Chapter 6

Growth And Grudges

A couple days had gone by after my call with Erin and I hadn't heard any updates from her. I recalled her telling me that she would give me a call when she received the tracking on my re-entry forms, and I assumed that wouldn't take long, but she never called. It was already Friday. I was worried. Her roommate had been so against her helping me out. In her eyes, I was nothing but a trouble maker. A tainted wizard. That's how things went in the realm, everything was about your rank and your reputation.

It was the first thing Sigmund bought up when I'd called him, the stigma around him since he'd helped me. Despite him being awarded Wizard of the Year, he was being treated unfairly by his new professors because of the claims court case. They probably questioned why a sorcerer like him would help a delinquent wizard like me. Maybe Erin had second thoughts about helping me too? Maybe someone talked her out of it? Maybe she regretted calling me a friend.

I tied my shoes and headed out the door of my flat, Necronomicon and crystal ball in my backpack, broom in hand. Throughout the week, I'd been flying to school in the morning and back home in the afternoon instead of taking the bus. It was the only time of the day when I truly felt like I was able to breathe, away from the stresses of the world below me. Of course, the decompression was no use, knowing I'd ultimately arrive at a school I dreaded, but it was something to look forward to day to day.

I sighed, locking the door to my flat and walking out the front door of the building. Immediately, I froze in place at the top of the stoop.

"HI KYLE!"

"HEHEHE! HI KYLE!"

Tweedle-DUMB and Tweedle-DUMBER at the base of the stoop, grinning from ear to ear and waving frantically. What were they doing here?!

"H-how did you know where I live?!" I gasped. I was honestly shocked. How did they figure? They hadn't seen me leave or enter my home before. At least, not to my knowledge.

"The bus route." Fanboy answered with a shrug. "I still don't know how you did it, but when you flew over the buildings earlier this week, I figured you were first on the route."

"Huh?!"

"I'm pretty sure the bus comes from this direction. So that would mean your block is the first stop on the route!"

"We just guessed which building it was." Chum Chum added. "Looks like we're really good guessers!"

Quickly walking down the steps, I pushed past them both and started down the pavement as quickly as I could manage. Of course, they followed behind me, already beginning to raise their volume.

"Are you gonna use the broom again?" Chum Chum asked, reaching out yet again to pluck at the end of it. I quickly pulled it away from his reach.

"Leave me alone!" I groaned. "It's too early for this!"

"Where can I get a broom like that?" Fanboy asked. "Are there rocket launchers installed or something?"

"It's probably a jet-pack without the backpack part!" Chum Chum interjected. Fanboy nodded, his eyes sparkling as if he'd just discovered some new revelation.

"Yeaahhh! You're probably right, buddy! Gotta be with how fast he went! That speed is definitely jet-pack speed!"

I was frustrated as it was already and this wasn't helping my mood. The chatter behind me, just babbling on with complete nonsense that didn't matter. On and on, louder and louder. Just insufferable! I paused and faced them, an action that seemed to catch the pair off guard.

"What do you want from me?" I asked. "Why do you insist on patronizing me?"

"Patronizing?" Fanboy chuckled. "We're just walking to school with ya!"

"Did it ever come to your consciousness that potentially, I don't wish to be walked with?"

"Come again?"

"I don't want you walking with me."

"Awe! You don't have to be shy, Kyle! I know you're new and all, but-"

"I DO NOT WANT YOU WALKING WITH ME! LEAVE ME ALONE!"

I tried so hard to keep my composure, I truly did, but the timing of this entire interaction was just too much for me to handle so early in the day. It was sensory overload from the way they looked, to the sound of their voices, to how they kept poking at me and my broom. And mentally, the only thing on my mind was those re-entry forms. My anxiety was through the roof not knowing what was happening with those forms. This was the last thing I needed.

I hopped on my broom quickly as they rambled on and took a running start. To the shock of my short life, the pair GRABBED ON to the end as I started to take off, causing the weight of the broom to become unbalanced. Of course, I fell over backwards and we all ended up in a pile with the broom stick nearly impaling me. The fall was pretty painful for me, especially with them somehow landing on top of me, but the pair of fools found humor in it.

