Alix's POV:
There was no way I was going to live past next week if I was already mentally scarring Caddie. I pondered ways to escape as my new roommate, and future leader of my kind laid passed out in my arms. It was my first day on the job and she was already knocked out cold. I could practically envision Lady Bose visiting me at night, dressed in a Grim Reaper costume.
"Well, darn," I kissed my life goodbye.
Looking around, I tried to see if there was anything I could do to help, but there wasn't. Laying her on the bed, I poked my head out into the hallway and looked for someone to help me carry her out. My eyes settled on two workers who were settling another group of girls into their dorms.
"Excuse me," I called out to them, "My roommate fainted."
The men shared a startled look and quickly walked over to our room.
"Oh no, this is Lady Bose's niece," One of the men mumbled.
"How did this happen?" The other asked.
I felt like a deer caught in the headlights. I had two choices: tell them my part in this, or lie. Naturally, I chose to lie.
"Shouldn't we be doing something to help her?" I tried to sound hysterical and frantic so they wouldn't believe that I had something to do with it.
They shot me suspicious glance but agreed nonetheless. Wrapping their large meaty arms around her delicate body they picked her up with ease and carried her out of the room. I followed them out. At this point, everyone was standing outside of their room with confused expressions on their faces.
"What, haven't you ever seen a girl faint before?" I asked sharply, the worry in their eyes disappeared and they shared knowing looks.
Of course they had. Many of these girls were a part of social elite- they were willing to starve their selves to the point of passing out if that meant they could have the tiniest waist size.
Biting my lip, I tried to ignore the rumors that circulated the dorm. The girls were whispering to each other about my 'anorexic' roommate. Teen girls never knew when to close their mouths and be respectful. I admit, that I've said a handful of idiotic things in my time, but for some reason I couldn't imagine saying anything that would hurt Caddie. My eyes trained on the Dark Witch's heir, lying lump in muscular man's arms. She seemed so innocent, it was a shame that all that innocence would be washed away by her magic.
I followed them through the left archway into a luxuriously decorated corridor, and then we were in the main part of the school. One of them men cradled Caddie to his chest while the other one ran towards two impressively large doors.
A middle-aged woman popped her ash blond head out the door. She looked angry, but her anger melted into concern once she saw Caddie. She ushered the men in, I was going to follow, but the door was rudely slammed in my face. I turned away, heat flooding to my cheeks. Instead of returning to my dorm room, like I had originally planned, I crouched beside the door and waited for Caddie to return. Even though she was just supposed to be a job, I couldn't help but worry for her safety.
Caddie's POV:
I awoke to a woman whispering an enchanting tune to me. Her dirty blonde hair was pulled into a tight bun. She didn't wear any makeup to cover the bags under her eyes or the growing amount of wrinkles. Wisdom and something darker swirled in the depths of her eyes. She wore a white button up shirt and an old fashioned black hoop skirt. There was something behind the wrinkles and odd attire that seemed familiar to me.
"You're awake," she said in relief.
Pushing myself into a sitting position, I scurried to the other side of the velvet couch. I looked around at my surroundings. Fire crackled in a large marble fireplace. At the far end of the room several bookshelves lined the wall, a tall mahogany desk stood behind them. Old books with withering pages covered the shelves and desk. Several over-stuffed chairs and intricately woven rugs were strategically placed around the room.
"What's going on?" My voice broke at the end.
I searched her for any negative emotions, but at the moment, she was just relieved.
"Caddie, do you remember anything that happened recently?"
I was about to tell her no when fleeting images of my conversation with Alix came to mind. I remembered vividly how she told me that we were witches, I also remembered how I didn't remember so she created an orb of light. Wait- that couldn't be right. She didn't actually create an orb of light, I told myself, my mind was just playing tricks on me. That sounded plausible and sane.
"My roommate said she was a witch, and that I was one too. She must have been crazy-Â and maybe I'm going crazy too- because I swear I saw a light come from her palm," I said in a hurried rush.
The woman's relieved emotions quickly turned to amusement, "I wish Miss Slade wouldn't have been so blunt with you, but that is in her family's nature. Caddie, what Alix said was true. This school isn't really for troubled kids but for special kids. Kids with qualities that are supernatural. And you are one of those kids."
I looked around for the hidden cameras and waited for someone to jump out and tell me this was all a prank. But after five minutes of an uncomfortable silence I realized that nothing was going to happen. She couldn't possibly be serious, witches don't exist. The only 'supernatural' thing that ever happened was when a kid could burp and fart at the same time.
"Because your mother was a witch," the woman said simply.
My head shot up, and I gave her a challenging stare, "You knew my mom?"
A small smile formed at the corner of her mouth, "Yes I knew her very well. I don't think we've been properly introduced. I am Lady Heidi Bose. Your Aunt."
Recognition flashed through my eyes as I realized that she was the same one from the diner. "You were the woman in the parking lot," I breathed out.
Her black eyes flashed with an unfamiliar emotion as she spoke, "Yes, I had been looking for you for many years. I knew my sister had a daughter, but I never knew where you were."
My jaw dropped, I must have looked like an idiot. Suddenly the fog from my head cleared and I recognized her face from the pictures at home. She was ten years older, but still the same person. How was it possible that all the answers to my questions were right under my nose, and I couldn't see them?
"I thought you were in Europe," I mumbled in disbelief.
