Chapter 7

The familiar sensation of paper on her wrist stole Violet's attention one rainy Friday afternoon.

Your turn, it read. Underneath was a half-drawn hangman along with a phrase missing several letters. Violet glanced at her neighbor as he tapped at the arm he added to the figure. Her last guess was wrong. With a sigh, she penned the letter "H" and slid the sheet back.

Ever since their first class, he'd kept passing her notes whenever he was done paying attention. She'd learned his name on the third day of Magical Analysis: Floyd Leech of the Octavinelle dorm. At first, she tried to be short with him, but he was stubborn. By the end of the first week he wore her down and they'd spent the time since passing notes for most of class. Somewhere along the way, their notes turned into games of hangman. They were usually started by Violet, surprisingly. Hangman wasn't a thing where Floyd came from. Just where that was, she still hadn't figured out. He'd refused to answer every time she asked.

Violet watched as Floyd tapped his chin, then added the "H" to the second word of the phrase. Bingo. She wasted no time in guessing "Sam's Shop", the name of a small campus convenience store. He gave a lopsided smile and wrote,

Eh nice job, Shrimpy.

They were two for two. Violet scribbled as much, and added:

Round three?

It took a second for Floyd to answer.

Can't you see the time?

Violet checked the clock on the far wall. It was five minutes to the end of class. Had he been paying attention to the time all along?

Oh.

Floyd's smile spoke of hidden laughter.

It's ok, Shrimpy. We'll pick it up Monday.

The bell rang. All around them, students rose and packed up their belongings. As usual, Floyd took back their notes and disappeared into the crowd.

"How does he do that?" Violet wondered.

"Oi, Parker, Grim!"

She turned to find both Ace and Deuce standing in the doorway of her classroom. That was odd. If anyone met her after class, it was just Deuce. Grim sauntered over from his usual perch at the window sill.

"Did you guys hear?" Ace asked once they were out of the room.

"No?" Grim tilted his head towards Violet. She was just as lost as he was.

Deuce produced his phone, "Cater texted. He said the headmaster called a surprise assembly."

"Assembly?" Violet's nose scrunched, "What for?"

Ace shrugged, "Yeah, I don't know. Hurry it up, though. It starts in fifteen minutes."

The assembly took place in a hall none of them had seen before. Lines of seats sloped down towards a stage at the far end of the room, just like the auditorium of Violet's old high school. Instead of dimmed bulbs, however, the room was washed bright with natural light that streamed through intricate widows that bordered the side and back walls. The domed ceiling was a deep blue broken up by golden swirls that spilled onto the window sills. Students were already chattering amongst themselves when they arrived. Deuce spotted the upperclassmen and wasted no time in guiding the others towards them.

"Anyone know what's going on?" Ace asked.

"This is a first for us," Trey shrugged.

Two loud knocks cut through the drone of voices so suddenly Deuce jumped a little in his seat. At the center of the stage stood Crowley, his gloved hand rested on the knob of his now familiar cane.

"Ah, yes. Welcome all, and thank you for joining us on such short notice," the headmaster began. "We recognize this may be highly unusual for you all, but we have a very important announcement to share! If you'll turn your attention to Coach Vargas."

Crowley stepped aside to let the Coach take center stage. Violet couldn't help but roll her eyes.

"Afternoon," Vargas spoke loud enough his voice bounced off the windows around them. A bit overkill, as far as Violet was concerned. "I'll cut to chase. I'm sure you've all heard of a little place called Royal Sword Academy."

The name was met by a sea of loud 'boo's' and jeers from nearly everyone in the room.

"Royal Sword?" Violet had to yell a bit over the noise.

"Rival school," Cater answered.

"Yeah, yeah, that's right," Vargas called over the din. He gestured for everyone to settle down. "Looks like they're looking for a little… friendly competition. In two weeks, we'll be hosting the first ever Magishift Fall Exhibition between Night Raven and RSA."

Everyone was riled back up. Most students spoke amongst themselves, but a few voices carried over the ruckus with questions aimed at the the coach.

"Scouts? Are there gonna be scouts?"

"How many teams?"

"Will it be televised?"

Coach Vargas tried and failed to quiet the room once before reaching for his whistle. The room went silent.

