Gifted: The Winterwood Academy Book 1: A Young Adult Witch Novel

by Kate A. Fox

  “That all depends on how gifted you are.” Zoe explained and when I glanced over my shoulder she shrugged, “Most of us will just go back into human society because we aren’t especially gifted but there are a few of us with rare or powerful gifts who become employed within the witch community.”

  So I was either going to go back to having a normal life or become one of the cult? Neither of those options sounded very appealing to me. How were you supposed to go back to normal after five years practically living in exile?

  I didn’t speak my thoughts. I was too tired for any more talking. Instead I reached up for the lilac pyjamas and closed the closest.

  A little awkwardly, I began to strip off.

  “You know there’s a bathroom if you want to change in there.” Zoe pointed to a third door leading off the room that I hadn’t really noticed before. Had it always been there? I was probably just too tired and confused to have noticed it.

  But even as she said it I had already pulled my hoodie up over my head, causing my t-shirt to ride up.

  “Jheez, what is that? You’re not old enough for a tattoo are you?” Zoe exclaimed and I paused, pulling my t-shirt back down.

  “What? No?” I shook my head.

  “So you’re saying that’s not a tattoo on the back of your neck?” Zoe scowled at me.

  My hand instinctively travelled to the back of my neck and when my fingers touched the skin there I felt a strange tingling sensation begin to spread down my spine.

  I turned to look in the floor length mirror that sat to the left of the bed. Twisting awkwardly, I was unable to see anything but the very tip of something purple.

  “What is it?” I asked, “I can’t see it.”

  Zoe leaned off her bed and reached for something in the top draw of her bedside table. The light from the lamp caught something reflective in her hand as she slipped off the bed and came to stand before me.

  “Here.” She said holding up a small mirror, angling it so that I could look into the big one and see the reflection of my neck.

  My mouth dropped open in astonishment when I saw the Triple Goddess symbol that was emblazoned in purple on my neck.

  “What the hell?”

  Panic rose inside me and I felt my heart beating so fast that it felt as if it was in my throat.

  “You didn’t know that it was there?” Zoe continued to scowl at me as though she didn’t believe me.

  “I’ve never once seen it before in my life.”

  “Curious.” Zoe furrowed her brow and looked as though she was thinking, “They say that some witches receive marks that symbolise their affinity. Keeya even has one that looks like an ocean wave on her wrist but I’ve never seen anything like this before.”

  “What does it mean?” I asked, a little disappointed when Zoe lowered the little mirror, cutting off my view of my neck.

  “Don’t look at me. I’m just a first year.” Zoe shrugged, “It’s too late to figure it out now. We should go to Celestria tomorrow before we go to the river and see if she might know anything about it.”

  A tingling sensation in my gut told me that might not be the best idea but I simply shrugged.

  “You’re right. It is late.”

  CHAPTER 12

  THAT NIGHT I SLEPT WAY BETTER THAN I THOUGHT I would. In fact, it was probably the best night’s sleep I’d had in a long time. Keeya had been right about how amazing the water mattress was.

  I was relieved to feel refreshed and even more relieved that I hadn’t had any strange dreams.

  I yawned and rolled over to find that Zoe was already up, standing in front of her mirror as she examined her choice of outfit.

  She was wearing burgundy shorts with a white strip up the side and a white vest top. Her red vans were pretty much the same colour as her shorts, the white strip up the side matching them perfectly.

  “You look nice.” I yawned and Zoe practically jumped out of her skin, turning to look at me as though she had forgotten I was even there.

  “Jheez! You almost gave me a heart attack.” She said, clutching her chest as she panted for breath in an attempt to right the pounding of her heart.

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you jump.”

  I sat up in bed and stretched my arms above my head.

  “How did you sleep?” Zoe asked me, eyeing me as though she half expected me to say that I’d barely slept.

  “I slept okay.” I shrugged.

