Chapter 5

The Delicate Process

The day had miserably dragged on. The idiots continued to harass me for the remainder of the school day and after a while, I decided to just stay quiet and let them ramble on. It was the best and most freeing feeling in the world when school let out for the day. Stepping out of the stale air of the public school and into the semi-fresh air of the urban streets was an improvement to say the very least. Students from my class rushed to hop onto the afternoon bus, but I opted to ride my broom home instead.

Bypassing the bus, Fanboy and Chum Chum seemed to gasp when they noticed me walking away from the transportation.

"HEY KYLE! KYLE! KYLE!" They called out to me. "THE BUS IS THIS WAY, KYLE! YOU'RE GONNA MISS THE BUS KYLE! KYLE!"'

"My goodness, they're obnoxious..." My Necronomicon commented under my arm. I rolled my eyes.

"What? You've only just noticed?" I groaned. "I don't think I can take another day of this."

"I don't think I've ever heard people speak so loudly when they're right beside you!"

"First time for everything, I suppose. And last time too. I'm finished with this school."

"Wait, already?" The book questioned me. "So soon? This has only been your first day."

"I've had enough already." I sighed, pausing at the curb to conjure my broom. "I just...I don't know..."

"What's on your mind?"

"Truthfully? Milkweed."

"I see..."

"I didn't think I cared for the place anymore." I admitted. "In fact, I felt like the academy was the reason my life was in shambles. Now that I'm here though, I don't feel as though things have gotten any better. I'm still stressed, just in a different way. And to top it all off, I miss magic. I just don't know about the...normalcy of this life here."

"But how can you be so sure so soon?" My Necronomicon asked me as I climbed aboard my broomstick. "I think you should give it at least a week."

"A week? Do you really think s—?"

"KYLE! WHATCHA DOING ON THAT BROOM LIKE THAT?!"

I jumped when I heard my name suddenly called out on the street. Snapping my neck around to look behind me, I watched as the green and orange idiots approached me quickly after Fanboy had shouted out to catch my attention. For the love of me, I don't know why they opted to skip out on their bus ride home just to follow me.

"You look funny!" Chum Chum giggled, finally catching up to me. He pulled at the end of my broom and managed to pluck out some of the birch bristles. I found that disrespectful. Brooms like these were expensive in the realm, though mine wasn't a high end model. They were hand crafted by skilled witches and coveted items for most of the occult.

"HEY! Don't do that!" I gasped, turning my body so the end was away from them both. Chum Chum only followed the end of it to pluck yet another twig. "Will you just leave me be?! I'm trying to get home!"

"On a broom? How?" Fanboy laughed. "You're a quirky guy, Kyle."

"I'm not having this conversation again..." I mumbled, mainly to myself. Turning back around, I took a running start before taking off into the sky. I didn't care if anyone in the area saw me, I just wanted to get away. I'd had enough. Behind me, I heard the boys gasp. I spotted them chasing after me from below and honestly had a good laugh about that. Just plain stupid. I was instantly relieved when I'd lost them after flying over a thread of buildings. I felt like I could breathe again.

When I arrived home, I quickly pushed myself into the building, through the short lobby and into my flat. My broom was poofed away at the door and I finally released my book of the dead to do as it pleased. I set my backpack on the coffee table in the living room and searched through it. I needed my crystal ball.

During my classes, and especially after the foul lunch I'd had in the afternoon, I'd decided to figure out a way to get back into Milkweed. I'd taken the Necronomicon's suggestion of staying for the remainder of the week into consideration, but I wanted a solid plan B in case I ultimately decided Galaxy Hills wasn't for me. I wasn't quite sure what to do though or how I could go about returning, so I figured I'd try to contact the one person I knew for sure would have the answer.

Sigmund.

I hadn't spoken to Sigmund since I was expelled from Milkweed Academy—erm, well maybe that wasn't exactly all the way truthful. Right before I'd left England to take up this exchange program, Sigmund had given me a call. He and his friends had taken Professor Flan into the academy's court and miraculously won a case to have my discipline appealed. I'd rejected his offer to reenter at the time and looking back, I already regretted it. I wasn't sure if he was available or what was happening with him in general, but I was desperate for help at the moment. I couldn't recall the steps he'd mentioned that I would have to take to start my reentry, so I figured calling would be a good place to start.

