Alex gulped. It had been ages since she'd gone for wizard training, but she knew that she needed to go back. As soon as she entered the room, she regretted it. It got too quiet and everybody's eyes were on her.
"I…um…I…wanted to…uh…start wizard training again, Dad, uh…if that's okay with you, I mean…um…yeah," she mumbled, looking down.
To her surprise, a grin spread on Jerry's face. "Of course! Alex, come on in! You've missed a lot, honey, but it's okay, you were always very quick with magic, you'll catch up. Now hurry up, sit down, we're getting started."
Alex hesitantly walked over to a stool and sat down. She could tell that Justin was ignoring her, but Max seemed to be sizing her up. "What happened in your room, Alex? Did you find a fat suit and put it on or something?" he whispered, careful to not let Jerry hear.
Alex sighed angrily. She should have expected this from Max. But she couldn't cast a spell on him. With her magic untrained and unused for so long, she could end up killing him. Not that she would mind, but her dad might blow his top. She decided that she might as well threaten Max. "No, Max, but if you annoy me one more time, I just might sit on you, so shut up!" she whispered back.
Max turned his attention to his dad. Yup, she might have gained a lot of weight, but she was still Alex.
"Now, then, Alex, why don't you come up here and turn this table into a cup?" Jerry called, turning to Alex.
Alex was caught by surprise. "Um, Dad, I don't know if I…um…" She walked up to her dad and whispered in his ear, "I think I might have lost my powers—or they're not working, I don't know which one."
Jerry's eyes widened in shock. "Well, okay. Um…guys?" he said, turning to the boys, "Let's end class early today."
Justin flashed Alex a dirty look. "But we just started, like, five minutes ago!" he complained.
Alex rolled her eyes. Her brother was probably the only person in the universe who would complain about not having wizard training.
"Listen, Justin. We can always have a makeup class. This is important. Alex and I have something serious to discuss." Jerry replied.
Justin gave another dirty look to Alex, but this time, he didn't take his eyes away. "Congratulations. Just another thing in my life you had to destroy." He said.
Alex shot a dirty look right back at him. "C'mon, Justin. It's one lesson. There'll be plenty more. Don't be such a nerd."
Justin smirked. "In the words of your ex-best friend, don't be such a bitch." He retorted.
"Hey, hey! Watch your language, Justin." Jerry said, looking around. "Your mom can hear us."
"At least I'm a bitch who's got a life." Alex snapped back.
"What life?" Justin said, snickering. "You have no friends, you're fat, and you're invisible at school. Alex, you know, it seems like we've completely switched lives. Now I'm more popular and get more dates. The only thing, Alex, is that I still make good grades. You've met that mark now, but you've lost everything else." Justin stood up. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to leave my rudely interrupted wizard training class, which I actually enjoy." Justin walked out of the room.
Alex didn't react to anything Justin said, even though she knew it was true. She had played it over in her mind too many times to care.
Max hopped up. "Hey, Alex, forget about Justin. He's being a jerk." He said. Alex smiled. At least one of her siblings cared about her. "He doesn't appreciate the value of free time. Disturb as many wizard training classes as you want. I don't mind." He finished, walking out of the room. Alex sighed. So much for Max loving her.
"So," Jerry started, turning to Alex. "When did you notice your powers were gone?"
Alex sighed. "Yesterday," she said, sitting down. "I tried to cast a spell—yeah, it was horribly worded, but it should have worked. Does this happen a lot?"
"Alex, I want you to know that magic is a special gift. You need to treasure it and treat it with respect. It's a part of your soul, and, believe it or not, it has a mind of its own. If it sees that you're not using it at all, then, it can leave you. Forever." Jerry said, sitting down next to her.
"What?" Alex cried. "There has to be some way to get my magic back."
Jerry sighed, looking to the floor. "I'm sorry, Honey, but if that spell didn't work yesterday, then there is a large chance that your magic has left you. And in the wizard world, magic just doesn't come back once it's left."
Alex was shocked. She could feel tears in her eyes. She didn't want to believe it, but she had lost her magic forever.
