“Thanks for standing up for me,” she said. Kiera wrapped her arms around me in a surprise hug and I tenderly hugged her back.
“Uh, anytime,” I said awkwardly. What was I supposed to do? I tried to figure out where to put my hands and how to move my body, but I just managed to make the hug even more awkward and uncomfortable for both of us.
Henry laughed and Kiera chuckled.
“Never been hugged before?”
“Um, only by my grandmother, I guess,” I said.
And she was old and frail.
Hugs with her were…gentle.
Different.
Not like hugging a friend.
I liked it though: having a friend. It was a rather unusual feeling for me. I had known that I wanted friends, but I guess I didn’t realize just how incredible it would really be.
Now I did.
“All right, well, stay cool,” Kiera said. “And thanks again.” She went into the dorm room and closed the door behind her. Henry turned to me and offered me his arm.
“Shall we?” He said, gesturing.
I laughed and took his arm. Together we skipped down the hall to my room and stopped in front of the door.
“You know,” I said. “I don’t even think we’re supposed to let boys in here.”
“Don’t you worry about that,” he said nonchalantly. He didn’t seem the least bit worried. I’d only known Henry a few hours, but that’s how he was.
Unworried.
Calm.
Relaxed.
He was completely casual in the way he carried himself. He was comfortable and confident. I realized that I still didn’t know exactly what his powers were, but maybe he was a little shy about it, too.
“I had fun today,” I told him.
“Yeah,” he grinned, shoving his hands in his pockets. “Me too. See you tomorrow?”
“Okay,” I said.
He waved and left without hugging me. I felt a little tug on my heart because there had been a part of me that kind of hoped he would offer one. Not that I needed a boyfriend. I didn’t. I totally didn’t.
But if I was going to get one, I hoped it would be with someone like Henry.
Someone who was kind and understanding.
Someone who didn’t make me feel completely awkward or useless.
I went into my room and shut the door. I had mastered the art of opening it. Somehow, doing that little bit of magic seemed much more manageable after a couple of days of practicing. It was a relief, really. I didn’t want to be the only witch in the school who couldn’t perform simple tasks, but it was more than that. Being able to open my door meant that maybe, if I tried hard, I might be able to manage other tasks.
Like performing different spells.
And shifting.
I’d seen one of the tigers shift just that morning. It had been the coolest thing I’d ever seen, and it was also the first time I felt such a deep longing to be able to summon my inner-wolf.
After Erin left me at Hybrid Academy, I actually tried to shift.
I did my best.
I really did.
I went into my room, closed the door, shut my eyes, and just tried.
But nothing happened.
I tried to remember my parents. Had I ever seen my father shift? I hadn’t. I was certain of that. I hadn’t known he was a shifter. I had no idea, and that bothered me more than it should have. Most parents have secrets: things they hide away and hope their children never discover.
My parents? They had more than most.
Apparently.
I hadn’t known any of that until my grandmother vanished.
“Think animal thoughts,” I muttered to myself. I closed my eyes again and tried. I relaxed my entire body and just breathed in and out. Somewhere at the edge of my consciousness, I thought I could feel it. There was something there. It felt like there was something trying to get my attention.
The wolf.
It was my wolf.
I knew that’s what my inner-animal was. She lurked, just out of reach: like waking up from a dream you loved and not quite being able to remember what it was about. I wanted to reach out to her and call her to myself. I tried, over and over, but nothing happened.
Frustrated, I threw my hands down and got up, pacing. My agitation levels were through the roof. I needed my familiar. Somehow, Boo always had a calming effect on me. He was the best pet anyone could ever wish for. My grandmother had chosen well when she’d found him for me.
I checked under my bed for Boo, but he wasn’t there. He wasn’t in the closet, either. Did I forget to close the windows? I went over to them and one was ajar, but not wide enough that he’d be able to get out of.
He definitely wasn’t in my room, though.
“Boo?” I whispered, looking around. Had I actually lost my cat? Perfect. Just perfect. After a long, hellish day, much of which was spent being a hamster, the one creature I wanted to see was the one I couldn’t seem to locate. That wasn’t unusual for Boo, though. He often left for periods at a time. At first, I’d thought he didn’t like living with Grams and me, but after awhile, I became used to the way that he seemed to come and go. He came to live with us when I was 13, but during that time, he’d disappear for days or weeks at a time. He always came back to me, though.
I just hoped he’d come back this time, too.
Chapter 10
My days at Hybrid Academy flew by. As I became more comfortable being surrounded by magic all the time, life at the school became simpler. I took special care to avoid Patricia and Jeremiah as much as possible. Raymond was out of class for over a week, but eventually, he seemed to calm down and return to the world of the magical. Once he started coming to class, things seemed to return to normal very quickly. No one spoke of the great pig incident aside from both Jeremiah and Patricia. They seemed to think it was funny to make oinking sounds whenever Raymond walked by. As far as I could tell, he ignored them, but that only served to make things worse.