  “Well you’d better hurry up and get ready if you want to go and see Celestria before we meet the girls.” Zoe warned me, “Keeya gets so moody when I’m late and we still have to go and get breakfast. If we don’t hurry, all the good cereals will be gone.”

  Breakfast. At that word my stomach began to growl.

  I pulled back the covers, delighting in the soft silk that brushed on my skin from my pyjamas, and headed to the closest to grab a new underwear set, a pair of jean shorts and a white v-neck.

  Then I hurried into the bathroom, relieved to see that there was a packet of toothbrushes left out on the counter beside the sink.

  Did I have time for a shower? I definitely needed one.

  “There are fresh towels in the cabinet!” Zoe called through the door to me and I decided that was her signal that I had enough time.

  Grabbing a towel from where she said they’d be, I placed it on the rail beside the shower and switched on the jets.

  Stripping down, I slipped under the water and marvelled at the silky stream that washed all over me. Taking just enough time to scrub myself clean, I slipped back out and wrapped the towel around me, dabbing myself dry before pulling on the fresh clothes.

  When I came out into the bedroom, Zoe was perched on her bed with a book open but she barely seemed to be reading it. She looked up as though it was kind of boring her.

  “I thought you’d slipped down the drain.” She scowled at me, “Are you almost done?”

  Deciding it was better to let my hair dry naturally, I grabbed a brush and ran it through a couple of times before returning to the closest to grab a pair of green flats and some socks.

  “Okay, I’m ready.” I said as soon as I’d put them on.

  “Finally!” Zoe said with glee as she left the book on the bed and hurried to the door, “I’m starving.”

  We walked down through the dormitory and every time we passed another girl she gave me a smile before continuing on her way.

  Once out in the courtyard I saw that it was going to be another beautiful but unbelievably hot day. The sun was shining brightly and there wasn’t a single cloud in the sky.

  “Looks like we might end up going into the river for a dip.” Zoe commented even as she led me through the courtyard to the main building.

  As we passed through the doors that once more opened up for us, I felt that same tingling sensation of power that I’d left the night before.

  “You’ll get used to the power of the Gods and Goddesses.” Zoe said as if she’d heard the short intake of breath that I’d taken.

  “Come on, let’s get in line.” she told me and as we entered the dining room I realised that it was filled with people.

  The room was even larger than I’d expected. Filled with tables that were already bursting with kids. Along the right wall, opposite the windows was a line of tables that were laden with those small boxes of cereal that held a single portion and bowls of fruit sat next to a table that held jugs of orange, apple and what, if I had to guess, was cranberry juice.

  Along the back wall was a serving station manned by other teenagers.

  As if she caught me eyeing them up, Zoe said, “We all have to pitch in here. First years take the first week of the month to serve meals. The second week goes to the second years and so on.”

  “But there are only four weeks in a month?” I pointed out.

  “The fifth years get out of serving. It’s kind of like a show of respect, I guess.” Zoe shrugged, “Now, come on. I want to see if there’s bacon on the menu.”

/>   We headed around the edge of the room and Zoe grabbed a packet of cereal on the way round. Following suit, I did the same, picking up a pack of double chocolate Krave.

  As we passed the centre of the room a table caught my eye.

  “What’s that?” I asked, pointing at the only round table in the room that was laden with bowls of fruit and cooked meats. At its very centre there was a sort of small pedestal that held a silver and gold goblet. Everybody in the room seemed to be avoiding going too close to it. Perhaps that was because there was an incense stick laid beside the goblet that was giving off a sweet scented smoke.

  “That’s our offering to the Gods.” Zoe explained as we joined the end of the line, “Each meal, we offer substance to the Gods in return for the gifts they give us.”

  Before I could ask anymore questions the sound of rushing footsteps came towards us and I turned to see Keeya and Luci coming to join us.

  “Why didn’t you wake us?” Luci demanded, huffing as though she thought she was late for something.

  “We didn’t want to interrupt your snuggle time.” Zoe chuckled.

