“Now, Mr. Mander,” the woman scolds.
He sighs, looking frustrated and loathsome of this woman, but tilts his head and leaves the room all the same. Meanwhile, I’m trying to wrap my mind around her words.
Unfamiliar.
Her people.
Beings.
I turn my legs to sit on the bed and blink up at the other woman. “Granddaughter?” I question.
“Yes, well. There will be plenty of time to discuss everything as soon as we leave this charnel house.”
“It’s a school,” I reply in a haze.
“No, it’s whereothersgo to die.”
I blink at the woman who hasn’t given me her name and everything she says feels like it means something else entirely. I’m about ninety percent sure she’s speaking English, but like she’s speaking in a code, I don’t understand. “I need to say goodbye to my friends,” I say and she shakes her head, her lips in a tight pout.
“I’m afraid that isn’t possible. You don’t belong here and you surely can no longer be associated with any of thesechildren.” She shakes her head and crinkles her nose. “I can smell the dog on you.”
I shake my head. Am I dreaming? Half of the words she’s saying don’t make any sense. My fingertips rub against my temples as I try to remember what happened last night. Silas and I were making the wish, and then nothing.
“How did you find me?”
She goes to open her mouth as Mr. Mander hands her a suitcase with my belongings. He gives me one last longing look before leaving the room.
“Whatever spell my daughter cast on you to keep you hidden was lifted on your sixteenth birthday. You’ll finally be backwhere you belong,” she says softly. “I’m Aster Delvaux, but you can call me Grand-mère. It’s time to go.”
“But I need to say goodbye to Silas,” I tell her.
He’s the only thing I’ll truly miss about this place. I still can’t wrap my mind around anything this woman is saying. A spell? A dog? Did I hit my head?
All I know is I need to tell Silas that I’m alright, that I’ll write to him, or maybe we can communicate some other way.
“I have to say goodbye to him,” I repeat. I can’t imagine how hurt he would feel if I left without a word.
“I’m sorry, but that just isn’t going to happen.”
My grand-mère wraps her perfectly manicured nails around my wrist and I’m suddenly ripped away from what was somewhat considered my home. Leaving the school, my best friend, and everything I’ve ever known behind me.
Chapter 2
PRESENT DAY
My heels click along the cobblestone streets as me and my two best friends make our way to one of our favorite local bars. As I hit one of the ancient stones, my heel cracks and I curse.
Looking around, seeing no humans nearby, I pull out my wand and use a repairing incantation to fix my shoe.
Being a witch definitely has its perks. Scratch that, being a witch is fucking everything and I wouldn’t trade it for the world.
“Alright, tuck that thing away,” Ember says, pushing at my wand as I shove it into my purse.
I can do magic without it, but having a conduit makes things a hell of a lot easier. We’re right outside the bar as Iris grins and hands us each a purple vial.
“What is it?” I ask, while Ember takes the cap off and chugs it back without a care in the world. Her reddish blonde hair falls back and her freckled nose crinkles from the taste.
That’s always been our dynamic, I suppose. Ember is always willing to take risks, Iris is the calculative one, and I’m the more cautious one.