When I found the crystal ball, I pulled it from my bag and walked it over to my living room sofa, taking a seat to make the call. The Necronomicon hovered around me, curious as always.

"Who are we calling?"

"Sigmund."

"OOOOH~!" The book grinned with excitement. "What for?!"

"Just hush, you insufferable fangirl." I groaned. "I'm ringing him now."

The crystal went through a full cycle of tones with no response. I wasn't sure if it was because of the reception, which I'd had issues with in the past being out of the realm, or if it was because he'd missed my call. So I tried again. Again, there was nothing. No answer.

"Ugh!"

"Why don't you try charging the crystal a little bit?" My Necronomicon suggested. "Zap it. Sometimes, these things need a little extra juice to boost the connection."

I did as the book advised and pulled my wand. Giving the crystal a zap of green energy, I quickly returned to my seat and tried ringing Sigmund again. To my surprise, there was an answer, but I couldn't see a face in the crystal. It was all smog.

"H-Hello?" I spoke out. It took a moment of clarity before I could finally see a face in the crystal. It wasn't Sigmund though, it was someone else I'd never seen before. They were wearing a Milkweed uniform, so I figured it was one of his peers. The background was filled with noise, which was incredibly irritating at the moment, considering I needed help urgently. The student on the other line spoke something out in what sounded like German, Sigmund's mother tongue, and after a quick trade off, the sorcerer finally appeared.

"Hallo?"

"Sigmund? S-Sigmund, it's me, Kyle! Can you hear me?"

"Hallo? Hold on a moment, too much noise here. I can't hear!"

I sighed to myself as I watched Sigmund move away from wherever he was, mainly in relief. I was so glad I had gotten through to him. Even hearing his voice was somewhat of a comfort. I just associated him with the realm in general and I was already feeling a bit less stressed. Lifting the crystal to his face once he was away from the noise, Sigmund inspected the call from his end and a look of surprise took over his expression.

"KAHL?!" He gasped, his thick accent butchering my name. I don't think he'd realized it was me calling till this moment. I waved weakly.

"Hello, Sigmund."

"Hallo! Apologies, I was in the great hall. It's caldron hour."

"Caldron hour?"

"Ja, it's something we started this term. We have to get used to using them now for elixirs. I was working with my group, so one of my teammates answered and—." Cutting himself off from his train of thought, Sigmund's brow suddenly raised. His expression seemed to change as well, turning from a friendly one, to something quite unwelcoming. "Wait, why are you calling me?"

"O-oh, um, right..." I stammered, catching myself. "I was calling about the reentry process. I wanted to know how I could get started."

"Re-entry? For what?" Sigmund asked harshly, his tone catching me off guard. I was feeling a sudden shift in the conversation and I wasn't sure why it was happening. His aura felt a little cold.

"Well...I'd like to come back to Milkweed."

"You told me you had no interest last we spoke."

"I know, but—"

"You disregarded all the hard work and effort I put in to fighting for you. You brushed it off completely. You said you were happy where you were. You had some trip to take."

"I-I didn't brush you off, Sigmund." I fumbled, surprised with his choice of words. "I-I mean, I know I wasn't interested at the time, but—"

"Do you understand how much we went through to push that trial for your appeal, Kyle? Do you?!"

"...no...I guess I don't understand."

"To this day, I'm still getting backlash from Professor Flan for taking him to claims court. My new professors think I'm some sort of trouble maker for taking him on the way I did. There's poor stigma around me right now. It's been a very rough start to my term, thanks to you, and you didn't even care for my efforts. And now you're calling me for more help?!"

"Sigmund, my goodness...I had no idea."

"Of course you didn't! You didn't even show an ounce of gratitude when I called you about the verdict! I went through all of that trouble for nothing!"

