by Evie Wilde
Oliver had Ruby’s foot on the counter, her pantleg rolled to her knee. He had his hand on her leg, and his face turned red. The scar had to be a foot-long. Then I noticed the scars on her arms. She had a story to tell. Luther filled the dropper and then placed two droplets on the scar. Ruby’s scar turned red and then vanished. She looked toward Professor Zena who had returned to the board, writing out another potion.
“Do my arms,” she told Oliver.
Luther placed two droplets on each of the scars, and they quickly vanished. I’d not learned much about Ruby yet, but I sensed she had internal scars that she wished she could potion away as well. We all had secrets, and I was sure my classmates had some good ones.
Dash and Kyler continued laughing. Their beaker still sat on the counter, the color of their potion much different than the color of ours. Dash showed Kyler a scar on his shoulder, but Kyler shook his head.
“Dude, don’t screw this up,” Dash said, and looked at me. He knew it would take only one time for them to mess up and then they were the laughingstock, not me. I hoped the best for them. Well, maybe not.
“I got this, Dash.” Kyler grabbed the beaker from the counter and slowly sipped.
At first, nothing happened. The two laughed and Dash took the beaker to have his own sip. But then Kyler’s face fell slack. He doubled over and dropped to his knees. He looked up at Dash, horror in his eyes. He opened his mouth and all we heard was, “Ribbit.”
“Oh, shit,” Dash said and stepped back, dropping the beaker on the floor. The shattering of glass did nothing to pull everyone’s attention away from Kyler. I held back a laugh but wasn’t sure how long I could hold back another.
Professor Zena approached, a smile on her face as if to say a lesson well learned. “He’ll change back eventually,” she said. “Class dismissed. Please read the first two chapters in your hexes and potions book.”
“He’s turning green,” Oliver said. “Somebody do something!”
And right before our very eyes, Kyler became a small frog. And not just any frog. He’d done the potion up real good. He was fat and covered in warts, his head three-times the size of a regular frog’s head. Ruby covered her mouth and not from shock. She wanted to laugh as well.
Dash moved to his knees and scooped Kyler into his hands. “Oh, man, you look like shit. Come on, I’ll take care of you. We’ll get some flies or some shit for you to eat.”
Kyler croaked again, and we all jumped back, Dash holding him out at arm’s length.
We followed Dash and Kyler from the classroom, each of us holding back a laugh, listening to Dash comfort Kyler. I imagined Kyler had tried at some point to change into a wolf, and it had failed.
Braeden and Ruby fell in line behind Dash, the two talking about the students who’d had their powers stolen. If powers had been stolen then that meant whoever had taken them was becoming even more powerful.
I thought back to the dream I had of the archmage and his warning. He said I would be next. But he also said I’d been sent to stop this Edius person. I could hardly control what little powers I had, so how was I supposed to stop a witch or warlock with such supremacy?
“Hey,” Oliver said, bringing me back to reality.
“Hey,” I replied. Oliver had a charmingly goofy way about him, though everything seemed to be black and white to him. Everything he said or did was said or done in a methodical way. We had a connection, but I wasn’t sure where it was coming from.
“You’re always hanging back,” he said. “You need to put your past behind you and show everyone your leadership.” He pointed at the others. “They’ll forget all that other stuff soon enough.” He laughed. “I think we’ll be busy with Kyler for a while.”
I shook my head and almost laughed. “I don’t know. It’s not really who I am. I’ve never been a leader and just kind of done my own thing.”
“But it’s who you should be.” He moved closer as we walked side by side. He motioned toward the others again. “We were talking before you entered class.” He shyly looked away. “Well, we were wondering if you felt the same pull toward us that we feel toward you? It’s an odd question, I know.”
“Not odd at all,” I said. “I understand what you mean.”
“Statistically speaking, do you believe in love at first sight?” he asked. He saw my confusion. “Too much like a fairy tale?”
I shrugged, not knowing how to reply. I did understand what he was trying to get at.
We passed a servant and he glanced back, nodding. “Those guys are a little creepy,” Oliver said.
