by Tonya Kappes
“Hidden Hall A Spiritualist University is top secret. Hence the name. You will find it’s more magical than psychic because every psychic has a little bit of magic in them.” She looked out into the wheat field that stretched for miles in front of us.
Mr. Prince Charming danced ahead of us. His tail swayed above the wheat as he trotted along until Eloise tapped the sign that read Hidden Village.
A small town appeared in the distance. Mr. Prince Charming darted off.
“What is that?” My mouth dropped open. I had no idea why I was surprised. There was just no getting use to the life I had been thrown into. Not that I minded it, but I was eager to learn all about it.
“That’s University housing. This is where you will sleep.” Eloise continued to walk down the new path she had created. Without a word, I followed her.
The closer we got, the more anticipation grew and deposited a lump in my throat. I recognized a few of the students gathered at Black Magic Café enjoying their mochas until they stopped and stared at us.
“Don’t pay any attention to them.” Eloise smiled at them and nodded politely, her hands clasped in front of her. They went back to talking among themselves. “They are all curious about the Dean’s niece. We didn’t know she had any family. Darla never mentioned her to me either.”
“So am I,” I muttered. I wasn’t use to this attention now or ever. We stopped at a gate in front of a small white cottage that was situated across the street from Once Upon a Spell Library.
“That’s strange.” I pointed to the burst of blue sitting directly overtop the library with the brightest rays of sunshine beaming down on it.
“Oh, it’s always sunny in the library.” Eloise lifted the latch on the gate and pushed it open. She set my suitcase on the sidewalk. “Home sweet home. This is where you will stay every time you have to come to school.”
Mr. Prince Charming was already at the door. Eloise bent down and touched a wilted patch of Gerber Daisies. They sprung back to life along with the rest of the flowers near the same soil.
“Exactly what do you mean by every time?” Nervously I picked at my charm bracelet. From what I understood that coming to school was a one-shot deal and I could go home to Whispering Falls and back to my shop, Charming Cures.
“Even though you are here for only four days, you still have to get continuing education. Especially since you didn’t grow up in a mystical village.” She gestured for me to walk into the fenced in yard.
Mewl, mewl. Mr. Prince Charming stood up and turned his body to the cottage dorm.
“But. . .” I turned around to protest. Eloise was gone. Vanished into thin air.
“You’re here!” Hili yelled from the doorway. Mr. Prince Charming ran into the house. “I can’t wait to see your room.”
I grabbed my suitcase, closed the gate behind me and walked into my temporary, very temporary, home.
It was much larger than it looked from the outside. Several girls milled around the hallway, walking up and down different staircases and in and out of rooms. A few noticed the new girl. . .me. But didn’t pay too much attention.
My heels clomped on the black hardwood floors as Hili’s voice rang above everyone else’s, “This is June Heal. She’s new,” she repeated every time we passed someone.
There were a few hi’s, but mainly snarls. Just like every other woman, no one wants to be at school. Especially a twenty-five-year-old like me.
We took the second set of stairs just off the right of the entrance and turned right into the long dark hallway. The lights turned on like falling dominoes. With each step, the eyes on the women in the framed pictures that lined the wall shifted, as if they were watching us.
“Don’t mind them.” Hili shrugged them off. “They are retired professors making sure we aren’t casting any other spells. Or in your case, psychic ability.”
“Casting?” There was a lot I had to learn. I noticed only three doors in the hallway. Mine, Hili’s, and Faith Mortimer’s.
I smacked into the back of Hili when she abruptly stopped in- between doors. The door to her right had Faith Mortimer printed on the gold plate and the door to her left read June Heal.
“You’re a psychic. I’m completely magic.” Pride swelled on her face. “Cast spells. She twitched her finger in the air and a spark flew from the tip of it. “This little thing can be really powerful.” She kissed it.
“Voila, this is your room.” Hili tapped the name plate. She turned the knob and opened the door. Her eyebrows rose, and her voice escalated, “I’ve been dying to see it.”
There was a piece of paper taped on the door, but Hili ripped it off and held it behind her back.
