by Serena Nova
I turned off the faucet and walked out of the shower. Astra handed me a towel and left the bathroom. One of them had left me clean clothing on the chair we had in the bathroom. I pulled it on and walked out. Determination ran through me, we needed a plan.
When I entered the room again, the others were all sitting on the beds. Banu was holding my swords. “I cleaned them.” She offered them up to me.
“Thank you.” I took them and placed them against the closet.
“Isa,” Banu started. I looked at her to see a question in her eyes. I nodded.
“Why didn’t you tell us that you were a Witch?” There was pain in her voice. Madalena and DeeDee both looked at their feet or hands, not looking at me. Shame filled me. They had always been there for me, and I hadn’t trusted them.
“I-I couldn’t,” I said and pulled the chair from under my desk and sat down. “I wanted to. I promised my Grandmother to never tell anybody.”
“You told Astra,” DeeDee said.
“Yes, I did, three weeks ago. Believe me when I say that I trust you. I would never harm you guys or put you in any danger. Not even you, Astra.”
“What do you mean?” DeeDee asked.
“Look, I planned on graduating, moving back to my Gran’s house, and disappearing. That was my goal in life, still kind of is. Only, things got a little more complicated,” I said to them, not wanting to stay on the topic of who I was any longer. They knew enough of me being a Witch, they didn't need to know that I was the last Full-Blood, let alone the last Savill Royal.
“I never planned on really telling anyone. Only, I got lonely. And Astra had been my best friend from day one. If I told you guys, I would break my promise to my Gran even more. I didn’t want to put anyone in danger by knowing who I was.” I had said too much already. I could see it in their faces as they worked on what I told them.
“Look, we need to do something about this mess,” I quickly said. I hoped to distract them enough from my confession. And luckily for me, Banu had answered, giving me the break I needed.
“What is going on?” Her I’ll-always-have-a-cool-head was working again. Her face was blank, no emotion, all business.
“This guy.”
“Icas Nox,” Astra said before I could say more. I nodded to her and let her continue.
“He is a council member and an uncle to one of the Kings. He is also powerful, and my parents arranged for me to marry him.” That last part left on a breath.
“Wait, what?” DeeDee turned around, to face Astra who had sat next to her.
“What DeeDee said.” I wasn’t the only one who had kept a secret it seemed.
“My parents planned on me marrying him when I graduated.”
“Aren’t the council members like, older than old?” Madalena asked, her soft voice filling the room, a disgusted look on her face.
“Yes and no, most of them. I don’t know,” Astra answered. “Icas Nox is the youngest of them. thirty-nine I think now. Look, my parents promised me to him when I was a newborn. They arranged it all, there was one good thing about it all and that was that he wanted me trained as a Witch. Wanted me to be perfect and not untrained. So, they sent me to this school as soon as I was old enough. Meaning that I wouldn’t have to marry him before I graduated.” She sighed.
“And that is why you wanted to become the best, so you would make it into the Selection.” Astra nodded at what I said.
“And that is why you were so happy to hear that the Kings still hadn’t found any Queens. If you marry one of them, you wouldn’t have to marry him.” My best friend-someone I would always protect-looked at me with her blue eyes.
A plan started to form in my head. I needed to protect her. That was the goal.
“I know that smile. What did you think of?” Astra asked.
“I think I found a way for you to still be a part of the Selection. A way to keep you out of the hands of that Council guy.”
“And how is that?”
“I’m going to the castle.”
It was silent for a second. My smile was still on my face. Because that was the perfect plan.
“No. No. No.” Astra held her hand up, waving a finger at me.
“Yes.” I grinned.
“No, listen up. If you go there, they will find out what you are.”
“How do you mean what she is? She is a Witch, right? That is a good thing, right?” Banu interrupted us.
“She is a Full-Blood,” Astra answered for me. My head whipped from Banu to her. Who pulled up her shoulders in a shrug.
