"You what?" Dani screeched, turning more than a few heads in their direction. Lilly flinched at the attention and gave Dani a signal to quiet down. "Sorry, you what?" She repeated in a harsh whisper, though it wasn't much of an improvement.

"It was unbelievably disturbing," Lilly had explained the whole ordeal the moment she found Dani. Still reeling from the new development, and she had no idea what to do. "Apparently, I'm not completely human."

"Well you're still smoking hot, so I don't think that's gonna turn anyone away. Unless you have a tail I don't know about."

"I don't have a tail!" Lilly rolled her eyes and gripped her coffee mug tightly in hopes that the warmth would soothe her raw nerves. "How can you be so cavalier about this whole thing?"

"You don't grow up with a Magician mother without seeing some messed up shit. If it makes you feel any better, your discipline is way cooler than mine, all I do is see auras."

"You're a Psychic then?" Lilly hadn't even asked where Dani had been placed. She was too caught up in her own drama to think about it.

"Yup, it's really not that great, I'd much rather be an Illusionist with you."

"So, what's my aura like?" Dani sighed dramatically but smiled. She observed the woman across from her with squinted eyes. She wasn't looking at Lilly per se but through her.

"It's very bright, which means your energy is strong. The core of your aura is a light yellow, indicating a playful, lighthearted demeanor- which I can say is pretty accurate. You're in the process of spiritual enlightenment or growth." Dani's brows furrowed, "you have a fear of loss, most likely regarding death. You don't want to be alone in this world. It fades into a yellow-green towards the edges, but the outermost ring is a royal blue. You're a communicator in relationships, often the peacemaker. You're kind and generous, but struggle with giving yourself to others."

"Wow," Lilly sat back in her chair, "you got all that from my aura?" Dani blinked, seeming to come back to her senses.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to psychoanalyze you, it just happens sometimes," Dani's cheeks warmed with embarrassment.

"Well, now I'm seriously jealous of your discipline. It's much cooler than mine," despite her state Lilly managed a small laugh though it was half hearted.

"Oh, come on! It's not like it's the end of the world, stop moping! You've got some kick-ass powers that I'm sure everyone here would kill for." Lilly knew she was right, she should be taking this as a gift, a challenge, instead of running in the opposite direction. "As much as I'd love to talk more about your magical creatureness, I have to go find the Psychic's clubhouse and start moving in. Talk to you later?" Lilly nodded as Dani stood and slid the strap of her bag over her shoulder. Lilly stood as well, figuring she would do the same and find the Illusionist clubhouse to get her room sorted out before tonight.

She'd never seen a castle on the school grounds before and it didn't sound like something she could miss. Her head was still spinning from her meeting with Eliza and all the information that'd been hurled at her. First of all, she was being put in an Occlumency class with Penny, which was sure to give her a headache. Then, they dumped the truth of her being a 'Shifter' on her. This school wasn't at all what she thought it would be, and she didn't quite know what to do. But, no matter how bad things got, there was no returning to her life before magic.

When she arrived at the west side of campus, she was met with an empty cliffside overlooking the ocean. She hadn't gone this far in her exploration and found the spot to be quite relaxing compared to the rest of the school. Though it may have been tranquil, there was still no sign of the Illusionist's clubhouse and there were only a few hours left before nightfall. Lilly combed the skyline for any sign of a castle with no result. Something wasn't right. She was missing something. She had the feeling it was staring her right in the face. Back where she began, she overlooked the ocean waves while she racked her brain for a solution.

'Illusionists live in a castle on the west side of campus by the ocean,' Lilly replayed Professor Sunderland's words in her mind as she paced back and forth in the green grass. Here she was, on the west side of campus by the ocean, but no castle. She was beginning to think that the professor was playing a trick on her. It wouldn't be the first time the faculty messed with the students, though that was usually Dean Fogg's area of expertise. She must be missing something, but what?

"Need some help?" Lilly almost jumped out of her skin at the voice behind her. A tall, very handsome young man, with short dark hair, stood a few paces away, a grin quirking his lips as he watched her.

"Is it that obvious?"

"Kinda," he chuckled and Lilly groaned in embarrassment, "but don't worry, everyone has trouble."

"I'm Thomas," He extended a hand and Lilly shook it lightly. His hand was warm and practically swallowed hers whole.

"Lilly," she smiled in an attempt to recover, "are you an Illusionist?"

"Yeah, third year," Lilly's eyes traveled from his to the treeline. As friendly and attractive as Thomas was, she had a castle to find. "Illusionists are famous for manipulating our perception of the world. We can make mirages appear in the middle of a city, distort reflections, recreate our very appearance, even vanish. If you really are an Illusionist, then you need to start thinking like one."

