Second Time's A Curse

by Laura Greenwood

  My eyes widen. Are they talking about me?

  "I tried to tell the dean that we shouldn't be letting someone like that into Grimalkin in the first place, but he was having none of it. He said her test scores were more than high enough, and he couldn't say yes to the brother if he said no to her." Feathertop sounds agitated, like she's taking it as a personal affront that the dean said no to her.

  It probably isn't. I imagine he says no to a lot of people.

  "There might be more of them here," Agatha points out. "You can't tell them apart from anything else."

  "They should go back to the sea where they belong," Feathertop grumbles.

  "Sirens," I whisper.

  "What?" Thomas' question is so quiet, I almost miss it.

  I tap my wrist, trying to convey that I'll tell him once they've left. The gears are already turning in my head, especially after the book Caspian showed me.

  "I think she's half-witch, she'd probably drown," Agatha says.

  "Are you with me or against me?" Feathertop snaps.

  Agatha sighs. "On this? Neither. The girl isn't causing any trouble from what I can see. Unless you think she's the one responsible for what's happening to Miss Black."

  Wait, are they talking about Ivy? They can't be, surely? She's just a witch. I've seen her do magic. And Caspian would have mentioned if she's part siren, wouldn't he?

  But then, I suppose he kind of has. He set up the book on sirens for me to read. And she does have that way of walking that draws all attention to her. It's safe to say that next time I see her, I'll be paying more attention.

  "I don't know what's going on with Miss Black. But if this is still going on by the end of the year, I think we'll need to call her parents. She's not going to pass first year and there's no point in her staying at Grimalkin."

  I close my eyes, chasing the tears away. I'm going to fix this. I'll prove to everyone that I deserve my place at Grimalkin. No matter what this stupid black magic spell actually includes, I'm going to go through with it and fix all the problems I've been having. No way will I be the girl who fails out of school. I know my parents will never outright say it, but they'll be disappointed.

  "Is there anything we can do to help her?" Agatha says.

  "No. She needs to work it out, though she'd be fascinating to study," Feathertop muses. "It's a shame I can't ask her about that without sounding creepy."

  I let out a soft whimper. Hating knowing teachers are talking about me like this. Am I often a source of conversation in the staffroom? I hope not, but judging on this, I might be.

  "We should get what we came from and get out of here," Agatha says. "This place gives me the creeps."

  Her footsteps thud along the ground, heading away from us, probably to the bookshelf at the far end of the room.

  At least they didn't come here to have a weird conversation about me. That's something.

  "I don't know why. It's nothing more than an old bolt hole some warlocks built in the seventeenth century," Feathertop snaps.

  "The book isn't here." There's a panicked note in Agatha's voice.

  One that's shared in the look Thomas gives me. There's only two books we know about that have been removed from this room, and neither of them are good news.

  "What do you mean not there?"

  My curiosity gets the better of me, and I peek through the gap in the curtain. Even though there's more at stake now than before, I still feel like I need to know what's happening.

  "Just that," Agatha responds. She looks vaguely familiar. Maybe like the supply teacher who gave Daphne detention? It's been a while since she tried to get us to fix spoiled food. It's hard to tell from this distance, though. The library may not be huge, but it's certainly far enough for there to be no making out individual features.

  "That can't be right. This is where I left it." Feathertop pushes her out of the way, and looks through the books herself.

  I try to crane forward, but overbalance and start to slip. A small squeak escapes from me, even as Thomas catches me.

  The two women stiffen and look around the room.

  "I think we're better coming back a different time." Agatha's voice shakes.

  I half expect Feathertop to disagree and force her to stay. But she nods, and the two women almost run from the room.

  Thomas and I stay silent for what feels like hours, but is probably no more than minutes, neither of us wanting to risk the teachers coming back and finding us.

  Eventually, it becomes too much for me and a laugh bubbles up and spills out of me. My reaction confuses Thomas for a moment, but then he's there chuckling away with me.

