by ERIN BEDFORD
I spun back the other way, the contents of my stomach rolled around, and I had to pause to breathe in and out a few times before my eyeballs finally adjusted in my head to see Trina with the face of a donkey. She still had her braided black hair at least, but that multitude of braids fell around her snout like a donkey's ears. At least her body was still unchanged.
"Aidan," I stuttered, my hands tightening on the plate, "is that supposed to happen?"
Aidan let out a huff. "It can. Brownie Madness has the same kind of properties as human marijuana but with a few extra magical add-ons. One of those is," he clucked his tongue and gestured to Trina, "random morphing."
"Will she turn back?" I squealed as I blinked at Trina. The moment I asked the question, Trina’s face morphed back to normal. Well, kind of. Her eyes had now turned bright pink. "Trina, how many of these brownies did you eat?"
Trina lifted her hand up and started to count on her fingers. "One, two, fifty-two million. I don't know. Numbers don't matter. The only thing that matters are these yummy, yummy brownies." Trina's hand reached out to try to grab the plate from me, but I pulled them back as I stepped into Aidan's embrace.
"No, I think you've had enough." Just seconds before she came for me, Aris tinged a warning. I dodged her grabbing hands one way and then the other, but she kept coming. It was only when Aidan took the plate from my hands and held it high in the air did she leave me alone.
Unfortunately, with her new ability to float, even Aidan's height wasn't enough to dissuade her. Trina flew over my head, making me duck down to avoid her kicking feet, and tried for the plate once more. Aidan held the plate with one hand and held Trina back with the other, his large palm covering her face.
"Let me go!” Trina's muffled voice cried out as her hands jerked around trying to find the plate. “I want them. They're mine."
I tugged on her leg and growled. "Knock it off. You're making a fool of yourself over brownies. Besides, aren't you trying to lose weight? Libby won't like you if you get a bigger butt than hers."
Bringing up Trina's girlfriend at least got a reaction out of her. She pulled away from Aidan's grasp, and her hands dropped to her butt. Her mouth widened as she palmed it.
"What? No? It's not big. It's fine. Right?" She floated back down to the ground, and her panicked eyes searched mine. "Tell me, Max. You have to keep those brownies away from me. I can't lose Libby. I just can't!"
Her eyes watered and I drew her in for a hug, waving Aidan away with the plate. We needed to get the brownies as far away from Trina as possible before she flipped her switch on us again. Aidan took the plate over to the trash can as I patted Trina on the back.
"There, there,” I soothed. “You're fine. Libby will still like you. I promise."
Aidan dumped the brownies into the trash can and snapped his fingers. The contents of the trashcan caught on fire, and the flash of the flames drew Trina's attention. Aris went crazy as it tried to warn me of the fire that we had created. The stupid idiot.
"What are you doing? You can't light a fire in here." Trina scowled and then her eyes widened. "Wait, are those my brownies? You can't burn them. They're all I have!"
Trina tried to run toward the trash can. I looped my arms around her waist and pulled her back to me to keep her from trying to shove her hands into the flaming can. If she wanted those brownies bad enough to burn herself, then they couldn't have been as harmless as I thought.
Aidan waved his hand over the trash can once more, and the fire went out.
That’s when Trina kicked me in the shins, something my guardian light did not warn me of, and I was forced to let her go. Trina dived for the trashcan and grabbed a handful of what were now charcoal blocks.
As she brushed them off, she cried out, "They're still good. See? They're okay. Just a bit burnt." Trina took a bite of one and forced a smile. "See? Ugh... they're... they're horrible. Fuck. Yuck." She spat out the burnt brownie into the trash and wiped her tongue so aggressively, I thought she might rip her own tongue out.
As I chuckled at Trina's ridiculousness, I shook my head and crossed my arms under my chest. "Well, serves you right. Getting high on school property and all."
Trina glared at me, and I wrinkled my nose, sticking my tongue out at her. It was Aidan’s sudden jolting movement across the room that interrupted our childish staring contest. The plate Aidan still had in his hand looked like it was trying to jerk away from him. And rather aggressively so. He had both hands around the plate now, his teeth gritted his teeth as he attempted to keep the plate from flying off.
