I walked to the Principal's office with my head down. I hadn't gotten much sleep last night because I was so scared. I was in a hurry to leave the house this morning and was more relieved than I had ever been to be around people.
"Come in," he said after I knocked. I walked in to find the Principal's smiling face.
"Good morning, sir," I said, stepping forward.
"Take your seat, take your seat," he said, still smiling. "I was worried when you had to leave like that, but I'm glad you're back," he said, and I nodded.
"Thank you," I replied. "Part of the reason I'm here is to inform you that I'll be ordering new ingredients. I wanted to get permission first," I said, and he rubbed his beard thoughtfully.
"That won't work," he said. Huh? Why not? "You came back at the right time. The school will be ordering an emergency lockdown in a few days, so I don't think your order will be possible until it's called off," he explained, and I nodded.
It took a long time for them to reach a decision, but I'm sure it was a hard one to make. The lockdown will be safest for the students, but some might not support it.
"Oh, I'll have to wait then," I replied.
"I apologize on behalf of the academy; it's not our intention to disturb your research," he said, and I waved my hand dismissively.
"No, not at all," I said.
"But in the meantime, you can teach the students," he said. He's still bringing that up? "It's not a must, but if you decide to, you know where to find me," he smiled.
"Okay," I replied, standing up. "I'll take my leave," I said, turning to leave.
"Visit more often, okay?" he said as I opened the door. He'd just keep bringing up the job offer, but…
"Okay," I said and walked out.
Instead of going back home, I went to the library. A few students were there, so I felt less afraid.
I grabbed some books on healing and started studying them. My knowledge on healing had improved a lot because I hadn't spent much time on my research recently.
Before, I could only heal minor injuries, but now I can heal illnesses as well. I also studied how to make simple concoctions, which weren't a problem since I had learned them when I was a student.
"You're the professor, right?" someone said, and I stiffened. Wanting to be around people doesn't mean I want to speak to anyone. I looked up and saw a boy with round glasses standing in front of my table.
"Yes," I replied, and he nodded, taking his seat.
"Can you help me with something?" he asked, and I nodded. I didn't have much of a choice anymore; was that even a question?
"What is it?" I asked, adjusting in my seat.
"Well, I'm majoring in medicine, and we were given a task, but I'm having problems with it," he said.
"What's the topic?" I asked, hoping I could get it over with quickly.
"Well, we were told to study how to use magic to modify medicines," he said, and I nodded. I remember that topic. It was when I first learned healing magic. It's not really difficult; that topic helped me understand how to combine most parts of my medicine.
"Do you know healing magic?" I asked, and he shook his head.
"I'm a dormant," he said, and I nodded. That explains it.
I held my jaw and contemplated for a while. If he can't use magic, how will he be able to know how to use it? This is the kind of distraction I need; it's a hard question that will keep me busy for a while.
"Can you show me how it works? Maybe I could learn something from that?" he said. That makes sense, but just knowing the theory doesn't always help.
"Can you come with me… ehh…" I said with a questioning look.
"Gordon Heavel," he replied, and I nodded.
"Faina Alden," I said, and his eyes widened. "I don't think just seeing it will help," I said, and he nodded.
"So, what should I do? I'm a dormant," he said.
"Well…" He could try awakening his magic again, but I don't know if he'd be okay with that. He's asking for a solution, so I should do what I can to help, right? "Would you be okay with trying to awaken your magic?" I asked politely.
"Really?" he asked, a hint of a smile appearing on his face.
"I don't know how to force your magic out, but we can use magic objects like crystals," I said, and he nodded in anticipation.
"Then let's go," he smiled. He's really happy with the idea. Isn't he worried it might not work?
"Okay," I said, packing my books.
"I was right to come to you," he said, looking at the books.
I dropped the books back and went to meet Gordon outside. We walked to one of the reserved buildings, and I opened it with my 'key'.
"Wow, I've never been here before," he said, looking around.
"There are some crystals here," I said, walking inside.
We went to the first floor and opened one of the doors. Inside was a bunch of magic objects. I opened a box, and as I thought, there was a crystal inside.
"Let's go somewhere else," I said, picking up the box.
"O… Okay," he said, turning to leave reluctantly.
We went to the roof of the building, and I dropped the crystal on the floor and stepped back.
"Just touch it; your chances are higher since it's your second time," I said, and he nodded.
He did as I said, but it didn't react. He looked disappointed but tried again. After three tries, it still didn't work.
"It's not working," he said, looking dejected.
"I have an idea," I said, stepping forward. I extended my hand, and he looked at it. "G… Give me your hand," I said.
"Oh, okay," he replied.
I had learned that healing magic could be used to correct someone's magic flow and disrupt it. I had never tried it before, but it was worth a shot.
I released my magic slowly into his hand, and he gasped but relaxed after a while. We stayed like that for a few minutes, and I tried to sense his magic. It was working, but very slowly.
"Try it again," I said, stepping back.
"Okay," he replied, squatting to touch the crystal. It released light slowly, then it stopped. A smile grew on his face as he turned to look at me. "Gold, awakened," he said.
I didn't know helping someone would make me this happy. A faint smile crept up my face at the sight.
"Thank you," he said, rushing towards me. My first instinct was to move away. He hugged me and then moved away, holding my hand. "Thank you very much. I was already worried. How did you do that? Can you show me? Can I be your apprentice?" He kept talking so quickly that I could barely make out what he was saying.
"Uh…"
"Can I be your apprentice?" he asked, and I blinked twice. Was it that big a deal?
"I…"
"Please, I can learn a lot from you," he pleaded. I didn't know what to say. I wasn't really looking for an apprentice, but how do I turn him down?
"I'll… think about it," I said, and he smiled.
"Please do," he said, letting go.
"You need to get some rest; you might not feel it now, but the awakening took a toll on your body," I said, and he nodded.
"Yes, ma'am," he replied. Ma'am? Did he just call me 'ma'am'? "Can you teach me healing magic later?"
"Uh… okay," I replied, and he beamed again.
"Then I'll return this and go. I'll be at the library tomorrow after classes," he said, picking up the crystal.
I walked behind him silently and watched him drop it off before leaving. I locked the door and turned to leave but was met with a smiling Gordon.
"I'll leave now. Thanks again," he said, waving.
"This is absurd," I said to myself as I watched him leave. I felt happy seeing him happy for some reason. It must be nice to do something like that.
I ended up staying outside most of the day, which was best because I was still scared of being alone.
"Maybe the idea of an apprentice isn't so bad," I said as I made my way to my house.