"Gods! Elena, what are you eating?!" Andrea exclaimed after noticing what Elena, who sat at their table less often lately, had brought on her lunch tray.
Everyone's attention was drawn to Elena's plate as she sat down at their table. It wasn't out of the ordinary for Elena to pile up her plate to the point of being called a grotesque masterpiece, with ingredients that should never meet on the same plate. This time, beside the tower of different meats, on top was added a fistful of fresh cherries that were ruined with mustard.
Her dietary choices always baffled Maya. In all this time she was still unable to discern whether it was laziness to choose from abundant choices, some weird cravings, not being picky due to her upbringing, or perhaps her taste buds being completely fried from alcohol that it didn't matter what it would taste like.
"I could ask you the same thing," Elena deflected Andrea's concern.
On Andrea's plate was a hamburger with some soggy fries. It may not be healthy, but certainly wasn't weird. On the other hand, Maya was eating chicken salad, Sarah was living only on gluten-free Caesar salad and Linda was eating vegetable noodle soup today.
With one too many incidents of Elena being inept at putting together a normal plate of food, her friends all worried for her. It has already been long enough and the people who had the mindset of 'screw it, I'm going to eat whatever I like here' have long since given up stuffing their plates with only sweets and desserts, having grown sick of stomach pains and diarrhoea.
"You're getting meat without a side dish, again?" Andrea would nag. "Come on, Elena, at least get a slice of bread with it. How can you live on that?"
The fact that everyone liked to play Elena's mother during lunch was turning into a staple. And it felt easily justifiable. After all, Elena never had a mother to teach her proper nutrition. However, despite everyone trying to help, she never listened; like a true fussy child, she only preferred it her way.
So, today, she didn't feel like she had to justify herself, once again, and stabbed a cherry with a fork and put it in her mouth.
"Ew. Don't you have taste buds?" Sarah was disgusted.
"Asks the person that only eats raw leafy lettuce," Elena answered back.
"I don't put mustard on it."
"Right. That would be 'too many calories,'" Elena said mockingly.
"Oh, shut up. We all know you're pretending not to watch out for calories yourself. This is a nice show. Especially because you think we don't know you will just go and puke it all out afterwards."
"Ah! Is that what you think? We don't all act like you would, you know."
Elena is the second tallest among them, right behind the lanky Linda. But she was of slim build so it does make you wonder where it all goes.
Andrea exchanged a look of regret with Maya for having asked the question that started this. "Can't we talk about something nice, for a change?"
However Linda interjected with curiosity, "Maybe it's good."
"What is?" Maya was unsure of what she was referring to.
"Cherries with mustard. Can I try?" Linda asked Elena politely.
Elena looked at her for a moment, before pushing her plate closer to her. Linda carefully picked a cherry and ate it. Everyone leaned forward in anticipation as she chewed it.
"It's disgusting," Linda said in a sweetest tone and smiled.
They all laughed. It was to be expected.
"I admit, mustard wasn't the wisest choice here," Elena said but continued eating it.
"You never know until you try," Linda said.
Maya admired Linda for rectifying the situation in such a sweet manner. She was the heart of their squad. Her quiet and withdrawn nature allowed her to assess situations from a broader perspective and see the best way to de-escalate them. Unlike, Maya, who, with a similar personality, was too anxious to think past her own flaws in moments like this.
As the lively chatter filled the cafeteria, Maya noticed Isaac approaching their table, Adam in tow. Isaac wore a friendly smile as he asked, "Mind if Adam joins us?"
Maya observed the strangeness of their appearance she hadn't yet gotten used to. For a while, it will stay noticeable who among academy students are freshmen simply by the characteristic of hair from their nape being shaven off—a mandatory part of the ritual for the newly initiated. For the girls, it was easily hidden by letting the rest of their hair flow, but for guys, who tend to have shorter hair, it was as stark as day.
"Of course," Andrea replied, waving them to empty seats.