“What was that?” I tried to glance around her back. She leaned back making me try harder.
“Oh nothing. Just some junk.” She waved me off. “Open the door.”
“Let me have it.” I put my hand out.
She slapped it in my hand.
“UnHidden Hall: The Truth Behind The Magic,” I read out loud. “Very catchy and clever.”
It was some sort of gossip paper. On the front cover beneath the heading was a picture of me from when I had sold homeopathic cures in the flea market with the heading Dean’s niece? Selling Cures in a Flea Market?
“Don’t read those lies.” Hili plucked it out of my hands. “She’s just a jealous snob who wished she was the niece of Dean Helena.”
Technically, it wasn’t a lie. I did sell homeopathic cures out of a flea market booth when I lived in Locust Grove, before I even knew about my spiritualist gift.
“Who puts this out?” I grabbed it back and scanned the article about me coming to the University to learn more about my psychic abilities.
“I really don’t know.” She shrugged, and then looked around before she leaned in closer. She whispered, “It’s put out under a fake name. The rumor is that Faith Mortimer is the editor and she has a few minions that report back all the gossip. I say it’s just a whole lot of trash.”
I laughed it off. I was only going to be here for four days and I really didn’t have anything to hide.
Mr. Prince Charming darted in and out of the room before we could make it in.
Hiss, hiss. That wasn’t a good sign. He was good at showing displeasure and he was always right.
I motioned for her to go in the room first. She was way more excited than I was. “I just figured out that I’m her niece, and it’s going to take a while for me to get use to having any family, much less being the niece of the Dean of the biggest Spiritual University around.”
She smiled, and threw her arms around my neck.” I knew we were going to best friends.”
I planted a smile on my face, not knowing what to do with that. I was a twenty-five year old woman, not a sorority gal. Little did she know, I wasn’t in the market for new friends. I was here to do my time at Intuition School and get back to my life making homeopathic cures in Whispering Falls and Oscar.
I couldn’t help but wonder what he was doing.
I pulled away and both of us walked into the room. We stood in awe. Each of us had a different reaction. Hili had a grin as big as the moon on her face, while I flinched and looked away.
“It’s amazing. Just like I thought.” Hili clasped her hands and twirled in circles.
With her twirls, and all the pink, frilly accessories, the room started to spin. I reached out, grasping the leopard print chair that sat just inside of the massive room that looked as though it had been sprayed with Pepto Bismol all over.
Off to the right was a bathroom, complete with Jacuzzi tub and to the left was a small kitchenette. They had gone through a lot of trouble for me to be here just four days.
Pretending to take a closer look at the Jacuzzi tub, I shut the door behind me. Quickly I took Madame Torres out of my bag.
“Let me see Oscar.” I rubbed my hands around my crystal ball and concentrated in my mind on his handsome face. I sighed, and then whispered, “Let me see Oscar.”
&n
bsp; A Charming Cure appeared with Oscar behind the counter with my apron on. A smile crossed my lips. He was talking to a customer and Chandra Shango stood next to him. Her soft hazel eyes zeroed in on the customers’ hands as she patted down her short, raspberry colored hair.
My heart skipped a beat. I longed to be there instead of with absent-minded teenager Hili.
Everything looked like it was going well without me. The first day was over and only three more days of school left. What could happen in three days?
I walked out and rolled my eyes when I saw the pink room.
“What’s wrong?” Hili tilted her head, looking for any answers to my strange behavior. Granted, most women liked pink, but it was not my color of choice for my living quarters. With a low-whisper, she asked, “Is it too much? It’s a fairy’s dream.”
“A psychic’s nightmare,” I grumbled back.
She walked over to the bed and grabbed the fluffy pillow and held on to it tight. I walked around taking in all the ruffles, feathers, and pink.
“But you are wearing pink shoes.” She pointed.
“Yes, but it’s a splash of color, not a splatter.” Three days, three days, I reminded myself.
Hili peeled her hand away from the pillow; she touched the wick of each candle in the chandelier on the bedside table. One-by-one they lit up the room, showing just how much frill there was.
