Chapter 2:

  "The Hokey-Pokey and Tigertail are super good together!”

  “Ow.” It was Friday when a hardback book plummeted from the stacks and hit Gracie in the face.

  She rubbed her forehead, thankful that the university library invested in a general protective enchantment. Shelves standing several stories high definitely warranted the precaution.

  She stooped down to discover the identity of her would-be killer. “On Geese,” she read aloud, “and How to Make Them Pay: A Practical Guide to Species Exploitation... interesting reading.”

  “Oh my God! Are you alright down there!?” Someone called from the above balcony.

  They must be new. Gracie decided. Or they’d know about the enchantment.

  “No shouting in the library!” She heard the offending party get berated by the library’s hissing imps.

  Gracie teleported to the afflicted person. “Shoo, shoo!” she gently drove the library imps away with a greater static electricity spell. “They’re a bit overzealous for glorified parrots, you need to be more assertive.” she said, turning to the flustered teen. “Is this yours?” she asked, holding up the thick volume. The girlnodded

  “Y-yeah. So sorry about… uh, yeah.”

  “Try not to be such a butterfingers.” Gracie advised.

  “Uh, thanks... professor?!” The teenager squeaked, jerking back as she recognized Gracie.

  “Hmm? Are you one of mine?” Gracie raised her brows. “I don’t recognize you.”

  “Oh! uhh, I’m in your Magical Girl Tension Entanglement lecture.”

  “Ahhh. That makes sense.” Gracie tapped her lower lip. “That's a popular lecture.” she said, handing the book over, “Well, good luck with your goose exploitation.”

  “Wait!” the girl shouted, as Gracie started to spin up her teleport spell. The loud girl attracted more imps that Gracie repelled this time with a well placed glare. The poor things were just doing their jobs, but still. “Um, Professor?...” she continued more demurely.

  “...Yes?” Gracie waited.

  “...Um, about the entanglement course. Is it true that someone can become a magical girl, or boy, I guess, by the end of it?”

  “That’s the whole point of the course.”

  “Oh. I mean, I know. just—”

  “—5% of students who complete MGTE101 are able to align with the Magical Girl tension and find a patron.” Gracie informed her. “That statistic doubles for those who continue on to MGTE102. Patrons aren’t for everyone, and they’re the most common route to becoming a magical girl or boy or other, aside from patronage.” Gracie ticked the list off on her fingers. “

  “Magic items, inheritance rituals, or patronage. You’ll learn all about it in class. That aside, it’s a very narrow field, and college is partially for exploring your options. Get through 101” she advised, “then decide if becoming a Maho Shoujo is something you truly want.”

  “Er, thank you, professor!” The student replied.

  “And work on your inside voice.” Gracie added.

  “Ok!” the girl shouted.

  Grace rolled her eyes as she teleported back down to her own level and resumed her search.

  “Maybe someone is reading it in the library?” she muttered as she searched, seemingly in vain, for a particular book.

  “Oh, there it is!” she exclaimed at last, drawing her own share of hissing imps, the peabrains having already forgotten her earlier lessons. She swatted them away as she reached for the volume she’d long searched for.

  Kids These Days: An Illustrated Guide to Child Rearing for the Single Professional.

  She tucked the book into her library bag next to the latest volume of The Final Astro Witch. Volume XXI: Kayla Renobi and the Revels Upon The Fire-Kissed Peaks Of Galajixshu.

  “—efused to apologize, so—Mrs. Finkelstein, are you paying attention?”

  Gracie blinked, she opened her mouth. “...Professor.”

  “Oh, no, I’m just a principal, actually.” The rotund, balding fellow replied. “

  “It's Professor Finkelstein,” Gracie corrected, tapping the principal's desk with a colorfully painted nail. “Or Miss Finkelstein, if we’re being casual about things.”

  “What I’m hearing is that my son did well in class, another child decided that they didn’t like this and started haranguing him. When Midas told them to leave him alone—

  “—He told her to ‘fuck off’, Miss Finkelstein.” Principal Hobbs interjected.

  “Then they became violent, and he defended himself with protective magic. The other student foolishly lashed out with a destructive spell which backfired. Does that sum things up?”

  “...I wouldn’t phrase it like that...” The man replied.

  Gracie leaned forward, massaging the bridge of her nose. "Clearly. Is there a reason I’ve been called in?” she asked. “From what you’ve said, my son is fine.”

