Lady Magdalina frowned. “I’m afraid not. Healing magic is exceptionally rare in the supernatural world, and doesn’t always work. It is not a capability that the Arcanea have. I know your health isn’t in the most optimal condition. It will get worse, if you refuse to attend Arcanea University and learn your magic.”
“What does she mean, Mom?” I asked, looking at her.
Mom’s face was red with rage. “When an Arcanea comes of age, they come into their powers. Any Arcanea that doesn’t use their powers experiences physical consequences,” she admitted through clenched teeth.
“Is that the reason why I’m sick?” I asked. Hell, I hoped not.
Lady Magdalina shook her head. “Your condition is genetic, Emmaline. It comes from the human side of your DNA. It has nothing to do with the Arcanea. What your mother is talking about are side-effects from allowing your magic to build up in your body without any release. It won’t kill you, but it’ll cause significant pain. Your condition will get worse because of it.”
“That’s why I have migraines, Emma. If I don’t use my powers, the magic builds up in my body and becomes unbearable,” Mom explained. “I try not to use my magic, so I don’t draw attention. Arcaneas are attracted to other Arcaneas. They’d sense we were here if I used my powers.”
“Precisely,” Lady Magdalina said. “I’ve been in America for days, searching for you. When you killed the rouge, Emmaline, I sensed such a burst of power from you that I knew a strong Arcanea had to be in the area. It only took a bit of investigating to find you.”
I looked at Mom. “So… all those vacations we couldn’t afford…” I filled in the blanks. We’d taken them every year, whether the extra funds were there or not, and never been to the same place twice.
Mom nodded. “Yes. I went away to use my powers, in locations far enough away and scattered throughout the U.S. so that the Arcanea wouldn’t be able to find us. I haven’t been able to leave recently, because of finances. That’s why the migraines have gotten worse.”
“But... why did you feel the need to hide us, anyway?” This magical society sounded weird, but cool. I was instantly drawn to it. Why wouldn’t Mom want to raise me in a world where spells and illusions really worked and sorceresses were real? I wanted to be a badass, too. Normal was boring.
“The world of the Arcanea isn’t something I wanted for you. It’s painful and brutal. The life of a monster hunter isn’t easy. You have to be strong to survive,” Mom insisted.
“But there is beauty in the pain,” Lady Magdalina interrupted. “Arcanea University is where she belongs. You know it, Evonna. It’s cruel to keep her away from that any longer.”
The anger flooded away from her expression. Mom hung her head, like she knew what Lady Magdalina said was true.
Though secretly I agreed with Lady Magdalina, my mom was still my mom. I wanted to side with her.
“Um… I don’t know if I want to go to a college that teaches you how to turn people into frogs or whatever,” I said.
Lady Magdalina laughed. “What do you think we are? Some coven for witches that has no place in the civilized world?” She laughed again before she shook her head. “We have museums, shopping centers, cultural areas and theaters that are the best in the world. Most prestigious of all, Malovia is famous for winter sports. Our hockey teams, ski resorts, and bobsledding arenas have produced many champions.”
“I’m a figure skater,” I said bluntly. “I do have a career to consider, and my training is here in Detroit.” Not that it was much of a career. That’d pretty much been ruined after my diagnosis.
“We have plenty of facilities for you to practice your sport. The ice arena at Malovia hosts some of the best trainers in the world, including myself,” Lady Magdalina stated. “I’ve taught many Olympic athletes, and would be agreeable to take you on as my student if you enrolled at the University.”
This place kept sounding better and better. But what was the catch?
“I don’t think we can afford this,” I started. “I’m an American. I’d have to go through an immigration process, and find housing, and—”
“Darling, you don’t understand,” Lady Magdalina said kindly. “You haveArcanea blood. That automatically makes you a Malovian citizen. There’s no immigration process required. You’ll be given the benefits all of our countrymen receive— including free education and healthcare. Your housing will be in the dormitories at the university. All your expenses are already paid for.”
That made one hell of a difference in my decision. It moved me from thinking leaving Detroit was impossible to very critical. Healthcare in Malovia was free. Healthcare in America was not. I’d seen the estimates on my medicine the insurance company had delivered, and they weren’t anything to sneeze at. Treatment for my illness could literally bankrupt my Mom. I hadn’t started the infusions yet, because I was worried about the cost. I’d been putting them off because they were so expensive.
Still, it was obvious I needed them. My fatigue was killing me, draining any energy I had to even do simple tasks, and I’d gotten a ridiculous amount of colds in the past few weeks alone. In. The.Summer.I couldn’t get better from one virus without catching another infection the next day. Much longer without these infusions, and I wouldn’t be able to skate. I wouldn’t be able to do much of anything besides sit on the couch and wait to die.
It seemed like I didn’t have much of an optionbutto go to Malovia. If I stayed here, I’d break my family financially and end up going nowhere with my life. But if I went on ahead to this weird school, things would be taken care of. I could get my medicine. I wouldn’t have to worry about paying for being sick, just worry about getting better. Besides— I’d always wanted to see Europe, just never had the opportunity to go. And I was being given a chance to go to college for free… something I’d always dreamed of… even though the school probably wasn’t accredited and definitely a rip-off. Like, a school for magical sorceresses and men who could turn into animals? I’d seen it was real with my own two eyes, and still didn’t believe it.
But that was the thing. I didn’t have a choice whether to believe it or not. These weirdo Black Claw fuckheads were after me now, and would most likely kill me and my mom if I didn’t end up going to a place where I’d be protected. The only place on earth where I would be safe from them would be Malovia.
Going to Arcanea University would be scary. But it would also be an adventure. And I was really tired of living a boring life. I couldn’tstandbeing bored. To me, it was worse than being sad. This magical society sounded dangerous, but interesting. Besides skating, nothing else kept me going. I’d prayed for something exciting to happen ever since I’d left high school, and nothing ever did. This was what I’d been asking for, and it’d showed up on my doorstep. Could I really turn it down?
I knew I couldn’t. I didn’t care how unsafe it was. I’d just gotten diagnosed with a disease that could end my life at any time. I craved some sort of meaning to my existence ever since. Now wasn’t the time to play it safe. If I was short on time, I wanted to make every minute count.
I put on a brave smile. “I think I want to kill some monsters.”
“That’s the spirit!” Lady Magdalina praised, while Mom’s expression dropped. “I already have a flight booked for you. Pack your things, and we’ll be off.”
What, so soon? I didn’t even have any time toprocessall of this?
