Page 2 of Magic in My Bones

Luca gently placed the fern on his desk, tucking it carefully among the other plants as if it were a fragile treasure. As he did, I couldn’t help but glance down at his ankles. Which, to my surprise, were covered in soft, dark fur and ended in cloven hooves instead of feet. It was such an unexpected sight that I’m pretty sure my mouth fell open.

Luca caught me staring, his hooves shifting uncomfortably from side to side. “Yeah, I know I'm not exactly what people expect,” he said, with a laugh that sounded only slightly forced. “Half-faun, half-witch. Try finding that checkbox on school forms.”

I quickly snapped my eyes away, my cheeks burning with a mix of embarrassment and curiosity. I was all too familiar withthe feeling of being theobjectof attention—the way people’s eyes lingered in places they shouldn’t, their unspoken questions thick in the air.

“Oh! Sorry,” I blurted, feeling the weight of my awkwardness settle in. “I didn’t mean to stare. I’m just... not the best at meeting new people.” I let out a big sigh, shoulders slumping in a way that felt way too dramatic for the situation.

“Me neither,” he said, making a show of glancing around at the room like he was looking for an escape route. “But here’s the good news: at Blackstone, you’re never really alone in the ‘oddity’ department.” He waved a hand around. “We’ve all got magic! And then there’s Blackstone Academy itself. My stepmom said that if I stick to small talk about people's specializations and the place itself, it totally counts as normal conversation. She's basically a conversation expert. She runs this huge magical herb shop back home where everyone comes to gossip and buy tea.” He grinned sheepishly. “But look at me, already messing it up with rambling.”

I couldn’t help but snicker at his spiraling. There was something weirdly comforting about meeting someone else who seemed to collect awkwardness like I collected embarrassing moments. Maybe we could start a club.

“No, no! You’re doing great,” I reassured him. “Honestly, I’m just relieved my roommate isn’t some high-and-mighty magic snob.”

“Oh, don’t worry about that with me. I much prefer the company of plants to people. They’re way less judgy.” He paused, looking horrified. “Not that I’m calling youjudgy…I mean, unless youwantto be a plant. Wait, no, that sounded weird.”

I burst out laughing, waving my hand dramatically. “It’s okay, I get it! Plants are like the best listeners. They never interrupt or give unsolicited advice.”

Luca’s face lit up like he’d just been handed a compliment from the universe. “Exactly! And if you listen carefully, they’ve gotstories, you know? They’ve been through a lot, those little guys.” He ran his fingers gently over a fern leaf, eyes closed in bliss as if it were the most important thing in the world.

I watched him for a moment, feeling an unexpected sense of kinship. Here was someone who, like me, found comfort in the quiet, unassuming presence of nature. Maybe I wasn’t so alone in this strange new place after all.

“So, uh...” I hesitated, remembering Luca's advice about small talk. “What’s your specialization?”

He arched an eyebrow, a playful glint in his eye. “Guess.”

I tapped my chin, feigning deep concentration. “Hmm... herbalism?”

Luca burst into laughter. “What gave it away? Theentireforest overtaking my side of the room, or the fact that I literally just waltzed in cradling a fern like it was a newborn baby?”

I grinned, feeling the tension in my shoulders finally loosen. “Both, I suppose. But the fern was definitely the final nail in the coffin. Not every day you see someone treating a plant like it's royalty.”

“Oh, but she's notjustany plant,” Luca said, his eyes gleaming with mischief. “This, my dear friend, is a Whispering Fern. Legend has it that on a full moon night, if you listen really closely, you can hear the deepest secrets of the forest.”

He leaned in, dropping his voice to a mock-dramatic whisper. “Of course, most of those secrets are about which trees are feuding, or which rabbits are sneaking around with the wrong kind of carrots, but hey, secrets are secrets.”

I snorted, fighting back a grin. “I’ll keep that in mind. Next time I need some juicy gossip, I’ll be sure to check in with the ferns. Though I might need to brush up on my rabbit dialect first.”

Luca let out a delighted laugh, then tilted his head, sizing me up like I was some kind of riddle. “So, what about you? What’s your story? What brings you to the grand and mysterious Blackstone Academy?”

I hesitated, that familiar twist of anxiety curling in my gut. “Necromancy,” I said, bracing for the usual reaction where people either back away slowly or start looking for the nearest exit. “I know, it’s not the most...cheerfulfield.”

But Luca didn’t flinch. Instead, he gave a thoughtful nod. “Necromancy, huh? That’s a lot to take on. I can only imagine the kind of compassion it must take to work with the dead.”

His words were so unexpected, I nearly tripped over my own thoughts. Most people recoiled when I mentioned my path, like I’d just confessed to being a serial killer. But Luca? He spoke about it like it was a sacred art form, like he got it.

“It’s not the easiest,” I said, my voice soft. “I just... I wanted to understand that barrier better, you know? Between life and death. Maybe help others cross it more gently when their time comes.” I ducked my head, suddenly very interested in my worn sneakers. “Plus, someone's got to help the ghosts figure out their unfinished business, right? Can't leave them hanging around forever playing invisible pranks on the living. It feels... right, you know?”

He nodded sagely. “Like me and my plants.”

I smiled, feeling a connection I hadn’t expected. Maybe this whole roommate thing wouldn’t be so bad after all.

Just then, something small and shiny zipped past my face, making me do an ungraceful double-take. A flicker of movement, like a miniature comet, darted out from behind the curtains. It circled Luca’s head a couple of times, then zoomed right up to hover in front of my face.

I blinked, trying to focus on the tiny creature. It was a sprite no bigger than my palm with gossamer wings that shimmeredlike stained glass. Its body was made of twisted vines and leaves, with little acorn-cap shoes and a hat crafted from dandelion fluff. It had the brightest, most mischievous eyes, like a tiny troublemaker caught in a good mood.

It flitted around my head, poking and prodding at my hair, my ears, and even the tip of my nose, chittering away in a language I couldn’t even begin to understand. I stood perfectly still, terrified that one wrong move might squash the delicate creature.

Luca chuckled softly, shaking his head in fond exasperation. “Thistle, give the poor guy some space. He just got here, and you’re already harassing him.”

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