Heaving a sigh, I picked up my broom.
Looking around, I noticed that it wasn't just Elizabeth that had eyes focused on me.
Even Miss Double D had her eyes glued on me along with a few of my classmates.
What were they staring at?
I wondered if Miss Double D was hoping that I would fail so her point would be proven right.
I chuckled and then scoffed.
Setting the broom by slanting it forward like I had seen Bolzen and some other students do, I put a foot on the wood stick, moving my foot lightly to make sure that I had the balance for flight.
I took deep breaths and then cast the spell.
"Ascensio," I said. I only knew the spell because I heard the others say it. I must say that I'm quite sharp.
But I had missed a vital step thanks to my unavoidable absence at the start of practice.
"Ascensio," I said again when the broom didn't even flinch at my spell casting.
"What's wrong?" I whispered, looking at the broom.
I raised my head to see Miss Double D shake her head and on her face was the expression that clearly said 'I told you so'.
My lips curled and a mischievous grin appeared on my face, a nervous grin — one that says 'Yeah, you've got me. I need help'.
Of course, I wouldn't say those words out loud.
Elizabeth facepalmed and walked over to where I was after seeing me flunk my first trial.
"You're doing it all wrong, Dee."
"Huh? But that's what everyone else was doing."
"Tsk, tsk. It's easy if you can just listen," she said, taking out her wand.
"First, you cast your mana energy on the broom. Once done you won't need to do it all the time. Then you can cast the spell."
She showed me the two steps exactly as she explained and took her wand, casting her magical energy on the broom and saying the spell.
Immediately, Liz's broom started to lift off the ground while I watched.
"It was that easy?" I thought to myself but everyone else who saw me fail the first time must have believed that I was dumb, and Liz helping me out will definitely make them think something even worse.
I steadied my grip on the broom and took a deep breath, knowing that this was an easy task to accomplish.
I had failed the first time because I was ignorant. This time, I will prove Miss Dorian wrong.
I put my hand inside my navy blue blazer jacket and brought out my wand. Placing it over my broom, I bathed the long wooden stick with sprinkles of mana.
"Ascensio," I said with a foot on the now magicked broom.
As I said the magic word, the broom started to lift from the ground with my weight on it.
"Haha," I laughed, looking around to see their faces.
I may have failed at riding the broom on my first attempt but that didn't make me any weaker or less competent in the use of magic.
I was an arcane magic user in their eyes — a great step that connotes great potential — and that title was only a speck of what I really me.
Miss Dorian's face was indifferent, but I would take that over her disappointed look any day, any time.
I flew over to Rordon.
"Hey, Rordon. Get your ass up here," I said before gliding off.
Rordon's nerves nearly popped from watching me and Bolzen fly around.
"Come on... fly!" he yelled at his broom, gritting his teeth.
"Ascensio! Ascensio! Ascensio!"
Even with all the anger inside him, the broom remained unresponsive to the spell.
"Argh!"
...
...
...
After some hours of practice, Miss Double D walked forward.
She cleared her throat and clapped her hands twice.
"Ahem, that's it for today," she said, announcing the end of the day's practice session.
Although it had ended, not everyone was comfortable with that fact.
The end of the practice affected mostly the scholars who didn't succeed in riding the broom today.
"I said that's it for today, Mister Gamsay," Miss Dorian reiterated her words.
Rordon was still trying his best to get his broom to at least float in the air even if he couldn't ride it.
All his efforts seemed futile.
Rordon felt a hand touch his shoulder. He turned halfway in the direction of the same shoulder to get a glimpse of the person who had touched him.
"You'd kill next time, Rordon. Maybe today isn't just your today," Bolzen said.
Rordon, in anger, made a complete turn and faced Bolzen. He was about to deliver the entirety of his wrath on his friend when Bolzen raised his arms in surrender and muttered some words.
"What did you say?" Rordon asked, inching his ears forward.
"I'll treat you to a honey sandwich to cheer you up."
Hearing 'honey sandwich', Rordon's face lit up and sparkled. His eyes grew bigger and cute like a newborn babe's.
Rordon loved eating honey sandwiches, so much that those around him knew this and he forced them to learn how to make them.
Yes, that's why I could make it too.
Funny enough, unlike every other thing that Rordon reckoned to be 'sweet', the honey sandwich was the only one that truly was.
"Phew, thank heavens he's still a sucker for honey sandwiches," Bolzen thought.
Bolzen was thankful that his gesture succeeded in changing Rordon's mind.
Their play session was cut short by a quick announcement that echoed throughout the field.
"Attention scholars! Attention scholars! All second year warlock and witch apprentices are expected to come to the Auditorium C in fifteen minutes."
The speakers delivered the announcement, making sure it reached every second year scholar.
"Why would we be needed at the auditorium?" I wondered.
— Curtain draws —
...
...
...
"Hello y'all! It's me, Dickens Nuttinson! Thanks for putting up with my not-so-incredible life. I'd like to make an announcement—"
"What are you doing, Dee?"
"N-Not-Nothing. Get the hell out of here. What do you even want?"
"Dee? I want to see it, man. Relax."
"No! Don't come here, Rordon."
"Check the Creator's Thought down there!" Dee's voice echoed as he struggled to drag Rordon out.