“If he’s not yours,” Patty said. “Does that mean he’s available?”
“No!” Donovan and I both shouted at the same time.
I burst into laughter, and they joined in.
“You don’t think I’m available?” Donovan asked me, moving in so close I could feel the warmth coming off his body. “You think I’m taken?”
I shrugged, but an unexpected and unfamiliar heat filled me. Where was this conversation going?
Patty emitted an ear-piercing squeal, bringing my brain back to the ground. A necessary thing, because it had been floating. “Am I witnessing a major life event for you two?”
“What do you think?” Donovan asked me.
I shrugged again but couldn’t keep the grin off my face.
“I knew it,” Patty said. “See?” She tapped her temple. “Divination. I know things before anyone else.”
“We’re not boyfriend and girlfriend,” I pointed out.
“You’re close.” Patty came over and looped her arms through Donovan’s and mine, linking the three of us together. “But I won’t push new love. It needs to ripen at its own pace.”
I rolled my eyes, feeling like I should be offended by all this but my lips kept curling up, matching Donovan’s.
Donovan disengaged himself from Patty. “I’ve got to go. I left my uniforms in the hall, and I want to change. I’m right down the hall, by the way. In 420.”
Patty urged him toward the door and I followed. “Come back and get us in twenty minutes or so? We’ll go to dinner together. I’m going to chat for a while with Fleur.”
“Sure,” he said. The door opened of its own without a passcode, and he walked out into the hall. “My roommate is Bryce Juile. I’ll bring him along with me if that’s okay?”
“Great!” Patty said. “Looking forward to meeting him.” After shutting the door, she collapsed on the wooden frame. “Wow. Hot guy alert. You are so freakin’ lucky!” Bouncing off the door, she danced into the room. “How long have you been with him?”
“Actually, I just met him today.”
“You work fast. I like it.”
I wasn’t exactly sure what was happening between Donovan and me. We were skating around something intriguing, and I couldn’t wait to see what came next, but I barely knew him. And I wasn’t sure I wanted to get involved with someone desperate to jump off the roof.
“I’ll help you unpack while we talk,” Patty said.
Truly, I wanted to unpack my stuff alone, thanks. A quick peek told me Patty’s family could match the beaming groups I’d seen outside pulling carts laden with everything their child could imagine needing at school.
A fluffy comforter with matching sheets and big decorative pillows had been arranged on her bed. Clear totes with snacks and toiletries rested on the carpeted floor underneath. And books. Wonderful, non-research books, had been stacked neatly on a wooden shelf. A big jewelry box rested on the bureau, sparkly chains overflowing the half-open drawers.
My gaze slid to my cardboard boxes sealed up with packing tape sitting on the floor, and I couldn’t prevent my shoulders from drooping. My throat grew tight, making it difficult to swallow.
“Come on,” Patty said. “We can get this done fast if we do it together, and talk while we do it.”
I dragged my feet over to the boxes. Four. More than I’d thought. Did I really own that many possessions?
“So, tell me,” Patty said. “What was it like growing up an outling?”
“I didn’t know I was an outling until today.”
“Where have you been? Didn’t your parents discover your full potential for magic when you turned seventeen?”
Which had occurred three months ago. “My mom…” I didn’t want to get into my mom.
“She must’ve noticed and brought you here then, right?”
“Yeah,” I said weakly. “That’s it. She brought me here.” Not quite a lie. Mom sure had noticed and brought me here.
Patty lifted one of my boxes and dropped it on the bed. The tape ripped off with a loud rasp. She parted the top and I leaned over to start removing my things, hoping my cringes wouldn’t be too obvious.
“These aren’t mine,” I said, my hands frozen in place. I was filled with a mix of awe and horror. How—
“’Course they are,” Patty said, pointing. “Your name’s written on the top.” She frowned. “Oh, there’s a note in here!” She handed it to me.
I went shopping.
Hope you don’t mind.
I tucked a few extra things inside for you, too.
