Dark Is Her Nature

by Judith Berens

  “Thank you so much, Mara. Thank you.” Her father reached across the desk to squeeze her hand.

  “Do you want to say anything to her before I do this?”

  “No” Izzie’s father replied. “It’s best we leave it like this.”

  Izzie’s mother didn’t question him. Mara stood up and walked around the desk to the two of them, motioning for them to stand. It would be the last time they would remember they ever had a daughter.

  Izzie sat on a small padded bench and stared at her reflection in the mirror. She picked up the brush and ran it through her long dark hair, her eyes glowing. She had changed out of her wet clothes and was waiting for her mother. Everything had been so good; so perfect, then out of nowhere she was left wondering about her and her parents’ future. A soft knock on the door drew her back to reality and she looked in the mirror, watching Mara’s reflection as she walked inside and closed the door behind her.

  “They’re gone, aren’t they?”

  “Come, sit down next to me.” Mara sat on the edge of the bed and patted the space next to her.

  Izzie sighed, put down the brush, and moved to the bed. She was trying to be tough and hold back the tears, but they had left. They hadn’t even said goodbye.

  “Your parents are doing what is best for you, and though it kills them, they are saving your life.”

  “I feel like there is a hole in my chest.” Izzie buried her face in her hands and let the tears flow.

  “I know.” Mara hugged her tightly, whispering into her ear, “But it will only last a minute.”

  Izzie slowly pulled back as she felt Mara’s body getting warmer. She looked at her in confusion as her body glowed, the symbols running up and down her arms, flipping and fading away. Mara smiled, pursed her lips, and laid her hand on Izzie’s head.

  “Erasus Preceding, Replacus the Meaning,” Mara whispered as a broad line of light magic headed straight down her arm and over Izzie’s head.

  Mara pulled the memories from Izzie’s mind, then sent a blue streak of light to fill the void with a false past. Izzie closed her eyes and fell back on the bed and Mara twisted the girl’s orb into her hands, then turned toward the door.

  “Come in,” she called.

  The caretaker entered slowly, looking from the orb to Izzie.

  “She will need rest, but I want you to watch her. If she wakes before I return come get me immediately.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” the caretaker replied, taking a seat in the chair next to the bed.

  Mara pulled the covers over Izzie and looked at her for a moment before leaving the room and heading down to her office. She entered quickly, letting the large wooden door slam behind her, then went behind her desk and stared down at an etched wooden box. She took a deep breath, opened it, and set Izzie’s memories between her mother’s and father’s. She closed the box and pulled out her wand, running it over the edges to seal it. She placed it on her shelf among the other artifacts and sat down in her chair.

  Upstairs, tucked tightly in the guest bedroom, Izzie slept.

  Streaks of light blew past Izzie’s face, her dreams wild and vivid. Fireballs raced past her as she stood alone in the dark, wet alley. She looked around slowly, not feeling any danger but confused as to where she was, then the world around her began to curl into plumes of smoke. Flashes of laughter and faces she didn’t recognize moved around her, then disappeared in the same smoky finality. When the smoke cleared she stood by herself in the dark.

  She stepped forward, her shoes echoing into the vastness. She turned right and left, yelling into the void.

  “Hello?”

  No one answered as a chill ran through her and the hair on her neck stood on end. She stepped forward again, but this time her foot kept going and she fell into darkness. She landed with her eyes closed as her hands grasped the soft grass around her. She heard a laugh—a gentle soothing sound—and opened her eyes. Standing over her was a woman with long dark hair and the most beautiful smile. Her voice was kind and soft and Izzie couldn’t help but smile.

  “Wake up, Izzie.”

  Izzie tilted her head and the woman disappeared into a cloud of smoke that drifted off with the breeze.

  “Izzie, time to wake up.”

  As the dream faded, Izzie slowly opened her eyes and looked at the high white ceilings. Her throat was dry when she tried to swallow, and she had to blink several times to get her eyes to focus. To the right was a voice; a familiar one.

