First Time's a Charm

by Laura Greenwood

  "And here was me thinking the two of you could fall madly in love with one another and I'd get to keep you as my sister-in-law for the rest of my life." She genuinely seems to like the idea, which is odd. Maybe I should have spoken up earlier.

  "I plan on being in your life forever anyway," I counter.

  "That's not a no on Ryan..."

  I sigh. "I don't think it's a good idea to go down that path. It'll only end in heartbreak."

  "Hmm." She doesn't seem convinced, but also doesn't contradict me. That says it all. Ryan and me isn't something that's going to happen. Now, or in the future.

  I let my gaze stray back to the kitten playing in the feathers. I can see Rhubarb in my life for a long time to come. We'll be a dream team. The witch and the cutest familiar ever.

  Eventually, she says goodnight and heads to her own room, no doubt to do the homework she's been set. The course load is definitely bigger than I expected when I first came here, but I appreciate the distraction from my magicless situation.

  I set about working on my essay, ignoring Rhubarb as best I can. He seems happy to keep playing on the ground, so it seems okay to just leave him there. At least he's happy. That's a good start.

  My phone vibrates, the sound of it rattling against the table making me jump. Sometimes, I swear it's louder than if I actually had a ringtone.

  A smile spreads over my face as I think about Thomas. I didn't think he would text so soon. I grab it from the desk and check my messages, only to find Caspian's name flashing on the screen. Huh. My smile doesn't fade though, and I reply instantly. Maybe that makes me look too keen, but I don't care. It's fun to think the popular guy is even remotely interested in me and I'm going to make the most of it before he figures out how much of a loser I really am.

  Chapter Six

  My knife slips through ginger root, slicing it to the perfect thickness for the potion we're making. My Grandma taught me how to brew potions, and thankfully, this skill hasn't abandoned me with the rest. As far as I know, I'm the top of this class.

  The cauldron fizzes as I drop it in, emitting the most delicious smell imaginable. I know that's the point of what we're brewing, but it still takes me a moment to get used to it.

  "Excellent work, Miss Black," Professor Clay observes as he walks past me, sniffing my cauldron. "Needs a bit more work, Mr Chambers."

  Ryan scowls at his pot in response, but doesn't say anything. Once the professor moves on to another table, I can give him a helping hand on the sly. Except that I can't. I need to avoid any possible contact with him or I'm only going to confuse myself even more.

  I stir my potion, watching it turn from a dark blue colour to a more striking turquoise.

  "What's this one supposed to do again?" Daphne whispers, tucking a strand of pink hair behind her ear.

  "It's supposed to help you work out what you want the most," I respond quickly. One thing I've never worked out about this class is whether we're allowed to talk or not. Normally, it's pretty clear, but the moment the cauldrons and ingredients come out, everyone seems to go silent.

  "I know a few people who could use this."

  "Yeah," I agree, only my thoughts won't stray from the fact I might be one of the people who benefits from this kind of potion. I clearly need help deciding what I want.

  Actually, not true. I know exactly what I want. It's my secondary wants which are a little less clear, but I'll deal with them in time.

  Ryan's pot begins to vibrate, a vile green smoke rising from it, filling the room with the stink of unwashed socks.

  I wrinkle my nose. He needs to get that under control or we're all going to leave the room smelling awful.

  "Mona, little help here?" Daphne prompts as she drags Ryan's cauldron off the heat.

  I sigh. I'm trying to stay out of his way so I don't confuse myself, but I can't very well ignore the fact his potion is about to explode.

  "Here." I push the rest of my ginger root towards him. "Peel it and drop the rind in. I'll get some chilli seeds," I instruct, already heading towards the storeroom.

  "We're not making a curry," Daphne mutters.

  I snort but otherwise ignore her. Potions is probably the one subject she's not good at. It's not worth explaining they're not cooking chillies. At least, I don't want to eat them in my food. They'd blow my head off, and not in the metaphorical sense either.