I wasn't sure what to say. I had no idea that Sigmund had built up so much resentment for me. Hearing and seeing him yelling over the crystal was the last thing I was expecting of this call. Of course, I felt horrible. Looking back on that conversation we'd had that night, I could see why Sigmund had felt I'd brushed him off. I'd been preparing a decision for my exchange and that had been the only thing on my mind at the time. I thought I'd found the answer to all my problems then, so I hadn't been interested in anything Milkweed related. I didn't know the details of the case and how it played out, and I hadn't even been bothered at the time to ask. That was wrong of me...

"Don't call me again." Sigmund spat, his brows furrowing in anger. "I don't want to hear from you anymore."

"Sigmund, please!" I found myself begging. "I'm sorry! Really, I am!"

"We're not friends anymore. For real this time. I'm sick of you using me. Honestly, I'm growing to despise you. You're a curse on my life."

"I swear I'm not using you! I need help, Sigmund! Please, just one last time if you must! I can't stay here!"

"You've done enough to my reputation here. You chose not to take the help when I offered it to you, so deal with your decision and all the misery that comes with it."

"S-Sigmund? SIGMUND!"

The call ended on that. I felt my stomach drop. I felt hopeless and confused, but more than anything else, I felt incredibly sorry. Sorry for the way Sigmund felt about me. Sorry for the way I'd treated him. I'd been incredibly selfish and I hadn't considered his feelings at all. Now my only hope and connection back into Milkweed was lost. There was no one else I could call. I didn't have friends there. I didn't have anyone else that would look out for me, despite it all. I was stuck again.

"UGH!" I cried out, chucking the crystal across the room. I couldn't help it. I needed to get the anger out somehow. It was just building up and boiling over. "GAAAHHHH!"

"KYLE! KYLE, PLEASE!" The book of the dead gasped as I tore through the living room. "There must be something else you can do! Don't be upset!"

It took me a minute of destruction to calm myself down and once I'd pulled all the cushions off the sofa, I found myself sat on the floor, wallowing in self pity. I hated crying.

"Take a deep breath and think..." The book instructed me. "Is there no one else you can call?"

"...no." I whimpered, wiping my eyes quickly. It didn't really matter though, the frustrated tears just kept spilling over. I was a tad panicked and I let out a hiccup. "I-I'm stuck here. I can't believe I'm s-tuck here."

"Breathe, Kyle."

I took a shaken breath, taking a moment to fill my lungs with air in a deep inhale, then let it out with a sharp exhale. My chest was beginning to tighten up when the anxiety set in.

"Again." The book instructed. I complied. Deep breath in, slow breath out. "Once more."

Deep breath in...
Slow breath out...

"Better?"

"Yes...better. Thank you, I needed that."

"I've been your advisor since you were still using a training broom." The book chuckled. "Soothing your anxiety has become somewhat of my personal forte."

"My anxiety doesn't seem to be getting any better, huh?"

"Worse with age, but it's quite alright! I'll always be here for you!"

"Thank you..."

With magic, I cleaned up the living room and went for my backpack to start my homework. It took nothing to complete, hardly any effort at all, and just made me regret my decision even more. This exchange program was a complete joke. Nothing about it was challenging, as I had hoped, and it did nothing but push me further away from Milkweed. From Galaxy Hills, I had no clue if there was even a train that could take me through the portal to the realm. I hadn't seen any sign of a station in the small town and it was confirmed when I'd checked the map Mike, the landlord, had given me. No station anywhere.

With my homework finished for the evening, my Necronomicon suggested I continued my home renovations to take my mind off my stresses. With a change of atmosphere, the book believed my mood would flourish. After conjuring new lighting fixtures, furniture and décor in the living room, I already felt a lot better. The place was starting to feel a tad more comfortable, despite me not wanting to stay.

I used the last bit of mana in me to finally redo my bedroom as well. With two more rooms in the flat finished, the only major rooms left were the bathroom, kitchen and study. I was worn out though and would have to save those rooms for another day.

"The place is really coming together!" Necronomicon spoke out. "I love those red velvet sofas! Reminds me of the chair Sigmund had in your old dorm."

"Maybe I took a bit of inspiration..."I admitted. "But I much prefer red over that horrid green he likes so much."

"I prefer the red too!"