"What's going on?" I cocked my head to the side, pushing past Trina to stand by Aidan.
"Return spell," Aidan grunted out.
"A return spell?" I stared at the plate as it tried with all its might to get away from Aidan. "What's that?"
Trina let out an obnoxious giggle. "It's trying to get back to its owner. Let it go! Let it go!" Trina clapped her hands and snorted, just before her nose morphed into a pig's snout. She fingered it with curiously before giggling and snorting once more.
I glanced from my high-on-magic roommate to my boyfriend. I hummed and tapped my chin with my finger. "So, whoever made the brownies must own the plate, right?"
Aidan grunted in response.
"There are blue bonnets on the plate. Obviously they came from them. They're such nice girls. So put together. So posh. Like walking mermaids." Trina sighed, her nose morphing back as her hair faded into a pale pink.
I rolled my eyes. "There are more than a dozen Blue Bonnets on campus right now for the games. I want to know which one exactly brought these brownies. None of our students would have had the balls to put drugged goods out at a school party."
Trina cackled as her hair switched again from pink to yellow. "Fuck no. Swordsmen would have our asses. He has a strict no-tolerance policy. Oh no!" Trina's eyes widened her hands slapping to both cheeks. "I'm going to get suspended! Or worse, expelled!" Trina's hair went back to normal, but her face went red and purple as she panicked. Grabbing my hands, Trina jerked them up and down. "Max, you have to help me! If I get kicked out, my parents are going to kill me! I can't get caught like this. I just can't!" Big fat tears rolled down her face, changing colors as they went.
I patted Trina on the back before pulling her into a hug. "There, there. It'll be fine. I won't let anything happen to you."
"You won't?" Trina sniffed and rubbed her nose on my shoulder, leaving a snotty line of wetness there.
Ew.
Holding back my grimace, I pulled away and nodded solemnly. "I promise. You stay here while Aidan and I find out who sent the brownies." I shot a look of disdain at the plate. "They obviously have it out for someone."
Trina snorted but this time it was more sarcastic and less manic. "Probably trying to cut down on the competition. They're not known for playing fair."
Aidan grunted his agreement.
"Okay," I inclined my head and led Trina to her bed. While tucking her in, I said, "You just lay here and sleep it off. We'll get to the bottom of this. Don't let anyone in our room, okay?"
Trina sniffed and in a small voice said, "'Kay."
With a sigh, I turned back to Aidan, about to tell him to let go of the plate, but then I stopped. "Hold on. I've gotta change or I'm going to lose my mind." Without the time or privacy to switch clothes the normal way, I pulled on that ball of light inside of me and pushed it out of me, focusing on the clothes I was wearing. The dress from last night warmed against my skin before it lengthened and encased my legs. The skirt transformed jeans and the strapless top became a regular old Winchester Academy t-shirt fully decked out in blue and white, the owl Crest on the right-hand pocket.
"There." I sighed as I smoothed my hands down my new clothes. "That's better." I still needed a shower, but clean clothes were definitely a step in the right direction. Turning to Aidan, I pointed at the plate. "Let it—"
"The door." Trina's voice called out to cut me off.
"Huh?" I l
ooked over my shoulder at her.
Trina jerked her chin toward the other side of the room. "You need to open the door, or the plate won't have anywhere to go."
My eyes followed where she'd gestured, and my eyes widened slightly. "Oh. Right. Good idea." I hurried over to the door and pulled it open before waving a hand to Aidan. "Alright. Let it go."
Aidan released the plate and automatically it zoomed out of his hands and out the doorway. We had to run after it to make sure it didn't get too far ahead of us. I barely had time to get the door shut behind me before it zipped down the hallway.
"Come on, this way!" I called to Aidan as I took off after the plate. It was dodging students and bumping into walls without getting a single crack in it. Must be another spell, I thought to myself as I hurried after the flying dish.
