by L. C. Mawson
Natalie frowned, but then nodded. “Okay, then. But I’ll come back to check on you at break. And I’ll go and grab you some food and a mug from the common room now.”
“You don’t have to-”
She cut me off with a stern look. “If you need rest, then you should stay in bed. I’ll be back soon.”
Before I could argue further, Natalie sped off, faster than my eyes could track.
A few moments later, she returned with my usual avocado and egg baguette and a mug. “Here you go.”
“Thanks,” I said, my sheepishness more than genuine.
“It’s no problem. Just message me if you need anything else, and I’ll be right back. Teachers will understand if I have to leave classes to help you.”
I nodded, knowing that I wasn’t going to message her, but also knowing that she would argue if I pointed that out.
“Okay, I’ll be back later. See you.”
“See you,” I said as she headed out of the room.
As soon as she was gone, I placed my plate on my bedside table, my stomach far too upset to handle food.
I worried my lower lip between my teeth as I waited for the next bell to ring, indicating that the first class was about to start, and that Mr Stiles would be in his classroom.
Time seemed to stretch endlessly before me, however, with seconds turning into minutes, and minutes turning into hours.
I was sure that my phone was frozen as I watched the clock refusing to tick forward.
I flicked open the browser and continued to read the last fanfic I’d been in the middle of, but I quickly grew restless, switching to another. And then another.
By the time the bell finally rang, I had been flicking between five different fics, reading each about one paragraph at a time.
As soon as the bell rang, I placed my phone in my bag before checking that both the listening device and a blank book were also there.
They were, and I took a deep breath before turning to the mirror.
I had practiced this with Ms Maltere the night before, but I wasn’t sure how it would hold up now that I was so distracted.
Ciathlo.
I didn’t need to say the word aloud for it to work, and I slowly disappeared.
Ms Maltere had warned me that complete invisibility was difficult to maintain, and I could still see the edges of my silhouette if I looked for them.
But it would have to be enough.
I let the spell go, reappearing.
I didn’t need it now. I could just say that I was going to find my auntie if anyone asked why I was heading to the teachers’ houses. It was only when I got there that I would have to use the spell, so that no one would see me sneaking into Mr Stiles’ house.
The dormitories were empty as I passed through, as were the school grounds once I got outside.
I tried not to wince as the sound of my shoes on the stone path seemed to echo around me, alerting everyone to my presence.
It took everything I had not to hurry, despite the feeling of being watched causing my skin to crawl.
I had an excuse if someone saw me out of class, and running was more likely to cause alarm.
Especially when I was running away from class, rather than towards it.
The trek across the school grounds seemed to take an age, but I eventually reached the gate leading to the teachers’ houses.
I slipped inside, hoping that no one was home.
Though, if everyone had classes, I supposed that meant that the teachers would be busy teaching.
Unless anyone had a free lesson.
“Amelia.”
I spun on my heels, my heart stopping dead as I recognised Gail’s voice.
“Ms Griffin,” I replied with a smile that I knew was strained.
“Shouldn’t you be in class?”
“I... I overextended myself last night while practicing some spells.”
“Then you should be resting.”
“I know, but... I left something at my auntie’s.”
“Something that couldn’t wait?”
I shifted my weight from one foot to the other, needing some excuse. But I didn’t actually keep anything at my auntie’s.
Anything but...
“I needed to get Mr Fluffy.”
She raised an eyebrow. “Mr Fluffy?”
I nodded. “My auntie enchanted him with a soothing charm, and I thought it might help.”
Ms Griffin sighed, before nodding. “I suppose it might. Though, not as much as getting more rest. But if you’re already here, you might as well go. Do you need any help? I’m running late, but if you’re weak...”
I shook my head. “I don’t want to keep you. I’ll be fine, really.”
She regarded me for a moment, and I wondered if she was going to insist.
What would I do then?
Would I be able to come back later, or would she insist on keeping an eye on me?
If I couldn’t do this today, when would I get another chance?
But then she nodded. “Okay. But if you’re not okay...”
“Natalie is going to check back on me at break. If I’m not okay, she’ll be able to tell someone.”
“Then I shall leave you be.” She turned but paused before she left entirely. “Amelia, I do not begrudge my students mental health days. And I do not pry into why they need them. If you are magically exhausted, then that’s fine, but if it is something else... That’s also fine. Just talk to someone if it’s serious. It can affect your magic, so it’s important to speak to a teacher you trust.”
I almost sighed with relief. Even if she thought I was lying, this was an assumption I could live with.
And one that wouldn’t stop me.
“I... Thank you. And I will.”
Ms Griffin nodded before heading off for real.
I made my way to my auntie’s house, waiting until I was sure that Ms Griffin was gone before heading through the front door.
