Daniel was late on the one day that he could not afford to be late. His last class had continued beyond the bell and he could not get away. The stupid teacher had repeated the same homework instructions three times. Daniel had been about to use magic when the teacher finally ended the class. The others never had these problems: Eric and Mia were both still in elementary school so they were let out half an hour early, and Elizabeth, although in eighth grade with Daniel, would have no qualms about using magic if her class ran late.
Daniel was running now, determined to make up time. The old house that he was heading towards was only a ten minute walk from the middle school, so he should be able to cut that time in half. As he ran, Daniel shrugged his backpack off of his shoulders and tossed it behind a tall bush. Normally an acolyte would never carelessly cast away a belonging that he had spent so much time with, but today Daniel believed it was safer hidden than close to Elizabeth. The reduced weight also allowed him to pick up even more speed, so he was practically sprinting up to the old house.
The house had foreclosed during the recession a few years ago and Daniel had been going there ever since. He doubted that Miss M had actually purchased the house after the foreclosure; a voodoo priest had other ways of obtaining things. Daniel stopped at the front door, fumbling in his pocket for the half-dollar coin he always carried with him. He pressed it against the door, and for the briefest of moments, the coin flashed beneath his fingers. The door glowed softly and briefly in response, indicating that the traps had been disabled. Daniel pushed the unlocked door open and hurried inside. Taking the stairs two at a time, Daniel reached the first room on the second floor. The door was open and everyone was already inside. Perfect, he thought sarcastically, breathing hard.
Five chairs were arranged in a semicircle facing the far end of the room. Eric was on the far left rubbing his eyes and stifling a yawn. He was normally an inquisitive 11-year-old, but he grew bored easily. Mia sat to his right, her attention focused forward as a proper student should behave. At 10, Mia was the youngest of the group and had the impression that she had to prove herself to be equal to the rest. Elizabeth had taken the center chair. When Daniel entered the room she twisted in her seat to watch him, her blond hair whipping around to tickle the side of Mia's cheek. Daniel rolled his eyes and struggled to settle his breathing, which was not easy with his heart still racing from his run. He took the seat at the far right, leaving a chair to buffer himself from Elizabeth. He finally dragged his eyes over to meet those of the only other person in the room, who had not acknowledged his presence.
Miss M stood at the far end of the room facing her four pupils. She was a striking woman with jet black hair that fell back freely over her shoulders. At over six feet, she towered over them all, especially since she was standing while they sat. In her business attire, she was the archetype of a stern librarian overseeing her domain. Her demeanor rarely cracked, but all of the acolytes had discovered hints over the course of their tutelage that showed she did actually care for her charges.
Daniel raised his hand and meekly apologized for his tardiness. Miss M deigned to accept this and seemingly continued from where she had left off speaking. “The new acolyte that will be joining us is none other than Elizabeth's little sister, Rebecca. Come in, dear.”
A soft sound alerted Daniel to a new presence behind him. He turned with the others and saw a slip of a girl enter the room. She had blond hair and blue eyes like Elizabeth, but where Elizabeth's wavy hair had a lemon-like tint, her sister's was much paler and straight like straw. The tiny girl, who must have been around 9-years-old, walked shyly around the chairs to stand beside Miss M. Daniel carefully kept his face clear of expression as he regarded Rebecca. Elizabeth made no such effort and even gave her sister a small wave of encouragement.
Miss M placed a slender hand on the girl's shoulder. In her soft, measured tone, she continued, “Rebecca will be starting her training as an acolyte- what was that?”
Rebecca had mumbled something. To his left, Daniel heard Mia gasp; interrupting an adult was bad enough but Miss M? The acolytes could never predict how she would react, even to statements that were entirely innocent.
Rebecca spoke again, louder this time. “My name's Becca.”
Surprisingly Miss M chose not to take offense, although this was a basic lesson and Daniel knew exactly how she would respond. “No, your name is Rebecca Alice Landers. We use birth names in this place, Rebecca. Birth names are powerful in our art, they are a core part of your identity. How can you know who you are if you take on other names? Once you are strong enough in your sense of self you can hide your true name. Until then, though, I will address you as Rebecca.