“Wait, what?” DeeDee and Madalena asked together.
“Yeah. I am. Still no big deal. Only you guys know that.” I turned back towards Astra. “And that is enough.” I lowered my voice, and hoped she caught the fact that I hadn't appreciated what she had done.
“Not a big deal? You are the most powerful Witch here. Alive, even,” Banu said, her voice filled with awe, her eyes wide.
“Yeah, still not a big deal. I’m a Protector first. I’m still the same person as I was before you guys knew this. And please keep it a secret.” I shook my head at the two of them with their mouths hanging open, and Banu's eyebrows almost shot up from her face.
“Okay, Isa, what is your plan?” We turned our attention towards Astra.
“They want me to go to the Castle. And there is merely one way I would go and that is for her,” I pointed towards Astra, “to be a part of the Selection.”
“This will make her safe from that Nox guy. And it will allow me to keep an eye on her and make sure the Kings will like her, and she gets picked.”
“And then, when that happens? What will you do?” Banu asked me.
I turned my head towards Banu, looked into her eyes. “Then, I will disappear. Leave Astra to her happily ever after. And I will do what I promised Gran.” I crossed my arms over my chest, looked them all in the eye and waited for their response.
“And how are you making sure that we both get into the Castle?” Astra asked, when my eyes landed on her.
“Good question, Astra. It’s simple, I will demand it.” I gave her the biggest smile ever, maybe more an evil grin. Doesn’t matter which one, it made them chuckle.
“You will demand it?” Lena laughed out.
“Yeah, I’m the most powerful person here. You said it yourself. So, yeah, I will demand it.” I shrugged with that.
“And what if they don’t agree?” she asked then, no laughter in her soft voice.
“Then I will take Astra, and we leave. Go to my Gran’s home and see from there.” I grabbed Astra by her hand and squeezed. “I will always protect you, As, remember that okay?” She nodded.
“Okay, then it is time to pack a bag for a quick escape and pack the rest of your stuff.” I released her hand and looked over to DeeDee. “Can you tell the Headmistress that I want to talk to all of the Selection in twenty minutes?” She nodded, got up and walked out the door.
“What can we do?” Banu asked.
I looked around the room and said, “Help me pack?”
We worked in silence, packing our stuff into suitcases for Astra and duffle bags for me. We made two small backpacks where we would keep important things and a clean set of clothing, money, and in my case, my weapons.
A knock sounded on the door, I looked up at Astra who walked towards it and opened it.
DeeDee stood there, her face a little flushed. “They are ready for you,” she said. I nodded.
“Okay.” I turned towards Banu and Madalena. “I want you two to take these two bags and keep them with you. We don’t want them to think we are planning on leaving somewhere else than with them.” I turned back towards DeeDee. “Can you come with us and watch our backs?”
She nodded. I looked at Astra. “And I want you with me in that room. Only, don't speak unless you think it will help us. Otherwise, let me do the talking, okay?” I pulled up my brow with that question. She needed to know that it was serious. That I needed to handle it.
Sh
e nodded. And with that, we all moved out of our room. Banu and Lena took the two backpacks. “Can we do something else, after we drop off the bags?” Lena asked.
I shook my head. “No, stay in your room. Keep the bags safe, they have all of our important information in them. And my weapons.” This made her chuckle.
“Okay. Keep us updated,” Lena said towards DeeDee and me. She and Banu nodded at us when we reached the hall that would lead to the Headmistress's office.
“Good luck,” Banu said and turned around, Lena followed.
We reached the door to the Headmistress’s office. Voices could be heard through them. The wood didn’t mute anything they had been saying.
“She wouldn’t do,” some female voice said.
“We need her,” another said.
“You saw what she did to those Ilunias,” yet another said.
Astra elbowed me softly in the side. “They are talking about you. Maybe you should tell them how rude that is when you aren’t around.” A smile was on her face, and her blue eyes twinkled with mischief.
