Cassie

I woke to the soft glow of morning light filtering through the heavy curtains, casting long shadows across the unfamiliar room. For a moment, I sat still, my heart pounding in my chest as my mind scrambled to make sense of my surroundings. The bed was too soft, and the sheets didn't have that familiar vanilla scent. Then, like the slow unraveling of a dream, it all came rushing back. My parents abandoned me. I sat up and took in the room - the antique furniture, the shelves with strange looking objects, the dark wood paneling. This was my new reality. The door to the room creaked open, and Sophie stepped inside, her face bright. 

"Morning, Cassie. How'd you sleep?" she asked, her voice cheerful as if we'd been old friends. 

I managed a small smile, still disorientated. 

"Okay, I guess."

Before I could say anything else, my gaze caught something that almost caused me to collapse. Sophie reached her hand out towards the chair where she draped her sweater the night before, and to my disbelief, the sweater floated into the air, gliding across the room until it settled into her outstretched hand.

I scooted back on the bed as if cowering from an attacking snake, my heart racing. 

"How... how did you do that?" 

Sophie glanced at me with a puzzled expression. 

"You're kidding, right?" 

"No," I replied, my voice edged with panic. "I was about to ask you the same thing."

Sophie's eyes went wide, and she gasped, her hand flying to her mouth as though she had just realized something significant. 

"You don't know," she whispered, almost to herself, before quickly lowering her hand. "You don't know, do you?"

"Know what?" I asked, panic buzzing through my veins. 

She hesitated for a moment before leaning in further, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. 

"This is a school for magic." 

I stared at her, the words not fully registering. Then a burst of incredulous laughter escaped my lips. 

"Magic? You mean like this is a school for magicians?" I asked, still laughing at the absurdity of it all. 

But Sophie didn't join in. Her expression remained serious, even slightly offended. 

"Not magicians," she corrected gently. "We prefer the term spellcasters."

My laughter died away as I saw the earnestness in Sophie's eyes. 

"This has to be a dream," I muttered, shaking my head as if trying to wake myself up. "Magic isn't real."

Sophie tilted her head, her eyes narrowing with skepticism. 

"You've never done magic before? Not even by accident?"

"No," I insisted, feeling frustration. "Because it's not real." 

"You wouldn't be here if you weren't a spellcaster," she said. "The headmistress would have never let you in." I didn't say anything, just sat there. Sophie watched me, her expression softening. "I know it's a lot to take in, but I promise it's real. You're here because you have magic, even if you don't know it yet."

As I walked with Sophie walked through the labyrinth hallways of the school. The sound of our footsteps echoed off the stone walls, mingling with the low hum of the other students. The ancient hallways were alive with energy, filled with the excitement of students preparing for their first class of the day. I tried to focus on where Sophie was leading me, but my mind kept drifting, overwhelmed by the surrealness of the situation. Everywhere I looked, I felt eyes on me. Students paused mid-conversation to glance my way. I felt like a lab rat being scrutinized. Whispers followed me. A quiet murmur rippled through the crowd as we passed by. 

"Don't worry," Sophie said, noticing my discomfort. "We haven't had anyone new in a while, so everyone is curious. The attention will blow over soon enough." 

I nodded, though it didn't ease my discomfort. As we continued down the hallway, something caught my eye and I choked on my breath. A group of students caught my eye as they gathered in a loose circle, laughing. But what held my attention was the fact that one guy in the group was casually playing with a small flame that hovered above his hand. My steps faltered, eyes widening as I watched the firebolt float in the air, its orange and red hues flickering and swirling like a living creature. The boy flicked his wrist, and the flame responded, twirling around his hand as if he was a magnet. Another student was creating small gusts of wind, sending them spiraling around the flame, making it dance wildly. My heart hammered against my chest like an engine as I tried to process what I was seeing. I had grown up in a world where magic was nothing more than fantasy, something confined to the pages of books or movie screens. But here it was, as tangible as the linoleum beneath my feet. 

"They're just messing around with elemental magic," Sophie said, following my gaze. "That's a basic spell once you get the hang of it." 