"This isn't an official match," he said, "So don't expecting anything fancy. That said, we'll be making up a special team for this game. Try outs start Monday during all Flying classes, so rest up and bring you're a-game. That's all."

Everyone took that as their dismissal. The room erupted into a frenzy that lasted through the weekend.

No one spoke of anything other than the match. That night's dinner was spent assessing odds and going over the finer points of game play. Violet didn't bother trying to get a word in. She was content to listen to Ace and Deuce's excited chatter. They swore up and down Coach Vargas would have to be crazy not to put them on the team.

"Sorry to tell you," Trey said, "But I doubt they'll pick first years." The warning did nothing to slow their enthusiasm.

As Monday morning rolled around, even the staff was caught up in the spirit of the game. Classes were reworked to incorporate Magic Shift in some way. They relayed sports medicine in Crewel's class, learned to discuss scores in Animal Languages. Even Trien's class deviated to cover the history of the game along with some of the most memorable plays of the last century. Violet had never seen Ace more attentive before. She wished Magical History were like this every day.

As far as she was concerned, Violet was in her glory. The onset of obsession reminded her of how her parents got come football season. To eat, breathe, and live a sport, even a magical one, felt like home. And so, she indulged her friends' delusions of athletic grandeur. She had a feeling Trey was right, none of them would be making that team. Still, it would be fun to try.

"Line up!" Coach Vargas commanded as the fated tryouts were upon them. The class was ready faster than usual. Grim's tail twitched, bumping against Violet's ankle while they waited. Coach Vargas flipped to a page on his clipboard, "Alright. This is how it's gonna go. I'll divide you into teams. All you gotta do is make a goal. You'll have one shot. Make it count."

"Yes, coach!" everyone straightened.

"Ah, yeah. One last thing," the Coach turned and yelled further down the field, "Kingscholar!"

All at once, Violet's stomach dropped as she watched Leona jog towards them with the smaller, animal eared boy from weeks ago. When they finally arrived, the coach clapped Leona on the back, "As the president of Night Raven's MagiShift club, Kingscholar's the captain of our new team, Ruggie's his second. You'll have to get past them. Impress me, and you'll have your spot."

Violet didn't miss the way Leona eyed them as if they were prey lined up to the slaughter. He tried to hide it under a snarl, but the gleam in his half-lidded eyes was unmistakable. So far, she'd done her best to stay out of his way since their first meeting. Unfortunately, Leona wasn't the type to forget much less forgive. She often felt his gaze burning at her back her while she ran laps.

Coach Vargas consulted his clipboard and barked out the names for the first group. Ace was up.

"Good luck," Deuce muttered.

Ace shot him and Violet his most mischievous grin, "Won't need it."

He would need it. Badly.

Ace spared them a wink just before Coach Vargas launched a glowing disk onto the field. One of the first years snatched it up using magic so fast, Violet blinked and missed it. By the time she realized what he'd done, he'd already hurtled the disk towards the goal with all the force he could muster.

The class went wild, all but Violet. His throw was powerful, she'd give him that, but it was too reckless. Leona intercepted it with ease, his own golden magic replacing the first year's blue. Violet expected him to, but what she hadn't foreseen was how Leona shot the disk right back at the first year. It connected with his chest and knocked him clean off his feet. The cheering stopped.

"Puh. That it?" Leona raised a brow. He didn't even try to hide his pleasure.

Ace was the next one to kick it in gear. He scooped the disk up, but instead of going for the goal he called to the flyer and tossed him the disk.

"Fly!" Ace said, and sprinted towards the end zone. As the other first year stumbled forward, the remaining two seemed to realized what Ace was doing and likewise followed suit.

"They're working together," Deuce said it like he didn't quite understand.

Violet examined the way they passed the disk. From what she learned about MagiShift, she came to think of it as a modified version of American Football. But the way Ace was going about it… "He's playing like its basketball."

Ruggie shot forward. He tried to steal the disk from the first year, but by the time he got in range it was already sailing back towards Ace.

The class cheered once more as the players made a successful pass. Ace was about two strides away from a clear shot at the end field. He raised his magic pen, readying to launch the disk through the round goal.

