Witch in Progress

by Elle Adams

  I found Alissa on the sofa in the living room, stroking the black cat. It looked up warily at the sight of me.

  “Hey,” she said. “This is Roald. He’s my familiar.”

  At this point I didn’t even blink. “Hey, Roald.”

  I expected him to answer, but he merely licked a paw and went back to enjoying being stroked. “I thought familiars talked.”

  “Not exactly, but we intuitively understand one another,” she said. “Not all witches have familiars… they’re usually introduced at school, but it’s a relatively recent practise. I think you have enough to cope with at the moment, but let me know if you’d like to check with the coven.”

  “Maybe see if I am a witch first.”

  She rose to her feet. “Of course you are, silly. No normal could have come this far. Sounds like you did a stellar job of coping on your first day at the office, too.”

  Aside from the sitting-on-the-floor incident. “So what do you do?” I asked. “I mean, work-wise?”

  “I work at the hospital,” she said. “My speciality is healing magic. The hospital’s at the end of the high street, so if you need me to get anything for you while you’re at work, just let me know. I couldn’t help noticing you only brought one suitcase.”

  “Yeah, I didn’t have chance to arrange to have my other stuff moved here,” I said. “But normal can’t find the place.”

  “Right,” she said. “I’ll ask Madame Grey.”

  Her again. It sounded like this woman had the authority to declare whether or not I was really a witch. My nerves spiked.

  “Something wrong?” she asked.

  “I found out about Mr Bayer,” I admitted. “It weirded me out a little.”

  “Oh,” said Alissa. “It’s rare for something like that to happen here. How did you find out? The others were supposed to keep quiet.”

  “I saw a newspaper lying around,” I said, throwing caution to the winds. Alissa seemed friendly enough—almost too much so, for someone I’d never met before. But it didn’t sound like the residents of this town had many opportunities to meet new people, especially normals like me. “Also, when I was calling up potential candidates for another client, I didn’t realise that one of the people on the list was already rejected for that same job. Several others were the same. Do the police know?”

  She blinked. “I have no idea. The police presumably have a suspect list, but the gargoyles never let anyone interfere with their jobs. They’re efficient, but scary.”

  “The police are gargoyles.” Of course they were. Even the most innocuous questions came with bizarre answers as far as Fairy Falls went.

  “I keep forgetting how little you know,” she said. “Sorry, that sounds patronising. I actually thought about going into teaching, so I might be able to give you some pointers. There aren’t many opportunities to help people learn magic, since we’re mostly born into it.”

  “So children go to magic school?”

  “Yes. Madame Grey tried to push me into teaching instead of nursing, but you don’t know real fear until you’ve been cornered by a five-year-old wielding a fully activated wand. Luckily, patients aren’t allowed to bring them into the hospital. Much less hazardous.”

  “Wow.” I shook my head. “Aside from witches, who else is there? I’ve met one werewolf…” Possibly two.

  “Oh, Callie,” she said. “She’s the werewolf chief’s beloved daughter. They watch over one another pretty closely. Can’t have wolves running too close to human territory.”

  “I guess that’s where security comes in?”

  “Oh.” Her eyes gleamed. “Nathan met you at the gates, right? I thought I heard some of the other witches grumbling. He’s never given any of them the time of day.”

  So I’d made a complete fool of myself in front of the hottest guy in town. Awesome. “Aren’t they scared because he’s an ex-monster hunter?”

  “It’s the dangerous vibe they like,” she said. “I take it you’re single? I assume you are, since you haven’t been frantically trying to call anyone.”

  “There’s no signal. But you’re right. Been there, done that. Why?”

  “Because certain individuals are notorious gossips.”

  Like Blythe. Who hated me, for reasons unknown. “Honestly, I’m still trying to get the hang of this place. Romance is the last thing on my mind.”

  “Understandable. We should probably leave soon, if you’re ready. Madame Grey doesn’t like lateness.”

