Chapter 17
The Evaluation
Facing each other across a long table in his dining hall, Kyle kept his eyes down on the plate in front of him. The table had been made up pretty decently. A long, powder blue table runner had been set down over an oak wood table. On top, silver plates were laid out with different metal goblets and tall glasses of water beside each one. He'd also left out a pitcher for water, serving platters and extra napkins. A tall candelabra had been lit in the middle of it all, burgundy wax already starting to coat the base. Kyle's eyes shifted sheepishly in my direction when a question raised in his mind and he cleared his throat to grab my attention.
"S-so..." He stammered. "How was the journey here?"
"Fine..." I spoke, taking a sip of liquid from the goblet set on my end of the table. It was an overly sugary beverage that actually made me choke for a moment to swallow it down. Terribly cheap. "Ahem! Ugh..." Quickly, I sipped the other beverage instead. Tasted like water from the tap.
"No surprises, right? Or is this part of the evaluation?" Kyle asked me suddenly. I raised a brow.
"What are you on about?"
"When you said no one else was showing up...did you truly mean that? Is the Headmaster coming?"
"Ja, Kyle. I was the only one who voted to give you another chance. No one else is here to grade you but me."
Kyle fiddled with his fingers. There was clearly a thought on his mind. I leaned back in my seat and raised a brow to him, wanting him to just come out with whatever he had to say. After a moment, he did.
"You're grading me specifically on this evening, right? Not based on our personal relationship?"
"I'm grading based off the criteria I was provided with. I'm not immature, I'm a member of the board. I take my duties seriously."
Picking my satchel up from the floor beside me, I pulled out the envelope Merlin had sent me with, opened it and took the documents inside out. It was a few pages held together with a paperclip. The first page of three was a checklist of behaviors that had to be met whilst I had dinner with Kyle.
"You're aware of the criteria I'm speaking of, ja?"
"Well, yes. I was informed before you arrived. The Headmaster called—which is why I'm surprised he didn't show up."
"It was just a formality." I answered, conjuring a quill feather and ink. I set both aside on the tabletop with the packet. Kyle's eyes followed the papers before snapping back up to meet mine when I spoke again.
"So, this dinner? What are we having?"
"O-oh, yes! Of course!" Kyle squeaked. He cleared his throat and raised his hands in the air, clapping rather obnoxiously suddenly. It actually made me jolt. "ELVES! WHERE ARE YOU?!"
"YES MASTER! WE'RE ON OUR WAY MASTER!"
It took everything in my power to keep the laughter back and somehow, I managed to do it. Even when the boys appeared from out of the archway of the kitchen, I kept my composure. I wasn't sure how long I'd last, but I'd go along with the show if that's what Kyle wanted to present to the board. The tall one and the short one came to the table, setting down a large bowl of salad and a gravy boat. The two items didn't exactly compliment one another.
"Hey, Kyle..." The tall one muttered under his breath. "I thought you asked us to set the table for more guests. Is uh...is this it?"
"Why don't you mind your business and deliver the rest of our dinner, ELF?!" Kyle spat through gritted teeth.
The "elves" scrambled back into the kitchen in a fashion that forced me to hold back a giggle with my hands. The giggle finally escaped when they returned with a basket of dinner rolls, tripped over the edge of the rug set under the table and sent the bread flying in all directions. Rolls bounced off the table, off our heads and effectively knocked over a goblet of juice to the right of me.
I quickly grabbed the packet of documents before any of the sugary substance could stain it, but the tablecloth had become a victim. Kyle's face burned red and if smoke could come out of his ears, it would surely be billowing. Before he could yell again, I waved my hand and the stain vanished. With another wave, I collected the majority of the fallen rolls back into the basket and reached for a roll that had settled near my plate.
"I'm surprised that happened..." I spoke after taking a bite of the bread, something I instantly regretted. It was stale. "I mean, why are elves even serving you?"
"What do you mean?" Kyle asked. "I-is that not part of the assessment?"
Before I could respond, the boys were back with two plates. Each with a roasted bird of some sort that actually looked appetizing, roasted fingerling potatoes with a wafting smell of rosemary and a medley of steamed peas and carrots. The short one also set what looked like a saucer of cranberry sauce down as well as a tureen of some sort of soup. I didn't get my hopes up for any of it, but it was a decent spread.