'...there is a reason why they are called Illusionists, Lilly.'

That's when it hit her. It had quite literally been in front of her the whole time. She squinted at the grassy field, searching the air for anything abnormal. Sure enough, her eyes caught on a slight shimmer to her right. If she hadn't been looking for it, she would have passed over the spot completely. The patch of air was iridescent, swirling like gasoline in water, and even now that she found it, she had to focus her eyes to make it out. Lilly brought her fingers together and began conjuring up a revealing spell. She created a small window between her thumb and index finger and peered through it to find a magnificent, bannerless, spiral staircase right in the middle of the previously empty field. The problem was that the staircase wound up into empty air, no door or hint of a structure to be found.

"There you go," Thomas grinned proudly, and she couldn't help the jolt of pride from his look.

"I would've figured it out anyway if you hadn't helped," Lilly tried to appear nonchalant, though the excitement seeped through in her eyes.

"I don't doubt that. I just couldn't help but jump at the chance to impress you," he grinned cheekily, now blatantly flirting, "and since I just broke the first rule of fight club for you, I think you owe me a drink." He winked at her before walking into the middle of the field and sprinting up the invisible staircase blindly. From where she stood, gaping, he appeared to be standing in mid-air, "I'll see you in there!" He called, before disappearing altogether. Lilly shook her head at the absurdity of it all.

A spark of curiosity pushed her towards the staircase. Keeping one eye trained on the structure through her revealing charm, she reached out towards the closest step, half expecting her hand to pass right through it. She was relieved when she felt the smooth, cold stone beneath her fingertips. She carefully ascended the spiral staircase, for fear of falling to her death. The sun had begun to set, and she most likely only had a few minutes of daylight left. When she finally reached the last step, she extended her hand tentatively for any other hints. Lilly's palm hit something solid a few inches in front of her.

Even through the small window between her fingers, she couldn't see a door. She fumbled with the invisible wall, dragging her fingertips across what felt like wood. She let out a squeal of excitement when her hand caught on a piece of metal- unmistakably a door handle. Lilly swung open the invisible door and was immediately showered in the golden glow of candlelight. It was a shocking sight to see, a rectangle seemingly cut out of reality, a gateway to another world entirely. Through the door, there was an expansive sitting area, illuminated by hundreds of dripping candles, some even floating.

The deep thrumming of music met her ears, and she could see other students milling about. Lilly poked her head around the side of the archway, seeing nothing but empty air. She shouldn't have been surprised by the scene, stranger things had happened, especially when there was magic involved. Her foot crossed the threshold, greeted by the expansive stone interior of the Illusionist's Castle. A grand staircase wound its way up into what Lilly assumed was one of the castle's towers, allowing access to each floor, and there must've been at least eight.

A large sitting area was set up to her left with scattered couches and armchairs in front of a giant, roaring fireplace. An old-fashioned record player blasted a Drake song, which seemed a bit out of place in the medieval setting. To her right, through a luxurious archway, was a set of long dining tables, presenting a feast with enough food to feed an army. Lilly recognized a few of the students lounged in the chairs from her classes, but many were unknown to her. A brilliant smile crossed her lips when she caught sight Alex across the room from her, leaning against the wall and chatting with a dark-haired girl. He looked up and waved her over to join him.

"So, you're an Illusionist too," he pulled Lilly in for an excited hug and handed her a drink, "you lucked out."

"Yeah, this is quite the clubhouse," she continued to examine the castle in awe. This would be her home for the next three years.

"It's a big step up from those horrible dorms, and you don't have to deal with Ava anymore," Lilly raised her glass towards the vaulted ceilings.

"I'll drink to that."

"Where'd Dani end up? I haven't seen her since this morning," Alex asked, pulling her over to an empty window seat overlooking the crashing waves below.

"Psychic, not too excited about it, she wanted to be in something cooler. Aura sight is pretty damn cool though," Alex nodded in agreement, sipping his drink. "I wish I knew where Quentin and Alice ended up. I knew he wouldn't be an Illusionist, he can't lie to save his life." Thomas walked towards them and slung an arm casually around Alex's shoulder, his attention trained on Lilly.

"Hey, little brother, who's your friend?" Lilly looked back and forth between the two redheads with wide eyes. How had she missed that? Now that she saw them side by side, it was obvious they were related.

"This is Lilly," Alex rolled his eyes at Thomas's obvious interest in his friend, "Lilly, this is my brother, Thomas, the one I told you about," Lilly smiled politely as if they hadn't met five minutes ago.

