by A. J. Macey
“Thanks for answering that question, Professor Callahan. I was struggling with it. I’ll see you in class on Monday,” I said cheerfully, turning to see Delilah walking up to the office. Her eyebrows furrowed as she studied us, obviously not expecting him to have visitors. I gave her a cheerful smile as I passed, turning and winking at a very relieved Torryn while her back was turned. Pushing the door open with my back, I blew him an air kiss when he glanced at me one last time. The heated glint in his seafoam-green eyes warmed me from the inside out as I made my way to my room.
I need some fresh freaking air before I self-combust.
An hour later, after showering and dressing in another tutu and plain shirt, I found myself walking on the main road from the academy to the nearest town, Crystal Borough.
Going for walks was one of the ways I kept myself sane back home, so needing some time to myself, this felt like the perfect opportunity to learn my new territory. The birds chirped as the breeze rustled the leaves of the trees lining the road. It was peaceful out here, the crisp autumn air soothing my hangover and giving me a new outlook on the day.
My smile widened as I got my first glimpse of Crystal Borough from the top of a small hill. Nestled into the valley at the bottom, the tiny town bustled despite its small size. Most of the homes were simple and small, save for one that loomed over the rest. In the center of town was an open-air market where carts were set up for everyone to browse the wares. The smell of something delicious had my feet moving a bit quicker, my stomach rumbling loudly as I bounded down the road.
I quickly found the source of the smell, my nose leading the way. The bazaar was full of street food vendors mixed among the merchants, showcasing everything from tacos to soul cakes to ‘poison’ toffee apples. Reaching into my purse, I hurried toward the one selling the toffee apples. I haven’t had one of these in ages! Mom always made us eat healthy at home.
The first bite of the delicious treat was heavenly, the flavors exploding across my taste buds as I closed my eyes and savored it. It almost made me miss the guys for a moment, thinking about how they’d love it here. I made a mental note to bring them the next time we all needed to get away.
When I finished my food, I tossed the stick in the trash and started to browse the different hanging items. A gorgeous dream catcher woven in pastel blues and pinks caught my eye, causing me to trip over a rock and bump into another witch.
“Oh, my broomsticks! I’m so sorry!” I yelped, catching myself before I could fall. I didn’t recognize the girl, but she was clearly around my age, so she must have been from Aether Academy too.
“Watch yourself, Mixta,” she sneered, brushing off her shirt like I’d soiled her with my lack of an affinity.
“Witch, please. You aren’t going to catch Mixta, it’s not a freaking disease,” I scoffed, thrown off by the rude comment. It had been so good here so far.
“Don’t think you’re special because Caspian is hanging out with you. He can do so much better than a Spellbeggar. Don’t drag him down,” she said again, this time making sure her friends heard, so they could laugh along with her. My cheeks burned, and I had to take a breath to calm my emotions. Bringing Cas into it made it hurt even more… I mean, I didn’t even know what we were. Were we just friends? Were we more? Could we be more if I had feelings for other guys at the same time? Should we be? These questions continued to swirl in my mind despite the cocky grin I plastered on my face.
“I mean, he chose me, so I’d say that makes me pretty special. Man… witches be petty,” I stage whispered the last portion, starting to walk away. Their dumb comments ruined the appeal of the market, so I turned and walked down one of the side streets, hoping to get away for a moment before looping back to the main road. I turned around to see if they were following, letting out a sigh of relief when I found myself alone. Turning to head down the street, I almost ran into someone again.
“Whoa, there,” Kye said, catching me when I started to stumble. I jumped a bit, not expecting someone to be there. His hands dropped to his sides after I had moved out of arm’s reach, and his hickory golden-brown eyes dimmed a little when he took in my tiny frown and hunched shoulders.
“Oh, hey, Kye,” I said, trying to give a small grin, but based on his growing scowl, it came out more of a grimace.
