Although my body ached and my eyelids felt weighted, my brain would not let me rest. I’d been tossing and turning for hours. The voices in the common area had faded as people went to bed, leaving a lovely quiet behind. And yet, I was wide awake, thinking. My first week at Spellcasters had been unexpected to say the least. An absolute disaster, if I wanted to be dramatic about it.
Which I sort of did.
I hadn’t expected to find myself so unpopular and ridiculously behind. So I hadn’t trained all my life for this. My parents wanted to give me a normal childhood. Did that really mean I deserved others’ ire?
Giving up the pretense that sleep was coming soon, I threw my covers off and decided to go for a nighttime stroll. Sometimes, in the past, like when I’d been nervous about taking my SATs, upon my parents’ insistence, walks had helped me calm down.
Throwing on my bright yellow robe and sheepskin-lined moccasins, I left my room.
Hunter, Eva, Diana, and Thor were the only ones still in the common area. They were studying, although judging by the droop of Eva’s eyes, she’d give up soon.
“Where are you going?” she asked.
“For a stroll. I can’t sleep. Walking helps me relax.”
“It’s not your head, is it? Do you want any company?”
“No, my head’s fine. I just need some alone time.”
Eva nodded, though she didn’t seem convinced, and I slipped out the door before she insisted on joining.
In the dead of night, the hallway was bleaker than usual, which was saying something. As I walked, I paused in front of various portraits of spymasters, reading their names and years of service. A particular portrait of a man who shared my last name caught my attention.
Is he a distant relation? Or do we simply share a last name? Had he tested in?David Chena had mentioned that he thought I would make an excellent spymaster. I’d always thought so too.
But after today, I wasn’t so sure.
I sighed and kept moving. While my classmates had spent years practicing magic, I’d wasted my time. After I turned sixteen, I’d stopped mentioning Spellcasters to keep the peace in our home. Instead, I’d pretended like I was going to be a good little girl and go to a human college. I’d studied calculus, performed contemporary dance, could burn the keys off the piano, and even throw a damn good punch, courtesy of the self-defense classes Dad had made me take. But did I know the first thing about performing battle magic?
Nope.
Could I actually survive three years at Spellcasters? Although this was what I’d wanted since I was young, and had even fought my parents for my place, I was starting to have my doubts.
Were my parents right?
I was making my way down the set of stairs that led to the entry hall, when a loud clanging made me jump.
“Is someone there?” I asked. My voice echoed throughout the large chamber, sending shivers up my spine. Although Spellcasters was always dark and a little creepy, at nighttime, the creepiness factor increased tenfold.
No one answered, so I kept descending the stairs. I wanted to walk in the full moon’s light along the lake’s edge.
I’d reached the front steps, and another noise, the howling of a dog outside, hit my ears.
I tilted my head. A dog? The only student who had a dog as a familiar was Olivia García. And it was a little yappy thing, definitely not capable of producing a deep howl like that. Perhaps it was a pet from Wandstown on the loose? Eva mentioned that it was a few miles away. It seemed likely that a dog could escape and run this far. But the fencing around Spellcasters was prodigious—topped with barbed wire, and enchanted to hold out magicals. Surely, it would keep out a normal dog.
“It’s probably out near the main road,” I whispered to myself and pushed the front door open.
As soon as I took my first full breath of fresh air, my heart rate slowed. Slippered feet whisked across the grass, as I walked toward the lake, pulling my robe closer. The full moon shone down on me, illuminating my walk and calming my frazzled nerves. I’d made the right choice in going for a stroll. Hopefully, after I returned to bed, I’d be able to fall right asleep, and be fresh to study the next day.
I reached the lake’s edge and nestled into a spot where the grass seemed shorter, intent on sitting until my eyelids started to droop. The minutes ticked by, and peace settled over me.
Suddenly, another howl pierced the calm of the night.
My spine straightened. That had been closer.
I looked around, taking in the darkness, but was unable to spot any disturbances.
The air seemed to shift, and one by one, goosebumps rose on my arm. I wished that I’d brought a weapon. I wondered if Dad’s can of magical mace would work against aggressive animals? Was it really closer, or was that my imagination?
