Term One

by K M Charron

  “That girl is either crazy or badass brave,” Khourtney said. “You wouldn’t see me standing alone outside in the dark with that thing on the loose. And I have magic.” Her face dropped as she realized her words. She glanced at Langston and then away, shame radiating from her.

  “Or she’s just incredibly stupid,” Syd added, hoping to break the tension.

  As they rounded the corner of the building, Syd flexed her fingers, ready to use magic against any threat that loomed. Nothing was going to happen to anyone else that she cared about.

  Ainsley stood shivering against the building’s wall.

  Sydney slowed, eyeing the middling. “Wait,” she called out, and her friends halted. “How do we know it’s her?” It was a fair question. “Considering what happened—with the shifter posing as Kai—we can’t be too careful.”

  “It’s me, guys.” Ainsley gave them a pleading stare. “I swear.”

  Syd wasn’t convinced. “And that proves nothing,” she snapped with a huff.

  “It’s her. She texted me to meet here,” Justin said in her defense. No shock there.

  Jax stood protectively in front of Langston. “Prove it then.”

  Ainsley threw her hands in the air. “And do that, how?” She pulled her bare hands out of her pockets. “Fine, someone touch my hand. When I don’t shift into you, you’ll know.” She frowned, and when no one came forward, Ainsley sprang her arm forward and grabbed Ava’s hand.

  Ava reeled back, trying to take her hand back. But it was clear that nothing was going to happen.

  “See? Now that you’re all convinced, I’ve got an old grimoire that can help us.” She opened the flap of her bag and hefted a medium-sized book out in front of her.

  Langston held his hand out for the volume, saying, “I think it only shifts into non-magical people, like us, Ainsley, not witches.”

  Ainsley averted her eyes and quickly passed it to him.

  Even if Sydney couldn’t tap into Ainsley’s emotions, she could see sorrow and guilt written all over the girl’s face. Maybe it was easy for her to see it because she shared it.

  Ainsley explained how she’d gotten the grimoire and that she’d spent all afternoon translating what she could.

  Langston flipped through the pages, comparing them to Ainsley’s handwritten notes. “Not bad, Ains,” he praised. “Most of these are pretty close.”

  Sydney’s fists ruled into claws. Ains? He was using a pet name with the middling now? She rolled her eyes at the way Ainsley beamed like a good dog for shaking a paw. Was the middling doing this out of guilt, or was she trying to win them over?

  Ainsley smiled wide. “Okay, good. Now, all we have to do is find out where they buried Saskia. Then you guys can perform the necromancy spell to raise her spirit.” She said it as if it were the easiest thing in the world. “Saskia can tell us how to recreate the symbols and which binding spells she used.”

  Sydney rubbed her temples at the way Ainsley made it sound like she’d found the recipe for the softest chocolate chip cookies and all they needed to do was buy the right brand of brown sugar, instead of suggesting that they break one of the most vital oaths every witch swore to uphold. Yes, Sydney knew that conjuring Saskia was the only way to fix this mess, but still, it was a huge deal. Sydney looked at Justin. She knew exactly what his response would be, and she smirked as she watched him deny his precious girl her prize.

  With a pinched face, he said, “No, Ainsley. We can’t do this. It’s against witch law, not to mention the laws of nature.”

  Ainsley’s gleeful expression quickly morphed into pouty shock. “What do you mean, we can’t? Sydney said this was what we needed.”

  Justin looked like he going to have a stroke. Jubilation warmed Sydney right down to her toes.

  Khourtney shook her head. “Nope. No. Necromancy is forbidden magic, Ainsley.” She focused her attention on the girl’s confused expression. “It’s very dark and has a detrimental impact on the environment and users. It’s dangerous, very dangerous. And anyone caught using it must stand trial before the Directive.” She cut Ainsley off with the explanation before she could ask, “That’s a council made up from some of the most powerful witches from covens around the world. So yeah, in short, it’s bad and we can’t.”

  Ainsley looked completely deflated. “Oh. I thought Sydney had mentioned something about this to me a while back, and I figured if it was in a grimoire, then it was acceptable magic. I’m sorry, I didn’t know.”