We chased it through the elite hallway and into another hallway that was reserved for out of town guests. It made sense since the plate belonged to a Blue Bonnet, and I had a sneaky suspicion I knew who the plate belonged to.
The plate came to a door and banged against it over and over almost to the point where I thought it might break. Aidan and I waited near it for the door to open. We didn't have long to wait before the cream-colored door opened up to reveal a familiar, smiling redhead.
"Beth Ann," I groaned. "I should have known."
The plate dropped from the air and into Beth Ann's waiting hands. She stared at us with her bright green eyes and a curious look on her face. "Should have known what?"
I took the few steps to her door and snapped, "That you'd be behind those horrible brownies."
"Brownies?" She cocked her head to the side as her lips pursed into a pretty little confused pout. "I can assure y’all that I have no idea what you’re talkin’ about."
I growled. My fingers curled into fists at my sides. "Cut the innocent crap. You're the owner of that plate, so it's obvious you brought the drugged brownies to the party last night."
Beth Ann’s brows lifted, and a slight tick of her lip was the only obvious show of guilt as she purred, "I really have no clue why you are carryin’ on in such a manner. Any number of people could have borrowed my plate. I don't exactly keep it under lock and key. It's a plate, not the holy grail."
She sighed and placed the plate somewhere inside her room before stepping into the hallway and closing the door behind her.
"Now if y’all are done trying to accuse me of somethin’, of what I have no inkling of, I have a lunch to get to with the Brownsteins." She paused to smile at me gleefully. "You have met them, haven't you? You are dating both brothers, after all."
I frowned and crossed my arms over my chest. "They've been out of town and busy. I can't expect them to drop everything to meet me."
"Oh, really?" Beth Ann gave a smug smile as she laced her fingers in front of her. "Well, they must have had a dip in their schedules, because when I called them this morning to have them meet me today, they were more than happy to come."
Ouch. I tried to hold back the wince but based on Beth Ann's triumphant face I hadn't been very successful.
"Well, as I said, I have plans. So, if y’all’ll excuse me." Beth Ann turned and flipped the length of her hair over her shoulder and smacked me in the face in the process before sauntering down the hallway.
I glared after her. How dare she come here and act like she owned the place? To try and move in on my boyfriend in front of me and then go around making lunch dates with his parents! All to make me look bad of course. It made the magic in me burn through my veins and I could feel the crackling at my fingertips.
Aidan's hand on my shoulder reminded me of the big man's presence and I released some of my anger with a sigh. I gave him a weak smile. "Guess I'm not what the Broomsteins consider acceptable for their sons."
Aidan drew me close to his chest, smoothing his hand over my hair without a word.
I liked how Aidan did that. He could calm my nerves and make everything better without having to say anything at all. I could tell just from his embrace that he was here for me and he didn't agree with Beth Ann or the Broomsteins. Which made me feel slightly better. I needed him in my corner today. Especially if I was going to end up having a run-in with said parents. I could only imagine how that encounter was going to be.
"Come on," I sighed, reluctantly stepping out of Aidan's warm embrace. "I'm starving. I want to find something to eat before I smash something just for the fun of it."
"Trina." Aidan reminded me.
"Oh, yeah, I have to figure out what to do about her too.” I thought about it for a few moments. “Think it's like regular pot? You just need time and sleep to wipe it out? Maybe have some food ready for her afterward?"
Aidan grunted.
I took that as a yes.
We headed to the cafeteria hand in hand. Well, more like his large hand engulfed my smaller hand. It didn't bother me, but it did remind me of last night and another part of him that was large just like the rest of him. My face heated.
I sneaked a look at Aidan and noticed him watching me. He lifted a brow which only made me blush even further. This was going to make things even more interesting.
Chapter 13
The guest students weren't just there to hang around until the games started, they also took classes with us. That meant I had to see more than my fair share of Beth Ann and her group.
I went to Pottery and there she was. During flying lessons, she was right next to me, bragging about being an All-State champion in Texas. In Advanced Potions, she was at the table behind me. Really, it was getting annoying. I already hated her for her previous attempts to nab Ian when she had a fiancé, but with her always there, it made things even worse. Her bragging just served to make things worse.
