by S C Thomas
Emma felt bad for her, but there was nothing she could do. She wasn’t even sure she could invite the girl to stay in her room for a few nights just to get away from the smell and dripping water. Kelyn had made it clear that mages and shifters were supposed to be separate for a reason, not that it stopped their friendship, but it still kept them from being able to room together. She would just have to ask her uncle about that, maybe he could help her – get the room fixed or at least let Kelyn sleep in her room for a while. She would have to try something, anything to help her friend. Friend. It still felt so odd to claim someone as that. But it felt right to do so.
“Thanks for helping, Kelyn. I really do appreciate it.” Emma smiled at her, pulling her friend in for a hug.
Kelyn giggled, pulling herself out of the hug, smoothing down her shirt. “It’s no problem.” She mumbled, but she was taken aback by the kindness Emma had shown. “I don’t mind, really.” She looked up, eyeing the door and gave a sigh. “I should be going though. I’ll see you later, right? For Dinner at least?”
Emma blinked, burrowing her eyebrows in confusion. “Why later? Come on, let’s go for a walk or something.” Emma stood, stretching her legs out and her arms over her head.
She didn’t want to admit it to Kelyn but working so hard to try and get it all together in her head was making her feel at odds. Not having seen Josh and being yelled at by Drake had done her no good in her mixed-up feelings. Maybe a walk would do her some good, but she had to play if off as just needing to stretch her legs for a bit, that was all.
Kelyn looked at her in mild surprise, biting her lip as she glanced at the door once again. “Are-are you sure?” she asked nervously, fiddling with her skirt. “I mean, mages and shifters don’t usually hang out.” She said slowly, looking at her curiously. “And you’re already made fun of enough… you don’t need anymore.”
Emma flinched at the reminder how people jeered at her when she walked into a room and how the dining hall had gone quiet before snickers of delight had erupted, fingers pointing at her and people whispering behind their hands while pointing her out to their friends. She had just wanted to turn and run away from it all but knowing Josh hadn’t been in the library to talk to, she had toughened it out and dealt with an entire lunch period of laughter and jokes made beneath mumbling breaths.
But instead of letting Kelyn see her discomfort, Emma squared her shoulders, holding her chin up. “So what? Like you said, I’m made fun of enough. Besides, you’re my friend Kelyn. I am not going to let them tell me what I can or can’t be doing just so they get off my back. I really don’t care.” She shook her head, making it evident she wasn’t going to let this deter her from hanging out with Kelyn.
Kelyn bit her lip, a light blush flushing on her pale cheeks. “Alright, I guess we can go for a walk.” She said softly, and walked over to the door, pulling the door open.
Following Kelyn, Emma pulled the door shut behind her and motioned for the girl to go ahead of her, quickly following. As they began to descend the stairs and head towards the doors, others passing them gave them strange looks or wide berths on when passing. Some even stopped to gawk at them, surprised by the two-walking side by side.
Kelyn sighed, rubbing her forehead. “I’m sorry. Like I said, mages and shifters don’t hang out. Not outside of the bonding’s anyways. That takes place at the Familiar Trials. Otherwise, it isn’t common for us to hang out together.”
Emma threw her a skeptical look mixed with confusion. “What is these bonding’s or Familiar Trials? Can’t you please tell me? I’m so confused about everything; I deserve to know history or whatever don’t I? Maybe it’ll me better. I don’t know, but maybe it could help.”
Kelyn hesitated, looking over her shoulder to see who all was around and then back to Emma as they pushed through the doors and out onto the front steps. As they descended, Kelyn motioned for Emma to turn to the right, where lesser people were, and they wouldn’t be stared at so much.
“Well, the bonds are made after the Familiar Trials. It’s sort of like – like a business arrangement, I guess. A partnership in a way, mutually beneficial. If – when – a mage survives their familiar trial and summons a shifter familiar, they are bonded until death,”
“Wait,” Emma interjected, biting the inside of her cheek. “What do you mean if a mage survives?”
