[Grayson Academy for Gifted Young Ladies, Modoc County, California (May 2023)]
Saturday mornings at the Grayson Academy for Gifted Young Ladies were supposed to be peaceful.
Well, that was how things were supposed to be, anyway….
As one of the country's three official sorcerer academies tasked with training and educating young sorcerers and preparing them for their futures, it was a place of high standards and even higher expectations for all those who attended it. And as the only all-girls school among the three, it was where many of the young ladies who would go on to become major players in sorcerer society could foster relationships with their peers and learn to work together.
However, when classes weren't in session, the Grayson Academy was also a place where its students could spend their time causing all sorts of mischief without having to worry about someone standing over their shoulder. Or asking them how one could somehow manage to turn a perfectly ordinary classroom assignment into a minor supernatural incident.
After surviving five consecutive days of classes, magical training, homework, quizzes, club meetings, and the occasional teacher who seemed personally offended by the existence of teenage girls, Saturday was supposed to be a day for sleeping in late, relaxing, and doing absolutely nothing that could possibly result in detention.
Unfortunately, Layla Chandler, the great-granddaughter of Rudolph Chandler, had other plans.
"Behold!" The young 'light magic' user announced with a dramatic flurry of her hands.
The young woman with fair skin, deep green eyes, and shoulder-length black hair styled into a simple bob sat cross-legged on the floor of her dorm room, surrounded by all manner of curiosities that no normal human would ever lay eyes on.
Emma Owens-MacNamara, daughter of Evelyn MacNamara and Maurice Owens, and niece of the current DPA Commissioner, Eugene MacNamara, stared at her friend with no small amount of confusion on her face, a few feet away from her. The dark-skinned girl with long, perfectly twisted dreadlocks that ran all the way down her back had long since grown accustomed to Layla's knack for doing whatever nonsense popped into her head. And she had a feeling that she was about to get roped into another one of the green-eyed youth's hair-brained schemes.
Jamie Conley, who was sitting across from Layla in the young woman's computer chair, stared at her friend with an equal amount of bewilderment in her pale blue eyes. On top of being a relatively new sorcerer, the pale-skinned girl with long auburn hair also just so happened to be the newest addition to the infamous Conley family after being adopted in the middle of last year.
Neither girl moved, but that did nothing to stop the wide grin that appeared on Layla's face.
Behind her stood what could only be described as a small-scale magical apothecary shop.
Glass containers covered nearly every available surface, with enough bottles, vials, dried herbs, powdered minerals, and mysterious little bags of miscellaneous items to make the room look less like a teenager's bedroom and more like the back room of an extremely questionable home lab of sorts. And that wasn't even counting the stacked bowls of glittering crystals, nor the bundles of strange-looking plants that hung upside down from a little rack near the window. And, of course, there was also the matter of the tiny blue flame dancing beneath the large iron cauldron in front of her.
There were feathers.
There were mushrooms.
There was something that looked suspiciously like a shadowcat's tooth.
And there was a foggy jar labeled: "ABSOLUTELY DO NOT OPEN."
Emma slowly raised an eyebrow at the sight before her. She knew exactly what was about to happen. Every time her friend had some new idea, she would always invite them to bask in whatever madness she was about to unleash upon the world. The young 'lightning magic' user knew that everyone from the Chandler family were supposed to be geniuses. But was it really necessary for them to completely forgo any kind of common sense in their endless pursuit of knowledge?
"Layla..."
"Yes?" The dark-haired teen looked up.
"Why do you have a jar labeled 'Absolutely Do Not Open'?"
Layla looked at the jar.
Then at Emma.
Then back at the jar.
"I don't know." She said with a shrug that was way too nonchalant for Emma's liking.
Jamie swallowed nervously while peeking over the edge of a cushion she had been using as an improvised shield. "That doesn't make me feel better."
"It shouldn't…" Emma said.
Layla waved the two of them off dismissively. "Oh, relax! It's probably just cursed dust."
"Probably?"
"Definitely."
