There was a lot more paperwork than I expected. It made the mind-boggling amount of materials they sent between when we passed the entrance exam and our arrival here seem like pittance.

"We have to go over all of this?" I asked Vivian. The stack was about two feet tall.

"Representative is a thankless job," Vivian was smiling.

"The others thank me. Occasionally," I commented.

"I would hope so, Ruby and I made sure to teach Jarec manners."

"And you did a good job."

"And I can also give you a small mercy," she said as she picked up the top third of the stack and set it aside. "We don't need these. They are for students with their true colors."

"Which none of us have."

"Normally this is when you're expected to delegate tasks, but…"

But there wasn't anyone else. "It's okay. I don't mind that much." They were all still terrible, but this was probably the easiest part of the job.

"My baby is good at this kind of thing. You can thank Victor for that," Mom teased.

"That's probably why you were never Representative," I teased back.

Mom laughed.

"If she wanted it, she'd have managed," Vivian's smile stayed in place.

"Let's not pretend student leadership would have suited me. I had the Exterreri, and they were plenty."

Vivian laughed, "Are you still trying to insist on that name?"

"It was our name!" Mom declared.

"No one outside of your little group of friends used that name."

"The more I learn, the more I feel like half my childhood was a lie."

Vivian looked alarmed for a moment before Mom started to giggle. Vivian couldn't quite read me that well yet, but seemed content to follow Mom's ques.

I couldn't even be mad, I'd probably do the same thing.

"Stop distracting us," I told Mom. "So what is all this anyway?"

"Rules for all the events our Tower signed up for."

I wasn't even surprised at this point. Dragons did whatever they wanted. And they had mentioned making a point or two today. I gripped my Focus carefully within my pocket. I wasn't any different, not really. Even if I'm not the one who signed myself for this.

I lifted the first sheet off the pile. The text was average size and full. Single sided, mercifully. It detailed what everyone was expected to wear.

We'd all be in full uniforms. Fun. I wouldn't be the only person in Dragon Red out there.

I took a deep breath.

"You can do this," Mom said with a wink.

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I could only hope.

(*********)

"All spells are allowed within the inner barrier. Each task has a specific rule set that will be read to you by the overseeing staff member right before each event. Any questions?" I looked around the workroom. Vivian was in the main room with all our parents.

Celica went from bored to annoyed looking about an hour ago. Considering she likely knew more about some of this than I did, I really couldn't blame her.

Russel looked intense, but I wasn't really sure he was listening. Probably just thinking about his own plans and events.

Fethris kept glancing at Jarec who I was pretty sure wasn't really listening either.

"Last thing, I promise," I told them. I didn't want to be here anymore either.

"Oh thank the gods," Celica said.

"Magical items," I read the title of the page out loud. "Enchanted items are prohibited. Small simple runes are allowed. Rank 1 magical enhancement tools are allowed. Questions?"

"Are we finally done?" Celica complained.

"Yes. That's what you all get for signing up for everything."

"They let us, and every other Tower is going to have people in all the competitions," Russel pointed out. A fair point, but there was still only the five of us.

"Just remember to pace yourselves." Someone had to be the voice of reason here, and I was the one in the official position. "You won't do that well if you exhaust yourselves. It's not about winning any event individually, it's about proving that we're a Tower just like the others."

"You just worry about not collapsing in front of the entire school," Fethris commented.

"You all made me Representative, that means I kind of have to worry about all of you in moments like this. If you don't like how I do it, pick someone else next year."

"No," Celica scoffed.

I hated them. Just a little bit.

(*********)

I had the feeling I was interrupting something. Though what it was I couldn't guess. Mom was looking too contemplative for someone who by all accounts should already have known anything Vivian had to tell them. Her arms crossed across her stomach and eyes aimed on the floor by the round door.

Mom must have heard me come in because her head snapped up to me and she had the fakest smile I had seen this entire weekend.

"Serafina! Everything taken care of sweetie?" She was trying way too hard to pretend like something wasn't bothering her.

I might have called out her action, but we were in a room full of other people.

Vivian was frowning. She'd been practically cheerful since Mom got here.

What could have happened while I wasn't looking?

(*********)

Mom was nervously fretting over me. We were holding multiple events at once so the others were off on their own adventures. Mom and I were going to be separate for a while. Hence the fretting.

"Remember what I told you about magic?" She asked as she held on to both sides of my face lightly to force me to make eye contact. Golden yellow stared at me with a serious expression I wasn't used to seeing.

"You've told me a lot of things about magic. I need specifics."

"Spellcasting is sixty percent instinct, thirty percent knowledge, and thirty percent heart."

"That's over one hundred percent," I pointed out.

She winked at me. Which wasn't helpful.

"And remember, the hare lost and the tortoise won. Be a tortoise."

"I'm gonna try my best."

"That's all I ever want from you. I know you can handle this."

I wasn't nearly as sure.

The seriousness melted and was replaced by something soft and sad. She wrapped her arms around me and crushed me with a suffocating hug.

"I love you," she said quietly.

"I know Mom."

She pulled back to poke me on the nose.

I sighed and looked her in the eyes. "Did something happen?"

She froze. Caught like deer in headlights.

"I don't know what you mean." Mom was a good liar, and I might have believed her, if I hadn't grown up seeing her deflect questions she didn't want to answer.

"Mom please. Just tell me."

"You're either too observant, or I've lost my edge."

"You raised me."

"The thing about magic, and something I maybe should have taught you sooner, is that just because you don't know a spell here," she tapped my forehead for emphasis, "doesn't mean you don't know it here," she tapped over my heart.

"Okay. So something did happen. Are you going to tell me what that is?"

"I asked Dragon Tower to show me something, very nicely and seeing that Echo gave me some extra perspective on how to help teach you everything I know."

"Mom. I need directness."

Mom sighed, "I know. I had hoped you'd get distracted by promises of knowledge and power beyond your comprehension."

I blinked at her.

"This. This is why I'm glad you don't take more after me. I don't think I could handle raising you, even with all the wonderful help of Victor."

I stared at her silently.

"I asked Dragon Tower to show me when you got locked in and attacked by spiders."

Ah. Finally, context. "Oh. Now I understand." I would imagine seeing your only child have a brush with death would stress any mother.

"And that spell you cast. Which we will have to talk about after all of this."

Was I in trouble? I felt like I was in trouble.

Mom shook her head and waved her hands wildly, a beginning to real reassurances. "You're not in trouble, I'm not mad. It's just some spells are more complicated and shouldn't be used until you know what you're doing and we really don't have time for me to get into it."

She was doing the thing where she was talking too fast again.

"We'll talk after," I told her. "And please just tell me when we do."

She sighed, relieved. "Okay." She took one more opportunity to pinch my face. Because she was terrible.

"Go," I complained while pushing her hand away.

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