Heidi shook her head, "If I was 'out of the country,' your father wouldn't ask too many questions about me. Your mom was smart with making up that lie."
"Why is bad if he knows where you live?" Anger slowly trickled into my system; she abandoned her family. Didn't even go to her own sister's funeral and lied about her location. She obviously didn't want us to find her; so why the hell did she look so happy to see me?
Pity filled her eyes, "Caddie, your father isn't like you or I. Like I said we're not normal. Our kind is known for breaking the natural boundaries and exceeding all limits."
Her eyes glittered as she spoke fondly of our kind, "We are gifted with powers. The scary stories you've heard as a child are mostly true. Our kind is known by many names, Mangkukulam, Kalku, but most people call us witches."
I swallowed a lump in my throat and let out a shaky laugh, "That's funny. You can't honestly make me believe that you're a witch."
She cocked her head to the side with a bored look in her dark eyes. "Then how could I do this," she raised her left hand and slowly opened her palm. After murmuring a few foreign words light started to come from her palm, like Alix. But unlike Alix the light grew, a small sphere of fire levitated above her hand. She gave me a half of a smile before pulling back her hand and throwing it towards me. I ducked my head and threw my hands in the air. I waited for the blow but it never came, slowly I lifted my head. My mouth hung agape once I saw a ball of fire hovering an inch above my cupped palms.
"Holy shit!" I screeched and jumped further back on the sofa. The fireball dropped and burned a hole into the red velvet of the couch.
I slipped my legs off the sofa and started to back away, "H-how d-did that h-happen."
Heidi let out an exasperated sigh and stood up as well, "I told you. You're a witch, so am I, and your roommate and fifty percent of this school. That's how you are able to feel the emotions of others and it's also how you were able to take that snobby girl's voice away."
I wiped the sweat off of my hands and looked at Heidi warily. I tried to calm down but my subconscious continued to shout at me. Oh my god, how is that possible? I'm a witch, with magical freaking powers. If witches exist what else does?
"You said fifty percent of the school is filled with witches. What's the other fifty percent?"
She leaned against the sofa and looked at the door behind me. She seemed to be thinking something over before she spoke again. "Our school only accepts fairies, werewolves, vampires, and witches. Those four races are the strongest and most abundant in our world. Ghosts and demons exist but not in our dimension," she paused before adding, "and it's best if we keep it that way."
I shivered. For the first time that day I didn't feel curious. Even though her tone sounded light I could make out the sinister underlying message.
"Okay, so let's say I believed you," I said slowly, "How come I've never experienced anything magical in my life until I met you?"
A burst of joy and relief coursed through Heidi at my acceptance. I still wasn't completely comfortable with the idea but being a witch would be a lot cooler than having a mental disease.
"Like I said, your mother was a witch but your dad is a human. That would make you a halfling, without any interaction with the supernatural world you could have lived an almost normal life," she explained.
"Almost?"
She nodded, "Did you fit in well with others?"
I said no and she explained that it was perfectly normal.
"We belong with our own kind, in our society. We mingle and set up fake lives for the mortals' sake, but underneath the fake identity, we're allowed to be who we are. This school helps the young witches and warlocks enhance and discover their powers-."
I cut her off, "What if I don't want to discover my powers?"
I didn't exactly want to leave at that point, but I was still wary. Every time she unlocked a new secret I felt myself becoming more immersed with the supernatural. I felt as if I was standing in the middle of hall, the door to my past was slowly closing as the door to my future was opening with every step I took. As I reached the doorframe, I knew if I took another step forward I would have reached the point of no return.
On our way out Heidi whispered to me, "Everything will be all right. I'm going to be here for you the whole time."
I gave her a grateful smile. Truthfully, I liked my aunt. Even though I had just met her under the strangest circumstances, she was genuine and understood me. Being a witch wasn't the easiest concept to accept, but it could have been worse. She could have told me that I was an ogre.
"I'd love to explain more to you, but you need to get to orientation. Also, try opening your eyes to the possibilities, you may see the world differently."
She stood up and strolled confidently over to the doors. I tried to do the same, but my knees insisted on shaking like tree branches on a windy day. We stepped out into the hallway and Alix appeared out of nowhere.
"Are you okay?" She shrieked, anxiety oozed from her pores.
I was going to tell her that I was fine, but she cut me off.
"I was so worried. I'm really sorry I shouldn't have told you that way," when she saw Heidi, she added, "I should have gotten an administrator."
I gave her arm a reassuring squeeze, "It's okay. I'm fine. If anything, I should apologize to you. I thought you were crazy."
Alix snorted, "You're a weird girl. My carelessness caused you to pass out and yet you think you need to apologize to me."
We laughed.
It was the strangest feeling in the world. My vocal cords tickled as an odd noise bubbled in the back of my throat. Over the years, I had seen other people laugh and felt their elation while doing so, but I had never been graced with such a pleasant experience.
"How about you girls go back to the entry room? Orientation is about to begin," Heidi suggested with an amused smirk on her face.
Alix was quick to agree, but I lingered behind not wanting my only living link to my mom disappear.
"Go with your friend," she nudged me towards my roommate. "We'll have plenty of time to talk later."
**How can I not dedicate a chapter to my amazing editor, who is really helping me turn this book into a better story. I know any success I gain in the future will be because of her help.**