Donne slammed the door. It was the fifth time Hanks broke his promise to take her to the museum. She wanted to visit the exhibition of historical magic staffs since last month, but Hanks always hindered her when she was about to go. He wanted to go with her, but there was always something getting in the way at the last minute.

The wicked girl from her class was right: Two chances are usually enough. A decent person would treat every new chance as a last one, and a moron would always forget they got new chances anyway. Hanks had 4 chances, two times more than enough. He always cancelled their appointments in the last second, and never even tried to make up for it: No alternative schedules, no apologies, no anything. That moron would say that there was something more important, something about money. How much more money does such a spoiled brat needed anyway? He already got a decent job as a research magician, and his side gigs for school children won’t let him go home without a full belly and wallet anyway. Hanks just doesn’t care about things that won’t make him materialistically richer. Meaning little promises to a simple student like Donne won’t be something he would be worrying about, either.

That’s it then, Donne thought to herself, I won’t care either. She dropped her bag that she usually uses to go to lectures and fished out her wallet from it. Then she picked up her smaller bag and the magic staff that she just got a few semesters ago. Hanks won’t go with her but going with him wasn’t her main goal either. She wanted to go the exhibition that will end in two days. If Hanks can’t go with her now, he won’t be guaranteed to go in the next two days either.

But this guy… Why is he so persistent? It turned out that he waited in front of her dorm building all this time.

“I’m going to the exhibition now.” Donne decided that scurrying past him won’t be a good idea in the long run, so she tried to be a man – or more precisely, to be an adult – and face the problem head on. “I can’t wait for you to make time for me anymore. The exhibition closes in two days, but your idiocy doesn’t seem to have an end.”

Hanks leaked out his emotions through his face as he heard Donne’s words but could collect himself in a few seconds. “Fine then. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be.” Donne turned around and stomped off to the museum. She heard Hanks adding something, “I cancelled all my plans for tomorrow,” or so, but she couldn’t hear it. She didn’t want to. He could have done it sooner if he really cared. Hanks only cared about having her attention anyway, to assure him that he is not a bad person. But Donne had enough. Donne Donoeville didn’t have time for people like that anymore. She met enough of them. She met so many of them, that she knew that Hanks would most likely cancel their museum trip once again if she gave him one more chance.

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“Aye, aye, aye,” Reed Redlington shook his head when Donne finished her tale about why she only came in the last days of the exhibition. The famous staff historian turned out to be very approachable and treated everyone like his neighbor in the village he came from. The Queen didn’t like it when she found out she got treated the same way as the janitor of the museum, but Redlington got the place’s director’s back and managed to escape deportation. He got even more scolded by the aristocrats when they saw how Donne and four other students got into a deep discussion with him.

“Now don’t hold a grudge against your Hanks, Donoeville,” the scholar added, “it’s not that he’s evil or corrupted. Neither is the Queen for throwing a tantrum because I didn’t treat her any better than anyone else. We are just from a different element.” He then pointed at Donne’s staff. “This staff of yours is clear evidence that your element is just different from most people here. In fact, your element is contradicting them. No wonder that you don’t get along and feel pressured.”

“Element?” Donne never heard that people could have elements. She always thought that elements are just a conceptual tool to distinguish several kinds of magic and other abstract things that can’t be really quantified using the available scientific tools. But wait – that means that human character can be classified in elements too?

“Oh, you’re still in your fifth semester, aren’t you?” A slightly older guy in the group asked. The other students have only listened when Donne started telling her story. “And in the Magical Institute of Invastya? Yea, you only get a course about that in the seventh semester, as a supplementary module.”

“Long story short, people are too complex to be categorized,” this time was the girl with bushy hair. She looked the same age as the previous guy and had the same robe as him – maybe they were classmates. “But they still have certain tendencies according to the elements they are most affiliated with. Water, Air, Earth, and Fire are the main branches – or categories – but they also have subcategories like ice, vapor, wind, rock, crystal, light, and many other. Everyone has a main and secondary element. Your secondary is the one you can learn easily and get in touch with using no effort. The main element is more subconscious, and you need to really know yourself in order to master it. What Master Redlington meant by element was the main element. If -” She stopped abruptly when she realized all eyes were on her and looked down for a moment. Then she shyly returned a smile. “I think I’ve said enough,” she lastly said after some awkward silence and shifted herself slightly behind her companion.

“Kamaar, don’t be shy,” Redlington noticed that the girl’s enthusiasm was hindered by her shyness. “You explained everything on point – better than most teachers I’ve encountered. Please, go on. Everyone here would benefit greatly from your knowledge.”

