Page 20 of Two Who Live On

Caleb brimmed with anticipation, and it’d all be deflated the second he learned no amount of training would help because the ranking system was practically set up to ensure his failure.

“The rankings will fall into six separate categories,” I explained, and as the words spilled out, Caleb’s mind raced to write them in the most logical way he’d comprehend.

Collaboration 10%

Physical Endurance 20%

Academics 10%

Root Proficiency 20%

Aptitude 10%

Branch Proficiency 30%

“Wait. If branches are thirty percent, does that mean…” Caleb bit his lip.

“It means you’re already starting off with a major deduction.” It was something I’d tried to fight when administration presented theirranking system for the Spring Showcase. Prospective guilds wanted to observe our students’ branch magics, which was logical, but no case I presented offered a better alternative.

They’d refused grading him with a different category breakdown because that’d make things too complicated, and soon, every kid would want their own special grading system. They’d rejected my proposal to have his root proficiency calculated times two in place of his missing branch proficiency; it’d still ensure a ten percent deduction even if he managed a full twenty percent on his root proficiency. They rejected any alternative I concocted because, again, it simply wasn’t fair to others.

I didn’t even suggest giving him the points outright, but Peterson had offhandedly brought it up as if that was my next option. “Next thing, you’ll just want to give him full credit because it’s unfair he doesn’t have a branch.” Peterson’s words were grating in my thoughts. “But tell me, how is that fair to students born with difficult branches they actually have to master?”

There was nothing I could do to change the circumstances facing Caleb in this ranking system. It was designed against him, and now, he had full clarity of that.

Caleb’s mind swirled with doubt, casting tidal waves which would consume his spirit in an instant. I fought for the right words, any words of encouragement, but truthfully, nothing I had to say would lift him from that ocean of despair. He needed time to absorb the shock, and then we could talk.

“If I’m already out thirty percent, then that means I need one hundred percent in every other category. No. One-hundred and ten percent in every category.” Caleb looked up at me. “Does extra credit count?”

“Not particularly, but everything you do in and outside of the academy is evaluated by your Cast-8-Watch, so it can’t hurt.”

Caleb beamed. Unlike Tara, unlike me, unlike any person I’d ever met, he swam against the current of his own self-doubt, defying the sea of sorrow the moment he was plunged into the depths. Determination burned inside his thoughts until all the sadness evaporated.

“You’re pretty optimistic.”

“I’m not optimistic; I’m determined. Maybe arrogant, slightly, but there’s a difference. I hope. I realize the hand I’ve been dealt, and I understand no one’s going to change the system on my account. But I know I’m capable of succeeding despite it. If they want to start me in the negative because I lack a branch, fine. I’ll succeed inside the system, and when I do, maybe I’ll change it so other branchless witches don’t have to scrape by so hard. You know?”

I nodded, soaking in Caleb’s confidence that radiated throughout the auxiliary gym in a hue of violet pride. Blinking away the colors, I eyed Jennifer. This array of colors was something she spotted with ease thanks to her empathy, but I rarely glimpsed the colorful spectrum of emotions unless I’d unraveled my telepathy all the way, like when releasing a manifestation.

Caleb walked away determined, and I ran my fingertips along the scar on my throat. Since that attack, my psychic branch had grown intensely. Perhaps it came before that. I spent so many years repressing my telepathy, it was hard to know how much of my branch I kept boxed away just to make it through the day.

Of all the students I’d helped over the years, delving deep within Caleb’s mind to guide him away from death, delving into Kenzo’s and Tara’s too, unlocked something inside me. Since then, my telepathy amplified faster than I could keep up.

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