With a stretch and a yawn, I cleared my new coffee table of all my homework supplies and decided to get washed up to turn in for the day. I headed into the restroom to brush my teeth and shower, closing the door behind me. A warm shower was exactly what I needed to help me calm down. Even with the poor water pressure. Pulling on a bathrobe as I hopped out, I worked on drying my hair with a towel and finally opened the door after I'd wrapped the towel around my head. To my surprise, the Necronomicon was floating outside of the door.

"The crystal!" The book alerted me. "It's chiming!"

"Huh?!" I gasped, rushing into the living room. "Who could be calling me?" I hoped it was Sigmund. I'd conjured a new stand for the crystal when I redid the living room and I was glad I had. With the crystal in my hand, I quickly answered the call, taking a seat on my new sofa. So much more comfortable than the old, lumpy one.

It took a moment, as usual, for the call to connect, but when the smog in the crystal finally cleared, a girl appeared. Dramatically wide-brimmed witch hat, voluminous hair, bright eyes and brown skin. Erin the Enchantress.

Erin was a witch from Milkweed Academy's neighboring school, the Halfmoon Hallows Academy of Witchcraft. It was an all girl's school for only the most well rounded witches and was just as prestigious and exclusive as Milkweed. Possibly even more so. The only time the two academies mixed and mingled was during the annual relay games and the winter solstice Yule ball. Erin and I had met at both in my last full term at Milkweed and when she became Sigmund's partner, I saw and heard from her often. We'd even spent time together over the summer holiday.

Erin and Sigmund had both ranked highest in their respective levels and held the highest overall academy testing scores last term. They were awarded Witch and Wizard of the Year and appeared in the realm's joint yearbook. That was a major achievement. I was never able to keep up with their scores and to be honest, I didn't want to after seeing how much stress Sigmund had gone through over the award.

All in all, Erin was someone I'd call a well known colleague, as I honestly couldn't be bothered to befriend a Halfmoon witch. Not that I wasn't fond of her, that was the exact issue. I was fond of her. I didn't like stumbling over words around witches, something I found myself doing on the rare chance I came in contact with one. Especially her, being an enchantress. It was...well...embarrassing to say the very least. Even more embarrassing was having her call me with a towel over my head, freshly out of the shower.

"Nice hat~!" Erin teased when she finally came into view, a giggle escaping her. Quickly, I pulled the towel off, which only made me look worse when my hair stood up on end. "Oh wow, Kyle! Loving the new hairdo! Hehehe!"

"I quite literally just got out of the shower!" I groaned, doing my best to smooth my hair out with my free hand. "Please! Spare me!"

"At least you're hygienic!" Erin joked. I waited till she finished laughing, which she signaled with an airy sigh. "I'm so glad I was able to reach you."

"Oh! I thought this call was a mistake.."

"No, no! Haha! I've been trying to find your crystal details all day. I found the card you sent me over the holiday break a moment ago and called you immediately."

"You kept that card?" I marveled. We'd sent each other cards over Christmas break last term, but I wasn't expecting her to hold on to it. My card had been hand made and I hadn't like the way it came out, but apparently, Erin was a fan.

"Of course! You clearly spent a lot of time on it! I love stuff like that!"

"Ah...t-thank you..."

"Listen, I'm calling you because Sigmund called me earlier."

"Oh...did he?"

"Yeah. Called me to vent, and he was pretty peeved with you. He said you're trying to get back into Milkweed. Is that true?"

"Yes, I am! And I didn't want him to be cross with me, honest. I didn't even know he felt that way until the call."

"Well, he's pretty upset with you. He didn't even want me to call you. That's why I had to go searching for the Christmas card. He wouldn't give me your crystal code."

"He's that mad, huh?"

"Don't worry about him." Erin assured me. "You and I know how much of a drama queen Sigmund can be." I chuckled with her and nodded.

"For sure."

"I figured if you called him, you were probably truly in need of help. I told him to stop being so mean about everything, but he just wasn't budging with me. It's fine though, I don't mind helping you."

"I appreciate that, Erin. Thank you."

"Anything for you, Freckles."

I blushed hearing that nickname come out of her. It had been a while since I heard it and the sweetness of the pet name was just as embarrassing to me as the first time she'd called me the name. I watched as Erin looked around her dorm room, in search of something. In the background, I could see her roommate, a green-skinned witch, eying the crystal with a disapproving gaze.

