First Time's a Charm

by Laura Greenwood

  "They're Scottish in origin. They're supposed to have salmon tails and lure people to their death. Let me find it..." I flip the pages back, sure I saw a section on Celtic creatures. "Ah, yes, here." I turn the book so he can see it.

  "I'd rather not."

  "Okay. What else do you think we should try finding?" I put on the cheeriest voice I can, but inside, I'm worried. He's acting odd and I don't really know why.

  "What about kelpies?"

  "Oh yes. I don't think many people will think to do them." I turn through the book to the right page. "I wonder if the human eating part of this is true?"

  "I don't know, maybe they're even vegetarians," he murmurs.

  I snort. "That doesn't seem likely." I stare at the diagram. They're not the most attractive of creatures, but I think that'll put enough people off for our reports to stand out.

  Uncapping my pen, I ready myself to start taking notes. I know a lot of the students use tablets, but I find the information stays in my head better if I write it down. And knowing Feathertop, she'll be quizzing us about our chosen creature. I don't want it to look like I just copy and paste information off the internet.

  "Red alert, five o'clock," Caspian mutters under his breath.

  I frown and turn in the direction he tells me to find Ivy sauntering towards us with her hands on her hips and a skirt that's far too short to be called that. Oh wow, I'm turning into a middle-aged woman. Next thing I know, I'll be referring to it as a belt and telling her she'll get frostbite.

  "Just the person I'm looking for," she announces, leaning on our table.

  "I'm not looking for you, so see you later," I respond, giving her the most forced smile I can muster. She can go back to wherever she came from and leave us be.

  "Not you. Him." She nods at Caspian.

  "I'm not really looking for you either, Ivy."

  "Don't be like that. We've known each other for such a long time." She purses her lips. A photo of her current expression could easily serve as the definition of a duck pout. It's certainly not sincere.

  "Four years isn't a long time."

  Ah, so they did know each other before coming here. That answers one of the questions lurking at the back of my mind, but opens up a can of worms about the rest of them. Is it really an ex thing? I hope not, I don't want to share anything with her, especially not a taste in men.

  "We both know it is."

  "I wasn't even around for half that time."

  "Ivy, stop messing about and tell me what you want." His frustration comes through every word.

  She just smirks.

  I place a hand on his knee under the table, hoping it offers him some kind of reassurance even if I have no clue what's actually going on.

  She sighs dramatically. "Mum wants you to know she's sending your spare inhaler tomorrow," Ivy says, looking at me rather than Caspian.

  I blink a couple of times, trying to work it out and drawing up a blank. They can't be brother and sister, can they? The two of them don't look alike, or share the same name...or...

  "She's not your Mum," Caspian growls.

  "But she wants me to call her that, doesn't she?" Ivy's words are sweet, but the wicked grin on her face says differently. She knows what she's doing and isn't referring to the woman as Mum for Caspian. This is about letting me know that the two of them are related. Or not. Them being step-siblings is my current guess, but without being able to ask, I'm not too sure.

  "I don't care what she wants you to call her, she's not your Mum."

  I don't take my hand off Caspian's knee. Even if he's annoying me, I want him to know I'm here to support him. He knows how much Ivy's been getting to me, and yet he didn't think it wise to mention the two of them knew each other? His one saving grace is that she seems to be annoying him as much as she is me.

  It doesn't help much.

  "Whatever you say. I'll see you later, bro." She flips her hair over her shoulder and saunters away, swinging her hips back and forth in an action that makes even less sense now than it did before. Why on earth would she want to act that way towards her step-brother? It's not like he's going to do something like sleep with her.

  “How could you not tell me?" I squeak once I'm certain she's out of earshot.

  "That I'm asthmatic? I didn't think it mattered."

  "That Ivy is your sister." The words come out thick, and I can tell my annoyance is giving way into anger.

  "Step-sister," he corrects.

  "Right now, that's not the point. Did it ever cross your mind that you should tell me?"