"HAHAHAHAHA!"

"Ow..."

"That was so fun! Let's do it again!" Chum Chum cheered. As they pulled themselves up from being on top of me, they both seemed to pause, hands covering their mouths. For once, there was silence and that frightened me. Pulling myself up, slowly, I grabbed at my back which immediately pounded in pain. As I looked down to collect my broom, I saw it. The reason for the silence. There was my broom, broken.

"AH!" I squealed, collecting the snapped, wooden handle. Unintentionally, my hands were shaking. The boys behind me exchanged glances before Fanboy cleared his throat to utter something I'm sure I didn't want to hear.

"Maybe a little super glue would—"

"You broke my broom."

"Or possibly some scotch tape could—"

"YOU BROKE MY BROOM!"

"Sorry, Kyle!"

"ENOUGH ALREADY! ENOUGH! JUST GET AWAY FROM ME!"

I threw the broom down and pushed through the both of them. I couldn't believe they'd managed to break my broom. Every piece of magic equipment I owned was precious to me now more than ever since I didn't have access to the occult anymore. I'd had that broom for quite some time and I was honestly attached to it. It pained me to see it broken, I had to leave it behind for my sanity.

I was so stressed, I didn't even have it in me to cry. Even when I missed the bus, I somehow kept my emotions back. The walk to the school wasn't bad, but I didn't exactly enjoy having to walk. The costumed idiots strangely hadn't followed behind me. I wasn't sure when I managed to lose them, but I was thankful for the quiet.

Walking into school finally, I was surprised to see them both already in their assigned seats in Mr. Mufflin's classroom. I figured they must've taken some sort of alternate route to school that I didn't know of. The pair flashed sorry looks in my direction, but I ignored them and turned my back to them as I sat at my own desk. Mr. Mufflin was actually awake today and was stood at the front of the class room with a stack of papers in his arms. He counted the students in each row, then pulled the same number of papers from his stack and handed it to the first student.

"Take a packet and pass it back." He instructed. Moving down the row, he finally stopped in front of me and did the same, handing me a stack of packets. I took one, then turned to pass the rest of the stack to Fanboy, who was sat behind me. Fanboy's eyes were noticeably wide and brimming with tears.

"A-are you mad at us?" He asked in a whimper. I didn't want to deal with this.

"Take the stack of papers, please." I groaned. Fanboy, of course, didn't take the stack from my hands.

"We're sorry, Kyle! We didn't mean to break your broom!"

"How could you not have meant it?! You jumped on the back of it! Did you truly believe it could hold the weight of us all?"

"We just wanted to know what flying was like..."

"Oh? I thought you were wizards though? Or did you always know you were teasing me about my powers and just chose to ignore my truth to spite me?"

"We just wanted to fly to school..." Chum Chum pouted, having tuned in to the whispered argument. "Please don't be mad anymore, Kyle."

"Take this stack of papers. I'm not going to tell you again."

"But Kyle—"

I dropped the stack down on the ground beside Fanboy's desk and turned back around before he could start whining again. The ninnies audibly gasped behind me and scrambled to pick up the stack of packets as Mr. Mufflin began to speak again.

"Finish the first and second page of the packet." The teacher instructed. "Then leave the last two pages for your homework."

Looking down at the material, I was sure I could finish the entire packet in about ten minutes. I conjured a pencil and leaned over to start when I felt a tap at my shoulder. I didn't respond straight off, of course, but that didn't stop the fool from tapping me again. Spinning around in my chair, I grilled Fanboy.

"What?!" I whispered harshly. He pointed to my backpack, which was settled on the floor beside my desk.

"You bag is glowing." He told me. "What's in there?"

"Huh? Why would it be gl-?" Looking down, it was indeed glowing. Coming to a realization, that could only mean one thing, someone was trying to call me on my crystal ball. I gasped, raising my hand quickly as I gathered my bag. "M-Mr. Mufflin! Mr. Mufflin, sir!"

"Stop shouting!" The teacher grumbled from his desk. My head was spinning.

