The Good, the Bad, and the Well-Intentioned

Summary: After the incident with Stevie, Alex wonders if ending wizard competitions would really be so wrong. Post-The Good, the Bad, and the Alex.

Okay now, how do I use this thing?

I stare at the dictionary in my hands for a long moment, unsure if I want to put myself through the headache of actually looking something up. But, I did go through the trouble of stealing it from Justin's room. Might as well try it.

With only some difficulty, I skim the "E's" until I find the word I'm looking up. Happy that I actually spotted it, I underline it with one of my colored pencils so I don't lose it. However, I'm dismayed to see there's a paragraph of definitions for just the one little word. Since the text is so small that it would probably give me that headache I'm trying to avoid, I stick to the first line.

"'Evil,'" I read aloud. "'Morally...reprehensible'?"

Great, now I have to look up 'reprehensible.' No wonder I don't read.

Rather than look up yet another word, I stick to this one. "'Sinful, wicked'..." I mutter as I scan the paragraph. "'Causing harm.'"

There's the argument I'm looking for. Stevie hadn't intended to cause harm, so was she really evil?

The question had been bugging me ever since I found out about Stevie's revolution. Naturally, my first instinct had been to plot against her and bring her down, because that was the obvious right thing to do. But...usually, the right thing isn't so obvious. I'm practically the expert on that subject, as I cross the fine line between good and bad all the time.

With my own questionable past in mind, I have to wonder if getting rid of wizard competitions would have been"evil," as my brother had been quick to label. Of course he would, since to him, the rules are always right. However, I believe that the rules are meant to be broken.

So...who's to say that Stevie's revolution was "wrong" or "bad" or "evil"? In theory, would every wizard keeping his or her powers be so bad? Though I've tried to all day, I can't think of a single argument against it. I mean, if Stevie had been trying to take over the wizard world by promising that her followers get to keep their powers, I'd understand the evilness of the plan. But she hadn't. All she wanted was to keep the powers she had been born with.

That doesn't seem so bad to me.

When Justin, Max and I first started wizard training, Dad told us about the competition. I'd asked why. He'd explained that only the smartest and the strongest deserve to keep their powers. It hadn't really made sense to me back then. Why does the Wizard Council get to decide who's worthy enough to have magic? If wizards are born with powers, don't we have a right to keep them, and let natural selection do the rest?

That's right, I use the phrase "natural selection." I know some things.

Then there's the actual competition itself. Thanks to Dad and Megan, I've seen first-hand what it does to siblings. How can something that causes so much pain be right? It doesn't make sense to sacrifice families for the sake of keeping magic strong. At least, it doesn't to me.

But most of all, I think of my own situation. Stevie said there was a slim chance of winning, but because of what happened in Puerto Rico, I know better. I can win the competition. But then I think of how devastated Justin will be if he loses. He might even resent me for it. If I had really joined Stevie's revolution, that's why I would have done it. Losing my powers, I can handle that. Losing my brothers, not so much.

There's a knock at my room's door, and I look up from the still-open dictionary. It's Justin, and he looks nervous. Which is weird, since I'm the one with his stolen property in my hands. "What's up, bro?" I ask casually, hoping he doesn't notice.

"Hey Alex," he says as he absentmindedly scratches the back of his neck. "I've been doing some thinking, and uh...I wanted to apologize."

Ah, no wonder he's so squeamish. The thought of actually apologizing to his screw-up sister probably makes him want to vomit. "For?" I ask innocently. Of course I know what it's for. But I want to make him say it.

"I...guess it was wrong of me...to not believe in you," he mutters. "I mean, you do the wrong thing a lot of the time, but I should have known that with something as big as this was, you'd come through. You always do with the big stuff. I'm sorry."

I'm mildly surprised, as it's more of an apology than I expected. "Well, you should be sorry," I retort. Then I soften my voice. "But thanks, Justin. I appreciate that."

He's about to walk away, but my moral dilemma is bothering me so much that I want someone else's opinion. "Hey, Justin?" He turns around, curious. "Would it really be so bad if all wizards got to keep their powers?"

Confusion overcomes his face, and he looks at me like I've just asked a stupid question. "Of course," he says, confident. "There would be chaos! Tons of wizards wouldn't be capable enough to use their powers responsibly. Magic is something you have to earn."

I realize I'm disappointed that Justin is so brainwashed by the Wizard Council. Then again, I really shouldn't be so surprised. "Right," I say, then let out a long sigh. "I figured you'd see it that way."

His brow is creased with worry. I've alarmed him now. "Look, Alex, I guess it makes sense you'd be a little confused after hearing Stevie's arguments," he says. "But you do realize she was wrong to try and do what she did, right?"

"Yeah, yeah, I get it," I say with a dismissive wave of my hand. "Never mind. Just thought I'd get your opinion on the subject." There's a teasing smirk on my face. "Now I'm regretting it, as usual."

Justin scoffs. "You just don't like listening to someone who's right..." He trails off when he notices the book in my hand. "Alex, are you using a dictionary?" He leans in to examine it. "Wait, that's my dictionary! Alex!" Though he rushes over to grab the book from me, he stops. "You know what, keep it. Maybe you'll actually learn some words that are at a tenth grade reading level."

"Ha, ha, ha," I remark, then toss the book at him. "Here, take it. I'm done anyway." I smile with satisfaction when he fumbles and the book falls to the floor, which he picks up.

On the way out the door again, he pauses when he notices the highlighted word "Alex, you stole a dictionary to look up the word 'evil'?" There's an incredulous, yet somewhat amused, look on his face.

Glad that he noticed, I give him a cheeky grin. "I have a soft spot for irony."