Mystic Coven: Fire Festival (Supernatural Academy Graduates Book 1)

by Jennifer Rose McMahon

  I took a huge inhale.

  "I'm not sure. It's very confusing. None of it makes sense." I caught myself nearly stuttering.

  "I see." Ms. Harrison led us toward the stairs. "All in good time. It will all come together."

  Heading up the cold stone stairs, we moved through the chapel room, and then up more steps toward the safety of the kitchen. I glanced back, unable to deflect the strange feeling I'd had in the archives—one of enlightenment that I couldn't ignore.

  All of the answers had been there in the ledger.

  Every detail I'd ever wanted to know.

  And now I was too confused to make sense of any of it.

  "I need to go to bed," I murmured as we emerged into the kitchen.

  Dropping my head on my pillow was the only thing I could think about as exhaustion overtook me.

  And then, just as we closed the basement door behind us, our attention shot to a dark figure standing in the shadows of the kitchen.

  "Sneaking around in the catacombs?" Josie seethed, stepping out to where we could see her.

  Ms. Harrison dropped the keys to the floor with a clanging smash.

  "Miss Josie, you are on house arrest," Ms. Harrison spat. "Until further investigation, you're probation keeps you confined to the guest house." She pointed out the window to the cottage where Josie should have been contained.

  Josie snickered. "Oh, right. I was sleepwalking. It's not my fault that I was left all alone."

  Her indirect accusation of Ms. Harrison's faux pas was maddening.

  She glanced at us with a smirk, knowing she had just acquired more ammunition against us. Everyone knew it was forbidden to go to the catacombs, let alone the archives. And she would use this new knowledge against us, whether she knew the true details or not.

  "Well, by the time the Fire Festival is upon us, I'll have this all figured out," she said. "And you'll all pay for getting me stuck on probation."

  "You got yourself in that mess, Josie," I barked. "Why don't you just mind your own business for once?"

  "Oh, because this is my business." She looked me up and down with disdain. "Hazeldene should not accept riff-raff into its halls, particularly the cursed kind."

  Her harsh words didn't hurt me this time. Instead, they only tweaked my curiosity.

  "Well, something tells me you have something pretty big to hide as well, or you wouldn't go through so much effort to direct attention away from yourself," I shot. "You're just trying to be sure no one figures out your true story."

  Ms. Harrison glared at me, like I knew something I shouldn't.

  But I didn't.

  I was only coming to the conclusion in real time. Josie had something major to hide. And whatever it was, its details had just been at our fingertips in the archives.

  "That's crap," Josie sniggered and rolled her eyes.

  "Is it?" I stepped closer, noticing a twitch in her lip. "Then why are you so rattled?"

  And with that, she turned on her heels and left through the back door.

  "Back to the guest house with you," Ms. Harrison called, as she chased after her.

  Clayton moved up closer to me, studying every detail on my face. It was obvious he was shocked by my confrontation with Josie.

  "You know something," he said with narrowed eyes.

  I shook my head in innocent denial.

  "No, I... I..." My reply stumbled.

  And the more I thought about it, the more I realized I did know something.

  I'd learned a secret down in the archives without even realizing it at first.

  My brain hadn't had time to process the information until now.

  So I took a second to replay the moment.

  Flipping through the pages of the enormous ledger, we had passed over Josie's name in a blur. I kept moving, being certain to not read her confidential information.

  But one word had jumped out at me from the flowing sea of cursive letters and blotchy scrawl.

  Just one word.

  And that one word was all it took.

  Chapter 17

  Clayton continued to glare at me, with one eye tighter than the other.

  He knew I knew something.

  But I wasn't ready to share it. Actually, I'd probably never share it.

  What I had learned about Josie in the archives was her private information. I had to forget I ever even saw that word.

  Ghost.

  Could it even be true?

  Was Josie a ghost?

  There was no other explanation for why the word jumped off the page the way it did. It literally smacked me in the face.

