9:25 PM. Oliver’s POV

  I ran and ran and ran until I couldn’t run anymore. Out of breath, I looked forward and was met face-to-face with the school. Well how convenient, I thought. I ran the exact path I’d normally take to the school that I memorized by heart. I walked forward and was met by a rge arch with the school’s name inscribed onto it. The Internara University of Applewood. Looking past it, I was met with the main hall. I admired the building as I walked towards the entrance. It was a magnificent piece of architecture, with cathedral-like finishings and stained gss windows where the rain made it glisten off the nearby lighting fixtures. It towered above everything else, being very out of pce as it made the multi story apartment buildings on the other side of the road seem miniscule compared to it. This te at night, and with it being raining, the pce looked almost abandoned as no one was in sight. I stopped to sit at a bench sheltered under a tree just before reaching the stairs leading to the entrance. I took out my phone and browsed some social media for a while until I saw a shadowy figure stand in front of me.

  I looked up and saw a girl with brown hair, wearing an all bck outfit with a crop top and skirt paired with thigh highs. Despite the rainy weather, she looked completely dry as her complexion and clothes seemed completely hydrophobic.

  I wish I was her.

  “What are you doing out here this te?” She asked with curiosity.

  “Uh I’m just enjoying the weather I guess.” I really hoped she didn’t notice my red eyes, fresh from tears.

  “Heh, well me too! Well I’m headed to a club meeting and I don’t wanna be te.”

  A club meeting? I didn’t know of a club that met this te on the evening of a Wednesday. I don’t even remember seeing one that met ter than 7 pm and that was the chess club.

  “What club is it?” I inquired.

  She looked at me in surprise, clearly not prepared to answer that question. “Oh uhm, it’s a uh robotics club. Anyways I’m gonna be te so gotta go!” She scurried off into the night towards the many cabin-like cssrooms that scattered the campus. I could’ve sworn I saw a hint of glittery particles bouncing about her right hand, that moved to surround her in a spherical outline. It was probably the rain causing that. I shook my head to clear the confusion.

  I must be seeing things. Okay Oliver, focus. She said the robotics club right? But they met on Mondays during lunch. But she said they met right now. This seems awfully sus…

  A smile crept on my face as my investigative instincts lured me to stake the pce out. Why not? I don’t pn on going home soon anyways, I don’t really wanna meet face-to-face with Zoey right now after what has happened.

  8:51 PM. Joanna’s POV

  I opened the car door and got in the driver’s seat. Zoey opened the other door got in the front passenger seat.

  “Are you sure this is gonna work?” Zoey asked.

  “Well we have to try. Are you ready?”

  “Yeah.”

  Zoey held her hand open and produced a bright white pentagram floating on her palm.

  “Invenio Oliver.”

  The pentagram formed into a single particle that resembles a comet with an ice trail. It floated around in circles on her hand and eventually noclipped out of the windshield and rested a few feet in front of my car.

  “Invisibilis nisi solum oculis nostris.”

  The particle shimmered and became half-transparent.

  “That should do it.” Zoey said. “All everyone’s gonna see is a car driving aimlessly at 9 pm.”

  “Great. Let’s go then.” I started the car and hit the gas.

  —

  9:35 PM

  We drove around taking turns left and right. For the past half hour or so we followed the white comet-shaped particle, and got honks from the few drivers that were annoyed at us changing nes st-minute or making a sudden brake check as the comet darted into a small street.

  “Turn left. No wait turn right.” Zoey said.

  I swerved left and right across the road. If a cop was around I’d probably be long pulled over by now.

  The particle flew right and disappeared around the corner. I turned, following it.

  The particle stopped at a small parking lot and I pulled into it.

  “This is the back of our school.” I observed.

  “Yeah, the spell is saying that he’s here.” Zoey responded. She pced her hand at her side, shooting a white beam of light. The comet returned to her hand and disappeared, thus ending the spell.

  “Mhm. Let’s get out and follow it.” I opened the car door and got out.

  —

  9:48 PM. Oliver’s POV

  I put my phone away and cautiously walked into the direction that the mysterious girl went off to.

  I looked at the surrounding cssrooms. Trees scattered throughout the campus with nterns hanging off the branches, illuminating the pathways curving around them.

  I peered around until I saw a silhouette of the girl in the distance, walking into darkness. Shortly after she disappeared, I followed.

