“My magic is not what you’d call particularly reliable.”
Or even accessible.
No doubt the next question burning a hole in her brain wasHow did you make it into Weatherstone with unreliable magic?But she was too polite to say anything.
“I’ll wait for you tomorrow for our first classes, if you’d like,” she said, in another rapid subject change. She jumped aroundtopics a lot, but I didn’t mind. “It’d be nice to have a friend to walk with.”
“I’d love that,” I said. “I’m in room 267.”
Not only would it be stupid to turn down a friendly face, since I doubted Annabeth was the only evil witch at Weatherstone,but Belle had mentioned her father was an elder on the High Council.
“Perfect, I’ll meet you there at eight.” She went to leave, before pausing, “Do you need me to wait in case she comes backto hurt you?”
“Nah, I’ll be fine. I’ve been battling much stronger elementals than that witch most of my life.”
If Belle was curious about that statement, she didn’t show it. She just waved awkwardly, clutching her towel to keep it fromslipping. “Okay, see you in a few hours.” She grabbed her pile of clothes, and when she was gone I huffed out a breath. Weatherstonedrama was intense, and it was kicking in before classes even started.
At least this time it wasn’t a spellcaster with intriguing eyes trying to do me in. I doubted a sucker punch to the side ofthe head would deter him if there was an attack.
Entering one of the stalls, I made sure the door was shutand locked, and hung my towels on the hooks. My change of pajamas went onto a small shelf on the back of the door. There was a chill in my bones that had me cranking the hot water and standing under it until I finally felt clean but not necessarily warm.
My chill was deeper than skin. This ancient school, filled with magics I could only dream of experiencing, had already seepedinto my essence. Seeped and claimed.
No matter what Dad said tomorrow, I would convince him I had to stay.
Chapter 8
Morning arrived far too soon.
“Motherfucker,” I mumbled when my watch beeped at me. I’d known to set it after stumbling back from my shower, but now I reallywished I’d just forgotten. Rolling over in the bed, I hit the wall and startled awake, remembering I wasn’t at home. I wasat Weatherstone.
And I hadclasses.
That got me moving. I hauled my ragged ass out of bed and rushed to the bathroom to pee, brush my teeth, and get ready forthe day. This time the bathroom was filled with other witches doing the exact same, and there was no sense of dread in theair. It was excitement all around.
Back in my room, I had just enough time to slap on some makeup and braid my hair before I slipped on the uniform and grabbedmy schedule. My first class today was Elemental 101, which would test our magic against all element affinities.
“Hey, you look great,” Belle said when I all but fell out the door, satchel over my shoulder holding my notepads, pens, andBeginners Guide to Embracing Your Elementby Professor PJ Witherington.
“You too,” I said, shooting her a smile. Weatherstone’s uniform consisted of black stockings, a blue pleated skirt that ended just above our knees, a white button-down shirt, and a blue blazer that had the college emblem embroidered overthe pocket. It wasn’t a sexy outfit, but then again, none of the magical schools were about the sex appeal. They were about learning and furthering your career prospects.
“How is it that you don’t look like you were up half the night?” I groaned, wanting to rub at my puffy eyes before rememberingI was wearing mascara.
Belle chuckled, and I glared at her cheeriness and near-perfect skin. Witch wasn’t even wearing makeup from what I could see.“I’m used to living on little sleep,” she said, as if that were completely normal. “I’ve spent half my life traveling betweenmy dad in Maine and my mom in Panaji, her hometown in India. The constant time zone changes have made me a perpetual nightowl, who also doesn’t sleep in the day.”
Our friendship wasn’t at the stage of pry-into-personal-life details just yet, so I didn’t ask for any further information.“Guess I know who to call when I need to party at midnight.”
“Hel yes, babe. I’m your girl if you ever need a friend in the middle of the night.”
I got a stupid rush of warmth at the wordfriend, and it was nice to know that there was a chance of a real friendship.
We joined the throng of students in uniform, the hall a wash of blue, black, and white. Belle, who couldn’t be taller thanfive feet two, set off at a pace that had me near jogging to keep up. “Whatever you’re having, I’ll take two,” I said, stiflinga yawn. “Not only do you not sleep, but you’re also still energized. My ass has been ripped off and I want a refund. My momasked me once if I was a cat in my previous life because I had the lounging-around-for-eighteen-hours-a-day part down pat.”
She snorted. “My father asked me why I can’tsit fucking stilland my mother calls me her little hyper witch. It’s not always fun, especially when Ihyperfocus, but for the most part, if I’m busy, I can keep the rest in check.”
Belle led me down a different path than I’d gone with mysiblings, and I kept an eye out for Dad, expecting he’d find me real soon. He wouldn’t let it drag on, because the longer I was here, the harder it would be to get me to leave.
When we reached Writworth, my stomach rumbled, and I wondered what the breakfast situation was around here. There wasn’t enoughtime to hit the dining hall, with only ten minutes until Elemental 101, but it would be good to know for tomorrow.