  "That was close. But let's not do it again," I suggest.

  "Oh, definitely not," he responds.

  "I guess it probably means we can't use the library for the ceremony." I'm disappointed, mostly because I can't think of anywhere other than this where we could.

  "We have no other choice. But I think it means we have to do it tonight. They'll stay away for a little bit, but you know Feathertop will be back."

  I bite my lip. I don't like it, but I can see his point. "Alright."

  My phone chimes, stopping me from saying anything else. It's a good job it didn't go off while the two women were here.

  A sigh of relief escapes me and I turn the screen so Thomas can read too. The books are safe. Daphne has them. Now all I need to do is break it to her that we're doing black magic tonight.

  Perhaps I should start a text chain. It may make things easier for keeping everyone up to date.

  Chapter Twelve

  "Sage? Really?" Daphne raises her eyebrows, clearly not impressed by the weird shampoo concoction I have in my hair.

  "Yes. It says I have to wrap my hair in it for ten minutes before washing it out." Just one of the many strange things I have to do before we try and perform black magic. I'd have thought it would be simple given that it's banned.

  Apparently not. That only makes things more complicated.

  "It stinks."

  "You're not wrong." Part of me wants to say screw it all and wash it out of my hair already, but the rest of me knows I need to do this right.

  "Is there anything I need to do?" She picks up the list from my desk that Thomas made for me and studies it. Rhubarb watches her intently from the spot he's chosen as his own today. One that's worryingly close to an open ink well.

  "I don't think so. You'll have to wear a silk toga once we're in the library though." Not that I've come to terms with that bit myself. I'm going to feel very exposed. The only saving grace is that everyone else will be wearing one too.

  "Oh good. I've always wanted to look ridiculous while breaking the law," she mutters.

  Rhubarb meows, and looks straight at me, before lowering his paw.

  "No!" I shout, but it's too late, and his tiny fluffy paw dunks into the pot of ink.

  Daphne laughs heartily as he screws up his face in disgust.

  "I did tell you," I scold him.

  Rhubarb flicks his ear and starts to walk inky pawprints across the papers littering my desk.

  "Oh no, you don't." I lift him up and half-run into my bathroom, dumping him in the sink. "You know, I don't have time for this right now," I tell him.

  I turn the tap on, making sure I don't make it too hot for him to cope with. The last thing I want is a burned kitten. Squirting soap into my hand, I rub it over his paw, watching the water run with the ink. It's a good job it isn't red, or someone might think I committed murder.

  That certainly isn't the illegal activity I have planned for tonight.

  He looks up at me with the most heartbreaking face imaginable.

  "Please don't be like that. You're the one that got yourself messy in the first place," I remind him.

  Water splashes up when he throws down his paw in frustration.

  "Mona, your alarm is going off," Daphne calls from the other room.

  Right. I need to deal with the disgusting sage goop in my hair. I grab one of th
e towels from the rail and wrap Rhubarb up in it.

  "Can you deal with drying him?" I ask her from the doorway of the bathroom, holding out the squirming kitten cocooned in the towel.

  "Yes. Though if he scratches me..."

  "There's some aloe balm in the top drawer." It's the best thing I've found for healing kitten scratches, so I always make sure to have plenty on hand.

  "Great. Thanks."

  I don't say anything else, and close the bathroom door. I'm nervous about this shower. Not because of the water. I normally find it very relaxing. Just because it's all part of what I'm supposed to do to get ready tonight.

  The water beats down on me, rinsing my hair of the sage. That's not the only thing, though. Thomas said I needed to use all natural things in this one. I pick some of the lavender soap my Grandma gave me before I came to Grimalkin. At the time, I thought of it as a bit of a rubbish going away present, but now I'm grateful for it. She spends a lot of her time on researching and practising with herbs, and I know this soap will be as natural as possible, even if it's not a smell I particularly like myself.

