Books for Girls - WITCH SCHOOL - Books 2-6: Book 1 is FREE!

by Katrina Kahler

  'Yeah, I guess,' Demi took a step further away from Margaret.

  'Are you off to lunch?'

  'Yes, WE are,' Demi grabbed Destiny's arm.

  Margaret didn't say anything but Charlotte noticed that she had a sly grin on her face. Curiosity took over and as she continued to walk, she focussed her mind and counted to ten inside of her head. Nearby thoughts instantly filled her head and she continued to follow the others, careful not to draw attention to herself.

  Charlotte grabbed onto the wall behind her, shocked at what she'd just heard. She stared at the back of Margaret, Demi and Destiny's head as they continued up the corridor.

  'Are you okay Charlotte?' Melody asked, as she walked over to her.

  Charlotte nodded, as she forced a smile and let go of the wall.

  'Yeah, sorry I just went a bit dizzy but I'm fine now.'

  'Let's go to lunch.'

  Charlotte nodded again as she walked alongside Melody up the corridor.

  'I hope there are meatballs, they haven't had them for the last week so we should be getting them soon.'

  'Yeah, hopefully,' Charlotte muttered back.

  Stef, Gerty and Alice were long gone, no doubt they were now sat in the great hall wondering where she was. It was her own fault for lingering behind them and listening in on people/s thoughts. Maybe she was better off not delving into minds, as she wouldn't always like what she heard.

  'Why am I talking about meatballs, Charlotte's going to think I have an unhealthy addiction to them,' Melody thought.

  'I hope there's rainbow jelly for dessert, we haven't had that in a while either,' Charlotte said and Melody gave her a large smile.

  Margaret, Demi and Destiny were now out of sight but their thoughts were still vivid in her mind. Thoughts which Charlotte didn't know what to do with, thoughts that made her feel nauseous just thinking about them.

  Chapter Six

  Charlotte was sitting at one of the far tables in the library. She usually opted for whichever free table was the furthest away from the desk of The Mistress of Books, as their relationship was very much flawed since the ‘Margaret incident’.

  As she wrote down notes from one of the talking books, she found herself glancing over at the golden door where the Book of Dragons was kept. She wondered what the book looked like? Was it a grand golden book with moving images of dragons on it or a simple leather bound book? She wondered what spells were protecting it and the havoc that could be unleashed if it ever got into the wrong hands?

  Charlotte quickly looked away from the door, not wanting the Mistress of the Books to see her looking at it. She chewed on the side of her lip as she looked down at her notes and pretended to read them. Margaret and Demi's thoughts were at the front of her mind and seeing the door made what they'd said feel more real. There really was a book behind those doors, a book that could change the magical world forever, a book that in the right hands could be used for good…but in the wrong hands could be used to carry out the cruelest of actions.

  'They were just thoughts, I'm sure they didn't really mean them,' Charlotte thought to herself, as Margaret's smirk came back into her head.

  Margaret may have been acting all sweet and innocent but Charlotte knew better than to fall for her façade.

  'It will be okay,' Charlotte accidentally said out loud.

  'Shh,' the Mistress of the Books glared over at her.

  Charlotte sank down in her seat and took a quick look over at dragon handled door. She packed up her stuff and placed the textbook on the shelf that was by the door before she left the library and with it the book that she couldn't get out of her head.

  ***

  The great hall was alive with voices and the clattering of spoons against bowls as the students ate their breakfast. Amongst the first years the hot topic was still the Book of Dragons, a fact which didn't sit well with Charlotte. She made the decision not to listen in on anyone's thoughts but this didn't stop most of the girls from talking about the book.

  'Do you think anyone's ever broken the spell and got to the book whilst it's been in the library?' Stef asked.

  'I doubt it, Miss Moffat and the Mistress of Spells are such accomplished witches that their spells would be virtually impossible to break,' Gerty said.

  'Nothings completely impossible,' Alice said.

  'Do you think something terrible would happen to the person who tried to get to the book?' Stef asked.

  'Maybe their skin turns bright blue?' Gerty giggled.

  'Or they turn into a pig,' Stef said.

  'Oink, oink,' Gerty wrinkled her nose.

  'They are far too sophisticated to cast such childish spells,' Alice said snootily.

  Stef rolled her eyes and Gerty giggled, neither of them giving much care to Alice's comment.

  'Charlotte, what spell do you think the Mistress of Spells has cast to protect the book?' Gerty asked.

  Charlotte looked up from her bowl and shrugged. She didn't want to talk about the book, she was trying to block it from her mind.

  'I don't know,' she muttered, before she purposely shoved a huge spoonful of cereal into her mouth.

  'Come on Charlotte, I'm sure you can come up with something?' Stef said.

  'I reckon any intruders would turn into ice statues,' Gerty said.

  'Imagine the Mistress of the Books reaction if she found someone by the dragon door frozen solid?' Stef chuckled.