~ Ester
Tears burned in the back of my eyes as I carefully set the note on the mattress then lifted out a green and blue patchwork quilt. Many evenings while we sat together in her tiny living room, me with a research book open on my lap, Ester had worked on this quilt. I’d assumed she was making it for herself.
“You look sad,” Patty said.
I smiled through my tears. “Nope. I’m just happy.”
“Well, let’s finish unpacking! Then you can tell me about your skapti, and I’ll fill you in on my twenty-seven brothers and sisters.”
Wait. Twenty-seven? “How is that even possible?”
“My mom is married to a lot of men.”
I blinked. Maybe it would be best not to take this any further.
Next, I pulled out new sheets that matched, still in the package. And fluffy pillows I could put my head on when I went to sleep, plus square ones that coordinated with everything else, big enough I could lounge against them while doing my homework.
School supplies. Toiletries in a colorful bathroom tote.
And brand-new clothes, not ones you had to spray with stain remover and hope the spot came out.
“Oh.” I sunk onto the bare mattress, the note crackling beneath my butt. How could this be happening?
Turning, my lips trembling with suppressed emotion, I stroked the handmade quilt.
Maybe Ester didn’t hate me after all.
“Nice stuff!” Patty said as if I wasn’t falling apart in front of her. I still couldn’t believe it. All these years, Ester had acted as if I was a pain in the rear, a burden, a thing to be ignored as much as possible. “Why don’t you put your clothes away in your bureau?” She waved to the tall wooden wardrobe that looked like a gateway to Narnia. “I’ll make your bed.”
“Okay.” I lifted the box of clothing and started toward the bureau but turned back. “Except the quilt. Will you leave that for me to spread out?”
“Sure.” She dropped the other boxes onto the floor, and something jangled inside. Leaning over, she pulled out a few gleaming things. “Oh, cool! A concealer.”
Make-up?
After dropping the box of clothing on the floor in front of the bureau, I returned to Patty and took the necklace from her. Not make-up but a chain holding a silver pendant with a pale blue stone set in the center. “What’s a concealer?”
Mischief slipped into her words. “Put it on then spin the center stone one click. Watch in the mirror while you do it.”
Okay. My fingers twinging with trepidation, I dropped the chain over my head and went to the mirror. One turn of the sun’s face and my hair turned bright purple. “Whoa. Better watch out for imps.”
“Ah.” Patty nodded wisely. “Good point. But no worries. A number of my cousins are imps. I’ll talk to them. Warn them away.” She laughed. “Your hair is safe for now, even if you decide to go purple.”
I wasn’t even going to ask her how many cousins she had.
Another click, and my hair flashed bright pink.
Patty joined me, staring into the glass. “Hey, we’re twinsies!”
“How is this even possible?”
“Your family sent you a bespelled pendant. I’d say someone wanted to make it easier for you to keep your hair blue. No more boxes of color or roots showing through.”
Ester. To think she’d only shaken her head and twisted her lips with displeasure when I proudly showed her w
hat I’d done to my hair.
I turned the stone until my color returned to the original blue.
“Your family also sent this.” Patty handed me a velvet pouch.
When I untied the white threads holding it closed and upended it, a golden disk the size of the bottom of a drinking glass slipped out.
I stared down at it in my hand. Heavy. Solid. Nothing to spin like my pendant. “What is it?”
“You’ll need it when we go shopping, which we’ll do soon because I get the major munchies at night.”
“Is it a coin?” Hopefully enough to buy more than one bar of soap.
“I keep forgetting you’re an outling.” Her arm slipped across my shoulders. “But we’re besties now, and I’m going to show you the ropes. Share everything I know about the world of magic. In no time you’ll feel you’ve lived with us forever.”
That would be wonderful. A nice change from the Prefect, Ashton, who’d implied I was unwelcome.
“Slide your thumb across the center,” Patty said, tapping the golden disc. “And it’ll tell you how much your family loaded on your account.”
I did so, and numbers appeared.
“Wow,” she breathed. “Your family is super generous.”