“Yeah, maybe I should. Remember, let me do the talking.” She nodded, and I pushed the doors open.
“It isn’t nice to talk about someone who isn’t there,” I said, my voice calm. The whole room turned around to look at me. The Headmistress sat in her chair. She gave me a nod. I lowered my head a little in greeting.
“We can say what we want, about who we want,” the bun lady said. She really needed to shut up, she had started to irritate me, and that was never a good thing.
“What is she doing here?” the bald man said, as he looked at Astra.
“She is here because I asked her to be,” I answered back.
“You asked us to talk with you. We thought only you,” Icas Nox said, his eyes moved over my body, giving me chills. I was all cleaned up; I so hoped at that moment that I didn’t look like my ancestors.
“I didn’t ask you here to talk to me. I asked you to meet me here, so I could explain a few things.”
“That is not how this will go.” The bun lady stood up from her chair and moved toward me. I let a sliver of my magic go, pushed it towards her and formed it into a solid wall of air. She walked right into it. “Oomph.” She stumbled back, clutching her nose. I dropped my wall, and filled the room with my magic, letting them know that I was powerful and angry.
“Listen up. I will only come with you to the Castle if Astra,” I pointed to her next to me, “comes with me. She will be part of the Selection. She is the strongest Witch in this school. You all saw that.” I raised my hand to stop the bald man from speaking. “I will not be part of this Selection stuff.” That made the room explode. “Oi!” I yelled out, filling the room with even more magic. The Twins had paled visibly, and the bald man stepped back a little. “I wasn’t finished.” When I had all of their attention again, I carried on. “I will not be part of this Selection thing. I’m no Witch, I’m a Protector.”
“Are there more things?” Icas Nox asked. He leaned against the desk of the Headmistress.
“Oh, yes,” I said, smiling.
“I won’t let you all control my life, if you try or think about it once, just remember how it felt in this room. And believe me when I tell you that this isn’t even scratching the surface of what I can do.” I let my magic roam around again, filled the room even more. It would have felt like they were drowning, pressed down by that much magic. I kept it off of us and the Headmistress. But the others; I could see sweat forming on brows, and the other two selection members dropped down in their chairs, white as paper. Icas Nox, the bald man, and bun lady were the last ones standing, with difficulty.
I pulled all the magic back into myself, they sucked in a breath together.
“I hope, for your sakes, you all agree with my terms?” I asked them.
The bald man answered. “Yes. Astra will come with you, and she will be part of the Selection.” I cleared my throat when he didn’t continue. He swallowed. “And you will not be a part of the Selection. “
“One more thing, when do we leave?” I asked the bald man.
“Tonight,” he answered, his voice shaking.
“Good.” I nodded toward the Headmistress, she gave me a smile, and I turned around on my heels. Astra followed me close. I pulled open the door, letting Astra walk through it first. Before I walked through it, I looked over my shoulder to them and said, “Remember, I’m nobody’s bitch, and if you like your own lives, stay away from mine.” With that I walked away and towards a life that became a whole lot more complicated, and yet still made me feel more alive than I had felt in years.
7
“Are you sure they will allow me to get into the Selection?” Astra asked me. We were back in our room, waiting to leave. Banu, DeeDee, and Madalena were in their own rooms. Banu had given us our backpacks when she heard we got back.
“Yes, they will. Don’t worry. You heard what they said. And you know what I can do,” I said to her, while lighting my fingertips on fire. I could play with my magic again since I had stopped hiding it. The feeling of not suppressing my magic was amazing, liberating. It felt like taking a breath for the first time, being able to fully be me.
“We will leave for the Castle tonight. And meet the Kings,” Astra said, her voice hopeful and awestruck. I moved my attention from my fingers towards her. She looked at the wall, deep in thought. She had never met the Kings, she had seen them on posters and on the TV, still she was smitten. I rolled my eyes at her. “I saw that,” she said, a smile crossing over her face. “I hate waiting.” she added.
