Wayward Witch

by Samantha Bell

  Knox smiled and moved over to make room for me on the sofa. "Didn't you get the enchanted memo?" He asked. "Tonight the manor belongs to us."

  I gave him a pointed look. "If I did get a magic memo I wouldn't have been able to open it, remember?" How could he just forget that I didn't have access to my magic because of something his friends had done.

  "Oh, right. Well, better late than never." He handed me a beer.

  I wrinkled my nose at the smell. I was no prude but beer just made me sick. "Uh, no thanks."

  Knox was drunk, that much was certain. Bernard the shifter and his friends were sitting on the opposite couch. I felt claustrophobic. I didn't know anyone here well enough to just drink my ass off and hope for the best.

  "Want something else then?" Knox nodded to Bernard's warlock friend. "How about a cranberry vodka for the lady, Mike?"

  So the warlock's name was Mike. I only had a moment to process that before watching him produce a drink with a wave of his athame. Warlocks normally favored a blade over a wand because it was more masculine. The drink floated over to me.

  Knox grabbed the cup and frost enveloped the drink. "I figured you might want it chilled."

  "Uh, thanks," I said dumbly and took a sip. It was the most incredible drink I had ever had in all my life. I glanced over at Mike. "How did you do that?"

  Mike shrugged. "Ah, it's not that hard. But it's what got me stuck in this place," He laughed. "Turns out the mundane police and the MCS doesn't take kindly to illegal underage bars."

  I took another sip. It was strong, but that's how I liked it. I decided I'd stay for one drink and then make myself scarce before Blake found me here. If I hadn't received an invitation, I was certain it was for a reason. Knox put his arm around me and I relaxed a fraction.

  I had never seen all two dozen students in one place outside of gym class and the small rooms made it seem much busier than it was. My heart dropped when I caught sight of Blake and Zane walking through the crowd towards us.

  "What's going on here?" Blake demanded. He glanced from Knox to me, his eyes blazing.

  Knox quickly moved his arm. "Nothing."

  "Who invited her?" Blake demanded.

  "No one, apparently." I stood up and raised my chin. "Kind of hard not to hear the noise from the third floor." I resisted the urge to add a "duh" to the end of my sentence.

  "Get out of here, witch," Blake said. His tone was low and even.

  "Or what?" I asked.

  "You know what." Blake edged closer to me. "No one wants you here."

  My heart twinged and I looked back at Knox, who looked away. So that's how it was? He was a coward after all. "I guess not," I said, waiting in vain for Knox to interject. I knocked back the rest of my drink, which I was certain was stronger than average vodka, and threw the plastic cup on the carpet. "Whatever. I was just leaving." I shouldered past Blake and Zane.

  Another cup appeared in my hand. "One for the road!" Mike shouted out before getting punched in the shoulder by Bernard.

  I looked down at the drink and shrugged. Sure, why not? This night was going downhill anyways. May as well drink and pass out. Hopefully the teachers would be back in the morning, but who knew. I stopped at the second floor and downed the vodka in a single gulp. The alcohol was hitting me harder than usual and my vision blurred. "Wow, that's some good shit, Mikey-boy," I laughed.

  Muffled sounds of yelling echoed down the hall. I stopped and listened. It was hard to hear anything over the sound of the music.

  "Not my problem," I said, but only made it halfway to the third floor before my curiosity made me turn back.

  The sounds were coming from the end of the hall. I stopped at the door, listening to the scratching and thumping sounds. I jiggled the knob but it was locked with magic. "Fuck," I sighed. "Who's in there!" I shouted.

  Silence. Then, a small voice. "Evie?" It was Lucy.

  "Lucy!" I tried again to open the door without success. "What are you doing in there?"

  "They put me in solitary until the headmistress returns to recast the control spell." Lucy sobbed. "I'm so scared, Evie."

  I felt a pang of sympathy, a feeling I was not comfortable with at all. "Listen, it's going to be ok. The Headmistress will be back tomorrow." I wasn't certain, but I had to try.

  "What's going on out there? I heard screams."