I blinked, unable to take my eyes off the flame. 

"That's basic?" 

She smiled, clearly enjoying my surprise. 

"You'll get used to it. Soon you'll be doing that too."

The flame continued to twist and coil above his hand, a fiery serpent under his control. It became too much - the school, the magic, the idea I may belong in this world. 

"Come on," Sophie said, touching my arm to bring me back to the present. "Let's find out your element." 

"My what?" 

She giggled. 

"We can explain it all soon." 

My mind remained fixed on what I'd witnessed. The impossible had become reality, and I wasn't sure whether to believe this. 

I followed Sophie into a classroom, my eyes widening as I took in the strange assortment of objects littering the room. There were vials of colorful liquids, some bubbling, others glowing with an eerie luminescence. Various magical instruments cluttered the space - crystal pendulums, compasses that spun in lazy circles, and peculiar stones that seemed to pulse with an inner light. The room vibrated with an unfamiliar energy that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. 

A woman stood at the front, her presence commanding despite her compact frame. She had sharp eyes and hair that flowed in dark, unruly waves. 

"Cassie," she said, her voice soft and her smile welcoming. "I've been expecting you."

I blinked in surprise. 

"How do you know my name?" 

Sophie grinned beside me.

"This is Professor Amara. She helps students find their elemental power." 

"Elemental power?" 

Professor Amara nodded. 

"Each spellcaster can draw magic from all the elements, but there is one that is most dominant in them, their natural attunement. Some rare students are even gifted with two predominant elements." 

My skepticism deepened. 

"How do you figure that out?" 

The professor's smile widened, as if that was the question she'd been waiting for. She reached for a glass orb that rested on a nearby table and cradled it in her hands. It looked like a crystal ball, but as she held it, faint tendrils of light swirled within it. 

"It's quite simple," Professor Amara explained. "This orb reacts to the magic within you. When you hold it, it will light up in the corresponding color to your dominant element." 

I became more skeptical. 

"It won't light up. I don't have any magic." 

The professor's eyes twinkled with knowing amusement. 

"I am certain you do." She said, extending the orb toward me. "Go on. Hold it in both hands." 

I hesitated, a mix of fear and apprehension bubbled inside of me. 

"Try it." Sophie said with an encouraging nudge. 

I sighed and reached out to take it, feeling its cool surface against my palms. Second passed as I waited for something to happen, but nothing. I raised a brow, ready to say I told you so, when suddenly, the orb swirled with color. Deep crimson tendrils bloomed from the center, spreading like wildfire until the entire orb glowed a vibrant red. Professor Amara's face lit up with delight.

"Fire," she said with a wide smile. "You're fire attuned."

I stared at the orb, my heart hammering. My mouth opened, but no words came out. Sophie clapped her hands. 

"This is amazing. I'm air attuned, which means we're elemental partners. We'll make a great team."

I glanced between Sophie and the professor, unable to muster any emotion, before I thrust the orb back in the professor's hands. 

"There's been a mistake. I'm not meant to be here."

Before either of them could respond, I turned and bolted out of the classroom, ignoring their calls for me to come back. My breath quickened, panic rising like bile as I raced down the hallway. It was all too much information. Lost in my thoughts, I rounded the corner and slammed into someone. I stumbled back, my breath knocked out of me, and looked up, ready to apologize. My words caught in my throat when I took him in. 

He had a youthful, almost boyish charm, with tousled brown hair that looked like the wind had carelessly styled it. With fair and smooth skin, his complexion would easily flush in the cold. His dark green eyes held a gentle warmth and his face, with its sharp cheekbones and angled jawline, seemed to rest in perpetual ease. His eyes widened, and he recoiled in surprise. I wasn't in the mood to question him. 

"I'm sorry." I said, sidestepping him. 

I kept running, ignoring his eyes following me, until I burst out of the school's heavy doors and into the crisp morning air. When I reached the edge of the courtyard, I stopped, glancing at the medieval towers looming over me like a dark sentinel. I doubled over, hands on my knees, trying to catch my breath as my mind raced. My entire world had just turned upside down, and I do not know how to make sense of it.