by ERIN BEDFORD
Instead of Paul answering, it was another voice. “Only when the emotion is higher than normal. Plus, where the power is coming from helps.”
I jumped in place and spun around to see Ian standing by the bookshelf hiding my little nook. “Uh, how long have you been there for?”
“Long enough.” Ian smirked that sexy smirk of his making me feel things I really shouldn’t have after almost having kissed Paul just a few moments ago. “So, I see you’re playing the dutiful tutor as always Paul.” Ian nodded his head toward the quiet male. I didn’t like Ian’s implications of Paul. What was he saying? Did Paul always hit on girls this way?
“It’s not like that, Ian.” There was a bit of a bite in Paul’s words, and I glanced between the two of them. There was something similar about them. I mean, not right this instant. Since Paul was glaring at Ian and Ian didn’t seem to have a care in the world, but there was something. Something I couldn’t put my finger on.
“Well, it is your usual MO, isn’t it?” Ian sauntered over to us and placed himself between Paul and me. “Find a pretty girl, chat her up, tell her it’s all about the emotion and then boom. You make your move.”
Mortification started to billow inside of me as I glanced at Paul, begging him to deny it. Paul avoided my gaze and kept shooting daggers at Ian with his eyes. Gritting my teeth, I couldn’t believe how stupid I’d been. Of course, a guy like that would have tons of girls, I wasn’t anything special.
“Why do you have to be such a dick?” Paul stood to his feet and moved into Ian’s personal space.
“Why do you have to be so predictable?” Ian shifted so that they were nose-to-nose. If there hadn’t been such a thick amount of animosity in the air, I’d have thought they were going to kiss just like Paul and I had almost done. Boy, was I glad that hadn’t happened now.
“And what?” Paul sniffed. “I’m supposed to just pop up everywhere they go and pretend like I was already there and not purposely trying to run into them like you do?” Paul shoved a finger into Ian’s chest. “Stalkerish much?”
“Hey, you have your ways, and I have mine.” Ian shoved Paul away slightly and then grinned. “My ways just happen to make me look cool and take way less effort than trying to figure out whatever homework they need help on.”
“At least, I’m taking an interest in what she’s doing. That’s more than I can say for you, who only cares about what’s in her pants and not her brains.”
Ian snorted. “So little you know about me, little brother.”
That was the last straw. They were arguing over me as if I weren’t even here. And Ian’s comment about being his brother? What the hell was up with that?
“Does someone want to tell me what’s going on?” I growled, my anger starting to fester inside of me. I’d been nothing but nice to Paul and everyone else I had met here at the academy, save Sabrina who had been nasty first. Why they thought it was okay to play games with me, I didn’t know. Maybe it was some kind of wizard thing.
“What’s going on, sweet little Maxine,” - Ian turned his eyes from Paul for a moment to look at me - “is that little brother doesn’t know how to change up his game. Especially when dealing with someone out of his league.” His hazel eyes scanned up and down my form. I felt like a lamb about to be gobbled up by the wolf, but I had a feeling I wouldn’t mind it one bit. This only made me even more irritated.
The books on the tables and shelves around us started to shake in place. The pen next to my notebook rolled off the table and on to the floor, landing with a loud clack. Paul and Ian stopped their testosterone-filled staring contest to gape at me.
“Max,” Paul said slowly as if I were a skittish deer he was afraid would bolt at any moment. “Remember what I said about your emotions controlling your magic? Well, that also goes for when you don’t want it to.”
I scoffed. “Who said I don’t want to? You’re the ones acting so high and mighty. So, what if I didn’t grow up learning about magic? So, what if I’m a bit behind? But at least, I’m a decent human being who doesn’t go around playing games with people just to get their kicks.”
“You tell him, sister,” Ian added.
My volatile gaze turned on him. “Don’t talk to me as if you didn’t have a hand in this. You’ve been skulking around me from the beginning. How do I know you and your brother,” I spat, “don’t do this all the time? Find a sweet little first year and mess with her head? Huh? Or maybe this is some sick game Sabrina cooked up?” I searched around for that big blonde head of hers, but to my dissatisfaction, it was nowhere to be found.