Isaac sat at his usual spot and Adam settled in a seat that was usually vacant. However, it was vacant in everyone's eyes but Maya's. It was the seat where Leo would sit and tend to the illusion that he was participating in their conversations and the cafeteria buzz.
Moved out of his spot, Leo hovered by the table, dejected and forced to face his reality of not being there in the first place.
"How do you do, my fellow initiated witches?" Adam made an effort to sound charming.
"Very fine today, good sir," Maya giggled and gave him a smile.
Now, with Adam much closer to her, Maya felt shy looking in his direction. Her heart raced, hoping Leo wouldn't notice her attention drifting towards Adam.
"When did those two get so close, huh?" Andrea seems to have caught something in the atmosphere. "Maya wanna share something with the rest of the squad?"
"N-no…"
"Is it just me or does the cafeteria feel less cramped since the uninitiated left?" Adam jumped to Maya's rescue and quickly changed the subject.
Luckily, Andrea was easily distracted. "Not to prey on their misfortune, but I am glad we all stayed together. It was a close one with Linda, though."
"I couldn't leave you just like that, knowing how dysfunctional the squad would've become," Linda casually waved her spoon in the air.
She was met with laughter.
"Don't worry. We would've just replaced you with Adam," Isaac teased.
"Now, he should replace Elena instead," Sarah suggested with a mean glint in her eye.
Everyone looked at Sarah, stumped, and Adam felt a bit uncomfortable. Her mean suggestion wasn't discreet, especially since Elena was still present.
"Way to make an impression, Sarah," Elena gave a sarcastic retort. "Anyway, it looks like your wish can be fulfilled, at least for today. Keith is waiting for me. See you later."
Already having tackled that mountain of food from her plate, Elena left in a good mood as Sarah gritted her teeth. To the unknowing onlookers, her words weren't anything worth fussing over, but in fact, she used the opportunity to remind Sarah that it was Elena who won Keith's heart in the end, and not her.
The air hung awkwardly for a moment because everyone at the table knew Sarah just received a heavy blow. It was only Leo who didn't have to deal with this tension and happily pranced toward the spot that freed up for him.
"And there she goes. The power couple is still going strong."
Maya glanced at Adam, feeling regretful atmosphere got so awkward. Fearing he would think twice about joining them for lunch in the future, she attempted to quickly move the conversation. "I can't wait to use magic as newly initiated mages!"
"Me too!" Andrea exclaimed, her eyes lighting up with excitement. "But you know what I'm not looking forward to? The back pains and those killing headaches I get afterwards."
Maya and the others nodded in agreement, sharing knowing glances. The physical toll of magic was a common experience among the new mages. It wasn't all sparks and power; there were consequences to wielding magic.
"I remember my first intense practice session," Adam chimed in. "I felt like I'd been run over by a herd of trolls the next day."
Sarah, rubbing her temples as if remembering a particularly painful headache, added, "I hate those headaches."
Maya joined in, "And the ringing in your ears. Sometimes it's like you attended a concert of sirens."
Andrea laughed, "Well, we signed up for it. A bit of pain and discomfort won't stop us from mastering our elements."
They began discussing the various side effects of exerting magical abilities. From mild fatigue and muscle soreness to more severe symptoms like headaches and red eyes from burst capillaries, the toll on their bodies was evident. Maya shivered at the mention of the more extreme cases, nosebleeds and even skin splitting.
"Those extreme cases sound like myths," Isaac commented, raising an eyebrow.
Adam nodded, "Yeah, I've read about them, but I've never seen it happen. I think they're rare."
Maya, reflecting on her own experiences, remembered something her mentor, Tanya, used to say. "As you bend, magic bends you back," she said aloud. "It's like a give and take. We manipulate the magical forces, and in return, they leave their mark on us. It's a delicate balance we have to maintain."
Andrea raised her glass, proposing a toast to their magical journey. "To the highs and lows of bending! May our headaches be short-lived and our powers be ever-growing." The group joined in, clinking their juice glasses together, embracing the challenges that came with their newfound abilities.