by S C Thomas
“You hiding to?” She half teased, her heart hammering in her chest.
He glanced up, a half smile curling up one side of his mouth. His shoulder length hair hadn’t changed one bit since seeing him the day before, but it was enough to know she wasn’t going crazy – she hadn’t imagined him for sure. The entire night before all she had seen in her mind while trying to sleep was his eyes but had somehow convinced herself that she’d imagined him. That he hadn’t been real, but with him standing in front of her she knew she was wrong. He was very much real. Unless she’d conjured him up to appease the fact that she’d had a crummy day and needed comfort only someone like him could give. Then she was doomed. She looked over her shoulder at the librarian, opening her mouth the say something but then rethought it and closed her mouth, not wanting to look like some mental patient escaped and questioning about someone who could or couldn’t be there. If he wasn’t there, who knew what she’d do. Report her? As if she needed her uncle thinking less of her!
“Something like that.” He spoke, giving a one-shoulder shrug, turning away to pull another book from the shelf behind him, trying to hold his current one to his chest. “I don’t always like crowds myself.”
Her ears pricked up, not missing the accent that lilted his voice. It made her knees weak, her heart skipping a beat. “Something like that.” She echoed, not sure why she was practically mimicking him and bit on her lip, turning away from him as her cheeks flushed with heat.
She was making herself look like an idiot.
He chuckled, finding her amusing. Finding her amusing? How was she amusing? She blinked rapidly, looking down at a shelf, pulling a random book out to pretend to be interested in even though her mind was entirely elsewhere, and she wasn’t comprehending whatever the title said it was.
“They only work with the right person.” He whispered in her ear, making her jump in surprise at not even having heard him approach her.
She looked up at him confusion, eyebrows furrowed together. “What?”
He pointed to the book in her hand, a smirk on his face. “They only work with the right person.” He repeated.
Her eyes fell to the book and she squealed, her fingers opening up in her surprise and she dropped the book on her foot. A yelp of pain had her jumping back and into him, hands catching her before she did more damage and held her upright.
“Shh.” The librarian hissed, grumbling beneath her breath.
He reached around her, replacing his book into the slot hers had been and this close, she saw the title had been similar to the book she had absentmindedly picked out. He stepped around her, picking it up and placed it on the shelf. She could feel her face completely heated up, embarrassed by what had just happened. Emma opened her mouth, but the words wouldn’t come. Her mind had gone blank, rendering her helpless at trying to explain herself. What was she even supposed to say to this? That she hadn’t meant to pick the book up because she didn’t know how to act around him? Maybe just letting him think she was a sex freak was better than letting him think she was slow or something like everyone else.
“You must be Emma.” He mused, her eyes shifting from him.
“Everyone knows me, don’t they?” She snorted, the embarrassing blush cooling down on her cheeks.
“Pretty much, yes. I’m Josh Hinley.” He introduced, but she wasn’t looking back at him, not yet. “It’s nice to finally, properly, meet you.”
Emma tilted her head, snapping her eyes to him and smiled tightly. “Really? You gonna ask me to do a spell or anything for my namesake? Just so you know before you’re disappointed, I can’t do spells alright. I just can’t.”
He shook his head, the brown locks jostling in the movement. “Wasn’t going to ask.”
She squinted her eyes at him, pursing her lips as if she almost didn’t believe him. But she didn’t press the subject. “I wasn’t looking at it, by the way. Just didn’t know what to say to you.” She muttered, looking away from him as she admitted to her shame.
He chuckled. “I was deliberately looking at them.” He purred, his voice right back in her ear and created another flushed heat to creep up her cheeks.
She curled her fingers around her skirt, biting her bottom lip as she let out a girlish giggle, unable to help herself.
“So, Emma, what brings you here? Get kicked out of your last school?”
She blinked, drawing her gaze up to him, looking at him in slight confusion. “No. This is my first school – like this I mean.”