"I'm sorry! I need the bathroom pass, please!"

"Just take it and go!"

"Thank you, sir!"

It was a frantic, mad dash to the door as I snatched the bathroom pass and rushed out into the hallway. Fanboy and Chum Chum looked to be following behind me, but I didn't have time to shoo them off. I needed to answer the call before the tones ended. Pulling the crystal from my bag, I finally got to the call.

"Hello?!"

"Freckles?"

"Erin!"

"Are you home right now? I'm so sorry I didn't call sooner..."

"N-no, I'm not home right now. I'm actually at school. A-and it's alright, really!" It most definitely wasn't alright. I'd been panicked having not heard from her, but hearing from her now made me feel instantly better. Erin continued.

"I just got word of the tracking number on your forms." She told me. "The Scrivener Post should arrive around—"

"Is that a girl?" Fanboy suddenly interrupted, pushing his head into the call which blocked me out completely. Erin looked just as stunned as I did towards the rude intrusion. Quickly, I shoved him away, causing him to stumble over Chum Chum, who was too short to look into the crystal for himself.

"DON'T YOU DARE! THIS IS IMPORTANT!" I shouted in annoyance. I'd been waiting for this call all week. I refused to have them ruin this or break my crystal the way they'd broken my broom. "Keep away from me right now!"

"Um...who was that?" Erin asked, grabbing my attention. Looking back into the crystal, I saw her suppressing a laugh. I shook my head in annoyance when her laugh finally came out. "I-I'm sorry HAHAHAHA! That just surprised me!"

"Do you see what I have to deal with?" I groaned. "They won't leave me alone."

"HAHAHA! What was that? Was he wearing a mask?"

"It's just bizarre..."

"You've got fans for once, huh? They look...interesting."

"Please. Save it."

"Okay, okay...hehehe. Ahem! So, the carrier should arrive to your home this evening. Make sure you're home to sign off on the documents."

"I'll be home." I nodded. Erin smiled.

"Very good!"

"But, how are you talking to someone...on that?" Fanboy started up once more, scratching his head in confusion. "Is that what was glowing in your bag?"

"Are you keeping your magic a secret or something?" Erin asked me. "Sorry! I should've considered that before I called."

"No, no! I've told them I'm a wizard already." I explained to her. "Countless times at this point. They just refuse to listen. They think I'm playing pretend."

"Oh—pffff!" Erin spat out, hunching over in laughter once again. "You haven't been very convincing, have you? Your new friends ain't taking you seriously!"

"They're NOT my friends!" I gasped. "In fact, they're two of my biggest pains right now. And I mean that literally. They broke my broom this morning and my back is still throbbing in pain as we speak."

"Oh no..." Erin breathed out. Pausing for a moment, her brows furrowed in thought and she rubbed her glossy lips together before she spoke again. "Send it to me when the mail carrier comes later. Just hand it to them and have them return to sender. I'll have it fixed."

"Y-you can fix it?!" I gasped. Erin nodded.

"Witches are manufactures of the brooms in the realm. If it can't be fixed by someone here, I could at least find the same model and have it replaced."

"I appreciate you so much...but I left it behind when they broke it. I was so overwhelmed. If I knew, I would've just—ugh..."

"...I have the pieces..." Fanboy muttered suddenly. Looking up at him, he looked away from me, twiddling his thumbs. "I...I thought you'd probably want it back. I was gonna glue it for you."

"You didn't put glue on it, did you?" I gasped. He shook his head quickly.

"No, but I was gonna."

"Please don't! Where is it?"

"In my locker."

"Great!" Erin grinned. "So, just send it back. I got you!"

"Goodness..." I sighed in relief. "Thank you."

"No problem. I've gotta get going, like, right now! "

"Oh, my apologies! Was I keeping you?"

"No, not at all! I'm actually walking to the town square right now. I'm meeting up with Sigmund in a bit!"

"Ah...I see..." I frowned. I didn't mean to pout, but I couldn't help it. I still felt terrible after the last time I'd spoken to Sigmund. I was guessing she couldn't be seen speaking with me or he'd have a fit. "Is he still upset with me?"