I had planned just to slip inside for a moment to cast my spell, but if Gail thought that my plan was to retrieve Mr Fluffy, then I couldn’t just leave him behind.
I suppressed a sigh. I didn’t exactly want him hanging around my room to embarrass me, but then, he must be lonely all on his own in my auntie’s house.
I closed my eyes and felt the familiar pull of Freya’s magic.
I followed it through the house and eventually found Mr Fluffy in my auntie’s spare room, where I had stayed when I was exhausted.
I picked him up, the feel of the magic within comforting.
I held him tight to my chest, hoping to soothe my anxiety at the thought of what I now had to do.
I had already been caught once. What if it happened again and I didn’t have an excuse?
Would I be kicked out of school?
Where would my auntie and I even go? Not home, it was too dangerous.
My fingers tightened their hold on Mr Fluffy.
I could declare myself a Dark Witch and go to the Underworld. I could find Freya and she would protect me.
The thing was, I wasn’t sure if it was true or not. In my exercises with Willow, black and white sparks had come in equal measure.
And equally uncontrolled.
No, I couldn’t say for sure that I was a Dark Witch, and I didn’t even have the control to pretend.
The Underworld was no haven for me.
And even if it were, Ms Maltere was here. If she was right and she could teach me how to lift the curse from my mum...
My only choice was to stay at the school and make it safe.
I placed Mr Fluffy in my bag, though I kept one hand in the bag with him, drawing from his comfort, while I took my wand with the other.
I turned to the closest mirror and cast the illusion spell.
It washed over me, fading me into nothing.
Even I couldn’t see my edges.
I headed back down the stairs before heading out the back door, hoping that fewer people would notice it opening and
closing on its own, compared to the front door.
I slipped out of the back garden through the gate, wincing as the gate creaked, stopping still for a moment – not even breathing – as I waited for someone to come and investigate the noise.
But no one came.
I closed the gate as slowly as I could manage, avoiding the creaking sound this time.
Once it was closed, I turned to face the empty back alley.
I knew it wasn’t long, but now it seemed to stretch out forever in front of me.
I took a deep breath, forcing myself to take the first step forward, towards Mr Stiles’ house.
I approached the gate and slipped inside, careful not to let this one creak.
I went to the back door, taking out my wand once more.
There might not be magical wards, but the door would still be locked.
Thankfully, Ms Maltere had thought of that and taught me an unlocking spell the night before.
I tried not to think about how much trouble I could get into with this spell in the Human world.
It was far too tempting...
I cast the spell without saying a word, and the door clicked open.
I slipped inside, softly closing the door behind me before turning to the kitchen.
I frowned, taking a moment to realise why it felt off.
I’d been so focused on getting my book back the night before, I hadn’t really had time to look around, but now that I did...
Auntie Jess’ house was decorated with her things from her flat.
But Mr Stiles’ house looked like a show home.
There were no personal decorations, and the only sign that anyone lived there was the one plate and accompanying knife and fork on the drying rack.
I headed through to the hallway and found it equally bare.
Just more confirmation that there was something suspicious about the Demon teacher.
I headed up the stairs, taking them two at a time.
I didn’t want to stay there any longer than necessary.
I frowned as I got to the top of the stairs and peered into the two open bedroom doors.
They were both as sparse as each other, and both of the beds were made.
Was I going to have to go into his drawers to figure out which room was his?
But then, in one of the rooms, I spotted a picture frame on the bedside table.
I made my way over to it, figuring that its presence indicated that this was the right room.
I frowned as I approached and got a better look at the picture.
It was of Mr Stiles, smiling as another man with crimson eyes kissed him.
His husband?
I thought back to Mr Stiles’ tattoo.
This was the man related to Lord Uther? The one connecting Mr Stiles to the man who had tried to kill my sister?
My frown deepened.
They looked... happy. And far too normal to ever be associated with someone who had tried to kill Freya.
But then, I supposed bad guys didn’t really go around wearing goatees and laughing maniacally.
That was, after all, how Mr Stiles had convinced everyone that he was harmless.
That he wasn’t here to hurt me.
I took the listening device from my bag, and kneeled down, placing it on the ground before pushing it under the bed.
That’s when I heard the squeak of the door hinge.
I froze on the ground, not daring to move as I tried to see out of the corner of my eye.
I managed to turn enough to see Mr Stiles entering the room.
I refused to move – not even daring to breathe – as he looked around.
Looking for something.
For me?
What else? Why else would he be here?
He should be in a lesson.
Had I tripped some kind of alarm and alerted him to my presence?
I was still invisible, but that would only last as long as the glamour held.
And if he could see through glamours like I could, then I was screwed.
His gaze eventually settled on me and my hand twitched into a fist as he frowned.
As if trying to see through my glamour.