“This room has been waiting for you. And usually the Dean’s family comes to school at a very early age.” She pulled back and crossed her arms. “Not at twenty-five.”
“I’ve never been a big fan of frill or pink. I won’t be here long, so it will be fine.” I ran my hand along the satin bedspread. “I’m a jeans and tee kind of gal.”
“But you have on heels and a cute jumpsuit!” She stood a little more straight, her posture rigid.
“I wanted to give a good impression for today.” I didn’t know who I was kidding, but there was no way I was going to dress all fancy, Dean’s niece or not. The UnHidden Hall paper was right. I was a girl who grew up in Locust Grove, in a rickety house, with no knowledge of any sort of powers and sold homeopathic cures out of the local flea market.
“Well, we can go shopping at Wands, Potions, and Beyond.” Instantly her mood changed. “I do need a new wand for Wand School. They will have all new items.”
A sudden knock at the door made us forget about the dreaded room. Before I could answer, Mr. Prince Charming raised up in a full-blown back arch, hiss, hiss.
Rapidly, the door flung open, stopping abruptly just shy of the doorstop.
Green smoke danced in the air, and gave way to Aunt Helena. Her black cloak swung open as she stepped into the room, exposing a polkadot A-line skirt and thigh-high pointy red boots that matched her nail color perfectly.
“Wonderful to see you are getting settled in.” She waved her hands in the air. Everything pink changed to the oranges and browns that I loved. Instantly, the room became homey and something I would live in. “Now, that should do it. You must forgive the University. Even though we don’t know each other all that well, and it’s only three days, I want you to be comfortable.”
“Thank you so much. Hili has been a great help with getting me settled. This will be fine for my four days.” I rubbed my temple. I was going to have to watch what I was thinking. Obviously Aunt Helena had been reading my mind.
How did I get here? I wasn’t used to all of this. But I constantly needed to remind myself that this was my life now. I was here to learn all of these techniques. I never signed up to be a real psychic or the Dean’s niece.
“Hmmm. . .” Helena pierced the distance between them, and then lifted her eyes, glaring at Hili.
Hili rushed out of the room, leaving me alone with Aunt Helena, which made my toes curl. And that was not comfortable in the high-heel shoes. The door automatically closed behind her and then locked.
“How is everything going?” She tried to be sincere, but I just didn’t trust her like I did Eloise.
“Fine.” I lied.
Eloise would’ve been a much better Dean. She was so much easier to relate to. After all, Eloise was Darla’s best friend and a great help to Darla. Now, years later, she was helping me, even going as far as clearing my name from murder the first week I had moved to Whispering Falls.
Where was Aunt Helena when I did need her? Biting my lip, I looked away in fear she did know what I was thinking. She seemed to have a lot of different powers than a pure psychic, which made me wonder if I was only psychic or did have a touch of Fairiwick in me.
“Dean! Dean!” The other minion that sat next to Faith ran into my room. Her eyes darted back and forth between Aunt Helena and me. She jabbed her finger in my direction. Her eyes narrowed on me, casting a shadow in the room. “Come quick! Faith is on her deathbed! No thanks to her,” she said, pointing at me.
Chapter Six
“Me? What did I do?” This girl was as crazy as her friend.
“Now, now, Raven.” Aunt Helena took her in her arms and comforted her. Suspicion settled in my gut. My intuition told me something was off. Why was Aunt Helena so willing to hug Raven when she had never even touched me? And I was supposed to be flesh and blood. “I’m sure Faith is going to be okay.”
Aunt Helena rushed us out the door and across the street to the University Infirmary. When we got to Faith’s room on the third floor, Eloise was sitting on the bench outside of her door. Her head in her hands, her shoulders bouncing up and down with each sob that came from deep from within her soul.
“Dean Helena, I have no idea what happened.” Eloise stood up, her face blotted red. “It was the same sleeping potion we use in ‘Don’t Judge a Potion by the Smell’ class.”