"Those are two very different words."
Layla laughed. "Come on! We're witch acolytes. We're supposed to experiment, aren't we? Besides, I wanted to let you guys see what is surely going to be the greatest scientific achievement of the weekend!"
Emma sighed.
That was technically true, as much as she didn't want to admit it.
The three of them were members of the school's witchcraft club, so doing stuff like this was to be expected. But instead of performing unknown experiments in their dorm rooms, they were supposed to only do them in the club's labs under supervision from some of the older members. Certainly not whatever the hell this was supposed to be.
Witchcraft, sometimes referred to as "alchemy", was a specialized branch of advanced magical chemistry typically known only to those who could perceive mana. One that focused on combining ordinary substances with magical components to produce potions, elixirs, powders, tonics, and other concoctions that no normal human knew what to do with. Nor could explain with any ordinary science. But unlike ordinary spellcasting, the skill known as "witchcraft" relied heavily on careful measurements, precise procedures, and an understanding of magical reactions.
In other words, it was chemistry.
Chemistry combined with the eternal wildcard known as magic.
And explosions.
And the occasional screaming.
And surprisingly, Emma actually liked it quite a bit.
To most who knew her, Emma was calm, analytical, and exceptionally careful by nature. The kind of behavior that one could expect of someone from the world-famous MacNamara family. She approached problems the way she approached mathematics: identify the variables, establish the rules, eliminate unnecessary risks, and solve the problem.
Math was still her favorite subject, naturally, but she enjoyed the analytical nature of potion-making. Every ingredient had a purpose. Every measurement mattered. And every reaction followed a pattern. It was much more straightforward than everything her family had taught her about enchanting so far. There was far less artistry and a lot more precision. The exact kind of thing that she liked to latch onto.
Jamie, for her part, liked the biology side of it. Even if she often approached most magical experiments with the expression of someone expecting the ceiling to collapse at any given moment.
As a 'beast magic' user who was juggling with the idea of becoming a cryptozoologist in the future, she enjoyed learning about what cryptid parts could be used for what purpose. It was absolutely fascinating to know how and why her new family spent so much time harvesting the ones they captured for what they could offer. And it was generally just fun to do.
Layla, on the other hand, was different.
The kind of different who thought the answer to a warning was generally to see whether or not the warning could be made more interesting.
She was clever, confident, mischievous, and endlessly curious. And to everyone who knew her, she seemed like the kind of person who just liked making things bubble and explode wherever she felt like it. Chemistry was always her favorite subject, which made sense considering both her father and brother were chemical engineers. So the fact that she gets to experiment like this was nothing short of a blessing in her mind.
Unfortunately for everyone involved, Layla also liked making things bubble more than they were supposed to. A habit she had become known for across the student body.
Emma let out a quick sigh before asking a question that she already knew she didn't want to know the answer to. "What exactly are we making?"
Layla's grin became positively wicked. "A laughter potion!"
Jamie immediately froze. "A...what?"
"A laughter potion!"
"I heard you." The redhead said quietly. "I just wish I hadn't."
Layla skipped over to her desk and picked up an old-looking notebook. "This stuff is amazing! It temporarily induces uncontrollable laughter in anyone who ingests it. It's basically magically enhanced nitrous oxide in liquid form!"
Emma, the one who had been appointed as the unofficial "voice of reason" by her friends, crossed her arms. "Okay…but why are you making it?"
Layla's expression became very serious. "Justice."
Emma stared.
Jamie blinked.
Layla then pointed dramatically toward the ceiling. "Justice against a certain someone who has been annoying the hell out of me for the past three weeks!"
Emma was quick to rub her hand over her face. "Please don't tell me you're still mad at Penelope McKenna for getting a higher grade than you on that history test we took last month…."
Layla lowered her voice. "That's classified."
"Layla..."
"Fine. It's-"
Emma suddenly held up a hand. "Actually, you know what, don't tell me. If I know who it is, then I'll be morally obligated to stop you."