“What’s that she-bitch got to do with this?” Ian frowned, his brows furrowing together in confusion.
“Well, she is Paul’s ex-girlfriend.” My lips spread wide as I smiled at Paul and then turned my attention back to Ian. “And from what I hear, she cheated on him with you, his brother?” I raised my brows and laughed at the hilarity of it. “Man, and I thought my life was fucked up.” I shook my head, and then all of a sudden, the anger I had to destroy the very ground beneath us was gone, and I sighed all that emotion out. Looking between the two of them as I packed up my bags, I clucked my tongue. “You really should work on your family issues before trying to get into it over another girl because really,” - I slammed Ian on the shoulder as I walked by - “I’d have given anything for a sibling growing up, so you best make nice with the one you’ve got.”
I started to walk away from the two of them, tired of all these games and just wanting to get a good night’s sleep. However, fate was not so kind. When I was mid-library, in the heart of the majority of its occupants, a hand clamped down on my shoulder and turned me.
Ian stood there with a wicked grin on his lips and my pen in his hand. “You forgot this, Mancaster.”
A round of gasps and whispers scattered throughout the library. I glanced around to see all the eyes on us, and several people texting away on their phones, no doubt telling everyone they know what they’d heard. So much for keeping it quiet.
“I should have made Dale memory wipe you too,” I growled, taking the pen from him with more force than necessary.
Ian ran a hand through his hair and smiled. “He might be able to take care of a few lower beings, but I’m on a whole other level, baby.”
“I’m not your baby,” I snapped and then added, “And it’s Norman. Not Mancaster. Get it right.” I stomped away from him and toward the door, his laughter chasing after me.
“Whatever you say, Mancaster,” Ian called out after me, making me grit my teeth even harder.
As I rushed down the hallway and back toward my room, I could feel all the eyes on me. It was like they were undressing me with their eyes and seeing down to my very being. I didn’t like it one bit.
In my rush to get to my room, I didn’t pay close enough attention to where I was going and once more ran straight into someone. Falling flat on my butt, I winced.
“I’m sorry, I wasn’t watching where I was going,” I apologized as I scrambled to get up. A large hand took my arm and lifted me up from the ground and onto my feet. My eyes lifted to Aidan’s captivating blue eyes.
“Are you okay?”
I was startled by his question. More so because he barely seemed to talk to me at all and not by the fact that his voice did naughty things to my insides.
I moved my head up and down quickly and pulled my things closer to me. “I’m okay. Thanks. Sorry again. You know, for running you over.”
Aidan coughed strangely. Was he laughing?
“Is something funny?” I asked, my irritation from earlier rearing back full force. The guys at this school really were trying to get on my shit list.
“The thought of a tiny thing like you running me over is funny.” His words wrapped around me and settled down low, tightening things.
My annoyance disappeared, and I shifted in place. “Well, I pack a powerful punch. Just ask the Broomstein brothers.” I pointed my thumb back toward the library.
Aidan made
that coughing laugh noise again. “They are dumb boys. Always fighting over what the other has.”
“Really?”
“Don’t let them put you in the middle.” Aidan’s eyes turned serious and settled on me. “You are worth more than that.”
A bit dumbfounded, I could only nod with my mouth gaping open like a fish. Aidan seemed to take that answer as acceptable and went on his way. As I continued the rest of the way to my dorm room, I realized something. I liked Aidan. He might be quiet and intimidating as all get out, but he didn’t seem the type to ever lie to me. Or play games. I needed more people like that in my life. It didn’t hurt that just looking at him made my mouth water.
“Oh, my Merlin,” Trina cried out the moment I stepped into our room. She rushed at me with her phone in her hand, and I could only stifle a groan. “When were you going to tell me you’re one of the Mancasters? Here I’ve been hanging my dirty clothes all over the place, and you’re like magical royalty.”
I shook my head and pushed past her, leaving my bag on the floor by the bed as I collapsed on it. “That’s my grandparents, not me.”
