6. Chapter Six

Chapter Six

Quinn ~Day Two~

My alarm blares in my ear and I startle awake. I rub at my eyes before flipping onto my stomach, reaching for my phone. I quickly turn it off.

Wait, why the fuck is my alarm going off?

Isn’t it Saturday? I could have sworn it was Saturday, but when I look at my home screen it reads Friday 6:30 am.

Letting out a groan, I run my fingers through my hair, burying my face against my pillow like somehow that’ll make the date flip over to Saturday. A weird sense of dread fills my stomach but I can’t seem to place my finger on why the feeling is hitting me so I do my best to shake it off. Sure, it’s Friday the 13th but that doesn’t mean I have to dread the day before it’s even started.

I roll out of bed and head into the shower, knowing I won’t feel like myself until after I’ve gone through my morning routine. After showering, shaving, and styling my hair, I quickly get myself clothed. Then I’m off to my kitchen.

“Thanks a lot past Quinn,” I murmur to myself as I get myself some breakfast. There’s no coffee leftover for me to have so I’ll have to make due with my bagel on the way to school.

A weird sense of deja vu hits me as I take my first bite of bagel. Something about this feels achingly familiar but I can’t wrap my brain around why.

Pushing the sensation away, I grab my things and head out the door. The air is crisp in the best way. I can’t stop myself from smiling as I breathe it in and make my way towards campus.

I fall in step with a student who’s got their eyes glued to their phone. He smiles down at whatever message he’s just gotten. Oh, to be young and in love like that. For a brief moment, Bennet flashes across my mind but I push the thought away just as quickly as it came.

The sound of a speeding car hits my ears and something grips my chest. I don’t know if it’s intuition or instinct or that bizarre sense of deja vu hitting me again, but whatever it is, I don’t fight it. Reaching out, I grip the back of the guy’s backpack, tugging him backwards back onto the sidewalk before he can walk into the street without looking.

The car speeds past. The guy shouts at the car. I stand completely frozen.

How did I know to do that? How did I know I needed to tug him out of the way? Why do I feel like I’ve experienced this moment before?

“Professor Willowhasten? Are you okay?”

I look over at the kid I just pulled out of the way of a speeding car. His question finally shakes me out of my frozen state. I do my best to put an easy smile on my face.

“I’m okay. I should be the one asking that question. Are you alright?”

“Yeah, I’m good. Thanks to you.”

I wave him off and we continue our way to the campus. As we go, we pass a little coffee shop that’s just a block or so away from the school.

Once again, that wave of unease hits me straight in the chest. I feel like I’m on the lip of a tall tower, looking over the edge and experiencing that vertigo that comes with heights. What the hell is going on today? Does this have to do with today being Friday the 13th?

I look inside the coffee shop, spotting Bennet there. He’s holding two coffee cups in his hands. There’s a moment where disappointment wants to claw at my stomach but then, for some unknown reason, it dissipates. That coffee is for me.

How could I possibly know that?

Bennet might have a partner he’s getting that coffee for. Maybe he’s getting it for a different teacher in his department. Maybe he just really wanted to buy two coffees.

For some reason, I’m certain that coffee is for me.

I think about turning tail and taking off towards the campus but instead, I stay where I am. I wait for him to come out of the coffee shop so we can walk to campus together.

I run my fingers through my hair, trying to piece together the warring emotions going on inside of me. Just as I chalk everything up to being just one of those weird days, Bennet comes out of the coffee shop.

Bennet looks around for a moment before his eyes land on me. There’s a look of shock that quickly morphs into his usual smile. Despite the funky start to my day, I feel those worries and anxiety melt away as I see that smile. I quickly find myself mirroring it.

“Fancy meeting you here,” I say with a grin. “I didn’t realize you were a coffee drinker.”

Bennet looks lost for a moment before he shakes his head and steps over to me, handing me one of the iced coffees in his hands. “I’m not usually. This is for you, actually. Excellent timing on your part.”

We turn and start walking towards the university. “What do you normally drink in the morning if not coffee?”

“I like tea,” he tells me with a shrug. “I didn’t really know what to order but the barista suggested this.”