Layla looked offended. "Emma, I am offended by how accurately you understand me."
Jamie cautiously raised her hand. "Are you sure this is safe?"
"Of course!"
"Are you sure?"
"Absolutely!"
"Are you really sure?"
Layla paused. "Well..."
Emma gave her a look.
Layla smiled. "Mostly!"
Jamie made a tiny noise of despair while Emma rubbed her forehead in disbelief.
"Layla, if this goes wrong, we're all going to be in trouble."
"Well, luckily for us, it won't go wrong!"
"That's exactly what people say immediately before things go wrong."
"God, Emma, you're so pessimistic."
"No, I'm realistic."
"There's a difference?"
"Yes."
"What's the difference?"
"Realism has evidence."
Layla laughed.
Jamie quietly snickered.
Emma smiled despite herself.
That was the problem with Layla. She was reckless, mischievous, and had the survival instincts of a moth near a magical flame despite being smart enough to know better. But she was also funny. And kind. And, despite everything, one of Emma's closest friends. They had been ever since they first met each other back when Layla's father first became the Chief of the DPA's Manhattan station.
Jamie, the newest member of their little trio, pretty much felt the same way. She had been rather abruptly sent to school here at the Grayson Academy after awakening her powers and being adopted. But Emma and Layla had been quick to make friends with her and help her get adjusted to the new lifestyle. Much to the young redhead's eternal gratitude.
Layla suddenly clapped her hands together to get the group back on track. "Alright, whatever! Now, before our brave and oh-so-responsible leader starts lecturing us, let's get started!"
"I wasn't going to lecture you." Emma scowled.
"You were thinking about it."
"I was."
"See?"
Jamie, despite herself, let out a slight giggle before Layla pointed toward the ingredients. "First ingredient: powdered moonstone."
Emma sighed and resigned herself to her impending fate before checking the instructions. She was already here, so she might as well do her best to make sure that nothing went wrong. "Two teaspoons."
Layla scooped it carefully. "Two teaspoons."
"Good."
"Second ingredient: dried gigglewort."
Jamie looked at the label. "Is that a real plant?"
Layla shrugged. "Probably."
Emma frowned. "Probably?"
"I found it in the witchcraft club storage closet. I think it's something that the Blair family created a few decades ago."
"That does not answer my question."
"It answers it spiritually."
Jamie laughed.
Emma simply sighed.
They continued anyway to avoid an argument.
-(o)-
For the next thirty minutes, the three girls worked surprisingly well together in order to bring their magical concoction to life.
Emma measured the ingredients with almost mathematical precision. Jamie prepared the biological components, carefully grinding herbs and separating the petals from a strange blue flower that she was certain wasn't made naturally. All while Layla handled the magical components, occasionally consulting the old notebook she'd acquired from one of the older club members.
The potion gradually changed color as time went on. First green, then yellow, then blue. Then finally, it became a pale pink. The same color as one of the cherry blossom trees that Japanese people swore up and down were the greatest thing on Earth.
At one point during the process, Layla leaned over the cauldron with a look of satisfaction in her eyes. "Beautiful."
Jamie cautiously sniffed the potion. "It smells like strawberries."
Emma sniffed it. "And peppermint."
Layla sniffed it. "And victory!"
"You're delusional." Emma said.
Layla gasped. "How dare you?"
Jamie laughed again.
Everything appeared to be going perfectly. The cauldron bubbled softly. The potion shimmered. Nothing had exploded so far. Nobody had been rendered unconscious. And there were no spontaneous mishaps or unexpected reactions.
Emma finally began to relax a bit. Maybe this was going to turn out better than she had hoped. Sure, she was going to deny any involvement in whatever chaos Layla was going to cause with this stuff. After all, as a proud member of the MacNamara family, she wouldn't be caught dead getting in trouble for something like this since she had a reputation to uphold. But it looked like their little experiment was going to go off without a hitch.
Unfortunately for the young 'lightning magic' user, she decided to have those thoughts at the worst time possible.
