by Lara Chapman
I don’t think about anything.
I power walk out of the library like I’m being chased by Saffra herself on a runaway broom, and race to find Ivy.
I rap my knuckles on Ivy’s door.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
I tap my foot, desperate for Ivy to answer.
Knock. Knock. Knock. Louder this time.
The door finally opens, but instead of Ivy I’m face-to-face with Zena.
“Where’s the fire, dork?” she asks.
Over her shoulder I see Kendall on Zena’s bed, smirking at me.
“Is Ivy here?” I ask.
“No.” Zena begins to close the door, and I stop it with my hand.
“Do you know where she is?”
Zena sighs, hand on her hip, totally irritated with me. “She’s in the lobby studying.”
Before I can thank her, she slams the door in my face. I’m too panicked to be upset, and walk as fast as I can to the lobby. Ivy is sitting cross-legged on one of the oversize leather couches, a spiral in her lap and a textbook open next to her. Thankfully, no one else is sitting with her.
I drop down beside her and put my hand on her spiral.
“Need something?” she asks, half-smiling. When she sees my face, she gets serious. “What’s wrong?”
I look around the open room and see clusters of girls talking and studying, their voices echoing in the large space. “We can’t talk here.” I start grabbing her things while she watches me. “Let’s go to my room.”
She puts an arm on my leg to stop my frenetic activity. “First of all, relax.”
I notice some girls watching us and realize I’m drawing more attention than I want by acting like a crazed maniac.
“Second, let me have my things so I can pack them up.”
I hand her the items I took from her and let her pack, frustrated when she doesn’t do so as quickly as I’d like.
“Come on,” I whisper, then stand from the couch and begin race-walking to my room. I look over my shoulder and see her walking at a normal pace. A normal pace! Like there’s no emergency. Can’t she tell by looking at me that something has gone horribly wrong?
When she finally gets to my room, I lock the dead bolt, then sit on my bed and motion for her to do the same.
“Are you okay?” Ivy asks, eyebrows drawn close together in worry. “Because you look awful.”
“Well, that’s exactly how I feel. Awful.”
I pull the amulet from my pocket and drop it onto the bed between us.
She looks at it blankly. “What’s that?”
“An amulet,” I tell her. “Like ours but way more important.”
“Your grandmother’s?” she asks.
I shake my head so fast, I give myself a little headache.
“So whose is it, Hallie?” The tone in her voice tells me she’s catching on, that she knows I’m not supposed to have this amulet.
I’m afraid to say it out loud. Afraid to trust anyone with the truth. Even Ivy.
“Hallie,” she says, sounding way more like my mother than my friend. “What are you doing with this amulet?”
I hold it, nervously tracing the carvings in the stone and avoiding Ivy’s eyes. I don’t want to tell her. But I have to tell someone. No way I can keep this a secret.
Without raising my eyes, I tell her the whole story. I tell her about the book on the ground, about the custodian leaving the library, about me picking up the amulet, and about me walking out with it.
When I finish talking, I force myself to look at her.
Ivy’s face is serious but not panicked, and that alone helps me relax. Just telling her makes me breathe easier. Ivy’s smart. She’ll know what to do.
“Well, that’s got to be some kind of record for this place.” She smiles big, then giggles. “Think anyone’s stolen an artifact from the Dowling display cases on their first day before?”
I slap at her playfully. “Not funny. Not even close to funny.”
“Seriously. What were you thinking?”
“I was just curious. I didn’t think the custodian would be back so soon. I could still hear her talking on the telephone, for crying out loud. When she walked back in, I panicked. I got as far away from those cabinets as quickly as I could.”
“Whose amulet is it? Do you know?”
A war battles inside my head.
Tell her. Don’t tell her.
Tell her. Don’t tell her.
“I promise I won’t freak out.” Ivy holds up two Girl Scout fingers. “Promise.”
“If you tell anyone, I’ll—”
“Relax, already. I don’t rat my friends out.”
