To say I was a zombie by the time I stepped out of my house would be an understatement. There were no bags under my eyes, because at this rate they were full out purple hiking backpacks, with nineteen hidden compartments to hold every wink of sleep I hadn't gotten. I practically dragged myself to the bus stop, only to raise my head to see a perfectly fine Dustin.

"Hey. Good morning!" he chirped.

"How are you fine?" I asked, ignoring his greeting. There was nothing 'good' about how I felt. "You had to drive back to your house after dropping us off. You should be more tired than anybody!"

He blinked in response before holding up an entire thermos. "If you boil a cup of instant coffee into two cups of ten hour energy instead of water, you get energy juice. Anyways," he continued, as if he hadn't just revealed that he belonged in a mental institution. "I made you something."

"What is it?" I asked, watching him hold his hands cupped in front of me. Then he opened them, showing a black creature the size of a dime there.

"WHY THE HELL DO YOU HAVE A SPIDER IN YOUR HANDS?" I screamed in an assuredly manly fashion.

"...Crow. It's not real," Dustin said calmly before holding it closer for me to see. "See? It's clay. I made it for you."

From here, I could tell it was an earring, with a hook leading into a thin, clear thread, and a small spider figurine attached to the end. It looked exactly like the aquatic-themed ones he kept hanging on his car dash mirror.

"T-thanks. It's well made, but why?" I asked. I awkwardly flipped it around in my hand, inspecting it.

"I just thought it was weird for you to be afraid of them, so I made a cute one so maybe you'd learn to like them. Look, he even has a little smiley face." He pointed to the barely noticable indent in the otherwise smooth, black charm. "It would fit your style so well!"

He looked so eager, and with no reason to be afraid of a piece of clay, I gave in, hooking it through my left piercing. It hung down almost to the end of my neck, but it wasn't heavy and sat well enough.

"It looks great on you! I hope you like it." His eyes crunched up into a smile.

"I do, but..." As grateful as I was, something wasn't adding up. "When did you even have the time to make this? You only learned this yesterday, and we got home and went to bed late..."

"What bed? I drank ten hour energy and coffee. This is hour four."

"...right."

When the bus pulled up, I could see Blyke waving to us through the window, and with a look at Dustin, who just shrugged, we went and sat by him in the back. I didn't remember falling asleep, but at least Dustin was kind enough to shake the two of us awake once we reached the building for the second time that morning.

"Do you guys want a sip of my drink?" Dustin offered, holding up the canister. "I won't be there in class to keep you up."

"No, thank you. It's just Science, so I won't be missing out much. Besides, I kinda have this thing against dying," I answered, only half joking.

"Wait, this stuff kills you? Lemme have a go at it." And with that Blyke already had the thermos in his hand, taking a large swig.

"Stop! You don't even know what's in there," I shouted, trying to grab it out of his hands, but he was well out of my range. Why is everyone I know a nutjob?

He stopped drinking for a second, sticking his tongue out a bit as he handed it back to Dustin. "Man, that stuff tastes awful. What's in it anyways?" he asked.

"It's ten hour energy and coffee, with about two cups of sugar," Dustin casually informed him. "It helps keep me awake."

He hummed a bit in acknowledgement, mulling the ludicrous recipe over. "Well at least I might be able to focus better for Math now. I'm not about to try anymore to test that theory out though."

"Yeah that's probably for the better." I nodded. I didn't need either of them dying from a heart attack in a cup. I waved a lazy hand at him. "Honestly missing out on learning what the tangent of a hypotenuse is, is way safer than whatever side effect Dustin is going to end up dealing with later."

"...Sorry did you just say the tangent of a hypotenuse?" Blyke squinted at me like I had eight heads, though with how exhausted we all were, maybe I was blurry enough to look like the offspring of a hydra. "That's not a thing. At all."

"Do I look like I'm good at math to you?" I spread my hands in confusion. "I do history. That's it."

"Great, so you can know all about some dead people and I can actually figure out how to build a rocket someday." He smirked at me, clearly enjoying the back and forth. Well, lucky for him, two could play at that game.

At least, they could if Dustin didn't decide to become a referee, standing completely between us with raised hands. "The two of you would probably be good in both classes if you stopped sleeping in whichever ones you didn't care about." He paused for a moment, staring off into space before gathering his thoughts again. "Huh. Now I sound like my sister. Well, in that case, try to stay awake so you don't get in trouble on my account." With that he waved and entered his own computer-filled classroom as I split off into Science a few steps after.

Good thing it's a green day too. I rested my chin in my hand as I stared at the board, as blank as my mind. I didn't even have the energy to try and focus my eyes. I thought about the four classes I'd be taking today. Science, Magik, Gym... History. Well, it's not like I'll need any of those later in life. I yawned for a moment. Wasn't like I would ever become an archeologist anyway, so the rest certainly wouldn't matter.

