A Different Kind of Witch

by Carol A. Robi

  ¨Is it in Africa?¨ Sophie opted to ask her then.

  ¨Maybe,¨ she answered unperturbed again, sounding almost bored, as though utterly uninterested in whatever country or continent her home lay. Odd, odd, odd!

  Sophie turned back around to settle in her seat, giving up completely on conversing with the strange girl. She was clearly not good at English, and Sophie doubted whether she’d had any formal education before.

  They continue driving in silence, and Sophie even began nodding off a little.

  ¨Where are you from?¨ She almost missed Boke’s unexpected question, for she asked it in her very quiet manner.

  ¨Sydney,¨ Sophie answered, turning a little towards her. She was still seated bare chested, and Sophie couldn’t resist the urge to stare at the markings on her chest again.

  The tattoos weren’t as crude as she first thought them. Upon closer study, they were stunning, intricately puzzling patterns that seemed to tell a story. Whoever drew them must be quite talented.

  Sophie scrutinised the tattoos of what appeared to be a large wild cat's paws above her right breast tied to her back by thick chains. They were rendered so realistically, that she was certain if she touched the inking, she’d feel the cold metal instead- a ridiculous notion of course.

  ¨Is it in Africa?¨ Sophie burst out laughing. Was Sydney in Africa? What a thought!

  Sophie liked her even more when she didn’t flinch away at her laughter. Her eyes remained unblinking, fixed to hers. She either had a very tough skin, or an awesome poker face.

  ¨No, it is in Australia,¨ Sophie replied as straight-faced as she could, considering the ridiculous question. Boke nodded, as if she'd just learnt something new.

  ¨What animal is that?¨ Sophie asked pointing a finger at the paw tattooed on her chest.

  ¨Simba.. A lion,¨ she corrected what Sophie knew to be the Swahili name for a lion, thanks to the Lion King movie by Disney. She must be from somewhere in East Africa. Kenya or Tanzania most probably, as it is mostly there that Swahili is spoken.

  ¨Cool!¨ Sophie said, imagining how her parents would flip if she ever went home with a tattoo. ¨Who made it?¨

  ¨My grandmother,¨ she answered, and then turned away, as though closing the curtains to whatever prelude of acquittance they were having. The message was clear, their peculiar introduction was over.

  Sophie turned back forward again.

  They kept driving in silence for the next two or so hours, and Sophie fell asleep at some point, only waking up when the van crawled to a stop.

  Chapter 5

  The Avalon teacher cut out the engine and turned around to face them, speaking for the first time in hours, as though just remembering they existed.

  ¨There are no vehicles allowed on our island. We'll therefore park the van here, take out your things and walk up to the ferry,¨ she announced, speaking slowly and articulately, probably for Boke's sake.

  Her parents mentioned that the school was on an island, Drachenburg Island. The Supernatural Realm owned the whole island and the half a dozen others around it, located in between North Germany and South Denmark, among the Nordic sea islands. She claimed that those islands were prime real estate, and only the richest supernaturals owned properties and vacation homes on them.

  “You took great risk porting into the airport today, Miss Maiga,” the Avalon spoke clip toned to Boke. “Such a great offence will be overlooked only once as warning, see to it that you never do it again. You'll follow with us, walking, all the way to the ferry. Am I understood, Witch? No taking magical shortcuts here on.”

  Boke managed a nod, and though the Avalon’s cold voice had managed to startle Sophie, Boke didn’t seem scared of the predator among them.

  So she hadn’t imagined it after all! The girl had materialised in the airport.

  Frau Eberhart turned to lead the way.

  Boke had her coat on again. Sophie wasn’t sure which looked more ridiculous, massive coat on in the middle of summer, or bare chested with her boy shorts on.

  There were a few people about the town, and they turned to face the curious party. They kept a quick pace for about ten minutes, and Sophie’s brows started sweating a little due to the stifling summer heat. She was about to ask for a break when they rounded a bend, and made out the stretch of a harbour.

  A group of what appeared to be Sophie’s age-mates were crowded with their luggage before the section of the harbour they were heading towards. Sophie’s eyes instantly fell on a small redhead, and she knew with conviction that she was a Faery too. It was just a gut feeling.