  "There's a party downstairs," I rolled my eyes. "Some students took out the teachers. It's madness down there."

  "Why aren't you with them?" Lucy asked, completely disregarding the fact that the teachers had been temporarily overthrown by a bunch of teenagers.

  My vision blurred again. "I'm going to bed. I hate those jerks," I said. My words began to slur. "You're seriously the only person who's nice to me in this fucking house."

  "Same," Lucy said. "I can't believe I shifted in front of everyone. I'm so embarrassed."

  "Don't worry about it, Lucy. We all make mistakes." I laughed bitterly. "Like thinking pretty boys like us when they really only want one thing." I mumbled, leaning against the wooden door. "I'm sorry I can't get you out, the hex is too strong." I lied.

  "It's ok." Lucy said and let out a sigh. She was leaning on the other side of the door. "It'll be ok."

  "Hey!"

  I looked up and backed away.

  Zane was standing in the hall, his hands at his sides and wind swirling around his body. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

  "Gotta go, Lucy," I hissed against the door and moved away. "Nothing. Leave me alone, Zane."

  Zane frowned. "Are you trying to get the teachers out?" He asked.

  "What? No!" I said. "I don't even know where they are."

  Zane glanced to my left and I followed his eyes. The door across the hall from Lucy was radiating magic energy. The bronze doorknob was melted into an unusable mass of metal.

  I glared at Zane. "Do you guys really think you're going to get away with this?"

  Zane laughed. "Honestly I don't care either way," He said with a shrug. "We'll just wipe their minds and pin it on some poor witch."

  I tensed and backed away as he strode towards me. "Stay back."

  "Or what, little blue?" He challenged, pushing me into the wall and planting his hands on either side of my shoulders. He was too close. "You gonna hex me? Oh wait, you can't."

  I may have not had my magic, but I had a million other ways to defend myself. I moved quick, slapping my palm across his face and swerving away as he stumbled back. "I don't need a hex to stop a guy like you."

  Zane's cheek went as red as his hair. "Oh, you'll regret that, little blue." He grabbed me and wrestled me against the wall with his body. "You know what I first thought when I met you?" He asked, his breath against my ear. "I thought you were a delicious little morsel that I couldn't wait to get my hands on." He held me by my wrists and kissed my jaw softly.

  Zane kissed me and I kissed back, letting his tongue into my mouth and wrapping my arms around him. He released my wrists and cupped my tits, rubbing my nipples under the thin fabric of my shirt.

  I shivered against his touch. Why would my body betray me like this? I didn't want him but my body was telling a different story.

  "You have goosebumps, my dear." Zane said. "Can I ask you a question?"

  "You can fuck off," I said as I struggled. .

  "Wow, such a fiery girl. I like that." He kissed my lips hard. "I'm going to ask anyways," He said as he pulled away. "Do you have a thing for Knox?"

  "What? No!" I lied.

  "I saw how you looked at him earlier." Zane continued. "You do know that we're a package deal, right? You don't break up a mage bond, no matter how sexy of a girl you are. If you want him, you have to take all of us."

  I whimpered as he kissed me again. "I don't want anything to do with any of you."

  "You're a bad liar." Zane chuckled. "It's kind of cute, actually."

  "Fuck off," I groaned. "Just let me go and go back to your party. I'm done with all of you."

  "I think
not," Zane said. His wind magic surged around us and held me in place. "I think our relationship is just beginning for reasons that you don't understand. I have questions and you're going to answer me, got it?"

  "Zane!" A deep voice bellowed. It was Blake. His red eyes were glowing angrily.

  Zane released me and backed up. "Blake! I caught her sniffing around where the teachers are being kept."

  Blake glared at me. "Trying to break up our party, are you?"

  "No!" I protested.

  Blake held up his hand to silence me. "Go to your room, little witch." He said. "Don't let me see you again tonight, or you'll regret it." He turned to Zane. "What did I say about keeping your hands off her?"

  I was surprised, but didn't stay back long enough to find out how the rest of the conversation went. I ran up the stairs, not daring to look back or stop until I was safely back in my room.