“Well, it’s you now,” Trina continued even though I couldn’t see her. “It’s all over the school. They are saying the Broomstein brothers have found another gold star to fight over. You know, it was Sabrina last year, but now it’s you! Aren’t you excited?” She practically squealed like a fangirl seeing her favorite movie star.
I sighed and rolled over. “Yeah, thrilled.”
Chapter 13
Breathe in through the nose. Sigh it out. Arms up in the air, then fold down to forward fold. Rinse and repeat.
The fact that I hadn’t done any of my stretches the last few days showed how out of place I’d felt here at Winchester Academy. I used to do them every morning and every night like clockwork. This would be the first morning I’d done them since arriving. My mom would tear me a new one if she knew I’d been so lax, especially when I needed to center myself the most.
“Does that stuff really work?”
“Sometimes.” I shrugged a shoulder while still upside down and glanced to where Trina sat on her bed, a book in her lap and her notebook and pen floating in the air as they took notes. It was times like these that I wished I was able to do the kind of magic she could. I’d only been at the academy for a few days, and already I was getting antsy to do something bigger.
And the earthquake I caused in the library wasn’t big enough?
Okay, so not bigger stuff. I had the big stuff down. More like the non-destructive stuff side. I let out a sigh that had nothing to do with my stretches and stood up.
“You know,” Trina put her book to the side, and her pen stopped taking notes. “I don’t understand what the big deal is. So, your grandparents are some hot shots in the magical community.” She shrugged as if it were no big deal. “I’d be thrilled. Think of all the benefits you’d get from their name alone.”
“Like what?” I moved my feet into a modified version of warrior one. “So, I can be friends with people like Sabrina?” I rolled my eyes and then tried to focus on my breathing. The ball of light in my head burned brightly and more vibrantly the longer I stayed in the pose. I released the position, and the energy dissipated as well.
“No,” Trina drew out, her nose scrunched up as if the thought of hanging out with Sabrina was the last thing she wanted to do. I didn’t blame her. “But you could get into all the cool parties! Plus, I hear the privileged hall has way better rooms, and you can use the cafeteria whenever you want. Even have a car on campus as a first year.” I could see the stars in Trina’s eyes at all the possibilities my family name came with.
Sitting down on my pad cross-legged, I pointed a finger at her. “You forget, all that comes with strings attached. I don’t want to start using my grandparent's name and then have them show up one day, demanding I fall in line.” I straightened my back and lifted my chin. “I’m my own woman after all.”
Trina giggled just as my phone beeped.
Callie: How’s it going? Touch anybody’s wand yet?
I snort-laughed out loud at Callie’s text.
“What is it?” Trina moved off the bed to sit beside me on the ground. I started to show her Callie’s text but then hesitated. Then I shook my head. She couldn’t possibly know that Callie was a human just from a text message. I handed her the phone.
Trina's brow scrunched together. "She does know wands are so cliché, right? No one uses wands. At least, no one cool."
I raised a brow at Trina's matter-of-fact statement. "I don't think that's what she meant."
It took her a second before her eyes widened and her mouth dropped open. "OH!" She paused for a second and then asked, "So have you?"
I groaned. I needed to get myself some non-perverted friends.
Seeming to take my groan as an answer, Trina changed the subject. “So, who’s Callie? Someone from your pre-witch life?”
I stiffened at her question. Could I trust Trina, or would she hold it against me like I felt like Dale was doing? I mean, he didn’t blab but maybe she would. Then again, Trina was my roommate. It was going to be hard to keep secrets from her. I was not the best of liars.
“Can you keep a secret?” I asked after a long moment.
Trina’s eyes brightened and shifted closer, a bit more eager than I’d expected she’d be. “Of course! What kind of roommate or friend would I be if I didn’t keep your secrets?”
I chewed on my lower lip for a moment still not a hundred percent sure I should tell her but then finally gave in. “So, I have this best friend from high school. Her name’s Callie. And I sort of—”
“Told her you’re a witch?” Trina finished for me, her shoulders sagging with disappointment.
