With thoughts of using magic to build walls and doors, I returned to the campus library. Unwrapping my new book of runes, I soon become lost in its pages. I was unaware that someone was speaking to me until they tapped me on my shoulder, saying, "Excuse me."

It was startling enough to cause me to jump away, off the side of my chair, to land on the floor. It took a moment for my nerves to calm again, which was when I heard giggling.

When I looked up, the giggling suddenly stopped. The girl was trying to hide her amusement while I was getting up. She did not do it very well.

Focused on my mantra to 'keep calm,' I asked, "Was there something you needed?"

She nodded while I stood there waiting. I wondered silently if this was more bullying. I did my best not to show any emotions, "What is it that you need then?"

"Are you a teacher?" she asked.

Confusion hit me, "What?"

"You have a teacher's sash," the girl pointed at my chest.

"Oh. Yes, I am a teacher." Seeing her look of disbelief, I added, "Sorry, it's my first day. Did you need help with something?"

"Great." She smiled and held out a sheet of paper to me. "Would you look at my spell work?" She turned to point at a table with some other girls sitting there, "They say it is wrong, but I don't think so."

The world fades away again as I sit down and go through the spell formula carefully. "Okay, I see what you're trying to do. You want to hit a target from the sky with a lightning bolt. You're on the right path. You just need to use more than 'air' as the source. You'll need to include how far above your target the lightning will originate from and what volume of air volume to use. Defining parameters to match nature can further increase efficiency if you work it out carefully. Doing so would help make this a powerful weapon."

Handing the sheet back to her, I notice she looks slightly confused. "I'd suggest studying storms and how they occur before you continue."

Nodding, she looks at her spell with a knowing grin. I suspect she has some ideas starting to form in her head already.

Leaning forward, she gave me a quick hug and then said, "Thank you." With that, she hurried back to her group of girls, who were all staring at me.

Mumbling, "You're welcome," I shook my head in disbelief. I'm not sure what just happened, so I went back to my studies.

Second Day of June, In the Year of the Empire 6777

At some point late that night, I put my head down for a few minutes. When I woke up after what could only have been a couple of hours, I felt great. I was hungry, but I felt great. The new ring had worked. With a big smile, I started putting books away and gathering my things. In just a short time, I was off to the student cafeteria to grab breakfast. Once through the line, I went and sat at an empty table. Opening my notes from last night, I began to review the ritual I had created before falling asleep.

"Hartson." Said someone said from behind me. They continued, "Staff does not eat at the student tables."

I turned to find Instructor Bings standing there. I had never cared for him during my time as a student. I stood and greeted him as blandly as possible. "Good morning, Instructor Bings. I do not mind. Someone may have a question as well."

Instructor Bings wanted to say something. But I was quite sure I knew all the rules for instructors far better than most of them. I knew I was not doing anything wrong.

He nearly growled, "It is not seemly Hartson." He turned away without another word.

I let out a sigh and sat back down. It was only going to get worse from here. Four years to go, wonderful.

"He did not seem nice," a girl's voice spoke from across the table.

Looking up, I could see that it was the same girl from the library. I looked all around me just to be sure nothing else was going on. It seemed to be just her again. "Well… um." I recovered myself and asked, "How can I help you, ah, student? I'm sorry, but I don't know your name. My name is Instructor Hartson."

She smiled, "Sorry, Instructor Hartson. I'm Sienna Green."

She seemed nice and a year or two younger than me? "Thank you, Student Green. How may I help you this morning?"

She sat down at the table across from me. "I don't mean to be rude, but did you buy that book you unwrapped last night in the library?"

Nodding yes, I waited.

Hesitating just a moment, she asked another question, "Was it from the Magical Emporium then?"

"Yes. Why are you so interested though?" Her smile lit up when I said yes.

"It is my father's shop." Then in a rush, "If you happen to go back there, I don't get to see my family much." Twisting her hands together, she continued, "I was wondering if I might follow you there. I can't see them unless an instructor takes me, or they come to visit. Visits to the school are not allowed very often, you know. So, if you have some time when you plan to go again, please take me. Ah, if that is not too much to ask, sir."

I took a long moment to think that if my family were so close, I would want to see them too.

She started to get up, "Sorry to bother you, Instructor."

"No, it's no bother. I'm am going back later this morning. I asked your father, well, never mind. If you would like to go this morning, meet me at the gate at nine."

Smiling brightly again, she said, "I'll be ready." Then she took off.

I think she might have tried to hug me again, but the table was between us, thankfully. Well, another hug would have been friendly, maybe? My breakfast was cold before I started eating again.