But Kamaar hid even more behind her classmate, who only shrugged in response. “Well, I will fill in for Cecile then, okay?” He turned behind quickly to make sure he got her approval. “Cecile and I study how people develop their elemental affinities. We are still in the early stages, but what we noticed just from observing people around us is that if your secondary element is the way you dance, your main element would be the way you walk: You learn your dance, practice the moves, and so on. But walking is a more subconscious process that you may take for granted and even not pay attention to. Moreover, as we read books on the subject, we found out that our main element doesn’t change over time, but our secondary one can. In fact, our secondary element can be influenced by our environment and other life circumstances. Interesting, isn’t it?

And Cecile here wanted to say that Donoeville’s main element is… Earth? – is that right, Cecile? – Right, Earth. While people in the region around Ivanstya are more likely to have air as their main element. Well, how people from one area are more likely to have a certain element as their main affiliation is another subject worth its own research. All we know is that genetics play an arbitrary role in it.”

Jizam, the guy with the fancy suite finally decided to partake in the discussion again. “Yes, yes. Quite a coincidently do Levis and I research the genetics of elements.” He and his partner were silent most of the time since Donne became the subject of their discussion. “The funny thing is that we must change our perspective: from how people inherit elements to how certain elements are more likely to be inherited than the other. I found out that people with earth as their element usually spurt out randomly – but quite proportionally – around the world. Water has a similar case. Yet if parents have fire or air as their element, it is most likely that their children have the same elements. Donoeville is a peculiar, but not uncommon phenomenon: She is surrounded by people of air and fire as their element, but hers is earth, as Kamaar and Octavyz claimed, with water as secondary – I see it in your staff.” Jizam pointed at Donne’s staff, then its crystal ball that glowed in a soft, dark blue colour.

Donne felt slightly flattered by the other’s observation about her; she finally felt that she was seen. On the other hand, she began to feel uneasy being the subject of their discussion for that long. “Great, so what if I am different?” She tried to play off her uniqueness. “Ivanstya is my place and there’s nothing I can do about it. Though, I now somewhat understand why I feel drained by others around me… I feel like many people are too… ‘fiery’ as they talk so much and can’t seem to sit still. And the others are just… ‘airheaded’: They don’t seem to be too laid back for my liking. Hanks has his ambitions, but there is something ‘airy’ about him that I don’t like, like nothing matters but at the same time they do.”

Redlington shook his head once more. “Donoeville, your birth of place may contribute to your identity, but don’t let it inhibit your growth. If you feel unhappy where you are – which I see that you are – you always have the option to go somewhere and attend to your happiness first.”

Levi took his opportunity to add to Redlington’s advice. “Elemental conflict is usually caused by immaturity and lack of wisdom.” His voice soothed the atmosphere. The discussion felt rather tense until the moment he spoke. “Our soul is deeply connected to our element. If you attend to it first, you will get an inner peace which allow you to understand and tolerate the irritating fireballs and airheads.”

“Indeed,” Octavyz added. Kamaar didn’t hide behind him anymore and stood comfortably beside him, but she still hesitated to speak. “The best way to get in tune with your element is to surround yourself with people who have the same or supporting element for you. Just like in nature, earth – or soil – benefits naturally from water: Water is what allows it to contain life, keep moist in warm weather, and let in air.”

Her research partner encouraged Kamaar to rejoin the conversation. “Once you are attuned enough to your element, you would likely be much less bothered by other people due to their elements.”

“Hm, thank you, everyone.”

Their discussion slowly changed topics to how one’s staff can be used to predict their element – another new thing for Donne – and later Redlington gave them a small lecture about the history of modern magical staff. The small group moved their discussion to a small cafe and stayed until late in the evening. Everyone enjoyed their discussion round, and they exchanged addresses to keep in touch. Donne thought that she would never get to know those people if Hanks were there. She was glad to come alone.

As she sat on her bed, Donne realized that she learned a lot today. Other people in her age group that she knew all this time haven’t been that insightful. It was clear that she had to go out from Ivanstya someday if she wanted to grow. There must be many people like Redlington, Kamaar, Octavyz, Levis, and Jizam who she can learn a lot from.

She loved her hometown, but the people hurt her a lot. Hanks was only one of them. Maybe, just maybe, she could get better along with the people if she followed the advice from before: To move out, even for a little while. Or not. To leave a place you have been in throughout your life is a big decision, she knew she needed time for herself to think things through.