Basics of Spellcraft (Ember Academy for Young Witches Book 1)

by L. C. Mawson

  I stared at her for a moment, my mind struggling to process her words.

  She was a Vampire...

  She raised an eyebrow. “Is that a problem?”

  “I... No. It’s just... You don’t really look like a Vampire.”

  Lena smirked. “It’s the uniform. It’s hard for her to look like she’s seconds away from biting you in that outfit.”

  Natalie rolled her eyes. “I don’t look like that out of the uniform either. It’s not as if I walk around with my fangs constantly out.”

  “Maybe if you did, Amelia wouldn’t be having such a hard time accepting that you’re a Vampire. I mean, she’s not struggling with me being a Mermaid.”

  I looked Lena over. In all honesty, the scales did help. It was an explanation of something bizarre I was already seeing, rather than something bizarre that came out of the blue.

  Natalie gave a small sigh as she turned back to me. “Would it help if I showed you my fangs?”

  “I... You don’t have to do that. Really. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean...” I sighed, deciding to just be honest. “I only found out about magic – and that I was a Witch – a couple of days ago. I’m still adjusting.”

  The slight frown Natalie had been giving me melted. “I’m sorry. This must be overwhelming.”

  I shrugged. “It’s fine. I’m dealing. I just... I’m not really sure what’s going to happen moment to moment anymore.”

  Natalie smiled, and I saw a flicker of light catch a pair of fangs in her mouth.

  My hand went instinctively to my neck as I finally remembered where I knew her from, the memory of fangs trailing over my skin finally making sense.

  I wished that I had never gone to that damn party...

  Look, I had gotten very drunk, okay? It didn’t mean anything. I’d just been drunk and upset.

  And she had been too.

  Or, at least, she’d been drunk.

  She hadn’t been upset. She’d been the one listening to me while I blathered on about how boys were the worst and why I didn’t understand what everyone else saw in them, and why couldn’t I just be normal and like someone...

  And then she’d been the one kissing me.

  Or maybe I’d been the one kissing her?

  But that didn’t make sense. Why would I have done that?

  I didn’t remember. Though, I did remember moving over to get closer, and then I was straddling her waist...

  Which would seem like a big clue that I had been the one doing the kissing, but again, I had no idea why I would have done that.

  The next clearest memory was something scraping the skin of my neck.

  Something sharper than I had been expecting, given the softness that had come before.

  And then Natalie had thrown me off her and ran out of there as fast as she could.

  I should have probably realised that she had superhuman strength to be able to manage that, but by that point, I was just furious.

  Whether it was with her or myself, I wasn’t sure.

  When the morning had come, and I’d made my way back home, I’d just done my best to forget everything that had happened.

  Except here she was.

  Was that why she’d come over to save me from Victoria?

  But then, she hadn’t mentioned it.

  Though, I hadn’t mentioned it either.

  Had she forgotten as well, or was she just pretending?

  Well, I sure as hell wasn’t going to be the one to bring it up.

  “Something wrong?” Natalie asked, bringing me back to the present.

  Her fangs were now gone.

  “Too much?” she asked, waving to her mouth.

  I swallowed, guilt twisting my stomach.

  Maybe she really didn’t remember me.

  Which meant that she probably thought that my reaction was just that I couldn’t deal with Vampires.

  I forced a smile, hoping that it was enough. “No, not at all.”

  She smiled back, though it was muted.

  “Really, I mean it. Sorry, I’m just kind of distractible and-”

  Lena held up her hand, cutting me off. “She believes you. But if you’re looking for a grin or something, you’re not going to get it.”

  Natalie shrugged. “Lena’s right. Magic draws from emotion, and while most magical beings produce more to compensate, Vampires don’t. I’m more emotive than most because I’m also a Witch, but if I seem a little distant at times, it’s just that.”

  “That’s okay. Actually, my cousin is a little like that. Not really emotive, I mean. Not a Vampire.” But then I stopped and remembered how fast Nightingale had moved when we’d been attacked. And she hadn’t drawn a wand like her mother. “At least, not that I know of...”

  I decided to change the subject. “So, I take it you were all here last year?”

  Charlotte nodded. “Yeah. Lena and I are roommates, and we met Natalie pretty early on. We’ve been friends ever since. But it’s nice to see a new face. I take it you didn’t attend last year because you hadn’t come into your powers yet?”

  “Yeah,” I admitted, a little sheepishly. “Like I said, I only learned about magic a couple of days ago when... When I arrived with my auntie.” I looked away, my stomach twisting at the reminder of how I had gotten there.

  But I pushed past it, not wanting the others to ask about it. Bursting into tears would make a terrible first impression. “My auntie took me to see Ms Griffin, and she examined me. She thinks I’ll break through this year, so that’s why I’m here.”

  Natalie frowned ever so slightly. “Do you know why it’s taken you so long to come into your magic? You don’t have to tell us if you don’t want to, I’m just curious.”

  I shrugged. “I have no idea.” That wasn’t strictly true, but Auntie Jess had said not to tell anyone.