  Syd scoffed. “What you don’t know could fill a library.”

  “It’s not your fault,” Justin said with a hint of respite, ignoring Sydney. “You were trying to help.” He scrubbed his face with his hands, turning to Sydney. “Why would Ainsley think you’d already decided upon this?”

  “Because I did. We’re doing it.” All eyes immediately focused on Syd.

  “What?” Ava said, mouth gaping.

  Khourtney shared a similar expression, and Sydney saw the wheels turning in Jax’s head.

  “No, Syd,” Justin snarled, “It’s not happening. You’re endangering all of us, and I won’t allow that.” He stalked toward her. “No one else gets hurt because of this. You know how dangerous those kinds of Repercussions can be. How unpredictable.”

  She chose to ignore his earnestness and pulled her scarf tighter around her neck. “It’s still coming after all of us. My mother is lying. I spoke to her today, and they’re no closer to finding it. I’m not sure she and the Elders are even still looking. She point-blank stated that I’m exaggerating the danger that the shifter possesses. It stole Langston and Jake’s magic, there was a middling in a coma, and another was Pressed to death, but I’m the one that’s being deceitful?!” She paused to suck in a breath and calm herself. “I’m sorry, Justin, but the safety of our entire coven outweighs any magical side effects. Besides, if the Ancestors understand our reasons and intentions, they shouldn’t allow much Repercussion. It’s not like we’re trying to raise the dead. We’ll only be using it to get information, so we can save ourselves and get Langston and Jake’s magic back. I’m doing it. It’s the only way.” Determination bolstered Sydney’s voice into a finality so fierce that it took even her by surprise. “You’re all welcome to join me, or not.”

  Ainsley, of all people, spoke first. “I’ll do anything I can to help.”

  Syd wanted to strangle her. “Not helpful.”

  Jax stepped forward to flank Sydney. “I’m in.”

  A tentative grin filled Ava’s face as she joined the line, followed by Langston, who looked so relieved Syd could have cried.

  Justin and Khourtney stood across from them. They shared the same blank expression until Khourtney nodded. Holding her head up, she said, “My grandmother will kill me if she finds out.” She smiled wide and moved to join the rest of them amidst whistles and hollers.

  Everyone faced Justin. He stood with his arms crossed, head tilted, and gaze narrowed. Finally, he dropped his arms to his sides. “I’m only doing this because somebody needs to babysit you all.”

  Cheering, Jax and Langston rushed to his side, putting their arms around him.

  Syd wasted no time quieting everyone down. “Let’s celebrate after we survive this. We’ve got work to do gathering ingredients for the spell and finding out where Saskia’s grave is. Since Ainsley has the grimoire, why don’t you all work on collecting everything it says we need. I’ll find Oswald and see if his knowledge of Saskia goes beyond the legend.”

  Langston stepped forward, his voice low and unsure. “What do I do? I’m kind of useless now.”

  Syd did her best to keep the burning she felt inside from reaching her cheeks. Keeping her voice a whisper, she said, “You are not useless. You know High magic better than anyone here. We need you to help guide the spell’s design and translation, not to mention that you’re an expert at summoning. Go with them and make sure they do everything by-the-book. We only have one chance at this.” She flung her arms around him and nuzzled her fa
ce into his neck. “We’re going to get your magic back if it’s the last thing we do.”

  He smiled for the first time since the attack. She hoped she could keep her promise.

  Ainsley

  Ainsley stayed a step behind everyone as they made their way toward the rose garden, listening to them discuss what they were going to sneak out of the Potions room. The sting of Justin’s initial reaction lingered on her skin. How was she supposed to know that it was a cardinal sin? Didn’t witches do things like conjure spirits and talk to the dead?

  Apparently not. Justin had seemed so offended, but then Sydney gave her little pep talk, and suddenly, everything was great.

