by ERIN BEDFORD
I raised my hand but then spoke before he could call on me. "But what if we don't expect to have to do any of this in real life?"
Cocking a brow at my challenge, Professor Morison crossed his fingers over his chest, his eyes zeroed in on me. "Are you saying, Miss Norman, that you will not be participating in the magical community after you graduate?"
Touché.
"No." I shook my head as all eyes in the room focus on me. "But what if, for example, I decided to spend the majority of my life among humans? None of them would care if I put a spell on my doorstep to remove all dirt before entering my home, nor would they notice. If they did, they'd completely freak out, and then we have a whole exposure issue to deal with."
"That is an excellent question." Professor Morison smirked slightly but then quickly smoothed his expression over when the rest of the class turned his way. Couldn't let on that he actually had feelings, now could he? "Does anyone have a counter for Miss Norman?"
A girl in the front of the class raised her hand, and we all turned our attention toward her. "You say that applying magical etiquette in your home would only cause alarm to the humans, but my question is why care about them at all? From where I see it, they are Neanderthals who refuse to stop the cycle of violence and hatred they are in. I say let them all kill themselves off and leave the rest of us alone."
A few of the other students chimed in with hear-hears, but I only gaped. Did all the other students at Winchester Academy feel like that? No wonder my booth got vandalized. They didn't want to change. They sincerely thought that humans were lesser beings.
I opened my mouth and almost let the nasty thoughts in my head pour out but then caught myself. Clearing my throat, I glanced at Professor Morison who gave me an encouraging wink.
"Well for starters,” I began in a more diplomatic tone, “I am half human. It would be obvious why I would want to spend time with those you call Neanderthals, who, by the way, have just as much good as the magical community has bad." There was a collective gasp, but I pushed through it. "Secondly, to simply dismiss an entire species because they don't do things the way that you do is not only simple-minded but downright hazardous."
"Why?" another student - I believe his name was Kyle - asked, his face scrunched in confusion. "What's hazardous about wanting to remove a whole unneeded species?"
Thinking quick on my feet, I tried not to feel like the whole room was ganging up on me. "You eat out, don't you? Go shopping? See movies? Have a cell phone?"
"Yes?" Kyle answered, not quite sure of his answer.
I could see Professor Morison out of the corner of my eye smiling behind his hand, having already figured out where I was going.
To Kyle, I said, "So what would you do if one day all those were gone?" I scanned the room with my eyes. "You can no longer call or message each other because electricity doesn't exist. There's no television because there's no one to make the shows. The fast foods you so love to eat? Gone." I snapped my fingers. "You're only able to eat what you make yourselves, either by magic or with your hands."
The profoundness of my words swept over the room. Slowly, a few of those that had been agreeing with the first girl to get rid of humanity started to frown, and for some, a light bulb went off. After a minute or two, even the first girl’s lips rounded into an o shape, her brows shooting up to her hairline.
A slow clap began, and my eyes jerked to Professor Morison. His eyes locked with mine as he continued to clap, pride shining in his eyes. "And that, ladies and gentlemen, is the basis of Etiquette. Thinking of how your actions, no matter how small cause a ripple effect through others. Knowing to put away the magic carpet, so to speak, and take it out again could save your very life and that of your community."
The other students mulled over his words as if really thinking about what we had said, what I had said. It was one of the first times I had ever truly made a difference in my life. Sure, I'd made a big speech during the Spring Festival, but that was more for the judges who were grown and already set in their ways. Making them shift the way we handled human-born witches and wizards was a lot easier than changing the minds of a bunch of first-year college students.
Professor Morison had the class go over a few more etiquette scenarios before he dismissed the class. It turned out that our discussion was the debate he wanted, so we all passed our final. Not that it was that hard. Really, it seemed that as long as you were actively putting forth an effort, you could get an A.
"You were bloody glorious today," Professor Morison murmured, allowing the monotone voice he used in class to drop and his British accent to flow.
