Her mind felt vacuous, submerged in a vast and unending malaise. If she squinted in the pitch black, she could make out the distant glimmer of stars and the flashing lichtenberg trails of lightning ever present in roiling black storm clouds. Flowing red ribbons danced in the distance, all heading towards a destination she could not make out.

No up, no down, no sense of direction to orient herself to as the weight of the world pressed down on her chest.

She could feel her passengers' presence all around her, its body having swallowed hers whole.

She tried to communicate with the foreign being and received a painful confluence of images in return. Nothing intelligible, an attempt that left her body and mind wracked with pain.

Magnolia woke up feeling the worst she’d ever felt in her life. Memory or no memory, the sheer act of moving her arms to lift the blanket off her body was a struggle.

She slid her arm up from her fuzzy restraints and wiped away the crud off her eyes.

Wet. Crimson.

Magnolia blinked and felt her face was sticky and caked with coagulated blood down her cheeks.

“Even more now…” Magnolia whispered in a hoarse voice. If there was any energy in her, she’d have started to panic so silver linings could be found in the strangest of situations. Instead, she grabbed a towel from her nightstand and wiped away the blood.

“Ronkkkk.” Juniper caught her attention with a snore and snort. How she managed to sleep so soundly was beyond Magnolia.

She smiled.

Magnolia mustered the strength to get up from her bed and shamble over to the growing pile of clothes growing on her sister's desk chair. Neither of them had the motivation (in her own case) or time (in her sister's case) to sort their laundry and divvy things up appropriately so they compromised with the clothes pile.

There were so many things to keep track of that made the momentary respite from her final examination an anxious and frustrating endeavor. Her graduation into the Scarlet Sisters was a week away and Juniper was no closer in solving her guide problem than when she’d started confessing her secrets to Magnolia. Questions about whether graduation was a safe event to attend or not were still up in the air and that left her stomach all knotted up.

To have suffered through her summer getting this far only to lose out on the prize of prestige and freedom was too much for her to handle. Nothing had happened in the institution's history at the Graduation event aside from disgruntled students making their discontent known so surely it’d be fine for her to go?

In the depths of her soul, Magnolia knew that not even her sister was going to get in the way of her at least acquiring what she’d worked hard to get.

Junie had asked her not to interfere with the case and that was fine. So it only made sense that unless there was definitive proof that things would be unsafe, she’d still go.

It wasn’t like she was defenseless. Not anymore.

Magnolia grabbed a loose faded black band shirt from her sister's pile and some jean shorts.

She made for the door and…waited. Her hand hovered the knob, her breath quickening with each passing moment.

This was the last class she’d need to go to. The last class she’d have to confront Willow and Bianca and the Professor and everything else. There might have been more elation in her heart if things hadn’t turned so dour at the end of the program.

“Nothing to do but accept your pain and move forward.” Magnolia invoked.

With her head held high and a mind still muddled with restlessness, she walked out of her room and out of the building altogether into the sweltering Georgia heat. The sun did wonders in simultaneously making Magnolia physically perk up with its familiar warmth while compounding the mental disorientation clouding her mind and staggering her movements.

She focused on the three spires and staggered her way to the academic building. From the campus exterior to the building's interior there was not a crowd larger than one or two students to speak of. The examinations couldn’t have thinned the numbers by that much, could it?

Juniper walked into her classroom and had her question answered. The class size was already small compared to the numerous seats left empty and her initial survey of the remaining members of her cohort only widened the vacuum.

The witches that sat at the far end of the classroom in their strange garb were diminished to a painful two students. Out of a lot of five or six, having only two return to class must have been wrenching for them.

Maybe Magnolia was jumping the gun on her conclusions. It could have been that those missing members failed their group and thus left the program altogether. She would hope for both her peace of mind and theirs that this was the case versus the more morbid alternative.

Bianca’s crowd of sycophants had experienced a culling of ranks as well, although not as drastic as the former group. They’d lost two at the very least but it didn’t seem like it would take them long to find replacement pieces for their entourage.