  “...We need you to dispel his barrier, he wasn’t able to do it by himself, neither were any of the school’s teachers... Also, ah, if you wouldn’t mind healing the girl’s injuries, the school, and her parents, would be grateful.”

  “You have a strange way of asking for favors. Why not call an ambulance?”

  Principal Hobbs mopped his balding pate with a sweaty handkerchief. “The school nurse determined that her injuries weren’t threatening enough to justify an EMT...”

  “Delightful.” Gracie stood from her seat. “Where is Midas?”

  “Er, the gym.” Hobbs replied, “still behind the barrier-”

  “He’s still in there?!” Gracie exclaimed, turning for the door.

  “I can take you to the nurse’s office after...?” Hobbs added.

  “I’ll heal the little gremlin” Gracie snapped, “after I’ve seen to Midas.”

  “Ah, yes, of course. Good... much obliged.”

  Midas was in the gym, as the principal said. enclosed by an osculating, rotating sphere of flaring hexahedrons. They were filled with runes, symbols, and mathematical calculations.

  This was no 2nd grader’s spell. Gracie immediately recognized the formulae from one of her early college notebooks. Already concerned, this particular spell grew her sense of urgency. This was an experimental spell from her freshman year that had eventually exploded in her face.

  Gracie attuned her soul to the Ethran tension and carefully mirrored the unstable enchantment with her own, the ward vibrating violently, somehow maintaining its integrity, much like a star, by pulling in and the pushing out, neutralizing any opposing force. It was an aegis meant to eventually repel both patrons and gods. This wasn’t that, of course. This was the seed from which that idea had grown.

  Midas must have used most of his mana for this… Gracie realized as she picked the ward apart line by line.

  Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.

  She internalized the mana and carefully funnelled it back into her son’s mana shroud. Gracie quickly stepped through the dissipating barrier and caught his frail figure as he collapsed.

  Her head throbbed and she could feel a number of veins standing out on her forehead. I could kill that ass Hobbs. It's not like he wouldn’t respawn... she toyed with the idea, but no, that wouldn’t be socially acceptable. Gracie took a steadying breath, besides, we’d probably have to switch schools... She let herself experience the fury. Let it wash over her, acceptance without action. Once she was done, she exhaled, releasing her connection to it. I’m free, I won’t be controlled by anything, especially not my own passions.

  “Mom?” Midas mumbled

  “Hey Baby-Bird, nice aegis spell. A bit heavy-handed, but not bad.”

  He pursed his lips. “The runes sucked.”

  “Noooo... Well, yeah. They could use some work.”

  “Is that jerk Haddie gone?”

  “Is that her name? Yep, she put herself in the infirmary trying to break your ward.”

  “Serves her right.” he grumbled, then nodded off.

  “Right. Oof!” Gracie exclaimed, hefting her son over her shoulder. “Baby-Bird's getting big.” She turned to principal Hobbs with narrowed eyes. “Let’s get this over with.” she told him, flicking her free hand at him.

  Her son started snoring in her arms as they walked towards the infirmary.

  Haddie turned out to have tapped out her mana furnace from pushing it beyond her limits. Gracie was able to feed her a trickle of neutral infinitum to rekindle it. The small dark skinned girl soon began breathing easier.

  “You should have called an EMT!” Gracie berated the nurse. “Her shroud was as fragile as cobweb, her furnace could have gone completely cold! Do you know what happens when mana shock sets in?” she poked him in the forehead. “People die from that, you imbecile!” The man just nodded meekly, and she could tell it was going in one ear and out the other.

  Granted, I’m doing a horrible job conveying my concerns in a way someone could be expected to accept. She was seriously tempted to rip out his spine at the moment though, and felt extremely accomplished simply due to the fact that she had thus far resisted this impulse.

  Gracie left as soon as she was sure the girl wasn’t going to die from anything. Do I even want my son to go here? She wondered as she loaded Midas into the car.

  Gracie cut out the ignition and glanced over at Midas stirred. Raindrops thumped against the windshield and the car rocked as a strong wind blasted through the parking lot. “Hey Baby-Bird,” Gracie murmured, “how you feeling?”

  He responded with, “Mrrgglrg.”

  “Yeah, I figured…” She rested her arms on the steering wheel. “You know, I’ve found sugar helps with soul-fatigue.”

