Monsters class was more relaxed than it had been previously. I was worried about the professor bringing another nightmare creature to give someone a heart attack.

  No this time, instead of a proper nightmare, she had an illusion spell up to demonstrate what she was talking about.

  Probably because having an actual leviathan on a grass plain, surrounded by students was a terrible idea. Never mind the logistics behind such a thing.

  Tomorrow was Friday, and then it would be the weekend. I’d feel better by Monday.

  I could do this.

  “The first things you might notice about our friend-” The giant tentacles? The spiked ridges on its face? Or maybe the ten pairs of eyeballs?

  What ocean did these things swim in? Or maybe I’d just never go in the water again.

  Ever.

  Between this and the knowledge that krakens were real and very carnivorous the oceans have made it very clear they didn’t want people in them. I would respect their wishes.

  I wasn’t that great of a swimmer anyway.

  (*********)

  And what waking nightmare was to be unleashed now?

  The others were acting normally again. Well…normal for us.

  “Nothing I’ve read says that what’s happening to her is possible,” Celica was arguing.

  “And yet, there she is. And her eyes keep flickering to pink.” Russel rolled his eyes.

  ‘She’ was sitting right here. But they had a point.

  My mind had been racing since Angelina’s attempt at fortune telling. If this was the effect of spell, why hadn’t anyone noticed? Who had cast it?

  I was born in a human hospital. It couldn’t have been cast then. I had pictures to prove it. Mom and Dad barely let me out of their sights as a child. Mostly because I spent childhood clinging to them instead of talking to strangers.

  “But wouldn’t her mana run out at some point?” Jarec asked.

  “She hasn’t cast a single spell since the spider attack. Maybe her reserves are overflowing?” Fethris offered.

  “I think someone cast a spell on me,” I mumbled.

  All four of them turned to me at once.

  “What?” Celica’s voice was too loud for being appropriate in the library.

  “It’s just a theory,” I explained. A theory with very strong evidence to back it up. “Are there spells that could…block someone’s magic?”

  A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

  The shock and horror on their faces was something. My breathing quickened. I hadn’t said it out loud yet. I hadn’t told Mom or Dad or anyone. Angelina saw but she hadn’t said anything to me.

  “That’s…that’s crazy.” Celica shook her head as she spoke.

  “I have never been able to cast a spell or use a rune my entire life. That fire spell I cast in Dragon Tower was the first, and currently only, spell I’ve pulled off,” I continued. “Healer Sealie said it had nothing to do with my family. It isn’t something natural. If Nature didn’t do that, then what other causes are there?”

  “Accident or intention,” Fethris commented.

  I nodded. “Have any of you heard of Occam’s razor?” I doubted it. It was something I learned from Dad.

  “No?” Jarec looked confused.

  “Something my dad taught me. It states that the simplest solution is most often the answer.”

  “What does that have to do with anything?” Celica asked.

  “In this case, I think the simplest explanation is that someone did something to me that made me unable to cast magic properly. I don’t know when, I don’t who, and I don’t know why.”

  Russel nodded, “Do your parents know?”

  “Mom tried to find answers when I was a kid. She took me to Healers. They didn’t find anything and said it was a…side-affect of my parentage.”

  Russel scoffed. “Assholes.”

  I shrugged. “So, I doubt it. But I don’t know how to talk to them about this.”

  “How can they not know?” Celica asked. “I mean…if I had a kid and one day they came home with magic that didn’t work anymore, I would be asking more questions.”

  I shrugged again. “I have no memory of me using any magic other than the death spiders.”

  “Pretty young then,” Fethris was quiet as he spoke. I don’t think he meant for me to hear it.

  “Or maybe your memory of what happened was wiped,” Jarec suggested.

  Was that possible? “I’d think I’d notice if there were holes in my memory. Or if there was some kind of altercation, I’d have like a scar or something.” Memory spells were finicky. Any physical reminders could set it off. At least, from what little I’d read and what Mom told me about them.

  “Are you sure?” Fethris asked.

  “Angelina was trying to read my future and it started glowing a very dark green,” I explained. “That can only mean one thing, right?”

  Jarec’s eyes were wide. “Someone else’s magic.”

  I nodded.

  This was real. Jarec was there in Spellcraft. He knew just as well as I did that Angelina and I had red and pink magic respectively. And red and pink did not make dark green.

  This was real.

  “Someone put a spell on you. To do what? Make you unable to cast? Why?” It was Fethris’ turn to speak quietly.

  This was real.

  I wasn’t imagining this.

  Someone did this to me.

  Someone did this to me.

  But Healer Sealie said they had no idea what was going on. Should I say something? She wouldn’t lie about that, would she?

  I was suddenly hyper-aware that almost every person for two hundred miles was a complete stranger.

  Stop. Breathe.

  “I see the Healer on Sunday,” I murmured. “I’ll ask her what she thinks.”

  “And if she doesn’t tell you anything?” Thank you for that terrifying thought Jarec.

  “Then there’s what, ten thousand books about magic we have unlimited access to? One of them has to have some kind of clue.” Could they hear the trembling panic in my voice?

  Whatever spell this was couldn’t be that rare.

  But what if it was dangerous? The kind of dangerous they kept out of students’ sight?

  Breathe.

  My head started trying split itself in half. Again. Really? Right now?

  I flinched as it got stronger.

  “Oh shit. You okay?” Jarec was asking.

  The pain vanished.

  “I think so?” I was very confused more than anything.

  Jarec frowned.

  I shook my head. “I’m sorry for dumping this on all of you. I’m sure you have more important things to be doing that worrying about something you have nothing to do with and no control over.”

  Russel rolled his eyes. “Don’t be ridiculous. Besides, if some terrible evil is out to get you and tries anything, I don’t want to be stuck sidelined and miss the fun.”

  I felt my blood freeze. Was that a possibility?

  “And here I was all worried that school would be boring,” Celica laughed. Laughed.

  This wasn’t funny!

  “Also, if there is a danger headed our way, I’d rather know about it now than get surprised when who-knows-what decides to tear the campus apart,” Fethris nodded.

  Is this a Dragon thing?

  Was that it? Did being a Dragon mean having screws loose?

  Maybe I was in the right company after all.