I stole a glance and said, “Yeah.”
“I’ve heard rumors about the servants,” he said. “Some people think they know how the students lost their powers. Others say maybe they were the ones who did it.” He shook his head. “I don’t think so, even though they are the eyes and ears of the academy. Yeah, I think we keep our eyes and ears open.” Oliver left my side and joined the others, Dash still trying to comfort Kyler. Kyler’s tongue whipped out at a fly and then chewed the prized insect.
“Sorry, everyone, I’ve got duties in the admin building,” Ruby said. She patted Kyler on his little green head. “Hopefully he changes soon.” She dropped back to me and whispered, “They’re all yours now. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t.” She waved at the guys and then headed in the opposite direction. Our friendship was heading in the direction I had hoped.
I watched the guys for several minutes, feeling excitement that the three and the frog kept looking back at me. Oliver had been right. There was a strong attraction growing. Of course, I had a thing for Braeden, but he’d settled for just being friends. But why on earth was I feeling intensely close to the others? Not really the thoughts I should have been having the second day at the academy.
Braeden looked at me again, this time not smiling. Something on his face, the way his eyes burrowed into me. I shrugged and tried to catch up, but he shook his head. While the others talked to Kyler, Braeden motioned toward the dorms.
“What?” I mouthed quietly, wanting him. Desiring him. The academy was changing me in some way. Though I wanted to be the best witch ever, I also wanted intimacy. Wanted to be touched. I suddenly struggled to breathe, closing my eyes and hoping to calm whatever was rising up. I took a deep breath and gathered my senses, finding peace. When Braeden looked back again, I started forward, stopping when he waved me back without the others seeing. He pointed at the dorm once more, and this time I did as he asked, glancing back as the guys stopped.
I entered the dorm alone, wondering what Braeden had planned.
CHAPTER FIVE
Braeden
A month into the academy and I was still having dreams about Kyler, Dash, and Oliver. They weren’t sexual dreams. But dreams about them and Cassandra. In the dreams, they were all attracted to her and were always falling all over themselves trying to please her. I was tired of waking up in a cold sweat because I was trying to chase them away from her.
I watched how they interacted with her throughout the day when we were all together. They were always playful and waited on her hand and foot. Dash approached things a bit differently, however. He was passive aggressive about his feelings. It was always tough guy first, and then the sensitive guy would come at just at the right moment. I sensed Cassandra knew this but found his behavior endearing. I found it childish and not a good look for the connection we all had with her.
I considered telling Cassandra about the dreams but then decided not to, thinking she might ask me if I dreamed of her in that way. Of course I did. As far back as our early teen years together. Some mornings I would wake and have to rush to the bathroom. It happened more often than I cared to admit to her. Anyone who spent any amount of time with Cassandra fell head over heels after her. But what was going on at the academy was strange. It was more than head over heels.
The guys had not come right out and said it to me, but I knew what they were thinking. Each guy wanted her. They didn’t talk about her in a raunc
hy, sexual way, just that the connection they felt was doing things to their bodies. They couldn’t help thinking about her day and night. But I wasn’t willing to let any of them hurt her. That was the difference between me and them. I wanted her but knew there was no way in the world I could ever hurt her emotionally.
A year or so ago, Cassandra asked if I’d ever had a girlfriend. I shrugged off her question, saying who had time for that. But truth be told, I’d been with a few women my age and an older woman the year I turned eighteen. The woman had been the mother of a friend. I happened to stop by the friend’s house one day and found he wasn’t there, but his mother was. My friend’s dad had left them several years before, so she was home alone. She invited me in to wait, saying her son should be home anytime. Fact was, he’d gone to work and wouldn’t return for hours. She asked me about my magic, and spells, and all the things a warlock could do. Neither her nor her son had magical powers. I showed her a few little tricks and cast some simple spells. She then invited herself into my personal space. At first, I politely declined her advances, but the more she pushed the more I decided declining was not an option. We eventually made our way into her bedroom and into her bed. She taught me several things that day, things I’ve used only twice. She taught me how to please a woman, something I was grateful for even to this day. We all had to be taught the things we didn’t know.
