The library was basically empty by the time we got there the next night.
Most students were either at dinner or hiding in their dorms. But here we were, on the first floor of the library, about to have a voluntary study session.
Wild.
Pearl had claimed a corner table near the back, away from the main study area. She'd already spread out like three different textbooks, a stack of notebooks, and what looked like a year's supply of colored pens.
"You came!" she said, bouncing in her seat when she saw us approaching.
"Of course we came," Des said, dropping his bag on the table. "I need all the help I can get."
Kai pulled out a chair and sat down like he owned the place. "Alright, let's see what we're working with."
I slid into the seat next to Pearl and pulled out my own notes. The elemental theory textbook was massive, like someone had decided to write down every single thought they'd ever had about magic and bind it into one book.
"Okay, so," Pearl started, flipping through her notes. "The project is about elemental theory and practical application. We have to choose one element and explain how it works in both theory and practice."
"Which element did you pick?" I asked.
"Water," she said. "Obviously, since I'm a water elemental. I thought it would be easy. But now I'm reading all this stuff about molecular bonds and energy transfer and I'm like... what?"
Kai leaned over to look at her notes. "Wait, you're a water elemental and you're struggling with water theory? That should make it easier, not harder."
Pearl's face flushed. "I know! That's what makes it worse! I can do the practical stuff fine, but when they start talking about the science behind it, my brain just shuts off."
"Show me what you've got so far," Kai said.
Pearl flipped to a page covered in diagrams and notes. "So I understand that water magic is about flow and adaptation. And I can manipulate water just fine... ice, liquid, steam, whatever. But explaining how it works theoretically? I don't know how to put it into words."
"Okay, think of it like this," Kai said. "You already know how to do it instinctively because you're a water elemental. Now you just have to explain what your body already understands."
"But that's the hard part," Pearl said. "It's like... how do you explain breathing? You just do it."
Des nodded sympathetically. "That's how I feel about combat. I can fight, but explaining the theory behind it? Impossible."
"It's not impossible," Kai said. "Pearl, when you freeze water, what are you actually doing?"
Pearl thought for a moment. "I'm... pulling the heat out?"
"Exactly," Kai said. "You're removing thermal energy. And when you boil it?"
"Adding energy in," Pearl said slowly.
"Right. So the theory is just explaining that process. You're controlling the energy states of water. That's it."
Pearl's eyes lit up. "Oh. Oh! That actually makes sense."
"See?" Kai said. "You already know this stuff. You just need to translate what you feel into what you write."
I watched Pearl's face transform from stressed to hopeful. It was kind of amazing how Kai could just... explain things in a way that made sense.
"What about the practical application part?" Pearl asked.
"That's even easier," Kai said. "Just demonstrate what you can do. Show the different states, explain how you're manipulating the energy. Since you're a water elemental, you've got a natural advantage. You can probably do things other people can't."
"Like what?" Pearl asked.
"I don't know, what can you do?" Kai asked.
Pearl bit her lip, then held out her hand. A small spell circle of water formed in her palm, perfectly round and hovering just above her skin. Then it started to shift; freezing into ice, melting back to liquid, evaporating into mist, all in a smooth cycle.
"Whoa," Des said.
"That's actually really impressive," I said.
Pearl smiled shyly. "It's not that special. Most water elementals can do this."
"But can they do it that smoothly?" Kai asked. "That transition between states was seamless. That's what you should focus on for your project. Show how your elemental nature gives you better control over the energy transitions."
"You think that would work?" Pearl asked.
"Definitely," Kai said. "The professors love it when you connect theory to your own abilities. It shows you actually understand the material."
Pearl looked down at her notes, then back at the water circle still hovering in her hand. "Okay. Yeah. I can do this."
"Of course you can," I said.
She let the water dissolve back into the air and grabbed her pen. "Thank you. Seriously. I was so stressed about this."
"Anytime," Kai said.
We settled into studying after that. Pearl worked through her notes with new confidence, occasionally creating small water demonstrations to test her understanding. Des read through his combat theory textbook, asking questions that Kai answered with way too much enthusiasm.
I mostly just sat there, helping where I could but mostly watching.
It was... nice.
Like, genuinely nice. No pressure. Just four people trying to get through their homework without losing their minds.
After about an hour, Kai stood up and stretched. "I'm getting snacks. Anyone want anything?"
"Chocolate," Pearl said immediately.
"Same," Des added.