“Too bad, would’ve loved to have another connection with you. I got kicked out of my school in Europe. Last choice was here, apparently someway to punish me. My folks wouldn’t let me go home.” He snorted, rolling his eyes dramatically and pushed his hands into his pockets. “No matter, I’m here now, aren’t I?
Emma nodded, even though she was sure the question wasn’t exactly meant for her. “You like it here?”
“It’s alright.” He gave that famous one-shoulder shrug once again. “I don’t particularly like the people here. Good job on standing up to Sherice though. She can be a handful and most people veer away from her and just do what she wants.”
At this point, Emma was sure that her face was about to burn off of her skull.
“I don’t belong here though.” Josh went on, as if unable to stop himself from speaking, the words were just pooling from his mouth. “I don’t want to feel as if I’m supposed to be held captive against my will, to be told how I can or can’t do things. I want freewill but stuck here.” He snorted, rolling his eyes once again.
Emma stared at him, licking her lips to keep them moist and nodded. “I get it.” She agreed, not able to think on what else to say. Her mind had gone blank once again
“I’m sure you do. After all, it can’t be easy coming back here after knowing why your mother left.” Her eyes flashed up to him, shimmering in questions, but he only smirked at her. “You do know, don’t you? The reason your mother left, why people know your name?”
She blinked, then shook her head slowly, feeling even more ridiculous then before. Even stupider than before. Did everyone know her own family history besides herself? Anger burned through her chest, sizzling in the fire that had suddenly erupted. How fair was that? How could everyone know more about her then her own self? What the hell was her uncle keeping from her and why wasn’t she allowed to know?
“They don’t come in here by the way. Only the loners and if you leave them alone, they leave you alone. See you around beautiful.” Josh nodded at her and turned, leaving the library without another word or even glance in her direction.
Her heart squeezed as she watched him, the bundle of emotions swirling in a misty cloud inside of her. She suddenly felt sicker than she had before taking the bite of apple and she couldn’t decipher if it was from the interaction they’d had or the need for more food in her stomach. It was most likely the latter, but still, her stomach churned and bubbled. Stepping into the shelves a little further, her eyes trailed along the spines of the books. She wasn’t really looking at them, the names weren’t sticking to her mind. The conversation she’d just had was spinning in and around her mind. Mostly about her mother. How could she have not told her about this world and why? If she was to eventually end up here anyways, she could’ve at least been taught basics and not be thrown into here looking like a complete idiot!
Nine
Having gotten word back from Kelyn, they had decided on a meeting place after all the classes of the day were done. Under a big oak in the courtyard so it would be easier to meet up, but after nearly twenty minutes of waiting, Emma was impatient. A chill was starting to seep in, and that familiar fog was beginning to cling to blades of grass in wisps, getting ready for the haul out it would take to cover the ground. The nonexistent sun that shone dully through the fog up above was sinking behind the castle, leaving the shadows to grapple at the walking feet of passerby and grow in length to cover the ground in darkness. She shivered for about the fifth time in the l
ast twenty minutes and hugged herself, clenching her teeth to keep them from chattering wildly.
Finally deciding to just give up and hoping that Kelyn would show in the morning again so she could explain herself, Emma pushed off the tree and started to make her way towards the castle. Dinner had gone uninterrupted, left alone at a table – Kelyn nonexistent there as well. Maybe she’d had some homework to catch up or gotten stuck behind with a teacher needing to see her. Whatever the excuse, it made Emma feel lonelier than ever before. While Josh knew her, he didn’t exactly want attention drawn to himself either – that much had been obvious from their conversation – and had kept to himself. He was surrounded, blending in with the student body. No one even batted an eye in his direction. They did, however, look at Emma and whisper behind their hands, poking their friends to look at her like she was some zoo animal locked up to be shown off and laughed at. She knew they were looking at her, whispering about her, but with her head down and eyes on her own tray, she didn’t have to see it happening. That was the worst part of it all, watching it happen.