For a moment, it looked like they'd make it. Leona was too far back and all it would take is a flick of Ace's wrist. Grim's claws sank into Violet's pant leg. Deuce held his hands in such tight fists his knuckles went pale. "C'mon…"

Ace adjusted his grip on his pen, the magic around the disk flared in prep for the throw. Everything was right.

Ace's arm propelled forward.

His magic dulled as he released the disk…

…And threw it right to Leona.

Half the class and the the freshmen on the field went mad.

"What are you doing?" Deuce sprang to his feet. His fingers knotted themselves deep into his blue-black hair. Meanwhile Violet tried and failed to make sense of what she'd seen. He'd been right there; he hadn't even been facing Leona! Had the force of his throw been too much? She didn't know.

Back on the field, Ace was frozen. He seemed just as taken aback as everyone else.

Well, everyone else except Leona.

The older student didn't waste any time. He caught the disk in his own magic, swinging it in a tight circle before letting it fly. The disk moved so quickly it reminded Violet of pinball. A glowing yellow blur that darted around, downing two first years in one throw and another as Leona called it back into his grip.

Only Ace and the flyer remained now, and Leona was in possession. If he knocked Ace out, the flyer was stuck. There was no more formation.

It was too late. Ace's body hit the ground with such force, Violet felt the impact from where they sat on the bleachers.

The field went silent.

Coach Vargas blew his whistle once the damage was done. He barked for the defeated first years to get off the field, took a few quick notes, then called the next batch of MagiShift hopefuls. The rest of the team was either too tired or too sore to give Ace any grief. A small mercy, considering the earful he got once he sat down beside his friends.

"What was that?!" Grim cried.

"It wasn't me," Ace grumbled.

The cat creature wasn't letting up, "It sure looked like you."

"I said it wasn't me! I swear! I don't-" he ran a hand through his red hair. The heart he always drew by his eye was smudged with sweat. "I don't know, alright?"

Deuce's turn came next and his team didn't fair much better.

"Geez," Grim muttered as the second batch of first years made their way off the field, "Those two are no joke."

They weren't.

Ruggie was a strong player in his own right, bobbing and weaving with an agility Violet had never seen. But Leona? He was a beast. Watching him play was like watching a predator on the hunt. It was like he was made for the sport. She would have been impressed if not for the low opinion she held of him. Said opinion only sank with each goal he scored, one after the next after the next. Maybe that was why she cheered louder than she should have when a particularly small student managed to score against him— the only first year to do so. He zoomed across the sky into a barrel roll, his lavender hair streamed behind him in a low ponytail. He looked positively dainty, all wide blue eyes and porcelain skin. At first glance she'd thought he was a girl.

But I have to wear a disguise, Violet groaned. Its so unfair.

Finally, the last group of freshmen peeled themselves off the ground and trudged back to their seats. Violet heaved a sigh. Besides her, Deuce relaxed with his own relief. Ace sneered, "Its rigged." His only comment since his own round ended.

"Forget it," she told him. "You don't want to play for that psycho anyway."

Down below, Coach Vargas finished up the last of his notes. Ruggie was already gulping down water by his side. Leona swaggered towards them, the disk pinned under his arm.

"Nice hustle," the coach didn't sound like he meant it at all. "We'll have the roster posted by dinner tomorrow. You're dismissed."

The class rose. No one was particularly happy with the way things had gone. How could they? Those that weren't humiliated were otherwise injured. More than half the class was either limping or crouched over from having the wind knocked out of them. Violet was thankful that she'd been spared the same treatment. Unfortunately for her, Grim was not.

"Wait a minute!" he scampered down the bleachers two at a time. "Wait a minute! You forgot me! I didn't get to try!"

Coach Vargas glanced down at him like he couldn't care less. Great, Violet groaned. Now she'd have to spend her lunch consoling a mopey Grim. She rolled of her eyes and went down to collect him.

"It's fine, Grim," she made to scoop him up, but he jumped away from her.

"It most certainly is not fine!" He sprang up on his hind legs. "I'm a student too, and I want to be on the team."

A hiss of laughter from Ruggie was his answer, "Check that attitude."

"Kind of small to play, don't you think?" Leona crossed his arms.

"Hmph. You're just intimidated," Grim lifted his nose in offense.

Something glimmered in Leona's green eyes.

"Sorry, furball," Coach Vargas' attention was back on his clipboard. "We're done here."