Something in her eyes reaches me. I know I can trust her.
“Saffra Warnsly.” My words are barely a whisper.
“Saffra? The Saffra Warnsly!” Ivy is on her feet, looking at the amulet like it’s cursed.
I stare back at my only friend, words lost.
“Oh, Hallie. You’ve really done it now.”
“What happened to you not panicking? You’re panicking!” I remind her, my voice rising an octave.
“Well, I didn’t think you’d have Saffra’s amulet. Do you even know who Saffra is?”
I shrug, embarrassed to admit my own ignorance. Not knowing the answer to every question is new territory for me, and I don’t like it.
“Saffra Warnsly was the first High Priestess of the Dowling Coven. She was one of many witches tried in the Salem Witch Trials. She is the goddess we pray to, for Sa—” She’s silent just a millisecond. “For heaven’s sake. Haven’t you noticed how often we say her name?”
I nod, my face hotter than a blazing campfire. “I didn’t know who she was.” And I really wish I didn’t know now.
“Well, the solution is simple. You have to get it back in the case. Immediately.”
I keep looking at her, my mind a total blank. “How do I do that?”
Ivy sits in my desk chair and looks out the window. “We have to get the custodian’s key somehow. This place probably has a dozen custodians, and they’re all assigned specific areas to clean. Do you remember what she looks like?”
I close my eyes, trying to visualize the woman. “Dark hair in a ponytail. Kind of short, just a little taller than me.”
“Think, Hallie. Did you see her name on her uniform?”
I shake my head. “I was never that close to her. But she did have a mole on her face. I could see that from the desk I was working at. It was on her right cheek, close to her eye.”
“Good. Good.” Ivy taps her fingernails on the desk in thought.
“If we figure out who she is, maybe we can get the key from her,” I say. “They keep all their keys on a huge ring, right? I can make up some lie about needing something in a classroom. Say I left my things in there. But instead I’ll go back to the library and put the amulet back where it belongs.”
“Good. Good,” Ivy repeats. “That’s a real good plan.”
“What do I do with it until then?”
Ivy stares at the amulet on my bed, like she might get hexed just for being in the same room. “I have no idea. You can’t trust Kendall.”
I laugh out loud. “Not at all.”
“So you can’t leave it in your room,” she says. “And you’re sure not keeping it in my room.”
“Maybe we could tell Miss A?” I offer. “She’s so nice and seems totally understanding. I bet she’s seen this kind of thing happen before. She’s been a dorm mom forever, right?”
“Are you nuts?” Ivy asks. “You want to tell one of the most important people in this building that you accidentally stole Saffra’s amulet? Do you know how crazy that would be? It’d be a death sentence. They’d probably send you home.”
Home? That sounds like a really good idea at the moment. Ivy must read the thoughts in my head, because she snaps her fingers in front of my face. “Don’t even think about leaving me here alone.”
In spite of the mess I’m in, the fact that Ivy want
s me here makes me feel infinitely better. And I’d rather choke on a frog than give Kendall the satisfaction of telling me I couldn’t cut it at Dowling.
“And what would this do to your parents? To your family? Are you really prepared to have your entire family expelled from Dowling?”
A sick feeling ping-pongs in my stomach like a Mexican jumping bean.
“So if I can’t tell Kendall, and I can’t tell Miss A, what do I do with this?” I point at the amulet.
“You’re going to have to wear it under your shirt.”
“Wear it? Are you crazy? No way. That can’t be the only option. Besides, it’s huge. People will see it through my shirt.”
Ivy nods in agreement. “You’re going to have to wear the sweater vest. It’s bulky enough to hide it.”
“A sweater vest? In September? It’s close to a hundred degrees outside right now.”
“You stole Saffra’s amulet, and you’re worried about being hot? Really?”
I sigh, knowing she’s right and wishing like crazy I’d just skipped the library altogether today. I grab the amulet from the bed and carefully drape it around my neck. I slip it under my shirt and grab a sweater vest from the dresser before taking off my glasses. “I’m going to be the only person in the building wearing a sweater vest.”