"...ya want the truth or a lie?"

"Truth. Always."

"Yeah, he really doesn't want anything to do with you."

"Ouch..."

"Give him some time, okay? It'll be fine. I've gotta go. I'll give you a call tomorrow!"

"...sure. Tomorrow. Take care!"

"Bye!"

I let out a deep sigh and pressed my aching back against the wall when the call had ended. On one side of the coin, I was elated to know I'd have my hands on those documents later this evening. On the other, I still felt incredibly saddened by this entire situation and I couldn't help but sulk. Pushing the crystal ball back into my backpack, I closed it, pulled it on and started down the hall. I was stopped by a hand on my shoulder.

"Hey, wait!" Fanboy spoke up. "My locker! I've gotta give you your broom back!"

"Oh, right..." I sighed. "I forgot about th—AHHH! WHY ARE YOU TUGGING ME?!"

The idiot had taken hold of my hand and the pair of them dashed down the corridor as if we were in some type of mad rush. I was tripping over my own feet trying to keep their pace. Fanboy's grip on my hand was extremely tight and I couldn't free myself from it.

"LET GO!"

"We're almost there!" Chum Chum laughed. "One more row!"

"STOP RUNNING!"

"One more row!" Fanboy repeated. At this point, we'd already passed heaps of rows of lockers. I was growing tired and my back was on fire. Even when I tripped and fell over, Fanboy continued to drag me down the hall whilst I was down on my stomach. I was grossed out, the floors of the hall were filthy!

"AH! WAIT! STOP!" I pleaded. They came to an abrupt stop and Fanboy let my hand go, which forced me to slide straight into the wall and bump my head on a locker in front of us with a loud 'PANG'. They found that hilarious. I found it painful.

"Hey, how'd ya know that one was mine?" Fanboy grinned as I slowly pulled myself off the floor, rubbing my head. My head was throbbing just as badly as my back was.

"Ugh...you're trying to off me. I swear..."

"YAY! WE MADE IT!" Chum Chum cheered, ignoring my agony completely. Taking a look around as I dusted off my sweater, I noticed we'd been stood exactly where we'd started in the first place! In the same hall as Mr. Mufflin's classroom. We'd gone in a complete circle!

"Wait a minute...why didn't you just-?! UGH!" I was over it and my back hurt. I didn't want this to take anymore time than it needed to, so I gritted my teeth and dropped it. Fanboy spun the lock on the rusted, green metal door and twisted in his combination, swinging it open it after it unlocked. The inside of the locker was nothing less than shocking.

It was packed tight and full to the brim with JUNK. Old snack wrappers, unopened toys, pieces of chewed gum stuck to the walls, crumpled papers and whatever else he'd managed to squeeze in. I was disgusted by the entire display and I was also instantly concerned.

"What the-?!" I gasped, backing up a bit as he dove into the mess. Garbage came tumbling out as he dug into the hoard. It was unbelievable. "Where's my broom in all this?"

"It's somewhere in here..." Fanboy mumbled, seemingly pushing his way into the locker. He vanished completely. I raised a brow. How far back did it actually go? "Chum Chum? You didn't move it, did you?"

"No..." Chum Chum pouted. His expression looked a little on the guilty side, and Fanboy's head quickly popped out of the locker. We shared questioning expressions.

"You sure you didn't move it?" Fanboy asked again, raising an unconvinced brow. Chum Chum looked away, the guilt on his face only growing. I folded my arms.

"Well, hello! I don't have all day! Where's my broom?!"

"...I put glue on it..." Chum Chum finally answered. "It's in my locker..."

"Ugh!" I stomped. Of course he did. Of course. "I don't care anymore! Just give me my broom!"

Chum Chum's locker was right beside Fanboy's and surprisingly, the inside was very organized in comparison. Clean, actually. He pulled my broom and the broken piece of the handle out. They were still two separate pieces. As expected, sticky green glue he applied had run down the wooden handle and already seemed to be dried up. There were even flecks of rainbow glitter in the goop. I wasn't able to pick it off, it had solidified.