  It wasn’t Ainsley’s fault that she was full of misperceptions. It wasn’t like any of them were keen on filling her in, and she was too nervous to ask. Did they ride on brooms, make magic potions in iron cauldrons boiling over an open flame, or wear striped stockings and curly-toed boots? She’d figured not, and from what she’d witnessed so far, magic wands weren’t actually a thing. Why did everything have to be a fricking mystery? She worried that the more she discovered, the more danger she’d ultimately be in since she couldn’t be Persuaded. Right now, they were letting Ainsley be part of their little group, but what would happen when this was over, and they didn’t need her help anymore? Would they really just let her go on knowing their biggest secret? It was no secret Sydney still didn't trust her. How long until she got the rest of them to go completely against her?

  If Ainsley were honest with herself, she’d have to admit that she didn’t have any good reason to be there, that the help she’d offered so far had been minimal. Well, except for the spells in the grimoire, she mused. But now that she’d given them the grimoire, what was the point in her staying with them? Yes, Ainsley wanted to help fix her mistake, but even more, she stayed because, for the first time in her life, she felt included in something bigger than herself.

  Watching them all—seeing how much they cared about each other—made her realize she hadn’t had anyone like that in her life. Her old friends hadn’t even stuck around after her dad’s funeral. This group was risking their lives for each other.

  “How are we going to get everything we need? You know they keep a strict inventory.” Justin’s strained voice added to Ainsley’s discomfort.

  “That’s why it’ll be better if only one or two of us go down,” Jax interjected, “besides, they only check it once a month. We’ll replace it by then. So, who wants to join me?” He wiggled his eyebrows in encouragement. He was far too excited about this.

  “Wait, why do you get to go?” Ava protested. “I want to have a little fun."

  “Because I know more Dark magic than any of you, and I’m the least chicken-shit,” he said bluntly.

  Ava rolled her eyes but didn’t argue.

  Khourtney nodded. “Yup. I’ll wait here, no problem.”

  “Fine, Ava, you go with Jax. Khourt, Langston, and I will wait with Ainsley,” Justin said. “Syd’s responsible for finding the gravesite location.”

  Ava clapped. She and Jax nodded and took off for the coven entrance. Ainsley watched in wonderment as they seemed to disappear before her eyes. “Whoa.”

  “It’s spelled with a glamour so no one can see where the entrance is,” Khourt explained.

  “You could’ve gone,” Ainsley whispered to Justin, her stomach felt like it was full of rocks.

  “There’s no way I’m leaving you out here.” Maybe he cared about her after all. Why did she let Sydney get in her head?

  “We need to stay in groups until the shifter is caught,” Justin said.

  Her hope plummeted in one fell swoop. He hadn’t been singling her out; he just wouldn’t let anyone be vulnerable. She inhaled a hard, sharp breath to help quell the disappointment filling her chest.

  “What do we do now?” Khourtney asked, slightly skittish.

  “Now we translate the conjuring spell from the grimoire. The words have to be exact for the spell to work," Langston said, gripping the book tightly. “If we do anything wrong, it could do a hell of a lot more than just raise Saskia’s spirit,” he said, focused on Justin. “We can’t do this in the common areas. We should sneak Khourt and Ainsley into our room to work.”

  Ainsley could practically see Justin listing out all the consequences in his head. She wished he’d throw caution to the wind and relax a little. He had magic for God’s sake.

  “Justin, do an invisibility spell on us,” Khourt said.

  The four of them stopped just outside the main doors of the boys’ dorm. Ainsley could hardly contain her excitement. She was going to participate in actual, real-life magic. “Is it going to feel weird when you cast over us?” She knew she was too wide-eyed and perky but couldn’t help it. “Wait, it’s not going to hurt, is it?” She held her hands up, remembering the jolt of electricity that had gone through her during Sydney’s attack.

  Justin grinned. “No, you shouldn’t feel much.” He looked around. Satisfied that they were in the clear, he held up his fingers at them and chanted.

  He was right, except for the tiniest warm breeze blowing over her, she didn’t notice a thing. “Is that it? You’re done?” She didn’t know if she was relieved or disappointed.

  “Holy shit!” She couldn’t see Khourtney anymore. “You’re gone,” she whispered and thrust her hand out, accidentally smacking something hard.

  “Ow!”

  Ainsley covered her mouth with her hand, muttering an apology.

  “What about me? Can you guys see me?”