Once the elves were finished, they retreated to the corner of the room and awkwardly watched. Kyle lifted his fork to eat, taking a bite from his bird before he glanced at me. "Everything to your liking, Sigmund?"
"I'm confusion..." I muttered, lifting the fork beside me. I wanted to mess with Kyle a little more. The entire night so far, he'd been on edge and it was nothing less than entertaining to me. I had the upper hand right now. I wanted to see how far he'd go to impress me.
"Confused? About the...fork?" He asked.
"No! I'm confused about this entire room. You're a wizard, are you not?"
"I mean, yes?"
"Then why isn't this room enchanted?"
"E-enchanted?"
"Ja! Enchanted!" I lied, doing my best to keep a laugh back. "You know, with the gravy that pours itself, knives that cut without you holding them...?"
"O-oh, of course my room is enchanted!" Kyle retorted. "You didn't ask me if it was before, so I didn't erm—activate it!" The instant lie he'd come up with was beyond amusing to me. Leaning over my plate, I raised a brown in his direction.
"Oh?" I grinned. "So, activate it then."
Kyle was so easy to read. He gulped down air harshly, stood up from his seat and raised both his hands into the air. I covered my face with the documents this time to hold back the laughs.
"ACTIVATE!!!" Kyle commanded suddenly into the open air.
The boys in the corner of the room looked around in confusion and I found myself sinking down lower in my seat to hide myself more, closing my eyes tightly to keep back the laughter. I could feel my face heating up. I wanted, so desperately, to laugh. Kyle was making a complete fool of himself and he had no idea.
There was no standard to have an enchanted room. I, myself, didn't even have an enchanted home and I wasn't even sure if that was a legit practice. It also wasn't part of the criteria being asked of for the evaluation. After the random shout, he sat back into his seat and cleared his throat.
"Well...that should do it."
"Mein Gott..." I muttered to myself, slowly sitting up and setting the packet aside once I'd caught my bearings. Keeping from laughing was honestly the fight of my life at the moment. I opened the handkerchief that was set on the table and draped the cloth over my lap. My eyes looked to the gravy boat. I was ready to kick the charade up a notch.
"Gravy." I spoke out, catching Kyle's attention from his plate.
"Hm?"
"It was an order to your enchanted room. I need gravy, for my bird."
"Oh...right...erm—."
There was a sudden bang of the table that caused us both to jump. To my surprise, the salad bowl started to move in my direction. I eyed Kyle in confusion and he seemed to be doing the same towards me till he caught himself.
"Heh...the room gets a little confused from time to time..." Kyle nervously chuckled. "He asked for GRAVY, not SALAD!"
With another bang of the table, the salad bowl stopped in it's place and the water pitcher started to move instead. I was actually impressed by the display until I realized the elves at the corner of the room were missing. I wasn't exactly sure how they were doing it, but I knew for sure they must've been pulling the stunt from under the table. It was so difficult not to peek underneath to find out for myself.
"ENCHANTED WATER PITCHER!"
BANG!
"ENCHATED SOUP TUREEN!"
BANG!
"Mein Gott!" I gasped when Kyle's head hit the table, teeth first. I couldn't believe what I was seeing, and I still wasn't completely understanding how it was happening, but I finally allowed a giggle to escape me while Kyle was preoccupied.
"Enthanthed BRATHETHS!!!!" He managed to get out with the deepest of lisps. Finally, the gravy I had requested seemed to be making its way over to me after the seemingly endless kerfuffle. Kyle rubbed his jaw to soothe it after he'd effectively hit the table.
"Ah, there we are~!" He sighed, already looking exhausted with the evening ahead. I pouted.
"Seems so..." I muttered, looking over the packet in my hands.
The criteria was pretty standard. It asked me to check off the level from 1-5 on interest in a list of topics, 1 being the lowest on the scale. The board wanted to know if magic was still being practiced while away from the academy, the level of good mannerisms and lighthearted behavior exhibited, and overall if the student seemed as though they'd settle back into the fold of Milkweed after whatever offense they had caused. So far, the entire display that Kyle was putting on wasn't bad, but it also wasn't exactly good.