Most of the class had already bolted, happy to have finished one final and dreading going to the next. Morison leaned a hip against my desk, his long fingers tapping the surface.
"Happy to oblige." I ducked my head slightly, a faint blush marring my cheeks. I didn't know why hearing his accent affected me so. I guess that was why he hid it. However, it did make me happy to know we had a little secret between us, no matter how small.
"You know, a little birdie told me you are having a coming out party this summer." He arched a brow his lips quirked in amusement. "I didn't see you as the type to do something so... outdated."
I lifted a shoulder and dropped it. "My grandmother really wants to throw me one, and she kind of helped me out, so the least I can do is give her a chance to show me off to her friends."
"And announce you as the heir to the Mancaster name."
My head jerked up so fast I gave myself whiplash. "Whoda whata?"
Morison threw his head back and laughed, the sound of it rushing through me and settled low between my thighs. What the heck? You'd think four guys were enough for my hormones but apparently not.
"It's not that funny," I pouted, crossing my arms over my chest. "I don't know all this crap, and everyone just assumes I do."
"My apologies." He wiped a finger beneath his eyes and smiled a knee-weakening grin. "However, I do feel your distress." He tucked his hands into his pockets, his head nodding. "I too was sideswiped by the magical community when I found out about my heritage."
"Hold up." I held a hand up between us. "You were human raised?" I glanced him over, my eyes lingering on his bow-shaped mouth a bit too long.
"I know I don't look it, do I?" He chuckled lightly and shook his head, his brown hair falling slightly into his face.
I flushed. "I didn't mean it like that."
"I know, I'm just teasing." His eyes crinkled at the sides as he smiled at me. "You looked so serious about it. In any case, about the coming out party, I think it's a good thing to hold on to your heritage. You never know when it might help you out of a sticky situation."
Didn't I know it? However, it seemed to get me into more bad ones than good. I barely won the scholarship for next year because of my Mancaster heritage.
Not sure what else to say, I shuffled toward the door. "Well, I better get to my next class. It was nice having you as a teacher."
Morison lifted a hand. "I'll see you at your coming out party. If I get an invitation, that is."
The teasing tone of his voice made me blush brightly. "Oh, yeah. Sure. I'll be sure to add you to the list."
"Good. Good luck with the rest of your finals."
"Thanks." I nodded and left the room. I hadn't even started the guest list for the coming out party, but I was sure my grandmother already had one a mile long of who she thought should come. I'd have to make sure she let me put some of my own choices in there. I wasn't going to be stuck at a party featuring me where all its guests were Sabrina clones.
My next final was Potions, the one I had been dreading since I mixed the Guardian Light potion with Paul’s help. The thought of Paul caused a warm feeling to settle in my stomach and not just from arousal. He'd been the first guy I'd ever slept with besides my douche bag ex, Jaron. I'd thought it would be awkward, but it was actually pretty romantic, even if it was in the Potions lab.
While the highlight
of that night had been Paul, the potion was supposed to be some great accomplishment as well. The ingredients in the real world would have been tricky to get, but since Professor Bromwick had a well-stocked supply room, I got to skip that part. Brewing the potion hadn't really been that much of a challenge, just nerve-wracking. However, the hard part was the finish. Activating the potion could go two ways. One way would give me this tiny little light that would follow me around and warn me of impending danger. The other way... well, it could very well blow up in my face... literally.
The hallways were empty on my way to class which meant I was late. I hoped Professor Bromwick would even let me finish my project. I knew most teachers were pretty strict about attendance. At least they were in high school. In college, they seemed to be a bit more lenient, but I didn't want to chance it. I shouldn't have stayed back to talk to Morison, but I couldn't force myself to regret it.
"Ah, how good of you to join us, Ms. Mancaster," Professor Bromwick announced as I opened the door to the classroom. I had been trying to be quiet, but apparently, the woman had eyes in the back of her head.
"Sorry, girl problems." I ducked my head and darted for mine and Trina's table, ignoring the giggles coming from Sabrina and Monica in the back of the room. At least someone found my fake period hilarious.