  "I didn't know how to. The two of you already dislike each other..."

  "And at least I know part of the reason why now. I'd be pissed off if one of my siblings brought home a girl I didn't like."

  He opens his mouth to argue, but I shake my head.

  "Don't even bother." I slam the book shut, mostly for dramatic effect, I don't actually need to take it with me. I swing my bag over my shoulder and grab my notebook.

  I don't say a word as I walk away from the table.

  "Mona?" he half-shouts.

  I stop, and twist around so I can see his face, raising an eyebrow.

  "Are we still dating?" he asks after realising I'm not going to say anything.

  I think for a moment. The really angry part of me wants to hurt him and tell him no. But realistically, I know that's probably not what I want. I enjoy spending time with him, and he's easy to get along with.

  "Maybe, go work it out," I respond.

  Caspian stiffens in his seat. I wish I could give him a clearer answer than that, but right now I just want to be out of here so I can calm down and work out what to do.

  Ivy is leaning against the library entrance, a smug look on her face. "Are you feeling alright, Mona?"

  "I'd be a lot better if bitches like you didn't stick your noses in where they shouldn't," I shot back.

  She laughs, the note of victory in her voice. If she thinks she's really won, she has another thing coming.

  "I think you'll find the problem is people like you dating people like my brother."

  "Step-brother," I correct, knowing Caspian would appreciate that even if he's not here to actually hear it.

  "The point still stands. My family is too good for the likes of you."

  Anger flares within me and I whip out my wand and point it at her.

  "You expect me to be scared?" she taunts, though I can see from her eyes that she is a little bit. "You can't even do magic properly."

  "And you really think conjuring a kitten isn't worth seeing your face covered in hives?" I don't like the darkness coming out in me, but she's pushed me to the limit.

  "Don't make an enemy out of me," she warns.

  A bitter laugh escapes me. "Seriously? You're going to try using that threat? I already made an enemy out of you. At least I now know why." I pull back and pocket my wand. Maybe I should be more careful turning my back to her, but I don't think she's going to try anything right now. Despite everything, she is a little scared of me. While I might not want to make kittens every time I do magic, even I know that conjuring a living thing takes a lot of power.

  And that can only mean one thing.

  I have a lot of power. Magic that I can access, so long as I work out how.

  Chapter Fourteen

  As much as I try not to, I can't help myself from stealing glances at Thomas. He isn't normally in the class I take with Miss Feathertop, but today he is. Does that mean he's here because of me? Or am I just looking into this far more than I should do?

  Daphne flicks me a note, and I unfold it hastily. Miss Feathertop is notoriously strict when it comes to talking in class and we don't dare communicate even in a whisper.

  Is that your teacher?

  Yes, I scribble back.

  Nice, I see why you wanted to become acquainted with his desk. Even in writing, I can hear her suggestive tone.

  "Daphne," I scold quietly.

  She just laughs silently, trying
not to give in to the urge I've no doubt is filling her completely.

  I roll my eyes. She really is incorrigible. Anyone would make the mistake of thinking she wasn't trying to set me up with her brother.

  "Want to go to the library after this?" she whispers.

  I shake my head. I've not been back since my run-in with the ever so charming Ivy. I don't dare to, I'm sure that's where Caspian's spending his time in the hope I'll come back and have forgiven him already.

  "Now, to recap last week, who knows the difference between a goblin and an imp?" Miss Feathertop asks loudly, looking at us as if she knows we've just been talking instead of paying attention to her lecture.

  Despite that, Daphne's hand flies up into the air.

  "Yes, Miss Chambers?"

  She lets her arm drop. "An imp is more likely to get into general mischief, whereas a goblin will probably try to cut you up and make you into their Sunday roast dinner," Daphne says.

  There are groans from around the room, and I know why. For some reason, Miss Feathertop seems to dislike Daphne, especially when she knows the answer to a question. If you ask me, it's completely illogical. Why wouldn't a teacher like someone who does the work and reads ahead?