“You okay, Sweets?” he asked, his demeanor changing from worried to pensive to apprehensive. His voice said he wanted to know what was wrong, but his body language said he was struggling to find the words to communicate.
“Yeah, Honey. I’m fine. I’m just going to do some shopping,” I muttered, giving a small wave as I continued on, not wanting any company at the moment. “See you later, Kye.”
Without turning back, I kept walking down the street. A small shop with a bright red sign caught my eye, Gertie’s Trinkets, the enchanted letters sparkling in the sunlight. It seemed like the perfect distraction, so I hurried inside.
“Welcome to Gertie’s!” A little old witch hobbled to the front of the store to greet me. “I’m not used to visitors on market days. I’m glad you stopped by.” Her cheerfulness brought out my smile, and I relaxed a little.
“Oh, I bet the market makes it hard to sell on these days,” I said, glancing around at the beautiful, but empty shop.
“My daughter takes a cart up to the square, so we don’t miss out,” she explained as she moved behind the counter, sitting down on a stool with a relieved sigh.
“Oh. I spotted a beautiful dreamcatcher out there. One of yours?” I asked, pointing to a display.
“It must have been. We are the only one in town who makes them. Which one caught your eye?” she asked, her eyes sparkling with excitement now that she knew I appreciated her work.
“It was pink and blue with ribbons hanging down. I loved it, but I couldn’t stay in the square,” I mumbled the last part, suddenly reminded why I was so down.
“Why don’t you leave your name, and I’ll send word if it doesn’t sell.” She slid a piece of paper and a pen over, giving me a sympathetic smile. She had clearly picked up on my mood change and didn’t question me further.
“Oh, that would be amazing! Thank you,” I gushed, genuinely excited she was willing to do that for me. After writing my name down, I started to browse the shelves. She had several human trinkets on the back shelf, the Magic 8-Ball catching my eye. I’d read about these once in a human book. They told your fortune when you shook them. To make it even better, this one was pink! I snatched it off the shelf with a squeal, my mood quickly changing back to excited. With one last walk around the shop, I walked to the front and handed her the treasure. She smiled excitedly at the sight of it.
“You like human items from Aureus, too? I find them so intriguing. I get new shipments on the third Friday of the month, so you’ll have to come check them out when they come in,” she said, happy to find someone with similar tastes. I handed her the proper amount of coin for the little piece of the human world I had found before responding.
“I definitely will come back. Thanks for the help,” I said, exchanging a quick goodbye and heading out of the shop, my new treasure clutched in my arms.
At least something good came out of this trip.
Kyelerian
I’d never seen Aris so serious; something must have really been bothering her. I wanted to ask her if something was wrong, but I didn’t want to make it worse. Nothing is worse than making a girl cry. And let’s face it, I’m not the best at talking to her when she’s in a good mood. My mental conflict went back-and-forth as I walked toward the market. Shoving my hands in my pockets, I turned the corner and stepped up to one of the food vendors. I ordered quickly, craving something sweet after spotting a cotton candy pink foaming fizzle popper. Damn tiny pink witch getting under my skin, I half-assed grumbled as I took a bite of my treat, letting the airy confection fizzle and pop in my mouth, invading my senses—just like Aris.
As I walked away from the vendor, I heard a high-pitched girly laugh that grated
against on my eardrum. A wave of matching cackling followed, pulling my attention from the sugary deliciousness I had clutched in my hands. I spotted Amber, Tasha, and Esmerelda standing a few feet away. They were known throughout the school as gossips, so I was sure they had found a new target to chat about. I rolled my eyes and tried to walk away until I heard them joking about the annoying witch with the ridiculous pink hair. I froze in place, anger flooding me at the knowledge they were targeting Aris. I guess that explained why Sweets was so down. Instinctively, I took a step forward before stopping myself, though I did send a glare their way. I can’t fight her battles for her. Even if they got to her this time, Sweets doesn’t strike me as the type who stays down for very long. But that doesn’t mean I can’t defend her when she’s not around to defend herself.
