“Maybe another witch did it. Like they wanted her soul or something. To live longer,” Lillian suggested grimly.
“What do you mean live longer?” I questioned, flashing back to what Professor Howard said in his office today. “Soul stealing,” he had said with no further explanation. It felt like a lifetime ago now.
“My mom told me a story once about an old witch. She was very powerful. One of the most powerful in our history, and she was a devout Follower of the Fallen Angel. Her name was Mary Langley,” Lillian began.
“I’ve heard that name before! She’s written some of the spells in our textbooks,” Ava interrupted, giddy now. I rolled my eyes. The last thing I felt was excitement.
“You’re right, Ava. This started in the 1400’s. Mary was one of the most powerful witches back then, so she came up with a lot of new spells that had never been done before,” Lillian explained. The 1400’s had been a renaissance of sorts for witches, since during the 1300’s many witches lived in the mortal world. Some of them were exposed to plagues since they lived so closely with humans. There was no spell to combat disease at the time and even witches can die from things like that. It wiped out hundreds of our kind. Covens disappeared completely. Magic was lost because humans found spell books that belonged to those who died. The books were all burned out of fear. Some humans tried to hunt witches after this discovery, but they could never catch them, of course. They would have been overpowered easily. Many witches went into hiding and started keeping their distance from the mortal world while they rebuilt. Friends, families, and decades of spells were lost. Most covens learned their lesson and stayed away from humans after that, but, of course, some covens had forgotten the stories or didn’t heed their warnings. This led to the witch trials in the 1600’s. Even though those weren’t nearly as devastating as what we had already suffered, they ended any relationships witches had with humans. Witches realized things could never change and mixing too closely with the human world, revealing all our secrets to them, only led to devastation for both sides. Even the few human friends my parents had were kept in the dark. They had no idea what we were.
After the plague in the 1300’s covens tried their best to rebuild. Mary Langley was a big part of that. “Some of her spells were good,” Lillian continued. “Like you said, we learn them here at school. But some of them were sinister. They caused witches to turn on each other. They were the darkest magic. Mary craved power and she would do anything to get it. When she started to age and grow weaker, she decided a century and a half wasn’t long enough. Some say she created a new spell, some say the Fallen Angel himself gave her one of his own, but either way this spell would make her more powerful and keep her younger even longer. She killed a witch using the spell. And when she did, she syphoned the witch's soul, making her more powerful and youthful. No one knows how many witches she actually killed, but eventually she had to be taken out by her coven. It was clear she wasn’t going to stop killing. She wanted to be as powerful as the Fallen Angel so she could work by his side, rule the Underworld hand in hand with him. Maybe someone else at this school knows that story, too. And they want more power.” She paused after that and it was silent for a moment.
“That’s seriously dark,” Daliah said, but I was intrigued. I needed to know more about Mary Langley because there was no doubt Lillian’s story just scratched the surface.
“Probably too dark. I’m not sure who at this school would even be capable of killing for that reason.” The girls continued talking, but I suddenly felt exhausted. I laid my head on my pillow and started to drift to sleep listening to them chatter. I was honestly grateful that they were awake. Hearing their voices made me feel at ease. I finally fell asleep wondering what the young girl’s name was.
A Suspect
My dreams were filled with darkness that night. I saw Mary Langley dressed in a hooded cloak. Her face was barely visible. I could see each step she took in the Black Forest, though I wasn’t actually there. It was as if I was looking at everything from above, floating in the sky. Other dark figures that I couldn’t quite make out followed her as she walked through the forest. The figures, whatever creatures or demons they may be, eventually stopped near a circle in a clearing. In the middle of the circle was the body of the young girl, crumpled on the forest ground the same way it had been in the hallway. Mary stepped into the circle and bent down placing her face on the young girl’s. It looked like she was kissing her neck, but I eventually realized she wasn’t. She was drinking her blood. When she looked up to the sky her eyes were crimson red.
That image woke me, and I let out a yelp as my eyes adjusted to the darkness. My breath was coming in quick spurts as I checked my surroundings. I recognized the features of my room: my bed, my blankets, my roommates asleep next to me. I was no longer in the Black Forest. My breathing slowed until it was back to normal. Lillian was in my bed, too. She looked up with her eyes still half closed. “You okay?” she asked groggily. I wasn’t sure she was actually awake. Her red hair was going in every direction and I’m pretty sure she had drool on her face.
“I’m fine. Go back to sleep,” I whispered. She didn’t hesitate. She was out again in a matter of seconds. I rolled over and saw my phone was plugged into the charger. Lillian must have done that to make sure I didn’t miss any calls from Miles. I snatched it up quickly. It was 7:45 a.m. and I had two missed calls from Miles. Relief flooded my body. I needed to talk to him. I slid out of bed and walked to the corner of the room as I dialed his number.
“Hello?” he answered on the second ring. His voice sounded tired, deep and hoarse, but tense at the same time.
“Hey. Were you asleep?” I asked, feeling guilty that I had woken him after what must have been an unbearable night.
“No. I don’t think I fell asleep at all last night. I was really worried about you,” his voice was gentle now.