"Professor Bromwick," Sabrina lifted her hand, calling attention to herself. "I don't think it's fair to the rest of us who were on time to let Maxine complete her assignment. I mean, I have my period, and I still was able to make it to class on time."
I brimmed with anger at Sabrina's words. Why couldn't she just leave well enough alone? I guess it was because she was a stuck-up bully. Even though I’d been brave enough, or maybe stupid enough, to bring her down a peg or three, it apparently wasn’t enough.
Thankfully, Professor Bromwick didn't share Sabrina's sentiment. "Thank you, Ms. Craftsman, for your opinion, but I do not deduct for tardiness. However, I will ask that Ms. Mancaster be the first to complete her assignment."
Oh, joy.
Trina patted my arm in solidarity with a grim smile. I tossed her a grateful look before sliding off the stool and heading to the front. The majority of potions required activation because the combination of the ingredients alone wasn't enough to make the potion truly magical. I mean, they were just chemicals. They couldn't bring you luck or cause boils. Okay, so maybe one of those potions might be able to do that on its own with the right lethal combination. However, without magic, nothing was going to make that yellowish white substance in my bottle turn into a floating Spidey sense.
Professor Bromwick held up said bottle and held it out toward me. I took the bottle with a shaky hand, telling my nerves to knock it off before it made me drop the thing. I could feel the whole room’s eyes burrow into me as they stared intently. Some of them were no doubt hoping that I got it right because they wanted to see what a Guardian Light was, but some, namely Sabrina, were rooting for me to fail.
I held the bottle in my hand, staring down at the swirling liquid inside. I knew what I had to do. I'd read up on it extensively, but for the life of me, I couldn't get the words out. Most of the magic I'd dealt with up until this point had been just focusing on the intended outcome and make it happen with the power inside of me. However, the harder spells like the ones that paused time or made this light thing were more complicated. They required more direction.
"Ms. Mancaster?" Bromwick raised a thin dark brow at me. "Is there a problem?"
I chuckled nervously, licking my lips. "No, just working my way up to it. I'd rather not get blown up." The room laughed with me, but they were just as nervous as me.
"And we appreciate that." Bromwick clicked her tongue and laced her hands before her. "However, we do have a time limit for this class and many others to go through. So, if you would...?"
"Right." I nodded and then turned my head back to the bottle. I swallowed hard. I could do this. I rewound time. I saved a woman's life. I could make a little potion turn into a floating light. My very own Tinkerbelle.
Taking a deep breath, I focused my eyes on the concoction inside. The words didn't really matter, it was more the power behind them. The words just helped guide the magic into doing your bidding. The most powerful of them didn't need words at all. However, I wasn't about to test my limits with something so volatile in my hands.
"Come forth." The words burned coming out of my mouth as the magic pushed forward. The room quieted as we all waited with bated breath to see if I would fail. The magic of the words touched the outside of the bottle, and the contents inside moved even more rapidly than before, the part my skin touched warming. I forced my hands to hold on to it because dropping it now would be a bad idea, even if the mixture was going crazy.
A gasp from somewhere in the room filled the silence, and someone shouted, "It's gonna blow!"
My head started to jerk to the side to see who said that but Bromwick's voice stopped me. "Don't lose concentration."
My eyes squinted, and sweat dripped down my face. The chances of me dropping it became higher as my hands turned slippery. Holding my breath, I gritted my teeth commanding the magic to do what I willed.
Someone screamed as the glass container broke in my hands. I squeezed my eyes shut and prepared myself for the inevitable pain of the glass cutting into me, but it didn't happen. I opened one eye to see the glass frozen in the air, Professor Bromwick's hands up in front of her manipulating them into the trash can. The liquid in the containers, however, stayed in the air before me where my hands still sat cupped. It twisted this way and that before forming a ball that looked to be made out of rubber. Then, to my surprise and likely everyone else's, the rubbery look began to fade, and the solidity of the liquid began to dissipate, leaving a gassy substance that glittered in the light.