“Uh, yeah.” I slowly said watching her face closely.
“Pfft.” Trina waved me off. “You think you’re the only one who’s broken that rule? And here I thought it was something really good.”
I shifted so that I could face her directly. “What do you mean? I thought it was like the number one rule?”
Trina shrugged. “Well, it is, but do you really think the council is going to hunt down every single person who knows about us? They’d be wiping memories twenty-four seven.”
“Really?” I relaxed a bit. And here I thought I was doing the most taboo of rule breaking. “They really wipe people’s memories?”
“Sure, if they end up being a problem. You have to be licensed for it because playing with someone’s mind is big magic.”
I thought back to when Dale had erased the memories of the students in line the other day. He hadn’t done much of anything before they were back to not knowing who I was.
“What about here at the school?”
Trina barked a laugh. “Oh, yeah, you better believe it. All the professors and workers are licensed to do memory alterations. Even some of the student assistants.”
“Why?”
“To keep the school’s image of course and if any humans randomly come on to grounds at the same time someone is doing magic.” Trina smacked her hands on her legs and stood up. “That’s why we aren’t allowed to do magic out of our bedrooms or classrooms. Oh, and the library, but you already knew that.” She winked at me before gathering her books for today’s classes.
Note to self: word travels fast in Winchester Academy.
I grabbed my bag and followed Trina out the door. I’d already eaten a granola bar in my room so I wouldn’t have to go to the cafeteria for breakfast. Just imagining all the stares I would get made me shudder. I wasn’t ready to face that yet. At least in the hallway, I could keep moving and wasn’t stuck in one place. It would be bad enough when I was sitting in class. I just hoped a certain someone hadn’t heard about it yet.
“Hey, Norman!”
My shoulder shot up to my ears, and I winced. I contemplated pretending like I hadn’t heard my name shouted by the very person I wanted to avoid, but it was no use. Sabrina was on me like warts on a toa
d.
“That is your name, right?” Sabrina asked, her brows raised as she crossed her arms over her low-neck halter top. “Because I heard a rumor going around that you aren’t exactly who you say you are. That’s not true, right? We’re friends. Friends don’t lie to each other.”
“Yeah, friends don’t lie,” Libby said from behind me causing me to jump and turn around slightly. Libby and Monica stood at my back with Sabrina attacking me from the front. I was surrounded by Witch Barbies.
“I didn’t lie,” I claimed, holding my bag’s strap tighter. I didn’t bother correcting them about being friends. One drama at a time was all I could take.
“So, then it’s not true?” A slow, triumphant smile started to crawl up Sabrina’s face, and I couldn’t help but want to squash it.
Cocking my head to the side, I asked with a slight grin, “Well, that depends on what you are referring to. Is it that I shook the whole library? Or that the Broomstein brothers were fighting over me? You really have to be more specific.”
Sabrina’s face reddened considerably, her hands tightening on her arms as if trying to keep herself from attacking me. “I’m talking about the fact that you are masquerading as a bottom feeder when you are clearly a Mancaster. I don’t know how I didn’t see it before. You have that ‘rules don’t apply to me’ mentality they all have.” She sniffed and flipped her hair over her shoulder. “Hardly worthy of the title of wizarding royalty. Really, it’s wasted on the likes of you.”
I pretended to pout. “Oh, but I thought we were friends?”
“We are friends,” Monica said from behind me. “Aren’t we?”
A wicked grin covered Sabrina’s obvious annoyance with me. “Yeah, Monica. You’re right, we are friends. So, let me give you a little piece of advice.” Sabrina leaned forward and placed her hand on my shoulder. I glanced at it like it was an unwanted fly. “You might be a Mancaster, but you’re still a human-bred bottom feeder, and bottom feeders don’t get guys like Paul and Ian.” Her fingernails bit into my shoulder as she gnashed her teeth. “If you were wise, you’d steer clear of them.” The ‘or else’ was implied as Sabrina’s face smoothed over a cute smile took over. “Alright, friend?”