Control.
We had to learn to control our new “gifts.”
So, when I got the invitation to attend the McKenzie Institute to learn how to harness and utilize my new powers, I jumped atthe opportunity. Plus, Piper was gone, and it beat working at the bank. Did I mention Ireallyneeded a vacation?
“I’m so excited,” a female voice exclaimed from behind me.
Another voice added, “I can’t believe we both got invited!”
The two overjoyed ladies passed by, both squealing as they practically skipped ahead to the mahogany double doors of the castle. They obviously knew each other which caused me to have a pang of jealousy. Having someone to lean on during this scary adventure would have been nice.
Accepting I had magic was hard. No one in my small town had new powers but me. I tried to keep it a secret for as long as I could. But word spread once someone saw me floating while I yelled at a guy who almost hit me in a parking lot.
Yes,floating.
Not even in a cute, witchy kind of way. More like a woman possessed with road rage and the ability to projectile vomit daisies if the situation called for it. If I’d known how to use those blue sparks, that asshole would have lost an ear or two for nearly running me over.
Maybe I wasn’t too old for school and learning to control my magic for moments like those was exactly what I needed.
Still, I felt lonely and lowkey wish Piper were here with me if only to keep me company.
“Come on, Tempie,” I muttered in an attempt to psyche myself up. “You’ve got this.”
And I did have this. I’d worn real jeans and an actual bra for this. Technically, I was capable of anything.
With sweaty palms, I tightened the hold on my duffle bag and walked into an unknown future that both excited and scared me.
The short distance from the parking lot to the castle was uneventful, but I paused when a circular fountain situated in a vast courtyard caught my eye. Another reminder that the world was different. The voluptuous statue in the middle of thefountain poured a pot of glowing green liquid into the water where teeny bubbles rose and popped in the air.
It was weird, and like my sparkly puke, kind of pretty, too.
In my hometown, kids from the high school would pour dish soap into the fountain outside the courthouse as a prank. This looked nothing like the typical white bubbles that I was used to seeing.
The green glow was otherworldly and strange.
And I was awestruck by it.
Then, the hairs on the back of my neck tickled as someone slid to my side. “The water is enchanted. It’s safe to touch if you’d like.”
Enchanted.
What Disney movie was I living in again?
An elderly woman wearing a silver robe stood a little too close to me. She waved her hand toward the fountain, and a trail of bubbles floated over to us. More onlookers gathered with their eyes wide. I wasn’t the only one mesmerized by it.
Purple sparks shot from my free hand, like the powers inside me recognized those of the fountain and wanted to play too. Again, where were those sparks when the parking lot asshole nearly plowed me over?
“Welcome to Magic School, dears.” The woman flashed us a smile then her gaze dropped to my hands. Her face brightened and the smile lifted higher.
I shook my hand to rid the sparks and tingles. Thankfully, I didn’t have to douse them out in the fountain.
“Sorry,” I said as heat crept up my neck. “Still don’t know why or how that happens.”
“Don’t apologize. And you will.” She wiggled her fingers and the bubbles that she surrounded us with popped in unison. Her attention went back to the crowd. “If you haven’t already, please check in at the yellow tables before you enter the castle.”
With a wave of her delicate hand, yellow glitter appeared, followed by a stick that she used to point to my right.
Oops, that was a wand, not simply a stick. I was still getting used to that.
