Rolling out of bed, I groaned. Yesterday was so tiring, and now I have to do it again? Ugh.

Lucky for me, my night of sleep had been actually restful, and I felt more energized than I had expected. Who knows? Maybe today I'll be more used to socializing again. I sighed. Nope. I'm tired just thinking about it.

I got dressed, this time in a black tunic, but with another pair of light brown pants. As I slipped on my boots, I started trying to think up a suitable prank to graduate from the unseelie part of my doubled up course. Having a year to myself in a drafty castle with stuffy officials and no friends had given me a lot of opportunities to practice and fine-tune my unseelie powers.

How have I not come up with a single good idea yet? I had attempted to brainstorm ideas on my walk over to the classroom in which I now sat, but to no avail. Apparently, it was easier to come up with practical jokes when you were bored out of your mind and had nobody to entertain you. Go figure.

The dirty looks this one person was sending me were quite the distraction though. I truly had no idea what I did to garner such spite. All I did was make a couple jokes at his expense before the teachers entered the room. So what if I pointed out that he had no right to be bullying another person about their fashion choices when he looked like he had let a blind mouse pick his clothes? If he didn't want to be called out like that, he shouldn't have failed so miserably at calling someone else out. The little turd needed a lesson. Hmm.

Ignoring the scathing looks, I gazed serenely at the teachers, casting two separate illusions. You'd think the school would have more rules preventing magical hijinks. Then again, magical hijinks usually mean magical practice, and this is a school for magic too.

Most of the faculty paled and raced to cling to the walls and seats and whatever else was secured down. Sweat dripped down the side of my face as I struggled to keep up with both the illusions I cast. By Folnier's favor, one of the unseelie who looked more sure of herself began applauding slowly.

She took a shaky step forward, then a more sure one. "That was a very good attempt. Making it seem as if the room had been turned upside down is a difficult illusion to cast. Whoever cast that illusion is close to graduation level. Maybe a little more practice and you will be good to go. Now, will you please stand so we can all give you the applause you so justly deserve?" Ah yes. Now, the tricky part.

I released the main illusion, the one that had turned the faculty's world upside down, and quickly cast another illusion over myself, making me appear normal and not exhausted from the strain of holding the illusion. The teacher scanned the room, and zeroed in on the hotheaded bully as the other faculty members quickly adjusted their clothes and hair. "You, what's your name?"

He snapped his gaze from me to her and said in a rushed tone, "Yngrus."

The teacher smiled kindly. "Well, Yngrus, I am Ms. Andor. That was quite the illusion you pulled off just now."

Yngrus looked flummoxed. "I-I didn't-"

"Nonsense. You're sweating buckets and I see your hand trembling. No need to deny it." Wow Andor is pretty sure of herself. She saw through one illusion and now she's Folnier's right hand? Can she get any more arrogant? What if he was actually sick or something? Whatever, that just makes what's going to happen even funnier.

"But it wasn't me, Ms. Andor."

"Aww he's being humble. Okay, I'll play along. You know the mistake you made when you crafted your illusion, Yngrus?" A crafty look entered the bully's eye, and he smiled slowly.

"What mistake is that?"

"Aha! The man finally owns up to his own achievements. And his mistakes. You see, Yngrus, your illusion was practically perfect. You even remembered the downward pull of all the clothing and jewelry, and illusioned yourself fairly well. That's acceptable, seeing as you were simultaneously casting an enormous illusion that also had to shift according to two dozen people. Your mistake was, you didn't simulate the gravity well enough. It was a bit too floaty."

Yngrus chuckled. "That's my bad. I tried, though."

"And it truly was commendable." Andor turned to the other faculty members. "Don't you all agree?" They all nodded and murmured agreements. Well, that's my cue.

I dispelled my illusions and stood up, clapping my hands. "Today, I have demonstrated how to graduate on the second day of school. Any questions, class?"

Among mutters from the entire classroom, the other faculty included, Andor glared at me, outraged. "What did you say, hybrid?"

I grinned wildly. "You heard what I said, purebred. Your precious Yngrus over there is a bully and a fraud. That almost fine illusion was mine, as was the illusion that made you think Yngrus over there was the real perpetrator. You all believed it, so I passed."

During my little speech, Yngrus had turned as red as a tomato. "It was my illusion. You can't just try to claim my work like this. It isn't fair." Does he even hear himself right now?

Andor took the Huethor-blessed bully's side. "It was clearly the work of the boy. Would you all really believe the word of a mere hybrid over mine?" The rest of the faculty murmured again, some agreeing with the outspoken teacher, some pointing out that now I was the one who looked exhausted and sweaty now while Yngrus looked perfectly fine.

What are they, sheep? If this is what the unseelie, known for their open mindedness, staff is like, I don't want to know what the rest are like.

"What if we have a little test? Right here, right now," I proposed, effectively regaining control of the conversation. "I can cast the illusion again, this time making it seem as if the room had turned upside down for everyone, since I won't be simultaneously making it seem as if someone else was casting it. Yngrus can attempt to do it as well. The most realistic illusionist wins."