Helena didn’t answer. She swept her cloak over her body and raised a finger toward Eloise. A spark of blue light shot from her fingertip and hit Eloise, causing Eloise to crumble to the floor in a little ball.
“Stop!” I screamed, crouching to Eloise’s side. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Helena raise her hand again. I threw my hand up in the air. “You are hurting her.”
“They need to respect the rules. You are not one of them!” Helena screamed, “You are not a Fairiwick!” Her words were as sharp as her magic. “Professor Sandlewood, you are on administrative leave until further notice.”
With a flick of her hand, Helena made Eloise disappear from my arms.
“Where did she go?” I screamed and jumped up, standing nose to nose with an Aunt that loved me no more than she loved the Fairiwicks.
“June, it’s a rule. A rule is a rule, and until we figure out what was in the sleeping potion,” she brushed her hands down the sleeves of her cloak as if she was wiping away the filth, “it’s no secret that Faith is not Professor Sandlewood’s favorite student.”
What did she mean by that? I didn’t see Eloise treat Faith any different than she did the others in the class, but it happened in the first few hours of a very long four days.
Hmmm. . .only four days. What can happen in four days? I thought about my mantra. Evidently, a lot can happen in a few hours.
She disappeared into Faith’s room. I looked in the window where Helena stood at the edge of Faith’s bed. I opened my bag and grabbed a Ding Dong. If ever there was a situation where I needed a Ding Dong, this was it.
I bit down, relieving a little stress from the chocolaty goodness and sank down on the bench. I wasn’t sure what I needed to do. There was no way I was going to let Eloise take the blame for something my gut told me she didn’t do.
“Is that good?” Raven stood behind me. The heat from her breath made the hairs on my neck stand up. I turned to face her, and winced when I felt her fingernail jab my arm. “You will regret laughing at Faith in class. Stay away from her.”
Oh, I was definitely going to visit Faith Mortimer, but when no one else was around. One way or another I was going to find out who was trying to frame Eloise. . .on the down-low. And I only had a few days to do it in.
Witho
ut a word, I watched Raven walk down the hall and around the corner. There was something different about that girl. But I didn’t know what. It wasn’t like my intuition told me to watch out, but my mind told me to keep a close eye on her. Maybe it was my earlier run-in with her, and now this one that puts my protection instincts on high alert. Especially since she sort of threatened me to stay away.
The faint amber glow coming from the small rectangular window caught my eye. Helena had her arms outstretched over Faith’s bed. The yellow light circled Faith, lifting her off the bed just a tad. Helena was chanting something, but I was not a lip reader.
If Helena is my aunt, and we are psychics, how could she do magic? Hmm. . .
I decided not to stay around. My intuition told me something was going on. . .almost evil. I needed Madame Torres’ advice on where to go from here.
On the way back, the students were still gathered in the streets, talking about Eloise and the potion she gave Faith. There were even a few shared whispers and pointing in my direction. It seems as if they had already connected the dots between Eloise and me and thought I was just as guilty as she was.
Wands, Potions, and Beyond was still open as I passed it on my way back to my room. If there was one thing I knew I could do, it was make cures. And that was something Faith was in desperate need of.
If I could reverse the potion she drank, or even reverse the spell that someone had bestowed upon her, then I could prove Eloise’s innocence.
Entering the store was easy, but trying to find what I needed was a different story. The aisles were labeled with everything that a Fairiwick, Dark-Sider, witch or sorcerer would need, making me a wee-bit envious of all the cool items. Yes, I was turning out to be a magic wannabe. But I was only good at one thing and one thing only….potion cures.
Aisle eight was where they kept the cauldrons. I knew I couldn’t get a big one, so the little desktop one would have to do.
The aisle over from the cauldrons had the ingredients I was going to need to start off with. I ran my finger up and down the aisle until my intuition told me to pick a few of the rarer spices. I hoped I was channeling Faith somehow, but deep down I knew I was going to have to stand over her in order to get a real reading on what her body needed to recover. And that was going to have to wait until the University police and Aunt Helena completed their assessment of her.