  It was clearly noteworthy in her recorded bio, which made me believe it more.

  I wondered for a moment if there were other ghosts among us.

  "You good?" Clayton broke me out of my lost stare.

  "Ya. I'm good," I replied quickly. "I'm just exhausted. I really need to get to bed."

  Hattie stepped closer to me and swayed as if half-asleep.

  "Can you stay with me tonight?" she asked. "I'm not used to sleeping alone."

  I glanced down at her half-shut eyes, wondering why sleeping alone hadn't been an issue before.

  "Of course." I smiled, and then moved toward the foyer.

  Climbing the stairs seemed a daunting task at this point of exhaustion, but there was no other way.

  "Sun will be up soon," Clayton said. "See you for lunch?"

  I nodded. "Yup. Lunch."

  He was right. There'd be no way we'd make it to breakfast.

  Reaching the second floor, Clayton waved to us as we headed into Hattie's room. He then jumped two steps at a time to get to the third floor. I couldn't believe he had any energy left in him at all. But then, I supposed he always had it.

  Hattie and I shuffled into her room and hit the bed in no time flat. She wiggled over against the wall, leaving me plenty of room. The strange sensation of sleeping on the floor washed over me again, feeling like deja vu.

  Listening to Hattie's breathing transition from normal, to low and slow, lulled me into a deep sleep.

  My typically vivid dreams seemed to rest along with me as I hoped the darkness of the early morning hours would wear on for as long as possible.

  And then I shot up in the bed, wide-eyed.

  "Hattie?"

  My hands searched the side of the bed for her, but she was gone.

  "Hattie?" I said louder.

  Reaching for the side-table lamp, I clicked on the light, and searched the empty room.

  I shot out of bed and flew out the door. With no sign of her in the hallway or bathroom, I sailed down the stairs, aiming my body for the kitchen.

  If she'd gone back to the catacombs in search of the archives again, I'd lose my shit. She could get hurt down there alone, or trapped, or...

  And then my eyes landed on her.

  Standing at the enormous front doors with her face leaning against one. Her hands wrapped around the knob, twisting and pulling in a mechanical motion.

  "Hattie," I whispered. "What are you doing?"

  She bounced her head off the black door over and over, as if attempting to exit.

  I hurried over and took her hands off the knob.

  "Hattie, you should be in bed. Where are you going?"

  And then she turned to me looking like she was lost in another world, stuck in a trance.

  "Hattie, you're sleepwalking. Come on. I'll get you back to bed."

  With slow, careful steps, we made our way up the stairs and into her room.

  As if nothing had happened, she climbed into bed and fell fast asleep.

  I watched the sun come up through my bulging eyes.

  Catching Hattie sleepwalking had struck deep fear in me.

  If she had gotten outside, or had fallen on the stairs...

  Anything could have gone wrong, and I couldn't shake the unsettled feeling.

  And exhaustion was an understatement for my overall condition.

  Once morning had taken full ho
ld, my eyes grew heavy, and sleep finally visited me.

  It was only when Hattie started shifting in the bed that awareness returned to my clenched jaw and balled fists. Though I'd had a few hours of sleep, it was clearly stress-filled.

  "I think it's almost time for lunch," she murmured, as if having no recollection of the sleepwalking episode.

  "Um, Hattie, do you remember leaving the room on your own last night while we were sleeping?"

  She turned and looked at me like I had two heads.

  "I didn't leave," she said.

  Her conviction in her answer was unwavering.

  "Oh, okay. Must have been a dream."

  I didn't want to scare her or make her worry, so I didn't elaborate on what had happened. Maybe it was just a one-time-thing.

  I hoped, anyway.

  Getting ready for lunch, we made plans for how we would dress for the Fire Festival and what we would do for our demonstrations. It was the first time I'd actually been able to think about the festival, and Hattie's enthusiasm helped me feel the excitement of the coming event.

  With two days to go, it was high time to get organized.

