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The room was silent for a long moment as Zania took it all in.                “No pressure am I right?” she quipped. Niobe began laughing and Aris plopped back into the thin spring mattress.                “Y’all don’t take anything serious,” she said trying to hold back laughing herself.                “So, what happens if I can open the Third Realm?” Zania asked. The room went silent again, because no one really knew.                “We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it,” Niobe said. “Plus, your stuff is here.” A cloaked figure came in with a small bag. Zania took it and promptly placed the iris flowers over the eyes of each of her friends and a doll’s-eye berry in their palm. She sat back in the middle of the floor and tried meditating. Most magic didn’t take actual words, just a genuine and clear intention, that’s how Aris liked to cast. But Zania preferred words, it helped her focus on the goal. Embarrassed, she muttered the words under her breath:                           “Although they see the world just fine, the world must see them with their original eyes.” She repeated her incantation over and over but felt nothing. No surge of power, no warmth, nothing. She released an irritated groan. Zania knew she was behind where she was supposed to be magic wise. It seemed Aris and Niobe had a decent number of spells under their belt by 17 but Zania’s magic only seemed to work on accident.                Aris tried teaching her to clear her mind, mediate and focus. Niobe’s technique of imagining the power entering and leaving never worked for her either. She sat there repeating her spell until tears of frustration began welling in her eyes. How embarrassing for her sisters to watch her fail once again. How the hell was she supposed to open the Third Realm when she couldn’t even do this? Despite her efforts, tears began to fall, and a tear dropped into her palm. The room exploded in a golden light. Niobe and Aris sat open mouthed as Zania’s eyes opened as bright as headlights and still sitting crisscrossed, she rose from the floor. Zania could feel warmth covering her skin as if she was basking in the sun. Just as quickly as light burst from Zania, it was gone and she fell hard to the ground. Aris immediately went to her; she was limp eyes wide but unmoving and lips parted. But she was breathing.                “It worked,” Niobe said leaning over one of their test subjects and opening her eyes. “That spell didn’t require that much magic right?” Aris shook her head.                “It shouldn’t have. She can’t control it, but did you see that? It didn’t work until she cried.”                “She’s always crying,” Niobe pointed out. She wasn’t wrong. Zania panics first, thinks later and if you let her, she’ll spiral into a blubbering mess over the smallest inconveniences. It was annoying, but her sisters didn’t mind her being emotional. Eventually, she calms down and they can game plan to help.                “I think her emotions are connected to her magic,” Aris said.                “Again, she’s always crying and its never helped before.”                “She’s almost 17…” small groans began to fill the room.                “Guess she undid the sleep spell too,” Niobe said. “That’s fine, it’s easier if they can walk.” Niobe spoke loudly and clearly, not shocking when you have a thousand voices around you all at once, you make sure yours is the one worth hearing. “Hey teens, glad you’re awake. Hate to bother you as soon as you wake up but it’s way past the time for you to leave. You will not remember your field trip to the Second Realm today, and if you do, not you don’t. Please grab your things and follow me.”                Groggily, the teens got up and followed Niobe outside. Aris went after them with Zania floating behind.                They walked to the veil back into the First Realm, Niobe said to teach the teens a lesson, but Aris was the one feeling punished. Not to mention they wouldn’t even remember anything once they crossed the veil.                Aris already made an anonymous call to the academy the students went to to report some young wizards in the woods after curfew. As soon as they crossed the veil, they’d be escorted to their dorms. Aris and Niobe watched as each student, disoriented and confused passed over to the other side.                “You wanna come sleep over?” Aris offered. “I’m taking her home with me, we meet the council early in the morning anyway.”                “No thanks,” Niobe said. “I have to make sure my staff keeps their mouths shut after this debacle. I’ll see you in the morning.” The sisters hugged and Aris teleported herself back into her apartment. Dawn, her dog, didn’t even lift her head from the couch, just watched quietly as Aris set up an air mattress and set Zania on it. She took off her shoes, placed a blanket over her and checked she was breathing one last time before leaving to walk the dog.