“Stop complaining.”
I pull it over my head and put my glasses back on.
Ivy adjusts the vest, then fixes my collar. She stands back to look at me. “Perfect. Can’t see a thing.”
I cross my arms over my chest. “Fine. I’ll wear it. But I’m not going to like it.”
Nine
What are you wearing?” Kendall asks when she opens the door to our room. Her tone is ridicule mixed with contempt. The amulet, warm against my skin as it hides beneath the sweater, gives me comfort. If I can forget I’m wearing a stolen amulet right here, right now, I almost feel confident.
I’m three steps away from Kendall, headed to a Seeker meeting with Miss A. I decide to ignore her question and try to match her tone. “You’re going the wrong way. Our meeting with Miss A starts in five minutes.”
Kendall motions to my outfit. “You’ve got enough going on. Let me worry about my schedule.”
I bite back the words fighting to be set free.
I’m done trying to help you.
You can’t just blow off Miss A the way you blew off our other teachers.
Hey, can you see Saffra’s amulet under this?
I step out into the hall and see Dru a couple of doors down, talking to someone I don’t know. She must feel me watching her, because she turns suddenly, then smiles and waves me over.
“Hi, Hallie,” she says. “What’d you think of the first day?”
I put my hand on my chest, feel the security of the amulet. Just touching it, though, reminds me how much trouble I’ll be in when they realize it’s missing. “Crazy.”
“If you ask me,” the other girl says, “this is pretty lame. I thought we were going to learn how to be witches, not just go to regular classes and research our ancestry.”
I look at the name on her badge. Josephina Carrier.
“I go by Jo. No one—not even my mother—calls me Josephina.”
I give her a thumbs-up. “Jo. Got it.”
“Jo’s my roommate,” Dru says.
The two are a totally mismatched pair. Dru reminds me of a fairy, and Jo reminds me of a linebacker. Jo’s at least twice Dru’s size and looks like she hasn’t smiled in long, long time. Maybe never. Where Dru is dark skinned, Jo is as pale a person as I’ve ever seen. Her blond hair is thin and wispy, and overgrown bangs hang in front of her face. It’s a stark difference from Dru’s happy curls that bounce with every step.
Dru will be good for Jo. Maybe she’ll lighten her up a little.
Ivy calls to me from her doorway. “Wait for me!”
I nod in answer.
“Do you know where the Seeker Sanctum is?” I ask Dru. “It wasn’t on our map.”
She shrugs happily. Again I wish I had her personality. I bet nothing bothers her. I wonder how she’d handle having Saffra’s stolen amulet hiding beneath her clothes.
“I know where it is,” Ivy says when she walks up. “It’s one of the specialty rooms downstairs.” Downstairs? I hope it isn’t in the basement. I shiver at the thought.
We all start moving in that direction and follow Ivy down the narrow staircase. After a turn to the right, we come to a room similar to the GC but much smaller. Rows of chairs sit in a half-circle around a small triangular platform. Candles light the room, and it’s almost full. The tension in my body releases. This room doesn’t feel like a creepy basement at all.
Miss A greets us as we enter. “C’mon on in, girls. Nothing to be afraid of.”
She’s wearing a wild print dress that almost looks like a nightgown. Her hair is characteristically out of control, her curls a mixture of gray and blond and maybe a hint of red. Looks like someone’s been experimenting with the hair dye. She really should just pick a color and stick with it. I look for the curl with eyes that I saw when Ivy fainted, but nothing’s there. I must have been in shock.
Miss A shoves a loose curl off her face. “Darn hair has a mind of its own.”
At the mention of her hair, I look at her closely, wondering if she can read my thoughts the way the headmistress can. But Miss A is already welcoming other girls, her hair forgotten.
Ivy points to some empty seats on the far side of the room. “Let’s go over there.”
