Khurshid therefore took over the class. “Now, as I said, you’re all going to be taking the Magic Channeling class. This class will teach you how to use objects, specifically wands, to channel your magic and control the elements. You will earn a certification at the end of the year if you pass this class, so you are legally allowed to use magic with an object.”

“What do you mean, legally allowed?” Sarala asked.

“People are not allowed to use their magic if they have no control over it,” Khurshid explained. “Of course, you can play around and test it out, but you cannot use magic at work, for example. This could cause injuries. Having an object channeling certification is crucial to anyone using magic outside of their homes.

“You will be earning certifications for each class, so long as you pass them. This tells your future employers how much magical education you’ve received in a particular subject. After the first year, you are not required to take all classes. You can choose which classes to go into. Most students end up leaving after two years, especially as third- and fourth-year students require a teacher’s permission to get into the advanced classes.

“Now, you will be choosing your wand. On the back table over there, we have lots of wands. Very few are made of the same wood. This is because each wood has a different property. You can read the slip with each wand to see what properties that wood has, and choose based off of that. Or you can choose the wand if it feels ‘right’ to you. Please do not choose a favorite tree or color. You will be working with your wand throughout the year, so you want to have one that you truly connect with. Please, no fighting over the wands!” Khurshid added, as each of the students zoomed to the back of the room.

“This is so cool!” Zyn said to Ren, inspecting the wands at one side of the table. 

“I know, right?” Ren replied, reaching for a wand and twirling it in her fingers as she read the small paper attached to it. “Hmm…this one’s holly. Represents energy, positivity, and protection.”

“You’re gonna choose based on the qualities, aren’t you?” Zyn scoffed.

“Of course,” Ren said.

“Isn’t Dad’s wand made from holly?”

Ren nodded in reply, setting down the holly wand and reaching for another one.

Zyn grabbed one at random and looked at it. It was smooth and bland, somehow more bland than the other wands there. She shrugged and moved on.

Sarala soon made it to their end of the table, then reached for a wand. Ren took this moment to try talking to the other girl again.

“Which one did you get?” Ren asked her brightly.

Sarala looked down at the tag. “Sumac. Grounding and protection,” she said simply.

“Sounds like a good one,” Zyn said, joining in.

Sarala shrugged, leaving a small silence.

“Ooh, I like this one,” Ren said, snatching up a wand that was pale on one end and darker on the other. “It’s viburnum, which represents focus, relaxation, and deep breathing.”

“That’s definitely yours,” Zyn remarked.

“I quite agree!”

“Can you move out of the way?” a loud voice asked suddenly.

They each looked up in surprise. C3 was standing next to them, looking annoyed. 

“You’re in the way,” he said to Zyn.

Zyn glared at the boy with a raised eyebrow. “No need to be so rude,” she muttered, as she stepped aside a bit reluctantly.

C3 ignored her and went for a wand on the far corner, which had been out of his reach when Zyn was standing by the table. It looked like the label termed it as hazel. 

“You still have to choose a wand,” Ren told Zyn. “Go on!”

Zyn couldn’t find a wand that spoke to her, though. Most of the students had found their wands, until it was just her left. Getting the feeling that she was holding up the class, Zyn finally snatched a bent brownish-red wand, which was labeled as hazel and represented balance. Scowling that she might have just chosen the same wand as C3, Zyn returned to her seat. 

“Everyone got their wands?” Khurshid asked cheerfully.

“Yep!”

“I hope so.”

“Yes, Mr. Jihan.”

“Good. Now you’re going to make the wands more personal to you,” Ak-tu said, entering the classroom and signaling for the students to return to their seats. “Lots of people choose to carve symbols into their wands, but you can add things like vines, flowers, leaves, feathers, crystals, and other charms. You can also paint yours if you’d like. You’ll find all the supplies you need in that cabinet over there. Once you have personalized your wand, come to me to verify your schedule is correct, then you may leave.”

Zyn had no idea what to add to her wand. She glanced at the mass of students huddled around the cabinet Ak-tu had pointed to, and decided to ponder while she waited at her desk. Yet she zoned out, imagining going on adventures with a wand at her side, guiding her way like a light in the dark. 

She was still in deep thought by the time the crowd cleared. She only snapped out of her thoughts when she heard C3’s annoying voice telling Ak-tu that he was done. Zyn glanced at the clock and saw that it hadn’t even been five minutes since Ak-tu’s instructions! She peered closer at C3’s wand and saw that he had merely added three scratch marks near the bottom.

