"I can't believe it's the third day of school and I'm already at risk of being expelled!" Rachael mumbles bursting with anxiety, as she sat on the floor outside the Dean's office awaiting her trial.

Beckett came around the corner and stalked towards her already annoyed. "I'm surprised you made it here before me. I assumed you'd get lost, what with how sad and inept you are."

"You're the one who got us in this mess." Rachael huffs looking up at him.

"Me?! How did you possibly figure?" Beckett scoffs, scowling down at her.

"It's because you made me lose focus!" Rachael says. "I was doing just fine keeping a handle on my flame until you had to open your irritatingly obnoxious mouth."

"Oh please. Don't blame me for your lack of control." Beckett scoffs.

"What's that supposed to mean!?" Rachael snaps. "You know you think you're so much-"

Both of their attentions were quickly drawn from their dispute, when a loud click came from the door. They turned around to see the Dean standing in the doorway to her office.

"Ah. You two must be the pair that Professor Englund was referring to." The Dean scowls.

Beckett immediately adjusted his posture, and straightening out his blazer. "Yes, Dean Goeffe we are. And may I just say how truly and absolutely sorry I am for any and all of my actions."

The Dean stared him down until his facade started to break and his obvious insecurities started to flood out. His cheeks turned a dark red and his posture shrank a little. She turned to Rachael after she was done breaking down Beckett with just her sour gaze, with a look she couldn't really seem to place.

"Come in both of you. Let's get this over with." Dean Goeffe sighs.

Beckett and Rachael sat in the seats across for the Dean's desk, both swirling with internal anxiety.

"Before we get started, allow me to say that I don't care who started this. I'm greatly disappointed in both of you." The Dean says, curtly. "Mr. Harrington, I had extremely high hopes for you as a student, what with your family's reputation."

Beckett inhales sharply, moving his gaze to the floor, as he gripped the chair so tightly his knuckles where turning white. Rachael observed him carefully and guilt started to fill her chest making it hard for her to breath.

"Dean Goeffe...please don't be too hard on him. It really was all my fault." Rachael says quickly, biting her lip.

The Dean turned her scowl to her and Rachael forced herself to stay tall not letting her gaze get to her. "I appreciate your condor, Ms. Michelle. But it doesn't excuse Mr. Harrington's actions in this."

Beckett's grip relaxed slightly and he looked at her with surprise, not understanding why she would take the blame for him.

"Mr. Harrington, considering your excellent transcripts and undeniable potential...you will not be expelled today." The Dean sighs, making Beckett relax in his seat, exhaling a breath he didn't even realize he was holding.

"Thank you, ma'am. You won't regret-" Beckett beams, before the Dean quickly shut him down again.

Her scowl now set upon Rachael. "You, however, seemingly came out of nowhere and think that Penderghast's rules don't apply to you, hm?"

"Oh no! Of course not, that's-" Rachael says quickly, but Beckett quickly cuts her off in attempt to save her ass.

"Excuse me, Dean Goeffe, but...it was an accident. A spell gone awry that I blew way out of proportion." Beckett says.

Rachael looked over at him wide eyed, confused on why he was trying to help her after everything that's happened between them. The Dean was silent for a moment looking between them with contemplation.

"Lucky for you, Rachael, someone has already made a case for you to stay. One a bit more compelling than Mr. Harrington's." Dean Goeffe sighs.

"But, wait I'm not expelled?" Rachael asks, surprised.

"Not today. No." The Dean says. "But I want to make sure you know the severity of your actions. Both of you will be required to put in school service hours as punishment."

"Of course. Absolutely. Whatever we have to do." Beckett nods with a polite smile.

"So be it. Arrive at the library at eight this evening to receive your assignments." The Dean says.

"Thank you so much, Dean Goeffe. Really. I promise you this won't happen again." Rachael says.

"It has better not." The Dean scowled. "I'm not a woman known for second chances, and you can expect that any further incidents will result in expulsion. Do I make myself clear?"

Rachael and Beckett both nodded an uncomfortable silence falling over the room.

"Well? What are you waiting for? Leave." The Dean growls.

Without a second thought both of them jumped out of their seats and headed out the door.

"I can't believe we made it out of there in one piece. That woman is terrifying." Rachael says, once they got outside.

"That woman is a genius! A real savant of the current magickal education landscape!" Beckett says. "And one hundred percent the scariest person I've ever met."

Rachael laughed at him, the relief of not getting expelled today setting in and her enthusiastic personality returning. Beckett tried to fight off a smile as her laugh created a warmth in his stomach and made his heart flutter for a second.

As her laughter died off, his straightened up again and cleared his throat. "I should go. My next class starts pretty soon. I'll...see you later, I suppose."

