Winter glanced at her friends, "Oh yeah. There was something I forgot to mention earlier about when I was in the conference room." Mandy and Layla looked at her expectantly. "I'm not sure why, but intense emotions are what woke my powers." Mandy nodded, "That's usually the case. Your abilities can be amplified during times when your judgment is clouded. I guess you never tapped into it, because normally you are calculating and coolheaded. Your emotions don't usually take the reins" Layla's eyes narrowed, "What got you so upset?" Winter fiddled with the ring on her finger, "A note they made me read. From my mother. They said she ran away and when I asked for proof, they had it." Mandy leaned in, "What did it say?" Winter shifted in her seat, "That she left to give me a chance to find my true potential and all the answers I'm looking for." Mandy quirked her head, "What does that mean?" Winter sighed, ruffling her thick black hair, "It means my mother knew a lot more than she ever let on." Mandy and Layla looked at each other, but Winter was too tired to decipher it as she went on, "It also means that I will be staying in the dorms." Mandy's face lit up, "Really? You will?" Winter nodded and Layla nudged Mandy in the ribs with her elbow, "That isn't anything to be happy about. Winter would much rather live with her mother." Winter shook her head smiling, "If my mother left, it's for a reason. I won't question it. Anyway living in the dorms gives me more time to observe." She glanced at Mandy, "And it gives me more time to hang out with my best friends." Mandy smiled bright and jumped up, squeezing Winter as the bell rang.
Winter let out a loud sigh as her and her friends walked through the hallway. Layla glanced at her, Winter could practically hear her question by looking at her, "Nothing, I'm just tired." Mandy looked between them, "H-" Winter smiled, "Her face." Layla laughed, "We don't even need words around Winter anymore." Mandy's eyes widened in surprise as she gasped, "You can read our minds too?" Layla shook her head, "No silly. She now knows us well enough that she can tell what we're thinking by looking at us." Mandy linked her arms through Layla's, "Oh. So it's less magical abilities and more the powers of deduction again." Layla nodded, "Exactly." Winter scanned the hallway, "What's next class?" They looked at her and then at each other, "Well since the cat is currently out of the bag, we're sparring next class." Winter furrowed her eyebrows, "Sparring?" "Yeah. It's when one student goes up against another as a sort of test for ability. Normally between two different classes," Layla explained. "So a magic duel?" Mandy tossed her hair over her shoulder, "It could be. Or it could be a swordsmanship test." "Or a spar that forbids the use of either," Layla added. Winter fixed her bracelet as they went to change their clothes, "Okay so which class are we up against?" They each grabbed their training uniforms from their lockers as Mandy responded, "Star's potential. We always go up against them." Winter suppressed her groan of annoyance, "Why them?" Layla beamed, "Because we're the only class that matches up to them in terms of ability." They walked to the locker rooms which were a set of individual changing rooms and Winter changed her clothes. When she walked out of her room, her eyes caught on hazel eyes that always seemed to have a threat hidden in them. Brenna Abbott's blue bob cut complimented the chill in her tone as she said, "I haven't had the pleasure of seeing you around lately Knight." Winter nearly rolled her eyes as she smiled walking past her, "Let's keep it that way shall we?" She heard a scoff behind her and waited for her friends outside of the changing rooms. A head of golden waves emerged from the bathroom followed by a head of brown curls. "Where are we going guys?" Winter asked. "The courtyard," Layla said. Mandy nudged her, "It's this way."
Winter went after Mandy and Layla towards the courtyard. When they got there, Winter felt an indescribable tug from her magic and unconsciously surveyed her surroundings. Winter's eyes shot over to Nelly Terran, whom she currently believed to be an ally. The words that Nelly spoke to her roamed around in her head, "Your magic has just awakened." Her magic was pulling her towards class 8. She closed her eyes and started following the tug as she bumped into something. Winter's eyes shot open and she looked up. Grey eyes bore into her. "Lucas!" She unwittingly grabbed onto his forearm and whispered, "Come down here." He leaned down reluctantly as she said, "What does it mean when your magic tugs in a certain direction?" The look on his face became more intense, "What direction is your magic tugging?" Winter pointed towards Star's Potential and if she wasn't paying close attention she wouldn't have noticed the slightest shift in his facial expression. He leaned in to answer her when Jax came up behind him, clapping his hand on Lucas's shoulder, "What's going on over here?" Winter rolled her eyes dramatically, "Nothing anymore. You interrupted." He quirked his eyebrow, "Did I? How rude of me." Winter shook her head, " Who's your sparring partner?" Jax turned his head over to the teacher's platform where Nelly Terran and Coach Russo were standing, "They haven't told us yet." Winter nodded, "Well shoo. Class 8 shouldn't be fraternizing with students from class 5." Jax folded his arms across his chest, "Who said?" Winter shrugged, "The common rules of social hierarchies." She began walking away when she noticed that Jax and Lucas were following her. Winter scoffed, "Really?" They didn't say anything as Mandy waved them over. "What kind of spar match do you think we'll be having today?" Lucas said. "No clue," Jax answered, his arms still folded. Nelly Terran stood up straighter as Mr. Cornell followed them on the platform. Winter twisted the ring on her finger, "Looks like we're about to find out."