School for girls

Leia, 15 years old Magic: earth. Leia doesn't throw stones—she feels the ground beneath her feet, as if it were whispering to her. She can make the floor beneath someone become soft as sand, or grow a thorny vine from a crack in the stone to block their path. Her talisman is a thin green ribbon tied around her wrist: it serves as an "anchor" to prevent her magic from seeping into the floor and causing the building to shake. She barely moves during lessons—she only needs to lightly touch the floor with the toe of her shoe to activate a spell. The teachers sometimes ask her not to practice near the greenhouse; the plants grow too quickly and creep into the hallways.

Mira, 17 years old Magic: fire. Mira doesn't wait for things to ignite—she lights the world around her. A spark from her fingertip, a ring of fire around herself, a flash that burns away the weakest spells of others—she loves drama. Her "tool" is a copper ring with a dark stone: it dampens excess power, preventing Mira from accidentally setting her own hair on fire. At the Academy, she's known for the warm air trail: it's always a little warmer around her, even in the coldest corridors. She laughs that it's not magic, but her personal heater.

Kira, 16 years old Magic: water. Kira isn't just able to splash water from a pitcher—she controls it down to the last drop. She can draw moisture straight from the air and gather it into an icy blade, or she can send a thin, slippery wave across the floor to knock the entire group off their feet at once. Her trademark is a silver comb she wears at her temple: it helps her "hear" water even in dry walls. During training, she always stands against the far wall—it's easier for her to draw moisture from the stone slabs from there. When she's angry, the temperature in the hallway drops sharply, and dew drops appear on the walls.