Somebody was. Not my mom. “I assume this amount is good?”
“Honey, it’s absolutely awesome.” She pointed to a small diamond in the upper right corner, above the number. “See that? It’s bespelled in more than one way. That diamond means it recharges itself automatically. In other words, it never runs out.” She leaned back and scrutinized my face. “Where did you say you came from again?”
I hadn’t offered that information but didn’t mind sharing, now.
“I don’t really have a family,” I said, watching her face. “Mom…Well, she didn’t want me.”
Patty reeled back, her mouth forming a big O. But it reflected only surprise tinted with sadness. “How is that even possible?”
“Sometimes, parents…” The hell with it. No use lying. “My mom brought me here when I was ten. Ditched me.”
“Oh, honey.” Patty’s arms slid around my waist, and she hugged me. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay.” And for now, it was. “Someone else did all this for me.” My heart expanded, thumping against my ribs. “The woman who raised me for the past seven years.”
“She must care for you a lot.”
I chuckled, doubting we could go that far. But maybe…She might not be family but maybe I could count Ester as a friend.
Clutching the coin to my chest with both hands, I closed my hands and grinned. Things were looking up for me. Soon, I’d discover everything I’d been sent here to learn.
I’d have a new home. One that might not be completely welcoming but one I could settle into. Find my place.
“Oh, forgot to tell you,” Patty said as she leaped onto her bed. Her head tilted toward a door on the right wall. “We share a bathroom with two other girls. Their room is on the other side. We’ll have to work out a shower schedule and lay down some ground rules about picking up after ourselves.”
“Have you met them yet?”
“Yeah.” Patty frowned. Her fingers filtered through her hair, making the short strands stand on end. “They’re okay. One’s nicer than the other, though.”
Before I could quiz her further, the door to the bathroom opened.
To my shock, Alys poked her head into our room and scowled at me.
Chapter 8
“You,” Alys said.
“I could say the same thing,” I said. “Get lost on your way to Wind Coven?” What were they doing here, haunting me?
Alys sneered. “I thought you would’ve bailed on the Academy by now.”
“Nope.” I trumped her sneer with a smirk. “Better get used to seeing my face, because I’m settling in for the long haul.”
Moira pulled the door open further and nudged Alys to the side. “We used to call ourselves witches, not—” She mouthed to me, bitches.
I couldn’t hold back my snort of laughter.
Lips puckered like she’d swallowed a bug, Alys flounced in behind Moira. They crowded into our room, standing with us between the two beds. Behind us, a big window showed a view of the circular building and, beyond that, a field and the forest.
“I can’t believe they put us together with you,” Alys said.
“I’m happy we’re sharing,” Moira added with a grin.
Tiny lines dipped inward on Alys’s brow, and she side-eyed Moira. “You are?”
“Sure, why not?”
“Well, because…”
“Not good enough. If you’re going to play mean girl, you’re going to have to up your game. Because isn’t nasty enough.” Moira’s sparkling eyes met mine.
Alys crossed her arms on her chest and huffed.
I loved how she kept a leash on Alys, though I had to wonder why Alys hadn’t ditched Moira. From my very limited experience back in elementary school, mean girls hunted in packs. Moira wouldn’t fit the role of the cliched mean girl sidekick unless she fawned to please Alys. She was an anomaly.
I could get used to this, though. Just sit back, kick my feet up, and enjoy the fireworks going off between them.
Both wore their uniforms—a blue plaid skirt and a white blouse. Formal, but I kinda liked it. I couldn’t wait to dress in mine. Neither wore a blazer like Ashton had, but it was a warm fall day.
I’d long since shucked my flannel, exposing my pale blue t-shirt, which meant I sort of fit in with everyone else color-wise.
“I thought you two were put in a different dorm,” I said. “Something about the magic mirror saying you weren’t the fairest in the land?” My snicker slipped out at my Snow White joke. But really, they’d said a mirror had chosen our Covens?
