Young Writers Society

They remained standing.

"Yeah, we're not from there," Arin agreed. She gave a firm nod of the head. "We're not really from a specific place! We grew up in a musical tribe that was always on a move, hopping from one planet to the other through their stargates."

SCARLET

Scarlet nearly dropped her folder. “What - you’re from space?”

She eagerly nodded. "Yup! I'm guessing you guys don't have interstellar travel from the way you're looking at us right now."

She glanced up at Sune, his thoughts currently hidden behind an unreadable expression. He must have been trying to figure out their actions. If they hadn't known they were from space, why was there such secrecy? From her little knowledge of schools, this whole encounter should have gone differently. Maruco and Scarlet should have brought them to a teacher or the leader of the school - students relied on the adults in places like this.

So why hide them?

MARUCO

“No. We have world-hopping, but not interstellar travel.”

He exchanged a glance with Scarlet. That explained the advanced technology.

“You’re probably wondering why we didn’t just bring you to one of the teachers. Scarlet, should we tell them?”

She nodded uncertainly, still suspicious. “We’re part of a... well, not a club. It’s more than that. It’s like a crime-fighting gang. Last term, we discovered that my friend, Maisie, was a master criminal. We beat her in battle and got her locked up in a magic prison. So we take it as our duty to investigate any mysterious happenings at the school. And no offence, but two teenagers from space coming through the old ruins is definitely mysterious.”

Arin had honestly done her best to listen to what they had said. But anything after the point where they mentioned a magical prison had escaped her attention. She immediately stiffened and stared up at Sune. He was looking at her with the same expression she was undoubtedly giving him – one of surprise and shock and everything that was supposed to be associated with the word magic.

They looked back at Maruco and Scarlet.

“You put her in a magical prison?” Sune slowly asked.

MARUCO

He nodded. “Well, my friend’s mum did. But it was us who defeated her so she was able to do that.”

Sune looked like he was on the verge of crying - which, admittedly, was the most that he could do. His essence couldn't really cry. They had tried to make him do it before in an effort to make him appear more human, but that never seemed to work.

"So this magical prison," Arin said, trying to keep her voice from shaking, "is for containing people with magic? Or is it...is it a prison that just happens to be magical? And, uh, why do you have a magical prison, anyways? I mean, it's not like magic really exists, right?"

MARUCO

Scarlet burst out laughing. “Seriously? Magic doesn’t exist? What do you think this whole school is for? Of course it exists! We’re both magic.”

Maruco exchanged a glance with her. Who were these people? They claimed to be human, but surely during their travels through space they must have come across some form of magic?

“You don’t have magic where you come from?” he asked Arin.

"No," she said, her voice quiet, "we don't."

She looked up at Sune. He was frantically rubbing his eyes with his sleeve, a clear sign that he was getting flustered by what was going on; he had originally started doing that to appear human, but now he did it out of habit when he was getting emotional.

"We-We do, but it's just not known about," Sune elaborated. His arm returned to his side. "Everything follows technology and science. If you-if you show magic, you're either considered a liar or a monster. The first one is shunned, and the second one is usually chased out of villages with pitchforks and torches..."

SCARLET

“That’s awful.” Scarlet stared at them. She’d grown so used to her magic she couldn’t imagine ever having to hide it.

He ducked his head down in a nod, and then proceeded to stare at the floor afterwards.

"It is," he agreed.

He looked up when he felt Arin tugging his sleeve. They briefly held each other's gazes, debating whether or not they should tell the truth. To do so would be risky. They had believed that it would be safe to reveal the truth before, only to be shunned afterwards. But if these two really did possess magic, wouldn't they be more accepting? Even if they learned the truth about what he was, and what Arin's heritage was?

They turned back to Scarlet and Maruco.

"We lied earlier," Arin said. "Sune didn't change his form with some fancy tech. He used magic."

MARUCO

Maruco stares at her. “That’s incredible! I’m a shapeshifter too! What about you? Are you magic?”

They exchanged another look.

"I'd technically be a shapeshifter," Arin finally settled on, since, from her limited knowledge of the term, that sounded about right. "But I'm only half, so I can't do all of the cool stuff Sune can do."

SCARLET

“I’m an air elementalist.” Scarlet demonstrated by floating off the ground.

She was so startled by Scarlet suddenly floating that she jumped up and clung to Sune the moment her feet touched the ground again. When she looked up to see his reaction, she discovered that he had gone completely still. Pair that with the blank look on his face, and it was quite the terrifying sight.

She poked him.

"I think you broke Sune," she whispered.