  Midas blinked. “Huh??” he gave her a befuddled look.

  “Ice. Cream,” Gracie repeated him, pointing a thumb at a blinking neon sign that featured an ice cream cone with the words Ice Cream Co. scrawled under it. “We're getting ice cream.”

  “What!!?” Midas jerked his head up.

  Gracie handed her son an umbrella. “Here.” She said, “come on, just don't open it in—” the cab was filled with umbrella as an excited Midas didn’t listen. “—the car.”

  “What?” His muffled voice asked from behind the fabric.

  Gracie reached over and refolded the umbrella. “Wait until you’ve opened the door, then open it outside.” she instructed.

  “Oh. Heh-heh. Oops.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Come on, on the count of three. One-two- three—” They opened their doors and simultaneously released their umbrellas.

  Rain thundered against Gracie’s umbrella as she struggled to exit the car. The buffeting wind yanked her umbrella formher hand, the thin strap around her wrist barely preventing it from being lost.

  Gracie hurried around and grabbed her son’s hand. Fortunately the car had shielded him from the brunt of the storm. She was struck by a vision of him getting carried into the sky. She shook her head. “Go-go-go!” She prompted, holding his hand as they beat tracks through the sheeting rain.

  “Ting-a-ling!” The doorbell chimed as they entered the shop. “Welcome in!” the clerk called, looking up from his newspaper. “You can hang those up, if you want,” he added, nodding towards the coat rack near the entrance by a pair of chairs.

  “Thanks.” Gracie said as she and Midas wiped their shoes on the welcome mat and shook out their umbrellas.

  “Thanks.” Midas echoed.

  “No problemo.” The clerk waved. “Let me know if you want to taste anything.” Midas gave him a thumbs up as they approached the glass display.

  “Hokey-Pokey!” He shouted, pointing at one of the tubs.

  “Alrighty then!” The old man replied, setting aside his paper and creakily rising from his stool. He puttered over to the case and, flouishing a little cardboard spoon, carved out a little swirl of ice cream. “That’s vanilla with honey-comb chunks.” He informed Midas.

  “Thanks!” Midas chirped. After eating the sample and handing the spoon back he asked, “could I try the Tiger’s Tail?”

  “Oh-ho, adventurous.”The fellow tossed the first spoon and flourished a second. “That's orange and licorice, you sure?” he asked.

  Midas jerked his chin.

  “Alright, here you go. Anything for you, Miss?”

  “A 12 oz hot coffee, black.” Gracie ordered. After a beat she added, “and Spumoni, please.”

  “Good choice. Cherry and pistachio gelato, candied nuts, with a layer of whipped cream. Gotta make that special, though, so I don’t do samples.”

  “That’s fine, I’ll take a 5 oz cup.”

  “Coming right up.” The old man said.

  Gracie turned to her son, who was making a weird face. “How's the Tigertail?” she asked.

  “Uhm... good?” Midas said, making a scrunched face.

  “Hmm... you don’t sound sure.”

  “It’s… Uh, different.”

  “Do you think you’d like more?”

  “...Maybe? like, a scoop of both?”

  “I will say that the Hokey-Pokey would serve pretty well to even out the Tigertail.” The old clerk advised as he set down Gracie’s coffee then returned to his crafting station to work on her Spumoni.

  “Yeah, what he said. Probably.” Midas finished.

  Gracie shrugged. “Alright.” She shivered and slurped from her coffee, staring out the shop window. Going to an ice cream shop in the middle of a downpour might not have been the best plan... She hadn’t been lying about ice cream after experiencing soul fatigue, though. It was an almost surefire cure.

  “Alright, Spumoni’s ready, and was that another 5-ouncer with Hokey Pokey and Tigertail?”

  Grace glanced down at Midas, who nodded. “Looks like.” she replied.

  “Coming right up. That’ll be 16.50.”

  Gracie dug through her purse. “Do you take card?”

  “Ah, nope, sorry.” The clerk pointed at a cardstock sign taped to the front of the register, “Coin, cash, or check. Those credit card fees are outrageous.”

  Well, crap. “...can you put it on my tab?” she asked.

  The old man chuckled “...You know, I can, actually. You’ll need to sign up for our rewards program. Lemme grab a form, you can fill it out while I get this young connoisseur's Hokey-Pokey Tigertail.”