  “Good morning, dear.” Mara smiled. “How are you feeling?”

  Izzie looked at her and sat up, then rubbed her head and looked around the room. Everything was so fuzzy and confusing. “How did I get here?”

  “Oh, silly!” Mara chuckled. “Remember? The orphanage placed you here as my ward. Do you know who I am?”

  “Yes. Mara Berens, Headmistress.”

  “Exactly. Do you remember the orphanage?”

  Izzie rubbed her head and looked down at the red and brown comforter. Slowly memories began to move through her mind, and before long her whole entire existence up to that point filled her brain. She could remember the orphanage and growing up there. She could remember her friends, the moment she found out she was a Light Elf, and receiving her scholarship to the School of Necessary Magic.

  “Yes, I remember. Is this my room?”

  “No.” Mara laughed. “You will be placed in a room with four other girls, but you were here early so I set you up in the guest room. You can stay in this room whenever school isn’t in session, if you like.”

  Izzie nodded and smiled, but felt like there was something else there, something she’d forgotten. Mara clapped her hands and set down a bag of clothes.

  “These are your uniforms, my dear. Make sure they fit and rest today, because tomorrow is opening day for school. Lots to do—lots and lots. The kitchen is downstairs and they will serve lunch for us at noon, so don’t be late.”

  “All right.” Izzie nodded and Ms. Berens left the room in a hurry.

  Mara closed Izzie’s bedroom door and leaned against it for a moment, her face dropping. She had done a lot of magic in her day, both here and on Oriceran, but never in this manner. She felt for the girl.

  “No time to feel pity, Mara. School starts tomorrow,” she whispered to herself.

  3

  The morning sun cast shimmering rays of light over the rolling hills and green pastures of Albemarle County, Virginia. From the School of Necessary Magic, you could see for miles. It perched atop a lush green ridge, surrounded by hundreds of acres of pastures and forest. The school was tucked away from the traffic in nearby Charlottesville and gave just enough privacy to allow the students to flourish. It had been there for twenty years, and though the locals often wondered what went on out there, they never bothered to try to find out. Those who wandered near the iron gates found themselves wandering away, unable to remember what they were doing in that part of the county. It was the perfect setting for young talent to be molded into the future magical beings of Earth.

  Local rumors said there was a spell over the entire school, but most chalked it up to overactive imagination.

  The late summer heat was starting to simmer as students from all over the country flooded the grounds. Some walked through magical portals with their parents in tow and others came in cars, just like the humans. Magical beings had been blending in with the communities for generations, but that was changing. Magic was very slowly returning to Earth.

  “Hey, look what my dad got me for school this year!” a second-year wizard yelled, excitedly pulling out a brand-new wand.

  “Thank God.” his friend scoffed, rolling his eyes. “You almost burned down the west wing of the mansion last year when you sneezed.”

  “Yeah, I did it again at home. That’s why the old man got me this one, made of evergreen broadleaf from my hometown.” He smiled as he gazed at the twisted light wood.

  “Oh yeah, you’re a California boy.” His friend chuckled. “Surf’s up, bro.�
�

  The young wizard scrunched his nose. “Not really any surfing in Sacramento, bro.”

  “Well, show me what it can do. Conjure me up some breakfast. I missed it this morning.” The kid rubbed his stomach and leaned back.

  “All right,” the young wizard replied, pushing up the sleeves of his uniform. “Mountainus Bacon.”

  A plate appeared in the kid’s lap and bacon began to pile up. “Whoa, awesome! Wait, that’s enough, dude…seriously.”

  “Uh, I don’t know how to stop it.” The young wizard fumbled with his wand as the pile grew. “Shit!”

  “Language, Mr. Lions,” the headmistress caroled as she passed them. She cast her elf energy outward and the plate disappeared. “Try studying instead of casting frivolously.”