Moira rolled her eyes. “Somebody dragged us to the Headmistress’s office. Somebody then put up a fuss and voila, one more glance in the mirror and we were moved here.” She propped her hand on her hip. “Frankly, I was okay with Wind Coven. Have you seen their banners?”
“The ones with a…” I frowned, trying to remember. “Is it a mouse? Or a dog? Or both?”
“Cat and mouse are Wind Coven’s mascots,” Moira said. “The ones hanging in their lobby are beyond cool.”
“Dog and bird go with Fire Coven,” Patty added.
“And for Earth Coven, that leaves deer and…” My voice trailed off.
Their faces closed off like someone had flicked a switch.
“Something I said?” I asked, glancing between the three of them.
“Earth Coven has a deer,” Alys said shortly. “Nothing else.”
“I thought two companions were incorporated into each of the Covens? Six original families, six companions.”
Moira patted my arm in a friendly manner. “Fleur. We don’t talk about the sixth family. And we especially don’t talk about their companion.”
What was the big mystery? “Why not?”
“Because…” Her sigh lifted her white top. “It’s forbidden.”
Oh. Evidently, hints about whatever happened weren’t forbidden, just spilling the full details. “Someone said we’ll learn more about this during History classes?”
“We will,” Patty said. “Some of it, anyway. Even I don’t know many details. Only that we’re not supposed to talk about it.”
I wouldn’t be able to let this go.
Turning back to my bureau, I put away my clothes, admiring each new item as I carefully laid it inside a drawer. I was unable to stop myself from stroking everything. My life would be complete once I’d had a chance to try them all on. Later. When there was less chance Alys would laugh.
Then I helped Patty finish my bed, grinning when I spread the quilt out and tossed the pillows on top. Everything was made in our blue and green school colors!
“We were about to go to dinner,” Moira said. “Come with us, if you want.”
Alys widened her eyes at Moira. “Actually…” Her sly gaze cut
to me. “We were about to go to dinner with Donovan.”
“You sure?” Patty said. “Do you mean Fleur’s Donovan?”
“He’s not mine,” I said out of the corner of my mouth, my fingers freezing on the package of uniforms. It was past time to put one on.
Patty grinned and tapped her temple.
“You…Donovan…” Alys sputtered.
“I’m going to get changed,” I said as I swept past Alys.
Inside the bathroom, I shut the door in her face. Really. Had she intended to follow me inside to grill me about Donovan while I got dressed?
Returning to the room, I stood for a moment wondering what to do with my clothing. No hamper.
“Toss them on the floor,” Patty said.
“But…how will they get clean?” Ester had made me keep my room in military precision. Bedding so smooth and tight, you could drop a coin on it and it would bounce. White glove—sort of—inspections where she’d run her finger along every available surface, looking for a hint of dust. She’d insisted I bring my clothing down weekly and run them through the washer myself. I’d kept them in a wicker hamper until then.
Had Ester acted strict to toughen me up for Crystal Wing Academy? If I was too soft, I’d never survive here. She must’ve known what I’d face as an outling.
“Brownies will take care of our clothing. Tidy the rooms, too,” Moira said.
I had a feeling she wasn’t referring to chocolate.
“That reminds me.” Patty tapped her cheek. “We’ll need to bring back a bowl and cream from the cafeteria tonight. As an offering. We can buy a jug tomorrow and put it in the fridge.”
“We need to do that, too, Alys,” Moira said. “The last thing we want to do on our first night here is insult our brownie.” She shuddered and said to me, “If you’re not nice to your brownie, they could turn malicious. Then you’ll have a boggart on your hands.”
“What’s a boggart?” I whispered to Patty.
“A brownie turned boggart will cause mischief.” Patty frowned. “They’ll make things disappear, your food will suddenly taste awful, and they’ll put holes in your clothing. Worst case scenario, a boggart might abduct children. But don’t worry. We’ll take care of our brownie and, in exchange, she’ll take good care of us.”
Crystal Wing Academy- The Complete Series Page 8