Kelyn’s cheeks turned beet red. “There have been stories about mages dying in the trials. I think they’re just mostly made up, to scare people you know. I’ve never personally seen it happen, so I can’t tell you if they’re true or not. But there have been stories.”
Emma’s face drained of color and she swallowed nervously. Her uncle had stated she wouldn’t join these trials unless she was caught up in magic. Did that mean if she wasn’t versed enough, she could die in them? Were they that bad they could actually kill somebody not well versed or something? She bit her lip, chewing on it momentarily as they came to a stop at a rather large tree and leaning against it.
“So, what kind of death do them part?” She questioned, urging Kelyn to continue.
“Well, death do them part basically. If one dies, the bond is broken. But the one left doesn’t inherit their powers. That was something tested a long time ago, you know. If it’s a natural death or you deliberately kill your partner, you don’t inherit the power. The only way you do that is challenging your partner to a duel to the death. The winner gets the dead parties’ powers. People are cruel that way, it happens more than you’d think. Why people want to kill their partner just for power is beyond me though. I would never do that, and I hope I would never be expected to have to agree to it. Once challenged, you don’t really have a choice.”
“That’s so sad.” Emma whispered.
Kelyn nodded, her face pointed forward, eyes slightly glazed over in thought as she continued. “Death duels are banned though. It doesn’t keep people from doing them of course, but they were banned. If you’re found to have initiated one, you get sent to the Hollows. That’s basically a mundane prison, just for shifters and mages. A regular prison that you know, can’t hold our kinds.”
“There is a way for you both to die though. It’s when the bond is sealed through sex. Mages and shifters aren’t really supposed to have sex, but when they do, the bond is completely sealed. So, if one dies, so does the other. Just plop! You die if they do.”
Emma grimaced, chewing her bottom lip more furiously then before as Kelyn spoke. “So, is there a person in charge of the partnership or is it all equal?” Her heart skipped a beat, stomach churning at the thought of the answer and whether she wanted to hear it or not.
Kelyn breathed out slowly, shaking her head. “No, mages are the dominant ones. The ones who call the shots, I guess. Shifters agree to bonding’s because we can’t really utilize our magic any other way, it increases our powers basically. Its why we are so crappy without a partnership and why people make fun of you and use us as showing your weakness. Because we are nothing without a partnership.” She licked her lips furiously. “the thing about the mages being in charge though. They are really in charge. What they say, goes. It doesn’t matter what a shifter wants, whatever the mages want gets done. You aren’t supposed to make a shifter do anything they don’t want to, but people do abuse their power. They always do.”
“How-how do the bonds come in play? Through the Familiar Trials, right? What exactly are they?” Emma inquired, her full attention on Kelyn, eyes wide with a hungry glaze in them, desperate to learn as much as possible.
Kelyn nodded, her head bobbing like a bobble head. “Yes, through them. So, The Familiar Trials are different for each of our kinds, to accommodate what we are capable of doing. For you, it would be magic based. Because you’re a mage. For me, it would accommodate to me being a shifter and give me the chance to get through in the abilities I have. As the name says, it’s a series of trials. Mages will enter in one end and shifters on the others, to keep one another from trying to help the other. Or cheat
in anyway. Once succeeding at getting through, you’d meet up in a middle-one sort of maze I guess that’s how to explain it. A shifter and mage will meet up though, you see. The shifter will take a bow, and both take the sacred oath, bonding them. But the key is to remember about the paths taken. If two paths appear, that’s a good sign. Both passes, but if only one appears then only one of them passed. If only one passes, a bond cannot be made, and both are deemed as failures. You don’t wanna fail them. I heard about a guy who failed his once – he was a shifter. The mage he was supposed to bond with cast him into a wormhole like thing because he was so mad at him. I don’t know, it’s just a story to scare I guess.” She shrugged.
“Oh look, Charmwood and her pet are lounging around. Gonna go feed your baby yet, Charmwood?” A nasally voice and all too familiar laughed at them as she walked by.