The strange sphere hovered for a moment and then lowered into my hands, I flinched and almost jerked away, but Professor Bromwick caught my wrist keeping me in place.
"Don't." Her words were sharp, but her eyes were on the thing in my hands. "It needs to familiarize itself with you."
Against my better judgment, I let the little ball rub all over my hands. It kind of tickled, to be honest, not at all what I was expecting. After a moment, it floated off my hands and zipped around the room. My eyes followed it, watching much to my chagrin as people lifted their heads from beneath their desks. Really, no faith at all. Once it had a feel for the room, it flew back toward me. I ducked slightly, but it didn't hit me. It stopped just shy of my head and hovered there.
"You may name your Guardian Light, if you like," Professor Bromwick told me with a small smile. I returned that smile, but she had already turned to the class. "Now, class, I recommend you all take note of what Ms. Mancaster did and how to make sure you do not make the same mistakes. To have a Guardian Light is a mark of a true witch or wizard. You should all hope to achieve such a feat."
The room erupted into cheers as I walked back to my desk. Even Sabrina clapped for me though she rolled her eyes while doing it. Whatever. I counted it as a win.
Trina shifted closer to me as I took my seat. The next person was already walking up to the front after being called by Bromwick. "So, what are you going to call it?" Trina asked, her eyes scrutinizing the small light with excitement. "How about Beowulf?"
I cocked a brow at her.
"What?" She shrugged. "It's a perfectly nice name."
Resisting the urge to roll my eyes, I glanced up at my Guardian Light. "If you're a werewolf, sure. However, I was thinking something a bit airier? I mean, it's barely even there. A name like Beowulf would be too heavy for her."
"How do you know it's a her?"
I lifted a shoulder. "I don't know. I doubt it's either, but it's easier to refer to it that way. Besides, I'd rather think of it as a female stalking me rather than a male."
Trina giggled.
"Ladies." Professor Bromwick warned us from the front of the class.
We ducked our heads in apology and lo
wered our voices.
"Definitely a female,” Trina whispered. “You have plenty of males as it is."
"Don't I know it." I smirked at her and then went back to my new companion. "I'm thinking... maybe... something like Aris?"
"Hmm. That's a pretty name. Sounds familiar. Is it from a movie or something?" Trina tapped her chin and thought.
"No, it makes me think of otherworldly things, like a world of dragons and fairies or something. Don't you think?"
"I could see that." Trina nodded. "Alright, Aris, it is."
Chapter 3
After Potions, I had time to grab lunch before my last final of the day. Aris bopped away next to my head.
What kind of warnings would it give me? Like if my period was going to come or if grave danger was coming? I snickered to myself.
My phone buzzed as I stepped into line and grabbed a tray.
Callie: Did you blow anything up?
Rolling my eyes at her text, I grabbed a plate of fries and put it on my tray before typing back. No, and thanks for the confidence booster.
Callie: What are friends for but to expect you to mess up? Then be there to fix it. I'd still love you if you lost your eyebrows or a nose. You didn't lose your nose, did you? Cause I was kidding about that part.
I couldn't help myself. I busted out laughing, bumping into the person behind me. "Oops, sorry." I glanced over my shoulder and then my grin widened. "Aidan, hey."
"Hello." He nodded and indicated the line had moved.
I shifted further up in line, shoving my phone back in my pocket. When I passed the next section, I grabbed an apple and a stick of cheese. "Why didn't you tell me you were behind me?" I gave Aris an annoyed look. So much for the warning system.
"I did not want to disturb you." Aidan filled his own tray with way more food than I could ever imagine eating. Then again, Aidan was built like a linebacker and probably needed all the calories he could get. When he turned his bright blue eyes back to me, I felt a warm tingle go down my spine. This guy had seen me naked. Not only that but he had helped Ian get me off, and it made me feel nervous and excited at the same time to be near him.