I was sitting in Potions for Ordinary Use about a month after the chess tournament. Kiera wasn’t in the class with me. Neither was Henry. In fact, I wasn’t really sure what either of their schedules were. I had enrolled so late that I’d just been stuck in any classes that had openings. Unfortunately for me, that meant my schedule was beyond strange. Fortunately for me, it meant the teachers had very low expectations of me. They were willing to let me get away with much more than they did other students and were endlessly patient when I had questions about things that had been covered before I arrived.
That particular day was rainy and cold. The entire class was grumbling because there were tests due the next week. Soon there would be some sort of autumn break. It wasn’t quite a holiday break, but it meant nearly a week without classes, during which students could travel or do what they liked.
“I know everyone is anxious to be on break,” Mr. Brax, our instructor, said. “But before I can release you for the day, we need to finish discussing the value of ordinary potions in our everyday lives. Let’s finish our review and then,” he glanced at his pocket watch. “I can aim to have you out of here, oh, about ten minutes early.”
It had been weeks and I still didn’t know why everyone was so hell bent on using pocket watches all of the time. Modern technology existed. It just seemed like witches didn’t much care for it.
“Who can tell me what the most important potion is to have on hand in one’s home?” Mr. Brax asked from the front of the class.
Tanaya, a werebear shifter, raised her hand.
“Tanaya?”
“Venoila potion,” she said.
“And why venoila potion?” Asked Mr. Brax.
“Because you can use it for a variety of ailments,” she said. Tanaya gave the most textbook perfect answer I’d ever heard. “The healing properties of the venoila plant make it an ideal choice for cuts, bruises, and scrapes. You can even use it as an ointment on minor kitchen burns.”
“Who wastes time cooking when y
ou can use a spell?” One of the guys at the back of the class asked. Everyone laughed, but Mr. Brax shook his head.
“Actually, Anthony raises an interesting question. Any ideas on why it’s still important to learn basic skills, such as cooking?” He looked at me and raised an eyebrow.
“Uh, because if you can’t perform spells for some reason, you should still know how to do things,” I answered.
“That’s absolutely right,” said Mr. Brax. “Maxine is the perfect example of this, as are many first year students who haven’t yet earned their wands. They’ve demonstrated an interest in magic, perhaps even an excitement and willingness to learn, but they can’t quite grasp the methods used that bring forth the magic from within.”
A few students turned to look at me and I slunk down in my chair.
I didn’t want to be the weirdo today.
“If something happens,” Mr. Brax said. “And you become unable to use magic, you’ll still need to be able to do things without it. Survival skills never go out of style,” he smiled. “So things like learning to fight, to punch, to kick: these are all vital when it comes to surviving in the non-magical world.”
“How many of us actually go into the non-magical world, though?” A girl asked. “I mean, seriously. Most of us grew up in magical homes, came to the Academy, and then plan to go into magical work.”
“You might be surprised, Miss Kensington, just how many o f your classmates share neither your same history nor your same future, so before you begin making assumptions, it might be best to observe the world around you now.”
Mr. Brax continued speaking, but the words seemed to fade away as I thought about his comments. He was right. Most of us came from different backgrounds and we had different futures. That was what made us stand apart. That was how we were different. It mattered far less whether someone was a fairy or an angel or a demon. Those were just quarter notes in the sheet music of our lives. The real song was how we’d use the things we learned here, during this time, to shape the world around us.
Eventually, the class ended and everyone left. I grabbed my books and notes and headed out into the hallway. I had an hour to myself before my next class, so I decided to go back to my dorm room. When I approached the room, I prepared to unlock the door. I’d gotten quite adept at locking and unlocking doors in the school. It was quite the skill to have.
In fact, it made me ridiculously happy that I could, without any difficulty, completely control my ability to enter different spaces. Of course, unlocking a door meant knowing the right spell to open it. Still, being able to simply whisper a secret code and have a door swing open was quite exciting.
Only today, I didn’t have to unlock my door because it was already open when I got back to my room. Strange. I was certain I’d locked it, but then again, I was always certain about these things. Maybe I’d made a mistake somehow. Perhaps I’d only thought I’d locked it. I stepped aside as a group of girls walked by, talking and laughing. Once they were out of sight, I moved forward, closer to my door.
Who was inside?
Deciding that it didn’t really matter, that someone was probably playing a prank on me, I pushed the door open to find Erin leaning against the wall. She looked comfortable and at ease. She was so self-assured that it was crazy to me.
“Hey, kid,” she said.
“Erin?”
I rushed forward and wrapped my arms around her. Damn. It was so good to see her. I couldn’t quite believe she’d come back.
“Happy to see me?” She asked with a chuckle. She hugged me back, though, tightly squeezing me.
“I kind of thought you’d forgotten about me.”
“Max,” she said slowly.
“I know, it’s dumb,” I said. “But…” I didn’t finish my sentence. I didn’t say, “But everyone else I’ve ever loved is gone,” which is what I wanted to say. That’s what I felt. Erin seemed to know, though, because she hugged me again for a long time and when she released me, she motioned for me to have a seat.
“Crisp?” She offered, holding out a bag.