  My whole body feels raw by the time I've finished scrubbing. It might be because I've cleaned myself better than normal, or potentially something to do with getting rid of the guilt over the upcoming magic. I don't want my friends getting into trouble. Especially not when they have nothing to gain from this.

  Which is something I'm wondering about. If the intent behind this spell is pure, then why is it black magic? I've been over it several times since getting back from the library earlier, and so far, I haven't found anything that even approaches sounding like it's bad.

  I suppose it's just something that I need to get used to. I shut off the water, and step out of the shower. The other towel is waiting for me, and I twist it around myself. I need to buy some more. My spare towel is just one of the many possessions I've lost to the existence of kittens.

  Steam escapes with me as I step out of the bathroom and back into the bedroom. Daphne is lying on my bed, Rhubarb curled on her chest but still under the towel. Good to know that he hates baths. I'll remember that in the future. Though it's his own fault, so I'm not sure what he's so mad about.

  "You ready?" she asks.

  "Erm..." I wave to my towel. Apparently it's not obvious that I'm not quite ready to go out into the world.

  "Other than needing to put some clothes on," she corrects herself.

  I nod. "What do I wear?" It's a question that's been plaguing me, though admittedly one of the ones that seems less important.

  "Pretty underwear."

  "What?" That's the last thing I'm considering.

  "Just think about it. You'll be in a room with three guys you like a lot..."

  "One of whom is your brother," I point out, trying not to think about the rest of what she's saying.

  "Ew. Just, why, Mona? Why?"

  I shrug. "You seem to think I'm seducing them."

  "You're not. But imagine your toga slips, do you want to be caught in an old sports bra and Grannie-knickers?"

  "Oh." I guess she has a point there.

  She moves Rhubarb off her chest and makes her way over to my wardrobe, pulling it open and rummaging through the shelf I keep my underwear on.

  Sometimes, her lack of boundaries amazes me. But maybe it's just because I'm not as confident around her yet. If I give it time, perhaps the roles will reverse and it'll be me looking for her outfit.

  "Here." She hands me a pretty black lace bra and the matching knickers.

  "Thanks." Despite not wanting to initially, I can see her point, and slip them on.

  "You can just wear this over the top." She hands me a sheath dress. It's nothing special, but I'll be taking it off soon anyway.

  I slip it over my head and let the smooth fabric fall down. I want to tie my hair back, but don't. It's one of the things that's specified on the list. I need to let it dry naturally, and not tie it up or put anything else on it that might interfere. I don't get it myself, but that's just something I'm going to have to live with.

  "Right, okay. I guess we go, then?" I can hear the nerves in my voice, but she doesn't call me out about it, thankfully.

  "Yes. Unless we need anything else?"

  I shake my head. "I'd rather just get on with this." I'm guessing the guys are already making their way there. I'm not sure because Daphne dealt with that part of the organisation so I could spend my time preparing.

  I linger for an extra moment at the door to my room, waving at my kittens. I hope they'll still be here when I get back. That no matter what happens, my kittens are mine to keep.

  "They'll be here," Daphne assures me. "They're living things, they're not just going to disappear."

  "I hope you're right."

  She closes my door for me. "I am."

  I suppose even if she's not, I can't hold my life up just because of cute pets, even if I want to.

  "Mona, this is just your nerves trying to convince you to back out."

  A little part of me wants to accept she's right. But something is stopping me. There's more to this feeling than apprehension, but I can't put my finger on what it is.

  We leave our flat, walking in silence through the academy. The sounds of students playing drinking games and doing their normal sociable things fill the halls, but there's no one actually about. It's too early for people to be heading towards the clubs and bars in the city, and too late for anyone but the most studious people to be coming back from lessons and studying.

  The corridor on our left is covered in shadows, but I know we have to go down it still. That's the way to the library, and while there may be other ways of getting there, I don't know them.