"Amara?" Kai looked at me.
"I'm good," I said.
"You sure? I'm buying."
"I'm sure."
He shrugged. "Your loss. I'll be back in like ten minutes."
The second he left, Pearl turned to me with this look on her face that meant she wanted to talk about something serious.
"Can we... talk for a second?" she asked quietly.
"Yeah, of course," I said.
She glanced at Des, who was completely absorbed in his textbook, then grabbed my arm and pulled me toward the shelves a few feet away.
"What's up?" I asked, keeping my voice low.
Pearl bit her lip, looking down at her hands. "I just... I wanted to say thank you. For helping with this. And for being my friend."
"You don't have to thank me for that," I said.
"I know, but..." She took a breath. "I've been really stressed lately. About school. About magic. About everything. And sometimes I feel like I'm not good enough, you know? Like everyone else just gets it, and I'm over here struggling with the basics."
My heart went out to her. "Pearl..."
"I know it's dumb," she said quickly. "I know I shouldn't compare myself to other people. But it's hard not to when you're in B-Class and everyone around you is so much better."
"You're not dumb," I said firmly. "And you're not struggling with the basics. You're learning. That's literally what we're all here for. You're doing great. You're working hard, you're asking for help when you need it, and you actually care about learning. That's more than most people can say."
"You think so?"
"I know so," I said. "And honestly? I think you're way stronger than you give yourself credit for. You're a water elemental with incredible control. Did you see how smooth those transitions were? That takes real skill."
Pearl's eyes got a little watery. "Thank you, Amara. Seriously."
"Anytime," I said.
She pulled me into a hug, and I awkwardly patted her back.
Emotions. Why?
When we got back to the table, Kai had returned with an entire bag of snacks. Chocolate bars, chips, some kind of pastry that looked too fancy for a library study session.
"Did you rob the kitchen?" Des asked, staring at the bag.
"I have connections," Kai said mysteriously, tossing a chocolate bar to Pearl.
"What kind of connections?" I asked.
"The kind that get me free food," he said, grinning.
I grabbed a chip from the bag and leaned back in my chair. "So where's Malachi been? I haven't seen him in class."
Kai raised an eyebrow. "You mean Prince Malachi?"
I blinked. "What?"
"Prince Malachi," Kai repeated. "You can't just call him Malachi. He's royalty.
Oh.
"So where is he?" I asked, ignoring everything Kai just said.
Kai shrugged. "Royal stuff, probably. He disappears sometimes when his family needs him for official business. He'll be back in a few days."
"Oh," I said.
Why do I care?
"You worried about him?" Kai asked, smirking.
"No," I said quickly. "I was just curious."
"Sure," Kai said, clearly not believing me.
"Tell us a story about him," Pearl said suddenly. "You guys are best friends, right? You must have some good stories about His Highness."
Kai's face lit up. "Oh, I have so many stories."
"Please don't," I muttered.
"Too late," Kai said. "Okay, so. When we were like twelve, Malachi decided he wanted to learn how to cook. Don't ask me why. But he was convinced he could make this super complicated dessert from scratch."
"Did he succeed?" Des asked.
"He set the kitchen on fire," Kai said.
We all burst out laughing.
"How do you set a kitchen on fire making dessert?" Pearl asked.
"I don't know!" Kai said. "But he did! The cooks were so mad. And Malachi just stood there, covered in flour, looking completely unbothered. Like, 'Oh well, I tried.'"
I couldn't help but smile. The image of little Malachi covered in flour was kind of hilarious.
"What else?" Des asked.
"Oh, there's more," Kai said. "One time, we snuck out of the palace to go to this festival in town. We weren't supposed to leave campus, but Malachi was like, 'I'm a prince, what are they going to do, arrest me?'"
"Did you get caught?" I asked.
"Obviously," Kai said. "We got back at like two in the morning and there were guards waiting for us at the gate. Malachi tried to charm his way out of it, but they weren't having it. We were grounded for a month."
"Was it worth it?" Pearl asked.
"Totally," Kai said. "Best festival ever. We ate so much food I thought I was going to die."
"You two sound like trouble," I said.
"We are," Kai said proudly. "But Malachi's actually a really good guy once you get past the whole 'I'm royalty and I'm better than you' thing."
"Does he actually think he's better than everyone?" Des asked.
"No," Kai said. "He just acts like that sometimes because it's what people expect. He's actually kind of a softie."