“I’m sorry. I would have called, but I figured you would reach out when you were back in your room,” I apologized. Sleep had given me a new perspective and I felt like I was looking at the situation with the proper view now. The new day cleared my vision and I was certain Miles could never hurt someone. Of course not. It was silly to doubt him for even a second.
“It’s okay. The guys next door said your friends came to pick you up. Thank the Divinity they did. It made me sick to leave you in my room all alone after...what happened.” That was what his “sorry” had been for; leaving me unprotected in his room. “But Headmistress Craw was not taking ‘no’ for an answer.” He whispered as he spoke and I assumed his roommates, like mine, were still slumbering. I pictured him in his room with the lights off, snuggled under his covers, and wanted nothing more than to be there with him wrapped in his arms again. “I need to see you,” he breathed, his voice desperate.
My chest flooded with too many emotions: longing for Miles, sadness for the girl, fear of the unknown. A sob escaped from my throat and suddenly I was crying, unable to stop the tears from slipping out.
“Are you okay?” he asked urgently. “What’s wrong?”
“I just…” My voice came out all scratchy. I paused to take a few deep breaths and compose myself, fighting against the lump in my throat. I won and the tears slowed. “I think the shock is finally wearing off. I need to see you, too.” I thought of how safe I would feel with my head on his chest and his arms cradling me. I needed that feeling.
I heard him breathe a sigh of relief on the other side of the phone. “I thought you might never want to speak to me again after last night…” his voice trailed off and silence followed. Neither of us wanted to discuss this any further over the phone. “I’m coming to get you. I’ll explain everything.”
“I don’t think we’re supposed to leave our rooms…” I whispered half-heartedly, but I desperately wanted to say, “to the Underworld with the rules.” I hadn’t felt safe since we’d been apart.
“Headmistress Craw is going to make an announcement this morning. They’re still going to serv
e breakfast and after that she’s calling everyone to the auditorium to explain what’s going on. In detail.”
“Do you want to meet in the café, then?” I asked, thinking of the long walk he would have to make just to come to my room first.
“No!” he almost yelled. He quickly started whispering again. “I’m coming to get you. We’ll walk there together.”
“Okay,” I paused and listened to his breathing for a moment. “Miles?”
“Yeah?”
“Do you think something bad is going to happen again?” I couldn’t bring myself to say the word “murder” out loud.
“I don’t know, Josie, but let’s not take any chances. I’ll keep you safe no matter what.” I heard the sincerity in his voice and something in my heart told me I could trust him as much as I trusted Lillian. “I’m on my way.”
“I’ll be waiting.”
“I’ll knock three times.” He hung up the phone before I could respond. I knew I was a mess. My curls were knotted from sleeping and my eyes were puffy from crying, but that didn’t matter. After last night, my appearance didn’t seem so important.
I paced the room, tip toeing so I wouldn’t wake anyone. I wanted to wake Lillian for a moment to tell her where I was going. If she woke up on her own and I was gone, she would panic. But she looked too peaceful, snuggled in my blankets, so I decided to leave a note instead. I scribbled “With Miles in the café. Be back soon” on a white piece of paper and laid it beside her pillow.
There were three light taps on the door. Glancing down, I realized I was still in my white t-shirt and sweatpants from last night. It would be chilly, so I grabbed a grey sweater from the end of my bed and threw it on before opening the door. I cracked it open just a little so Miles’ blue eyes appeared in the crevice. Opening it the smallest amount possible, I slid into the hallway. As soon as I stepped out, his arms were around my waist, pulling me close. I stood on my tip toes and wrapped mine around his shoulders, just like I pictured. We were holding each other so tightly I could barely breathe, but I didn’t care. He cupped my face in his hands and pressed his lips against mine hard and fast, giving me quick, urgent pecks.
“I’m so glad to see you,” he whispered. He pulled me against his chest again and I turned my head so I could hear his heartbeat. Miles gently cupped my cheek and pressed his lips against the top of my head. We stayed like that, sort of swaying back and forth, for what seems like an eternity. When I pulled back, I noticed how bright it was in the hallway. Much brighter than usual. I squinted my eyes. The lighting on the wall was no longer dimmed. The administration was already taking precautions.
“Let’s go to the café. I feel exposed in the hallway alone,” I said.
As we walked to the café the halls were silent. Most people were still asleep or maybe scared to leave their rooms, but as we got closer to the café mumbles of conversations began drifting through the air. When we entered the café, my mouth nearly fell open. There were even more people seated at the tables than usual. On a normal Saturday morning, it would be a ghost town before nine a.m. But not today. Tables were full and every student was leaned forward invested in their own conversations about their stories from last night. Even though everyone was focused on their personal discussion, I could tell they were alert at the same time, very aware of their surroundings. As we walked in between tables, trying to find an empty seat, I watched every head turn in our direction.
Some boys and girls sat up straight as we passed by, attempting to let everyone know they shouldn’t cross them. The younger students were clearly nervous, though. The girl last night could have been their friend. That would be enough to make anyone cower away from people they didn’t know, especially if both of those people were at the crime scene last night.