"I didn't have wood glue, so I tried using my craft glue instead..." Chum Chum admitted as I looked my broom over. His eyes had gone wide with worry. "I wanted to surprise you guys. Sorry..."

I wanted to yell, scream, throw a fit and whack him over the head with the broom stick...but I didn't. I just took a deep breath, let it out and shook my head.

"It's alright." Knowing it would be fixed gave me some peace of mind. I think the pair were surprised by my reaction, because they paused for a moment before smiling.

"Wow! I thought for sure you'd be mad with me!" Chum Chum giggled. Oddly enough, I smiled back.

"I was, at first..." I replied. "But a friend of mine will have it fixed for me, so it's alright."

"I meant to ask you about that." Fanboy jumped in, hopping out of his locker and slamming the door. "You're a wizard, right?"

"Hm?!" I blinked in shock. Was he finally listening to me?! "Well...yes. Yes, I am. I've told you about a million times now."

"So you have wizard friends too, right?"

"I went to school with other wizards. Wouldn't call them all friends..."

"Did that friend of yours, the one who's gonna fix the broom, say something about Sigmund on the call earlier?"

"Sigmund? What about him?" My response to the question seemed to excite the two of them for whatever reason. Fanboy's eyes practically sparkled and he stepped entirely too close to me to question further.

"So you know Sigmund?! Like, theeee Sigmund?"

"What do you mean, the Sigmund?"

"You know, SIGMUND THE SORCERER?! The famous, magic prodigy!"

"Oh my word..." I actually face palmed. I never thought Sigmund's fame and popularity would have managed to reach this little town, but clearly, he was more famous than I'd realized. The costumed freaks hopped in excitement and let out giddy fits of laughter. I was over it all over again.

"How do you know him?" Chum Chum asked as I turned away to walk back to class. I rolled my eyes.

"We were roommates at Milkweed Academy, the school for wizards that I went to previously."

"No way!" Fanboy gasped. "Roommates with a legend?!"

"Legend? Pffff...what a joke!" I scoffed. "Hardly."

"Can you call him on your crystal ball?"

"No! Now forget about this and leave me alone."

Of course, they didn't leave me alone. For the rest of the day, they went on and on about how much they loved him, his show, his merchandise, his fashion sense, his hair and whatever else they could squeeze in about him. It was nauseating. I was thankful for the end of the day, especially knowing it was bringing in the weekend. More than anything, I just needed to rest and be alone in my flat.

Walking out of school, the boys continued the Sigmund-obsessed conversation behind me as we climbed onto the afternoon bus.

"I really hope he gets our letters..." Chum Chum spoke to Fanboy as they sat in the row across from me. Fanboy nodded.

"Yeah buddy, me too!"

"Letters?" I asked. "You're sending him letters? Just letting you know, he never reads any of them."

"How do you know?" Fanboy asked. I folded my arms.

"We used to get heaps of letters sent to our dorm all the time and he'd never look through any of his fan mail."

"None of it?"

"Nope. None."

"Bummer..." Fanboy frowned. Chum Chum patted him on the back.

"Hey, you never know! Maybe we're the exception!" Chum Chum spoke up rather positively. "I always use a bright colored envelope to send our letters! And lots of stickers and glitter glue! Maybe they stand out!"

"What are you sending him letters for anyways?" I asked out of curiosity. Fanboy grinned all over again, clearly eager to share.

"Sigmund announced a tour last month and we've been dying for him to come to Galaxy Hills!"

"Yeah!" Chum Chum nodded. "We've been sending him letters once a week."

"Well, good luck with that, I suppose..." I shrugged, turning away to look out the window. I knew for a fact that no amount of glitter or stickers was going to get someone as stuck up as Sigmund to open their letter. Yes, I said stuck up.

I'd felt bad about my last conversation with Sigmund, but I was also beginning to feel annoyed with him. I'd apologized to him after realizing my mistake of rejecting his help, but he didn't accept my apology. That was fine with me. What wasn't fine with me was him trying to block others from trying to help me instead. I didn't understand his sudden grudge with me and I was quickly growing angry on my own end. I didn't want to hear anything else about him for the day. I was eager to get home for the delivery.