He moved towards me, and I pushed myself over to the side, wondering if the concentration needed to hold my glamour was worth the sluggishness in my response time.
After all, he’d seen me anyway.
Hadn’t he?
I frowned as his gaze didn’t follow my movement.
No, it remained on the bedside table that had been behind me.
It took all my concentration not to drop my glamour as relief crashed over me and I struggled to even stay upright.
He hadn’t seen me.
But that didn’t mean that he wouldn’t.
I held my breath as he opened the drawer and pulled out a book, waiting for him to turn back to leave, hoping that he would turn in the other direction.
Except he didn’t.
Instead, he just disappeared.
I stared at the spot where he’d been, taking a moment to process the fact that he was gone.
He must have ‘shifted’. That’s what Natalie had called it, right?
Someone was going to have to show me how to do that.
I scrambled to my feet, my muscles resisting any attempt to move.
They felt weak, my legs not wanting to hold my weight.
I might have been feigning magical exhaustion before, but I certainly wasn’t now.
The blank book felt heavy in my bag.
If I was already exhausted, I might not have the strength to get past the protection charm, never mind copy the book.
But if I didn’t get it now, I might never get another chance.
I steeled myself before heading to the study.
I didn’t have a choice.
This book could have the answer I needed to save my mother.
I headed to the study, ignoring the screaming of my muscles as I went.
If I had a restorative potion, I would just take that, but without it...
Well, the only other thing that had helped was having Natalie close.
Right, emotional energy would refuel me.
I needed to remember why I was doing this.
My terror when the Demons had attacked me and my family, my helplessness as they’d cursed my mum...
And my anger for not being able to do anything about it, tinged with a sharp edge of guilt.
They had been looking for me.
Dark Energy crackled just under my skin and I felt a little steadier on my feet, though I knew that it wasn’t a permanent solution.
I had to hurry.
I managed a small smile as I made it to the study and saw the book I needed on the shelf.
It was so close, I just had to get it.
I brought out my wand and closed my eyes, remembering the spell from Maria Brown’s book.
I said the incantation in my head as I flicked my wand, and a stream of blue light appeared from the end of it like a whip, latching onto the protection spell.
I tried to pull my wand back, but the protection spell tugged in turn, though instead of tugging at my arm, it felt as if it was tugging at my insides.
At my magic.
I gritted my teeth, focusing once more on my need to get the book.
On my need to save my mother.
Energy crackled through me, fueling my spell as I tugged against the protection spell once more.
It tugged back hard, and I struggled to stay on my feet, but I could feel it pulling away from the shelf.
Not much, but I didn’t need it to be much.
I gave it another yank before slipping my hand in and grabbing the book, hoping with everything I had that the protection spell didn’t close over my arm.
I had no idea what that would do to me, but I was sure that I didn’t want to find out.
I let the protection spell go and the release sent me stumbling back into the desk.
I panted
as I leaned heavily against it, the room spinning.
But I had the book.
Any elation at my victory quickly faded, however, as I remembered that I couldn’t just take it.
No, I had to copy it.
I groaned, the thought almost making me heave.
I was already so exhausted. Casting another spell...
I pushed that thought aside. I didn’t have another choice.
I pulled the spare book from my bag, my movements awkward and clumsy, causing me to almost drop it.
But I managed to place it on the desk, pressed up against Princess Helena’s grimoire.
I pointed my wand at the books and nausea rose through me.
But I steeled myself and fuelled the spell with the last scraps of my energy.
I had to do this.
My mum needed me to.
My wand created a rope of light and I kept looping it over the books, again and again, as the world swam around me and I swayed on my feet.
When the light finally disappeared, I felt almost detached from my body.
I shivered, my skin clammy.
I need to get the book back.
I focused on that thought, knowing that if it was off the shelf, it would be noticed.
But I couldn’t cast another spell.
I couldn’t get past the protection spell.
I looked at the shelf and only had one idea.
And not enough energy to think of another.
So, I threw the book back through the protection spell.
I watched as carefully as my focus would allow, my lungs refusing to draw breath as the book hit the protection spell.
And then passed through.
I finally breathed as it settled on the shelf where it had been before, if a little crooked.
But that would have to be enough.
I staggered back, clutching the copy to my chest as I focused on my breathing, trying to stay conscious.
I had to get back to my room.
I had to...
The floor dropped out from under me and the world went dark before I finished that thought.
I AWOKE WITH A GROAN, every cell in my body on fire.
“Keep still.”
I relaxed a little at Ms Maltere’s familiar voice, knowing that I was safe.
A few moments later, I finally felt something through the pain.
The feel of healing magic washing over me.
I pried my eyes open to see that I was back in my room, lying on my bed while Ms Maltere cast a healing spell.