Tilting her head with a roll of her eyes, Emma grabbed hold of Kelyn, pulling her to her side and looped their arms together, glaring at Sherice, refusing to speak to her and cause another scene. She didn’t need another one held over her head as well.
“Get a life, Sherice.” Kelyn mumbled; her voice small against trying to speak against Sherice, obviously not good at confrontation.
Sherice froze, wheeling around to face them, her hands on her hips. “Excuse me? Did you say something, pet?”
The girls around her laughed and Emma narrowed her eyes, biting the inside of her cheek, pulling Kelyn tighter to her side. “She said, get a life Sherice.” She spoke loudly, feeling more confident with her friend at her side.
Sherice sneered at them. “Of course, you’re sticking up for her. No surprise, after all you are your mother’s daughter. How pathetic. Just like her.”
Emma jerked, shoving Kelyn behind her. “Leave us alone, Sherice. Before I do something again to that pretty head of yours.”
Sherice flinched, her hands automatically reaching up to touch her head. She huffed and spun on her heel, stalking off with her group in tow. Emma’s shoulders slumped, swallowing roughly as she turned back to her friend, holding the girl tight to her side.
Kelyn smiled softly, the corners of her lips twitching. “Thanks. You didn’t have to do that.” She said softly.
Emma shrugged. “I know, I wanted to though. Not a big deal.” She smiled kindly at Kelyn and then pulled her friend down to sit next to her, plucking at a few grass blades. “Can you tell me more about the trials and everything?”
“I don’t know what else there is to tell. What else do you wanna know?”
Emma shook her head, chewing her bottom lip once again. “I don’t know what else I do need to know. Is there anything you can think of not telling me that I should know?”
Kelyn thought for a moment, watching as Emma braided a few grass blades, waiting patiently for the girl to speak. “I don’t know,” She finally repeated with a soft sigh. “I can’t think of anything right now.”
“Well, that’s okay. I’m glad someone was finally able to tell me things. My uncle has been flitty lately and hasn’t really taken much interest in me.”
“He’s busy as a headmaster.” Emma shrugged. “That must be so cool though, having the headmaster as your uncle.” She gushed and when Emma’s eyes flicked up, she saw the dreamy look in the girl’s eyes.
Emma narrowed her eyes again, but this time bit back laughter that wanted to erupt from her throat. “It isn’t that great. I barely see him unless I make a dramatic entrance.” She shrugged, omitting the truth about how all this had come to be. She didn’t want Kelyn feeling sorry for her. “Do you like him though?” she teased, snickering at her friend’s inability to hide the crush she so obviously had on him.
Kelyn’s face turned bright red and she ducked her head, trying hard to hide the blush. “I mean- he isn’t that bad looking.” She mumbled, giggling when Emma erupted in a roaring fit of laughter, falling back on the grass at finding herself unable to hold herself up. “Stoop.” She laughed, covering her face as she giggled hysterically.
“But its adorable!” Emma laughed, gasping for breath as the laughter began to constrict her breathing. “It’s so cute you have a crush on him!”
Kelyn groaned, falling back on the grass as well but only to hide her face from Emma. Catching her breath in large gulps of air, Emma pulled herself up to a sitting position, her body trembling from the laughter she was trying to swallow back.
“I’m so-sorry.” She stammered, tears in her eyes from it all. “It was just fu-funny. It’s cu-cute to.” She snickered.
Kelyn giggled some more, shaking her head. “Please don’t tell.”
“I wouldn’t dare.” Emma promised, hiccupping as she finally tried to gather herself up. “You’re my friend, I wouldn’t do that to you.” She breathed, shaking her head as a round of lightheadedness swam in front of her eyesight.
Kelyn bit her bottom lip, nodding shyly as she gripped her knees when crossing her legs beneath her. “Thanks.” She mumbled.
“Maybe you can visit this summer.” Emma blurted once she had gained control. “My uncle said I can stay with him. So maybe you can visit.”