For whatever reason, Fanboy and Chum Chum rode the bus with me all the way to the end, ignoring their stop completely. I stepped off the bus, pulling my backpack on and starting down the pavement when I heard them giggling behind me. I glanced over my shoulder, already annoyed.

"Why are you following me?"

"To come over to your house." Fanboy smiled. I gasped, stopping in my tracks.

"No!"

"Pleeeeease?!" Chum Chum begged. "We really wanted to come over!"

"I said no! NO! Tonight is very important for me."

"So you're saying tomorrow is a better day for ya?" Fanboy grinned. "Sounds like a plan!"

"HUH?!"

"SEE YA TOMORROW, KYLE!"

Before I could protest, they'd already dashed away in the opposite direction in a fit of laughter and excitement. I groaned in irritation and continued the walk back home. Truthfully, I was happy to finally have them away from me for the first time all day. I was even happier when I'd finally settled down in my flat. I'd finally finished redecorating and renovating all the rooms throughout the week and I'd become more comfortable in the space. Opening my bag, I let my Necronomicon out and flopped back on the red sofa in the living room. I let the broom and it's broken piece rest on the floor.

"My back still hurts..." I sighed up to the ceiling. The book of the dead gave me a sympathetic look.

"You've managed to get through the week!" It applauded me. "You were ready to quit at the start!"

"I still am..."

"But you've shown a lot of growth today alone."

"How so?"

"Those boys wrecked your broom and you kept calm."

"Hm..."

"Even after seeing the glue, you kept calm. I'm impressed with you."

I hadn't looked at that as growth, so I appreciated the book for mentioning it. I very easily could've turned them both into toads, but I didn't. I smiled weakly and closed my eyes.

"I need a nap..."

"Take one! When the post arrives, I'll wake you!"

After conjuring a blanket, I fell asleep almost instantly. I didn't realize how exhausted I was, but I was glad I slept. When the doorbell to my flat rang, the book didn't even have to wake me. I opened my eyes and noticed the room was pitch black. Turning on the lights with magic, I glanced at the clock on the wall. It was already well into the evening. I'd truly slept deeply. Rubbing my eyes, I sat up from the sofa as the Necronomicon peeked out the curtains.

"It's the Scrivener Post!" The book informed me. "They're here!"

I hopped to my feet, throwing the blanket to the side, and rushed to the front door of the building with my broken broom. Opening the door, I was met with a purple-skinned elf. In his hands, he held a sealed envelope and a digital device.

"Package for Kyle Bloodworth-Thomason?"

"Yes, that's me!" I grinned. The elf held the device out to me.

"Sign here."

Quickly, I scribbled my signature and handed the device back when I was finished. The scrivener elf handed me the envelope, pushed the device into his messenger bag and waved to leave, but I stopped him before he could turn away.

"I'm terribly sorry..." I blushed, holding out my broom. "I don't have anything to wrap this in, but can you please send this back to Halfmoon Hallows?"

"To the sender's address?" The elf asked, pulling the device out from his bag once more. He scrolled back to my signature and tapped the screen. "Erin Saint'Valentine was the sender. Is that correct? Am I sending it to her?"

"Yes, thank you!"

"Sure thing! Have a good one!"

"You too!"

That was easier than I had expected. When the elf turned away, I finally hopped in excitement and rushed inside to start the paperwork.

I wasted no time opening the envelope. Inside, the forms were pretty extensive and there was a lot of information being requested. There was also an area where I needed to make a personal statement as to why I wanted to return to Milkweed. I wasn't sure how much or how little I should write in that space. I honestly wanted to write a separate essay and send it alongside the forms.

"What should I do?" I asked my Necronomicon. The book paused for a moment before coming up with an answer.

"Why don't you call Erin?" It suggested. "She did say to call if you had any pressing questions."

"Very true! I'll do that!"

I went for my crystal ball in my backpack, gave it a quick zap to charge it, and popped in Erin's crystal code. The first round of tones had gone through with no answer, so I tried again. This time, there was an answer, but Erin hadn't been the one to answer the call.