Instead of laughing, Glynda looked concerned. “Something must be disrupting your magic. Mine only behaved like that when it first manifested, and only for the first few days. Is there a trigger?”
Exhaling with relief that my magic issues were more interesting than our coach’s unprofessional behavior in the gym, I nodded. “Yeah, it happens when my emotions go haywire.”
“Hmm, and what exactly triggers your emotions?” From the gleam in her eye, she knew exactly where this was going.
“Um, stress about doing a gym class?” Glynda snorted, making it clear my bullshit explanation didn’t fool her one bit.
“Sure, let’s go with that for now.”
I picked up a book about demons and flipped to the first chapter. Thankfully, Glynda took the hint and did the same. While we were becoming friends, I didn’t know her well enough to want to spill all my deepest, darkest secrets, and admitting I’d let a member of the faculty do bad things to me was way more reckless than I was comfortable being.
By the time we’d had enough of reading about the demon realm, my stomach was ready for more food. I planned to eat my body weight in pasta and then go to bed.
Maybe if I were really lucky, the cute cat from last night would visit me again. When I’d woken up this morning, cursing Alar-dick forsticking me with detention, the cat had gone, leaving nothing behind but a warm indentation in my bed.
I’d expected it to still be in my room, but my window was open, and even though I was three floors up, an agile cat could have jumped out and climbed down via the overhanging stone ledges at intervals.
“Have you found your familiar yet?” I asked Glynda as we left the library and followed the path to the main building. The moon peeked out from behind the clouds, lighting our way and highlighting the fallen trees from yesterday’s storm. I’d seen a few dead birds this morning, which made me sad. Storms seemed a regular occurrence around here, and I prayed my stupid magic wasn’t triggering destructive energy patterns.
“Not yet. Most witches don’t find theirs until the third year, and some never find one at all. My sister didn’t.”
“Oh, that’s sad. I’m sorry!” Willow had never found hers either, and I knew it bothered her. Adam’s familiar was a crow. I hated that bird. It used to spy on me constantly when I was growing up, reporting back to Adam if I misbehaved or sassed the witches caring for me.
“Familiars can die in accidents, I guess, just like witches.”
She brightened as we reached the entrance to the dining hall and the smell of delicious food washed over us. “I hope my familiar is something cool like a raven or golden eagle,” she told me as we took our place in the queue.
A loud scoff behind us made my fists clench.Demelza.
“You’re more likely to end up with something pathetic like a mole rat or a rabbit.” Her friend laughed way too loudly for such a stupid joke.
“Couldn’t be any worse than the trash panda your cousin got,” Glynda replied with a giggle. “I hear he leaves fast food wrappers in her bed as a gift.”
I slapped my hand over my mouth to contain my giggles, but an unladylike snort slipped out. “Really?” The idea of a snooty witch related to Demelza ending up with a raccoon as a familiar had me in stitches.
“Fred’s not a trash panda!” Demelza hissed, her cheeks pink with embarrassment. “He’s a highly intelligent mammal with a keen nose!”
“Yeah, for cheeseburgers.” Glynda and I fell apart laughing as Demelza stormed away in a huff of outrage. Cassie threw us a vicious glare and chased after her.
“I’m being mean,” Glynda admitted once she stopped laughing. “A raccoon is a fun familiar. They’re super intelligent. Honestly, I’d be thrilled if a raccoon chose me as its witch.”
“A cat showed up outside my bedroom door last night. I wondered if it was someone’s familiar,” I mused as I grabbed a bowl of tomato pasta with garlic bread. It smelled divine.
“Maybe, but they tend not to bother with other witches unless ordered to spy on them.”
My amusement faded.
Oh well, it was too late to worry now.
Pasta with extra cheese would soothe my emotional wounds. I had botany studies with Glynda at 7 p.m., then I’d go back to my room, lock the door, and enjoy an early night. I had only two more detentions left.
While Glynda ate her crispy chicken salad and read something on her phone, I pulled out the paper timetable I still carried in my jacket. Whereas the other students had phone apps, I still didn’t have a phone. Or money to buy one.
Honestly, it was embarrassing how behind the curve I was. Technology had largely passed me by. Sure, I knew how a DVD player worked, but if someone sat me in front of a computer, I’d be clueless.Glynda had mentioned using a laptop to write my paper for Professor Dunton, but I told her I’d write it on paper. With an actual pen.
My paper timetable said I had PT at nine in the morning with Coach Wilder. The thought of seeing my bear again made my chest ache, along with the rest of me. We hadn’t crossed paths today. Not that I was expecting to see him.
Sadness hit me hard. Maverick claimed I was his mate, but from what the student handbook said, even mated pairs had to stick to their own classes while at the academy. The only compromise permitted was for mated pairs in different year groups. Once the older student graduated, the school let them remain on campus in a teaching role.
