Gym class was the only time all of us were together. I looked to either side of me, glancing at the familiar faces and stopping when I saw Blake and his friends. He was dressed in shorts and a t-shirt, the only one who had less than two layers on. (Must be all that fire magic.) His broad chest strained against the white shirt he was wearing.
Our gym uniforms consisted of navy blue shorts and white polo shirts. We had bulky blue sweaters to wear in the colder weather. I hiked my socks up to my knees in an attempt to protect my skin from the cold.
A girl beside me waved her wand to cast a warming spell over her body.
My eyebrows shot up in realization. "Oh," I whispered. "That's a good idea."
She ignored me, but she had served her purpose. I pulled my wand out of my bag and drew a quick sigil. The heat enveloped me like a warm bath.
The gym teacher strode out. He was a huge man with wild dreadlocks and a crooked nose. A bear shifter, I had to guess, if bear shifters played in the NFL. I was pretty sure his biceps were bigger than my waist.
He stood in front of us with a clipboard in his hand, dressed in a blue velor track suit. "Alright ladies and gents. Looks like the weather has been merciful on us all. Let's get these drills done so we can all get back inside." His breath came out in misty clouds. The teacher pointed a meaty finger towards the track. "Four laps on the track, followed by push-ups." He barked. "Go!"
Everyone, even the stereotypically scrawny nerd type kids, ran off to the track with lightning speed.
I hesitated half a second before dashing off behind them. If I remembered correctly, four laps around a standard track was a mile. I hadn't ran in a long time but I was sure I'd make it. I paced myself and settled into the outer curve, watching the ponytail of the shifter girl in front of me bounce back and forth.
The cold air froze my lungs as I breathed in. I focused on the feeling of the gravel under my feet and the hair of the girl running ahead of me. The first lap went by easy, the second was fine, but by the third lap my lungs were burning.
A few students passed me. Actually, lapped me. I couldn't believe it. I kicked myself into high gear, speeding off at turning the corner as fast as I could.
The ponytail girl shrieked and startled as I moved past her.
Half a lap to go. I zeroed in on the finish line where half the class was catching their breath. The wind pushed against me, suddenly changing directions and blowing my hair into my face. I stumbled and tripped, skidding to a stop right before the white line. I groaned and picked myself up, but it was too late. I was dead last.
The wind swirled around me and settled down. I dusted the dirt from my knees, pulled up my socks, and looked over at the trio.
Zane was smirking and the other two were suppressing chuckles behind their hands.
I growled under my breath, wishing my wand was nearby. I'd give them something to laugh about. I shrugged it off and adjusted my shorts.
"Satisfactory work, team." The gruff man-bear-coach shouted. He turned and looked at me. "Losers get to pack up."
I opened my mouth to protest but shut it with a snap. Arguing probably wasn't a wise choice.
The coach walked off, shouting more orders and getting everyone lined up for the next exercise.
"Nice job, loser." Blake looked over his shoulder at me.
"Shut up," I hissed. "I wasn't going to lose."
"Anything that's not first counts as a loss." He shrugged.
I guess he had won the race. Typical. I wasn't even surprised. "So do you always cum first or are you a gentleman?" I asked with a smirk.
Fire blazed in his eyes. "What was that?"
"You heard what I said." I shot back.
Blake stopped in his tracks. "You're brave for a little witch without her stick."
"I don't need a wand to teach you a lesson."
"Funny, I was going to say the same thing." Blake balled his fists and flames shot up his forearms.
I dug my heels into the ground. I didn't need magic to fight. His fire didn't scare me. "Bring it, candle boy." I taunted.
"Knight! Hood!" Coach's voiced boomed and he put himself between us.
Blake extinguished his magic and put on an innocent face. "She was taunting me, coach."
My mouth fell open. "He was going to set me on fire."
Much to my dismay, the coach focused his attention on me. "Listen here, new girl. There will be no fighting in my class, do you understand? This is about physical fitness. It's not the time to show off your cute little magic tricks. No magic on my turf, ya hear?"
I forced a nod, looking away and catching the smug look on Blake's face over coach's shoulder.
I kept a low profile for the rest of the gym session which involved sit ups and push ups in the damp grass, followed by another four laps and finishing with an intense cardio drill. By the end my legs were shaking and my hair was plastered to my head.
A massive hand closed on my arm as I headed towards the change rooms. "I believe I said that losers get to clean up." The coach's deep voice grated on me.
My shoulders slumped. It took all of my self control not to slap his hand away and give him a piece of my mind. I simply nodded and he released me. I let out a breath. All this good behavior was going to kill me before they let me out of this place.
I found what he meant by cleaning up. Water bottles and towels were scattered all around the door. I gathered the towels up in my arms and dumped them into the hamper for washing. Next, I put the water bottles in a plastic bin for what I had to assume was mundane recycling.
When I returned to the entrance to the girl's change room, my heart dropped. My bag was gone. I had left it next to the wall with the others. Everyone had identical blue gym bags. Had someone taken it by mistake? Or had they taken it on purpose?
