“Good choice in clubs. We’ll have fun.” She smiled.
All Ethan could do was shake his head and try to keep his jaw shut. Peter elbowed him in the ribs as he stared at Grace walking off. He shook his head and signed his name and then Peter’s, and handed the pen to Emma. She giggled at the frozen zombie look on his face and scribbled her name down.
“Why don’t you talk to her? And I mean talk, not scream.” Emma giggled.
“I tried that. Even had a dance with her last year, but I still can’t get past it. She is the girl everyone wants to date, and besides, she is super-smart.”
“So?” Emma furrowed her brow.
“So, she will hang out with me for an hour and realize how stupid I am. That will be the end of something that never began.”
“You don’t give yourself enough credit. Besides, it’s high school. No one dates you for your brains.”
“Hmm, good point.” Ethan nodded.
Peter narrowed his eyes and put up his finger, but decided not to say anything. Ethan put his arm around him and ruffled his hair, knowing that statement definitely had thrown him for a loop.
“It’s okay buddy. We’ll explain it all when you’re older.”
They laughed and headed off to class. To the right of the main bulletin board was another one, full of the clubs people hoped would become popular, although most ended up with a couple of members at most. Standing around that board was a group of young wizards and witches who had modified their school uniforms to look like suits.
The girls wore their hair pulled back tight at their necks, and all the boys sported a raised eyebrow like they were constantly deep in thought. One by one they signed their names to the sheet for the Future Leaders’ Club. Really what that meant was they would end up becoming politicians, business owners, or trust-fund babies.
They liked to talk because they liked the sound of their own voices, and a debate was always a bust because everyone thought the exact same way about just about everything.
This group didn’t even need a club since they were together all the time, but they were obsessed with college résumés and figured it would help them get into their Ivy League colleges if they had a bunch of extracurriculars on them. None of who they called “The Outsiders” would even think about signing up for the club, nor would they be welcomed.
Next to them on a lonely board by itself was the sign-up sheet for the magical government’s version of the ROTC, Reserve Officer Training Corps. It was General Anderson’s addition, and his greatest hope was that the school would fulfill its mission to provide a pipeline of magical students trained to work in various branches of the government.
Only one kid stood in front of the sheet, looking right and left and trying to hide his face. He had been told by his parents that he should sign up, especially since his dad worked for the Magical Division.
“Not into being an outcast, Dad,” he muttered. He hemmed and hawed, lifted his pen, then lowered it. Finally, the second bell rang, sending a shiver through him, and he shook his head, walking away. “I want to be on the newspaper. Dad will just have to get used to it.”
That was it—a high school like any other—and it was about to get fun.
7
It was the first class of their sophomore year, and Ethan squeaked in just as the last bell rang. Izzie sat on the right side of the second row, with Alison behind her. Tanner sat in the center of the last row with his head down, trying to avoid the irritated stares. Everyone had pegged him as a toombie and whispered about him hexing kids and casting dark magic.
Alison was his only real friend.
Professor Xander Powell stood at the front of the classroom in his dark-teal suit, pressed white shirt, and thin purple tie. His salt-and-pepper hair was pushed back but not gelled, so it was slightly poufy and stuck out here and there. Despite that, though, he was a good-looking middle-aged man, and not at all what everyone expected as their Dark Magic Professor. His rimless glasses perched high on the bridge of his nose, and he leaned back against his desk, one ankle crossed over the other, flipping through the pages of his text.
When the class finally quieted he glanced up, shut his book loudly, and pulled out his wand. Everyone’s eyes went wide, and several of them laughed as he whipped around and wrote on the board behind him with magic. His handwriting was impeccable, and his name sprawled out at the top of the board in calligraphy.
Everyone opened their fresh new notebooks and started writing whatever popped up on the board. They weren’t entirely sure they needed to, but since he wrote the word RULES in big bold letters, they figured he was really serious about it.