“Crisp? Are you British now?” I took one, though, eating it happily. The food at Hybrid Academy was good, but there was nothing quite like a good, old-fashioned snack. I was a sucker for things that were bad for me, unfortunately, and Erin knew it.
“Not British, but I have been traveling.”
“Where have you been to?”
“A lot of places,” she said. “I’ve been looking for answers.”
“And have you found any?”
She nodded slowly, and I set the crisp down. Suddenly, I was on high alert. What had she found? What hadn’t she told me? What did I need to know about this place?
“You found the people who took grandmother?”
“I found Troy,” she said. “He was definitely a vampire, as I suspected.”
“How did you find him?”
Erin rolled her eyes.
“He came back to your grandmother’s home. After I dropped you off here, I took a detour back to the house. Sure enough, there were five vampires there just hanging out. If I had to guess, I’d say they were waiting for you.”
“Where is he now?” I asked, but Erin gave me a pointed look.
Oh.
I gulped.
Remind me not to mess with Aunt Erin.
“What happened?” I finally asked her. “Did you find out where they took grandmother?”
“Your grandmother is dead, love,” Erin said softly. “I’m sorry. I know I said it before, but the vamps only confirmed it. As to why they were looking for your grandmother, well, I’m not entirely sure. It seems your grandmother was the holder of a number of different magical items. Some of them were more…valuable than others.”
Valuable?
I had never told Erin that I took the spell book from my grandmother’s house. Somehow, that seemed like a secret for me and my grandmother. It wasn’t that I didn’t trust Erin, but that I didn’t trust anyone. Besides, Erin had dropped me off at Hybrid Academy without a word of warning. If she knew about the book, I half-suspected that she would take it and find a way to solve the mystery of my grandmother’s disappearance without me.
Maybe it was selfish, but I wasn’t about to let that happen.
“Honey, I know you can’t use magic,” Erin said.
“Well, actually,” I was about to tell her that I could use magic now. I’d had weeks to think about why coming to Hybrid Academy meant I could suddenly use my powers. What was it about the school that had somehow opened up my ability to do minor spells?
Then I’d realized that I’d been warded for ten years. My parents had ensured that no magic user could find me. What if that also meant I couldn’t use magic at all? What if the warding spell meant magic couldn’t find me?
Since coming to Hybrid Academy, I’d gotten more and more comfortable with the idea of using magic. I’d been able to unlock doors and I could even levitate a few items. I still hadn’t shifted, but I’d gotten closer than I ever had before.
“Actually?” Erin’s eyes narrowed for just a second, but then her face stilled. What the hell? It almost seemed like she was angry at the idea of me being able to use magic at all. Why would that be?
Erin wanted to help me, didn’t she?
Didn’t she want me to find my grandmother?
Only, she didn’t. Erin didn’t want that at all. She had hidden me away at a school I knew nothing about. She had placed me under the watchful eye of two people – Headmistress Gregory and Miss Wilson – she was friends with. She’d stayed away for weeks during her “investigation.” How did I know she was even investigating anything?
Maybe she was just biding her time?
“Actually, I was just going to say, that I think I’ve finally come to terms with my inability to use magic,” I said finally, not ready to reveal to her that I could use it. There was something a little bit…off…about Aunt Erin, and it made me uncomfortable. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it.
She eyed me suspiciously, but finally seemed to calm down a little bit.
“Well, I’m glad you’re a little more comfortable with being here,” she said finally. “My time here was quite wonderful.”
“Did you have a roommate when you were here?” I asked.
“I did,” she told me.
Somehow, I already knew who it was.
“Miss Wilson,” she said. “The two of us were basically inseparable.”
“And now?” I asked. “Are you still good friends?”
“We’re not as close as we were,” Erin said, and for the first time, she sounded almost…regretful. She quickly composed herself. “In any case,” Erin continued. “I need to find out what the vampires were looking for.”
“At grandmother’s house?”
“Yes.”
“Do you have any leads?” I asked carefully. What would she say? There was no way Erin could know I had the book. Now that I was feeling suspicious and uncomfortable around her, things were starting to seem a little clearer. After weeks of not being warded, my shifter senses were stronger than they’d ever been before, and I noticed something I hadn’t the last time I’d been around my aunt.
She was anxious.
Nervous.
Her heartbeat was racing very, very quickly.
How much of what my aunt told me had been true?
And how much of it had been a way to find out what I knew about my grandmother’s work?
It seemed strange that the day my wards were off would be the same day that someone would attack my grandmother and kidnap her. It seemed weird that my aunt would magically show up on the same day. She’d led me to believe that my grandmother had somehow summoned her for help, but what if that wasn’t what happened at all?
What if, in my story, my own aunt was the villain?
Chapter 11
Our holiday break arrived, but my aunt didn’t come to see me. She sent word that she was busy with her coven and that she was still trying to find the secret objects the vampires were after. She hadn’t found out where the book was, or even that it was what they’d been looking for. Unlike my aunt, I did know where the book was, and I spent my time a little differently. Instead of trying to hunt down the people who had taken my grandmother, I tried to find out what exactly they had been after.
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