He had expected her to shrug it off or give an aggressive quip in return, though secretly didn't want to leave her. Even after everything had happened, his distain for her had started to die off and a strange new feeling started to take its place. One that he didn't really seem to understand.

"Yeah. See you later, Beckett." Rachael smiles, warmly at him. He smiled a bit in return before walking towards his next class. As she watched him walk away she spotted a strange woman peering around the corner at her with a messy mop of hair on her head.

As soon as she spotted her the woman disappeared around the corner. She walked down the hall curiously, but when she got to the corner she was gone. "Hmm..."

—

A few hours later Rachael headed into the greenhouse for her first Natural Studies class, taking a seat next to Shreya. She noticed a small section of the room was filled with something about waist high covered in a tarp.

"There you are! I assume that since you're here, you're not expelled?" Shreya smiles at her.

"Fortunately. Yeah, it was weird Beckett really vouched for me." Rachael says.

"Harrington? That's a shock he seems like quite the stuck up little brat." Shreya says shocked.

"Maybe he had a change of heart?" Rachael shrugs. "Not really going to question it. I never expected to be at Penderghast, but I can't just leave, you know?"

"It seems like magick is starting to grow on you." Shreya smiles.

"It's not just that...I uh, got this weird letter from my parents this morning. Well, I guess it's really an email?" Rachael says.

"Ah, right, the Attuneless Communications System at Penderghast is fully automatic and state of the art." Shreya says. "It only records incoming messages, but it filters and sorts them before transcribing them on these little cards."

"You know a lot about it." Rachael says confused.

"Mistry Inc. has an Attuneless product line, and we use a similar system. What did it say?" Shreya asks. She handed her the letter, before Shreya begins to read it out loud. "' Rachael, we hope school is going well! Don't forget to check in from time to time. Your father and I know you're probably living it up, so we won't bug you too much. Just remember we love you and are so incredibly proud. This is Hallmark level stuff. I'm tearing up a little bit."

"I know, right? I can't let them down. Hartfeld wasn't working for me, but Penderghast... It's different here. It feels so right." Rachael sighs, as soon as she finished her sentence Professor Kontos came walking into class.

"Good morning, class! Settle in please. We're going to start the year off with a very special and exciting lecture today." Kontos smiles.

"What do you think is under the tarp?" Rachael whispers to Shreya.

"I hope it's not another giant flytrap. I swear the one by the door sniffed me on the way in." Shreya shudders.

"Today's lesson is about one of the most important things an Attunded will ever learn Companion Magick!" Kontos says, as the class breaks into excited whispering.

"What's companion magick?" Rachael asks.

"As most of you know, many spells can only be cast when an Attunded combined their magick with that of another magickal being. Now, if there aren't any other Attunded around, you can find yourself in quite a situation if the need to do companion magick arises. And so-" He says pulling the tarp away to reveal two fenced-pens with adorable animals inside. The entire class leaned in to get a better look at the contained cuties. "These are just a few of the magickal creatures that hold enough potential to channel companion magick. We call them familiars. The Arylu is a fierce and independent companion. The Lumian is wary of danger and will alert you at the first sign of trouble, making them highly prized as both guards and companions. And lastly the Gorgue. A simple but effective creature, though they have a tendency to be quite stubborn."

Everyone observed the creatures all seeming eager and excited to be selected by one of the young Atts.

"My friends at Companion Breeding Co. sent us over a fresh litter for all of you to choose from, so please, make a neat line." Kontos says, as the entire class fights for the first spot in line.

"This is so cool! Which one are you gonna get?" Rachael asks.

"I've had my heart set on a Lumian since I was a little girl. They're such regal creatures! What about you?" Shreya smiles.

"Imma go for the little tadpole-frog looking guys." Rachael says.

"Good choice." Kontos smiles, setting the small creature in her hands, before checking a piece of paper for the creatures name. "Meet your new best friend...Tim."

"Aww! He's so sweet!" Rachael smiles widely.

"Tim?" Rachael asks, and the small frog gurgles happily. "Aww, you're the cutest!"

"Take the rest of class to get acquainted with your new friend, and remember a familiar is not a pet, it's a partner. If you want them to put their trust in you, you must do the same." Kontos says before sitting back down at his desk.

Shreya's lumian was curled up into her chest seeming slightly frightened by everything. "It's okay little Chichi."

"Chichi?" Rachael asks.

"It's a nickname! Short for Gucci. Because my Lumian is just as iconic." Shreya laughs.

Tim let out a small roar and she ran her finger down his back, releasing a happy gurgle from his throat.

"I hope I'm good at this. I've never really had to take care of anything other than myself, and even that's kinda iffy at times." Rachael sighs.

"I'm sure you'll be fine and just remember: 'A familiar is not a pet, it's a partner." Shreya responds imitating Professor Kontos.

They spent the rest of the class getting close to their familiars.