“Also I’m guessing your fucking wife is going to be at the school, too? You may have been able to replace Mum with some random Warlock whore, but I will not abandon her. And I don’t need to have met this other woman to be able to say that, regardless of what is in my mum’s blood, there is no one more amazing than her.” I state with pride, as I smile at my Mum, who is my absolute world.
Mum stares at me now with glassy eyes and her big beautiful smile, with just a hint of disapproval at my language, because she is still my mum after all! But Max looks like he is in pain, almost like I have physically slapped him and when he speaks, it is so quiet that I almost can hardly hear it.
“I know that.” He mumbles.
Both me and mum screech “what?” at the same time, which brings one side of his mouth up into a small crooked smile, as he notices the many obvious similarities between us both.
“Ella, everything you said is correct. There is no reason for you to want to meet my parents. Sadly, they are not great people. They are so focused on image and our family name that nothing else matters to them. When I found out about you, they were Head of the Coven and would have exiled me. That means that I would have been punished as a rogue, which is so much more severe. I know that you think because they are my parents that was probably just an idle threat, but sadly that’s not true. So, I left, and I agreed to marry Mallory because I thought that if I had my powers then at least I could keep you safe, but I have been unhappy everyday since. Mallory is not a bad person, but she is not you, Lil. I know I shouldn’t say that because nothing can change between us but I want you both to know that I never moved on and I never forgot. My family and Mallory have begged me for the last eighteen years to have a child and produce an heir, but my answer has always been the same. I already have a daughter who will be my rightful heir, and until she can be a part of my life again then no other child will be either.” Explains Max, whilst staring at me with emerald eyes that show just how sincere he is.
Despite my hard front, I could feel my varnished exterior cracking and I could feel the tears begin streaming down my face. I knew they were identical to the ones Mum currently had streaming down her face too. In all the fantasies I ever had about my Dad coming back into my life, I never imagined this. He actually wanted, not just me, but us! Real life beat all the fantasies, hands down.
“You really want me in your life?” I ask, as my voice breaks with a sob. I see out of the corner of my eye that Mum is on her way to comfort me, but before I know it I am being pulled into big, strong manly arms. My cheek is pressed against his hard chest and I can smell an unfamiliar male, woodsy scent and inexplicably feel like I am home. My tears are soaking his black shirt but he doesn’t seem to care, he just pulls me closer and holds me as I cry.
“Oh Jelly Baby, I have always wanted you. There has been a hole in my heart without you in my life. I am here now and would love to be the one to help you through your transition period. Also, I have no intention of splitting you up from your mum. I would love for her to move into the Academy, if that is ok with you both?” he asks tenderly, as he strokes my hair from off my forehead, whilst continuing to hold me tight.
I just can’t seem to let him go and so I pull him in closer and just live in the embrace, finally feeling loved by him. I cannot believe that he is being so thoughtful for both me and Mum.
“Yeah, that is ok with me. What do you say, Mum?” I asked, as I reluctantly pull away from Max’s tender embrace to look over at Mum, with hope in my eyes. The truth is that I don’t want to go to the Academy by myself. I am terrified of all this change and don’t want to have to endure it without the support of my Mum. Then, I see the look in Mum’s eyes, at first I think she doesn’t want to move with me and that hurts, but as she speaks I realise there is more to it. She explains that humans have never been allowed to step foot in the Academy, let alone live there and that’s the reason for her reluctance. Secretly, I know she wants to leave me about as much as I want to leave her.
I turn towards Max to see if what Mum is saying is true. I’m hoping he won’t dangle such an amazing offer in front of us and not be able to fulfil it, but then I remember that I don’t actually know Max at all and I’m on the defensive.
“That is true,” Max says, and my heart just sinks. He sees that and he quickly adds “But I am the High Warlock and Principal of the Academy. I have already asked permission from the Cambion Council and they have consented to Lil being allowed accommodation in the teacher’s wing, however Ella will still need to room with the other fledglings, but you will have access to your Mum’s room to come and go as you like. I do not want Ella to feel lonely and have to come without you.”
Mums facial expression breaks and there are glances of hope shining through. I know that the thought of me going to college was leaving her feeling lost, so this seems like as good of a compromise as any. I just hope she will agree with Max’s plan because I can see her stubbornness shining through in a way I can totally relate to.
“I’m still not sure.” She says meekly. I look at her with big wide eyes and a hopeful expression as I plead with her.
“Why mum? Please do this.” I beg and can hear the hope and desperation in my voice. I do not want to have to do this without her. But then I see out of the corner of my eye that she is staring at Max with a hint of pain and sadness that she is trying hard to hide. I realise now that I haven’t taken into account how Mum would feel being back in Max’s life or having to deal with his wife and family. I know I’m being so fucking selfish, but I don’t care. I need her to help me deal with all of this bullshit and to give me the strength to do this. I know as soon as she sees the pleading look on my face, Mum does what she has always done, and that is to put my feelings first. I feel like the biggest, most selfish bitch in the world for causing her pain and the guilt starts to consume me, but I also know that I need her strength to help me survive this Academy. I need my mum!