"All right class!" I could hear Mrs. Fushiana announcing as the ping of a digital bell peeled out across the school. "I have some great news. Today we are finally out of lab safety, and heading off into our first actual chapter: Energy Conversion. That being said, does anyone know the five types of energy?" She grinned up at the class. No one responded.

"Fair enough, we just started the unit, so I'll write them out for you." She reached over to grab the marker with her left hand, making bullet points down the dry erase board. "In order, we have nuclear, thermal, electrical, chemical, and mechanical energy. Now, I know what you all always think about Science, because I hear it every year. 'Why do I need to learn this?' 'I don't want to be a physist, so I'll never need it.'" The sudden slap of a yardstick made me jolt out of my tired, slouched over position, much more alert. "Well guess again Buckaroos, because this right here is why Witches have magik, and how Humans can work with that. It's the Science behind magik, something you are gonna see and deal with every day." She crossed her arms, a single brow raised as confidently as the smirk on her lips.

Wait, what? I sat up straighter in my stool for a moment as Liesel scribbled notes down frantically next to me. I've never heard of any connection like that. How could they explain the inexplicable?

"That got your guys sleepy attention, huh?" She noted, her pink eyes surveying the room as she popped herself up to take a seat on her desk. "Let me start off with an example then. Have any of you ever wondered why an oven can make heat, with no kind of fire inside? Sure, we all know it works by plugging into the wall, but the outlet makes electricity, not heat, so how does that make it work?" She tilted back to gesture to her title scrawled on the board again. "The answer is: Energy Conversion! The electricity goes through a wire, into the oven until it reaches the coil, or burner. From there, it converts into thermal energy to heat up our food. Yes?" She stopped to ask as Liesel's hand shot up next to me.

"You said this was going to explain magik. What kind of energy is that? A sixth type?"

"Well, good question, first off, but that's the funny thing. As much as they look into it, scientists have a hard time figuring out why Witches can pull energy out of non-living objects like crystals and cards, and use it to do things like... cause an earthquake, for example. Sure, it could turn out to be some sixth energy, but I actually have my own theory."

She paused for a moment, the squeak of a marker sounding as she drew out a few boxes on the board. A flow chart. "You see, magik is just the process of converting one form of energy to another, and Witches are people who are able to control that. That's it. No fancy sparkles or movie effects. You want a fireball, then you have to take the chemical energy of glucose and amino acids in your system, and convert that into thermal for controlled heat, and output it in say, your hand. You want to know why it feels so draining? It's because you're basically a solar panel, and you have to play the role of the sun and provide that energy at the same time. Exhausting."

I hummed a bit to myself at that, thinking back to when I'd tried to levitate the chest last night. Pulling at my own life force... or would it be the glucose and whatnot like she'd said? Whatever it was, I'd felt awful after that. Still did. 

"Now, going back to my theory, if you know kinetic and potential energy, that can be stored in anything, even things like rocks, or the shirt off your back. Anything." She shrugged like it was no big deal, but anyone could hear the excitement in her tone, catch the glow in her eyes at her small rant before she whirled back to the board. "By that logic, magik wouldn't be getting something from nothing, but working with that potential that's already there. So if you're holding something a good three feet off the ground, it could easily give you a solid 980 joules of energy to work with that you wouldn't need to take from yourself." Lifting her marker, she turned back to the class, a small smile on her face. "Make sense?"

I just sat there, mouth stuck open. ...Yeah. It does. It was weird enough that my Science teacher was a Witch, but was she really out here explaining magik? The same subject the government refused to touch so they didn't look crazy? I almost didn't want it to make sense, but I was getting a more solid understanding of my own abilities sitting half-asleep now than I had in two years of retaking Basics to Magik. I was sixteen. Why was this clicking now? I glanced down at my tablet, looking at the equation I'd typed out earlier that week, the only note on the otherwise blank screen. To my own surprise, an idea began to form in my mind. I slowly lifted my hand, staring off at the desk in front of me in thought. I didn't want to care but... what if it was important? What if it worked?

"Yes Crow?" Her voice sounded astonished at the fact that I was actually participating in class.

"You made me write down for the formula sheet that potential energy is the weight of an object, times gravity and height, right? Since gravity is constant, wouldn't that mean the higher something is, the more energy you could pull out of it?" I wanted to make sure I was understanding it right, if I was even understanding it at all.

"Yep, that's how that works. So, if my theory was right, it would be why the stories of Witches living in mountains in the olden days would be described as so much more naturally powerful than others. They just lived higher up, and had more energy to work with. Neat how everything connects, huh?"