"You shouldn't be talking to him..." Erin's roommate muttered, loud enough for me to hear. "You don't need to associate with someone who got expelled."

"Stop it, Meghan." Erin argued as she continued to scramble around the dorm. "That's not nice."

"Sigmund would be really mad at you over this." Meghan continued. "And when he gets mad at you, I don't wanna hear you crying about it to me."

"Meg, seriously, quit! Ugh! Where's my notepad?"

"Oh, sorry. I borrowed it earlier for a piece of paper. It's in my desk drawer. Here you go."

"You've gotta put my stuff back after you've used it..." When Erin reappeared in front of the crystal, she held the red notepad up for me to see, giving me a soft smile.

"Sorry!" She breathed out. "Needed this." Conjuring a pink pen with a fuzzy puff at the top, the witch steadied her hand to start jotting notes. "Okay, I need your address. Where are you right now?"

"My address?" I asked. She nodded.

"There's a couple forms you'll need to fill out to start your process. I can have them sent to you. I'm on the board of education now."

"You are?!"

"Yup! For Halfmoon, at least. I decided to go for it after we won your appeal case. They let me in! Then, I started looking into the re-entry process and we've just been waiting for you."

"Well, congratulations! I'm in America now. The United States."

"Oh? Not England?"

"I'm taking part in a student exchange program at the moment."

"Student exchange? Wow! What made you wanna do that? You don't seem like the adventurous type."

"I'm not, truly." I sighed. "I just...needed to get away from home."

"I see..." Erin nodded. "Well, you've definitely succeeded! Haha! So, where in the states?"

"Galaxy Hills..." I grimaced. "Dull, boring, normal."

"Galaxy Hills? That name sounds super familiar..."

"You're from the states, aren't you?"

"Yeah, but I'm from New York. And I just mean the name, is all. I feel like I heard about it recently. Small town vibes, right?"

"Suburbia with an urban twist."

"Nothing you can't handle." Erin smiled warmly. I smiled back and watched her jot down notes. After a moment of scribbling, she turned her attention back to me.

"Okay, so, I'll be sending you a packet in the mail. Considering how out of the way you are at the moment, I might have to send it through the Scrivener Post. In that case, you'll have to be home to sign off on the envelope. I'll give you the tracking as soon as I get it, okay?"

"Erin, thank you so much."

"Aht-aht! Don't thank me just yet." Erin replied quickly. "Like I said earlier, this is a process. And with your discipline involved, it turns it into a delicate process. We have to make sure we do everything correctly, so if you have any questions when the forms come through, just call me."

"O-okay. I will."

"You still have my crystal code, right?"

"Yes, I do."

"What about my cell phone number?"

"C-cell phone?"

"Do you have a phone yet? You should really get one while you're out of the realm. Better reception."

"I will when I get a chance."

"Take my number down then. Call me when you get it!"

Conjuring a pen and paper, I took Erin's number down, as well as a couple more bits of information she tossed in for me. I was thankful for her, thankful for the help. Once everything was discussed, Erin smiled once more.

"Alrighty then, we'll talk soon!" She nodded. I nodded back, pausing when a thought came to my mind.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Of course! What's up?"

"Why are you helping me?"

"Hm? Why wouldn't I?" Erin shrugged. "We're friends."

"F-Friends?!"

"You look surprised! Haha! Yeah, friends."

"B-but, Sigmund said—"

"Kyle, he's my boyfriend, not my father. I can be friends with whoever I want. You're my friend and I want to help you. Is that okay?"

I gave her a nod as a response, a gesture that made her smile again. Closing her notepad, Erin finally sighed.

"I'm on the board. It's my duty to uplift education over everything. If anyone wants to question me on why I'm helping the expelled wizard, not that it's their business anyways, it's because it's my job. I take my duties very seriously."

"Thank you."

"Call me when the forms come through! Good night!"

"I will! Good night!"

Ending the call, I felt my whole body release the remaining pinned up stress that had kept me stiff the entire time. I'd be waiting on those forms. Nothing else mattered but those forms.