I left my room and headed to the game room where the guys usually hung out on Saturday evenings. The curfew was still in effect, so we were forced to find things to do at the academy on Saturday nights. Most of the time we found ourselves bored to death, childishly playing with our magic to entertain each other. The video game craze had long passed, and a ban on the Internet made people find things outside to do. The world got skinnier as a result.
The academy’s administration still had not found who was stealing students’ powers. But we were reminded daily to stay together when we were not on the academy campus. The warning provided a false sense of protection because whoever was taking the powers had done so despite students watching out for one another. Basically, we were all easy pickings.
In the game room, Dash and Oliver sat in chairs at a table, Kyler, still a frog, sat in the middle of the table, his little froggie mouth moving as he spoke. Dash still brought Kyler to class and when they weren’t at their desks, Dash had Kyler sitting on the counter while he mixed potions. On the third day after Kyler turned himself into a frog, the six of us were sitting outside, Kyler in the middle. I saw the shadow before I saw the eagle. It swooped down from the sky and snatched Kyler before any of us could react. Oliver, being the smartest of the group, reacted the quickest as the bird took flight, casting a spell at the bird and turning it into a sparrow. Kyler dropped from the sky, and Dash ran to catch him. A second bird appeared from the trees, taking aim at Kyler. Dash leapt into the air just as the bird opened its claws. If we could all have friends like that.
We watched with bated breath as Dash fell to the ground, the bird flying off, the sun blinding us. Dash, facing away, finally stood and turned, Kyler the frog in his hands. He patted Kyler on the head and spoke words of encouragement to his green friend. He promised Kyler nothing like that would ever happen again. Since that day, Dash wore a cloak, keeping Kyler safely in his cloak pocket. Often, when Kyler croaked from inside the cloak pocket, other students thought Dash was turning into a frog.
“Guys,” I said and took a seat. “Still no change?” I nodded at Kyler. “He looks sick. Should we take him to a vet?”
“Nope,” Dash said. “He’ll be okay. Though, he may be eating flies the rest of his life.” He rubbed Kyler’s head. “I put a female frog, or I thought it was female, in his aquarium last night. When I woke this morning, the other frog was trying to hump him.”
Kyler croaked and looked up at us.
“He needs a princess to kiss him,” Oliver said.
“I’m out,” I said. I placed my elbows on the table. “I wanted to talk to you guys about Cassandra. About the way you guys interact with her.”
Oliver and Dash sat up straight. Kyler said something, but his words were always filled with too much saliva, like he was gurgling when he spoke.
“What’s on your mind?” Dash said suspiciously. He had a scar over his left eye that his hair usually covered. The three guys never talked much about each other, their friendship close the way Cassandra and I were close.
“I just wanted to say if any of you have an interest in her, that if you ever hurt her in any way, you’ll have me to answer to.” I swallowed hard and waited a moment. Physically I could handle any of the three. Magically, I hadn’t seen enough of their magic to decide what would happen if we went head to head. I guessed I would be okay.
“That so?” Dash said. He placed his elbows on the table and leaned toward me, Kyler looking up at his throat. His hair fell back over the scar. I was used to Dash challenging everything anyone said. Most people bought his act; I didn’t.
I leaned forward. “That’s so. I’ve known her longer than any of you have. We’ve been through some pretty rough shit in the past twelve years. I don’t want to see her hurt or taken advantage of.”
“Maybe Oliver and I want her too. Maybe we want what you have with her.” He sat back. “Nothing wrong with that. Competition is good for the soul.”
“I’ve not had anything but a strong friendship with her,” I said.
Dash shrugged. “Maybe she wants more. Maybe that’s why there’s all these feelings going around.” He nodded at me and curled his lip. “Maybe she wants to be more than friends with you, like she does the rest of us.”
“Those are called hormones,” I said. “We’re teenage guys. We’re all horny.”
