But Yamasato’s fear had been so palpable, I didn’t even need magic to see it. He desperately wanted to get the charter back, and he didn’t want anyone to know it was missing. There must be more that I didn’t know.
First, I had to clear Gabriella’s name. I’d just ask her, gently, and when she said she didn’t do it, that would be the end of my doubts. Leave it to someone else more important to figure out what really happened. I knew I didn’t have anything to do with the theft, so I’d keep saying so to any lie-detecting magic they had. My parents would defend me. Maybe Gabriella would even agree to be my alibi for the weekend. The punishment for skipping class and sneaking a girl into my room had to be much smaller than the one for stealing school paperwork.
I made a half-hearted attempt to clean up the mess, but I didn’t want to waste too much time. I had to go see Gabriella. Using the magical trick she’d shown me, I removed my magitek tracker bracelet and left it on my desk. No doubt I’d get in trouble for that when they found out, too, but it would be worse if they could follow me to the mermaids. Just to be sure, I left my cell phone, too. I didn’t know if the school could use it to track me but all it would take was one call to my parents to turn on location services.
18
When I reached the student parking lot, I found a boot on my car’s tire. What the hell? Yamasato must have sent someone to make sure I couldn’t leave the school grounds. I bet the guards would stop me at the gate, too.
But there was more than one way to get out of there. I wove through the crowds of students heading to the dining hall for breakfast and went for the broom lockers. No one was watching them, so I took my broom and snuck out to the nearest empty field.
Then I looked at the broom in my hand. It was just a stick with a bunch of twigs tied to the end, but it had been an object of so much fear and dread for weeks. I’d never been able to get even a few inches off the ground with it before. But I didn’t have a choice. I had to get to Gabriella before Yamasato locked me up or whatever he’d try to do to me next.
I took a deep breath and tried to remember everything Coach Bloodgood told us about flying. Vague platitudes like becoming one with the wind floated through my mind. Aw, fuck it. I was just gonna go for it.
Looking around, I saw a fallen log to one side of the field. It wasn’t very high, but it was all I could find on short notice. I climbed up on top of it, gripped the broom firmly, and jumped off.
The broom responded eagerly like a bicycle at the top of a hill, except it coasted up into the air. I held on for dear life and hoped it knew where I was going. There was no time to practice turns or anything I was supposed to do in class. All I could do was try to keep my balance as the broom soared over the school walls and above the trees.
The school was on its own road back in the forest, but I would be visible when I passed over busier areas on the way to the beach. There wasn’t really a safe approach—the coastline was popular with houses and businesses, and many people drove on the streets at the top of the cliffs. If I’d gone at night, I might have a hope of being unseen, but in daylight and wearing the bright purple school uniform, I’d stick out. Why hadn’t I at least stopped to change before I snuck out of the academy?
Then my eyes lifted to the sky. It wasn’t raining right now, but there was still heavy cloud cover. Clouds could hide me—at a dangerous height. I was already well above the flight coach’s ten feet to dodge the trees.
As soon as I thought about going up, the broom rose higher.
“Oh, no, no, no,” I burst out, pushing down on it with my hands. How was I supposed to control this thing? “Please go back down,” I begged.
But the broom seemed to have a mind of its own—so much for the magic that was supposed to make it more obedient. It kept on gaining altitude until we went up into the gray, misty cloud. I lay down until my whole body was wrapped around the handle, terrified for my life.
Mama Rosa liked to pull this trick sometimes. She’d wait for an overcast day, then fly me up above the clouds to see. She said the clouds looked like an ocean, even though we were inland. The mountain peaks that broke through were like little islands. I usually didn’t see much because I was closing my eyes and burying my face in her back. When I snuck a look, I didn’t think it was like an ocean at all. Even on a windy day, the clouds couldn’t match the motion of the sea.