  "Correct. Though not quite how I would have put it," Miss Feathertop responds.

  "It never is," Daphne mutters under her breath.

  I stifle a laugh. She has a valid point as far as I'm concerned, but I'm not about to go broadcasting that. That would be a quick way to bring another professor's wrath down on me, and Miss Feathertop is one of the only ones who doesn't penalise me for having trouble with magic. Probably because the highlights of her lessons are always Daphne being a smartass when she's answering questions.

  "Turn to page three hundred and sixty-four please," Miss Feathertop asks.

  I pull my tablet towards me and flick through. I could use the table of contents at the beginning and just click for what I want, but where's the fun in that? I land on a page of the textbook I've never seen before. A groan escapes me.

  "What is it?" Daphne asks.

  "Caspian and I were going to do our report on kelpies." Before he pissed me off anyway. Even if I forgive him sooner rather than later, we won't be able to now. Not when half the class will do theirs on them too thinking Miss Feathertop is giving them some hint about how to get good marks in her latest assignment. She's not, but only the smart students know that.

  "It's a shame we're learning about them now," Daphne whispers. "It would have been a great topic."

  I make a non-committal noise. I know it's a good topic, that's why I picked it.

  Miss Feathertop dims the lights and flashes up her projector, pulling up a slide of the slimy looking water horse. She bleats on for at least ten minutes about all the legends surrounding the creatures.

  I scribble down notes on the same page I had before. If I can't use kelpies for my project, then I'm going to use the research I did to at least sound smart when I talk about them. By the time she's about finished, I actually feel kind of sorry for the creatures, and suspect they're just misunderstood more than anything. If I ever meet one, maybe I can tell them that.

  Thomas flicks the lights back on once the presentation has ended.

  "Thank you, Mr Smith." She pauses, probably to make sure she has all of our attention. I don't think she does though, at least one person looks like they dozed off during her talk. "As many of you may know, Mr Smith here is my teaching assistant. He'll be handling the marking of your current assignments."

  Whispers travel through the class, though I'm not sure if they're because Thomas is traditionally handsome, or because Miss Feathertop isn't marking the assignments herself. Probably the former, I know what my fellow students are like.

  Plus, I'm also thinking about how great Thomas' jawline looks.

  "At least we can be sure of good marks now," Daphne whispers.

  Heat rises to my cheeks. "I'm not using him to inflate our grades," I respond. I'd never dream of doing that. Equally, I can't ask Miss Feathertop to assign someone else to mark my paper without revealing that there's a conflict of interest if he does it.

  I should never have gone back to his office in the first place.

  "Mr Smith, if you would." She gestures to the front of the classroom.

  Thomas steps forward, clearing his throat. "Hi everyone, I'm Mr Smith." He shifts uncomfortably, and I have no doubt it's due to him having to use his last name. He's going to have to get used to that if he wants to be a doctor though.

  "He has a nice voice," Daphne observes.

  I shush her, not wanting to get distracted by her talking about how attractive he is. Or anything else about him.

  "I've talked with Miss Feathertop and we've decided that letting you pick your own creature could cause too many issues. So for this assignment, you're going to be given them. There will be no swapping, and no collaboration between students. We will be using a spell to determine when this has happened."

  Students around the room mutter and groan to themselves at this development. I get it. Their tough assignment just got worse.

  "I've nearly finished mine already," Daphne whines, more to herself than to anyone else, I'm sure.

  "I'll be coming around the room during the next part of the lesson and giving you all your assigned creature."

  "Thank you, Mr Smith." Miss Feathertop waves him to the side and retakes her position in front of the rest of the class. "There are worksheets going around, please spend the rest of class working through it. All the information you need can be found in your textbooks."