I take a sip, humming happily as the taste hits my tongue. “This is delicious. Thank you, Bennet, I really appreciate it.”

“You’re welcome. It wasn’t a big deal.”

Fuck. There’s that swooping sensation in my stomach again. My instincts are screaming at me, trying to tell me something but I have no idea what.

“It’s a big deal to me. It means a lot that you thought of me.”

I look over and find Bennet’s cheeks flush. Oh no. He can’t blush from that ! That’s way too adorable and makes my pining for this man even worse. Why must he be adorable?

Bennet clears his throat. “Are you spending your weekend with Fluffy?”

My heart leaps in my chest. “Fluffy? I don’t remember telling you about my turtle.”

“Oh,” Bennet says slowly, his eyes widening as he looks over at me before quickly looking away. “That’s so weird. I umm, I’m not even sure how I knew that.”

“I must have told you the story of how I met him,” I say quickly, reaching over and squeezing Bennet’s wrist. He gives me a relieved smile.

“Does today feel weird to you?”

I let out a long breath. “Very much so. Do you think it’s just Friday the 13th?”

“I’m not usually superstitious but now I’m suddenly not so sure. Today’s just felt really strange.”

“You’re a retired adventurer who’s not superstitious? It’s like you’re tempting the universe to put a hex on you or something,” I say with a chuckle, shoving my arm against Bennet’s. He shakes his head at me, chuckling along with me.

“Hex of irony, isn’t it?” Bennet asks, raising his brow. I roll my eyes at his terrible attempt at a pun. “In my experience, there’s usually a reason for most things and the most obvious answer is usually the right one.”

“Wow,” I say, shaking my head and putting my hand on my chest in a dramatic fashion. “With age must come great wisdom, Bennet.”

Bennet groans and I can’t keep the fake theatrics up, giggling instead. “Don’t call me old.”

“It’s alright. You’re not old. You’re experienced , that’s sexy as hell.” The words are out of my mouth before I can stop them. I feel my face burning bright red and I chance a glance over at Bennet.

I’m expecting him to look offended or upset by my comment. We’re colleagues for crying out loud! But instead, I find him giving me a little grin. “Oh yeah? That’s umm, it’s good to know that’s what you think.”

As we walk over to the university doors, Bennet uses his keycard, the door opening with a resounding clank and we step inside. We pause, awkwardly looking in the opposite directions we have to go now that we’re here.

“Thank you again,” I say, holding up the coffee. “You’re very sweet, Bennet.”

Bennet rolls his eyes playfully but gives me a nod. “You’re welcome, Quinn.”

With that we part ways, heading to our own classrooms. I feel like I’m on cloud nine as I walk through the halls. I’m not sure there’s a single thing that could bring me back down to Earth.

Although, it’s probably best if I focus at least a little bit since I have a few classes to teach today.

Walking through the hall, I get stopped by Stephan, thanking me for all the work I got done last night. Once again, that feeling of ‘I’ve had this conversation before’ hits me but as I’m sipping my iced coffee, it’s easy to ignore.

My first class is back in the lecture hall where I greet them all with a smiling face. I’m always excited about this class, loving the way I get to see them learn the beauty of magic for the very first time. Even if they don’t stick with conjuration magic, at least I sparked joy teaching them the wonders that come with this school of magic.

Once everyone is here, I jump right into the lesson. Today we’re talking about the importance of understanding ourselves and the well of mana that’s stored inside ourselves. Without that understanding, it’s easy to overexert what we’re capable of which could lead to us hurting ourselves.

I look over at Penny in the front row just before her hand raises. Huh. Wait. How did I know she was about to ask a question?

“Yes?”

“What about other forms of magic that don’t necessarily use mana?”

I stare at her for a long moment before clearing my throat. “Excellent question,” I say, doing my best to keep my voice from pitching higher.

For some unknown reason, I knew that’s what she was about to ask. What the fuck is going on?

I point up at the warlock who likes to sit in the back of the room. “What do you think, Ulysses? What would your patron do if you ran through the well of magic they gave you? Could you just continue to cast or would you be completely depleted without any risks?”

He scratches at his head for a moment and once again a sense of deja vu hits me square in the chest, like I’ve seen him do that exact motion before. “I guess I could always ask them for a bigger well if I knew I was about to embark on something super dangerous? I’ve never run out before so I don’t actually know what would happen.”