“Pfft, that’s so boring,” Zyn said, pointing it out to Ren.

But Ren was not beside her. She was at the cabinet, grabbing supplies. Zyn hastily jumped to her feet to join her sister.

Zyn and Ren returned to their seats with a small handful of interesting supplies and some carving tools. Sarala moved to sit down on Zyn’s other side. 

“Haven’t started yet?” Sarala grunted.

Ren looked surprised but delighted to see her joining them. “I have ideas!” she replied.

“I still don’t know what to do,” Zyn muttered, wishing her daydreams had showed her what her wand looked like being decorated.

Sarala held up her wand. “Do you think it’s fine if I just leave it like this?”

“You haven’t done anything to it,” Zyn pointed out.

“No, but it doesn’t look like some twig, does it? It has elegant curves perfectly measured out around its base. Why do we need to decorate them, anyway?” Sarala asked irritably.

“If you lose your wand, you’d know what to look for,” Ren explained. “Or if someone finds it, they’d have an easier time knowing who it belongs to.”

“I guess,” Sarala said.

“Here—take this!” Ren said, handing her a purple crystal.

“Don’t you want it?” Sarala asked, narrowing her eyes.

Ren shrugged. “You need it more than I do.”

“Does it do anything?”

“It’s agate, which helps stabilize you,” Ren said. “Not that you need stability right now, but you know, in the future, if you happen to be unbalanced or—I mean—well…you know, if you’re stressed out or something, not saying that you’re unbalanced…” She blushed as she stumbled over her words and fell silent.

“I’ll take it,” Sarala grunted. 

She tied the crystal around the top of her wand. Once done, she got to her feet and approached Ak-tu. She had to wait for her schedule, as more students had finished with their wands.

“What are you doing with your wand?” Zyn asked Ren.

Ren didn’t respond right away, as she focused on attaching a fluffy white feather to the base of the wand. “Well, since I have air magic, and Dad does, and you probably will too…I thought it’d be a nice touch to include a feather,” she whispered. “And these charms represent us!”

Zyn watched as Ren attached a pale blue crescent moon and a golden sun charm just above the feather. Zyn smiled.

“I think I’m done!” Ren said, eyeing her wand proudly.

“Not you too!” Zyn groaned. “Hold on, let me put something together real quick.”

She grabbed a small vine and twirled it around the wand. But it didn’t feel like enough. She frowned and glanced over at Ren’s wand, then smiled as she had an idea. She used a carving tool to draw a sun and a crescent moon at the top of her wand.

“Ooh, I like it!” Ren said.

“It still isn’t done though,” Zyn said, observing it. “It needs more carvings on the bottom to balance it out. Ooo, I have an idea!”

She started at the base, etching a tree standing on a rock. She then moved up the wand, adding what she hoped looked like raindrops, fire, and clouds. 

“The four elements?” Ren guessed.

Zyn nodded eagerly. “This wood is about balance, after all, and you can’t have balance without all four elements! Or without the sun and moon.”

“I like how it starts with the ground, then goes to the sky with the sun and moon,” remarked Ren.

“Yeah, kinda cool.”

“Are you done now, then?”

“Yep!” she said with a nod. She looked around the classroom and saw that she and Ren were the last students there. “Whoops.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Ren chuckled. “It’s not like we have anything else to do for the rest of the day.”

They made their way to their father, showing him their wands and explaining the purpose behind them. Ak-tu nodded to their words, beaming.

“Excellent work,” he praised. “I’m glad to see you have both taken my past lessons to heart.”

“Past lessons? You mean all the math and history?” Zyn teased.

“He means the philosophical lessons of balance and living naturally,” Ren scoffed.

“Yeah, yeah, I know,” Zyn chuckled. 

Ak-tu laughed, then said, “Well, I’m happy regardless. Learn these lessons early, kids. Now…you know you enrolled in every Art class, right?”

Zyn and Ren nodded.

“You sure you want to take on so much?” Ak-tu asked.

“Of course!” Zyn replied. “It’ll be fun!” And Art doesn’t require magic—at least as far as I know.

Ak-tu smiled. “Okay. Here are your schedules.”

He passed them identical schedules, and the sisters grinned at one another.

