If the year representative was searching for her, and she knew he would, it only meant she did something bad. As their year rep, Kasper had a lot of responsibilities. One of them was to reprimand students who caused problems, and Elena did not lack in that department.
Strangely enough, Elena's erratic behaviour was beginning to normalize in Maya's brain.
Back in the old world, just one of the things Elena had done in the past two weeks would be a scandal talked about for months. However, now, Elena jumping out of the academy window wouldn't make it into the top five outrageous things Maya saw her do.
Since it was the end of the week, and an important one at that — with the event of Initiation approaching, members of the student council were extremely busy all day. Chasing after an uncooperative student was just a part of Kasper's routine by now.
This wasn't the only time today Maya had run into Kasper trying to fulfil his duties.
Later that day, Maya stood in the academy courtyard, the crisp air carrying the promise of imminent autumn. The cobblestone beneath her feet felt cool as she focused on her elemental practice, manipulating the currents around her. Her classmates, Burcu and Samiya, mirrored her movements with varying degrees of proficiency.
Maya wasn't on good terms with her teammates for reasons unclear to her. It seems Burcu was the one that had a problem with her especially. Perhaps it was out of some envy or resentment about Maya seemingly receiving privileges no one else does.
'Well, it's not like I chose the Headmistress as my guardian, or which room I would be placed in.'
It was aching on Maya, but all her efforts to rectify their relationship ended up in failure, so far. It seems she would have to put up with mean underhanded comments from her every time their mentor steps away.
'Perhaps I simply suck at making friends.'
Their mentor was currently absent, leaving the trio to practice without guidance. And when they were practising independently, only Maya would diligently stay focused on refining her techniques. At the moment slacking off wasn't something to take as a fault if one had already succeeded in using magic.
The students that filled the practice courtyard had already started vacating. It was a preferable situation for Maya, she liked it when there weren't too many people around, in case Anastasia showed up to give her insightful lessons. So she volunteered to be the one to stay behind on her group's behalf and hand in the supervisors' confirmation slips.
Amid her exercises, a nearby commotion caught Maya's attention. Once close-knit group Stella was part of, now leaving only a trio that was currently engaged in a desperate endeavour to confirm their ability to use magic before the impending Initiation.
The urgency was felt in the air. Failure would mean exile to the slums.
One of the girls, lacking a confirmation slip, attempted to deceive Kasper, who was tasked with collecting proof as the year rep. Since the supervisors were absent, making Kasper the final arbiter in this critical assessment, he had the authority to provide a new confirmation slip. Of course, with the assurance of her magical abilities.
"You can't expect a new slip without proof," Kasper insisted.
"But I did it! I swear!" the girl pleaded, desperation evident in her eyes.
Maya felt bad for Kasper who was put under pressure by the trio's scheme to fabricate proof. Although, technically still a temporary rep until the Initiation, Kasper was very diligent in his duties. Furthermore, he wasn't gullible. He knew they had been a close-tied friend group even before they were put in the same practice group. And they definitely would lie to save their friend who was currently unable to bend in front of him but had apparently received a slip from one of the absent supervisors but coincidentally misplaced it.
Imaginative story. Since Kasper was on a tight schedule to collect them, as they are due to be delivered to the temple to be processed before the ceremony, he is pressured to resolve the issue now.
"I need confirmation," Kasper was firm.
"But that's not fair! I can't do it under so much pressure. Ask Price and Hailey. They saw!"
Kasper shook his head and scanned the courtyard. His gaze landed on Maya. Their groups were adjacent, so she could be a viable witness. "Maya, did you see her use magic?"
Suddenly called in to be the final verdict, Maya felt the pressure Kasper must've been feeling. Depending on her answer she can either condemn or save the girl.
"Hmm… I never saw her bend, either," Leo reassured her.
Maya hesitated, torn between honesty and sympathy. "I… I can't confirm that," she replied, her voice was weak, weighted with her decision.
The girl's eyes widened with panic. "Maya, please! You know I did it!"
Kasper sighed. His patience wore thin. "I can't provide a new slip without confirmation."
Burcu, who had been observing the situation with crossed arms, spoke up. "Why bother? Maya probably thinks she's too good to vouch for someone beneath her."
Maya shot a glance at Burcu, surprised by the hostility in her tone. "It's not about that. I just can't confirm something I didn't see."
Maya thought Burcu was being unjustly harsh. Her comment only served to drag Maya down, not speaking up for the girl in question. In fact, many onlookers didn't want to speak up, averting their gazes when Kasper scanned through them for a second opinion.
The trio argued with Kasper fiercely and Maya became the unexpected focal point. Kasper turned to her once more.
"Maya, I'm sorry for doing this to you, but this is the last chance for her."
Maya took a deep breath, her decision weighing heavily on her conscience. "I can't lie. I didn't see her awaken."
The gravity of Maya's honesty invoked a storm of anger from the girl's friends, directed squarely at Maya. As the accusations and animosity swirled around her, Maya couldn't help but feel the weight of her integrity.
Silencing them, Kasper gave his condolences to the unfortunate girl who dropped to her knees, her eyes losing all hope. As he made his leave, Kasper placed his hand on Maya's shoulder. He expressed a silent thanks for her help, and perhaps regret he unfairly pulled her into this to resolve the problem.
"Look on the brighter side," Leo said, consoling her. "That girl wouldn't be able to avoid her fate even if you lied. This way, the year rep owes you a favour."
Maya looked at the ground, bitterly. She could never consider a gain at the expense of someone's misfortune. Not too long ago, Maya remembered panicking about being sent to the slums herself. Would she have attempted a desperate deception to save her own skin in that girl's shoes as well? There was no way of knowing. All she could do was hope for the best for that girl's future and that horrible rumours about slums were exaggerated.