But my broom didn’t try to show me a fancy view above the clouds. It flew straight through the thick of the clouds so I didn’t see anything but fog. Despite my heavy jacket, which protected me during snowy winters in Calaveras, I was cold and wet within minutes. Worse, I couldn’t tell where I was anymore. This stupid broom could fly right past the coast and I could be miles out to sea before I knew what had happened. How did you make this thing stop?
Without a signal from me, the broom suddenly started to descend again. The clouds had grown thicker and I could smell salt, so we must be close.
I heard the waves before I saw them. The beach was fogbound, wrapped in a blanket of mist so thick that I couldn’t see the top of the cliffs. As I touched down gently on the sand, I recognized a nearby rock formation. This was New Brighton, the same beach where I usually met Gabriella.
I unpeeled my stiff, cold fingers from the broom handle and set it down. “Stay,” I said, more of a plea than an order. Brooms weren’t supposed to fly by themselves, but I no longer trusted this one. Must have gotten some of my mother’s attitude when she made it.
Taking a deep breath, I shoved away my doubts a final time and called her name.
The fog swallowed the sound like it had never happened. I was tempted to try again louder, but I knew it was actually the magic connecting us that would bring her back. All I needed to do now was be patient.
The minutes stretched out as I waited. Without my phone, I didn’t have a clock to check the time or any way of knowing what was going on back at the school. My first period had probably started and my teacher had marked me as absent, so they could be looking for me. It would be harder to sneak back in to the academy once they were on alert but I didn’t have a plan. That made me even more nervous because I usually had a plan for everything, but I pushed down my feelings.
Finally, a dark head broke the waves, and a hand beckoned me over to our usual meeting spot. I picked my way up the slippery rocks and found a safe place to sit, ignoring the wetness that seeped into my clothes.
Gabriella only pulled herself halfway up, letting her tail stay in the water behind her. There was always a chance, if she went out too far and started to dry out, that she would transform into her land legs. She frowned at me. “What’s going on? I thought you had classes today.”
“I do, but something’s wrong.” I reached for her hand, trying to reassure myself with her warmth because I felt so cold and clammy. “The assistant dean called me into his office and accused me of stealing.”
She squeezed my hand. “That sounds awful. This is the same guy who made you go to counseling with your roommate, right?”
I nodded. “Yeah, but that’s not why he’s blaming me now. He’s suspicious because I missed class on Friday… and he thinks I have an unlocking charm that broke into his office.”
Gabriella reached up and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. “Yes, but if you say you didn’t take anything, then he knows if you’re telling the truth, right?”
“Um, yes.” I swallowed hard. “But I had to tell him that I skipped class to be with my girlfriend, so he knows about you.”
Her face darkened. “You promised that you wouldn’t tell anyone about me.”
I held up my hands defensively. “I didn’t say who you were! But if he can pick up magical traces, then could he tell that there was a mermaid on campus?”
Her eyes darted back and forth. “I’m not sure how powerful he is. I thought I covered my tracks.”
I reached out with my magical empathy to see how nervous she felt, if it went deeper than just letting the professor know she was a mermaid. But
although her body language seemed anxious, the only thing I sensed from her was love. It warmed me up, feeling her love for me, but it was so at odds with how she was acting. Was she only pretending to be nervous for my sake?
Then another thought struck me. Water magic could manipulate emotions. All I’d ever sensed from Gabriella in our times together was love and happiness. I thought she felt that way because of me, but what if she was hiding her other feelings from me? As a mermaid, her magic was much more powerful than mine. She’d had a lifetime to perfect her skills while I only had a few months of practice.
She seemed to sense my doubt, because she smiled and reached for me again. “Don’t worry about it too much. I was careful, and if he didn’t ask you about a mermaid, then he doesn’t even suspect it. You just keep telling him that you’re innocent and things will work out.”
I pulled back from her. “There’s something else missing, too. I did have an unlocking charm, but when I checked my room just now, I couldn’t find it. I think someone else must have taken it and they’re trying to frame me.”