  That didn’t come as any surprise. I fetched my coat and took in deep breaths to calm my nerves. “If I’m a witch, do I get a wand? I saw Bethan use a divining spell earlier and she nearly set the desk on fire.”

  “You won’t be doing that for a while. They don’t give out wands until you prove you’re ready for the basics.”

  Probably for the best, considering household objects were a hazard to me on a good day.

  We left the house, and again, I had to marvel at the absence of traffic. It hadn’t got dark outside yet, but it probably would by the time we got out of the meeting. I assumed it wouldn’t last all night, but it wasn’t like I had a handbook or brochure. Witching for Dummies would be handy right now.

  Alissa took the lead. “By the way, it probably goes without saying, but if there’s anything you want to ask me about magic, I’d be happy to answer.”

  “Sure.”

  The witches’ main headquarters was a pleasant-looking house around the same size as my new home. Curtains of ivy trailed down the brick walls, and the pungent smell of unfamiliar flowers hung around the front garden.

  Alissa halted outside. “This is the witches’ main gathering spot. Madame Grey owns it, but she doesn’t live here.”

  “Is there anything she doesn’t own?” I couldn’t help asking.

  “Anything marked as non-witch territory,” she said. “Probably shouldn’t ask her that, though. I don’t need to tell you to watch what you say to her.”

  Translation: if I knew best, I shouldn’t say anything at all.

  “She’ll be kind to you, as you’re a newbie,” she added. “Best get inside.”

  The doors creaked loudly, announcing our entrance. A wide hall branched off into several rooms, one of which was filled with a group of strangers sitting in chairs before a tall woman dressed in grey. Madame Grey, I’d guess. Her grey hair was combed back, a large number of earrings dangled from her ears, and a faint silver sheen shone from the wand in her right hand.

  Despite our being several minutes early, the way heads turned in our direction reminded me of showing up late for class. Alissa hadn’t mentioned there’d be other witches here.

  Madame Grey nodded to Alissa. “There you are. And this must be the new girl, Blair.”

  I gave an awkward wave. “Hi. I’m Blair.” Obviously. Because she just said my name.

  “Hi, Blair,” chorused a dozen voices.

  Nobody was this friendly. Correction: nobody who hadn’t been ordered to be nice to the newbie was this friendly. Some of their smiles were strained, or overly curious-looking. The setup looked more like a sermon than a magic lesson. Or a trial. Had they come to see if she planned to kick me out?

  “Take a seat,” Madame Grey said, a touch impatiently. “From what my granddaughter tells me, you’re new to everything. Why not tell everyone a little about yourself?”

  Maybe I should have written a speech. “There’s not much to say. I didn’t know I was a witch until I moved here. I lived… in a normal town. With normals.” Now the word ‘normal’ didn’t sound remotely, well, normal to me. “I didn’t know anything about all this until today.”

  “Oh, you poor thing,” said an older witch.

  “You don’t believe that, do you?” another loudly whispered. “Someone test her.”

  I was used to being treated like I was half my age. It was a little better than being yelled at, but irritation prickled at me. “I couldn’t have come in here if I was a normal,” I said. “So clearly there’s someth
ing up.”

  “Which coven?” asked another of the witches. “She can’t be from the Moonbeams, they’d never go near a normal town.”

  Alissa stepped in. “We’re not sure yet. We were hoping to find out.”

  “I was adopted,” I added. “I don’t know my birth parents’ details. My foster parents said they lived in London.” A big city didn’t seem a great place for a witch to live, especially given the effect we had on public transport.

  “There’s a simpler way.” Madame Grey pointed at a redheaded witch who wore so many bangles that she resembled a human Christmas tree. “Rita is best at divining spells. She’ll divine what type of magic is your predominant type.”

  All eyes swivelled to face us.

  “Stop gawking,” Rita snapped at the others. “I’ll need some privacy to figure it out. She’s an odd one.”

  Just what I needed to hear in front of a roomful of witches.

  Alissa leaned to whisper in my ear. “Go with her. She’s safe.”