For once Violet was glad for the coach's indifference. She bent down to pick Grim up again when Leona of all people stopped her.

"Wait," he practically purred. "If the runt wants to try out, let him try out."

Try out? No. Absolutely not. Red flags and alarm bells were everywhere. Leona was neither generous nor a good sport. If he was letting Grim play, it couldn't mean anything good for the creature.

"Fine," Coach Vargas didn't look at Leona. "But make it quick."

Violet wanted to scream, but she kept her voice low and steady, "Grim- "

He wasn't listening. Grim pumped his little paw in the air, "Aw YEAH! That's what I'm talking about!"

"Grim," she tried again.

"Watch and learn, humans," Grim acted as if he didn't hear. "This is how its done."

He ran onto the field before Violet could open her mouth to warn him one last time. A pair of footsteps came to a halt right behind her.

"What's going on?" Deuce asked.

Violet shook her head, "Nothing good."

Leona tossed the disk to Ruggie before following Grim. The way he traipsed back onto the field with did nothing to soothe Violet's nerves. Grim was small, maybe if she played with him… She took a step forward.

"Stay put," Coach Vargas ordered. "No magic, no MagiShift."

She pulled her foot back and her heart sank in time.

C'mon, you little monster, Violet flexed her hand, open and closed. She almost reached for her hair, but stopped herself. Pull off a miracle.

"Do your worst!" Grim taunted Leona from his side of the mid-field line.

"Oh, he plans to," there wasn't a drop of humor in Ace's tone.

Ruggie threw the disk in at Vargas' signal.

Grim hopped up. He managed to get a grip on the disk, but not two steps later Leona's magic overpowered his. The smaller cat glared, but determined as he was he charged straight towards the lion.

"Hey! No fair!"

Leona didn't move. He waited until Grim was less than a meter away. The disk spun around Leona in the same tight circle they'd seen plenty of times now, then drove directly into Grim's face. There was a sickening crack. The impact was hard enough to send the cat sailing back. He slammed into the grass with a dull thud. Just like that, the game was over.

Violet's world spun. She could hear muttering from a few of the first years that stuck around to watch. Five seconds passed. Ten. Grim was still crumpled on the ground.

He wasn't moving.

Panic snapped in Violet's head like a rubber band. Without so much as a sound, she sprinted over to his side, collapsing on her knees when she reached his crumpled little body. What she saw had her biting back a gasp. A patch of Grim's fur was missing just above his nose, bits of dark liquid oozed out of it.

"Grim," she didn't have to disguise her voice for it to come out as low and raw as it did. "Grim!"

The cat groaned. His eyes fluttered, then shut themselves.

Ace materialized behind her, swearing.

"He needs help," Deuce said. He crouched down and picked him up as gently as he could. Grim's little paw, the same one that he'd held up in such joy hung limp as he was lifted into Deuce's hold.

Someone was gripping her shoulder, their other hand curling around her bicep to help her stand. How she got to her feet, she didn't know. She couldn't feel anything.

"Huh. That's what he gets for having such a big mouth."

Violet went still at the sound of that voice. Leona's voice. All taunts and pride, as if he hadn't almost killed someone with such a reckless move! There was no need to throw the disk that hard, not when Grim was so close. His throw played in Violet's head on repeat. Her eyes widened. That hadn't been an accident. No, Leona knew what exactly what he was doing. He'd waited for Grim to get close. He'd aimed for his face.

And he was going to pay.

Fire rose in Violet's stomach, through her chest, then up her throat until she whirled out of Ace's grip.

"Parker?" Ace blinked. She ignored him.

Violet was in front of Leona in less than a heartbeat, "You arrogant, sadistic son of a bitch!"

Leona's grin lowered into a snarl, "I told you to watch yourself, herbivore."

"You get off on hurting people, that it?" Violet cried. "Big, scary lion man can't win fair, so you go after the little guy?" She shoved Leona hard enough he took a step back. "Huh? That it?"

A shrill whistle cut through the air, "Parker! Stand down!"

Whatever force was keeping Leona still vanished. He flashed his teeth in a fresh growl. Who was this skinny little punk anyway? He barely reached Leona's shoulders and somehow had the audacity to scold him like a cub? Under different circumstances, he might have appreciated the gall, but this was the second time this herbivore had gotten under his skin. He'd make sure it was the last.