“Ok. I will come with you.” She says with a sigh and a longing look in Max’s direction before her face turns to stone and she puts on the mask I instantly recognise, before she asks him, “When do we need to leave?”
Max has the biggest smile on his face, and it makes him look years younger. I guess mum agreeing to come meant a lot to him, too.
“Ella comes into her powers when she turns eighteen next week and then the new school term starts the week after. We can move anytime you are ready, once her powers are active. I would love to be here when that happens, if that is ok?” he asks eagerly.
I can hear the hope in his voice and I realised then that he really does want to be part of my life, and it also dawns on me that in one week’s time I am about to enter a world that I know absolutely nothing about. All of a sudden I am back to being scared shitless again. So, I agree and ask him to help me as much as he can. I am very lucky to have both Max and Mum there for me as I transition into a warlock. Holy fuck does that sound crazy and I have no idea what awaits me.
Chapter Four
After that first meeting, Max and I spent time together regularly. He told me all about Draiochta Academy and what to expect of life there. He showed me different magic spells and tried to talk me through how he was doing it and it made no sense at all, but he reassured me it would. Each time he created magic, I was wowed a little bit more, and was sure I could almost feel my magic bubbling away under the surface.
The way he manipulates the black energy into anything he wants is beautiful, and I worry that I will never be able to achieve such skill. Max constantly reassures me that I will have the skills learned in no time, because the power is already there in my blood.
That’s the scary part because my blood is only half Cambion, and thanks to the Councils penchant for slaughtering mixed-bloods and their parents, there is not a lot of research or test samples to look at. When Max told me I was the only half-blood to ever attend the Academy, I knew he said it with pride, but I saw it as a big red flag. I will obviously stand out, and there is
no way that people will not know who the fuck I am, but I will worry about that another day. For now, I’m just enjoying spending time with Max.
When we have finished talking about magic, there are always times when I get to hear about Max and Mum’s lives together from before. I love listening to them telling me stories of their time together, and it’s painfully obvious that they really were in love. It’s beautiful to hear them both talk, but I can’t help but wonder if those feelings have truly gone away.
Mostly, Max asked me all about my childhood, and my life growing up. He said he wanted to know everything that he had missed out on. He was like a starving person begging for more and pleased with any little scraps I was willing to give him, which filled me with such joy that he wanted to know who I am! He even got over-protective when he found out that I dated an older guy, Tanner, earlier this year. He was my first, and only, real boyfriend, and we only dated for a couple of months, until I found out that he was cheating on me. Tanner actually had the nerve to say that it was my fault he cheated because I wouldn’t have sex with him. Cheating Bastard!
I know it is an embarrassing thing to admit, and not one that I would ever be discussing with mum or Max, that I am an eighteen-year-old virgin, but I do not want to regret my first time. I want it to be special, and I never got that feeling with Tanner. It was around the time I broke up with his cheating ass that my brain conjured up my dream guy, probably to remind me that Tanner most definitely was not good enough. So, if Max is getting all over-protective about Tanner, then he would be really losing his shit if Dream Guy was real. Because with him, if he was real, I am more than sure I would have no problem going all the way.
Mum is coping better with Max being around a lot more. At first, she was hostile and kept out of our way, then she started to relax and talk to him, but when Max has to go home, it is like a sadness takes over her. She obviously still feels something for him, and it seems like every time he leaves, some of the old wounds that occurred when he abandoned her last time become freshly opened again, causing her new pain. Still, she puts on a brave face and then lets him come over the next day and we do it all over again. She really is the best Mum ever!
My birthday rolled around before I knew it. I cancelled the party that I planned because I wanted to spend the day with my newfound family. Aunty Sandy was pissed to not be invited, but after her reintroduction to Max the day before, we decided it was best she not come. I giggled thinking back on how mad my feisty Aunty was at finding Max back in the picture.
Sandy lets herself into our house as though she owns the place, which is nothing abnormal, since she had been doing it forever, but today was different because Max was visiting and I was starting to suspect that Mum was keeping Max and Sandy apart for whatever reason. It turns out she had good reason.
“Ella Storm, you get your arse down these stairs right now and explain to me why I get a text to say you are cancelling your party but want to have a catch-up coffee soon! What am I? Ninety?! I want booze, boys and dancing!” shouts my larger than life Godmother. What she doesn’t realise is that me, Max and Mum are already sitting around the dining table, eating toast and drinking coffee. Max and Mum share a look, and I can see them both considering his escape routes, so I put my hand over his in reassurance.
“In the kitchen, Aunty Sand,” I shout, as mum looks at me like a traitor, and I put my hand over Max’s in support and, as it turns out, he needed it.