  FIFTEEN

  ------------------------

  EVIE

  I curled up in my bed, decidedly not sleepy and very much not sober. I lay awake wondering what was going to happen to Lucy, what would happen once the teachers were freed and the Headmistress was back, what would Blake do to me if he saw me alone again? None of these questions had good answers.

  The sky was turning purple when I finally fell asleep.

  BANG BANG BANG

  I awoke to the sound of someone trying to knock my door right off the hinges. I bolted up from my bed. "Who's there? What do you want?"

  The voice I heard was the last voice that I was expecting. "Evie."

  "Blake?" I shrieked. "What do you want?" I stayed as far from the door as possible in case he tried to burn it down.

  "I want to talk."

  I wasn't sure what to say to that. I fumbled around in my room for something to defend myself with, but found nothing more than some notebooks and pens. I clutched a pencil tightly, I heard that they could kill vampires in a pinch, so this might work. "I don't want to talk to you."

  Judging by his voice, he wasn't entirely sober. "I'm serious. I just want to talk to you. Please open the door."

  I stayed silent, with my hands shaking at my sides. My heart was pounding in my chest and I could feel my pulse in my head. "Go away, Blake."

  "Are we really going to have to do this the hard way, little witch? Do you want me to burn the house down?" Blake's voice muffled as he leaned against the door. "Open the door or I'll melt the lock."

  I let out an exasperated sigh. "Promise you're not going to hurt me."

  "I promise." He echoed.

  "I've read that mage promises are magically binding, is that true?" I asked.

  "Yes. Oh my gods, just open the damn door. I swear I'm not going to hurt you," Blake said.

  I wasn't totally convinced, but opening the door seemed like a better idea than Blake melting the lock. "Ok. Fine." I unlocked the door and opened it a crack. "There. What do you want?"

  "Why are you so rude to me?" Blake said, putting his hand on his chest and pouting.

  I sighed and attempted to close the door, but Blake had stuck his foot against the bottom.

  "Wait, sorry," He said.

  Did Blake Hood his apologize to me? This was new. Either he had an epiphany or he was still drunk. Judging by his face, it was the latter. "Ok. Just say what you need to say so I can go back to bed."

  "Let me in?" He asked.

  I didn't bother arguing this time. I stepped aside and gestured with a sarcastic flourish. "Fine. Be my guest." I knew better than this. All of my instincts were telling me to run, but I ignored them. He was actually kind of cute when he was drunk and sleep-deprived.

  Blake walked past me and sat at my desk. He was dressed in jeans and a t-shirt. I realized that I had never seen him in anything except the Woodlock's uniform or gym clothes.

  I sat across from him on my bed. "Ok. So let's just get this over with. What is so important that you need to tell me right now?"

  Blake looked up. His red eyes were shining in a way that was different than before. "I just," He said and sighed while shaking his head. "I don't know. Me and the boys were talking and I realized that maybe I was too hard on you."

  I didn't trust this one bit.

  "I mean, I really hate you. You've ruined my reputation." He continued.

  Ah, there was the man I knew. I crossed my arms. "Wow, you come in here to tell me that?" I scoffed and stood up. "Get out. Now."

  "Wait." Blake pulled me close to him. "I wasn't finished."

  I couldn't move in his arms. Warmth radiated from his body like a burning oven, like a fire really did burn inside him.

  "I couldn't stand the sight of Knox's arm around you. I almost killed Zane when I saw him kiss you." Blake growled deep in his throat. "I was so jealous."

  This must be the alcohol talking. I wrote it off as him not being able to handle his drink. "Right," I said slowly. The warm glow around him was making my cheeks hot. "Are you being serious right now or are you drunk?"

  "A bit of both?" Blake laughed.

  The sight of his grin and the sound of his laugh made my chest tight. "You're bipolar," I said and pushed him away.

  "I'm being serious, Evie." Blake grabbed my hand. "You make me so confused and I don't even know what to do with myself. But I know that you're not good for me."

  "I'm not good for you?" I exclaimed. "Wow. That's really something, coming from a guy like you." That tore my last shred of patience. "Get out," I said. "Just go."