My wand was in there! If there was one thing in this world that I could not lose, it was my wand. I tore into the change room to find it silent and empty. I moved furiously, opening and slamming the lockers shut, checking under the benches, even the hampers filled with reeking gym clothes. The bag was gone.
"Looking for something?"
I whirled around to face Blake. "You're not allowed in here, it's the girl's change room!" I blurted, sounding more than a little juvenile.
"You're not supposed to be in here." Blake mocked and then held up whatever he was hiding behind is back. My gym bag. "I believe you were looking for something?"
"That's mine!" I gasped, lunging towards him.
Blake held it out of reach. "Don't think I'll give it to you that easy, little witch." He laughed.
"Give it back!" I demanded.
"Or what? What are you going to do without your wand?"
I growled and lashed out, my knuckles colliding with the side of his jaw. "Give it to me!" I shrieked.
Blake looked stunned, as if this was the first time I had punched him. His eyes glowed with anger. "You're such a little savage I would have guessed you were raised with mundane humans." He spat, taking a step back.
Physical contact was usually the last resort for magical folk, but I'd consider being cornered without my wand to be a situation where the last resort was more than applicable. "Don't test me," I said. "I'm not some little girl that you can abuse and have your way with, or did you forget that we live in a house of criminals?"
Blake grinned back. "Oh, I haven't forgotten." He stepped away from me, backing out of the change room and daring me to follow him.
I followed him knowing it was against my best interests. I just had to get my wand back, even if it meant putting myself in more danger than I was already in.
The clouds were thick above us now and the rain was starting to fall. The wind blew around and froze my damp hair to my neck. I stopped outside the building, not at all surprised to see Blake, Knox, and Zane waiting for me. The trio from hell, and not in a good way.
"Alright, you've proved your point. Give me back my bag." I demanded. For a moment I wondered if they were an illusion again. I was n
ot about to make the same mistake that I had made last night. "I'm done playing your games."
The wind changed directions and I caught a whiff of Blake's cologne. The rain was soaking his white shirt and causing the fabric to cling to his muscular body. This was no illusion, just pure sexy mage power.
Blake laughed and threw my gym back down on the grass. "Come get it."
I didn't hesitate. I dashed forward, forgetting to defend myself from their magic. Just as I reached the bag, wind buffeted me away and ice spread over my skin before shattering like glass. I screamed, stumbling back. The mages' elemental powers were enhanced by the weather.
"I said go for it," Blake said with his hands on his hips.
I sucked in a breath and reached for the bag again, only to be knocked away be a wall of flame
"Goddammit!" I screamed. I stepped back, gathering my nerve before grabbing my bag again. Ice covered my hands but I powered through it. I ignored the burning cold and grabbed my wand. With a shout, I pulled the wand free and drew a warming sigil to melt the ice on my arms.
The three Sons of Hell couldn't disguise the surprise on their faces.
I grinned, twirling my wand between my fingers. "It seems that you can only take me when I'm defenseless. What does that say about your strength?" I chuckled. They had consistently underestimated me and only seen my powers when I was struggling. They knew nothing of the magic that I had trained myself in.
Zane raised his hands to fight back but Blake stopped him. A smile slowly spread on his face. "Let me tell you something, little blue. For a while it felt nice to have someone who could match our skills in this boring place, but it's getting old. You need to learn how to respect those more powerful than you."
"You don't know the first thing about me!" I shot back.
"You're right, but that fact is mutual." Blake said. "I hope you realize that I've been holding back." He paused. "I could burn you alive right here if I wanted." He snapped his fingers and a circle of fire appeared around me to drive home his threat.
I couldn't show my fear. I cast another sigil to extinguish the flame. "You don't scare me," I said. Fine, maybe the only thing that was saving me from his wrath was the fact that he wanted to get out of this prison as bad as I did, but that only made us more alike.
"Right. I think we do a little more than light a fire in her," Zane said with a laugh. He raised his eyebrows at me suggestively.
Knox blushed, despite everything that was happening around him.
"What are you talking about?" I demanded, my grip tightening on my wand.
"You know what," Zane said. "That little fantasy in your bedroom last night."
"What? That was your cheap illusion!" I argued.
"An illusion driven by your emotions," Blake said and crossed his arms over his chest.
I faltered. "What? No. You were trying to get into my head."
"Turns out that you want us in something else." Zane snickered.
I was at a loss for words. I didn't believe them. Did I? I forced away memories of the illusion that had left me a little more than hot and bothered. Even if I did think these three were incredibly sexy, I had no reason to lust after them anymore after how they had treated me.
"Your silence isn't winning the argument." Knox added, his icy eyes challenging me.
I jerked back and shook my head. "Whatever. All I know is that you invaded my room and my head. It's not my fault things didn't go according to your plan. Why don't we just end this now?"
Blake chuckled. "That would be my pleasure," He said and raised his hand.
I winced as heat bristled across my skin. When I said "end this" I mean a truce, not a fight to the death. But, I wasn't going to go down without a fight. I turned my wand at him. With a flick of my wrist and a whispered hex, sent all three of them backwards into the mud.
Zane was the first to jump back to his feet. His uniform was caked in mud and grass. "Oh, you're going to regret that, little blue."