  Pulling the jar off the shelf, I head back to my friends.

  "You really are going to put a chilli in there, aren't you?" Daphne asks.

  "Yep." I grab the biggest one I can find. Ryan's potion is getting more dangerous by the second, he's going to need all the help the seeds can give him.

  And then probably some more too.

  I wish I had time to clean my knife first, but it's only had ginger on it so far and that's already in Ryan's pot. Deseeding the chilli takes a minute at most, and I barge through them all to come face to face with the monstrosity he's been brewing.

  "Do I even want to know?" I ask him.

  He shakes his head. "This isn't my strong suit," he admits sheepishly.

  "You don't say," I mutter as I scrape the seeds in.

  The smoke flickers in front of us, wisps of it smelling sweet like they should, but the rest still reeking of socks. Not the best combination. But that left me with the dilemma of what to try next.

  "Don't put anything else in that pot," I warn the twins. From experience, I know the two of them will try anything once my back is turned. Their parents must have had a handful when they were small.

  I search through the store cupboard, hoping to find some inspiration. This is where it might have been useful for us to have some more theory lessons before diving straight into the potion brewing. But I like making things with my hands, I'm not going to complain about the teaching methods too much.

  "What to put in it?" I ask myself as my hand brushes over a jar of newt eyes. I grimace. That's a slightly less savoury part of potion making, but I don't have any control over what ingredient does what.

  My thoughts are interrupted by a loud bang from the main room. "Oh Ryan," I sigh. And not in the dreamy-want-to-make-out way either.

  I abandon my search for something that will help his potion. There's no point in me doing that now and we all know it.

  It takes about thirty seconds for me to realise our bench is almost completely destroyed. At least Daphne has my notebook in her hand, only a small amount of potion covering the corner of it.

  Professor Clay waddles over, the alarm visible even through his bushy beard and moustache. "What's happening here?" he asks hastily. "Miss Black? Is this your doing?"

  "I was only trying to fix it," I admit, looking down at my feet and shuffling from side to side.

  "It's my fault," Ryan says. "I think I put too much wormwood in the initial mix."

  The professor sighs. "At least you know what you did wrong. Clean up this mess, all three of you, and you won't need to be marked down on this."

  I close my eyes and count to three, glad to have got away with just a bit of cleaning up to do. The relief disappears the moment Daphne and Ryan pull out their wands.

  The rest of the class are starting to stare, and I know I have no choice but to do the same. At least I have a few spells in mind from helping Mum clean the house. If it decides to work, anyway. If not...well I'll sort that out when I make a mess of things.

  I wave my wand over the grey sludge on my part of the desk. I don't know what Ryan did to make his potion go quite this wrong, but it really is something spectacular.

  A short zing of magic flows through me and into my wand. That's a good start.

  Or it is until the tittering starts from the students around me.

  "Can I have this one?" Daphne asks, and I instantly know what's happened.

  Sure enough, I look down to find a kitten perched on top of the blissfully clean desk. I suppose it's a step in the right direction if I'm able to do the magic I intend to, even if I do randomly produce a kitten i
n the process. This one is ginger, with eyes not quite as big as Rhubarb's but still cute.

  "No, this one's mine too." Though I need Caspian to tell me if it's a boy or a girl. Not that it matters, I'll call it Ginger either way.

  "That's some interesting cleaning, Miss Black," Professor Clay observes.

  "The bench isn't covered in sludge any more?" I suggest weakly.

  "That is true. I hope you're having that looked at." He nods towards my wand.

  "I am," I say softly, hoping the rest of my classmates can't hear me. At least Ivy isn't in this class. That would just be bad luck on my part. She already has it out for me, I don't need her to see me producing more kittens by accident.

  "Good. Then I suggest you take the animal somewhere safer than here."

  "Yes, sir." I scoop up the kitten even before I've finished speaking.

  Daphne stuffs my notebook into my bag and hangs it over my shoulder.