“Yee! I can’t wait for classes!” Zyn exclaimed, hopping in the air.

They were almost to the door when Ak-tu stopped them. “I almost forgot! Sarala will be staying in the empty bedroom above your room, Zyn.”

Zyn and Ren exchanged a glance. “Why?” they asked in unison.

“She asked if she could have a room change,” Ak-tu said with a shrug. “She didn’t want to be around so many people. I told her the only free room was in our tower.”

“That’s not true. There’s plenty of space, and not that many students,” Zyn pointed out. “The rooms in the northern building are probably full of dust, they’re never used!”

Ak-tu shrugged again. “All the more reason not to use them! That’s actually where most of the extra supplies are kept, rather than actual beds,” he chuckled. Then, he said seriously, “If she wants a room change, then I might as well keep a closer eye on her. We don’t know anything about her, after all…”

“Do you think she’s trying to cause trouble?” Ren asked, sounding dismayed.

“Possibly. Or maybe she’s just uncomfortable with all of the students being around now. Anyhow, go ahead and show her to her new room. She already has the key to her room, but I’m not giving her a key to the tower. She’ll have to depend on one of us to get in.”

Zyn and Ren nodded.

“Go on, then! You have the rest of the day to get to know her better,” Ak-tu said, waving them off.

Zyn and Ren hurried from the room. They didn’t have to look far for Sarala. She was standing outside the Tai Chi Studio, beside the stone elevator that led to the upper floors of the western building. She seemed a bit uncertain, but nodded to Zyn and Ren as they came bounding over.

“Mr. Caihong told me I’m taking a room in the tower now,” she said shortly.

Ren nodded eagerly. “Yes, we’ll show you! Come on!”

“Do you have all of your stuff?” Zyn asked her.

Sarala shrugged in reply. “All I have are my wand and…just my wand.”

“Oh, did Dad not get you any new clothes?” Ren asked in surprise.

“He offered,” Sarala muttered.

“And you didn’t take him up on it?” Zyn queried.

“He’s already given me so much,” Sarala grumbled.

“Well, you can borrow some of my clothes!” Ren said cheerfully, entering the Tai Chi Studio and walking over to the tower door. “And Zyn wouldn’t mind sharing, either. She has so many robes!”

Zyn opened her mouth to protest, but noted that was true. Her wardrobe mostly contained heavily-patterned robes, for many different occasions. 

“No, thanks,” Sarala grumbled, glancing sidelong at Zyn as Ren unlocked the door. 

“But you have to wear something besides what you’re wearing now!” Ren objected.

“No thanks to taking clothes from Zyn,” Sarala clarified. “I’ll take some of your clothes…if you really want to give them to me.”

“Of course!” Ren said.

She led the way into the family room and to the spiral stairs across from the door. She darted up, Zyn and Sarala following. Ren stopped on the second floor to tell Sarala it contained the bathroom, then stopped on the third floor to go into her room. After about ten minutes, the trio came out carrying bundles of soft clothes for Sarala. They then went up to the fourth floor, Zyn announcing it was her bedroom, before they went to the fifth floor. They opened the door and led Sarala into the plain bedroom, which was painted yellow.

“Here’s your new room!” Ren said, dumping the clothes she’d been carrying onto the bed. “It doesn’t get used too often. Actually, I don’t think it’s ever been used.”

“Besides that one time when Aster’s room caught fire,” Zyn pointed out.

Sarala raised an eyebrow at that. “How…?”

“It’s a long story,” Ren chuckled. 

“What about your dad? Where does he sleep?” 

“On the sixth floor,” Ren replied. 

“He likes to go up and down the stairs for exercise purposes or something,” Zyn added. “Though I swear I’ve heard wind in the tower before, as if he was riding a bunch of air down…”

“Well, make yourself at home!” Ren said brightly.

“If you need anything, we’ll be downstairs,” Zyn said.

“We’d love to get to know you more!” Ren added.

Sarala grunted and lowered her eyes to the floor.

“I think that’s everything?” Ren questioned, glancing at Zyn.

“I think so. Yep! No—wait! Be warned that I scream every morning!” Zyn said delightfully, as she and Ren left the room.

Sarala stared after them, looking bewildered.

“She’s totally going to hate you for that,” Ren muttered to Zyn as they went back down the stairs.

Zyn shrugged carelessly. “You can’t please everyone!”