The coven of Lakefield witches.
The initiation felt as natural as breathing, as if it were something I'd always known.
And it felt good.
Ms. Harrison had counted the days on her wheel until Samhain, and we nervously acknowledged the short amount of time we had in preparation.
Five days.
Five days until the moon would be full and the eve of Samhain upon us.
Five days of avoiding conflict with Laney, and even worse, Principal Haney.
The blast of real-world problems awakened me like an arctic ice bath.
Three of the five days were school days that would have to be navigated and tolerated. I shuddered at the thought of facing it.
Stumbling through my morning routine, I felt my heart skip a beat as I imagined jumping into Shane's car. We'd had very little time together, in my opinion, and I could think of nothing else. Thoughts of him filled my mind in every moment, causing me to yearn for him with an insatiable ache.
"The same boy picking you up again?" Mom's voice scratched at my skin.
She lifted her head from the couch and smacked her lips.
"Bring me chocolate milk," she demanded through a tensed jaw. She pressed her hand on her forehead to will away the aching hangover.
My joy plummeted to my feet as I walked into the kitchen. Making her chocolate milk was a regular routine for recovering her from a night of binging. The process made me feel sick, like an abused child forced to do something they knew wasn’t right.
As much as I wanted to refuse, I didn't want to start anything. I just wanted to get out of the house and see Shane.
Stirring the chocolate syrup into the milk, I grimaced as she called into me.
"He's just sniffing around, hoping to get some," she snarled.
I dropped my face into my hand, retraining myself from choking her.
She had no clue what she was talking about. She had no idea who my friends were or even who I was, yet she felt she could say such awful things whenever she felt like it. My blood boiled with fury, and I chewed on my lip as a means of keeping my mouth shut.
I grabbed the Ibuprofen bottle and delivered it to her with the chocolate milk.
She sat up higher on the couch, preparing to chug it down.
Her rats-nest hair plastered itself across her face, and she gazed at me through bloodshot eyes.
"Don't judge me," she sneered. "I can see it on your face. Don't turn into one of those bitch daughters. It doesn't suit you."
I closed my eyes and swallowed.
I swallowed my disgust.
My sadness.
My disappointment.
My rage.
Then I turned and left the house without looking back.
Keeping my eyes on the ground, I stomped away from the house, fighting back the years of neglect that threatened to crush me. A lump in my throat made it difficult to breathe, and I coughed through it, lifting my gaze.
Then my eyes fell on Shane's car.
His window moved down, and I stared into his beautiful face.
She was wrong about him.
He was connected to me deeply.
A twang of guilt ran through my veins. Okay, sure, he wanted 'to get some.' But shit, so did I!
It wasn't gross or dirty. It was beautiful and loving.
Mom was wrong. On so many levels.
"Ready to face the music?" he called out to me.
My confused eyebrows pulled together. Mom’s comments had derailed me, and I’d lost focus on my day ahead.
He huffed. "Principal Haney?"
He grinned as I hopped into the car.
"Shit, I forgot about her," I gasped, baring my teeth. "Crap."
"Yup. It'll be interesting to see how long it takes for her to track us down."
I smacked my hand across my face as my anxiety rose tenfold.
It was funny how much power the school principal had over us. I mean, we fought witches and werewolves, conjured spirits and spells, all while maintaining a certain level of disciplined order.
But the principal, hell no. Her wrath was something that made us squirm.
Shane reached over and kissed me on the cheek. "Good morning," he whispered.
I smiled as my pupils widened, soaking in every part of him.
"My mom thinks you just want to get into my pants," I said, shaking my head in annoyance.
He closed his eyes and took a deep inhale. "Oh, how sweet that would be."
My eyes widened, and I punched him. He faked injury as he pulled out onto the road.
Then I chuckled. "True. How sweet it would be."
Before we could even slam the car doors shut, Principal Haney descended upon us. Her face pinched into a sour scowl as she approached us in the lot.
"I don't appreciate blatant defiance," she spat. "It's disrespectful and arrogant."
Shane stepped around to my side of the car, where Principal Haney stood.
She lifted a curious eyebrow as she sized us up. "Your simple detention has escalated into something unnecessarily complex now. Extended detention with a permanent write up in your files." She pressed her lips together and shook her head. "It's a poor choice to disrupt the order of the school, and will reflect poorly upon your character, particularly when colleges review your portfolios."
Oh, no she did not.
It was a low blow to threaten a senior's college application process. Twelve years of public education, jumping through every hoop, learning every obscure and mundane fact, and then to have one incident—an incident that had a perfectly acceptable backstory—ruin everything. No wonder every high-schooler had a nervous tick. We were judged, juried, and executed at every turn.
I shook my head in annoyance while begging my eyes not to roll. Shane was still a junior, so the least I could do was keep collateral damage under control.
"Sorry, Principal Haney," Shane said. "Yesterday was an uncharacteristically challenging day for us. We were really just supporting each other through some rough times."
My eyes darted to him, disbelieving his smooth approach.