We finally found two chairs at a tiny table towards the back of the room, close to the food bar. “Do you want anything?” Miles asked. I shook my head no, and he sat down across from me. My stomach was too nervous to think about eating. As I looked around the room, I noticed most of the tables were void of trays. Everyone was on edge this morning and food was the last thing on our minds.
“What happened last night?” I asked, hesitantly. “Did the girl…”
“I was on the way back from the bathroom when I heard her scream,” he started from the beginning, his eyes staring into the distance like he was picturing himself back in the hallway. “I ran around the corner and she was on the ground. I tried to pick her up…maybe I shouldn’t have moved her. I didn’t know what to do. That’s when I saw her head was bleeding. It was everywhere…” He ran his fingers through his curly hair and tilted his head down in his hands. It was quiet for a moment. “I ran down the hallway and called the medical center on one of the emergency phones they keep in the corners of the hallways. They dispatched some nurses that were already close, but it was too late…” His voice trailed off. His head was still in his hands. So, the girl was gone. She didn’t survive.
I reached out and put my hand over his. He wrapped both his hands round mine and lifted his head back up. “Her bones were shattered, Josie. When she fell back, or was thrown back, she cracked her head. A spell did this…” His wild eyes seared through mine.
“Someone did a spell that caused this?” I asked in disbelief. “How do you know?”
“I’ve been studying different types of magic for a while—some good and some...not so good—and I read about a spell that causes this exact type of damage to the body. The nurses thought it was magic, too, but they didn’t know what spell.” The words fell out of his mouth so quickly it was almost impossible to understand.
“Did you tell them what spell it was?” I asked, flashing back to the black book on his nightstand again.
“Not at first,” he admitted as if he were ashamed. “I was scared, Josie. I didn’t want them to think I had done it. And there’s a book in my room with that exact spell in it. But I was talking to the Headmistress in the medical wing for hours. I couldn’t leave the girl with no answers. She deserved some justice. When they still couldn’t figure it out, I told one of the nurses what I thought it could be. The Headmistress recognized the spell right away. Maybe she knew the whole time and was waiting to see if I would crack. They had their cause of death, then. You can’t survive a spell like that.”
“Why would you be scared they would think it was you? You called for help, Miles. You did nothing wrong,” I tried to reassure him even though my words couldn’t fix what happened.
“You know what others assume about witches who study dark magic. If that’s your major at North End, people don’t want to associate with you. They’re scared you’re a Follower or a witch gone bad. I don’t want anyone to think of me that way. I don’t just study dark magic,” he whispered, glancing over his shoulder to make sure no one was listening to our conversation. “I just wanted to know as much as I could. And…I didn’t think it was a bad idea to be able to protect myself from those sorts of evil. My family history hasn’t been simple.”
“What do you mean?” I asked, confused. “Are you in danger?”
“No, no. I have no reason to think I’m in immediate danger.” He chose his words carefully and squeezed my hand tighter. “My mother…let’s just say she wasn’t Glinda the Good Witch. She joined a coven that did the Fallen Angel’s bidding. That’s when she left us. I assume she’s still with them if she’s still alive.” I could tell it was hard for him to say the words. His voice hitched when he uttered “still alive.”
“Miles, I am so sorry.” We both lost our mothers, but for two very different reasons. At least I felt peace knowing my mother had been good.
“I’m afraid she sold her soul to him. The Fallen Angel…” He shook his head and stared blankly at the table. “I just want to be able to protect my dad and myself. And now I want to be able to protect you.”
“I feel safe with you,” I smiled. And I meant it. All the doubts and suspicion from last night had already faded away.
“Do yo
u still trust me?” He looked at me with pleading eyes. “I know dark magic isn’t something to take lightly. I was going to tell you about my mother, too. I just didn’t know if that was really a second date conversation,” he laughed darkly and looked away. “It’s a lot for anyone to take in.”
I put my free hand on his chin and turned his head back to face me. “I trust you,” I told him with confidence. “This all feels more serious than just a second date anyway.” His smile touched his eyes, then.
“It does for me, too. I want you to know every part of me.” We stared into each other’s eyes for a while. I was lost in them. He wanted me to know all of him, but I felt like I already knew his soul. He was good.
“Does the Headmistress believe you?” I asked, directing the conversation back to the girl. “Do they know who did this?”
“No, they have no idea who has a motive. They’re sure it’s someone in the building. No unauthorized person has been in the school. It could be another student…a professor even. They don’t think I’m a suspect though. I spent nearly the whole night with Craw answering questions, helping them in any way I could.”
“Do you know who the girl was?” I asked him, scanning the café. Who here knew the girl? Who sat beside her in class? Who shared a room with her? Who was her Lillian? And who would want to harm her?
“Her name was Laura. She was thirteen. It was her first year.” I clenched my jaw as the weight of this news pushed down on my chest like a boulder. It was hard to catch my breath. She was in her first year. I remembered myself at that age. I had the perfect family. I was full of hope and wonder as I stepped foot on the island for the first time, the same hope and wonder Laura surely felt on her first day here, just a few months ago. She was still a child. “They don’t know much about her. She was only at school for a few months. Her family is a small, unproblematic few. It doesn’t make any sense.”
North End: The Black Forest Page 7