Looking into the gravy boat, I wasn't at all impressed with the quality of the dressing, but after all the confusion I decided to pour some on the side of my plate for Kyle's sake. He seemed to relax in his seat, but I didn't want to give him that comfort just yet. With another idea coming to my mind, I smirked to myself, moved my handkerchief from my lap to my shirt and leaned over my plate once more.
"Ahh~!"
Kyle's brow raised as he watched me open my mouth over my plate. I repeated the gesture and watched his confusion grow.
"Ahh?"
"Um...what are you doing?" He finally asked me. I straightened up, doing my best to appear as serious as possible.
"Does your food not serve itself?"
"W-what?"
"I mean, enchanted rooms usually feed their guests. You did say your room was enchanted, did you not?"
Kyle's eyes looked frantic. I don't think he had any plan as to how to pull this stunt off himself and his elves weren't anywhere to be found. He looked defeated as he stood up from his end of the table and made his way over to me.
"I mean...I haven't exactly figured out how to get that to work just yet..." He sighed. "But if you want me to, I could just serve you myse—."
"NO NEED! WHITE MEAT OR DARK?"
We both jumped at the sudden interruption and I was shocked to find the bird on my plate had been strung up with what looked like some sort of chicken wire. It was the most bizarre display of puppeteering I had ever had the displeasure to see. I didn't even bother to look up at the ceiling to figure out the source of the foolery, it was pretty obvious what was going on, but I was impressed by how quickly his friends had managed to pull it off without me seeing.
"Ah! I guess the room is cooperating with me today!" Kyle grinned, hopping back into his seat. The long sip of water he took from his glass looked like a pause of relief with the way he gripped the cup, knuckles stark white. He was keeping up with the charade and I was sure he thought he had me convinced. I'd flip the script. I took a sip from my own glass and nodded to myself.
"You really do seem to be doing well.." I commented. "I mean, last time I was here in your new town, you had already managed to make friends. You seem to have it all figured out here."
"Hm—?!" Kyle choked, setting his glass down. "Y-you think so?"
"It's as if you don't even need Milkweed anymore..."
"I mean, I wouldn't say that! Haha!" Kyle scratched the back of his head as a nervous laughter escaped him. "I would very much like to continue my studies. I mean, I've continued to study here, but there's only so much one can do alone."
"So why did you decide to live so far from the academy and in such a...normal town?"
"I um...i-it was gifted to me!"
"Gifted?"
"Yes, gifted! By the Young Wizard's Fellowship Grant. They always give room and board to overachieving wizards."
"Kyle, please..." I groaned into my hands.
That grant was something the board voted on. It was clear he wasn't aware of that, especially considering the fact that he wasn't eligible for the award. Not in the slightest.
"To my knowledge as a member of the board, I don't recall the vote for the grant being in your favor. Especially considering the position you're in at this point in time, expelled and all."
Kyle's body language gave off instant embarrassment. I rubbed my temples, feeling myself growing annoyed with the show he was putting on. Who was he trying to fool?
"Just be honest. Why did you choose to live here?"
"I...I didn't..." Kyle frowned. His voice had gone rather soft suddenly, which caught me off guard. He looked down at his hands and fiddled with his fingers as he spoke.
"When I told my parents I had gotten expelled...they didn't allow me to return home."
I was stunned by this information. I had no idea that was the arrangement. I knew he'd been dragged out by his father on that day, but he never did tell me the full aftermath. I'd never asked him. I had been tempted to call that day, especially after the blatant abuse I'd seen, but I just hadn't. This was a shock.
"Wait, what?!"
"Yeah. I mean, I understand. There was a lot riding on me going to that school. It's prestigious and it's a historical beginning for a lot of wizards. My own father always wanted me to be the best at Milkweed. When I didn't meet his expectations, he disowned me."
"Disowned?" I frowned. One person instantly came to my mind hearing that word, my father. Although I'd come with resentment towards Kyle, I couldn't help but feel terrible. "I'm sorry to hear that. My own father was disowned by his family as well after he married a normal woman and not a witch. We were poor for a while..."
"Really?"
"Ja. Actually, my family didn't have much at all till recently."