  Pushing through the bushes, a cssroom came into view. Unlike the other cssrooms, this one was dimly lit. An orange glow diffused through the windows, disappearing only with the movement of bck silhouettes passing by. I knew better to hide behind a rge oak tree than to move closer to inspect the cssroom.

  Suddenly I heard footsteps on the other side and I held my breath. They stopped, then started, then stopped again. I tensed up in anticipation of an ambush, but none came. Then the footsteps headed towards the opposite direction.

  Then I heard people talking in the distance. The words were too distant to make out, but I could have sworn their voices sound familiar to me somehow, but I couldn’t piece together who it was.

  I’ve watched enough spy movies and tv-shows to know that, in the field, you need to make use of what you have. I didn’t have any microscopic cameras or microphones or motion sensors. No hidden radio, no superior to contact and update them on the mission progress. No satellite phone with a secure line to the government. But I did have something. I took my phone out and opened the camera app.

  I switched to the main camera, positioning the phone downwards to avoid pointing the dispy at my face and having to see my own reflection. I turned my phone to the side and positioned it a centimeter off of the edge of the tree, until I saw the cssroom and surroundings slowly reveal itself onto the dispy.

  A few moments ter, the voices had come close enough that I could make out what they were saying.

  “...but are you really sure he’s here? I mean, he could be at the park or at a coffee shop.”

  A girl scoffed. “In this weather? I don’t think so. And yes I’m positive he’s here because the thing should have worked correctly. Besides that’s not really the point we should be more worried about his safety.”

  I recognized those voices.

  They were Zoey and Joanna.

  How did they know I was here?

  They must’ve tracked my phone somehow. I knew I should have deleted that location sharing app some months ago.

  “Hello, what brings you two here?”

  It was the mysterious girl from earlier.

  “We’re looking for our friend, his name is Oliver. Do you know anything about his whereabouts? He’s like, wearing a hoodie and has ear-length hair. Oh he’s also like 5’7.” Zoey said.

  “Oh I think I saw him earlier! He was sitting at that bench towards the entrance area.”

  “Thanks for your help. By the way what club or gathering is happening here?”

  The mysterious girl stared at Zoey and looked like she was thinking. There was silence for a few seconds while the girl looked around her surroundings before speaking up again and made some sort of triangle with her hands.

  “magicae exerces?”

  I saw Joanna go wide-eyed as she quickly repeated the gesture. Zoey followed.

  The mysterious girl rexed as she opened her mouth to speak but was interrupted by Joanna.“What are you guys doing here? I’ve never seen y’all around before. As far as I know there wasn’t that many of us hanging out here during the summer.”

  “I should be asking you the question first.” The girl interrogated. Who are you? What agency are you with?”

  Wait huh? Agency?

  “We’re independent. Not with any agency. We attended the Academy just to learn magic.” Zoey replied. “And you?”

  “I’m the leader of my team of highly-trained elite magical girls. We’re a mercenary force that specialize in eliminating otherworldly threats. You can call me Amber.” She replied.

  Pause. Wait. WHAT. Magical girls??

  I was very confused. Is this a cospy club or something?

  “Well what brings you here then?” Zoey asked.

  “Your headmaster hired us due to a very powerful demon manifesting in this city. They have many subordinates and pose a great threat to human life, starting with taking complete control of this city. We’re here to squash that bug and fix the code.” Amber replied.

  And now demons?!?

  My mind raced every possibility and eventually rested on a webnovel sitting in a forgotten part of my brain I had read long ago.

  “I see. Speaking of Headmaster Internara, it’s funny how she manages to maintain our school with a decent sports team and offers good normal courses just to pass under the radar and not be discovered as a secondary school that teaches all types of magic post-academy.” Joanna said.

  The webnovel was about a group of magical girls initiating a new girl and teaching her magic. I remember now. But no way this could be real? God if only that could happen to me.

  “You two are independent right? What magic do you two practice?” Amber asked.

  “I practice aquatic magic and Zoey does light.” Joanna showed off by making a few water swirls with her hand. Zoey followed with as she spun around a few times, causing light to form a ring around her.

  I couldn’t believe my eyes. I looked at them goof around with their powers on the small phone screen as my eyes hovered over to the big white button with a camera on it.

  Unfortunately, it was nighttime and taking a photo meant activating the auto fsh. I realized too te.

  Click! The deed was done and the fsh vibrantly lit up, giving my position away to everyone within line of sight.