Now returning to her dorm, alone, made her heart sink into her stomach. She was trying at this friend thing, she really was. But was this common between friends? Avoiding one another even if unintentional?
Stepping through the large doors that had been slightly propped open for easier access until curfew, Emma glanced around in one more feeble hope that Kelyn was about to around a corner and come hurling herself at her. Instead, a cat slunk around the corner, no one following it. When the green-eyed creature spotted her, it gave a low meow and stalked up to her, curling itself around her legs. Bending down, Emma ran her fingers over the cat’s back, giggling when it arched it back in happiness and began to purr lowly. She giggled again and picked up the cat, running her fingers beneath its chin and scratching, watching as its head titled back, eyes closing to slits in happiness.
“Oh, you’re a pretty kitty, aren’t you?” She cooed, scratching behind its ear. “You like that? Yes, you do. Oh yes you do.” She cooed in a baby voice, scratching the cat up and down.
“Oh gross.” A voice squealed and drew her eyes up, seeing the look of disgust on a face she thought she recognized, but couldn’t put a name to. “Why don’t you and that shifter get a room? How disgusting to make out with it in view.” She wrinkled her nose and spun on her heel, sashaying her hips as she walked up.
Emma blinked in surprise. There was that word again. One she still didn’t fully understand and didn’t entirely comprehend. Nothing here made sense and with all the information that had been shoved at her throughout the day, her mind felt like it was about to explode. A low throbbing in her temples pounded, but she shook it off, looking down at the cat once again. It squirmed in her arms and she released it, watching as it jumped and twisted. The shape became molted, lengthening in size and grew taller, reaching upwards towards the ceiling. The body like figure stretched and then shook itself off as if it were merely drying itself.
Kelyn turned to her, grinning shyly as she waved. “I was just on my way to meet you.”
Emma’s mouth fell open in shock, unable to believe what she had just seen. “Th-that was cool.” She breathed, bouncing on her heels. “That was really cool!”
It was Kelyn’s turn to blush, drawing slightly backwards in shyness. “You really think so?”
Emma nodded enthusiastically. “Like was like the best thing I’ve ever seen! How did you do it?”
Kelyn shrugged, looking at her feet. “It just kind of comes naturally I suppose. It’s hard to explain. But I can’t believe you find it cool. Mages usually stick their noses up at us Shifters, like we’re garbage or something. We are lower than you guys of course, but most treat us like even less then what we really are.”
Emma looked at her confusion, not understanding how anyone could be treated so cruelly for a gift they couldn’t help. Something like that would make her mind blow up in excitement just to have. “If I was like that, like you, I could do so many cool things!” Emma breathed, clapping her hands together. “That was so amazing!” She gushed, enticing a giggle from Kelyn.
“Thank you.” She murmured, her face beet red from the compliments Emma was throwing her way, but she shifted slightly uncomfortable, unused to such attention. “Really, thank you. Most act like it’s the worst thing to see a shifter change, like they’re gonna barf or something.”
Emma shook her head violently, her black hair whipping around her face. “Well, I’m not like most people, you’ll come to learn that quickly. But who cares what they think? We’re friends, right? All that matters is what I think.” She reached out, grabbing Kelyn’s hand. “Come on, it’s getting cold out there. Let’s go to my dorm and study. I have so many questions and my head feel like it’s going to explode trying to figure things out on my own.”
Kelyn turned on her heels and let Emma lead her up to her dorm, feet pounding behind her. “I’ve never been inside a mage’s room before.” She breathed as they got to the door, Emma pushing it open. “Oh my.” The girl gasped, eyes glittering in happiness. “This is so much better than I imagined.”
Emma’s eyebrows knitted together as she closed the door behind the two of them. “Isn’t your dorm the same?”