Layla flipped through the notebook before settling on the next step of the process. "Okay. According to the instructions, the next step is to add three drops of-" She squinted at the bad handwriting. "Moonwort extract."
Emma looked up at the bottle the young 'light magic' user was holding. "Three drops."
"I know."
"Carefully."
"I know."
"Slowly."
"I know! God, you sound like my brother."
Layla held the bottle over the cauldron. A small one filled with a thick green liquid and a picture of a funky-looking plant on the side of it.
Jamie leaned closer. "Wait, are you sure that's the right one?"
Layla frowned. "Of course I am!"
Emma looked over. "Let me see the label."
"No need."
"Layla."
"I got it, calm down." The young 'light magic' user said as she tipped the bottle.
One drop.
Two drops.
Three—
"Oops."
Emma's eyes widened. "What do you mean 'oops'? What did you do?"
Layla stared at the bottle. "I…may have…possibly misread something."
Jamie went pale. "What did you misread?"
Layla slowly looked back at the notebook. "Apparently, that wasn't moonwort extract."
Emma stood. "Then what was it?"
Layla pointed at the bottle. "Moonwort concentrate."
Silence.
Emma stared at her.
Jamie stared at her.
Then the cauldron bubbled.
Once.
Twice.
Then—
*BLUB*
The potion suddenly rose several inches.
Layla took one step backward. "Uh-oh."
Emma immediately reached for the cauldron as light blue mana began to emerge from her hands in hopes of putting a mana barrier over the container. "Everyone get back!"
The potion began glowing.
The pink color brightened.
The liquid churned violently.
Jamie squeaked. "I-is it supposed to d-do that?"
"No!" Emma shouted.
Layla grabbed the notebook. "Wait! Maybe there's a correction-"
The cauldron erupted before the girl could finish whatever she was about to say.
*WHOOMPH!*
A massive cloud of pink smoke exploded across the room.
Emma barely had time to cover her mouth while Jamie stumbled backward to avoid the smoke. Then Layla shouted something that sounded suspiciously like a mix of four different swear words. Before the trio of young sorcerers could fully process what was happening, the smoke swallowed all three of them in a thick cloud of pink mist.
For several seconds, there was nothing but pink.
Pink everywhere.
Pink smoke curled around the furniture. Pink mist drifted toward the ceiling. And pink sparkles floated through the air like waves of enchanted dust.
Emma coughed.
Jamie coughed.
Layla coughed.
Then Emma heard something strange.
A giggle.
She looked around.
Jamie was giggling.
Layla was giggling.
Emma tried to remain serious. "What's so funny?"
Jamie looked at Emma.
Emma looked at Jamie.
Layla looked at both of them.
Then Layla burst into laughter.
Emma couldn't help it. She laughed too.
"I don't-" Jamie covered her mouth. The redhead then started laughing harder. "Oh no."
Layla collapsed onto her bed, clutching her stomach. "This is-"
She couldn't finish.
Emma tried to regain control. "This isn't funny!"
That made Jamie laugh harder.
Layla pointed at Emma. "Your face!"
Emma looked confused. "What about my face?"
"You look so serious!"
"I always look serious!"
That somehow made all three of them laugh even harder.
Emma tried counting backward.
"One hundred."
She laughed.
"Ninety-nine."
She snorted.
"Ninety-eight."
She doubled over.
"This is ridiculous!"
Jamie was sitting on the floor now. "I can't stop!"
Layla wiped tears from her eyes. "Neither can I!"
Emma tried to analyze the situation as best she could.
The potion had obviously aerosolized after adding the moowort extract. The smoke had carried the active magical compound with it. And they had just inhaled it. A lot of it.
The effects appeared neurological.
The laughter was involuntary.
The potion was probably harmless.
Probably.
Emma stopped. "Wait."
Jamie looked at her. "What?"
The dread-headed teen pointed at the cauldron. "It's still bubbling."
They all stared.
The cauldron bubbled.
