize for how hard I've been on you lately. I was prideful and believed that I knew why you misbehaved. I was also impulsive yesterday and shouted at you when I knew you meant no harm." She leaned forward slightly. "Will you...forgive me?"

Micah willed himself to meet those intensely green eyes. "Look, I do. But I can't keep being something I'm not. I'm not a Delvalian - I'm just a street rat. School isn't what I'm cut out for."

Light Spinner frowned. "But your parents wanted you to become a sorcerer. They dropped many moons for you to be able to come here, Micah. I don't see dropping out as an option for you."

"Then help me!" he cried. "I don't know how to learn. I want to be a sorcerer, but..." a swallow. "I'm too dumb to be in a classroom."

"Come here. You're not dumb." Micah delicately edged toward her, and she caught his cheek in a warm hand, prompting him to freeze at the sudden affection. Her voice was soft when she replied. "I will try to find a solution and help you. I promise that I won't ever give up on you again. But in return, you must trust me."

As she smiled, ruffling his hair, Micah giggled. He'd been so sure that the kindness saturating her voice had been there all along. She's willing to help me. She does care about me. "I will. And Light Spinner?"

"Yes?"

"Just so you know, I don't see you the way the others do. You're not evil - and definitely not a monster." The bell rang, and he stood. "I have to go to my first class. I'll see you third period!" And when he looked back at her before exiting the water, she was undeniably beaming behind her veil.

✧✧✧

Light Spinner went to Norwyn's house the next week. The old satyr might disagree with her on a great many things, but one thing he did know was how to deal with a special student: Light Spinner herself.

She spoke with a sigh. "Norwyn, I know that I can be a difficult person."

He sat down next to her and gave her a cup of black tea, smiling. "We all have our strengths and weaknesses, Light Spinner." Good. He's forgiven me for being so stubborn. "What is it you want from me, child?"

Pain blossomed in her chest at his phrasing. A good many things. But this was not about her; Micah was the order of business. "I need to know how to deal with Micah. He is unfocused and has trouble concentrating in class. I want to help him, and I promised him I would, but I don't know how."

Norwyn touched his gray beard. "I believe the solution is to meet him where he is," he said. "He has a much different background than you do - a pauper growing up in Tropicilas who did school at home next to a wealthy Delvalian who attended school every day."

She swallowed, knowing where he was going with his words. She had one class during the day, and it was forty-five minutes long. There was plenty of free time she had to mentor another student outside of classroom hours, even if she would rather use that time to garden or read. "Are you suggesting I take Micah in as an exchange student?"

Norwyn nodded. "If he learns at home, he might learn better."

She nodded solemnly, numbly, as she gazed out the window toward the creek. The selfish part of her didn't want to keep a student close to her; her personal life was hers alone. The last time she'd shared it with someone, she'd been tossed aside like a rag doll. I won't let the situation with Nell repeat itself. Plus, I'm doing secret experiments that even Norwyn doesn't know about. Norwyn, whom I tell almost everything else to.

She lifted her veil and took a sip of her tea. That doesn't matter. You promised Micah. You won't break your word as Nell did. "I will...think about it. Thank you."

❂❂❂

Did you know...

● Many people online were sad we didn't see Light Spinner in the steam grotto, so as to the illustration above...you're welcome. 😏 (If you didn't get that reference, you haven't seen She-Ra.)

Tell me what you think...

● What will spur Micah on to become a dedicated sorcerer? What are some ways he could use his power?