Oliver shook his head. “I don’t think so. I think it’s something more. Something we don’t understand yet.” He pointed at Dash. “He’s twenty by the way. I’m nineteen and a half.”
Everyone suddenly pushed back from the table, a naked Kyler appearing, sitting ass-naked on the tabletop. “Me too,” Kyler said, and then the table collapsed, leaving him sprawled across the broken wood. “That really sucked. I could really use a cheeseburger.”
Dash elbowed Oliver and nodded at Kyler’s crotch. “There’s one area we don’t have to worry about him being competition,” he said. The two doubled over and laughed.
“Fuck you, Dash. I’m a grower.”
“Yeah, so are the farmers on the edge of town,” Dash replied.
Everyone laughed, seeming to forget our conversation about Cassandra. Then Kyler spoke up.
“We’re all drawn to her, Braeden,” he said. Still naked, he looked at the others. “None of us have any intentions of hurting her. Like you, we’re here to make sure nobody does. We think we were brought here to watch over her. You know, like bodyguards.”
“Tell him,” Dash said to Kyler. Dash stared at me hard, as if trying to intimidate me. It wasn’t working. I could see through his tough-guy façade.
Kyler looked at me and then down at the smashed table.
“What?” I said. “What’s going on?”
Kyler looked up. “After we arrived, we each began having the same dream. Over and over again. Some old man appeared to each of us. Fancy robe and staff and some jewel-covered book. He told us a woman had arrived on campus. That she would be the one to confront an archmage named Edius. Said we needed to keep her safe. It has to be Cassandra. That’s why you have nothing to worry about.”
“Bullshit. Why haven’t I had these dreams? None of you are as close to Cassandra as I am.” I skipped the part about the dreams involving them and Cassandra.
“I can’t stand it any longer,” Oliver said. He swirled his finger toward Kyler. “Causa polyester.”
“The hell is this?” Kyler said, studying the polyester suit Oliver put him in.
“Mutare vestimenta sua,” Kyler said, and brought his hands down across his body. “That’s more like it.” The polyester suit changed to earth-toned brown shirt and brown pants.
The outfit matched his personality. He studied the broken table again and waved his hand over the wreckage. The table shuddered and suddenly became a table again.
“But you feel a greater pull to her than you had before your arrival,” Oliver said to me.
It was true. As soon as we crossed the bridge to the main entrance, everything changed. She was no longer the nineteen-year-old Cassandra I’d been trying to coach and protect for twelve years. She became a desirable woman to all men. I had intimate feelings about her before but had brushed them off, choosing to be her friend instead of her lover. But now, I wanted both. Now, I knew things were different and therefore I needed to keep my senses at an all-time high to make sure no harm came to her.
“I think I know where to find the old man who appeared to us,” Oliver said. “I’ve been studying the campus, the design of the buildings, and listening to the servants when they think we aren’t around. If we find him maybe we’ll be able to find this Edius person.” Oliver’s brains made him an intricate part of our group. He filled in where the rest of us lacked.
“And when we find him?” Kyler asked. He seemed nervous about the idea of finding the man. He came across more as a lover than a fighter.
Oliver shrugged. “I’m making this up as I go along.”
I held up my hands for him to stop. “None of this makes any sense. Why Cassandra?”
“Told you he wouldn’t listen,” Dash said. “Should’ve gone without him.” He shook his head and kicked a piece of the table Kyler missed. It was his way or the highway.
“It’s the only way to get answers,” Kyler said. “We all want to know what’s going on.” He paused and stared at me. “We need to do it for Cassandra, so that we understand what’s being asked of her.”
“Okay,” I finally said. “I’m in. But remember what I said about her. No more judging her for the mistakes she’s made.” I pointed at Dash. “And instead of following her around like lost puppies, we understand this pull toward her.” I pointed at Oliver and Kyler. “We all get to know her better and understand what it is she wants. And nobody forces themselves on her.” I left the last comment for Dash. I probably sounded like a parent, but I had too much at stake with her for one of them to ruin it.