  "Well, look who we have here."

  I stop at the sound of Ivy's voice, taking a deep breath and turning around. Daphne does the same behind me, and I'm glad I'm not facing Caspian's step-sister alone.

  "What do you want, Ivy? We're busy." I tap my foot, hoping it convinces her that we're impatient about going somewhere fun and not off to do something illegal. The last thing we want is Ivy following us.

  "Where are you going?" she demands.

  "We're off to meet Daphne's brother." It's half the truth, and should be believable.

  "At this time?" she sneers, but it doesn't sound as harsh as it should.

  I raise an eyebrow. "What's wrong with us going to see him at seven? It's not late. And they're siblings," I point out.

  "Dressed like that?"

  I feel her eyes drag along my whole body, suddenly feeling rather self-conscious about my choice of attire. I don't want the guys to think I'm not putting in an effort for them.

  "She can dress how she wants," Daphne snaps. "Why don't you just leave Mona be?"

  "Because she's up to something, and I can tell. She has Caspian under her spell and I'm determined that's going to change," Ivy hisses.

  Wow. I'm surprised she's admitting to any of that.

  She raises one of her hands, and I notice the bottle of vodka she's clutching tightly in her other one. Ah. That's why she's admitted it.

  "Not that my relationship with Caspian is any of your business, but he's aware of what he's in for," I say, channelling far more calm than I feel. "But should I watch my back in case you curse me again?"

  Shock travels over her features, but the most noticeable thing is her silence.

  "Bye, Ivy." Daphne gives a little sarcastic wave to go with her words, and I try to hold back the laugh within me.

  Ivy's narrows her eyes at me, before huffing and turning away. Her hips swing as she moves, drawing my attention for a brief moment before I catch myself. With what I overheard Feathertop and her friend talking about, I can't help but wonder if I'm on to something thinking that Ivy might be at least part siren.

  "Well, at least we know for sure she was the one that cast the original curse?" Daphne says.

  "Yes. But with no way to prove it, I doubt it's going to help. I don't suppose she'll have bothered to learn the
countercurse."

  "You think she was told to do it by someone?" Daphne asks.

  "I'm not sure. But she had no reason to hate me when we just started." Not only did she not know me, but Caspian wasn't here yet, and his attention seems to be one of the things that annoys her the most.

  I swear, I never expected academy to be tough in this way.

  Chapter Thirteen

  The stench of incense hits me the moment we walk through the stone entrance of the library.

  "Oh wow," Daphne whispers.

  Oh wow is right. The whole place is lit by the flickering flames of the black candles Thomas brought the other day, giving the place an intimate feel at the same time as making the shadows dance and it feels a little too spooky for my tastes.

  "You came," Thomas says, rushing over to me and looking like he wants to pull me into his arms. He stops just before he can, probably wary of the other two guys in the room.

  All three of them are already in their togas, revealing a bit more chest than I'm entirely comfortable with. I hope they're not expecting me to concentrate during this ceremony, because that's only going to happen if I face Daphne.

  "Of course I did. You're only doing this to help me." Even if I'm not completely okay with it, I owe it to all four of them to at least show up and go through with it.

  "We are." He looks as if he wants to say more, but can't find the words. "There's a screen at the back there. And your togas are hanging up behind it."

  "Thank you." I make my way over to the screen, Daphne right behind me. She's not as nervous as I am, though I suppose that does make sense.

  Within minutes, both of us are wearing the silk togas. Thankfully, Thomas seems to have thought to find ones that are easy to wrap. I have to admit that, despite my reservations, the silk feels good on my skin. Not enough to relax me.

  At least I'll look good while doing illegal magic.

  "Alright, we're ready," I announce.

  "There are a few things we need to do before we get started," Thomas says. "But once we do, Mona will stand in the middle of the circle." He points to a cross on the floor.

  I gulp loudly. It all feels so real when the tools are sat right in front of me.