"Yeah, I guess it is," I replied, pulling my hand back down. It was things like this that made me love history. Just being able to see how things changed when you had an understanding of magik, or science, in this case. The way it all came together so much better to make a complete story. I wonder what Dekoran would think of this. He's always interested in ancient magik. I knew he was stubborn, but if anything, this proved that the world was starting to grow and change towards new ideas, where things made sense. I should mention this to him next period, I thought, when my heart sank. That wasn't the only thing I had to tell him, and I really wasn't looking forward to... that.

☾

The room was as dark and moldy as ever, and if my stomach sank any lower, it probably would have scraped along the stone floor, leaving a trail behind in the dust. The salve became ten pounds heavier in my pocket as I caught sight of Dekoran gently setting up pillows and arranging notes to prep for class. Did I really steal something from the school? From my teacher? How in the world was I supposed to explain that there was a cult here, stealing my potions, without telling him what I'd done. The potions just happened to be stolen the day I was being yelled at for doing the exact same thing? I would be suspicious as hell. Was there really a point in telling him if he didn't belive me? ...Besides, did they really steal my property? It was basically Dekoran's at that point, so it would be his fault if anything happened from him not keeping it safe enough, right? I came closer to his seemingly aloof figure, trying to catch his attention.

"Hey... Dekoran? Is it all right if I miss after-school practice just for today?" I asked. "I have work." Not like it was a lie.

He beamed up at me, the winkles by his eyes squinting at the gesture, but I had no idea why he'd be in such a good mood when I was basically asking to cut class. "Of course, my boy. I can't expect you to stay after every single day. Surely you have your family and other homework to attend to as well. Feel free to ask off as you need-- unless you are going to start asking off daily?" He gave me a stern look for a moment.

"Oh no!" I quickly clarifed. "I just..." Need a break from potion-making. "Got a lot of stuff to do today. You know how it is."

 He nodded, seemingly satisified with my answer as his face settled back into a calm, but positive demeanor. "Good. Then take a seat; I'll be starting lessons soon."

"Sure thing. ...Thanks." I scratched at the hair on the back of my neck before sitting down. It was weird to see him actually pleasant for once, teaching his class, blissfully unaware of what I'd done. What I'd seen...  For some reason it just made me feel even worse, my insides churning, palms sweating as I sat there, saying nothing, doing nothing. Was this how Elliot felt, ghosts hanging over his shoulder, judging his thoughts and actions every two seconds? It wasn't until the final bell rang, and I was taking the first step into Nexus Games that I finally had something else to throw my mind at. I just wish that something could have been anything other than facing Eileen. Even with a gift, I felt like I owed them so much. I hope it's good enough.

"Welcome back Crow!" Eileen called out as I closed the glass door of the shop behind me. "You're certainly here early." They took a break from running a UV light over the counter to santize it, glancing up at me.

"Yeah, that was the plan. I... skipped my Apothecary lessons today. Truth is, I- uh, I have something for you." I chose to stare at the soft, glowing strips along the ceiling to avoid their gaze for a moment as I started rapidly digging in my pocket with my free hand.

"What? You didn't have to get me anything. We already said sorry over the phone. That was good enough for me." They put down the light, deep blue eyes narrowing in confusion as they stepped closer to me.

The cool metal of the tin brushed against my fingertips, and I pulled it out. "Well, it wasn't good enough for me. I know you hold a grudge against magik, and rightfully so, with everything you've been through. I just couldn't... I didn't feel right being trusted with your entire story, when maybe I could do something to help. I know nothing can take back the painful memories, but..." I thought back to my first potion, spreading it on my face, eyes closed, hoping, praying that it'd work. "Maybe you didn't have to be left with the scar." I passed the tin to them. 

Their eyes widened, flicking back and forth between it and me. "W-what?"

"I wanted to prove magik can be used to help too." I helped them unscrew the lid. "It's a salve. You can rub it on your mark, probably every day for a week or so... and it should go away. I'm sorry you've had to deal with that for this lo-" I was cut off as they tackled me into a hug, skinny arms still somehow managing to crush the air out of my lungs. "Uh, Eileen?" They were the least touchy person I knew.

"Thank you." It came as a whisper into my shoulder. "I can't believe you'd do this for me, especially after what I said and did... You still had the heart to make this for me. How? I--" They stopped themselves, taking a deep breath before continuing. "It means a lot to me."

"Well hey," I pushed them back off me a bit so I breathe enough to live to see tomorrow "Don't thank me just yet. We don't even know for sure it works."

"Doesn't matter. The fact you even tried is enough for me. The fact you cared. I expected to be cursed for life, so anything better than that is a bonus." I watched them wipe a small tear from their eye. "I'm going to put this on in the backroom. Feel free to put your school supplies there too and get changed in the bathroom. We open in about a half an hour though, so no rush."

I nodded, digging the dark blue uniform out of my backpack once again. "Will do. Will do."