“What?” Esmerelda snarked at me, having seen my steely stare.
“Sorry, I couldn’t help but overhear the utter bullshit spewing from your mouths. Why don’t you guys stop spending so much time focused on other people and work on yourselves?” I shot back, turning and stomping away. They didn’t even bother to retaliate—bullies rarely do when called out. They can talk about me all they want, I don’t give a fuck.
Knowing something was going on and not knowing what to say was eating at me, but I let my anger simmer and started back toward Aether. I need to talk to Caspian—he’ll know how to cheer her up. Just as I walked into the dormitory, I spotted his russet hair heading for the stairs.
“Caspian!” My loud voice had several people stopping to see what was going on, including Caspian. He looked confused but turned and walked over to where I was waiting.
“What’s up?” Caspian asked in his cheerful tone. He was almost as bad as Aris with how damn happy he was all the time.
“I just got back from Crystal Borough. Aris was getting picked on. When I said hi to her, she didn’t even smile. Go check on your girl,” I said, my tone more aggressive than I meant it to be, but I knew I wasn’t the man for this job. I’ve already almost hit my quota for social interaction for today.
Caspian’s brows drew down at my words, worry clear on his features. “Should I just ask about it? See how she’s doing?” he trailed off, clearly starting to panic.
“I don’t know. She’s your girlfriend, shouldn’t you know the answer?” I spouted with a wave of my hand. His eyes widened with surprise, a tiny grin spreading across his face.
“Girlfriend?” he asked, confusing me. What kind of dumb question was that?
“Uh, yes,” I hedged, the word stretched out as I eyed him.
“Well, that makes me feel better. I don’t know what the hell we are, but it’s nice to hear that.” He looked too smug, and I couldn’t help but roll my eyes.
“Just go check on her,” I ordered, shaking my head and waving him off. He gave one last grin before hurrying out the door.
She doesn’t have a boyfriend? Hmm… For once, I let my mind wander with the possibilities of what I could do with a certain tiny pink witch.
Caspian may have a little competition.
September 9th
Monday Afternoon
Aris
I felt refreshed and ready for the day when I got up the morning after spending Saturday night and all of Sunday relaxing, eating junk food, and binge-watching Boos and Brews with Caspian. He’d tried talking to me about my less-than-cheerful mood when I got back to campus, but I kept brushing it off. Thankfully, he didn’t push after I finally told him I didn’t want to talk about it.
The morning passed quickly, and I hadn’t run into the witchy trio from the market, so that made it even better. My usual chipper attitude was back as I took a pit stop to the student pantry and shoved my pockets full of marshmallows for Lulu. Usually, Caspian would have caught up with me by now, but he must have been running late. I started off without him, making my way to the familiar training barn and pasture.
The animals and students were already grouping, the recognizable sound of chattering and animal noises filling the area. This place always has a way of cheering me up. I wove around the groups until I managed to reach the pasture. Before I could even join my class, a nasally voice reached my ears.
“Oh, look, it’s the new girl. Did you charm your hair pink just for attention?” Tasha sneered, stopping me in my tracks.
Oh great, there goes my good mood. Witches be bitches.
“Oh, look, it’s the girl who needs to mind her own business. I’ll charm my hair whatever color I want,” I said cheerfully, giving an exaggerated flip of my hair before continuing on my way.
“Oh, really, then uncharm this, Mixta,” Amber called after me before a wave of magic hit me. I stopped walking as everyone around me gasped. A soft breeze blew through the pasture, ruffling my hair and bringing it in front of my eyes. My mouth dropped open as the deep green locks fluttered in my view.
“Thanks, it was about time for a change,” I called over my shoulder with a happy grin before continuing on. I refused to show how much it bothered me, but on the inside, I was throwing a witchy fit, kicking and screaming that they would dare mess with my hair like that.
Don’t let them win, Aris, take it with a smile. You’ve dealt with worse.