*BLUB*
Layla laughed. "That's so stupid!"
Emma laughed. "Why is that funny?"
"I don't know!"
"Stop laughing!"
"I CAN'T!"
-(o)-
For the next hour, the three girls endured the strangest magical crisis of their young lives. The dorm room became a battlefield against comedy itself.
They tried everything. Emma attempted meditation, which lasted for approximately twelve seconds. Jamie tried holding her breath, but she only lasted for four seconds before bursting into another fit of laughter. Layla tried drinking water, but she accidentally inhaled it and began coughing. Then she laughed about coughing.
Emma laughed because Layla was laughing.
Then Jamie laughed because Emma was laughing.
Eventually, the three girls became trapped in an endless cycle of increasingly ridiculous laughter.
At one point, Emma attempted to explain the chemical reaction. "The giglewort is obviously interacting with the-"
She stopped.
Jamie looked at her. "What?"
Emma pointed at Layla. "She has a spoon on her head."
Jamie quickly turned her head to where the other member of the trio was sitting. Layla, for some unknown reason, had somehow placed a wooden stirring spoon on top of her head.
Nobody knew why.
Layla didn't even know why.
The three girls then laughed for another ten minutes after that.
-(o)-
Eventually, the smoke began to fade. The potion stopped bubbling. The pink glow dimmed. And, little by little, the laughter subsided.
By now, Emma was sitting on the floor, feeling absolutely exhausted after what had just happened. Jamie was leaning against the side of the bed, while Layla was sprawled across her blankets, staring at the ceiling. Every muscle in their bodies was sore. And their throats felt like someone had rubbed them down with sandpaper.
Silence eventually settled over the room. But for the first time in an hour, nobody was laughing.
"Is it over?" Jamie whispered.
Emma waited. "I think so."
Layla slowly raised one finger. "Are we...alive?"
Emma nodded. "Yes."
Jamie sighed with relief. "Thank God…."
Another silence.
Layla sat up. "I think I owe you two an apology."
Emma looked at her. "Yes, you do…."
Jamie nodded. "Definitely."
Layla winced. "I didn't mean for that to happen."
"Yes, we know…." Emma said.
"I really thought I had the right ingredient."
"You didn't."
"I know."
"And you ignored both of us when we questioned you."
"I know."
"And you nearly turned the dorm room into a pink magical fog chamber."
"I know."
Emma paused. "But at least nobody got hurt."
Jamie smiled. "That's true."
Layla looked at the cauldron. "So...I guess this means no more laughter potion?"
Emma and Jamie answered simultaneously. "No."
Layla sighed. "Fine."
The young 'light magic' user then picked up the notebook and closed it. She had gotten it from some of the older members of Grayson's witchcraft club, who had spent the previous week enthusiastically discussing different beginner-level concoctions.
"Maybe we should stick to something safer."
Emma nodded. "Like studying."
Layla stared at her. "I said safer, not mind-numbingly boring."
Jamie giggled.
Emma looked at her. Then Jamie immediately covered her mouth. "Sorry."
Layla started laughing again.
Emma fought a smile, then she laughed too.
Within seconds, all three girls were giggling once more. And the smell of strawberries began to fill the room.
They froze.
Emma's eyes widened.
Jamie looked horrified.
Layla whispered. "Oh shit."
The girls stared at one another. Then Emma pointed at the cauldron. "Everyone out!"
They all bolted for the door as fast as they could.
Behind them, the cauldron gave one final, ominous burp before finally settling down once again. And somewhere inside the pink-stained dorm room, the mysterious jar labeled "ABSOLUTELY DO NOT OPEN" began to rattle.
None of the girls noticed. Which was probably for the best.
For now…..
-(o)-
Info Card: Sorcerer Academies
The three sorcerer academies in the United States of America are a collection of semi-private secondary educational institutions that provide both standard and magic-focused education to young sorcerers from all over the country.