  “Really?” Lena asked, giving me an incredulous look. “Ms Griffin didn’t have any theories?”

  Natalie turned to her friend, frowning once more. “Lena. Leave it alone. If she wants to talk about it, she can, but we shouldn’t pry.”

  I smiled, more than a little thankful for that. As much as I wasn’t that bothered by the prying, I was glad that someone was willing to stick up for me after my run-in with Victoria.

  And though Lena rolled her eyes, she didn’t try to press me further.

  “So,” Charlotte said, “what does your timetable look like if you haven’t broken through yet? We all already had access to our magic when we arrived.”

  I pulled my timetable from my pocket and gave it a scan. “It looks like I have my regular A-Level classes in the morning, and then nothing after lunch.”

  Charlotte nodded. “That makes sense. I was curious to see if they filled your afternoons with something else, but I guess that would be too much of a headache with everyone leaving afternoon classes halfway through the year.”

  Lena shook her head. “You’re so lucky. I would kill to only have half days.”

  I raised an eyebrow. Was she serious? “I’d go to classes until midnight if those classes were about magic.”

  Charlotte grinned, and even Natalie gave a small quirk of her lips. I suspected that was as close to a smile as she ever got.

  “That is a sentiment I wish more of our fellow students shared,” Natalie said. “So many people are quick to dismiss the learning process.”

  I reached for my croissant, realising that it was getting cold, as Charlotte sighed.

  “Unfortunately, it’s a side-effect of so many Witches growing up in covens,” Charlotte said. “When you grow up around other Witches, magic becomes normal, and you pick up a lot of it before you ever get to classes. And while most enjoy having magic, so many of them think of it as purely innate. As if there’s nothing left for them to learn.”

  “I didn’t grow up in a coven, either,” Natalie said, still giving me that small, half smile. “My grandmother was half-Witch, but the genes skipped my dad and my brothers. I grew up surrounded entirely by Vampires, so
being around Witches is new for me, too.”

  Lena chimed in with a grin. “And now you prefer us, don’t you, Nat?”

  Natalie shook her head. “I don’t prefer one over the other.”

  “Then why did you spend all summer with your Witch cousins out in Newcastle?”

  “It wasn’t all summer. I was only there a week.”

  I looked down at my plate, trying not to look guilty as I hoped that Natalie continued not to recognise me.

  “You okay?”

  I was snapped out of my daze by Charlotte’s words, realising that I’d been sitting with my croissant in hand, not eating it.

  “Yeah, I’m fine. Just not hungry.”

  That was a lie, but there was no way I was telling her the truth.

  Thankfully, Charlotte just nodded as the bell rang.

  “Anyone got History next?” I asked.

  Everyone shook their heads.

  Natalie stood up and made her way over to look at my timetable. “I think you’re in the same building as Charlotte, though.”

  Charlotte smiled. “Then come on, I’ll show you the way.”

  Chapter Seven

  Charlotte showed me the way to my History classroom, and thankfully, it was a double lesson, so I didn’t have to leave the room until break.

  I was also thankful that my summer reading had, indeed, put me ahead of my classes. Nothing was said that I didn’t already know, meaning that I didn’t have to worry about my focus wandering.

  And it did wander. It had been fine when I was with other people, but now, with nothing to distract me but a particularly droning teacher, I found myself unable to think of anything but home.

  Was my dad doing okay? Had the Demons given up now that I was at the academy? Was anyone any closer to figuring out a cure to the curse on my mum?

  If I knew more about magic, maybe I could help, but I knew nothing, and it looked as if I wouldn’t start to learn until I came into my powers, and who knew when that would be...

  I was finally pulled from my thoughts by the bell ringing, and I realised that I hadn’t bothered to pay attention for the past two hours.

  I hoped I hadn’t missed any homework being assigned.

  That would be a less than stellar introduction to the school.

  As I headed out of the room, I looked over to the one Charlotte had been in. People only started to file out of the room once I was in the corridor, but I didn’t see Charlotte.

  She probably hadn’t had a double period.

  Which meant that she was somewhere else in the school, and I had no idea where.

  I looked around, hoping to see someone I recognised, but there was no one.

  I realised people were starting to look at me. Probably because I was standing in the middle of a busy corridor, blocking the way.

  I couldn’t just stand there waiting, but I had no idea where the others would be, so I just took a random guess and headed back to the dining hall.

  Thankfully, I remembered the way, but when I got there, I couldn’t see anyone I recognised. It wasn’t busy, so if they were there, I would have been able to see them.

  But no, they must have been somewhere else on campus. The problem being, I wasn’t sure where, and I also didn’t know the school well enough to make an educated guess.

  And just getting to the dining hall had already eaten into a huge chunk of break. Even if I found the others, it would probably be minutes before the bell.

  And the tables that had previously been filled with breakfast were now covered in snack food and cups and mugs.

  I frowned as I made my way over to the empty mugs, wondering how to fill them. I looked around for a coffee machine or a kettle but saw nothing.

  I inspected the mug, finally getting the hang of checking for magic – even if it took a few moments – and saw a design on the side that I was sure was a magical mark of some kind, but I couldn’t tell more than that.