Kelyn shook her head sadly. “I’m on the fourth floor, which is about the worst floor you can have for a dorm. I’m pretty sure something died in there a couple months ago, but I haven’t been able to locate the smell yet. Either that or some mages playing a prank on me. You get used to it though, most of the time. Unless it’s a hot day and the sun is making it hot, then stench is really bad. I try to avoid my room on those days.” She shrugged, acting as if this were no big deal to her.
Emma frowned, sitting on her bed and looking around. It wasn’t much different then what a room was supposed to be, at least that’s what she thought. But if Kelyn’s was worse, she couldn’t imagine what that was like, and topped off with an unidentifiable stench. That had to make it worse, didn’t it? She wasn’t sure what to say though. Was she supposed to apologize? She had nothing to do with living arrangements in this place. What did she have to apologize for? It wasn’t her place. So instead of saying anything, she pulled up her bag and drew out the books she’d been assigned, dumping them on the bed with a grunt.
“There we go. I know absolutely nothing.” Emma groaned and fell back on her bed, staring up at the ceiling.
“Oh now, I doubt that’s true. You probably know more than you think.”
“I had three quizzes today and the only questions I passed on all of them was my name. Everything on them didn’t make sense. Who the hell is Duke Shmir, whatever that invented some invisible spell or something? I don’t know. My head hurts.” She whined, covering her face with her hands. “It was the worst day ever and my mom died in front of me! So that’s saying something.”
The bed dipping next to her told her Kelyn had sat down on the bed as well. “I’m your tutor remember. I’ll help you get through this and once you start knowing things, people will leave you alone.”
Emma threw her hands down and looked at Kelyn with squinted eyes. “I never said anything about people bothering me.”
Kelyn avoided her gaze. “People talk and gossip gets around fast, especially once it gets to Sherice’s group.”
Emma let out a moan and sat up. “Why does everyone talk about her? What is so damn special about her?” She shook her head, rubbing her forehead. “Alright, we should get started. Before my brain turns to goop and decides it will no longer allow any more information to seep in here.”
Kelyn nodded and reached into her bag, pulling a few books out herself, much smaller than the pile that Emma had dumped on her bed.
“Kelyn, you think I can get kicked out for being stupid?”
Kelyn shot a look of mild surprise up at Emma, shaking her head. “You aren’t stupid, Emma. You might feel that way right now, but you aren’t.” She hesitated and set a book down. “Look, I can’t tell you myself, but trust me –
once you get to know your powers, it’ll come to you. You’re a Charmwood.”
“What does that even mean?” Emma blurted, scrunching up her eyebrows, needing to know. “I don’t get it, Kelyn. Why does everyone expect me to know everything based off my name? It doesn’t make sense! I want to know why my name is so damn important!”
Kelyn shook her head and dropped her gaze back to the books in front of her. “I told you, I can’t tell you.”
“Then who can?” Emma asked in frustration, but only got a shrug as a reply. Kelyn was shutting down to answering anymore questions on the subject at hand.
“It’s not every day a shifter becomes friends with a mage.” She finally spoke, her head raising, a small smile on her lips.
Emma cocked an eyebrow, leaning back against her headboard, staring in dismay at the pile of books. “It isn’t?”
“No, shifters and mages don’t exactly get along.” Kelyn shrugged, flicking open a book that she had pulled in front of her. “It’s normal, for us to not get along. It isn’t normal for us to be friends. You do realize that, don’t you? People are going to make fun of you for befriending me.”
Emma didn’t even blink before speaking. “They’re already making fun of me for having this mysterious well-known name I know nothing about and knowing nothing about magic. I set the teacher’s desk on fire today, Kelyn. I was told to make a book levitate and trying hard made the desk catch fire. I don’t think being your friend is going to cause more damage than that. Besides, even if it did, I don’t care. I like being your friend and they can suck it.”
Kelyn snorted in laughter, ducking her head further down as she tried to hold in a round of laughter.
A question swam in Emma’s mind and she leaned forward, trying to get her friend’s attention. “What the Familiar Trials? My uncle mentioned them, but he said I couldn’t know about them unless- “