The guy next to him pipes up. “Aren’t there other ways to fill that well? Like blood magic?”

“That’s an interesting point,” I tell them, beginning to walk once more just so I’m doing something instead of standing frozen as adrenaline fills my core. My hands begin to shake but I do my very best to stay focused. Why are my fight or flight instincts hitting me in the middle of a business-as-usual lecture? I ramble about blood magic for a while before pulling my thoughts back to the present topic.

“Over the weekend I want you all to sit down and do a little introspection.” I adjust my glasses as everyone grumbles, just the way I somehow knew they would. “I know, I know. But this is important, I promise you. I’d like you to sit with yourself and find that well within yourself. Test it a bit, press against it, visualize it. Then I want you to write down what you find. Before we can properly start practicing any type of magic, you need to know about that mana well inside of you. Email me what you find sometime before class on Monday.”

Everyone starts to file out and I sit down at the desk. I put my face in my hands, breathing deeply through my nose before pushing it out through my mouth. I do my best to center myself, to get my heart to calm the fuck down.

I’m not sure exactly what’s going on, only that something is happening.

Unfortunately, I don’t really have time to think about it in depth now because my next class is starting to file into the lecture hall. As quickly as I can, I step out of the lecture hall and head for my office. I grab the box I’ve had hidden in the corner for this exact class.

Setting the box down in front of the room, I explain to everyone how they’ll need to come up to the front of the room and pick out a sketchbook. Without thinking, I pull out the pink one, handing it to Charlotte. She grins at me.

“How’d you know I’d love this one?”

“I had a feeling,” I tell her with a shrug. I know she usually loves everything pink but how’d I know this one was for her right after explaining everyone should pick the book that calls specifically to them.

Something fishy is going on and I’m overwhelmed trying to wrap my brain around it all. The deja vu, the familiarity of the day, the way I feel like I’ve done all of this before. It’s starting to drive me downright mad in a way I can’t wrap my brain around.

I walk in front of the class. “Your final this year is going to be designing your very own Magnificent Mansion and allowing the entire class inside to inspect it. That means you’re going to have to one, design a mansion big enough for all of us to enter, and two, have the details completely planned out so we have something to go inside and inspect. Any questions?”

Charlotte grins as she raises her hand. “Will you allow us to see your Magnificent Mansion ?”

“Of course. But not today,” I tell her quickly, leaving a few people to chuckle at my answer. After that I dismiss everyone, telling them to have a wonderful weekend.

Normally, I’d go to my office and get some stuff prepared for next week but I feel stuck in a funk, instead gathering up my things before heading outside. I take a deep breath once I’m outside, letting the fresh air try to sweep the cobwebs from my brain away.

As I walk past the field outside, I spot Bennet. I wonder if he’s having just as much of a fucked up day as me. Maybe this funk is mine and mine alone.

Bennet sees me and gives me a wave. I grin over at him, waving back. The rest of my trip back home is completely uneventful. I make myself some dinner. I take it into the living room, eating it while watching some tv.

“What the fuck,” I whisper to myself, my eyes widening at the TV. I watched this episode last night. I’m sure of it.

A handful of things start to slot into place inside my brain. Seeing Bennet this morning, talking to my classes, having the same exact dinner, and now this TV show.

That sense of dread that mixes with deja vu hits me once more and I realize why I’ve been feeling these feelings all day. It’s not because there’s something weird in the air from it being Friday the 13th.

It feels familiar because it is familiar. I’ve gone through all of this before.

That’s not possible. It can’t be.

Maybe I didn’t get enough sleep last night. Or maybe I somehow had a dream that was incredibly similar to how my day went. Yeah, that must be it.

The alternative is too much to think about.

I get myself ready for bed before I get into bed. Instead of sleeping, I find myself staring up at my ceiling. There’s only one way I can know for sure. I check my phone, seeing that it’s ten at night on Friday the 13th. I set my phone in a place I don’t normally set it, on the floor beside my nightstand.

I stare up at the ceiling for a long time but eventually, my eyes grow too heavy and I fall asleep.