Despite the rumors being dead for a while, Victoria could never shake off her suspicions. She and Madelina had a bit of a rivalry, being both good with magic, but their personality clash always prevented them from being friends.

Here's an example from the first week of school:

Victoria complements Madelina on her dress.

"Why, thank you, Victoria."

"You can just call me Viki."

"Why? You're far too old for nicknames."

An argument followed that.

Victoria confronted Madelina after school.

Madelina was about to walk from her school, and Victoria had to wait for her dad to pick her up. But she had some time to spare.

Victoria called over Madelina. She walked over where she was standing, and they went to a less populated, but still nearby part of the campus to talk.

The constraints between the 2 girls was stark. Victoria had warm, brown skin, while Madelina's skin was corpse pale. Victoria's hair was dyed a hot pink and very frizzy, while Madelina's was long, straight, and dark. Victoria had a pink t-shirt with hearts on it, but Madelina wore her favorite leather jacket with an orca on the back. Victoria had a tiered, ruffled, miniskirt the color of pink and blue cotton candy. Madelina wore a velvet dress of a traditional length with a lace petticoat underneath. Victoria was on the shorter side, while Madelina was very tall for a woman.

Victoria made the first move. "Why do you always wear that necklace."

"It's an amulet."

Victoria sighed. "I didn't ask for the exact terminology, I asked why you wear it every single day."

Madelina gave a sly smile. "If you want to talk to me, you should use the right words. And I wear it every single day because it goes with all my outfits."

"I would believe you...if I didn't pick up such elevated levels of otherworldly energy coming directly from your amulet." She pointed directly at the amulet, and Inky absolutely panicked.

"MADELINA! MADELINA, YOU'D BETTER FUCKING THINK OF SOMETHING, OR THERE'D BE A FUCKING BLOODBATH BY SUNDOWN, WHICH'LL CONTAIN YOURS! FUCKING THINK OF SOMETHING!"

Madelina was not appreciative, still trying to keep her cool. "Listen, Inky. I'm thinking of something. Be quiet, or you'll break my focus."

"Well, Victoria, that's frankly none of your business."

Victoria was surprised but kept pushing. "You need to tell me. It'll only make you more suspicious if you don't tell me. What could you possibly have to hide that I couldn't handle knowing?"

Madelina's polite demeanor turned cold. "You only read about black magic in passing in your textbooks and fantasy novels."

Victoria took a step back. She wasn't found of black magic.

Madelina continued. "You'd be stepping into the Twilight Zone if I shared that secret. And you don't want that to happen, do you?"

Victoria stepped back. She greatly feared black magic. "No, I don't. Please, just stay away from me."

"Gladly."

As Victoria ran away, Madelina felt victorious, and felt that an enemy had been vanquished. But Victoria was already planning her next move.