1 – Ghost Hunters of O’er – South Temple

Being a Magician was pretty rare in the Magic world, mostly because people were either bored by or intimidated by the study of science and mathematics necessary to practice magic. But those brave souls who faced Calculus III, Quantum Mechanics, and Psyche Particle Principles II joined the ranks of Magician, the proud and the often bureaucratic.

Magicians of the Offense subdiscipline were both the most bureaucratic and the most competitive, often organizing games and sports after filling out all ten necessary forms in triplicate and submitting them to the appropriate offices. And while other subdisciplines sometimes groaned about yet another triathlon sponsored by the Offense subdiscipline, they agreed to participate out of pity.

Apren Finstrum, trained in the Offense subdiscipline, was no longer a practicing Magician despite her love of a good triathlon. These days, she stayed at her parents house, wondering about her life choices, eating junk food, and chatting with her cousin Waild, who was as far from a proper Magician as one could get.

“Why don’t you come join GHOST?”

Apren could barely believe what her cousin had just proposed. GHOST, which stood for Ghost Hunters of O’er – South Temple, was just as bad as it sounded: a paranormal investigation company.

“You can’t be serious. I don’t believe in that stuff,” Apren grumbled into the voice chat. “And isn’t your business flailing?”

“That’s why it’s such a good idea,” Waild replied. “You can whip us into shape, no problem.”

“Or I could get a job that will actually pay me money instead of candy bars.” She popped a potato chip into her mouth with as much sarcastic energy as she could.

Waild didn’t acknowledge her jab. “Come on, cuz. We both know you coulda had a job in your field by now if that’s what you wanted.”

Waild wasn’t wrong. Since her injury the year prior, she’d become an ambulatory wheelchair user. This didn’t preclude her from obtaining a job in her field of Offense Magic, but it didn’t help either.

“Think of GHOST as a low pressure alternative where even your smallest effort can make a difference,” he continued.

She was tired of living with her parents, who either fawned over her or nagged at her to get back out into the world. And while she appreciated their concern, leaving the house was difficult when everything seemed impossible. She could no longer walk even short distances without her walker, and movement made the pain worse. What choice did she have but to stay inside and wonder if she could have done anything differently?

“Let me get back to you,” she replied.

“Sure. I’ll send you our information in the meantime.” He left the voice chat before she could protest.

Minutes later, her marble computer flashed twice, indicating a new message. Apren looked around, trying to find anything of interest to do besides considering what would probably be the most embarrassing career move of her life. Nothing stood out, so she swiped across the marble, which sat on a gold bracelet she’d received as a present for her PhD graduation.

“Here’s our website!
ghosties.com
XOXO, Waild”

She rolled her eyes at the childish link.

The marble computer she was interacting with — like most technology of this world — was powered by magic, as was the interface that appeared when she clicked on the link. Apren was more familiar than most with magic, seeing as how she’d completed a terminal degree in the magic sciences. But like most others in the world, she took for granted just how complex magic technology was, which was evident by her use of the computer while her hand was greasy from potato chips.

The website was…fine? It was clear they’d used a template, as some of the text and images hadn’t been changed. She scrolled to the About section. There, she saw the glowing smile of her cousin, Waild, and the tight-lipped grin of his best friend, Q. It made her smile. They were such dorks, but that’s what she loved about them. They never worried about what others thought of them. Instead, they stayed focused on their goals. Even if they’re goals were downright awful.

Waild had always been obsessed with the paranormal, and despite the family’s best efforts, he’d decided after high school to start this business. Q, on the other hand, didn’t seem to care whether the paranormal existed or not. Ze was focused on enjoying life, and Waild was as entertaining as they come.

Their fees were too low to be sustainable, not that Apren would have hired them even for free. And the content on the site was uninspiring. She knew there were chumps out there who would pay an arm and a leg for their pretend paranormal problems to be addressed, but no one would take these kids seriously with their current site.

She laid her head back. Above her desk sat her doctoral diploma, framed and sparkling in the evening light. Getting that glitter add-on had definitely been worth it, even if she wasn’t using that degree right now. There were plenty of jobs in her field if she wanted them. The limited number of magic graduates paired with her high marks and solid references pretty much guaranteed her a position of some kind. Yet even the thought of returning brought tears to her eyes and butterflies to her stomach.

Or maybe she was just hungry.

She rolled herself away from her desk, grabbed her walker, and pushed herself up onto her feet.

“Food first,” she said to herself. After she ate, surely she’d forget all about Waild’s offer.

She did not forget about Waild’s offer. In fact, with her hunger abated, she was actually considering it. She opened a new document on her marble computer.

“Pros
Get out of parents’ house
Provide common sense to Waild
Make some money ????
Stay busy

Cons
Look like a fool”

There had to be other downsides to doing this, but everything she thought of was merely another way of saying the same thing. She didn’t like the proposition at face value, but the more she thought about it, the more it seemed that Waild was right. Maybe it was worth a try. And if she changed her mind, she could always stop and — shudder — return home.

Even so, it took her until the next day to work up the courage to message Waild her decision.

“Awesome, cuz! I’ll pick you up tomorrow morning,” he replied.

She wanted to be upset, but she couldn’t help but smile.

As she filled her suitcases with belongings, a knock rapped at the door.

“What’s all this?” her father asked. “Did you find a position?”

“Sort of,” she replied. “I’m going to stay with Waild for a while.”

“You’re not getting involved in his weird little business, are you?”

She laughed. “I am. I must be crazier than my shrink thinks.”

Her father wasn’t amused. “Are you sure that’s a good idea? You know you’re welcome to stay here as long as you want.”

“I know, Dad. Thanks. But you should see the pathetic website they have. They really need some help.”

“That they do,” he said with a smirk.When her mother found out, she stopped by Apren’s room to try to talk her out of it. But once Apren decided on something, she saw it through. And she’d decided to give GHOST a chance. She told herself it was just to help them get off the ground and maybe make a little money, but a tiny spark within her felt liberated. For the first time in over a year, she was making a firm decision about her future, and it felt…well, terrifying.