The four of us sit down, and Dru immediately starts talking to the girls around us. I don’t know how, but she seems to know and like everyone. And it’s obvious everyone likes her. It’s hard not to.
Jo, on the other hand, is sulking in her seat. “This better be more exciting than last night.”
“What were you expecting? A full-blown magic show?” Ivy asks.
“Something more than an out-of-control candle.”
Miss A takes the stage, and I glance around the room as it turns quiet. Kendall and Zena are noticeably absent. Frustration has me gritting my teeth. I don’t know why I care. She’s not my responsibility.
Miss A opens her mouth to speak, then stops when Kendall and Zena enter the room. “Welcome, girls. There are two seats right here in the front.” She waves them over, and I look at the seats she’s referring to. I can’t help but giggle when I see they aren’t together. When Zena and Kendall glare at the open seats and their distance from one another, Miss A hurries them along.
“Quick like a fox, girls,” she says with three quick claps of her hands. “If sitting together is important, you’ll need to arrive early.”
Ivy has her hand over her mouth, laughing silently.
“Score one for Miss A,” I whisper.
Once the two are seated, Miss A begins. “Welcome, my Seekers. I am so thrilled to be part of your first year at Dowling. I know you must have a lot of questions, and I’ll answer them all, but first I want to talk to you about the hierarchy at Dowling. Please take the paper from under your chair and follow along.”
I look under my chair and grab the paper.
“Were these here earlier? I don’t remember seeing them.” Ivy looks at me, eyes narrowed.
I shake my head. “They weren’t here. I’d have noticed.”
Ivy turns to Jo. “There’s your magic. Happy?”
Jo doesn’t respond, just looks at the paper in complete boredom.
“Let’s start at the top, shall we?” Miss A says. I follow along as she reads the hierarchy to us.
DOWLING COVEN HIERARCHY
YEAR
TITLE
TOOL
DESCRIPTION OF LEVEL
1
Seeker
Happiness Amulet & Book of Shadows
A person committed to studying the practices of witchcraft for a year and a day. Students must successfully learn cantrips (beginner spells).
2
Crafter
Cry
stal
Upon the successful completion of the second year and a day of study required of a Crafter, members of the coven evaluate a student witch. This evaluation is done to determine if the student should be invited to become a full member of the coven as a fourth circle witch or asked to leave.
3
Fourth Circle
Robe & Cauldron
After an initiation ceremony, the student witch becomes a fourth circle witch, meaning she is considered a witch in the eyes of the coven. The witch is given her official robe.
4
Third Circle
Wand
At the end of a year and a day of work in the fourth circle, the witch is evaluated by second circle witches. If considered successful in her work over the past year, she is elevated to a third circle witch.
5
Second Circle
Pendulum
A third circle witch spends at least another year, sometimes up to two years, studying to become a second circle witch. When this degree of evaluation is reached, she takes on the responsibilities of being a teacher in the coven and may use the title “Lady” or “Lord” within the circle to show her new status.
6
First Circle
Athame
Witches who successfully reach the first circle are eligible to become the High Priestess because the leadership responsibilities have been learned. Candidates for High Priestess must undergo special training and then test to demonstrate their leadership capabilities and devotion to the coven.
“I know what you’re thinking,” Miss A says when she’s finished reading aloud. “There’s a lot of work ahead. And you’re right. There is. But I promise it will be fun. You may have noticed in the GC how students sit by rows. Well, this is how we determine who sits where. The first circle witches are on the first row because they are our most powerful witches. One of them may even be our next High Priestess.”
I wonder how High Priestesses are chosen. Do they have to take a test? Is there an election?
Miss A clasps her hands in front of her chest. “Let’s move on. Now, once a year Dowling has a social. A coed social.”
Excited giggling and talking consumes the room. Even Ivy’s eyes are sparkling. I may be the only girl in the room who really doesn’t care about boys. Okay, so that’s not entirely true. I always had a crush on Jasper Williams back home, but the only girl he ever noticed was Kendall. Something she was always happy to remind me of.