Sandy walks into the kitchen and grabs her own mug before she turns to our table and sees the scene in front of her. In the next instant, I see Max lean to the side as a coffee mug comes whizzing past the side of his head. No doubt in my mind, if his superfast abilities hadn’t helped him move, the cup would have hit him. As the cup smashes on the wall behind him, all hell breaks loose.
“What the hell are you doing in this house after all this time, you worthless, cock-faced, ball nugget?! When you walked away, I told you never to return again. Do you have any idea how much pain you have caused these two beautiful women?” Sandy shouts, right up in Max’s face as she pokes her finger into his chest. To give Max credit he just takes it, but before he can answer, she starts again. ”I will tell you why, it’s because you want your cake and you want to eat it. You have a new wife and now you want the family you left behind. Fuck how it makes everyone else feel, as long as you get what you want. Do you have any Idea how long Lilianna cried in my arms for after you left? Do you know how many times I stayed home with Ella because she was sick, and Lil had to work? I was here for Ella, I bathed her, fed her, helped raise her. All because you weren’t here. So don’t think you can come back here after all this time and break Lil’s heart again and steal my EllaBear from me. I won’t let you!” she says with such conviction, but, at the same time, I can see she is looking for something else to throw. Rarely does Sandy finish after one rant, so, I stop her. I take her hands in mine and look her in the eyes, as I tell her how much she means to me.
“Sandy, other than Mum, you are the only other family we have, and I wish with all my heart you were my blood, but that’s never bothered us before and it won’t start now. It’s not something I ever talked about, but I know you always knew how hurt I was by not having a dad in my life. I can’t explain to you why he is here now, but I trust his reasons are pure, so I ask you to trust me. I want to get to know him, please?” I ask with a pleading I didn’t realise I would have, but the truth is Sandy’s opinions do mean the world to me. Like she said, she raised me. I can see her staring at Max and then Mum, but when she looks me in the eyes and smiles, I know we are good. Still, in true Sandy form, she has to have the last word.
“Ella, you know you can always come to me if ever you need anything and can’t turn to either of these two or even just because I’m better,” she jokes, and I can’t help but laugh. Then, a serious expression I rarely see on Sandy’s face is looking straight at Max.
“Let me be very clear about this, Maximus. I didn’t come after you last time because Lil needed me, and I haven’t hurt you today because Ella asked me not to. But they are your only free passes. Hurt my girls again, and I will cut your balls off, fry them and feed them back to you. It will not be pleasant. Are we understood?” asks Sandy, with true menace in her threat. Much to my amazement, Max actually laughs.
“I wouldn’t expect anything less from you, Sandy, and thank you for taking such good care of my girls. You did a great job.” Replies Max with a tone dripping with the sincerest of emotions.
“Your girls?? Your fucking girls??!! Let me be very clear Maximus when I say that I will be pleasant towards you because Ella has asked me to, but they are not your girls. They are my girls and you are a piece-of-shit, loser, who has been AWOL for all Ella’s life. You have hurt them in ways you can’t even begin to imagine and even if they forgive you, I will never forget. But we can move on for Ella, so get me a drink and let’s celebrate!”
Once that was out the way they spent the rest of the night throwing banter back and forth, trying to one-up the other person. It was fun and all the people I care about in my life were in the same place and getting along, which was amazing.
I went for a meal and drinks with my friends two days before my birthday on Thursday night. When I told them I was leaving early for Oxford because I couldn’t exactly tell them I was leaving for a magic academy, I didn’t feel how I expected. It was strange to say goodbye to the people I called friends for the last few years, but, at the same time, I didn’t feel like I would miss them. I just felt like I didn’t belong in their world anymore, which I guess is the truth. Although they turned the meal into a bit of a goodbye party, for me, it felt more like I was saying goodbye to the old me. I was determined that the new me would be strong and fierce enough to handle anything.
On the night before my birthday, Max comes over to stay because, according to Warlock law, I will come into my powers at the exact time I turn eighteen, which just so happens to be at 4:14 a.m. Max explained that he couldn’t really
prepare me for how it would happen because every Warlock experienced things differently and my mixed blood status, along with the fact I’m the only surviving Cambion with diluted blood, means we might never truly know how I will be affected until it happened - kind of a Guinea Pig of sorts. This didn’t exactly fill me with lots of confidence, but, given that I didn’t have a lot of choices, I would fight through whatever came my way!
My freshly-streaked purple hair added to the air of confidence I am desperate for the ‘new me’ to portray, but inside I’m filled with a range of emotions. Whilst being excited about the prospect of my future and finally having that sense of belonging, at the same time I could lie because I’m also a whole lot nervous. The anticipation of what was going to happen and how I would feel afterwards was killing me. I knew what would help, and as I climbed into bed to sleep the time away until my birthday, I hoped so much that I would be able to see him again. I need my Dream Guy to help me make sense of this mess.
Draiochta Academy: All Genres Academy Anthology Page 29