  Again, I didn’t understand why I had to wait to learn about magic, even if I couldn’t wield it.

  Another girl made her way over, thankfully far enough from me that my confusion wasn’t obvious, and picked up a mug before saying, “Almond milk latte.”

  The mug filled with milky coffee, and she walked away with it as I tried not to look like I was staring.

  Right, just say what you want. That should be simple enough.

  Assuming that the magic worked even when I didn’t have any, and I wasn’t left staring gormlessly at the empty mug.

  “Black decaf coffee,” I said, quiet enough so that no one could overhear if it didn’t work, or if I’d done it wrong.

  Thankfully, the cup filled with coffee and I smiled, taking a sip. It was just the right temperature.

  I knew it was just coffee, but I still appreciated the small victory.

  It was almost enough to distract me from my lack of friends.

  Almost, but not quite, as worry began to gnaw at my insides. If they’d wanted me to spend break with them, they would have told me where to meet them.

  But they hadn’t.

  Did that mean that they didn’t really want to be my friends? That they had just felt pity for me after Victoria’s display and that was why they’d been nice to me?

  I’d experienced that more than a few times over the years. I was rarely outright bullied, but when I was, some group of nice girls would usually make sure I was okay.

  But they were then quick to make it clear that I’d simply been an obligation to them. They’d never want to be my friend, but nice girls show pity to the broken kids when they’re bullied, so they had done exactly that.

  And nothing more.

  I’d let my guard down here, but I shouldn’t have. I should have expected this.

  I knew that I could be wrong – maybe they’d just forgotten to tell me but had really meant to – but I didn’t want to get my hopes up.

  The bell rang before I’d finished my coffee and I looked to see where everyone was putting their mugs, but they all seemed to be leaving the room with them.

  I followed, not wanting to put my mug down somewhere I shouldn’t, and I ended up making my way all the way to my next class, seeing that plenty of my classmates still had mugs or glasses, all with the same design on.

  “White coffee,” one girl said as I passed her to get to a seat at the back of the room, refilling her mug.

  It was almost depressing that the idea of having drinks in a class was so revolutionary to me, but my old high school had only allowed clear bottles so that they could check that you were drinking water.

  I’d even been told off and given a detention warning when I’d accidentally brought in a bottle of sparkling water instead of still.

  Had people brought their cups and mugs into class after breakfast as well? I really hadn’t been paying attention in History...

  And the more I looked, the more I realised it wasn’t just the drinks. Some people had brought their snacks with them as well and were keeping them on their desks. Snacks, and even phones.

  I frowned, expecting people to be asked to put them away, but as the teacher walked into the room, she simply introduced herself and the subject – Philosophy and Religious Studies – before continuing on with the class, not even batting an eye as the girl in the first row propped up her phone in front of her before pulling a Bluetooth keyboard from her bag.

  I had a similar one for my tablet, but my school had never let me use it. Technically, they were supposed to, given my ADHD, but most teachers had given me hell for it, and the higher ups had sided with them, making it clear that the hell had been unofficial school policy.

  And that a teacher loudly saying that it wasn’t fair to other students that I got special treatment for being ‘lazy’ in front of the rest of the class was also part of said policy. That particular teacher hadn’t believed in ADHD at all and had also loudly proclaimed that my medication was bad for me and that my parents allowing me to take it was basically child abuse.

  An
d of course, with the teachers painting a clear target on my back, there was no way some of the students wouldn’t follow.

  I’d heard other schools were better, but I’d been trapped by GCSE exam boards – leaving would have meant starting my qualifications all over again – and I hadn’t thought to ask about Ember Academy’s attitude to such things.

  But if I was allowed my tablet and keyboard, I would definitely find them at lunch.

  Of course, then I remembered that I had no classes after lunch.

  No, they were only for the magical students.

  By the time the bell rang, and I headed for the dining hall, my mood had soured, and I found that I hadn’t paid attention to a single word the teacher had said.

  That only made me feel worse.

  I’d gotten through my entire first day of Sixth Form without paying a single moment of attention to anything that had been said.

  Yes, I could catch up after school, but how long would it be before I also had magical studies to deal with?

  I wanted to learn magic, I really did, but I also wanted to get into the university of my choice and have a real future and...

  The thoughts were familiar, but they felt different now.

  Almost pointless.

  Yes, I wanted to go to Oxford or Cambridge, but to what end? Would the curse have been lifted from my mum at that point? Would they have found Maria Brown and locked her away again?

  Or would I still be trapped here?

  But no, I’d worked too hard to give up on my A-Levels and dreams of university now.

  Auntie Jess and her friends would sort this all out, and I would have my parents and my future back.

  I just had to be patient, which was never something I’d been good at.

  “There you are!”

  I spun around to see Lena approaching, followed by Charlotte and Natalie.

  “See?” Lena said to the others. “I told you she’d be in the dining hall.”

  I frowned. “It’s lunch time.”

  “See? You have no idea that you can go elsewhere at breaks.”

  “I mean, I assumed you could, but this is where the food is, isn’t it?”