Chapter 3

At first, Maya couldn’t believe her eyes. She ran her fingers through her hair, seeking reassurance, and it was as long and silky as ever. It was real. Somehow, she had managed it this time. She was a magician.

Magic or not, she still had to go to school. She put some clothes on, confident she would be able to protect herself. Her grandmother had taught her all the theory and exercises. She had only left out some of the practical requirements, saying it wasn’t the time yet. With that knowledge, now she had the necessary power, it should be possible to deal with anything people threw at her.

She took one last look at a picture of her grandmother she kept in her room; a bit sorry for thinking she had been making things up. One of its corners was glowing. Perhaps it was something she was only meant to see now.

She laid a finger on it, certain that her grandmother would never leave any dangers behind, and the picture came to life, like a film.

“Dear Maya,” her grandmother said. “This is a recording. If you are watching this, your powers have awakened. I regret I’m not there to help you through it.”

Maya sighed. She would have given anything to have her grandmother back.

“I hope you will never see this, but if you do, at least two things have gone wrong. First, I’m either unable to help you or ... dead. At my age, that’s not such a surprise.” Her grandmother coughed.

“Second, you must have fulfilled magic’s requirements.” She paused. “I’m sorry, Maya.” She looked distracted, perhaps thinking of her own past. “There’s no point in hiding it from you anymore, is there? Four things must come together: selfless love, an injustice, a ready mind, and a sacrifice, freely offered beyond the bounds of duty. The greater each of the elements is, the stronger you will be.”

Maya groaned. No wonder her grandmother hadn’t told her. She would probably have tried to create the conditions for it, and who knew what would have happened then. She realised why her grandmother was sorry. Only those who had suffered to help others could practice magic, and she must have hoped Maya would never need to do that.

“Still, I made sure you would be ready if the time came. I don’t know who your Ward is, but I should tell you the bond between Ward and User is very special, and cannot be broken. The weight of the magical debt will probably ... influence what you are to each other. Try to be patient, if you can. If you need more power...” She winced. “No, you shouldn’t have to do that. I love you, Maya.”

The picture went still, and became what it had always been. The corner wasn’t glowing anymore, and nothing happened when Maya touched it again. Worried she would forget, she took notes of her grandmother’s words, as close as she could recall them.

So, Sonia is my Ward, she thought. She realised she knew her precise position, just as if it were any other part of her body. She looked at the clock, and ran to school. She had to see her before things got messy.

Maya arrived at school a few minutes early, knowing Sonia would soon be there, too. It was one of the tactics they used to avoid the Judges. She stood there, panting, when she saw her friend arrive.

Sonia looked at Maya, with a sad expression in her eyes, and as she was about to pass by, turned her head and gasped.

“Your hair...”

“Yes, it’s back.”

Sonia raised her hand, wanting to touch it. She hesitated for a moment.

“Touch,” Maya said. “It’s real.”

Sonia ran her fingers through Maya’s hair, making her smile. It felt so good when she stroked her like that. Sometimes Sonia rewarded her that way when she had been especially attentive or submissive, and she had come to yearn for it, just as she enjoyed being called a good girl.

Sonia pulled a little on the hair, making sure it was not a trick.

“Ow! Not so rough.”

Sonia giggled, grabbed a handful of hair, and pulled a little harder, smiling at Maya, who winced, and meekly lowered her head. She was happy to have her friend back. She had hated betraying her, but she couldn’t see any other choice. She had missed her already, when she’d had to go to sleep without her nightly foot massage. She’d even had to make her own bed.

“So how did this happen?” she asked, patting Maya’s head.

“Magic,” Maya said, causing Sonia to snort. “Look.” One of Maya’s fingers began to glow.

“That’s ... real?”

“Course it’s real,” Maya said, laughing.

Sonia hugged her. It was such a surprise. Who could have imagined it? Even if there were magicians, thinking of her mousy, docile friend as one of them was ridiculous. The same compliant, sensitive girl she had almost turned into her maid, who’d pick up after her or paint her toenails at a snap of her fingers, had the power to override the laws of nature? If magic existed, it should belong to someone like Sonia; someone strong enough to deserve it.

