Eric set off at a light jog, knowing he was going to be late otherwise. In his panic, Jamie had actually looked up for once. Thinking about it, Eric realized that Jamie’s eyes were inky dark. The realization felt like a slap in the face. Dahlia had light green eyes and Master Brown had hazel eyes. His mother had washed out grey eyes. Had Eric seen Jamie’s eyes before? He must have.
The early morning air was nippy as he left the masters’ building, but the sun would pour down summer warmth on him once it rose above the tree line. Eric continued jogging to stay warm. Seeing Jamie’s eyes brought back a memory. A memory of Jamie crying.
Glossy ink black eyes rimmed with red stared at the floor. They were waiting for Master Brown to return home for the evening and Jamie clutched his failed test in a balled fist. Eric sat on the couch next to him feeling guilty, and anxious as well. He wanted Jamie to absolve his responsibility in the issue.
“I hate it when you cry” Eric stated hotly.
“I’m sorry” Jamie replied softly. His voice was steady now that he was past the main fits of anguish. Eric returned his gaze to the floor as well.
He remembered that Jamie had failed because he had barely spent enough time to finish his homework every day, let alone double check it or study. Eric had been impatient with Jamie, wanting to leave their quarters to explore the school grounds. He had never let Jamie study. Thinking about it made him feel guilty again. Eric turned the thought away, but the feeling lingered as Mr. Gransley gave out work assignments. Eric got weeding the flower beds around the main entrance and along the pathway to the administration building.
Eric grimaced a little. He knew there was an expectation of excellence concerning the most visible parts of campus. Remember what they said last time: don’t step in the flower bed, pull out the roots.. of the weeds, and water everything.
Rita was working in the flower beds too. He felt like she was watching him as he worked. She did inspect his work periodically. The day continued with that uneasy feeling. Eric forgot about the test Master Brown mentioned that morning, and chose to walk out to the stream on the south edge of campus. He needed a dip after a day in the hot sun.
When he finally made his way back home, Master Brown was pacing impatiently in the living room. He was vaguely aware of her form as she strode past him grabbing his arm. Eric didn’t see if anyone else was home.
“We have to rush a little. I know Master Damien won’t mind the wait, but it’s impolite to waste his time. I packed you a sandwich in case you were hungry. I wanted to do the written tests first, but Master Damien didn’t have a lot of openings. He’s just going to walk you through abridged versions of year-end magic competency tests. It might take a while.” She glanced at her watch. “Hopefully it won’t go too long. I’ll save you before dinner ends.”
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