"It's nice to meet you, Thomas," she extended her hand for another handshake.

"The pleasure is all mine," Thomas released his brother and placed a light kiss upon Lilly's hand instead. Alex scoffed, pulling his brother back by the collar of his shirt with an amused smile. Their playful nature was a family trait and Thomas's flirting was all in good fun. The girl Alex had been talking to when Lilly arrived waved him over to a game of beer pong, and he nodded enthusiastically.

"Shawna's calling me," he started towards her, leaving Lilly and Thomas on their own, "behave yourself," he shot his brother a mock warning look.

"So, you knew who I was, didn't you?" Lilly's tone was more amused than accusing.

"Guilty," he raised his hands above his shoulders defensively, one holding a bottle of beer. "I've seen you hanging out with Lex, though I would've helped you anyways."

"Well, thank you," Lilly smiled and set her sights on his beer. She raised her free hand and executed the correct pattern for a refill spell. The bottle, once half-empty filled itself to the rim, "I owed you a drink, right?"

"Your debt is paid," Thomas grinned appreciatively as Lilly took a sip from her cup and scanned the crowd of partiers. Lilly mingled for a bit, meeting the other Illusionists and getting comfortable in her new home. She met a few second years and was greeted by the upperclassmen.

Thomas and a gorgeous dark-haired woman named, Kenna Dorsey, were the ones to announce that dinner was served. There were about fifty Illusionists in total, all spread out amongst the long tables in the dining area. Lilly and Alex chatted with their surrounding peers as they ate the decadent meal. The whole scenario reminded her of Harry Potter and the countless feasts in the great hall.

A few people at the end of the table had begun a drinking game, which made quite the ruckus. They shouted and cheered deafeningly when someone crashed their empty glass down on the table. Once everyone had relaxed and chatted for a while, they were interrupted by the clinking of metal on glass. Thomas and Kenna had stood from their spots at the end of the table to make a speech. The dining hall quieted to a dull murmur as Kenna began to speak.

"Welcome, everyone!" The tables cheered for her, and she smiled like a queen at her subjects, "I would like to make a toast to the newbies we have joining us tonight." Looking around it wasn't hard to identify them, they all stuck out like a sore thumb. Lilly was sure she did as well, which made her shrink in on herself slightly. "Being an Illusionist is about more than just fucking with people's perception, it's about allowing yourself to become the illusion," Thomas cut in to continue the speech, placing a hand on Kenna's shoulder. It was pretty obvious that they were close, though it didn't seem like they were dating.

"We don't just create illusions, we are the illusions. The Illusions discipline is probably the best discipline. Who am I kidding? It is the best." The room erupted in cheers and the newbies all smiled at their enthusiasm. "Your discipline group is pretty much like your family and family sticks together. We will be there to help you reach new heights, achieve your goals, and show the other disciplines whose boss!" Another round of hoots and hollers and Kenna picked up the speech again.

"Now that we have all the inspirational shit out of the way, Thomas and I are the heads of house. If you need guidance or have a question, come to one of us. Outsiders are allowed to visit but must be accompanied by one of us, or they won't be able to find the entrance. It is pretty funny to watch them struggle though," Kenna smiled mischievously and raised her glass. The rest of the room followed suit, "to the newbies!" Thomas and Kenna sat back down and the room was filled with life once more. Lilly hadn't had that much fun in a long time. They were up until the early hours of the morning, drinking, dancing, and casting insane party tricks. Alex and Thomas kept her endlessly entertained, if she wasn't with one, she was with the other.

It wasn't until about four in the morning that Lilly and Alex stumbled their way up the winding staircase to their rooms. Lilly dropped him off on the third floor, before traveling the rest of the way up the stairs to her tower room. It was one of the best rooms in the castle and Lilly knew why as soon as she pushed open the heavy door.

The stone walls were rounded in the corner, ceilings were arched with an ornate candle chandelier hanging down from above. A rich blue velvet couch was positioned in front of a small fireplace, with a golden tray of even more candles placed on a dark wood chest doubling as a coffee table. The four-poster, queen-sized bed was front and center when she opened the door, made up with a pleasant blue bed set which matched the couch.

The cream curtains around the bed had been tied up to the posts, allowing Lilly a clear view of the plush decorative pillows. Her favorite element was the window seat to the left which overlooked the magnificent sea and even part of the Brakebills campus. The furniture in her room was from her now-empty New York apartment, but it seemed to fit perfectly in the space as if it had been made for it. Lilly managed to haul her exhausted body into bed, savoring the soft blankets cocooned around her. She breathed deeply and let the calming roar of ocean waves lull her to sleep.