I try my best to focus, but my mind keeps wandering in and out, contemplating the party coming up this weekend.
From what I do gather, Janet has had really positive experiences. Everyone has been extremely welcoming and accepting in Major Hall, which she’s surprised about. Often, upperclassmen still in Minor Hall are ostracized by the rest of the school, so dating outside of the hall is difficult. But so far, Janet has been treated well. I couldn’t be happier to hear that.
Lola’s book is smaller than average but still requires her to physically move her whole body in order to read it. She pauses suddenly, hovering over the pages. “Did you see Anita? How is she?”
“She avoids me.” Janet shrugs. “Most of the pixies do, actually.”
“Who’s Anita?” I ask.
“My sister,” Lola says casually, looking back down at her book.
Sister?I want to exclaim. I’m honestly embarrassed that I didn’t already know this. There’s a lot about my friends that I don’t know, but I’ve never been good at asking the right questions to get close to people.
“We don’t talk. At all.” She shrugs, answering my unvoiced question. “So, I don’t mention her much.”
“And they know we’re friends, so the pixies avoid me too.”
“Hmm.” I’m unsure what else to say. I had noticed that most of the pixies run in big herds, but Lola is always alone. “You don’t get along with your family?” I try for a casual tone.
She shakes her head. “Most pixies are in Major Hall. A few exceptional ones make it into Superior. I’m the only one in the last decade to remain in Minor Hall past sophomore year. It was pretty rough the summer after I found out I didn’t pass the exams to be moved up, but I’m over it now.”
I suppose I should have realized. “I hate the way weaker supernaturals are treated,” I say. “Magic isn’t the only important thing about a person.”
“Right!” Lola’s wings wiggle.
“Lola has enough magic to pass,” Janet says. “But she always gets super nervous for exams.”
“What do you have to do to pass?” I haven’t been at this school long enough to experience those kinds of exams. Not that it matters. The only way a human gets into a higher hall is by someone stronger claiming them. Jarron could get me into Elite Hall officially if we were still together, but I wouldn’t have any desire to go.
“You have to win a fight against a full-grown troll,” Lola says.
I lean in. “What? How is that even possible?”
“Pixie dust puts them to sleep. It’s not actually that hard to do, but I always psych myself out and don’t produce enough dust.”
“Ooh,” I say. “That sucks. To know you’ve got the power to do it, but somehow it just doesn’t work.”
She shrugs. “It’s no big deal. I’m mad at my family for being jerks and acting like there is something wrong with me. But I just intend to prove that even Minor Hall pixies can do great things.”
I nod sharply. “Love that plan.”
When the movie ends, I begin to rise. “I’m gonna head to bed.”
“Candice,” Janet complains, “it’s five thirty.”
I shrug. “I have to be up early to check my potions.”
Her eyebrows rise. “You’ve been hiding in your room every night this week. What’s going on?”
I puff out a breath. “Nothing.”
Lola stops reading to look up at me. “That’s obviously a lie.”
“There’s something bothering you,” Janet says. “I know you’re a private person and don’t like to express the things you’re feeling, but I’m starting to worry about you.”
“I’m fine.”
“Lies!” Lola stands up and puts her hands on her hips. “Janet is right. Sit down and tell us all your problems.”