Alison stared at the professor’s soul glowing brightly at the front of the class.
She could tell he was weathered and tired and had been through a lot in his life, but there wasn’t a smidgen of dark magic in him, which she found odd for the teacher charged with instructing them in the subject. She figured it was probably too dangerous to have someone who actually practiced dark magic teach at the school. She really hadn’t expected to learn it, just learn about it—not that she didn’t know enough already.
He cleared his throat, and turned around to address the class.
“Welcome to my class. I am Professor Powell, and I will be your Dark Magic teacher for the semester. Listen up!” he snapped in a voice that sounded like a rumbling train. “I will now impart various required notices and wisdom from my years in this position.” He pointed his wand at a cluster of boys comparing Louper scores from their favorite teams. They sheepishly sat back in their seats and settled down.
“First, let’s be clear that this class was put in place to teach you how to recognize dark magic, how to avoid dark magic, and most importantly, how to counteract dark magic if you are unlucky enough to be on the receiving end of a spell. This class is not intended to teach you how to use dark magic, get ahead in the world of dark magic, or how to find out who uses dark magic.”
He glanced at the students as he walked around the classroom, sizing them up as they shifted uncomfortably under his gaze. “I will not give you dark spells, show you how to cast dark spells, allow you to look at restricted books on dark spells, or show you examples of dark magic. Counteract spells will be used against very dangerous spells. Pay attention at all times.”
He stopped in front of a young wizard who had nodded off and rapped the young man’s hand with his wand, snapping him awake. “I do not wish to hear about your Great Uncle Bart who was a dark wizard, and you cannot frighten me into giving you any more information than what I teach in this class.” He tapped his wand on the palm of his hand.
“You may see the headmistress or government representatives on occasion.” He leaned forward, arching an eyebrow. “This is a very serious subject.” A ripple of giggles went through the room. He raised his wand, sending a current of electricity that crackled and snapped across the ceiling. It got their attention.
“There are always a few who choose to ignore my wisdom and not pay very close attention in this class.” He paused for effect. “It has never gone well.”
There were so many faces staring up at him, and though they all appeared to be listening, he knew that not everyone was.
“After the recent events in our school’s history…” He looked directly at Tanner, who blushed as a few of the boys snickered, “you will want to pay close attention. The information you will learn will not only prepare you for when you get out of high school, but it will help you if you should find yourself in a situation like the young man still being nursed back to health. We hope that this attack will be the only one, but since we have yet to find all the culprits, we can only assume that being able to defend yourself will prove useful.”
Several of the students in the front row looked back at Tanner, snickering to each other. “He’s probably making a toombie list right now. They should probably not let him take the class. He will find out all our secrets.”
The boys chuckled and turned back to
the front. Tanner balled up his fist and ground his teeth, wanting to pounce on those kids. Alison sensed his soul, pained that he was so upset by what the others were saying. Tanner was a good guy, and she knew he’d had nothing to do with last year, but he couldn’t escape the ridicule.
She wanted to cast something to teach the boys a lesson, but her magic was growing stronger every day. She was worried it would backfire on her, and in the middle of a class that was supposed to be teaching her not to mess around.
Izzie, on the other hand, had no problem putting those assholes in their place. She dropped her hand to her side and pulled in a thin stream of energy. She twisted her hand and shot out a pea-sized fireball that split into three smaller balls behind the boys, then slid under the seats of their pants. Alison felt the energy and pressed her fingers to her mouth to stifle a laugh.
Izzie shook the magic from her hand, blinking her eyes till they stopped glowing, and looked down at the book in front of her. Suddenly one of the three boys yelled and jumped from his seat, patting the butt of his pants as smoke wafted around him.
Professor Powell lifted an eyebrow and looked at the other two, who held tightly to their desks, trying not to jump up too. They grimaced, and sweat poured down their forehead. The magic had given all three boys a hot seat. Alison covered her mouth and stifled a giggle as everyone else laughed.