Andor looked as if she was about to object, but one of the other faculty members shushed her. "You're not the only one who has a say in this matter, Dolnen. The rest of us think the girl's plan is reasonable. Put your xenophobia aside for a change." Well, I like her.

Andor glared at the woman who spoke up. "Fine. But the hybrid goes second," she gritted out. When the woman looked at me for my opinion, I shrugged. It doesn't matter who goes first. I'm going to win.

The woman gestured towards Yngrus, signalling him to start. The bully shut his eyes tightly, stuck his arms out as far as he could, and began weaving his illusion. In a manner of seconds, it seemed as though the room had been flipped. There was no jostling, no shift in gravity, no warning. We were just, on the roof in a flash, with no reason.

He did get the detailing in the roof right, I have to give him that. His energy must have run out, because the illusion crumbled before our eyes. The carefully built walls and upside down roof supports shimmered into the bleachers and stage.

Clearly disheartened, Andor still tried to argue in Yngrus's favor. "That was very skilled. He must be tired from the last illusion. After all, there's no way a hybrid can outmatch a true unseelie."

The woman from before shot Andor a disgusted look. "I need to talk to Nyletak about educating his staff better." She smiled kindly at me. "Go on, girl. Show us what you've got."

Taking a deep breath, I shook my arms out and placed them squarely in front of me. For an illusion of this magnitude, I would need a strong base. Luckily, I could call upon the shadows for a little help. I wove my illusion, carefully shaping the threads, and leaving shadow where I could. Then, I willed it to life.

The room began to shake, the tremors growing more powerful by the second. Dust and cobwebs were knocked off the ceiling as students and faculty alike fell to the ground. Slowly, the classroom began to tilt, and everyone felt themselves being pitched against the wall. As its speed quickened, people began clinging to what they could, but others slid down what used to be the wall.

About three quarters of the class made it to the floor, what was once the roof, when the room stopped rotating with a loud groan. The remaining quarter dangled from seats and the edge of the stage. Those of us who weren't dangling looked around our new floor. Hm. I did good with this one.

When I was planning this part, I took into account how little I knew about the layout of the roof. The slow turning of the room helped me deal with the light problem, allowing me to use more shadows than I otherwise would have been able to do, and created a rationalization for why everyone was magically upside down, as irrational as it may seem.

I waited long enough for everyone to get a look around, really start believing they were on the roof, before I triggered the second part of my illusion. The walls and floor rumbled, and the room continued to turn.

I managed to make it seem as if everyone was on the floor safely before breaking the illusion, exhausted. Phew, that was quite the magical workout.

Panting, I looked to the faculty for my final judgement. Andor opened her mouth as if to say something, but the woman who had taken my side stomped on her foot. "Congratulations girl, you've partially graduated. Class is dismissed. The rest of you faculty, disperse please, I dare say this has been enough adventure for us today." She shooed them all away before turning to Yngrus. "You, come with me. We need to have a little talk with Headmaster Nyletak. You too, girl. I am not going to be the one explaining this situation to him." That's fair.

I followed most of the faculty out, but stopped to wait by the door with Yngrus as the woman started speaking sternly to Andor. It looks like I dodged an arrow there. Having Andor as a teacher would not have gone well. For anyone.

Our little trio walked to the headmaster's office in silence. I spent most of the walk coming up with ways to get out of any potential trouble. I just had to help my fellow classmate from being bullied by him. No, sir, it was just a coincidence that I put him in a negative role in my Prank shortly after. Yes, sir, it truly was my idea. No, sir, I had no intention of being disrespectful. And so on and so forth.

When we got to Nyletak's office, it was surprisingly normal. I had expected a den of penguin memorabilia and other random artifacts, but it was surprisingly plain. There was a plain black chair and desk, a book rack filled with books, and a large painting of what looked like a thick black line on it hanging behind the desk. Must be some obscure art form that Nyletak is into.

Curious, I inspected the painting, taking note of the fine lines making up the large line. They almost look like, no, it can't be.

I stepped back and looked at the painting from afar. Huethor's bow, it is. Staring me straight in the face, was the likeness of a perfect right eyebrow.

"Yes, that was me in my glory days. Back when Armo was still with me. I mourn him every day." I yelped. When did he get there? "Don't worry Rin, I tend to get the drop on most people, so don't be too worried. Your skills aren't slipping."

The woman said, "Headmaster Nyletak, Rin and Yngrus here had a little confrontation with some strange results."

The eyebrow lifted. "Oh?"

Yngrus broke at that, explaining how I had played my Prank, and turned him into the butt of my joke. He neatly avoided the context, and made me out to be the bad guy quite well. Impressive. A solid wriggle out of trouble. Props to you, turd. Luckily, Nyletak let me explain my side as well, and I made sure to give plenty of context.

In the end, Yngrus was given detention every weekend for the next three months where Nyletak would be lecturing him about kindness, and I cut down my work load, partially graduated, and didn't have to attend the class for my unseelie powers anymore. All's well that ends well, I suppose.