  As we bounded down to the dining room for lunch, Clayton met us at the bottom of the stairs with Asher. He held a wicker basket filled with wrapped items.

  "Picnic?" Clayton asked, holding out the basket.

  My jaw fell open.

  It was exactly what I wanted without even knowing it. I had no interest in holding conversation with everyone at the long table right now. That would have to wait until later. I was still too rattled. I really just needed time to chill.

  "Perfect," I said, attempting to somewhat disguise my dropped-jaw love-gaze.

  But a picnic…

  Now…

  Was the ultimate gesture.

  Hattie and Asher jumped to each other and ran outside ahead of us. They scouted the grounds for the perfect spot.

  "Sleep okay?" Clayton asked.

  I shrugged. "I think I need one more night to fully catch up."

  "Ya, me too," he chuffed. "You feeling ready for the Fire Festival?"

  I stared at him with judging eyes.

  "Do I seem ready for the Fire Festival?"

  He laughed, knowing it had been the last thing on our minds for the past couple days.

  "Just sayin'." He smirked.

  I shook my head at him and yanked on the basket.

  "What's inside?"

  "You'll see," he teased, following after Asher and Hattie.

  I watched him as he headed toward them with an eager smile.

  He was happy.

  And it made me happy too.

  I couldn't explain it. It just felt good, deep within my soul.

  The four of us spent the afternoon snacking on sandwiches, scones, apple crisp, and orange soda. It was heaven in a basket.

  We played in the grass, re-enacting the events of the trials, and Asher's version made me cry from laughing so hard. He pranced around, lowering his hands to the ground pretending to be Troy, then threw his arms wide, growing into the beast. He shot fake fire from his hands then, while Hattie grabbed at her throat and fell in death-throws as if she were Josie.

  Their interpretations of what they had seen were beyond entertaining, as well as eye-opening.

  Then we worked together practicing different ideas for the Fire Festival and came up with numerous outlandish plans, including wands shooting curses at Josie and her posse, and the conjuring of a banshee-army to finish them off.

  It was the perfect day.

  And by the end, a serenity had taken me over that felt better than any euphoric drug.

  Returning to the house, we bounded up the porch steps and just as we pushed the doors open, Piper and Noah turned to us in surprise.

  My eyes lit up when I saw them in the foyer, and then my gaze landed on their entwined hands.

  They were holding hands.

  I couldn't hide my wide eyes and huge smile, causing them to drop their hold.

  Without saying a word about it, we joined up with them, and the six of us spent the rest of the evening out on the terrace.

  After watching the stars and the nearly-full moon for hours, I felt sleep begging me to let it in.

  "Shaye?" Hattie tugged on my sleeve. "Will you stay in my room again tonight? Just one more night."

  "Of course," I answered, knowing that I'd planned to do it anyway.

  There was no way I'd let her stay alone. Not any time soon.

  "Thanks," she murmured. "Cuz I feel funny."

  My eyes fixed on her.

  "What do you mean?"

  She shrugged. "I don't know. I just feel like, like something's coming, like something's going to happen."

  Her words made my stomach tighten.

  "I think you're just anxious about the festival," I said. "That's normal. It can make a person's tummy do flips."

  She rubbed her stomach, nodding.

  But I couldn't help but worry about her unsettling premonition.

  Because I felt it too.

  Something was coming.

  Saying goodnight to the others, Hattie and I left the terrace and headed to bed. The following day would be our last opportunity to prepare for the festival, and we'd need to be well rested for it, considering we were still completely unprepared.

  Our exhaustion from the long day made our lids heavy as we settled into the pillows.

  "Shaye?" Hattie whispered.

  "Yes?"

  "Thanks for taking care of me," she mumbled, rolling over in the blankets.

  Her words turned my lips up in a gentle smile.

  "Your welcome, Hattie," I whispered as a lump formed in my throat.