Professor Powell waved his wand to cool down the seats, and the two boys let out a sigh of relief and leaned back. Alison looked back, sensing the change in Tanner’s soul as he stifled a laugh and nodded gratefully at Izzie. Izzie smirked and faced front, narrowing her eyes at the boy who was taking his seat again.
She wasn’t about to let her best friend’s boyfriend—or whatever he was—be ridiculed in class. If nothing else, she knew how it felt to be alone and to have everyone look at you like you had two heads. If Alison loved him and trusted him, then she would too, and she would defend all three of them from the assholes around them.
“All right, if we have settled the score, let’s move on to our first lesson. We’re going to practice a spell that is meant to reverse any spell that harms someone else on a very minor level. I need a volunteer.”
No one raised their hand. Professor Powell searched the crowd, his eyes falling on Ethan. “Ethan, since you were the last one to show up today, you can be my example. Come up to the front.”
Ethan grumbled and zipped up his hoodie as he shuffled to the front of the class. Professor Powell whispered something to him and flicked his wand. Ethan looked around, then lifted his arms to make sure he still had all his limbs, his skin wasn’t purple, and he wasn’t floating off the ground. Nothing. No changes.
“Ethan, repeat the alphabet for me.”
Ethan shrugged and started talking. “A, Bbbb, Cccc, D, E, PhphphF....”
His eyes grew wide, and he shut his mouth as the professor slowly smiled. “Not to worry. It’s not permanent, but several students are going to attempt a reversal spell on you.”
Peter’s hand immediately shot up in the air. Professor Powell pointed at him. “Come on up, Peter. I’ve heard you have a proclivity with technical magic. Why don’t you add in an element of that to your spell?”
Ethan’s eyes grew wide again, and he stared at the professor in fear. “Part of the lesson, Ethan. Stand still. Go ahead, Peter.”
Peter nodded and walked up with a bottle of water in his hand. He took off the lid and waved his wand, pulling several drops from the bottle, and floated them in front of Ethan’s face. He swirled his wand, letting a shimmering gold magic wrap around the droplets and surge through them. When the magic dissipated, the drops glimmered with gold flecks.
“All right, Ethan, tilt your head back and open up.”
“Nnnnnope,” he stuttered.
“Do as you’re told,” Professor Powell ordered firmly. “There is nothing in there that will kill you. They made me promise that wouldn’t happen.” He gave a crooked smile that didn’t do much to comfort Ethan, but he started to do it anyway.
Ethan closed his eyes and sighed. “You’re not getting out of it,” Peter whispered. “Give me a chance. I think I’ve got this.” Ethan looked at him, startled, doing his best to pantomime, you think? He tilted his head back and opened his mouth, letting Peter drip the glimmering water down his throat. He closed his mouth and swallowed, then opened one eye and looked around nervously.
“All right, say your alphabet again, please.”
“A, B, C, D, E... Hey, it worked, and it even tasted like cinnamon. Nice.”
Professor Powell clapped his hands. “Very good work, Peter. I am very impressed. Why the water and gold?”
“The normal spell tends to upset stomachs, and can cause momentary blackouts and other adverse effects. By adding a material that is not foreign with a calming tone of cinnamon, the body is more receptive to it.”
“Very clever.” Professor Powell nodded. “I am impressed. Thank you, boys. You can take your seats. Class, I’m not suggesting you just start mixing spells if you don’t know what you are doing, but can you see that not everything is written in stone? We can help others in need by using our natural talents.”
8
Izzie sat on the end of her bed, reading the script for the Wizard of Oz. She had been studying it since she signed up, and really hoped she didn’t forget any of the lines. She wanted to make a good impression and prayed she wouldn’t end up as one of the flying monkeys or a random tree. She hummed the tune of Somewhere Over the Rainbow as she flipped from page to page.