  Daphne sighs loudly. "Don't you just love working on stuff in class that you could have read up on at home?" I can hear the bitterness in her voice, but don't have a good response to it. I feel the same way sometimes, but we're not the ones in charge of the curriculum. Clearly, whoever runs the academy is fine with the way Miss Feathertop teaches or she wouldn't have three different classes of first years.

  "Let's just work through it and then we can start looking into stuff for our projects," I suggest. The latter does depend on whether Thomas gets around to us, but I can already see him heading our way, so it seems likely he will.

  The worksheets that land on our desk look dreadfully dull, and I'm close to repeating Daphne's sentiments on the whole thing. I don't want to have to work on this when I could be comfy in my room, surrounded by my kittens and doing it. Rhubarb would definitely be a welcome distraction from having to answer stupid questions like how many feet does a kelpie have?

  The answer's none. It has flipper-hoove things. It's just a trick question so Miss Feathertop can see who pays attention and who doesn't. Because apparently, we need schooling like five-year-olds sometimes.

  One of the guys at the back cheers loudly.

  Alright then, some of us do need schooling like five-year-olds. I won't pretend they don't.

  "Good afternoon, ladies," Thomas announces as he pulls up a stool in front of our desk.

  "Thomas Smith, I presume?" Daphne asks, raising an eyebrow and sticking out her hand. "I'm Daphne Chambers, best friend to the girl you want to bang." To my surprise, Thomas takes her hand and gives it a firm shake.

  "Pleasure to meet you," he says.

  "Daphne!" I scold. "What's with the weird formal and informal at the same time thing?" I ask hastily.

  "It's to account for the weird situation we're in. Is he a teacher, or is he a guy that wants to get in my best friend's pants? I think it's self-explanatory really."

  I open and close my mouth, trying to come up with an answer that won't insult one of them, before realising no such answer actually exists. I'm just stuck in this situation whether I like it or not.

  "We're not doing that," I tell her.

  "Oh, right, so that's when you disappear off to the library," she does weird air quotes to prove her point, "with him, I can never find the two of you?" She raises an eyebrow.

  Oh. Oops. Completely busted on that front.

  I exchange glan
ces with Thomas, who shrugs.

  "You can tell her if you want," he says.

  "Aha, so you are doing the nasty in his office." She crossed her arms and gave us both disapproving looks. "Why didn't you tell me?" There's hurt in her voice and I curse myself inwardly. The last thing I want to do is hurt Daphne. She's been so good to me.

  "It's not that." I look around to make sure none of the other students are listening in. I wouldn't put it past them to do that, especially because it's perfectly clear the conversation is interesting.

  Then again, the conversation also includes Daphne, so they probably assume she's just getting enthusiastic about school work.

  "It's a secret library," I whisper. "Like, proper secret, hidden behind a suit of armour."

  Her eyes light up. "Will you take me?" she asks.

  I look at Thomas.

  "Meet me there after class, that's actually why I'm here. I needed to get the message to you."

  "And you couldn't just text me to tell me?" That seems a lot easier.

  "This seemed like the more fun option."

  I roll my eyes. Maybe I should work on setting him up with Daphne, the two of them are perfect for one another. It's a good idea until the little green monster starts purring inside me.

  "Alright, fine, we'll meet you in the library. Now what are our assignments?" I ask him.

  He consults his tablet, scrolling through to find out names. "Daphne, your project should be on the gorgons..."

  She groans. "Really?"

  "What's so bad about them?" I ask, confused.

  "Medusa," she whispers.

  "What about her?"

  "She's just so misunderstood," Daphne whined.

  "Then make that the angle of your project," Thomas says, clearly not having time for any of her nonsense. "Mona, you'll be looking into sirens."

  "Sirens?" Daphne demands. "Why didn't I get that one?" She huffs and crosses her arms.

  "I don't know, I didn't pick yours," Thomas assures her. "Maybe Miss Feathertop thinks you're the one who can do them justice," he suggests.

  "More like she wants to see me fail so gave me that one."