  "Fine. I'll go." Blake turned for the door before stopping and looking at me. "One question though."

  "What?" I asked with my hands on my hips.

  "Do you really not know where you parents are?" He asked.

  That spun me for a loop. "What? No! I don't," I replied. "Why do you care?"

  "Just wondering," Blake said and left without another word. The door shut behind him with a click, leaving me in confused silence as sunlight began streaming into my room.

  ~

  That afternoon, I was startled by an alarm sounding through the school intercom. "Emergency meeting. All students are expected downstairs in 30 minutes. No exceptions."

  "Great," I muttered as I pulled my cardigan over my black tank top. "I'd bet anyone that this has something to do with last night."

  I shuddered at the thought of the punishment that would be dealt out to anyone who dared overthrow the Woodlock's staff. But then I remembered it had been the Sons of Hell and they would probably just pay their way out of it. Gods knew that money made immoral people weak and disgusting.

  I trudged downstairs to the main sitting room. Much to my surprise, the evidence of last night was no where to be seen; it had been magically cleaned up with the wave of a wand. I secluded myself to a chair in the back of the room and hugged my legs to my chest.

  It was more than satisfying to watch other students stumble in still suffering from hangovers. What was the word that Germans used for this sort of feeling? Ah, yes -- schadenfreude.

  Exactly thirty minutes after the announcement was made, Headmistress Gertie appeared with Mr. Hobbs by her side. She wore a conservative black dress that went all the way down to her ankles. The gas lamps flickering on the tables cast shadows across her face and brought attention to the wrinkles around her eyes and mouth.

  "Students," She said, looking around the room. "I see that not everyone is here yet and I'm hardly surprised." She waited in awkward silence as the last few students arrived: the Sons of Hell.

  Blake and his friends stood against the wall, all three looking to be experiencing various levels of hangovers and sleep deprivation. Blake scowled in my direction and I looked away.

  "Now, then," Headmistress Gertie said. "We can begin." She paused and the magical energy in the manor pulsed. "I am beyond disgusted with you all."

  Even I cringed at her disappointed tone. The girl next to me started sobbing.

  "I leave for one night and this is what happens?" The Headmistress continued. "I don't know who started this but I don't c
are. You will all be severely punished. Mr. Hobbs has successful reversed the mind-wiping hex and as soon as my colleagues regain their consciousness, I will know exactly what happened last night."

  I resisted the urge to glance at Blake. Everyone was looking at their feet or up at the ceiling.

  Headmistress Gertie finished her motherly guilt trip and sighed. "You are all here because everyone deserves a second chance. We believe that young magic users can be rehabilitated. But this blatant abuse of trust cannot go unpunished. Everyone is to remain in their rooms until a proper decision can be made." She waved her hands to dismiss us. "That is all."

  Students muttered under their breath to each other as they wandered back up stairs. I kept my eyes on the carpet, not wanting to accidentally give anything away. If the Headmistress found out from me that it was the Sons of Hell, I'd be murdered for sure.

  "Miss Knight. Would you stay back a moment, please?" The Headmistress stopped me at the stairs.

  The Sons of Hell walked by at that moment and a scorching sensation flew around me. Blake. A warning.

  "Sure, ma'am," I said with a fake smile that wilted under her strict gaze. I tried not to show the pain as the burning feeling faded.

  "Lucy is resting upstairs. She asked to speak with you." Headmistress Gertie eyed me suspiciously, as if I had something to do with Lucy's shifting or the teachers' memory loss. Both of which were impossible thanks to my broken wand. "Do you have any idea what happened to her last night?"

  "No, ma'am. I was in my room when the commotion started. I have no idea how she shifted. I saw her being taken away by Mr. Hobbs and that was the end of it," I said.

  "Very well," Gertie said and motioned for me to go. "That is all. Just try to stay out of trouble, alright?"

  I nodded and dashed up the stairs without looking back.

  SIXTEEN

  ------------------------

  BLAKE

  I woke up with a killer hangover sometime in the afternoon. I groaned and pulled my blankets over my head. "Damn." I sighed.