"That's a little hard to believe."
"Well, its the truth. We were produce farmers in my old town. On my father's side of the family, they'd been admitted into Milkweed and other magic academia for centuries. My father always had strong magic in his family and he was expected to marry into strong magic, but when he didn't, my family was banished from the rest of his side. He moved to a farm far away from it all, but magic is just part of our bloodline and now we're back to it because of me."
"Farmers, huh?" Kyle scoffed. I rolled my eyes.
"It paid the bills. Kept us afloat, even if it didn't give us much money to put aside. It was enough for us at the time. We didn't get back to magic till my birth though. My sister had been born normal."
"You have a sister?!"
I took another sip from my glass before I answered.
"Had. She passed away, unfortunately. Untimely illness."
"Oh my. Offering you my condolences." Kyle pouted. He took a sip of his own water before he continued. "I'm an only child. Not to be morbid, but my father works with the dead, so that doesn't make much money either. He's a necromancer in his own practice, but that's always been a form of magic that most people look down on in the realm..."
"Dark magic, isn't it?"
"Black magic, actually." Kyle corrected. "And in her youth, my mother attended Halfmoon Hallows Witching Academy. She's a tutor for students there now. Funny enough, she's a healer. The complete opposite of my father. She actually encouraged me to pursue conjuring, not so much necromancy."
"Is that what you want to become though?"
"...honestly?" Kyle sipped his water again before he continued. "...not exactly...if you catch my drift. But I'll let her think I do. They've always put a lot of pressure on me, especially my father. He's a terrible man, actually. Quite dark spirited in nature and well...not someone you'd want to anger. I'm straying from uttering the word evil, but he's almost the embodiment of the word."
I was actually surprised to hear a bit about Kyle's family. In our time together at Milkweed, he had never spoken about either one of his parents. Students usually kept photos on their nightstands or framed pictures of their families on their desks in their dorms, but there had never been any trace of them on Kyle's end. Learning he was tempted to pursue Black Magic was also a shock to me. There were a ton of regulations with students who were leaning into that realm and it wouldn't look good if I added that into his documentation, so I decided to keep it between us. Kyle continued.
"When I was disowned, I left the realm and returned to England, where my extended family resides. I went to the local school there, but the curriculum was too basic for me, so I was offered to take part in a study abroad program. That bought me here."
"Did you get to choose where you studied?"
"Yes, and I fear I've made a great mistake..."
Kyle's eyes suddenly fell onto my plate. I hadn't touched much of the food. The sugary goblet drink and stale bread had honestly wiped out my appetite at the very beginning. The water had been enough for me. On his end, he'd seemingly had just as much of a hard time finishing his own meal. Though he had taken a few bites here and there, the plate was still very much full. Clearing his throat, Kyle stood up.
"How about some tea?" He suggested, motioning me to a door that seemingly lead to a library of some sort. I gave a nod, grabbed the documents from the table and followed behind him.
There was a long corridor that was lined with a deep maroon hall runner and lit with glowing orbs along the walls that gave off a green hue. We passed a couple of tall, almost medieval looking wooden doors till we came to the open one I had spotted with the room filled with books. Though the rest of the home was most definitely squalor, the study Kyle had created was lovely.
The walls were lined from floor to ceiling with shelves of old bound books. In the far corner of the room, a caldron sat beside a small table covered in scrolls, used vials of potions and more bound spell books. I wasn't fond of the self portrait over the fireplace, but the mantle itself was a simplistic build of beauty. Tall, wingback, burgundy colored arm chairs sat in front of the lit fireplace and casted a warm glow that was almost romantic in aura. Between the chairs, there was already an end table where a golden tea set had been placed.
"How many sugars?" Kyle asked me. We sat adjacent from each other and Kyle poured out two cups of tea, handing me my own cup on a porcelain saucer after I'd asked for two.
The tea was exceptionally fragrant and now I could see where Kyle's tastes finally lied, and it wasn't food. It was here, in this room. Despite it's size, the condensed library alone felt warmer than any room in the million-dollar mansion I lived in. The wizard had managed to make this one room in this rickety old townhome in a normal, dull town into something magical. This one room, alone, felt like a home. I couldn't stop looking around. I took a sip of the tea he had given me and instantly felt at ease. It was a relaxing peppermint of some sort. The rush of warm water down my throat was like a hug. I hadn't been able to relax this way in a long while.