"Well," Principal Haney huffed. "Protocols must be adhered to. If you have an issue, you need to see the adjustment counselor, not the hidden spaces under stairwells."
Her contemptuous judgment made my head want to shake as my mouth struggled to say, "Whateverrr."
But I fought my instincts to defend our actions. It was no use with her. She'd already decided we were guilty offenders, and she had no intention of hearing our side of the story. If she were an evil witch or a dark sorcerer, I'd conjure my flames or Shane would use his power of touch to soothe her in some way—but she was the school principal, and her power trumped ours ten-fold.
Shane and I nodded at Principal Haney in feigned acceptance of her reprimand.
She added, "I expect the two of you to stay after today, two-hour-extended." She paused, eyeing each of us. "You're to be in separate rooms. Shane to the detention room and Brynn next door in the reading room."
Again, my eyes threatened to roll. She was such a prude.
As my gaze fell to the ground and landed on her clompy black shoes, I imagined her better placed at the old homestead, joining the villagers with torches and accusations.
A shudder ran through me as my eyes met her pinched stare. Maybe I wasn't so far off. She was a modern-day accuser, wielding her power to influence others through intimidation.
"Yes, ma'am," Shane nodded.
She kept her eyes on me.
As much as I wanted to defy her and fight back against her dictatorship, I swallowed my pride. Not for her. But for Shane. I needed to take the irrational punishment so he and I could move on to focus on what was important.
His life.
And the safety of our friends.
I gave a subtle nod of agreement, unable to speak, knowing my voice would carry too much cynicism and defy me.
"I expect to see the two of you in the office at the final bell," she huffed, turni
ng on her heels.
She stormed away as if in search of the next rule-breakers, and I let out the breath I'd been holding since she first approached.
"Pleasant way for her to start our day," I murmured.
"Yeah, she lacks the bit of empathy that makes good leaders great," Shane offered.
"What? You forgive her?" I blasted.
He shrugged. "I don't know. I guess if we just see her as the prison warden she truly is, then you can't blame her for her punitive approach at controlling the inmates. Last thing she needs is a riot on her hands." He smirked.
I huffed. "I guess. But right now, starting a riot sounds like a really good idea."
He glanced at me with a narrowed side-eye. "Don't get any fancy ideas, Brynn Douglas."
"Who me? Never," I assured him.
My mind swam with ways to create a riot within the prison-like school. The sense of my freedom being taken away with a two-hour detention made me furious. I was a free-thinking, independent young woman, and the principal was treating me like an unruly child. It made no sense unless the ultimate goal was to graduate conforming pawns who couldn't think for themselves.
I twisted in disgust, knowing this was exactly what public education intended to do.
So, instead of pulling a fire alarm, or leaving a gas tap open in the chem lab, I decided to use my intellect against Principal Haney and the broken system. I wasn't sure how yet, but I didn't intend to waste a moment in my solitary confinement. Instead, I would use it to my advantage. Somehow.
"What are you scheming?" Shane studied my peaceful expression.
I smirked. "Not sure yet. I'll let you know by third period. See you in APUSH." I turned toward the English wing in preparation for whatever hell awaited me in Lit.
His brow furrowed as he studied me. "Should I be worried?" he teased.
"Probably," I said, batting my eyelashes as I left him.
Breaking away from him was the hardest part of the morning, so leaving him in suspense, helped in some way, as if it strengthened our connection while parted.
I felt his eyes on me as I walked away. They warmed my soul, making the next two hours seem more tolerable.
Heading toward my English classroom, an unexpected annoyance scratched at me. I wanted to stay with Shane, and the separation was unnatural and almost painful.
But it didn't have to be that way.
We had supernatural abilities that could keep us together even when we were apart. It was maddening to think that we had to shut down our gifts because of our enemies.
I needed a work-around.
Keeping my eyes down, I moved through the hall, lost in my planning. It was time to shake things up. We could only carry the farce so far, and it felt like the seams were starting to tear.
Suspicion was rising, and small fractures were starting to show. Dom was missing from school. Now Courtney was as well. Ms. Kelly had been removed from her post. Shane and I were no longer flying under the radar.
And now we were participating in ancient Wicca rituals at an altar in a secret chamber within a church.
I was sure the lid would blow off at any moment, and I twitched with the pressure of the anxiety it created within me.
Turning into my Lit class, I scanned the room for any signs of danger. It was funny, I wasn't only looking for Laney, but at this point, I was expecting conflict anywhere.
The room was strangely normal, and even better, Laney was nowhere to be seen. Her side-kick Liv made her presence known though, through a weak attempt at a menacing glare.
My only response to her was to laugh. The chuckle escaped my lips before I could control it, and her offended reaction only made it worse. My shoulders shook through the giggles as I passed her desk, and her jaw fell open.
Speechless, she looked around the room for anyone who would join her in a retaliatory response. But all she met was a sea of disbelieving smirks, directed straight at her.
Liv crossed her arms in offense and sank into her chair. She needed Laney. Without her leader, she had no recourse, and the look on her face exposed what she was feeling. She was powerless.
