Halfwizard (Book 2 of the Troy Sanders Trilogy)

10: The Day My Dream Came to Life

“Clear!” commanded Francesca and the magic tattoo on Angela’s body disappeared.

It felt as if a big weight had been lifted off me when I saw it go because we had been working on it all day long- seriously, what kind of spell did that creep cast?- “Since we’re already done with the removal, I’ll be heading to bed now,” I said.

Using my powers to try and clear off the tattoo had left me exhausted. Mr. Gavin had told me that I would be right as rain in about a day from the Soul strain but with the “exercise” I just engaged in, I didn’t know if that was still on the table.

Funny enough, it seemed as if I had voiced everyone’s thoughts as the moment I spoke, they all stood to take their leave. And I was about to take mine too when an idea suddenly occurred to me and I took my seat again.

“Any problem, Troy?” asked Francesca. “I thought you were heading to bed.”

“What do you think about what happened today?” I asked, testing the water. It was a conversation that could go pretty wrong pretty fast so I had to be sure I knew what I was doing.

“What exactly about it?” she asked in return; she was probably trying to control the conversation too. Well, that made it all the better, I hoped.

“Nothing really,” I replied, “it’s just that I have this crazy idea about it so I want to know what you think. You know, just to see things clearer.”

“I don’t think there’s anything to it, probably another kid just messing around,” she replied casually. But there was an “I know something but I’m not telling” look on her face that was as obvious as day.

It kinda hurt that Francesca didn’t trust me enough to tell me what she was really thinking. I knew that I might not have earned the right to be in the special people’s category of her contact’s list; but still.

Well, if she wasn’t going to tell me what she knew, I didn’t have to tell her what I knew either. “That’s exactly what I was thinking too, Ms. Firewalt,” I replied and got out before she said anything else; I guess it was the norm for everyone in the magic community to keep secrets from each other.

I had barely walked a metre from Francesca’s office when I ran into Cole. “Troy, I want to ask you a favor,” he said as soon as we met.

“Shoot.”

“I need you to teach me Latin,” he replied and I almost fell face-first on the ground- Ohhh! Why did things have to always get so complicated?

“About that...” I was unsure of how to proceed; I mean, how did I tell a guy who just saved my ass a few moments ago that I couldn’t teach him a language I was so supposedly good at? “Look Cole, you’re a good guy and all. But I’m not that good at teaching people,” I finally managed to get it out- it was lame, I know. But that was the best I could come up with on such short notice.

“I understand,” he replied but I wasn’t sure that he did.

“I really wanted to help you though,” I said in an attempt to convey my deepest apology.

“I know,” he replied, giving me a friendly punch in the arm to presumably show that before he left.

In that moment, I didn’t know if I had just gained a friend or lost one. In truth, I wasn’t exactly in the mood to care.

Ready! Set! Go! And the horses were on their way.

Firewalt’s annual horse race was one of the events that marked the beginning of the Magic Schools’ Ventelum Contest.

In case you didn't know, Ventelum was a sport that was just like American football; except it was played on a flying broomstick and much more dangerous. A team of eight players made up a team and the goal was to get a purple ball through a hole at either end of the field. Magic spells were allowed in the sport- even highly offensive ones, if you could believe that- so only the best and powerful in the school were allowed into the Ventelum squad.

“Nice race, don’t you think, Troy?” Vic asked after the whole cheering had died down.

“Yes,” I replied although I had only really been paying half attention to it- no telling a lady “No” remember?

“So, I was thinking you and I should practice some new spells since you’re so vast in Latin now,” she suddenly said and I nearly choked on my cotton candy- why the hell did it always have to come back to that?!

“I wouldn’t say I’m vast, Vic.” My attempt at a cover up.

“But you’re better in Latin now, aren’t you?” she returned almost immediately. Men! That girl might not be showing me her crazy side anymore but it tended to come out on its own.

“Of course,” I replied but quickly added, “and I really need to use the restroom,” before she started saying things I couldn’t understand- God, keeping my secret was starting to get a lot harder than before.

Anyway, since I didn’t actually need to use the restroom, I decided to take a stroll instead. I opened the main exit door but it closed again immediately it opened. “That’s not supposed to happen,” I said, trying a second time but the result was still the same.

“Of course, it's not,” returned a voice behind me and I turned to come face to face with him; the man in the purple smoke.

He was really tall- not giant tall, mind you, just tall- and putting on a long cloak that was as black as night. I couldn’t see his face as it was hidden under a thick hood of the same colour as the cloak. “Who are you?” I asked, immediately going on to assume a firm stance against him.

“Why don’t you come find out?” he returned.

I knew I shouldn’t have been taken in by such things but my curiosity overshadowed my logical thinking and I rushed at him, magic and all. I had almost reached him when he suddenly disappeared.

“Hey, why don’t you fight me like a man?” I goaded, hoping that would give me the chance that I so desperately needed against him.

Unfortunately, that plan backfired none at all. “No problem,” he replied me as he appeared out of nowhere next to me and gave me a resounding punch that sent me flying violently into the wall at the end of the hall; every bone in my body screaming “about to be broken” as I landed on the floor with a thud.

My sight was blurry for some seconds and my ears were screeching. But I was still able to hear him say, “Welcome to your other half, Troy Sanders.”

And it was in that I finally pieced it all together- really, I couldn’t believe I hadn’t done so before- the purple smoke, the insane power, the eerie phrase; I had met the masked man before; in my nightmares.

Perhaps my nightmares had stopped being just nightmares a long time before I even realized it. But if they were no longer just nightmares, then that would mean there might actually be an end coming; the end of everything.