Rebecca had long since dropped her head and only nodded in response. Nothing was worse than appearing dumb on your first day. Miss M did not waste time mollifying the child. She did, however, have enough pity to direct Rebecca to take a seat between Daniel and Elizabeth. Understandably, Rebecca hurried to her seat and kept her head down.
“Now, my acolytes,” Miss M began, “I think a quick review of the basics is in order for Rebecca's benefit before we pick things up.”
Daniel groaned inwardly. He might as well have walked here if they were going to waste time going over basic lessons. Why did Rebecca have to join today, at the start of the most important chapter in his life?
“Who can tell me the two laws that govern voodoo magic?” Miss M asked. Everyone's hand went up instantly, including Rebecca's. Quirking an eyebrow, Miss M said, “I see Elizabeth has taken it upon herself to prepare you for your first day. Go ahead Rebecca.”
Rebecca stood up and recited the first lesson that every voodoo acolyte had to learn. “First is the Law of Contagion which means when we touch something we leave a bit of ourselves with it, which makes a connection. And there is the Law of Sympathy which means that, if there is a connection, what you do to one thing happens to the other.”
“Good,” Miss M said, which was about the highest complement she ever gave. Rebecca sat back down seemingly feeling better about herself. “And the two principle taboos of voodoo magic?”
Everyone except Rebecca raised their hands. Miss M called on Mia and the little girl said confidently, “Do not summon a demon more powerful than you are and do not self-link with anything.”
“Good, Mia,” Miss M said, then addressed all the acolytes, “It never hurts to remind ourselves of the the basics. We have rules to allow us to control voodoo magic and keep us safe. Once you begin learning magic it can get away from you if you do not use the proper safeguards. That is why you all spend three years learning from me as my acolytes. After that time, you will compete with other acolytes to become true voodoo priests.”
Sensing a transition, Daniel perked up. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Elizabeth tense as well. Eric's boredom vanished and he mirrored Mia's eager pose. This was the first time the children would learn the details of the trial. There was a good chance that Eric and Mia would be tested against each other one day, unless another voodoo priest had acolytes available. Privately, Daniel thought it was unfair that the younger children would benefit from his test against Elizabeth, but he would never dare to bring that up with Miss M.
Miss M continued, “Elizabeth and Daniel, you have both trained with me for three years. Before you can begin learning advanced voodoo magic, you will have to compete with one another to determine which of you will become a voodoo priest.”
Finally, after months of vague hints they would learn what the competition was about. Daniel was entirely focused on Miss M, as was every other acolyte. All they knew was that, as acolytes, only the strongest among them would be permitted to continue their studies to become voodoo priests. Daniel and Elizabeth had both studied under Miss M for three years, so they would compete against one another. Beyond that, Miss M had always avoided giving specific details about the nature of the competition.
Miss M swept her eyes across her pupils' faces. With great solemnity, she spoke, “The competition to become a voodoo priest will begin tonight at midnight. You can use any magic that you have learned and anything that you have prepared, but you cannot use the magic of other acolytes or priests. You can leave now. The rest of the acolytes will continue their individual lessons today.”
“What!”
Miss M raised an eyebrow and Daniel regretted his outburst. He tried to explain, “Miss M, you still haven't told us what the competition actually is.”
“I haven't, have I?” Miss M smiled grimly. “I am only the judge. After midnight, the competition is in your hands. Now go.”
The second dismissal was a warning. If Miss M had to dismiss them a third time, it would come with a punishment attached. Daniel was fuming, but he tried to control his expression. Elizabeth, Daniel noticed, seemed fine accepting Miss M's cryptic statements. She put her notepad into her backpack, which she had apparently not worried about bringing with her, and calmly followed Daniel as he headed towards the door. As if their entire future in magic did not hinge on this!
As Daniel and Elizabeth left the room, Miss M called after them, “There is no turning back for you two. You will risk your mind, body, and soul in this pursuit, but if you win, your power will be greater than you can imagine.”