“Simon and Morris?” Belle asked. “You haven’t met their boyfriends yet?”
I cracked up, laughter spilling from me. “They’re nature sprites. Simon and Morris are their sheep and bear familiars. Neitherof them has a boyfriend.” Jenna had come out as gay to us a few years ago, and Alice had no interest in sex at all, preferringto spend her time in nature. They channeled the fire of their magic into nature and the platonic love of their lives, Simonand Morris.
Belle stared at me, her spoon of mac and cheese halfway to her mouth. “They called their familiars Simon and Morris?”
“Yep.” I slurp up another piece of delicious fruit. “They’re weirdos, but I love them.”
Belle’s expression softened. “You’re making me miss my sister, and she’s a real bitchy witch that one. Might call her tonight.”
Sibling relationships made no sense from the outside, but everyone understood the rules. We were allowed to make fun of andbeat up our siblings, but no one else better lay a fucking hand on them.
We were finished with lunch, so we dropped our trays into the pile near the trash cans. “Are you excited for our next class?”Belle asked.
I shot her a look like she’d just asked me if I liked to stab myself in the hand with a pen. “Are you kidding me? The lakelooks freezing, and I have no water affinity.”
“I can’t fucking wait,” she said, cheeks pink with excitement. “Can we head there now?”
Since we had no choice, I forced some cheer into my response. “Yep, let’s do it.”
We stopped off in our dorms first. I threw my satchel on the desk, and changed into my school-provided, navy-blue one-pieceswimsuit, pulling on a pair of blue school sweats over the top.
Elemental Water 101 was a class where we’d be immersed in the water, in winter, because everyone here had a death wish.
I exited the room to find Belle waiting, dressed in the same blue sweats. “Did you grab your towel?” she said, holding upa Weatherstone-branded, striped blue-and-white one.
“Crap, no!” I dashed back into the room and opened my wardrobe to grab one of the four towels neatly folded on the top shelf.With it tucked under my arm, Belle and I hurried along the hall, and took a right turn that led to a set of doors that openedto an external staircase. As we stepped outside, we were assaulted with an icy breeze, and a vast array of scents, includingpine, maple, and freshly cut grass.
“Welcome to the western perimeter of Weatherstone,” Belle said, as we started down the stairs.
Despite the thick fleece of my sweatshirt, the wind cut right through, and I shivered, but I was at least grateful that wedidn’t have any snow. Dad had said the weather was relatively mild this year, as Northeast winters went, and I would haveditched this class if I saw even a sliver of ice on the lake.
A swift breeze sent my hair flying around my face, and I pulled it back into a ponytail, resting the towel against the railing.As I stared out at the grounds, I noticed how green a lot of the lawn still was, along with a multitude of vibrant flowergardens. “It must take a ton of magic to keep these flowers blooming all year,” I said, snapping the band in place aroundmy gathered hair.
Belle spared the gardens a quick glance and nodded. “Yeah, Kris, my sister, told me that they have earth elementals workinghere all year.” Her focus returned to the lake, and I hurried with her to get to class.
“I almost can’t believe I’m finally here,” Belle breathed reverently. “Finally ready to step into the next stage of my lifeand power.”
College was the final step before the rest of our lives began, and being here was a big deal. “The fact that I’m even at Weatherstoneis hard to believe,” I said with a derisive laugh. “My magic is hard to connect with, and I don’t show any exceptional skills.”
Belle shot me a glare. “If you’re here, it’s because you earned your spot. This was the right college for you, and I’ll kickyour ass if you keep talking bad about yourself.”
She was a fiercely protective friend, even against myself. And I was grateful to have stumbled into that bathroom at two inthe morning. “I’m embracing it,” I promised her, “just a little slower than others.”
Our gazes remained locked for a few seconds, before hers softened. “Okay, good. Slower is fine. So, what were your sisters talking about before?” Her ability to rapidly subject change was second to none. “About your father. Was that about how he yanked you out of the office yesterday?”
She was far too observant. “He wants me to defer for a couple of years. He tried to pull me out yesterday, but I fought backenough that he was going to talk to Mom about it. I expected him this morning before class, but he hasn’t come by yet.”
Belle ground to a halt, clutching her towel closer, face wreathed in horror. “He wanted to pull you out of Weatherstone? Thiscollege is the safest in the world, right? And the blood oath isn’t even between you and Logan.”
It was supposed to be safe here, but more importantly, it was the college every magical parent in America hoped their childwould attend. No one would pull their children out without evidence of an actual threat against them. “Dad believes Loganis here to fulfil the oath, and that the Kingstons are too powerful to be worried by rules or Weatherstone security. There’sa lot more to the story, and it’s... complicated.”
There were so many questions in Belle’s eyes; she just stared for a few seconds before schooling her face once more. “Tellme when you’re ready, okay?”
“Yep, I promise to spill the entire story after class.”
“I’ll hold you to that.” She let it go, content to play witch-guide along the path. “That zone is where the seniors do alchemy.” She pointed toward a set of three buildings with stone walls, no windows, and what looked like a single door for entry and exit. “I’ve heard it can withstand an atomic bomb. And these are the Barracks.” I’d already seen the long wood-lined building with Dad, but from this angle, it was even larger than I’d thought. We could hear and smell the animalswithin, catching glimpses of white-fenced pens off the side with horses, bulls, bison, and even a giraffe.
“That’s the Dojo,” she continued, “where we take our attack and defense classes in sophomore year.” It was an open-sided buildingwith visible fight rings, octagons, and training equipment. “I’m super not looking forward to that,” she grumbled. “Beingtiny has its advantages, but not in fighting.”