  Drifting off to sleep, my mind hummed in a gentle wave of slumber, allowing me to fully relax for the first time in days. I wandered through my mind on a path that led me through my life story. It wound around bends and turns, each showing me a different snapshot of my journey.

  As I moved along the snaking trail, it brought me to a strange, iridescent glow. The streaming rainbow colors entranced me in my dream-like state.

  And then I shot up, gasping.

  "Hattie?"

  And what I'd already known to be true, came clear in my eyes.

  She was gone again.

  And this time, I knew where she was.

  Panting, I ran out of the room, barefoot in my pajamas. Flying down the stairs, I went straight to the front entry. The two heavy black doors were unhinged, swinging loosely at their contact point.

  She'd already gone through them.

  With my heart pounding out of my chest, I ran around the side of the manor toward the edge of the trees.

  There was only one place she could be. It had filled my dreams with its presence, beckoning for me to come to it as well.

  I shot through the trees and raced into the secret garden. Stumbling on twigs and loose stones, I winced from the pain in my feet, as I used the bright moonlight to guide my way.

  "Hattie?" I called out in a controlled yelp.

  I passed the fountain and went directly toward the clearing.

  There was no doubt in my mind that she would be there.

  At the labyrinth.

  Or, much to my horror, in the labyrinth.

  Racing into the clearing, I moved straight to the first stone at the entrance of the maze.

  "Hattie," I whisper-shouted.

  I froze, listening for any sign of her.

  I'd be crazy to enter the labyrinth without really knowing if she were in there or not. But my intuition left no question that she was.

  And then I heard her.

  "Shaye?" Her voice echoed from a million miles away.

  My eyes shot straight into the twisting path.

  "Shaye. They're here," she called to me in muffled waves.

  With a huff, my air fell out of me in terror.

  Someone else was in there with her.

  My vision went black for a moment as fear blinded me.


  And then, without hesitation, I took my first step onto the stone path.

  From the moment my body entered the labyrinth, a calming sensation moved through me, inviting me further in. All fear left my shaking bones, and I felt an unexpected wave of excitement fill me.

  My feet moved faster along the stones as I hurried to find Hattie.

  "Hattie! I'm coming," I called to her as bolts of eager anticipation shot through my nerves.

  "Hurry Shaye! It's open!"

  I ran along the path at full speed, twisting and turning along its winding trail, in search of her. As I grew dizzy from the spinning effort, I slowed to catch my breath. And as I lifted my gaze to focus ahead of me, I saw her.

  Hattie reached out for me.

  "Here, Shaye," she cried.

  I ran to her and threw my arms around her body.

  "I was afraid I'd lost you," I cried.

  "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to frighten you." She hugged me back. "But it was you who were lost."

  I pulled back from her in confusion.

  "What are you talking about?" I stared at her as fear gnawed at my gut again.

  But then my eyes moved past her and landed on the iridescent orb.

  The center of the labyrinth shimmered in delicate wobbles, drawing my gaze into its depths.

  "I can open it, Shaye," she said. "No one believed I could do it. They told me you would be gone for a long time. But I wanted you back."

  I stared at her as my throat tightened. Her words made no sense at first, but her belief in them made me listen.

  She continued. "So I snuck through.”

  She dropped her eyes in shame of what she had done, while I pieced the fragments of her story together.

  Then my eyes widened with the revelation of the truth. The labyrinth had allowed it to be revealed.

  "You're my little sister," I said as tears fell from my eyes. "I know that, Hattie. I know who you are now.”

  She lifted her gaze as tears filled her eyes. Her bottom lip quivered as she nodded.

  "I missed you, Shaye," she cried.

  I let out the breath I'd been holding and reached for her again. I squeezed with the intention of never letting go.

  "I missed you, too," I whimpered.

  As we sobbed in each other's arms, my entire world pieced together.

  I'd been sent away for supernatural training, but my little sister had wanted to go with me. Using her own powers of portal use, she finally found me.