After eating, I decided to go back to my room in the teacher's dorm. I went around the admin building again and made my way back to the dusty room. When I went inside the room, I noticed right away that someone else had been in here. I'd put a trap in each of trunks, and someone had tried to open one. I could tell by the bright green splatter on the room in front of the first chest. Someone was walking around looking rather odd, wearing bright green paint. I was angry and laughing at the same time at that thought.

One thing was clear. Staying here was not an option. I used my spell 'Floating Carriages' again to lift all four trunks and set them to follow me.

I headed directly to the staff admin building, not caring who saw me this time. I came from the hall behind Renfield's desk this time with my key in hand. I held the key out for him to take. "Excuse me. I need to turn my key in Mage Renfield."

He was a bit surprised at me handing the key to him. He reached up to take it automatically, with a bright green hand. We both saw the color of his hand at the same time. Jerking his hand back, he held it down out of my sight.

Smiling brightly, I thought to mention something that I had run across a few years ago defending my things from classmates. "Looks like you have some paint on your hand Mage Renfield."

He did not say anything, so I continued, "By the way, did you know that if you add the juice from certain elven flowers to dyes, it makes them virtually permanent? I do hope you did not run into something like that. Well, I'm late, talk to you again sometime."

The stunned look on his face nearly caused me to break out with laughter right there, but I managed to turn about and walk away with only a huge smile.

I got to the gate quite early, so I sat down at a nearby bench after putting the trunks down out of the way. I was still chuckling lightly to myself when Student Green interrupted my reading again.

She quickly caught on to my humor and looked about. "What is so funny, Instructor?"

Putting away my book, I stood, "I'll tell you in a moment." Summoning the trunks to follow along again, we went to the gate guard. "Sir, please note that Instructor Hartson is taking Student Green to see her family this morning."

The guard responded with a quick "Yes sir," and we left.

I began my tale about the trunks, their traps, and a green hand on someone I had met. Once I told Student Green what I said to that person, we both were laughing hard. We were still laughing some as we walked into the Emporium.

"Sienna?" Someone asked.

Sienna hurried forward and hugged her father. "Hi, dad! Instructor Hartson was kind enough to let me visit today. Is mom home? Are you doing well? How is the store doing?"

Noting that Sienna was able to talk amazingly fast, I just smiled and waited.

Sienna's father was happy to see his daughter, but also give me an odd look. "Yes, your mother is upstairs, mixing potions. If you can quietly visit your mother, you may go."

We both watched her rush quietly into the back of the store.

"Mage Hartson," was all he said until I looked back at him.

"Good morning, sir."

"I'm curious, how do you know my daughter?" He asked strangely.

"She was in the library after I left here yesterday. She saw me unpackage the book and asked me about it to learn if it came from here. Then she asked if I would take her to see you sometime." I shrugged, "So I brought her this morning."

He seemed to relax, "Okay. Sorry about that, my daughter can be pushy. I hope you don't mind."

"No trouble, sir."

Motioning to the trunks behind me, I said, "My apologies for bringing my things early. I had some more difficulties this morning, which required leaving sooner than planned. I still hope your willing to let me use part of your basement. Otherwise, I must be going to find somewhere else to live."

Mr. Green hesitated a moment, "We want to have the changes completed before anyone moves in to make sure nothing happens to the merchandise down there. I hope you understand."

I smiled, "Well, I might be able to help you out with that if that is okay?"

Eyebrows furrowed, he asked, "How so?"

"I will use magic to create the needed walls and doors, if you allow it, sir. I'll need to buy a few items first, though."

Nodding, "Okay, I'd like to see you do that. What items do you need?"

"A wand's length of oak for doors and a gram of your high steel powder for hinges."

The shopkeeper quickly gathered the two items, and we headed to the basement.

Setting the trunks off to the side, Mr. Green showed me where to put the walls and doors.

It took nearly an hour to draw the ritual on the floor and place the necessary items in their proper place. After double-checking with my notes one more time, I started feeding my mana into the ritual. Once it started, the pull for more mana was intense. I gave nearly all the mana that I had before cutting the flow off. I watched the ritual build intently, looking for any problems that might have arisen.

"It's working," I said quietly.

As we watched the floors, new walls began to grow upward slowly.

"It will take some hours yet for the walls and doors to be complete, probably later tonight, sir."

Mr. Green was entranced, "This is amazing."

"I'm going to return to the library. Do you mind if I leave my items and return after dinner tonight, to see if it is complete?"

"Yes, that is fine, but why will it take so long?" the shopkeeper asked.

"I do not have enough mana to power the entire ritual myself, so I set it up to draw in mana from deeper in the ground. It will slow the further down it has to reach before it completes. Please make sure that no one disturbs the ritual pattern there in the middle of the floor. It will disappear when the ritual finishes."

"Oh, before I forget, I'll be back late this afternoon to return your daughter to the school." I wearily made my way up the stairs and back to the library. Maybe I'll get another nap in.