Joe, Fred, and Sam drop back into Joe's bedroom. Everything is exactly as they left it.
Joe rushes to put The Book back in its box, slamming the lid down. He doesn't want to warp twice in one day. Turning back to Sam and Fred, he frowns. No one speaks.
Sam rocks back and forth on his heels, while Fred scratches the back of his head, letting out a quiet whistle. "So, I should probably get going," Fred says. "I, uh, have some homework to do."
Joe doesn't bother to point out that they're on summer break and don't have any homework. Not that Fred would be doing homework anyway even if they did have some to do.
Sam nods. "Yeah, me too."
That, Joe could believe.
A soft knock on the door makes all the boys jump. Joe's mom blinks at their startled expressions. "Sorry. I don't mean to interrupt, but a letter just came for you, honey." She holds up a golden envelope. Joe's name is embellished in green ink on the front.
"Okay, thanks." Joe offers her a half-smile. "Just set it on my desk."
She does and quickly leaves the room after. Joe glances at the letter, but leaves it there for now. Probably just another birthday card.
"I guess I'll see you guys later then." Joe walks with Sam and Fred to the door. He opens his mouth, but no one words come to him. On his way out, he grabs the letter off the desk. A distraction for him if nothing else.
It flares to life in Joe's hands. He yelps, dropping it on the ground. Fred and Sam stare at him with raised eyebrows. Joe doesn't notice, his eyes are focused on the envelope.
Green flames curl and spread out around the envelope, revealing the letter inside. A blank gold page glistens up at him, reflecting light and creating a disco ball effect on Joe's bedroom walls.
Carefully, Joe bends down to pick it up. Despite the flames, the letter is cool to the touch. As soon as he touches it, words in green ink materialize on the page.
Dear Mr. Joseph Arthur,
We would like to formally invite you and your closest friends to Horae Manor. A place for the magically inclined and gifted. Where people like you can learn to hone your craft.
We request that you join us at your earliest convenience. Time is of the essence.
Sincerely,
WW
"What does it say?" Fred peers over Joe's shoulder, his eyes squinting.
"It's an invitation. To a magic school." Joe reads the letter again and flips it over to the other side, but it's blank. "It doesn't really say much."
He hands the letter to Fred, who flips the card to look at both sides. "It doesn't say anything." He holds the card up to Joe. The green ink has vanished, showing a simple blank piece of paper.
Joe's eye narrow as he takes back the letter. The words begin to redraw themselves in the same green ink. "That's weird." He holds the letter up for Fred and Sam to see. "Do you see the words now?"
They both nod, silently reading the letter. Sam takes it out of Joe's hands. Once again, the words vanish. "Interesting. I've never seen this kind of tech before. Does it read fingerprints?" He examines the letter more closely.
Fred laughs. "It's a letter to a magic school, and you're looking for a fingerprint scanner? It's a piece of paper, not an iPhone."
A frown forms on Joe's lips. This can't be real, he thinks to himself. Sure, he had magic powers, but were there others like him? He taps his fingers on his thigh.
"You need to learn to control yourself. You'll hurt someone, or worse. You can't be the only one of your kind. Find a teacher." Tessa's words echo in Joe's mind. He did need to learn how to control his powers. Maybe if he got good enough, he could find his Uncle Joe. Or maybe the people running this place knew his uncle.
He stares at the letter. It seems real. Taking it back from Sam, he looks for an address or information on how to RSVP. "How am I supposed to respond to this?"
"You're going?" Sam blinks.
Joe can't help the smile that appears on his face. "It's a magic school, Sam. An actual school for magic. You saw what I did in Paris. Don't you think I should learn how to control that?" He glances down at the letter again. "And you guys can come too."
"Why would we go?" Fred crosses his arms. "It's bad enough we have to go back to school in the fall. Why would we want to give up the rest of our summer break? Besides, magic is your thing. You're the one with a magic time-traveling book."
"Because this is really cool?"
"Fair enough."
Sam groans. "Didn't we just go through this? Bad things happen when we mess with magic."
"That's why we have to go learn about it." Joe grins and puts his arm around Sam's shoulder. "Think about it, Sam. No more accidental warps."
Sam clenches his jaw, knowing he's already lost. "I'm not going to win this argument, am I?"
Joe's smile falters as he realizes he has no way of contacting whoever sent the letter. The mysterious WW. "I still don't know how to respond. There's no return address. Anyone know how to write a magical letter?"
Fred and Sam both shake their heads.
Joe frowns and holds up the letter. "Maybe I just… respond?" He awkwardly clears his throat. "My friends and I accept your invitation."
Nothing happens. No more green flames appear. The words remain the same.
"Maybe it's broken?" Fred offers.
"I- ah!" Green flames spread over the letter without warning. This time, Joe holds on. As the flames spread out, he feels no pain. The fire vanishes as quickly as it appeared. New text fills out the page.
Thank you for your quick response, Mr. Arthur.
In one week, you will be taken to Horae Manor. Please be prepared to leave promptly.
We look forward to meeting and working with you.
Sincerely,
WW
Joe flashes his teeth in a bright grin. "Guys, we're going to magic school."