Emma walked into the room and flung her bookbag on her bed, then took off her school robes and pulled on a sweater since she felt the chill of the seasons changing. She walked happily over to Izzie and tapped her on the knee. Izzie marked her place with her finger and looked up curiously.
“Tryouts start in like ten minutes, and I figured I’d go with you for moral support. You know, since you are going up against the actual Wicked Witch for the part of Dorothy?”
Izzie sighed in relief. “That’d be awesome. I was nervous about going on my own. Thank you.”
“Sure.” Emma smiled. “But we better get on it. We don’t want to be late and end up a flying monkey or something.”
“Tell me about it.” Izzie rolled her eyes. “I’ll probably end up one anyway.”
Emma pointed at her. “There will be none of that. All confidence walking into this thing. You can’t get what you want if you don’t envision it, right?”
“I guess.” Izzie giggled. “When did you get so motivating and positive?”
Emma opened the door and walked out, with Izzie behind her. “I don’t know. After last year, I told myself, ‘This is the year. This is when I will come into my own.’ I don’t want to tag along behind a Kathleen for the rest of my life. I want to be a leader in my world.”
“You are doing a fantastic job of it already.” Izzie giggled.
The girls walked down the hall toward the auditorium and paused, looking into the room where the Entrepreneurs Club was meeting. Peter, Ethan, Grace, and David stood around a table, fanning small green flames that rose from whatever they were working on. Grace raised her wand and shot out a stream of light, extinguishing the flames. A plume of smoke radiated up from a collection of burnt wires.
Everyone fanned the air, coughing, and Emma scrunched her nose. The smoke made everything smell like swamp water. Izzie looked at Emma and back at them.
“I thought you signed up for that?”
“I did, but I’m not sure if it’s for me. As you can see, it’s a bit more than just hoping for a better tomorrow, and I don’t know if I want to mix my magic with Ethan’s.”
“I’m not sure I would either.” Izzie giggled.
At the end of the hall behind closed doors, the Future Leaders’ Club held its first session. They had already elected a president, secretary, and treasurer, and all sat quietly in their business suits looking up at the front. They did everything by the book. If anyone tried a shortcut,
they were called out immediately. The president banged his gavel on the desk and looked at the others.
“We are calling into session our very first meeting of the Future Leaders’ Club. Our secretary is taking minutes, but I suggest everyone else keep their own clear and concise notes. Normally we’d start the meeting with a review of the last meeting’s minutes, but since this is our first one of the year, we will begin with a run-through of the rules.”
Everyone nodded their heads and jotted notes in their leather-covered binders. They were in a very serious mood, and they resembled droids, all sitting in the exact same way. The boys sat up straight in their chairs, and the girls did as well, but with their feet crossed at the ankles. Most of them had business cards on the desks in front of them, and fancy pens in their hands. Since they didn’t know whether they would be working in the magical world or the normal world, it was a rule that all notes were handwritten and magic was used only on very special occasions.
“You are to show up on time, if not early to every meeting. Remember, fifteen minutes early is on time, and on time is late in the business world. You will take all notes by hand. You will wait until the speaker has finished to ask questions, and you will remain professional at all times, even during debates. We all know what happened last year when Rupert spoke against an idea when it wasn’t his turn. We’ll just say his tie was crooked last time I saw him.”
Everyone chuckled for just a moment and went back to writing. “Now, we are going to start this year off with a bang and have a debate. The right side of the room will be on one side, the left on the other. We will be discussing the rise of magic in the world, and the role magical beings should be playing in the government. Now, I know we all agree on this subject, but it wouldn’t be a debate if we didn’t have opposing views, so I pick the right side to argue against the role of magical beings in the government.”
Everyone on the right side pouted slightly, and the president chuckled. “Now, now, we can’t always be on the winning side, especially when we are working alongside the normies, you know…the humans. All right, teams, assemble!”
Wary Is Her Love_An Urban Fantasy Action Adventure Page 5