Caspian finally came into view just as Thane and Lulu joined the class. He cocked his head to the side, but couldn’t interrupt us, so I just gave him a bright but strained smile and turned my attention to Thane. Lulu ambled over, nudging her nose against my pockets as soon as she could reach. I smiled down at my cute and scaly companion before plopping down on the grass and feeding her a handful of marshmallows.
“When caring for your familiar, you need to make sure you’re listening to their needs. They’ll let you know what they like and dislike, so it’s best to keep them happy. Happy familiar means stronger bond and stronger magical contribution,” Thane droned on. My heart wasn’t in class today, despite the fact I wanted a familiar so badly, I was determined to learn all I could.
Class passed quickly since I spent my time focusing on feeding Lulu and daydreaming. As soon as the bell chimed, Caspian and Torryn both stormed over to me.
“What happened to your hair?” Torryn hissed, narrowing his eyes at me.
“Who did that to you?” Caspian demanded at the same time. They glanced at each other with a slight glare but didn’t bother to argue, turning back on me in demand for answers.
Is hell freezing over? Did they just pass up an opportunity to argue?
“Don’t worry about it, I’ll rock it,” I explained confidently, gathering up my bag and tossing one last marshmallow at Lulu before shooing Torryn off to our mentoring session. “Come on, we have mentoring.”
“I’ll see you at dinner,” Caspian said, his voice holding an inflection of hurt because I didn’t confide in him. He had clearly caught on that something was happening, but I couldn’t bring myself to talk about it—not yet, anyway. It was too soon, and I wasn’t totally sure how to react with people actually giving a shit about me. I ignored the twist of pain in my chest at his slightly downturned lip. Damn it all to hex. I made a mental note to talk to him tonight. It was hard work making real friends. I’ve got to try though; friendship or whatever we are is a two-way street.
Torryn didn’t press me further as we walked to campus. He passed the student dorms and veered to the left by the creek. We walked further into the forest and eventually passed the staff housing with no sign of stopping. As we walked, I noticed small crystals sprouting out of the ground here and there. They caught my eye, sparkling in the sunlight that streamed through the trees.
“Why are crystals growing out here?” I inquired, but Torryn just chuckled and kept walking. The sound caught me off guard. For once, he didn’t seem so gruff, the sound light and carefree.
“You’ll see,” he teased, looking over his shoulder and winking.
He stopped walking abruptly, making me slam into his toned back. What the heck? There’s nothing here, I thought as I glanced around. He chuckled at my confusion
before pushing aside a cluster of vines to reveal an entrance to a cave. My excitement ramped up as I peered in, the grin on my face now matching his. He turned and continued his journey, leading me further into the cave, an odd, iridescent glow of purples, blues, and pinks filling the space. The sight only had my confusion growing until the tunnel gave way to a large cavern filled with crystals of every color and size.
“Wow,” I breathed out, my voice low as I gaped at the beautiful sight. The sun filtered in from somewhere above us, reflecting through the crystals and bouncing the rays around the room in an opal kaleidoscope of colors. “What is this place? Why are we here?”
“I’ve seen the sparks of magic in you, and nothing fuels magic quite like crystals. I thought this would be the perfect training grounds, and it’s far enough away from the school so nobody gets hurt,” he teased lightly before taking my hand and leading me to the center of the space.
My heart thudded in my chest at the contact, the feeling of his hand in mine enough to distract me from the beauty around us. Magic danced between our intertwined fingers, tingling against my skin, but I didn’t let go… it felt... amazing.
“It’s beautiful here,” I said, finally breaking the silence and getting myself out of my own thoughts. Overthinking feelings with Torryn was a bad idea.
“Look up,” he commanded lightly, looking down at me to make sure I followed through. I smirked at him before following his orders. What I had thought was a simple cave opening was actually a long tunnel heading upward. The tunnel walls were crystal, not stone, before ending in the flat surface of a clear crystal. The colors of the walls were the same colors as the school’s center fixture, cluing me into what I was seeing.