“How awful,” she said. “Who would do something like that? Is it your nasty roommate?”
“I don’t know. She’s mean, but why would she want some paperwork from the dean’s office?”
Gabriella shrugged. “Oh, there’s lots of things you could do with the school’s charter. It has some powerful magic. Maybe her rich dad wants to control the academy.”
There it was. I deliberately hadn’t told her what had been taken, but she blurted it out. What’s worse was I hadn’t sensed any change in her emotions when she said it. She radiated love and happiness, soothing away all my worries, but my brain knew that this was all wrong.
I tried to clamp down on my own feelings, but fear flared in me as I realized the truth.
Gabriella sensed it immediately because her eyes widened. She lunged out of the sea, and although I tried to scrambled out of the way, she clamped down on my legs.
“You tricked me,” she growled. Her smooth, sensual voice had turned harsh.
I struggled to get away, but her nails dug into my pants and pierced my skin. “You tricked me first! You pretended to love me while you were going through my stuff and framing me!”
“Filthy human.” She pulled harder. “We’re going for another swim. See if your pathetic witchcraft can help you this time.”
I clung to the rocks, but I couldn’t get a grip on the slick, algae-covered surface. She was much stronger, dragging me down into the water. The sharp edges of the boulder cut into my legs and back as I slid closer. I was about to fall and I knew even if she released me in the water, the powerful waves would bash me against the rocks or drown me in the deep.
Panic rose, and I screamed, hoping there was someone nearby who could save me. But there was no one on the foggy beach, human or otherwise.
Then a dark, narrow shape came speeding toward me. Instinctively, my hand shot up and somehow I caught ahold of it.
My broom! The naughty thing had ignored my order to stay put on the sand. But I was so glad that it disobeyed me. I let go of the rocks and wrapped both hands around its handle, begging it to pull me back to safety.
I rose a few feet into the air, but Gabriella was still clinging to my legs. She growled again and thrashed her tail in the water, her nails tearing bloody gashes into my shins.
I kicked frantically. My boot connected with her head.
She cried out and lost her hold. She fell down into the water with a splash. I caught a glimpse of her angry glare before she dove under the surface and disappeared.
My mind froze in shock from my near-death experience. I was dangling by my hands from underneath my broom. My shoulders were on fire from the strain of supporting my weight. My legs stung with cuts. I couldn’t see more than a few feet away from the thick fog. What did I do next?
Then I felt the broom starting to descend. I looked down and saw the sand below me. The broom gently set me down on my feet, but they wouldn’t hold me up. I collapsed in a heap.
Everything hurt, but worst of all, my heart was breaking. A wave of sadness crashed over me and I was drowning in it. I took a ragged gasp of air, then the tears started flowing and all I could do was sob.
It was all a lie. Everything she’d told me, all the time we’d spent together, was a trick. I’d been warned about merfolk, but I thought Gabriella was different. Yet the moment I exposed her trap, she tried to kill me. She couldn’t care for me at all if she could jump to murder me that quickly.
I was such an idiot for trusting her. And if what she said was true, she held the power to control the academy in a piece of paper. No wonder Yamasato had been so freaked out. Even if I hadn’t stolen it myself, I was an unwitting accomplice to the theft. I’d let Gabriella onto the campus and I’d been the one to make the unlocking charm she used. Forget being expelled—I’d probably serve jail time for my mistake.
What could I do? There was no way to clear my name. Maybe if I turned myself in to the authorities and told them who had the school’s charter, I could get a reduced sentence. I’d still be a disgrace. The McAddams name would be permanently stained, and it would be my fault this time. Everyone who was waiting see if I would be more like my grandmother or my mother would have their worst fears confirmed.
A beautiful voice drifted to me on the wind, singing a wordless melody. I sat up and looked out, but I could barely see the edge of the water in the fog. Was she coming back to apologize?
