Page 51 of Mistaken Magic

Ijust sighed. "BrackensaysIshould take self-defense ifIhave to choose just one of his courses, but survival skills and combat arereallyinteresting.Ireally want to do the offensive one.Imean, it'd be like the sportIwas never allowed to do, buthe's right.Self-defense - especially against magic - makes the most sense."

"Andwhy can't you do defense and offense?"Liamasked.

"Ikinda want to takeBotanywithAspen,"Iadmitted. "She'smy only real friend here, andI'mnot even sure it's more than an acquaintance, but she made it sound cool.Theplants are more like pets.Ialso want to learn how to speak the fae language, though.AndHistoryofMagicis just cool.Allthe stuff from fairy tales that's actually real?"

"Someof these courses you can take next year - or the one after," he assured me. "Alot of the electives are open to anyone, at any time.HistoryofMagicis one.Sois the basicBotanyclass.SurvivalSkills, too.Otherthings have a chain, so you'll have to start at the bottom.IntroductiontoSelfDefense, as an example.FaerilTwowould require you to takeFaerilOnethis year, and you're already behind."

Igroaned. "Sowhat doIdo?"Iasked.

Heleaned forward to brace his forearms on the edge of the desk. "Whatwill you use later,Rain?Afterthat, what will give you the best foundation for your future both in and out of the fae communities?Andthen, you need to consider how excited you are for the class.Notjust today, but how you'll feel about it in a month, two, or even six down the road."

"Faeril'sprobably out then,"Iadmitted. "Itsounds like a lot of tests, andI'malready going to be struggling with whatIhave."

"Ithink that's fair,"Liamagreed. "Plus, no one really uses the language anymore.Eventhose who grew up speaking it are now all fluent inEnglish.Well, here.Othergroups use the language of the land they live in."

"Brackensaid you might be able to get me theHistoryofMagictextbook, and thenIwouldn't need the class,"Isaid, trying to think through this. "Imean,Ithink it's interesting, but again, tests."

"I'llhave it added to yourInstitutebook library,"Liampromised. "Sowhat does that leave?"

"Botany,Weapons-Crafting,SurvivalSkills,Self-Defense, andOffense,"Isaid.

"Canyou really do three physical classes back-to-back, every day, all week long?" he asked.

Isighed. "Probablynot."

"Ok, so which one do you prefer,BotanyorWeapons-Crafting?"Liamtilted his head just a bit. "Whichwill you use more?Whichone will you like in six months?"

Whenhe put it like that, the answer was a lot more clear.Itdidn't necessarily meanIhad to like it, though. "ProbablyWeapons-Crafting, since it has real world stuff, andIkinda like thatIcould actually be useful with something.Imean, the plants are cool, butIkill plants.Evensucculents!"

"Ok."Liamturned for his keyboard, then began typing.Iwatched as his eyes narrowed. "Thebeginner class forWeapons-Craftingis right after lunch.It'sthe same time asSurvivalSkills.You'dhave to pick one or the other."

"Weapons-Crafting,"Idecided, sinceI'dalready committed this much.

Henodded and clicked a button. "Ok.So, for the next hour, you can takeSelf-Defense,FaerilOne,Taxonomy, orHomeEc."

"Self-Defense,"Isaid.

Liamclicked another button. "Andfor the third hour, you getIntrotoOffensiveCombat,BotanyI- whichAspenisn't in - andHistoryofMagic."

Well, that made it an easy choice! "OffensiveCombat,"Isaid, feeling a little rush.

"Ok,I'vegot you enrolled in those.Youhave one more day to change your mind, though.I'lltalk toBrackenand make sure you have the necessary gear for his courses, because it sounds like you'll be taking at least one."

"No,Ilike that,"Idecided. "Weapons-Crafting,Self-Defense, andOffensiveCombat.Kindamakes me sound tough, and it feels like somethingIshould take at a magic school."

"Justknow you can change your mind for one more day," he said again. "Now, get out of here and go be a teenager.School'sover, young lady.Istill have work to do."

Ihopped up and headed to the door, but paused before leaving. "Hey?"

"Hm?" he asked, looking over.

"Thanks,UncleLiam.Ithink this is now my favorite homeI'veever been in."

Theman smiled and looked down at his desk. "Good.I'mglad you like it here,Rain.Ireally am."

Chapter Twenty-Three

Iended up not changing my mind.Withmy schedule set,Liamtook me out over weekend to pick up a few suppliesIwouldn't be able to get through the school.Wewent toWalmartfor the most basic.Thingslike socks - which gave me the chance to get a couple more pairs for my uniform - and sports bras.Thenwe hit a sporting goods store for gloves.Theywere the leather kind, but not work gloves.Thesewere more like baseball gloves, andLiamsaidI'dneed them to keep from getting blisters whenIgripped the weapon hilts.

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