  'She'd probably use them as decoration for the library,' Gerty chuckled.

  'With a plaque beneath them reading disobedience will result in this.’

  'As if that would be allowed,' Alice huffed, the hint of doubt noticeable in her voice.

  'It was a joke, lighten-up,' Stef groaned.

  'Well, it was stupid.'

  'It's not my problem that you are too snooty to understand jokes.'

  'It's not my fault that your family aren't privileged like mine are.'

  'That's it,' Stef kicked Alice under the table.

  'Ow,' she kicked back.

  'Come on, quit it,' Gerty said.

  'Whatever,' Stef muttered, as she stirred her spoon around her soggy cereal.

  A flash of light exploded over by the teacher's table and silence fell upon the room as everyone looked over to see Molly standing there.

  'Please can all first years stay behind for a special announcement,' she said.

  There were cheers of excitement from the first years and groans from the other students.

  Charlotte kept on looking at Molly, noticing how the ends of her hair had changed color from orange to a dark blue.

  'I wonder what spell she's used on her hair?' Gerty asked.

  'No idea,' Stef shrugged. 'Back to more important matters, such as what the special announcement could be?'

  'I hope it's another picnic,' Gerty clapped her hands excitedly.

  'I don't,' Charlotte said.

  'I hope there's food,' Stef said.

  'All you think about is food,' Alice said.

  'You can't talk, I saw you smuggle those strawberry cupcakes the other day.'

  'I did no such thing,' Alice blushed.

  'Whatever,' Stef smirked. 'I hope we get to be in a group of three again and this time it won't get ruined.'

  Alice's bottom lip quivered as she sniffed and tried to hold back her tears.

  'Stef,' Gerty glared at her.

  'Sorry,' Stef grunted. 'Hopefully we will get to be in a group of four this time, if there are groups.'

  Alice gave a weak smile but she didn't say anything.

  'Whatever it is, I hope it's good news,' Charlotte said.

  'And that you get to see Charlie again,' Gerty said.

  'Yeah and that. I need to fix things with him after our last disastrous meeting.'

  'Do you know that Benjamin’s parents own their own private yacht?' Alice said.

  ‘That sounds great,' Gerty smiled.

  'Yeah, brilliant,' Stef continued to stir her spoon in her mush of cereal.

 
Charlotte finished her breakfast and she took a few glances over at Demi and then Margaret. She didn't use her ability to listen to their thoughts as she knew better than to do that again in the hectic hall. Still, she found herself wondering what they were thinking and if the Book of Dragons was still on their minds.

  ***

  Only the first year girls, Molly and Miss Moffat remained in the great hall. Miss Moffat had used a spell to remove all of the food, cutlery and tables from the room and to make the chairs form rows at the front.

  'Hello girls,' Miss Moffat smiled. 'I am pleased to announce that today signals the start of the Half-Yearly Witches Test. The test will cover three areas that you have learned so far, flying, speed reading and fortune telling, and casting a spell.'

  'Tests, great,' Stef quietly moaned to Charlotte.

  'These tests are important but I don't doubt your abilities. Each and every one of you has proven that you are true witches in the making and I am very proud of you all. Now, the five girls with the highest overall result in the test will go on to challenge the top five boys from Alexander's College for the Golden Wand Trophy.'

  On mention of the boys there were gasps of excitement from the girls and Gerty squealed as she again clapped her hands.

  Charlotte couldn't hide her smile at the thought of seeing Charlie again. Then doubt crept in, what if she had put him off so much at the picnic that he never wanted to see her again? She needed to make sure that she was in the top five girls so that she could hopefully talk to him and put things right between them.

  She looked over at Margaret and focused on her as she counted back from ten.

  'I hope Charlie makes the top five, although I'm sure he will. I can't wait to see him again,' Margaret thought.

  Charlotte scowled, as she blocked out any more of Margaret's thoughts and concentrated on Miss Moffat.

  'I thought that would interest you,' Miss Moffat grinned. 'But it is also important that you all try your best. Also it would be lovely to have the Golden Wand Trophy in our awards cabinet, which we all know is where it belongs.'

  'Even though Alexander's College won last time,' Molly added.

  'Yes, thank you for that Molly. The boys may have won last time but that doesn't mean that they won't be beaten this time. I have my faith in my girls and their clear ability to show those boys how skilled we are.

  ‘The first test will begin in two days, so until then my advice would be to practice as much as you can. Don't just focus on your strongest area, as to make the top five you will need to get a high overall score. Remember that a true witch never stops learning and always seeks to find knowledge wherever they can.’

  ‘Don't forget that I expect the top five girls to bring home the trophy, there is a gap in the cabinet that it would fill perfectly,' she smirked, before she gripped onto her broomstick and flew over the girls' heads and out of the great hall.

  'Okay girls, I suggest you hurry to class,' Molly said.