  “You could have interrupted us for breakfast!” Keeya scowled back at her and I couldn’t help but smile at the playfulness in their tones.

  Just then the line began to move and we came to its head. The smell of fresh cooked bacon, sausages and eggs hit my nostrils.

  “Hey new girl!” a short, perky brunette said from behind the serving station, “What can I get for you?”

  I eyed the food on offer and paused, thinking on how hungry I was.

  “A little bit of everything.” I replied when I realised that I was pretty ravenous.

  “Sure thing.” she smiled back at me and I was shocked. I’d half expected her to tell me I couldn’t have everything, like food was rationed or something.

  “What about you Zoe?”

  “I’ll have the same.” My roommate smiled, “Thanks Molly.”

  “She seems friendly.” I said once we had our trays and were on our way over to one of the quieter tables.

  “She is one of the good ones.” Zoe shrugged.

  I cringed, wondering what one of the bad ones might be like.

  It turned out that I wouldn’t have to wait very long to find out.

  Not a moment after we’d sat down at the last empty table, I heard the sound of footsteps once more. I half expected it to be Luci and Keeya coming to join us. But when I looked up I saw that they were still waiting for their trays.

  “So, you’re the new girl.” a feminine yet almost angry voice sounded to my left and I twisted my head around to see a girl dressed in a simple yet figure hugging black dress. It barely covered her thighs and from the moment I saw it, I knew the kind of girl she was going to be. She was going to be one of the bad ones.

  Her hair was honeysuckle blond and perfectly curled. I couldn’t help but think that she must have used a curler to get them so perfect. Yet she had that much hair I couldn’t believe anyone would take all that time just to put so much effort into it.

  “My name is Brianna Winters.” I said with a nod, “And you are?”

  “Rhea Maxwell.” she scoffed as though I should have already known that.

  “Ahh, okay.” It was all I could think to say. I mean what else was there to say? She hadn’t exactly left me with an open ended conversation.

  “I just came over to let you know one thing.” Rhea glared at me and I almost jumped out of my skin when she leaned over and placed her hands on the table. She leaned into my face, too close for comfort and lowered her voice as she said, “I’m the boss around here so don’t go getting any ideas.”

  Instinctively, my eyes darted to Zoe but I quickly saw that she had her head down, eyeing up her food as though it was more interesting than what was going on.

  “Well, okay then.” I shrugged simply, “Whatever you say.”

  Rhea straightened up then and plastered an overly sweet smile on her face.

  “Well, now that’s settled,” she purred, “You have a nice day.”

  She turned and sauntered away and I realised for the first time that she was wearing a pair of those god awful six inch heels.

  Oh great. Another Lola. Just what I needed.

  I mean, who the hell wears six inch heels in the middle of the day for anything other than a wedding or even a funeral? I’d be happy if I never saw a pair of them again.

  “What the hell was that all about?” Keeya asked as soon as she came to sit opposite me. I tried to think about anything other than what had just happened and instead looked at the bowl of fruit on her tray.

  “I’m sure you can guess.” Zoe sighed and shovelled a fork-full of baked beans into her mouth.

  “Another, ‘I’m the boss around here’, speech?” Luci asked, looking at me with sympathy.

  “Yep.” Zoe grunted, still chewing her beans. She then finally lifted her head to look at me, “Don’t feel special. We all got the same treatment when we arrived.”

  “Yeah.” Keeya nodded and lowered her voice, “Rhea’s just a bitch because she thinks she’s something special, being the daughter of a Maxwell and all.”

  “What’s a Maxwell?”

  “It’s not a what but a who.” Keeya growled, “The Maxwells are a family of witches whose ancestry goes back thousands of years. They think they own the place.”

  “That’s because they kind of do.” Zoe huffed.

  As though she saw the look on my face, Luci added, “The Maxwells have put a lot of money into making sure that witches get the best education. They’ve probably paid for half of the Academies across the world over the years.”