This was almost as good, though. As she embraced her, Sonia kept tugging on Maya’s hair, giggling as she hissed from pain. She wanted to see if their new status would change anything between them, or if she could go on bossing her around just like before. After all, there was nothing Maya would deny her, no matter how horrible she was to her, as she had learned yesterday. If someone had to have magic and it wasn’t her, it might as well be someone who belonged to her.

“Please, stop it,” Maya said with a whine.

Sonia smiled. No matter what powers Maya had gained, she was still the same where it counted. Brute force meant nothing. Plenty of people held sway over much stronger friends who hang on their every word and would never dare contradict them. Maya was still that silly lovestruck girl eager to please her. She had simply become more useful, and Sonia planned to take full advantage of it.

“But it’s fun,” Sonia said. “I’m so happy to have you back.” She ruffled Maya’s hair. “Are you going to be able to keep me safe from that lot?”

“Sure!” Maya said. “Watch!” She looked absent for an instant.

Sonia turned around and saw the Ruthless Judges walking towards them. She had to admit they were intimidating. Last night she had dreamed of them, and the things they would have done to her if Maya hadn’t intervened. She hoped with all her heart that her friend could deliver on her promise, or they were in for a tough time.

“So,” Nicole said. “You think a wig is enough to avoid us? You should have let us take Sonia instead, though it looks like she’s going to be ours anyway.”

She stretched her hand to pull on Maya’s hair, thinking to rip off her wig, but she couldn’t touch it. Her fingers were not able to make contact with it. At first, she thought she had misgauged the distance, and tried again, but then she gasped.

“What the hell?”

“Why are you playing around?” Heather asked. “I’ll do it.”

As Heather approached Maya, Sonia was on her way, and rather than going around her, she tried to shove her off. If she’d had the time, Sonia might have flinched. Instead, Heather bounced back and fell on her arse. Maya began to laugh.

Rachel and Cara were ready to start a fight, but Nicole got on their way.

“Let them be,” she said.

“What, are you kidding?” Rachel asked. “No-one messes with us.”

Sonia giggled, now convinced that her Maya was a match for these girls.

Rachel tried to slap Sonia, who was still giggling. As her hand was just about to smash against her cheek, her arm hit an invisible barrier and her whole body span around like a top in the opposite direction. There was a loud snap as Rachel’s palm landed on Cara’s face, followed by a yelp, and Sonia’s laughter. Nicole had to get in between her two mates to stop them from fighting each other.

“We’re going,” she said. She gave Sonia a respectful nod, turned around, and left with her bewildered friends.

“That. Was. Awesome!”

“Wasn’t it?” Maya said. “They think it was you, though.” She pouted.

“Of course,” Sonia said. “They can see who’s in charge. You were a very good girl.” She pinched Maya’s cheek.

Maya sighed. After everything, Sonia was still treating her this way, and a part of her was still liking it. It wouldn’t do, though. Things were going to change.

“Stop that,” she whined.

“Oh, shut up, silly,” Sonia said, laughing. “You’re so cute when you get angry.”

Yes, things really did have to change.

The Judges avoided them that entire day, which suited the two girls just fine. They walked fearless through the school, knowing if anything happened, Maya would be able to take care of them.

When it was time to go home, Sonia held Maya by the hand. She really regretted what she had done to her. It was true she hadn’t been given much choice, but she had decided to participate in her friend’s humiliation. It was only Maya who had saved her, first through her kindness and bravery, and later through her magic. After having made fun of her for believing in fairy stories, it was a little awkward.

“Hey, Maya,” Sonia said. “I know I haven’t been very good to you. Not just yesterday, either.”

Maya nodded, making Sonia worried. Without magic there was no way she could protect herself.

“So, tell me all about it,” Sonia said. “Could I get magic myself?”

Maya explained the basics to her. Magic worked best on people or living beings. Affecting inanimate objects took a lot of power. No way to create things out of nothing. There went Sonia’s plans to get rich.

“As to getting it yourself,” Maya said, “in theory, maybe. In practice you’d have to go through the exercises and fulfil ... certain requirements. It is rather unlikely. It took my grandmother a couple of years to prepare me.”

“Forget about it, then,” Sonia said as they got to her place. “I trust you to wield it for me. So, it’s mostly an ability to deal with other people?”