  All the girls stood up and hurried across the room, none of them wanting to get on Molly's dark side.

  'This is so cool,' Gerty jumped on the spot. 'I hope I make the top five.'

  'I don't see why you won't,' Charlotte said.

  'I hope we all make it, how great would that be?'

  'Of course we'll make it, although I'm not so sure about Alice,' Stef said.

  'Ahem,' Alice folded her arms.

  'Joking,' Stef grinned.

  'If we all practice lots and test each other then we'll all make the top five. This is going to be so great,' Gerty looped her arms through Charlotte and Stef's.

  'Yeah, it is,' Charlotte replied, unable to hide the doubt from her voice.

  She hoped that Gerty was right and they would all make the top five, preferably without Margaret. Then all her friends would be happy and she could hopefully try and fix things with Charlie.

  As much as she tried to remain positive there was a hole of doubt positioned in her gut that seemed to be increasing in size the more she thought about it.

  ***

  The next two days were filled with endless practice. By the time the first test had arrived Charlotte had clocked up hours of flying practice, gone to Miss Zara's after school fortune-telling lesson and cast at least a couple of hundred spells. Her hands, mind and wrist all ached, yet she found herself worrying if she had done enough.

  The last two days had proven to her just how much she wanted to make the top five, not just for Charlie (although she couldn't deny that she longed to see him) but most of all for herself. She saw this competition as a good way of proving to everyone that although she was brought up oblivious to the magical world, this didn't mean that she didn't deserve to be here.

  The test day arrived and a spell of cold weather came with it. All of the first year girls stood in the flying arena, in front of a cheery looking Miss Firmfeather.

  In front of them where the rest of the arena should be was a vast whiteness of nothing. At first Charlotte didn't know what was going on but them she came to the conclusion that a spell had been put onto it.

  It was a particularly cold morning and frost sparkled on the ground. Charlotte had her warm quilted jacket on over her zip-up top and jogging pants, yet she still felt the cold.

  'Waiting in this weather is ridiculous, If I get pneumonia I will make sure my parents sue the Academy,' Alice said.

  'You should have put a coat on like the rest of us then,' Stef replied, as she stared at Alice's flimsy tracksuit.

  'I'll have you know that this tracksuit is designer and I am not covering it up with a common coat.'

  'Well then you can't moan that you're cold.'

  Molly and Miss Moffat flew into the arena, Miss Moffat's long black fur coat trailed on the ground as she walked off with Miss Firmfeather.

  'Cold enough for you?' Molly grinned, as she jogged on the spot.

  'Are we starting soon? I can't feel my toes,' Patricia asked as she shivered.

  'Hopefully. And it's a good job that you don't need toes to fly,' she smirked.

  Charlotte looked over at Miss Moffat and Miss Firmfeather who were still in deep conversation with each other, before she looked over to the small crowd of students that had gathered to watch. Although there had been a buzz about this competition throughout the Academy, most of the students from the other years were in classes or didn't fancy braving the cold to watch.

  Miss Moffat and Miss Firmfeather stopped talking and headed back over to Molly.

  'Girls, it is important that you don't let this sudden appearance of cold weather make you lose your focus,' Miss Moffat said.

  'Hello girls,' Miss Firmfeather smiled. 'The flying arena has been transformed into a thrilling obstacle course for you all to compete in. I'm sure you're all wondering where the course is, there is an invisibility spell surrounding it that will be lifted once I signal the start of the test. We aim to keep things exciting for you,' she winked.

  'I'd advise you to leave your coats here as you will get hot flying around but if you choose to keep them on then that is indeed your choice. Please mount your brooms and you can begin on my whistle.

  Remember, you are all aiming to finish in the top five as only these people will receive points for this test.’

  ‘Good luck girls,' she gave them a wide smile, before she placed the whistle that hung around her neck in her mouth.

  Charlotte took off her coat and placed it on the ground, she tried to ignore the cold as she got onto her broom and waited for the race to start.

  When Miss Firmfeather blew the whistle bright lights whizzed out of it and exploded in the sky in a mass of colors. The whistle continued to echo until of all the girls had cleared the invisible shield, which then vanished so that the spectators could see what was going on.

  Hundreds of prickly, tall cacti were zig-zagged in front of them. Margaret was the first to whiz towards them and to begin to weave around the cacti. Alice and Victoria were more hesitant, lingering back on their brooms.

 
; Charlotte exchanged looks with Gerty before they both took off in different directions, swooping their way around them.

  Stef had made her way through the zig-zig path quickly and with ease. She hadn't been prickled once and she wasn't far from the front.

  Margaret turned her head and saw how close Stef was behind her. Smirking she flew around the corner and stopped, Stef swooped around the corner just as Margaret swung her broom into the side of her, causing her to tumble backwards into a cactus. Stef screamed out as dozens of prickles embedded themselves into her arm.