  I glanced across the room to where Rhea had gone to sit with a group of what appeared to be the hottest people in the room. I suppose you’d call it the ‘it’ table because all the guys were wearing old style football jackets that had yellow-gold torsos and silver sleeves.

  “Those guys are the Golden Suns.” Zoe told me as her eyes followed mine, “They are the school football team.”

  Even as she said it my eyes caught sight of one guy in particular. He was sat at the head of the table, right next to Rhea, and I had to admit that he was probably the hottest guy I’d ever seen in my life. I wasn’t usually one for staring but he was definitely stare-worthy.

  His thick auburn hair was cropped and grazed just above his jawline. Brushed back behind his ears as it was, it gave me a great view of his strong features. He had sharp, high cheekbones and a sturdy brow. But the most striking thing about him was his eyes.

  They turned on me almost as though he had felt me watching him and my heart stopped. Even from all this way I could see his blue irises dancing with amusement.

  Our eyes connected and I could have sworn that I felt as though his gaze was touching something deep inside of me, maybe even my soul.

  My breath caught in my throat and I was unable to tear my eyes away.

  Rhea seemed to say something to him but his eyes remained totally fixed on mine. When he smiled I felt a warm tingling sensation all over my body, caressing my skin.

  “Don’t get any ideas.” Zoe whispered into my ear and I suddenly realised that she had moved closer to me, “He’s off limits.”

  “Way, way, off limits.” Keeya added.

  “Yeah, Rhea may not have gotten her claws into him just yet but she claims that he’s all hers.” Luci huffed, “I’m gay and even I can see the appeal.”

  It was then that Rhea seemed to notice his staring at me and she tapped him on the shoulder in an irritated fashion that totally reminded me, once again, of Lola.

  Great. Just great.

  His eyes finally broke with mine and a wave of disappointment washed over me. I sucked in breath feeling as though my lungs had been empty for far too long and quickly turned my attention back to my plate.

  Had I seriously just been staring, open mouthed, like an idiot at a total stranger?

  “Even if Rhea hadn’t marked him off limits,” Luci sighed, “It’d probab
ly be a bad idea to get in with the son of a lecturer.”

  “Which lecturer?” I asked, curious. My cheeks flushed when I saw that all three girls were looking at me as though I had no business even bothering to ask about him.

  “What?” I shrugged, “I’m just trying to get to know everyone.”

  “By everyone, you mean James Booth.” Keeya chuckled and raised an eyebrow at me, “He’s Merrin’s son.”

  James Booth. Even his name made me shiver.

  “Stop drooling over something you can’t have and eat your breakfast.” Zoe snapped at me in a not entirely unfriendly tone, “We should hurry if we don’t want to disturb whatever Celestria is doing on her day off.”

  I cringed at that, not entirely sure why I didn’t want Keeya and Luci to know that we were going to see the principal - I mean, Grand Priestess. That was going to take some getting used to.

  “What are you going to see her for?” Keeya was the first to comment.

  “Don’t ask, K.” Luci scowled at her girlfriend, “Bri probably doesn’t want everybody to know her business.”

  I offered her a grateful smile before I turned back to Keeya.

  “I just want to ask a couple of questions before school starts on Monday.” I lied and I was surprised at how easily the lie came. Why didn’t I want them to know about the mark that had appeared on the back of my neck? Perhaps because it sort of made me a freak.

  I already felt like one after everything that had already happened and the last thing I wanted was for these girls to see me as one. Zoe had already been freaked out enough when she caught sight of it last night.

  Neither of the girls looked convinced and Zoe had raised her eyebrow at me, suspicious, but I kept my mouth shut on the subject.

  CHAPTER 13

  STANDING BEFORE CELESTRIA’S OFFICE I COULDN’T HELP BUT FEEL as though I had already done something wrong.

  “Don’t worry. Celestria is really friendly and level headed.” Zoe told me as though she sensed my nerves, “Whatever this is, she’ll be able to figure it out.”

  I was surprised at how comforting her words were and I couldn’t help but smile at her, “Thanks.”