Willow and Magnolia locked eyes with one another. She could see that Willow was fidgeting, uncomfortable under the strain of her glare and the company around her. She’d gone so far as to wear something akin to Bianca’s other peons in an attempt to fit in.

Magnolia felt bad for her. Whether it was bad enough to reconcile was too soon for her emotional wounds to consider in a calm and collected manner.

Willow pulled away from Magnolia’s stare and focused her attention to the desk, suddenly finding interest in the cover of her book.

Magnolia turned her attention to Bianca and gave her an even meaner stink eye.

Bianca merely smirked in reply.

“Good morning class,” Del Marin broke their contest of wills with his arrival, “We have a very special guest with us today.”

Magnolia had to blink to register what was happening.

With the nonchalance and grace of a predatory bird approaching its prey, the Matron walked in with a sleek red dress and black overcoat. The veil from her face was lifted again, showing two deep black pits glancing at what remained of the next batch of the Scarlet Sisters.

She turned and saw that even with all the bravado, Bianca and the rest of the class were squirming in their seats, trying their best not to move an inch in the face of the Matron.

“Ah, good. She needs no introduction then,” Del Marin snapped the students out of their terror with a loud clap of his hands, “And I must get on with the ceremony.”

Del Marin cleared his throat, “Class, fledglings, I find today to be bittersweet. You birds have grown wings capable of flight and our time together was wonderfully well spent but this is where I must leave you to make your own journey.”

She could hear Junie ring through her head now.

“This speech is dogshit.”

Magnolia would be courteous but she wouldn’t disagree.

“I’ll be getting through this last bit of the class today by presenting the best and brightest among you accolades and official Scarlet Sister robes. The Matron is joining our little ceremony to make herself acquainted with the new prospects joining our institution.”

The Matron gave a gentle smirk to the class.

The tension eased just slightly.

“At the head of the class is an unexpected student. Magnolia Winthrop, you have been chosen as the head of your class by myself and the other examiners on the day of the exam for the immense power disparity between yourself and the spell that you successfully subdued. It did not escape the administration that you’ve been using this educational opportunity to sort the situation with your slotted spell and yet you reigned in a monster far above your weight class.”

The Matron opened her mouth and the choir in her throat spoke, “I am impressed, Magnolia.”

She could have melted on the spot.

“I-I, thank you but-” Magnolia stammered.

Bianca loudly stood up from her table, “This is ridiculous. Why are you allowing a cheater to represent the class!” The Ice Queen for the first time that they’d been in class together raised her voice in a manner besuited for someone trying to be their own age.

The Matron turned her attention to Bianca, “Accusing a fellow colleague of blustering their way to the top is a serious matter. Do you have evidence of this cheating taking place?”

Bianca composed herself and stared at Magnolia with a shit eating grin, “Magnolia used a redirection charm to trap her spell.”

Magnolia reigned in her rising anxiety, “I had no knowledge of the charms effects when it was given to me. I didn’t seek help and I certainly didn’t cheat my way here.”

The Matron moved to make another statement but the professor stepped in. He reached into his suit pocket and flung a card to the ground amidst the student stands.

Magnolia got a good look at the card, a woman holding a pair of scales with the title of “justice” scrawled below her feet.

“Claridad!” Del Marin cried out. The card's image grew white hot and an explosion of light shot out from the image. Magnolia blinked once and saw a luminous scale hanging over Bianca’s head. Another look up over her own and she saw the same scales. “You will repeat your statements again under the embrace of my Claridad. Do not lie or things will not end well. Magnolia, did you know about the charm’s effects before the test?”

“No, Professor Del Marin.” Magnolia answered truthfully. The scales teetered back and forth but found no lie in her statement.

Del Marin turned to Bianca, “What do you know of the charm? I find it curious that you’d have known its effects.”

Despite the situation, Bianca maintained composure, “I know about the charm because I was the one that gave it to Willow. I am under a mutual agreement though that prevents me from discussing things further without risking both of our lives so I would appreciate it if you cut the theatrics and dismiss this flashy courtroom nonsense.”