I never did get to meet Ian and Paul's parents. They were here for lunch then gone by the next hour. I had to listen to Beth Ann's smug recounting of the lunch every time I came within hearing distance of her... which unfortunately was often.
"Mrs. Broomstein, or Willow as she likes me to call her, is simply a doll," Beth Ann cooed while we sat in the Pottery class a few weeks later. "Willow told me that any time I wanted to meet up to just to let her know. I'd always been her favorite of Ian's girlfriends." Beth Ann gave me a sidelong glance as she said that.
"Max," Dale whispered next to me, touching me on the arm.
"What?" I growled, still glaring daggers at Beth Ann. If I thought I could get away with it, I would curse the bitch to lose all those gorgeous red locks. Then we'd see who the favorite was.
Dale cleared his throat. "Max, stop."
"Huh?" I glanced away from Beth Ann to Dale's amused expression.
He inclined his head toward my hands. "You're kind of killing your pot."
I frowned in confusion as my eyes drifted down. He was right. The pot I'd been trying to create looked more like a big glob of goop from where my fingers had dug into the clay.
I lifted my hands with a sheepish, "Oh. Oops."
Dale smiled at me. "That's okay. I have those days too. Want to talk about it?" He jerked his head toward Beth Ann. Apparently, I hadn't been subtle with my hatred of the redhead.
I sighed dejectedly and shook my head. "Not really. She just drives me nuts."
"I can tell." Dale chuckled as his hands smoothed out the sides of his pot one final time before he slowed the spin of the wheel, bringing it to a stop. "Here. Let me see if we can fix yours."
He leaned over into my area, moving his hands up and down my pot as I moved the wheel with my foot. They had electric ones and even magical pottery wheels, but Pottington claimed it was the lazy way and that we couldn't make a half-decent magical item if we took shortcuts. Things like this needed patience and a deft hand, something I obviously was lacking.
Shooting a look toward our instructor, I hoped she would stay as far away from me and my disaster of a pot today. The last thing I needed was another lecture about control, especially not in front of Beth Ann and her minions. I didn't need her to know
how much she was affecting me. Ian was mine, and she could schmooze his parents all she wanted, but it wasn't going to change the fact. That was why I resolved right then not to let it bother me anymore.
"And then, Tylus, I mean Mr. Broomstein, invited me to spend Christmas with them up at their house in the Alps! Can you imagine? Being snowed in with nothing but our body heat to keep us warm... I mean, what else could a witch ask for?" Beth Ann flipped her hair, and her friends giggled around her.
"You're so bad," one of the other Blue Bonnets cooed and laughed.
Beth Ann smiled and sighed. "I know. It's so easy to get caught up with how magical my life has been, but it's the little things that really matter. You have to know when to let go and when to hold on tight."
"But what about Chad?" a brunette female student asked, making Beth Ann's smile dip.
"What about him?" Beth Ann scoffed. "He'll be there, just as my parents want, but that doesn't mean I shouldn't get to be happy too, right?"
"Right," the Blue Bonnets chimed in around her before each of them focused back on their perfect pots beneath their perfect hands.
"Maxine Mancaster!" Pottington cried out as she rushed to my station. Her eyes widened behind her large glasses, and her hair seemed even wilder and out of control than before. "What have you done to your pot?"
I winced as my eyes went down to the monstrosity I'd created. Not even Dale's help had saved it from my latest bout of rage. Inwardly, I lamented. Maybe I just wasn't meant to make magical items like pots and the like. I should stick with what I know, which sadly wasn't pottery.
"Sorry." I held my hands out on either side of my pot. "It seems to have gotten away from me."
Beth Ann and her group giggled in my direction and I fought back a glower.
Pottington sighed, adjusting her large glasses on her nose. "It's far more than that. You will never be proficient in the magical world if you can't control yourself more than this. It's a delicate task. One that requires patience, respect, and..."
"Practice," the class and I recited by memory. It wasn't the first time she'd lectured us on the three parts of creating. They were something she pounded into our heads the first week we were here and in every single class afterward.