  ¨Hi!¨ The redhead called to her shyly when they finally reached up to them.

  ¨Hi,¨ Sophie smiled back.

  ¨I'm your cousin Keira!¨ She suddenly exclaimed, throwing her arms around Sophie.

  That was unexpected!

  ¨Really?¨ Sophie asked pulling back, staring into her darker shade of green eyes.

  ¨Yes, really. You are Sophie, right!” She said it as a statement and not a question. The others were staring at them curiously.

  ¨I am,¨ She admitted slowly, still very puzzled.

  ¨I knew it the moment I saw you,¨ Kiera went on cheerfully, hooking her arm into Sophie’s just when Sophie had managed to dislodge her from her second hug.

  ¨I didn't know I had a cousin!¨ Sophie confessed.

  ¨Yes, mother thought so too,¨ Keira said softly. ¨But I'm glad we finally meet!¨ She added more cheerfully.

  Any more questions Sophie had must wait, for Frau Eberhart and a handful of other grown ups stood before them, calling for their attention.

  ¨For those who haven't met me yet, I am Arge Kreuzer. I too am a teacher at Drachenburg School, and head the sports and athletic department.

  I want us all to get on this ferry in an orderly manner,¨ he said, pointing to what Sophie would call a small sized ferry, compared to the ones back home. The words Drachenburg School were printed clearly on its sides.

  ¨Leave your luggage behind. They’ll be loaded on board for you,¨ the very muscular Arge Kreuzer said, still smiling. His smile was ill fitting, in contrast to his scarred face, which made Sophie think he might have been a wrestler when he was younger.

  Once on the ferry boat, Sophie detected the small groups forming as they found a place to settle for the ride. The skinny pale looking Avalons stood to the opposite of the Faeries, not talking at all. The more stockier and confident Werecats stood talking and laughing animatedly at the front. On the other front corner stood, unmistakably, the Witches. They were a varied assortment, unlike the rest of the supernatural races, as neither resembled the other. They were of varied ethnicity, body build, and personalities; and each had their own style in fashion and manner.

  Sophie found herself naturally standing with her new found cousin, and three other Faeries she hadn’t talked to yet; an Asian-looking girl, and two boys, one latina, one caucasian.

  From the corner of her eye, she caught sight of Boke standing by herself near the edge of the ferry at the back, staring out to the coast behind them as they sailed away, her back to them all.

  ¨So I have a cousin!¨ Sophie exclaimed, giggling with disbelief.

  ¨Yep! I can't believe your parents never mentioned it to you. My parents were also too stubborn to contact yours, but they told me to expect you when I start at school. I wished to contact you and get to know you beforehand, but they refused.¨

  ¨My parents never talked about our family in Ireland. In fact I learnt that I'm a Faery just two months ago!¨

  ¨No way!¨ She exclaimed in her delightful Irish accent.

  ¨That you can believe. They said they’d kept me in the dark so that I could have a normal childhood.¨

  ¨Odd...¨ she said doubtfully. ¨But they should have told you about our family.¨

  ¨Yes, they should have told me!¨ Sophie exclaimed a little hotly, mad at her parents for keeping this secret too. ¨I really don’t know why they'd keep me away from the rest of my family.¨

&nb
sp; ¨Don't you know?¨ Keira whispered with incredulity.

  ¨Know what?¨ Sophie whispered too, her curiosity peaked.

  ¨The virus!¨ Keira answered, raising her eyebrows as though it was the most publicly known fact in the whole world. Her eyes widened even more when Sophie kept staring back blankly.

  ¨You don’t know about the virus?¨ Keira asked bemused, causing the other Faeries to turn curiously towards her.

  ¨No,¨ Sophie answered sheepishly.

  ¨Well... back in time- fifteen or so years ago, the Witches and Avalon societies had a disagreement. I don't know the whole story, but it is said that the Witches were unhappy because Avalons had become too many in number, and were consequently feeding too much on humans. Something about the numbers not being sustainable in the long run. They wanted Avalons to find another food alternative other than human blood.¨

  ¨I heard they wanted them to feed on animal blood,¨ the other Faery girl added shyly, and Sophie smiled back encouragingly.