  Let’s clear this up, then.

  Rita beckoned me out of the room and through the adjacent door. Eager to get away from the others’ stares, I followed her. Curiosity about my family warred with the instinct to run, but the witch turned and gave me a smile, accompanied by the jangling noise of the bands up both her arms. “Overbearing, isn’t she?”

  The room contained a number of tables and chairs, like a classroom. She waved her wand—which was decorated with several red bands—and a fire leaped into being on the desk. Even after seeing Bethan do the same earlier, I still jumped.

  “Divining isn’t the most accurate form of magic,” she admitted, striding over to the leaping flames. “Especially with little to go by.” She conjured up a piece of paper and tossed it into the fire—I glimpsed an image of my own face before the flames devoured it. “But this will tell me your basic magic type. It should do, anyway. But it’s not showing…” She looked up, confusion flashing across her features. “Hmm.”

  “What is it?”

  She waved the wand, the flames vanished, and Madame Grey opened the door. “What’s the verdict?”

  “Hang on,” said Rita. “Let’s try this again.”

  She conjured another piece of paper and tossed it into the flames. You’d think there’d be a more environmentally friendly way of practising witchcraft considering how otherwise modern things were here.

  Madame Grey moved closer to Rita, and they exchanged whispers.

  “What is it?” I asked. “What—I’m not a witch, am I? I’m not paranormal at all. This was all a mistake.” I’d never felt so much like a deflating balloon, and today’s events had some pretty strong competition.

  “No, you’re paranormal all right,” she said. “But the test is saying you’re a fairy.”

  Blythe. Her smug face flashed before my eyes and I sat down slowly in the nearest seat. “I—I’m a fairy?”

  Madame Grey looked at me, her expression unreadable. “That’s what the test says.”

  Rita cleared her throat. “I don’t quite understand… I’m going to have to look at your profile again. Because my detection spells are rarely wrong.”

  I’d know if I was a fairy. But wouldn’t I have known I was a witch, too? “Does that mean I have no magic at all?”

  “No, certainly not,” said Madame Grey. “Fairies are close enough to humans that we share some similarities.”

  “Are there other fairies here?” I got to my feet. “In that case, it’s them I should be meeting with.”

  “No,” said Madame Grey, looking me up and down. “There are no fairy representatives, and as leader of the town’s council, I’m still in charge of dealing with newcomers. I’ll have to look into your history. The more time you spend around magic, the more it’ll adapt to you. If you leave… you’ll face difficulties, in the normal world. But if you still want to do that, then just give me the word.”

  She’s offering me a way out. “No. I used magic. I can tell what type of paranormal someone is just by hearing their voice. Is there a way for me to learn what that means?”

  “Perhaps,” she mused. “I’ll discuss with the rest of the council.”

  Oh no. The whole reason I’d been hired in the first place was because Veronica thought I was a witch. Would I even be allowed to stay after that? Would I upset the balance? Why was I even having thoughts like that? That was Blythe’s line, and she was probably talking nonsense.

  She’d known I was a fairy.

  Murders, unintentional deception and gossiping witches aside, the idea of walking away was about as appealing as skinny-dipping in the lake. I needed answers—concrete ones—about how I’d ended up living with humans to begin with.

  “Come back and talk to me at the same time tomorrow if you intend to stay,” Madame Grey said. “There won’t be a coven meeting this time… there isn’t supposed to be one today, but everyone wanted a look at the new witch.”

  What a first impression they’d had. “I guess I won’t be able to learn magic, then. Can you teach fairies?”

  She gave me an imperious look. “I’ve yet to find a student I was unable to teach.”

  And she swept from the room, hopefully to tell the other witches to stop gossiping about me and head home. The last thing I wanted to see was Blythe’s smugness that she’d apparently got it right when she’d guessed I wasn’t a witch. It must have been a guess. Reading my thoughts wouldn’t have helped, right? After all, I hadn’t known a thing.

  “Don’t worry,” Rita said. “We’ll get to the bottom of this.”