"Didn't know you were a tea drinker." Kyle smirked, taking a sip himself. I finally snapped out of my delight in the room when he spoke up.
"O-oh..I dabble in it every now and then." Looking around once more, I spotted his broom in the corner of the study. It looked brand new and not at all how I'd remembered it. "I didn't know you knew how to fix brooms."
"Hm? Oh, no! I could never! I um—I had it fixed by a friend."
"One of those elves from your class by chance?"
"No, not them, they're two complete idiots who—!"
Catching himself in his own lie, Kyle's eyes grew as I finally broke out in the laughter that had been suppressed the entire night. Though his face had gone totally red, he actually laughed with me and it only made me laugh more. I'm not sure what it was about it at that point in time, but I think we both really and truly needed that laugh. Our paths had gone in different directions over the course of our school year and by the way it sounded for Kyle, it had been a different struggle all its own.
We'd been feuding for months and we'd been terrible to one another, but this evaluation forced us to have to push aside those feelings. We lost our sense of comfort and oddly enough, finding each other again was more comforting than we realized.
On the mantle of the fireplace, a little clock chimed and bought my attention to the time. It had gotten pretty late. I looked down at the documents on my lap and conjured up my quill feather again. Kyle slowly set down his cup of tea and went silent while I started to mark down the paper.
"Are you...are you grading me now?" He inquired in a tone of greatest concern. I nodded. "Well then, would you mind giving me insight on what you're doing?"
"I have to be honest to the board when I submit these documents. And I mean completely honest. They asked me to document your magic display, your intentions, your behavior, your honesty. Everything."
"And I haven't been very truthful...have I?"
"Your display and performance over dinner was pathetic, to say the least." I admitted. "But I wouldn't call you dishonest by any means."
"R-really?"
"I won't tell the board about your black magic story, but I'll be sure to tell them about your intentions to continue magic and your seemingly regretful demeanor."
"Sigmund! T-thank you!" Kyle's voice almost seemed to hold back great emotion and he quickly rose to his feet when I had stood up from the chair. I shook my head.
"Don't thank me for anything. From my understanding, there's a long process to be readmitted into Milkweed. My documentation may not be enough—."
"But it's a start, isn't it?"
"Ja, for sure."
"Then thank you, for the start."
"Of course, Kyle."
With my grading finished, Kyle and his band of elves walked me to the front door of his townhome and saw me off as I descended down the brick stairs to the stoop. My griffin was already parked up front and it looked as if his friends had left it a snack whilst Kyle and I were having tea. The food we hadn't touched, mostly. Following me down the sidewalk, Kyle gave me a sheepish smile and held his hand out. I took it and gave him a solid shake.
"See you on tv?" He smiled. I blushed.
"Maybe sooner than that?" From my satchel, I pulled out a pass to my show in New York. "Here."
"What's this?"
"VIP, to my show in New York next month."
"And how, exactly, do you expect me to get there?"
"I'll arrange it for you. Just say you'll be there this time."
Kyle pondered for a moment, looking down at the badge in thought before he finally answered me.
"You really missed me, huh?"
I let out a hearty laugh as I finally boarded my griffin and took the reigns.
"As if, Constipator!"
"Y-YOU LITTLE—!"
"Tschüss~!" I called, lifting the reigns for take off. Kyle's friends hopped around from the stoop below, frantically waving at me.
"BYE SIGMUND!!! SEE YOU LATER SIGMUND!!"
Those two were the most disturbing pair and terribly annoying to come in contact with, but the entire night, they had done the best they could to help Kyle. Friends. Maybe they really were of some sort of quality in their own special way. I wondered what Kyle thought about me, if he considered me a friend.
I knew tonight wasn't anything to write home about, but it felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders in a way. In every corner of my life, I'd been socially struggling. Kyle had seemingly been the only one to accept my olive branch and I was somewhat thankful for that. Galaxy Hills, the quaint town in the middle of nowhere, had given me comfort on this night, thanks to him. I'd return the favor. For a friend.