  ¨But the Avalons refused to change their diet,¨ Keira picked up her narration again. ¨The Witches were furious, but let the matter go. However, turns out that one very powerful Witch decided to teach them a lesson. She created a virus- harmless to humans, but deadly to Avalons- and infected the water supply in major cities. The humans then became carriers of the virus.¨

  ¨Avalons dropped dead like flies,¨ the Japanese girl picked up again. ¨The Witch that created the virus refused to come forward or give up the cure. Magical beings were divided into two factions, those against the virus, and those supporting it unless the Avalons changed their diet, or until their population fell down to a manageable number. Only then would they help to find the culprit and the cure.¨

  ¨The only option left for the Avalons, was for the rest of the Witches and the Faeries to make them a cure. The Faeries were then further divided too, for the cure was later found to be Faery blood.¨ Sophie shuddered at Keira's words.

  ¨Our blood?¨ She whispered warily, and the two girls nodded in answer. ¨So what happened?¨

  ¨Well.. The group that agreed to disclose the findings to the Avalons did, and allowed them to feed from them. The other group that didn't want to wait to be fed on scattered around the world and hid from society.¨

  ¨Is that why my parents left?¨

  ¨I think so,¨ she said. ¨Rumour is your mother was pregnant, and your father was worried that the Avalons might lose control if they drank from your mother, and kill both her and you. You see, our blood is supposed to be very sweet and addictive to them. They find it hard to stop when they start drinking it.¨

  ¨Faery blood?¨ Sophie asked in dread filled surprise.

  ¨Yes. Just try walk past any of those Avalon kids there, and you can practically hear their fangs click.¨ The three girls laughed nervously at the thought, causing the other groups to turn towards them curiously.

  ¨But why did my parents never come back?¨ Sophie asked after a minute or two of silence, still puzzled.

  ¨It was the condition for leaving. We Faeries are not as powerful as the other Supernaturals. Our enchantments are strongest when we are together. Your father was told that you and your mother would be protected. But he was still adamant, determined to leave. He chose to break a sacred code that states we Faeries are to always stay together. It is an unforgivable offence, I gather. He and your mother were excommunicated,¨ she finished off apologetically.

  ¨Goodness! I still wish they'd told me about my family, and about Faeries sooner.¨

  ¨Yeah, maybe they hoped you'd never fledge.¨

  ¨Can that happen?¨

  ¨Yes, sometimes a child can be born completely normal. It is very rare though, and can only happen to Faery-born.¨

  ¨I'm so glad I wasn't born normal. This is so cool!¨

  ¨I know, right?¨ The other girl agreed with them, and they set about laughing cheerfully again.

  ¨By the way, I'm Sophie,¨ she said, stretching her hand to the other girl.

  ¨Aimi,¨ she answered with a sweet smile. Sophie smiled back, confident in that the three of them would make very good friends indeed.

  School was taking off to a good start already.

  Chapter 6

  They arrived at a sleepy but quaint harbour, filled with over two dozen or so boats and some luxurious looking yachts. They were met by five older students standing by the docks.

  ¨Welcome to Drachenburg School for the Supernaturals,¨ one of them said authoritatively. She had on a black skirt and blazer. Inside the blazer was a red windbreaker worn over her white blouse and red necktie, and on her feet were black boots.

  That seemed to be the standard Drachenburg uniform- a black skirt, or pair of pants or shorts, black shoes, a white shirt completed with a red neck tie, a red windbreaker, and at times, a black cardigan or blazer over the windbreaker.

  ¨My name is Monica, and I am the head prefect,¨ she continued, her eyes sweeping over them as her fingers fiddled with the large ring of keys in her hands. ¨Drachenburg is a school of equal opportunity for all fledged Supernaturals. Once you step onto this island, you are part of the society as long as you'll live, under its laws, protection and support. The uniforms provided to all of you are a symbol of unity and equality for all in our society. That’s why full uniforms shall be worn at every moment in the school, the blazer and cardigan the only optional item. An alternate uniform is worn when participating in sporting activities. Uniforms will be provided to all of you by your house prefects, and so it’ll be with any other items you’ll need; such as sanitary items and toiletries, beddings, shoes, bags, games’ kits, medical attention, you name it. Whatever you need to ensure a comfortable stay here, all you have to do is ask. These will all be provided to you by the society for as long as you are registered as a student at Drachenburg school.¨