"You want someone to fight?" the freshman, Parker, cried. Fury lit his dark eyes. "Fight me!"

Leona pounced. Before Parker could land another shove, he gripped both his wrists. Fear flashed over the smaller boy's face just before Leona threw him. He hadn't done it hard enough to send him to the ground, although he did stumble back and grip the ratty grey cap on his head. No, Leona didn't need to get his hands dirty.

"You wanna play?" Leona's smirk returned. "Fine. Ruggie makes an excellent teammate."

The smaller student had been waiting for this. He stepped onto the field without hesitation, snickering as he did, "Geez, you look pissed. C'mon, laugh with me."

For a second, Violet's anger redirected itself onto Ruggie. She stormed forward, intent on getting past him to go back for Leona's throat, when out of nowhere her foot froze in mid air. Her balance wavered. She wanted to go forward, dammit! Why wasn't she?

"What's wrong?" Ruggie lifted his left foot, the mirror of Violet's hovering in mid-air, "Stuck?"

Ruggie's foot slammed down and Violet's followed suit. She tried to back away, but her legs wouldn't obey. Now her hand shot up above her head.

Ruggie leaned in like he was pretending to listen.

"You wanna play MagiShift? Ok!" Leona threw Ruggie the disk. "Catch it!"

Ruggie faked throwing the disk, an action that Violet found herself replicating. But where his was skilled, hers was jerky. Like a marionette controlled by a toddler. Her breathing quickened. She fought the invisible grasp that was making her lurch and stumble and move when her brain screamed at her not to. In the bleachers, some of the students were laughing and more were joining in. She'd forgotten the world around her at some point, only to be reminded of her audience at the worst possible moment. Her stomach threatened to empty as a dark reality came into focus.

Her body wasn't hers anymore.

"Almost there!" Ruggie teased. He held the disk without any magic now, making her lunge for it while he pulled out of reach each time. "Catch it! Catch it!"

The laughter was louder now. Somewhere in the chaos, she thought she heard her friend's calling her name, but they were hard to make out. Without thinking, she managed to flick her gaze towards Leona. He looked on, arms crossed and his face painted by a lazy smile. Her body leapt for the disk again, jostling her vision until she caught sight of Coach Vargas. He didn't look inclined to end this any time soon. Up in the bleachers, some of the boys started chanting her name in a mock cheer.

Parker! Parker! Parker!

Had Violet been in control, her body would be shaking. The edges of her eyes were moistening.

"Stop." She spoke so quietly she thought she hadn't.

"Stop!" She cried a little louder. Violet wasn't sure if she'd managed to deepen her voice. She didn't care.

Suddenly, miraculously, her body did just that. Ruggie's arms fell to his sides, but the force kept her under its control. Violet felt her head tilt in the same direction as Ruggie's as his smile faltered and he gave her a curious look.

At long last, Coach Vargas blew his whistle again, "Kingscholar! Control your mutt. As for Parker, to your dorm! You're done here."

Leona's arms dropped, "Tch. You're no fun, teach."

Violet shuddered as whatever held her loosened its grip. She didn't stick around to see if Ruggie was to blame, didn't look back towards Leona or the coach or any of her laughing classmates. Instead, she turned to find her friends coming up behind her. Her vision was already starting to blur.

"Take care of Grim," she said, her voice thick. Before either one could answer, she bolted to back to Ramshackle. Tears streamed down her cheeks by the time she cranked open the rickety front door. Sobs hiccupped up her throat, and turned into gags as Violet remembered how she'd lost control. Her more recent memories intercut themselves with older ones. Magic disks mixing with sequins and day-glow paint. Had this been what it was like? When she'd—

Bitter liquid reached the back of her tongue.

Violet barely made it to the toilet in time to be sick. Once her stomach was empty she pulled herself upright with shaky hands. Stupid MagiShift. Stupid Leona, and Ruggie, and Vargas, and first years, and Crowley for making her wear this stupid disguise at this horrible, awful school! Screw him, screw the mirror, and above all else, screw magic.

She didn't leave her room for the rest of the day.

Breakfast the next morning was quiet. Deuce had tried to ask Violet how she was, but a shake of Ace's head was enough to keep him from asking again. They ate in silence for a while before Ace himself tried to ease into a conversation.