I looked over at the clock on the wall; two more hours, and it would be six. “I think they plan on leaving soon. It is getting darker.”
Before we could say anything else, a knock sounded on the door. We both perked up from our beds, our eyes met, and Astra got up. She opened the door to a younger child standing in front of it.
“You two need to go to the big hall. You are leaving,” she said and turned around.
Astra looked at me with both eyebrows up in her hair. “That was short.” She laughed, nervously.
“Come one, let’s go. Let’s get this over with.”
We both grabbed our bags and walked out of our room and into the hallway. Doors were being opened, and some of the Witches stood peeking at us. Some of them nodded, smiled, or just looked at us. I heard a whispered, “Thank you.” I looked over towards Astra, and she had a smile on her lips.
“That was unexpected,” I said to her when we walked into the main hall. The big double doors were opened, showing the darkening sky. There were four huge black cars in front of the stairs. Next to them stood the drivers, all in black suits. They left the sunglasses off, not fully going for the Men in Black look. We stopped next to the bald man.
“The drivers will place your bags in the car, and we will bring you both to the castle. You will be introduced to the Kings when you get there,” the bald man spoke to us. A line of sweat showed on his brow. Why would he be nervous? It was just a car drive.
“When we arrive at the Castle and you meet the Kings remember, bow when you are introduced to them. They are ‘Your Highness’ to you and always, remember, always be respectful.” He looked at me when he said that. I gave him my best smile, the one I knew would give him nightmares. I hoped it did.
“Why are you looking at me? I’m the most honest person alive,” I half-joked, and I heard a snort coming from Astra. I could see him swallow. What or who had him by the balls that made him react like this? I didn’t think that my show of magic in the Headmistress’ office would impact him so much.
“Don’t worry, I will keep her in line,” Astra said, while she placed a hand on my arm and nudged me towards the cars.
“Hmph,” the bun lady said when we reached them. I couldn’t see where the others were, probably already in the cars. “Keeping her in line, that is a job in itself,” she said when the driver opened the door for us. I moved inside the car. Before I sat down fully, I looked over my s
houlder past Astra and stuck out my tongue. It didn’t help me with anything, still it was fun to see Bun Lady’s face turn red, again. I had no idea why she hated me. Maybe if she didn’t have a stick up her ass, she would be nice and maybe beautiful. She looked young, maybe twenty-five, that stick made her look more like forty.
Before Astra could get into the car with me, the driver shut the door. I heard him say. “You go into the other car.” I wanted to open the door, to protest, instead I was stopped by the Bun lady getting in the front seat. “She has her own car to go with,” was all she said. Before I could even open the doors, they were locked.
“Listen up,” I started, my anger filled the car with magic. “Let me out, or let Astra in.”
“Don’t worry, you will see her back at the Castle,” Bun lady said. Before I could respond the doors were opened and Icas Nox got into the car next to me. I was relieved to see him here, but I wasn't happy, either; it only meant he wasn’t with Astra. He had this vibe coming off of him. Not sure what it was, just that it put my neck hairs straight up. He gave me a smile that still didn’t reach his eyes. Almost as if he went through the motions, and that was it.
The driver started the car, a low rumbling sound and a soft vibration went through the car. We had modern technology, TVs, cars, computers, and stuff, we just didn’t use it much. We are magical beings, why would we use a car if we could fly?
Still, they were being used, for day to day stuff. Magic costed power for most Witches. And it was inconvenient to have to nap throughout the day to recharge.
We reached the big gates, the iron one that kept people out and in. The ones that opened once a year for the Selection and the new students. We drove through it, leaving the place I had called home for twelve years, behind. I released the breath I was holding.
“Did you expect to be struck by lightning, when you passed through those gates?” Bun Lady asked, her sneer sounded through her voice.
“What did I do to you?” I murmured.