  ¨Your house prefects, those that are here with me today, are like your parents here at school. They love you, and want to help you in any way they can. We all hope for the same thing, a smooth transition into our society to ensure a sustainable future for our Beings. I now invite the house prefects to introduce themselves.¨

  ¨Hi newbies, my name is Nicky,¨ began another shorter but very athletic-looking girl with dyed dirty blonde curls. ¨I am the Moccha House prefect,¨ she continued. ¨House of the Werecats!¨ The Young Werecats in the group started cheering proudly and happily, high fiving each other. They were already acting like a fraternity!

  ¨I am Sheila,¨ a smaller brunette but unarguably the most beautiful of them all, spoke up next. Her carefully placed makeup gave her the maturity that her small stature denied her.¨The prefect of Rhiannon House,¨ she concluded. Aimi and Keira clapped heartily, and Sheila sent a playful wink their way. Sophie guessed that was their house.

  ¨My name is Morales,¨ a tall, boy picked up, wearing the same uniform but without a cardigan or blazer, and with long black pants on. The red from his windbreaker and tie accentuated his sickly paleness.

  ¨Prefect of Sanguine House,¨ he proceeded. That must be the Avalon house, Sophie thought to herself. Which other race would be named after blood?

  She wasn’t surprised when none of the Avalons cheered, as she’d come to discover that they were a quiet lot.

  ¨My name is Georgi,¨ a tall muscular boy with brilliantly dark hair and strong facial features spoke up last, a heavy eastern European accent betraying his origins. ¨Prefect of Sibylline House.¨

  Sophie turned automatically towards the odd girl still standing at the back of the group, for Sibylline House could only be the dorm for Witches.

  ¨All right, your prefects will now lead you to your dorms. Follow them and they’ll help you settle in,¨ Arge announced.

  Werecats and Avalons were first to leave, their luggage seeming weightless.

  The Witches were next to leave. Sophie was impressed by the flick Georgi made with his hand, and the luggage belonging to the fledgling Witches floated to the air. He turned to walk away, and the luggage followed him behind, suspended mid
-air. The young Witches looked at one another impressed, before hurrying forward as their prefect was already disappearing in the distance.

  Boke followed her faction a few yards behind, still holding on to her bag, her heavy coat flapping around her knees where it fell to.

  ¨Do you know her?¨ Keira asked curiously. Before Sophie could answer, Boke turned at that moment and stared at them with her unusual eyes, before turning away again and rushing after the other Witches.

  Sophie shook off the foreboding chill that now flowed through her.

  ¨Not really,¨ she said, shaking her head. ¨I met her at the airport.¨

  She looked at the bags wondering if Sheila had any trick up her sleeve on how they could carry them. She mustn't, for Arge, Frau Eberhart and another Avalon teacher walked over and picked up their bags effortlessly.

  ¨So who is she?¨ Keira was asking, walking in pace with her.

  “Who?”

  ¨The one with the animal coat and strange tattoo markings on her neck,¨ Aimi expounded, catching up to them to walk on Sophie’s left.

  “The different kind of Witch,” Keira added. It was an excellent way to describe Boke.

  ¨Oh, her! She said her name is Boke, from Africa.¨ Sophie said giggling, remembering the strange conversation the two of them had in the van.

  ¨Yeah, figures. But Africa is huge!¨ Keira stated the obvious.

  ¨I know. But she didn't even know what country she is from.¨ Her two new friends looked puzzled, so Sophie went ahead and told them of all that happened from when she first set eyes on her at the restaurant.

  ¨Strange!¨ Sheila exclaimed when she was done with her narration. Sophie started. She didn't know that the prefect was listening in too.

  ¨Yeah, tell me about it!¨

  ¨She is just thirteen?¨ One of the boys spoke up, moving closer to them. The six of them were now huddled together and could talk freely in private, as the teachers had gone ahead and were now out of sight.

  ¨That's what she said.¨

  ¨Weird! We don't get our powers until we are fourteen,¨ the other boy said. ¨I am Cedric by the way,¨ he added. The other boy introduced himself as Diego.