But the haunting song stirred something else in me. It urged me to come into the water and forget my problems. This could all be over, it seemed to whisper, if I just gave up.
It was tempting. I’d never see the disappointed faces of my mothers. I’d never go through the humiliation of arrest and trial. The pain in my heart would go away. It would be so easy to just walk out into the surf and let the ocean embrace me a final time.
I was already struggling to my feet before I realized what must be happening. Siren song—another one of Gabriella’s tricks. It was forbidden to lure a human to drown, but she had already broken so many laws. She must be making another desperate attempt to silence me.
Which meant she was afraid that I could stop her. I must be capable of ending her plans if she would risk so much. All I had to do was resist and figure out a way to fight back.
I planted my feet stubbornly and called up the magic of the earth to ground me. Her call was strong, but the earth was stronger and more stubborn. I felt power flowing up through me, clearing my mind and heart. The energy of life itself washed away the urge to die.
In that moment, I realized what I had to do. I needed to get away from the ocean and find somewhere safe to plan out my next move. There was one person I could go to for help—and if he was a powerful as he claimed, he could open the way for me.
The broom was in my hand again, although I hadn’t remembered picking it up. It must be able to sense my desires. I straddled it, ignoring the cuts on my legs that were now full of sand, and willed it take me to the Mystery Spot. Without any other direction from me, it rose into the air and took me away from the beach so the siren song faded from my ears.
Now I could only hope that Loki could open the Gate for me when it wasn’t the right time.
19
The broom flew up into the clouds again so I couldn’t see where we were going. It was cold and damp, making me shiver in my wet clothes, but the cool breeze was a little soothing on my cuts and bruises. I tried not to think about my injuries and just concentrated on keeping my balance.
Then we dropped down below the cloud cover and I saw treetops rushing up toward us. The broom weaved in and out of the tallest redwoods, forcing me to cling even tighter to stay on. I caught a glimpse of the yellow-and-black sign for the Mystery Spot, and then a deserted parking lot. At least there were no tourists coming out on such a gloomy Tuesday.
The broom flew even lower, but I was worried that Dame Susan might spot us, so I urged it higher again. No one could
stop me if I flew straight through the grove and into the Gate.
I saw the line of eucalyptus trees ahead. “Loki, let me in,” I whispered. Hoped whatever mark he had put on me would let him know I was coming. I put my hands up in front of my face to protect myself from the branches, and let the broom carry me forward.
The broom dropped out from under me and I lost my grip. I was falling, falling, tumbling head over heels into a swirling cloud of gray. Mist swirled around me, freezing cold, and winds pushed me back.
Something grabbed the back of my jacket, catching one of the cuts underneath. I cried out as the spinning stopped abruptly and I hung in midair. My legs bumped together, reopening the cuts, and I screamed again.
“Sorry,” a female contralto voice said somewhere above me. “It was hard to catch you. I’m going to put you down now, okay?”
I was lowered down until my feet touched a field of soft clover. The force holding me up let go, and I collapsed, gasping with the pain. I squeezed my eyes shut in a grimace.
“Ouch, that looks bad,” the voice said. “I didn’t think I grabbed you that hard. Here, let me fix you up.”
Another breeze touched me, but this one was warm and gentle. All my aches and pains melted away. Wow, that felt amazing! I opened my eyes to see who was helping me.
An enormous green dragon bent down, breathing on me. Her head alone was larger than me, with sharp teeth as long as my arm. I could see myself reflected in her slitted eyes. The rest of her body was half-shrouded by the mists but I could see enough to tell she was bigger than my house.
I froze. “You’re… the guardian?”
My mom and Loki were the gatekeepers back home, but the real guardian of the gate they worked for was a golden dragon named Kaorinix. I’d never seen her before, but Mama had warned me what would happen if I tried to use the gate at the wrong time. The guardian was there to keep people from getting lost.
The Reluctant Witch: Year One (Santa Cruz Witch Academy Book 1) Page 16