  "Cheers."

  She smiles weakly, as if she doesn't know what to say about my whole situation. I don't blame her, I wouldn't either if I were in her position. Maybe she didn't believe I'd just conjured Rhubarb out of nothing yesterday until now. Another thing I don't consider her fault. Magic backfiring to the extent of conjuring kittens is something no one would actually believe.

  "Sorry, Mona," Ryan mutters quietly.

  "Not your fault," I respond, giving him a weak smile that I hope goes some way to reassuring him. Or maybe I'm freaking him out instead and he won't want anything else to do with me ever.

  That seems more likely.

  I slip out of the lab and head down the hall, not too sure where I'm going until I'm in front of Thomas' door. I raise my fist to knock, already worrying that I'm overstepping by coming around when he isn't expecting me. Equally, I don't know where else to go, and he has promised to help me get a handle on my situation.

  Maybe the cats are a clue. Though maybe not.

  I rap on the door, but don't get an answer. Shifting from side to side, I try and work out how long to wait for. Class will be over soon and students will fill the halls again on their way to their next lecture, or to study, or whatever else they do in their time between lessons. I can't say I've spoken with enough of them to be completely sure.

  There's no option but to knock again. Well, that's a lie. I could also give up, but I don't really want to, and only partly because I want to know about my condition. The rest of me just wants to see Thomas again.

  I check my watch, knowing I only have a few minutes of peace before the bell rings. With a grunt of frustration, I abandon my position outside the door. I need to get away from here before someone sees me with the kitten and starts asking questions I don't want to answer.

  At least my room is safe. Or it should be. For all I know, Rhubarb might have destroyed it while I've been gone. I hope not, but I've never had a kitten before and don't know what their destructive powers are like.

  Hopefully, he'll have been a good boy and not ripped anything to shreds.

  Chapter Seven

  I shuffle on the bed, propping myself up on my elbows so I can watch the two kittens play on the floor. They're chasing one of my slippers around, and making me very glad I never wear them. By the time the two of them are finished, I'm sure there won't be any of them left.

  A knock sounds at the door, drawing me out of my little kitten loving haze. I don't know what it is about them, but I'm captivated. At this rate, I'm going to start thinking I somehow imbued them with a love potion.

  "Coming," I shout, wondering who it can be. Daphne would just have walked in. She has no respect for personal space, something I definitely expect from having a best friend.

  I pull the door open and blink a couple of times.

  "Can I come in?" Caspian asks, his voice rasping through me and making my heart do a weird somersault.

  "Erm, sure. How did you get into the flat?" As far as I know, the front door has a lock on it just like my bedroom does.

  "Your friend let me in. She called me Thomas." He frowns.

  "That's Mr Smith," I say. "I told her he was helping me with the kitten situation."

  "Ah, that makes sense. So, may I? Or would you prefer to have this conversation in your doorway?" The words should sound sarcastic, and yet they don't. I think he probably would have this conversation right where we're standing if he thought it'd make me more comfortable.

  "Come in, but watch out for the kittens," I warn.

  "Kittens? As in more than one?"

  I sigh. "I made another one in potions," I admit.

  "That only gives me more questions."

  I chuckle. "I was cleaning up my friend's mess. Or trying to."

  "Ah. Do they have names?" He sets the bag he's carrying on the floor, and both kittens run straight over to it, sniffing and pawing at the plastic.

  "The one from yesterday is Rhubarb. The ginger one is, erm, Ginger." Now I'm telling someone, it seems like a stupid name. And one that's far too obvious.

  "Was one of the ingredients you used today ginger by any chance?" he asks.

  I nod. "I think that's why it came out this way."

  "You don't know if it's a boy or a girl yet, do you?" he teases.

  I hang my head in shame. "I don't have the first idea about where to start." And my online searches just led to me staring at cat memes for three hours. Hardly productive research.

  "Luckily for you, I do. I brought you everything you need."

  "You...what?"