Kelyn shrugged, looking down at the grass as if suddenly very interested in it. “Maybe.”
Twelve
The days began to mold together, shifting from one to the next. It became a steady routine for Emma. One day she’d be in magic class, the next being yelled at by Drake to learn her magic. Well, somedays he’d yell at her. Others, he was a bit more pleasant, more understanding. He was still a bit unbearable to be around however and she just couldn’t get that feeling of being creeped out around him away from her. It was just something that came naturally, as if a warning was going off inside her every time, they were around one another. She wanted to get over it but shaking it off was easier said than done.
The days she had her sessions with Drake were made easier when she snuck in secret sessions with Kelyn. While the girl could barely do basic magic, it helped that she wasn’t the only one learning it, and it made it a lot easier to show progress with someone working alongside her. Drake generally stood over her, arms crossed, and glowering while telling her what to do, but never bothered to properly show her. Kelyn was the opposite and seemed to enjoy standing alongside her and showing what needed to be done, not badgering her. It really was refreshing and help tremendously when it came to sole classes with Drake to show the little progress she was making. It was obviously doing something good, because Drake had let up – just slightly – on her the more she started to retain.
Still, here was to another day of trudging through a magical class. There were times when ridiculed people in history came up and the teacher had no issue slipping in her name, comparing her to the lowlifes that couldn’t manage their magic. Or the ones who didn’t have control and, in the end, blew themselves up. He would blatantly look at her and make going to class the absolute worst thing in the entire world to want to do. The entire morning getting ready, setting her clothes aside and brushing her hair and teeth, she was dreading the class day. She would rather take Drake’s glowering and eye rolling then go to class where no one would stop eyeing her and talking about her behind their hands. At least it had cooled down to only being talked about behind hands. No one really laughed at her these days, they had moved on the past two weeks. Unless she messed up again in front of them all, there was no need for them make fun of her.
She still hated it though. She hated feeling so less compared to everyone else. Even two weeks in, while things were finally becoming stabilized and she was retaining more information than before, she still couldn’t answer many questions and while some questions made more sense than before, she was still pretty much failing her quizzes. There were times at night when Emma would lay in bed, scolding the ghost of her mother for not letting her be part of this life a lot sooner. Had she been allowed to be part of this life from the start, she wouldn’t feel so out of place or out of sorts or anything else. Granted, she was pretty sure had she known the existence of all this,
there was no way she and Kelyn would’ve been friends. It would probably be her and Sherice as best friends and she would be just as mean and cruel as that girl. The mere thought of being best friends with her sent a shiver down Emma’s spine. She could only hope that if she had grown up knowing all of this, that she wouldn’t be like Sherice and so, so, so like that.
As she reached forward to turn off the water, Emma reached up to pull a towel down and wrap it around her body, tightening it. She turned and shook her hair out, stepping out of the stalled shower, freezing when she found her clothes gone. Glancing around, sure she had set them on the bench that sat in front of her, Emma peered behind the row of lockers. She didn’t yet have a secure locker for herself, that would have to be dealt with later, but she’d had no problems with her clothes up until now. She’d been given the safety of them being right where she left them every morning after a shower. So, where the hell did, they go this morning?
“Looking for these?” A nasally voice laughed and turned Emma around, gripping the towel to her body.
The gaggle of girls giggled as Sherice held up her uniform. She glared at the girl, rolling her eyes. “Come on, give me my clothes Sherice.” She reached her hand out, waiting for them to be handed to her.
“I don’t think so.” Sherice’s eyes flashed as she looked at the uniform and twisted her wrist.
Emma let out a squeal as the clothes caught fire and she lurched forward, her feet slipping out from beneath her as she was caught in a puddle and flew out an arm, grabbing hold onto a row of lockers for support, pushing herself to a standing position, watching in despair as her clothes smoldering and fell to a pile of ashes on the ground where they were quickly extinguished from the splashes of water on the ground.
“What did you do that for?” Emma choked, staring at the pile on the ground.