The three sorcerer academies were founded by Florence McKenna, Kenneth Murphy, and Abigail Summers in early 1970 with the goal of educating the young, up-and-coming sorcerers of the country, while also providing them with training to control their powers, helping to foster friendly relationships, and preparing them for their futures in the wider world.
The three academies are:
-Grayson Academy for Gifted Young Ladies (Modoc County, California)
-Summers Academy (Barnwell County, South Carolina)
-Logan Institute for Young Men (Todd County, South Dakota)
Although not a requirement, the vast majority of students who attend these schools go on to become members of the DPA. This is mainly due to the fact that most students are a part of the scholarship program that pays for their tuition so long as they join the agency immediately upon graduation. Many of the students also go on to join one of the U.S. Armed Forces service academies after graduation.
Although all three sorcerer academies are partially subsidized by the U.S. government, they receive a significant amount of funding from private investors, organizations, and alumni in order to help maintain their strict educational standards. On average, all three schools have endowments worth hundreds of millions of dollars.
Thanks to an agreement with the U.S. Department of Education that was facilitated by Florence McKenna, any student who attends one of the three sorcerer academies can attend any public university of their choosing upon graduation, so long as they meet the minimum admissions requirements for that particular university. And although not a part of the initial agreement, all Ivy League universities in the U.S. have adopted the same policy.
All three sorcerer academies regularly rank among the top 1% of high schools in the U.S. in terms of academic curriculum, test scores, graduation rates, and college admissions.
40% of the students who attend the three sorcerer academies are from one of the Nine Families or their close affiliates, 55% come from non-affiliated families (typically first-generation sorcerers), and 5% are international students.
Fun Fact: Every current DPA Chief Agent and Deputy Chief Agent in the U.S. has graduated from one of the three sorcerer academies.
-(o)-
Character Profile: Emma
Name: Emma Leslie Owens-MacNamara
Alias: N/A
Gender: Female
Age: 14
Birthday: August 4th
Birthplace: Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
Height: 64in.
Weight: 108lbs.
Hair: Black
Eyes: Brown
Race: Black
Magic: Lightning
Occupation: High School Student, Witch Acolyte
Stat Chart: A
-Physical Strength - 3
-Intelligence - 4.5
-Magic Amount - 5
-Magical Control - 3.5
-Magic Sensing - 4
-Special - N/A
Fun Fact:
-Intermediate-level enchanter (Apprentice).
-Favorite food is Charleston red rice.
-Favorite subject is math.
-Secretly watches the highlights of all of her brother's basketball games and actively tracks his stat lines.
-(o)-
Character Profile: Layla
Name: Layla Kathleen Chandler
Alias: N/A
Gender: Female
Age: 14
Birthday: June 19th
Birthplace: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America
Height: 66in.
Weight: 118lbs.
Hair: Black
Eyes: Green
Race: White
Magic: Light
Occupation: High School Student, Witch Acolyte
Stat Chart: B
-Physical Strength - 2
-Intelligence - 5
-Magic Amount - 5
-Magical Control - 3
-Magic Sensing - 3
-Special - N/A
Fun Fact:
-Favorite subject is chemistry.
-Favorite food is Irish potato candy.
-Favorite comic book character is Green Goblin.
-Created her very own soda recipe at the age of seven.
-(o)-
Character Profile: Jamie
Name: Jamie Lynne Conley (née Swanson)
Alias: N/A
Gender: Female
Age: 14
Birthday: September 1st
Birthplace: Kingston, Oklahoma, United States of America
Height: 64in.
Weight: 110lbs.
Hair: Red
Eyes: Blue
Race: White
Magic: Beast (Annelida)
Occupation: High School Student, Witch Acolyte
Stat Chart: B(+)
-Physical Strength - 2
-Intelligence - 3
-Magic Amount - 4
-Magical Control - 3
-Magic Sensing - 4
-Special - N/A
Fun Fact:
-Favorite subject is biology.
-Favorite food is honey-baked ham.
-Joined the Conley family after her parents and grandfather were killed in a cryptid attack.
-Favorite TV show is Teen Titans.