I sat in my seat, feeling ten feet tall, and the support of my classmates wasn't lost on me. It took a united effort to take down the bullies, and this was a perfect example of it—a microcosm of my much larger pursuit.
Remaining united with the UMAs and Ms. Kelly's coven was how we would beat the Dark Witch. I had no doubt.
Samhain couldn't come fast enough.
But even worse, seeing Shane again couldn't come fast enough.
My mind raced with the next moves of our mission. I couldn't deny the excited adrenaline flowing in my veins. Its unnerving presence warned me that I was about to make an unauthorized action. But there was no denying it—it was time.
I shot up in my seat just as the bell rang, and I flew to physics.
I was dying to see Poorva.
Her steady, grounded nature would be exactly what I needed to calm my rising angst. And plus, I needed to see her in follow up to our ritual at the church. It was obvious she was overwhelmed by it all, and I hoped she had now embraced it more fully.
Poorva and I locked eyes in the hallway as we bombed toward the classroom from opposite directions. Her wide eyes glowed against her dark skin, and I stared into them, trying to read her soul.
We approached each other at such speed, I was sure we'd collide in an explosion of magical fireworks.
"What the fuck are you doing?" she blasted into my ear.
I pulled back in surprise. "What are you talking about?"
She grabbed my arm as her lips pressed together into a tight line. "You're poking at our thoughts. I felt it."
I stood straight up. "Are you serious?"
My shock was evident in my tone. I had only been considering the idea of opening our collective consciousness again. Slightly pondering it—so slightly, I hadn't even realized I was doing it.
"I felt you pushing," she whispered. "Like you were getting ready to open it up again. Brynn, we have a pact. To keep the Dark Witch out."
I exhaled and dropped my head back.
That was the problem with being a part of a supernatural squad. The team knew what you were scheming even before you did.
"I'm sorry," I mumbled. "I'm bursting out of my skin like I have to do something."
She ushered me into the classroom. "I know the feeling. But you have to respect the academy, Brynn. Rule number one: Don't run." Her eyes widened on me. "Don't run with your own whims."
Ooh, that was good. She'd taken a new spin on Rule One, and it was clever. But that didn’t stop me from being pissed off.
I balled my fists at her accusations of me going rogue on the UMAs, but she wasn't entirely off track.
"You're right," I seethed, annoyed at being reeled in. "I need to be more patient."
"Exactly," she agreed, taking her seat.
She kept her side-eye on me throughout class, as if she hadn't quite believed my apology or my intentions.
And she was right.
I spent the entire period planning my moves, only more cautiously this time, keeping the inherent safety of the UMAs in mind with every thought.
Ms. Kelly had instructed us once that there was a way to open our collective consciousness more discriminately, where it was open to only one other, instead of the entire group.
And I had half a school day to figure out how.
Chapter 12
At the end of physics, Dr. Corley continued to expound on the complexities of gravity and if it had the strength to warp time. His passion for the topic kept the class riveted on him, but as much as the concept blew my mind, I stayed focused on getting to APUSH to see Shane.
I had to admit, though, Dr. Corley had planted new concepts in the back of my brain, and I rued the fact that the education system was actually inspiring me.
As Poorva turned to go in the opposite direction, she looked back to me. "Promise."
Her single word held the
weight of the world.
She knew me too well and required my commitment that I wouldn't pursue my endeavor of opening up our collective consciousness any further.
With a grunt, I agreed. "Promise."
She nodded, accepting my word, and I prayed she couldn't see an aura of guilt surrounding me.
I meant my promise, but with certain restrictions.
I promised not to open our collective consciousness and endanger the UMAs.
I did not promise that I wouldn't try to open it with just Shane.
It was a half-truth, and I was willing to live with the consequences later. But for now, I couldn't waste our gifts any longer.
If I could tap into Shane's thoughts, then I wasn't planning to lose any more time with him, nor would I let Principal Haney dictate how much time I could spend with him.
It didn't go unnoticed by me that half my motivation was to defy Principal Haney. She'd screwed with us enough—starting with her dismissal of Ms. Kelly. I would never forgive her for that alone. But now, targeting the UMAs was her just going too far.
By the time I made it to history class, the late bell rang on my heels. My multiple layers of distraction made me lose all control over the concept of time.
Ms. Harrison greeted me with a welcoming smile, and her gaze moved to Shane as if by instinct. He sat in his seat with his eyes fixed on me, and my temperature rose in an instant, concentrating directly on my cheeks.
I moved to my seat in front of him as he watched me with a lifted brow.
"Scheming?" he whispered.
I shrugged one shoulder as Ms. Harrison greeted the class.
"Federalism versus anti-federalism," she began. "We need to argue both sides and name the supporters for each. This will likely be one of the essays on the exam and...."
Her voice blurred into my mind as I cringed at memorizing these historical concepts yet again. I was certain we'd covered it all in previous history classes.
But then I realized, Ms. Harrison was teaching US History. She never taught US History. She was always off topic, jumping from one idea to the next, leaving the learning of content up to us in our free time.
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