Her scales teetered back and forth and not a single word was found to be duplicitous.

Del Marin turned his ire to Willow, who was practically cowering in her seat.

“Willow, were you the one who gave Magnolia the charm?”

Willow made panicked glances at Bianca and Magnolia before turning to Del Marin, “Y-yes, sir.”

“And did you know of the charm’s effects when you gave it to Magnolia?”

Tears were streaming down her face, “Yes.”

Del Marin stared at the situation before letting out a deep sigh. He whistled and the shimmering scales above their heads disappeared, the card flying back into his hand.

“My heart is made heavier with these revelations and our institution will not survive if we leave things be.” Del Marin looked at the Matron.

The Matron gave him a slight nod.

“To begin, Magnolia,” He rubbed his temple in discomfort before pointing a finger in her direction, “We cannot let someone who objectively failed their exam stand as the head of the class. Your coursework shows a fastidiousness and intellect that’s admirable but using a charm to cross the final hurdle would suggest that there are shortcuts to succeed in this institution. We cannot have that. You’ll remain for graduation but these accolades are void.”

She wasn’t expecting to be the head but the sting of having it taken away made it hard for her lungs to take in air.

Del Marin moved to Bianca, “Your testimony was necessary in uncovering this situation. Although I’d like to do more, all you’ve done is admit to handing the charm to Willow and knowing of its effects. Any deal struck between you and the girl outside of these premises are fair game. You’re Incants. Contracts are your bread and butter. We will not treat you like children over that.”

Willow gawked at the injustice. Magnolia did the same.

“And you, Willow,” Del Marin clicked his tongue in disapproval, “You’ve infringed on the spirit of the final exam by providing your colleague a charm, her knowledge of its effects a complete unknown. You risked her safety if she’d succeeded and tainted the results with her failure. It brings me no joy to say this but you are ineligible of joining our ranks as a Scarlet Sister and you will hereby be blackmarked by this institution and its partners on a personal level.

Willow cried out, “But that’s not fair! It was Bianca that gave me the stupid charm! If it wasn’t for her, I wouldn’t have had the fucking thing to risk my colleague with!”

Del Marin scoffed, “Do you hear yourself? Clearly the offsite deal between you and Bianca was worthwhile enough for you to follow through and give this charm to Miss Magnolia. The responsibility fell on you to negotiate your terms differently if you did not want to perform such a task, or avoid the deal altogether. Or otherwise ignore the deliverables of the deal while upholding the spirit of it. We are meant to be the best and brightest of our kind. You know what Bianca’s family do for a living. If you had this leg up in negotiations and still ended up in this sorry state, then it’s an issue of you coming woefully unprepared to the table.”

Willow’s cries cut through the room, her face a torrent of snot and salt water.

“Please! Please let me in! I worked so hard to get here! My parents worked so hard to get me through this. They’re depending on me, please! If you have to blackmark me, please just don’t go after them! They’ve done nothing wrong!” Willow groveled first towards Del Marin before turning her body towards the Matron in all her unperturbed demeanor.

Willow sniffed and wiped the tears away from her face, waiting for the Matron to make a response of any kind.

The Matron looked down at the squirming girl with a face full of pity, “Your behavior is unseemly. If you wish to have what you desire, then take it for yourself. You are an Incant. You will find your way.”

She paused and then pointed at the door, “Just not here. Leave with dignity before I summon someone to dismiss you in disgrace.”

Willow wiped the wet off her face and looked at the rest of the class.

Magnolia locked eyes with Willow and found that despite her anger at her betrayal, she had sympathy for the girl. She didn’t deserve this.

Willow got up from the floor and gathered her things in silence.

Everyone watched her leave the room without saying a word.

“Let not this transgression detract from your success as a Scarlet Sister,” The Matron commanded their attention, her eyes locked squarely in Magnolia’s direction, “Potential exists with you and its light has not been sullied by these circumstances. Be proud. Tomorrow will be the start of a new and better life, with us.”