  Instead of answering, he dug into the bag and pulls out what looks like a cushion. He places it in the corner next to the radiator, and both kittens plough into it.

  "They really like what you brought."

  "They should, everything is designed for kittens." He hands me a book from his bag.

  "A beginner's guide to kittens?" I read the title to him.

  "You said you didn't know anything about them, it seemed sensible to start at the beginning."

  "I'm not going to lie, you may be on to something there." I sit down on the floor and cross my legs, aware of how low down it makes me compared to him. I hope he gets the message and sits with me, it could be awkward if not.

  Thankfully, he does, and our knees brush against one another as we sit side by side.

  "What else did you bring?" I ask.

  "Not much. Some toys, kitten food, a food and water dish. Just the stuff you need to get started."

  "Thank you," I whisper. "I don't understand why you're doing this, but thank you." My hand almost flies to my mouth in an attempt to shove the words back in, but I refrain. I don't want to draw any more attention to what I'd said than I have to.

  "Maybe I saw a pretty girl in need and I wanted to help. Or maybe I really like cats. Or, there is this remote possibility that I'm just a new guy here who wants to makes friends rather than be the odd one out."

  "And your choice of friend is a girl who magically creates cats when she tries to do magic?" I raise an eyebrow.

  Rhubarb chooses that moment to come up to the two of us and jump about. I think he wants to play, but I'm still learning his mannerisms, so I'm not entirely sure about that.

  Caspian isn't phased, and picks up one of the toys, moving it back and forth so the stuffed mouse on the end wiggles about in front of the kitten.

  "Is that a mouse on a stick?" I ask, completely forgetting about my other question.

  "Yes. And as for making friends with a girl who conjures cats...I think there's more to people than what they can and can't do. Just because your magic does this, it doesn't mean I shouldn't be your friend. Nor does it mean we won't get on well. I'm more interested in you than in your magic, Mona."

  My heart swells in my chest, though I try not to let it get too big. I don't want to lose rational thinking.

  Rhubarb pounces on the mouse, looking victorious even if I suspect Caspian let him have it.

  "We should get them collars," he says.

  "I wouldn't even know where to start looking for t
hem. Where did you get this stuff from? And how much do I owe you?" I ask, already disappointed in myself for not asking that sooner.

  "Next day delivery is a wonderful thing," he teases.

  "Wait, you ordered all this yesterday?"

  He nods. "But mostly as an excuse to come talk to you."

  "You have my number, why not just ask if you could come over?"

  He shrugs. "This felt more personal. I want to get to know you, Mona. And not over the phone."

  Oh wow, I've found a rare one. I should try and keep him around. Especially if he's going to forgive me my eccentricities already.

  "You still haven't told me how much I owe you for the kitten stuff," I prompt. I don't want him to think I'm just using him to buy me stuff. That's not a good way to start a relationship.

  Oh. Look at that. I don't need a potion to tell me what I want after all. Apparently, the attractive new guy is what I'm after.

  "You don't owe me anything."

  I open my mouth to protest, but shut it again when he shakes his head.

  "You can repay me by agreeing to come to a party with me tomorrow night."

  "I'm not sure that's a good idea." I glance away.

  "Oh, I'm sorry, was that Ryan guy your boyfriend?"

  I can't stop the laugh that escapes me. "Far from it. He's my best friend's twin brother."

  "You say that like it's not possible to be in a relationship with someone in that position."

  I know he's just trying to sound me out, but it's kind of weird to talk about this with him.

  "I don't have a boyfriend," I say instead of addressing his comment about Ryan. That has too many complications attached, and whatever my feelings, I don't want to lie to Caspian. That feels like a bad way to start whatever this is between us.

  "Okay, so come to the party with me?"

  "I'm not really a party person."

  "You seemed to have a good time the other night."

  Huh. I suppose he's right. Other than the failing at magic in front of others part, I did have a good time. And even the magic part wasn't too bad. I'm used to being in that situation now.