"Enough with the pet names," I shot back, holding my wand at the ready as the three inched towards me. "Back off. You haven't seen the worst I can do."
"Neither have you!" Blake growled. "This has been fun, witch, but now it's time to stop the games. I'm going to show you what happens when you mess with the Sons of Hell!"
All three mages summoned their elemental powers. Ice froze my feet where I stood, wind wrapped around my arms and pinned them to my sides, and fire drifted around me, crackling in my ears.
"I swore that I would break you," Blake said, stepping through the fire like some sort of demon. "And I never break my promises."
My lips trembled but no sound left me.
Blake tore my wand out of my hands.
"No!" I screamed.
"Let's see how strong you are without your magic, witch." Blake sneered and his eyes glittered.
I knew what he was going to do and I was powerless to stop it. "No, please!" I begged. My voice was barely loud enough to be heard over the snapping fire and howling wind.
"Too late to beg for mercy," Blake said. With one motion he snapped my wand over his knee and let it fall to the ground.
My world shattered around me and pain spread through my body. A witch's wand was connected to her soul through the magic within. I gasped and crumpled to the ground, finally released from their elemental hold. "No. My wand," I whispered. "My wand."
Somewhere in the distance there was a rumble of thunder and a flash of lightning. The Sons of Hell looked down at me as the rain quickened to a downpour.
"I warned you, witch." Blake turned on his heel and walked towards the manor without another word, the sounds of his steps in the mud flooded my ears. Zane and Knox went after him.
"Blake, don't you think that was too far?" Knox asked but Zane hushed him with a hiss and a slap to the back of his head.
I remained on my knees in the mud and stared at my wand. The wood was splintered and snapped completely in half. My pain in my chest had dulled to a slow burn. I reached out and grabbed the broken wand, holding it to me and fighting off tears that were mixing with rain water. I looked up to the foggy woodlands that surrounded the manor and let out a moan, mourning my now inaccessible magic.
I was broken.
ELEVEN
------------------------
BLAKE
Magical Training with Mr. Fry was possibly the biggest waste of time that I was subjected to on a weekly basis. It was obvious that my magical skills far surpassed most people in the Manor, including the professors. I had no need to learn about potions or techniques when my elemental magic covered all of my bases. I was no healer. I was no creator. Fire did one thing: destroy. Just like me.
Mr. Fry was about as wide as he was tall. He stood at the front of the classroom which he had organized to look more like a science lab with long benches and tables. He paused to catch his breath mid-sentence.
I turned my attention back to the table in front of me. I had etched swirls and circles into the wood with my finger, leaving singed patterns as I went.
Knox and Zane sat on either side of me, no doubt equally as bored. Their destructive powers weren't as impactive as mine, but they were no creators either.
Mages pulled their magic from their surroundings and the most common was elemental magic. Some mages were healers or seers, but that took magic from fellow people, drawing powers from the energy of others. Between mages and witches and warlocks, the argument was always the same: who was more powerful? Well, I had proved my point to that little blue witch. No one in Woodlock's dared mess with the Sons of Hell.
Suddenly, a roll of parchment shot into the classroom, propelled by blue flame. It zoomed around the ceiling before settling in front of me and extinguishing itself in a puff of blue smoke. The class went silent.
Mr. Fry looked over his round glasses at me. "No personal mail during class time, Mr. Hood." He sniffed.
I ignored him, grabbed my notebooks, and stalked out of the class with the blue roll of parchment
clenched tightly in my fist.
I didn't open the mail until I had walked up from the basement to the third floor. I knew this particular shade of blue meant the message was from my father. He had taught me to color code all of my messages when I was a kid. At first, it was a neat trick, but now it was essential to my survival here.
Once I was alone in my room and the magical locks were activated, I opened the scroll. Gleaming gold writing shone back at me.
Dear Son,
It has come to my attention that a new student has arrived at Woodlock's Home. She is no ordinary witch. I am asking you to keep a low profile. I will arrive at the manor tomorrow to discuss.
Father.
"Shit," I breathed and shook my head. "Bit late for that now." The page disintegrated into blue ash. I grimaced, not out of regret for my treatment of Evie, but because my father's warning reached me a day too late.
~
Visiting hours at Woodlock's were a rare occurrence. The security measures were increased and the magical barriers were strengthened to ensure that no one would try to escape during the visit. I met my father in a small, windowless room. There was no furniture aside from two chairs facing each other. The room was bare, illuminated from above by a witch charm. Headmistress Gertie, the only adult in this place who had powers worth a damn, stood out front for the duration of our meeting.
My father was there when I entered. He sat in one of the plush chairs, holding a glass tumbler of liquor. Brandy, if I had to guess. That was his favorite. "Father," I said as the door shut and locked behind me. There was a hum of magical energy as the barriers were reinforced.
My father gestured to the chair in front of him. "Hello Blake. Good to see you." His face was like stone.
I sat facing him. Even though I was almost twenty-one, his authority put me on edge. He was a powerful mage and I hoped to be like him one day. I just had to keep proving myself. I waited for him to speak again.
"I hope my letter has not been shared with anyone?" He asked.
I shook my head. "No, it incinerated. My eyes were the only ones that saw it."
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