  “Thanks anyway,” I said, taking her words as an invitation to duck out of the room.

  Apparently, Madame Grey had dismissed the congregation or they’d left of their own accord. Only Alissa remained, waiting for me.

  “She told you?” I asked. “If you don’t want me sharing your flat any longer, I can find somewhere else.” If I ever got an internet connection, anyway.

  “No, I don’t mind at all,” she said. “If you were a werewolf, it might be a different story. But I’m trusting you won’t turn into a wolf in your sleep.”

  How could she be this casual? “Might there have been a mistake?”

  “Maybe. But we won’t throw you out over a little thing like that. Fairies are rare here, but not in the paranormal world. You’re fine.”

  Except my boss might not see it that way. She was the one who’d found my profile and somehow used that to work out I was a witch. I didn’t want to be the one to tell her she was wrong. Maybe my ability was a fairy one, not a witch one. It must be.

  “I honestly don’t know,” she said, when I asked her. “Fairies tend to keep to themselves, so we’re not experts on their magic. I’m sure my grandmother will come up with a plan of action to learn what your abilities are. Want to get something to eat on the way back?”

  “That’d be great. Thanks.” I dug my hands in my pockets and kept walking. “Does nobody drive here at all?” The aura of calm over the town persisted with the absence of traffic noise humming in the background. Not unusual, but… strange. In the lulls in conversation, I almost thought I heard the faint sound of a waterfall.

  “No,” she answered. “Everywhere’s within walking distance, and we rarely see the need to venture into normal territory. Also, the technology issues.”

  “You have adapted computers, though, right? And TV?”

  “Sure. The internet is essential these days. But transportation isn’t necessary when we have our own methods of getting around.”

  I arched a brow. “Tell me it doesn’t involve flying.”

  “Okay, I won’t tell you.”

  “Can I fly? Don’t fairies have wings?” Would I ever feel normal amongst these not-normals?

  “You know, some do.” She looked thoughtful. “Definitely something to look into. But we don’t fly on broomsticks most of the time—generally we use transportation spells instead. They take more preparation, but are better designed for the weather. Too many stories of
witches being blown off course into the mountains, or the sea.”

  I bit the inside of my cheek to avoid laughing at the mental image of a witch on a stick of wood being hurled over the Atlantic Ocean. “Makes sense. Modern world meets magic. I like it.”

  This place had grown on me already. I might have wound up way out of my depth, but I felt more certainty, more alive, than I ever had before in my life. It had been easier thinking of myself as the awkward foster kid who didn’t fit in anywhere, but I hadn’t come here just to keep on living the same life as I had before. Difficult or not, this new life was a chance at a real fresh start. I could be someone else entirely—witch or fairy, it didn’t matter.

  6

  My resolution didn’t last. Firstly, I woke with a jolt when a cat paw swatted at my head. I’d been forewarned about Roald’s personal space issues, but still yelped when he dug his claws in after I rolled over and tried to go back to sleep. At least I’d been blessed with no hangover despite the oddly named cocktails I’d consumed at the pub last night.

  Alissa sat at the kitchen table, sipping from a mug with a picture of a kitten on it. Her real-life cat padded over to her, and she stroked his head. “He didn’t wake you, did he?”

  “Yep.” I tugged my sleeve down over my clawed-up arm. “I slept better than I expected.”

  “That’s probably because of the cocktails. They contain special additions to help you sleep.”

  “Wow. That’s real magic.”

  Showing up for work hungover would not help my case if the boss found out I wasn’t a witch, so I was glad to have been spared. I felt like I’d met half the town by now, which only made me more reluctant to leave. I’d never met so many people wanting to buy me drinks, so there was little chance of ending up six feet under a tower of debt before I’d even been paid. But not if my good luck streak took a nosedive into the lake when I told the boss the truth.

  “Try one of these.” She tossed me a breakfast bar in a bright green wrapper. “It’s an energy booster with a hint of motivation.”