  They guys nodded in unison before Langston leaned in. “This spell is to block middling sight only. We can still see both of you.”

  “Cool.” She wanted to squeal and jump up and down, but if Justin could still see her, then she’d have to contain herself. “It really felt like nothing.”

  Justin smirked. “What’d you expect? Fireworks?”

  She smacked his arm. “No. Maybe. Whatever, let’s go.

  “Be quiet,” he warned, “others can still hear you.”

  Langston pushed the door open, letting the others go in first.

  Ainsley did a quick scan. Same interior layout as the girl’s dorm, just in reverse, same furniture, but different pictures on the walls—these walls featuring the boys’ sports teams.

  The lobby was empty except for three guys sitting on a leather sofa in front of the fireplace. They all had their eyes glued to their phones. Ainsley wondered what the point was of sitting together if they meant to ignore each other.

  Justin gave a small wave, gesturing for Ainsley and Khourt to follow him. Instead of passing by the front desk to go to the elevators, Justin turned right and pushed open the stairwell door. Thank God. Maybe he had psychic abilities on top of his magic.

  A guy about seventeen, with messy, dirty blond hair, was walking through as they filed into the stairwell. He looked up, pulled an earbud out, and cocked an eyebrow at Justin and Langston. “What are you doing?”

  Justin froze and looked out of the corner of his eye at Langston. “What do you mean?”

  The guy looked around before leaning in, “You can’t bring girls up, dude. You know that.” He motioned to Ainsley. “She needs to leave before you get in deep shit, and the whole dorm gets a lecture.”

  “You can see me?” Ainsley said before she could stop herself.

  The blond rolled his eyes. “You’re hilarious. I can hear you, too. Seriously, the three of you are going to get busted. Jacob is on his way down to start last checks.”

  Ainsley replayed his words in her head: Three of you.

  “Sure, got it,” Justin said, putting his hand on Ainsley’s back and quickly ushering her out, Khourtney and Langston in tow.

  The cold air wrapped itself around Ainsley again as she stepped back outside. “What the hell happened?” she asked, bewildered.

  Langston squeezed the bridge of his nose in apparent contemplation. “Shit, we forgot.” He shook his head. “I still have no idea how you’r
e immune.”

  “I knew Persuasion didn’t work,” Khourtney said, “but I didn’t think you couldn’t be spelled at all. At the dance, when Sydney… Well, I figured some magic worked.”

  “You mean, after the dance?” Ainsley asked. Had Justin or Sydney told her about Sydney attacking her when they’d gone outside?

  Khourtney gave her a sheepish expression. “Remember when you suddenly got those bad stomach pains?”

  “Yeah,” Ainsley replied, noticing that Khourtney looked down at her feet instead of meeting Ainsley’s eyes. “Are you saying Sydney did that to me with a spell?”

  “Maybe,” Khourtney admitted, her voice rising at the end. “But the Repercussion gave her that nasty bloody nose, so that evens it out.”

  Ainsley remembered the nose bleed. What a bitch.

  Justin sighed. “None of this makes any sense. You can’t be Persuaded, but Syd was able to inflict some magic on you, just not every time. You’re a mystery.”

  “Maybe it’s something to do with the type of magic used,” Khourtney said.

  “Or,” Langston said, “it’s because that was on Samhain. Magic is much more powerful when the veil is thin. That could be why it worked.”

  “But it didn’t work the way it should’ve,” Justin said with narrowed eyes. He appeared deep in thought.

  Ainsley could tell he was holding something back. “What do you mean, not the way it should’ve?”

  He pulled her aside, whispering, “When Sydney blasted you with that spell, it should’ve really injured you. But you were fine.” He saw her eyes widen with aggression at the description. “Yeah, it knocked you down, but you weren’t really hurt. It’s not possible, and yet…”

  “Oh my God, did you forget we have excellent hearing?” Khourtney laughed. “So, Sydney attacked you? Shit, that girl is a straight-up nutter. Or you did something to deserve it.”

  Justin shook his head. “Ainsley didn’t do anything to deserve that blast, and we don’t have time to go over all of this now. We need to get Ainsley out of here before Jacob sees her.”