"Grim's doing much better," he offered, watching for any signs of his words landing. He caught something of a twitch at her brow.

"Grim," Violet sounded dull, groggy. "I didn't even… How is he?"

Deuce answered, "He just needed a few stitches. Professor Crewel brewed him a couple potions, too."

Violet's shoulder's sagged, she nodded and went back to pushing her food around her plate.

"Well, well! If it isn't our star athletes!" Cater's voice was the equivalent of bright light on a hangover. "What is up?"

As usually, Trey and Riddle brought up the rear, settling into their usual seats. For once it wasn't Riddle who admonished Cater for his lack of awareness.

Trey adjusted his glasses, frowning, "Read the room."

Cater looked the first yeas over in response. His cheery smile dropped into something more chagrinned. The chuckles that bubbled out of him had a tinge of sympathy, like he was trying to lighten the mood while consoling his underclassmen, "We did try to tell you guys."

Ace shrugged, "It's whatever."

"Dorm head Kingscholar's merciless," Deuce added.

"That he is…" Trey rubbed the back of his neck. "We, uh, we heard about Grim."

"And Parker," Cater piped up. "You'd be a magicam star if you got decent video of…" The older student stopped when he caught sight of Parker. He was smaller than usual, hunched in on himself like he was trying to disappear. He was gripping his fork so hard Cater half expected it to fold over. What's more, both Ace and Deuce were giving him dirty looks for bringing it up.

Riddle stepped in, as if trying to salvage an already disastrous morning, "Apologies. We didn't mean to bring up a sensitive subject."

"It's fine," came the monotone reply.

"Yeah. Ruggie's signature spell can be a doozy," Cater said. Riddle glared. Trey sighed into his food.

Violet, however, was interested. For the first time that morning, she looked up from the table and made eye contact with Cater, "Signature spell?"

Riddle jumped in before Cater could open his mouth, "Yes. It's precisely what it sounds like, a spell unique to its mage. Most everyone here either has one or develops one by the time they reach their fourth year."

"Hey, wait," Ace said. "I've heard of that. My brother told me about it."

"You have a brother?" Deuce asked.

Ace rolled his eyes, "That's not the point, genius. But yeah. He graduated a couple years ago."

"Anyway," Trey took the reigns back. "We each have one. I can mask things. Flavors, appearances, stuff like that. Cater can make clones, useful for chores. And Riddle— "

"I can nullify other's magic," the dorm head interrupted. "I call it 'Off with Your Head'."

"Useful for disciplining rule breakers," Trey gave Riddle a pointed look, a detail Deuce caught right away.

"Discipline?"

"Don't ask," Riddle said flatly.

Signature spells. Whispers of that force that overtook her body lingered on Violet's skin, Whenever Ruggie had moved, she tended to mimic him. Sure, it wasn't perfect and he hadn't always performed the actions himself, but the idea was there. That feeling of being a marionette wasn't that far off. Ruggie's signature spell had made him her puppet master.

A flurry of activity ignited in a corner of the dining hall. Students flocked to a bulletin board and pored over a freshly stapled parchment. Some cries of excitement echoed through the room only to be drowned out by choruses of groans and muttering.

"Is that the roster?" Deuce balked. "That was fast."

"I told you," Ace frowned. "It's rigged."

Trey got up to go over and check it. The rest of the tabled stared after him and watched as he fought his way through the crowd. They lost sight of him for a few minutes. When he emerged, none of them could make out what his facial expression conveyed. He was quiet as he sat back down.

"Didn't make it?" Cater asked.

Trey shook his head slowly, "No. I made it. Starter."

Ace and Deuce both shot up, "Starter?!"

"Congratulations," Riddle said.

"That's amazing, but why are you being so weird about it?" Cater frowned.

"Because," Trey produced his phone and pulled up a picture of the roster. "I wasn't the only one on the list." Carefully, he slid it over to the first year's end of the table. All three leaned in to read the names printed along the parchment. Ace was the first to spot it.

"Wait," he zoomed in on the name before properly cringing. Deuce's eyes grew twice their size as he read the words. At last, Violet got a clear look.

There, printed next to the the term "water boy" was Violet's last name.