  Gracie massaged her neck, sighing. “Thanks.”

  The doorbell jingled once more and a group of cursing students flooded into the tiny shop.

  “Welcome in, you rowdy bunch!” The clerk called.

  “Hey Mr. McCarthy!” The group broke from their chatter to greet the old man.

  He held up a finger. “I’ll be with you in a sec.” They waved then clustered around the display case, returning to their spirited discourse on, apparently, the optimum ratio of sweet to sour, savory and spicy.

  “Here you go.” McCarthy handed Midas his ice cream and Gracie a three page document.

  “How do you keep people from welching on their tab?” Gracie asked as she accepted a pen and started filling out the contact information section.

  “Well, see,” McCarthy explained, “I break their legs, ha! Kidding… mostly. It's an honor system Miss.” McCarthy tapped an unfilled section on the form that Gracie read, which was a table labelled Honor/Disgrace Level. “If you don’t pay your tab, after awhile you rack up too much Disgrace, well, then you get banned.”

  “Sounds risky,” Midas piped in, “leg breaking aside.”

  “Sometimes, but it’s worth it. You don't have cash, but you still get ice cream. Whereas I—” McCarthy pointed a thumb at himself. “—Get a probable repeat customer. Or I lose 16.50.” he shrugged, “I can live with those odds.”

  Gracie completed the form and slid it over to the old man. “A sound business practice.” She approved, “Thanks for the ice cream, Mr. McCarthy.”

  “And thanks for coming in!” he replied, grinning. “Don’t forget your umbrellas!”

  It was still raining when they got back to their apartment. They'd received plastic lids to protect the ice cream and so had no fear of the weather. Now familiar with the drill, Midas counted to three with Gracie before opening the car door and releasing his umbrella. They hurried from their parking spot to the complex lobby.

  The reception area wasn’t large. A desk behind glass and a couple of padded chairs and with a collection of potted rhododendrons. To one side was an emergency exit that led to a stairwell, and on the other two normal elevators and a freight elevator.

  To use the elevators, you had to enter a personal code into the keypad. Gracie punched in their code and floor level and the elevator shuddered to life.

  Crap, my key is still broken off in the lock. Gracie remembered as they approached the apartment. Gotta get that fixed... It’s still early, maintenance should still be open… right?

  They walked into their apartment, the door having creaked open. Gracie locked it behind them using the deadbolt, which made her feel marginally better. She shuffled her shoes in the atrium and hung up her umbrella.

  She strode over to the telephone that was installed on the wall and searched for the maintenance department from the directory she’d received when they’d first moved in and posted next to the telephone.

  “Y’ello?” Someone finally answered after the fifth ring.”

  “Maintenance?”

  “You got it.”

  “I broke my key off in my lock, are you who I should be speaking with to get that fixed?”

  “A’yep. But it’ll cost you.”

  “Really? I mean, I need my door to lock. Isn’t that soemthing the apartment managemmnt is ersposnsible for?”

  “Oh, yeah, for sure. But you broke your key in the lock. That means I gotta charge you fo it.”

  “Oh…ok...When would you be able to fix it?”

  “Monday, probably.”

  “Monday! “Gracie repeated. “That's the entire weekend!” She heard a scratching sound, like the fellow on the other end was scratching a beard.

  “Yeeeah. Sorry about that. I don’t work weekends, and Frank got fired, so it’s just me.”

  “...What if you gave me the lock and key and I just replaced it myself?” she asked. I’m a university professor with God knows how many degrees, how hard could it be?

  “I’m not supposed to do that...” Gracie felt her temper heating by the second.

  “...But well, why not? Anyone could just walk in. It's a safety issue is what this is.”

  “Yes, exactly.” At least he recognizes that! I would care so much except that I’m still waiting on permission from the building administration to set my own wards.

  “No problem, drop by tomorrow morning. I’ll leave in a box by the door.

  “Thank you!”

  “A’yep. Take care now.”

  “Mr. McCarthy was right!” Midas called from the living room. “The Hokey-Pokey and Tigertail are super good together!”

  “Oh? let me try it, then!” Gracie called, hanging up the phone.

  “No way!” Midas protested, crouching over his dessert as he spotted Gracie swooping in with her spoon poised. You've got your own!” he cried, scooching backwards on the o couch. ““Don’t come any closer!—"