  Mara Berens was in her nineteenth year as headmistress of the School of Necessary Magic. She was part Light Elf and part witch, with a touch of human heritage. She had a sense of humor, but definitely kept the kids under control. She believed in what the school had been organized to do, even if it the land and buildings were donated by Turner Underwood, the last Elf Fixer, and the school was started by the United States government. It was true that many of the kids who ended up there did so because they were a bit too much for normal society to handle, but it wasn’t a place for truancy. It was a place for the most powerful magical teenagers to hone their skills so that when the gates opened between Earth and Oriceran once again they could help control the magic.

  Izzie stood behind the headmistress and gave the young wizards a tight-lipped smile. The second-year stared down at his wand while the other sat on the picnic table and shoved bacon into his mouth.

  Mara hurried through the crowds, pulling her wand out to stop the different spells the kids were casting. They had been pent up at home under the restrictions of magic in the real world and were now set free at the school. Mara tried to be understanding but it was inevitable that some mistakes would be made. She didn’t want to end up with another fire in the schoolhouse as had happened the year before. Mara spotted Lucy Fowler, the Plants for Potions instructor, and scurried over. Lucy was older and had bright red hair that frizzed uncontrollably, and she wore wildly colorful outfits to match. She was a Light Elf with a particular proclivity for potions making.

  “Lucy?” Mara hurried over. “Have you seen Miss Grant? She is supposed to be meeting with the new students’ parents. I have a million and one things to take care of.”

  “She might be at the teachers’ cottages still. She was trying to put together the last of her lesson plans. You know how much is constantly changing with the underground cities. The poor woman has an ever-evolving lesson plan.”

  Mara walked quickly to the back of the East Wing to look at the cottages below. She gave Izzie a wide-eyed glance before squinting into the valley—and there was Annabelle, carrying books stacked so high it took magic to keep them from falling. Mara sighed and sent out an orb carrying her message.

  “Hurry, Miss Grant. The parents are gathering in the hall and you are to be introduced.”

  Annabelle looked up, startled by hearing the headmistress’ voice. She stopped waving her wand around the books and put her hand up to let Mara know that she was coming—and the books tumbled to the grass. She sighed and picked them up before heading to the double doors of the mansion.

  The Georgian-style mansion sprawled across the grounds. It had wraparound porches and bright blue shutters, but on the inside were secrets and old magic from previous generations. Everything the young witches and wizards would need to learn was inside those doors, just waiting to be tapped. For the students, it was a place to increase their power, hang out with like-minded friends, and dream about the future. These weren’t your typical teenagers but it was a safe and respected place with instructors and teachers from both Earth and Oriceran.

  After the car came to a stop in the circular drive a young first-year climbed out, straightening her plain gray tank top but her right Chuck Taylor sneaker was untied. She was petite and had olive skin, deep brown eyes, and silver-tipped brown hair that cascaded over her shoulders. She clung tightly to the book in her arms as she scanned the souls that were bouncing around the grounds. She could tell there were many types of magical beings there. Some were young, their powers hidden in swirls of colors, and others were more in control and confident in their magic. However, everyone, no matter what age or level, broadcast an undertone of excitement to be back at school.

  This was Alison’s first year at the School of Necessary Magic, and she was a bit nervous to meet everyone. She had recently lost both her parents. Her mother had been killed by an LA gang, and her father was killed in retribution for selling her mother out after he found out the truth about her and Alison. It had been a rough way to end the last school year. Alison was being dropped off by her new guardian, James Brownstone, a bounty hunter, and their friend Shay Carson, a field archaeologist. Neither were exactly parental types.

  But they had both been there when she needed them, rescuing her from a vicious death like her mother's. There was that other thing, too. Brownstone had explained that her mother was a two hundred and twelve-year-old Drow princess.

  “You have the same abilities, Alison,” he had told her.

  “Not that I’ve noticed.”

  “Give it time. Your mother gave her life to keep you safe.”

  Too bad about dear old dad. That was the thing he wasn’t saying.

  “You must be Mr. Brownstone” a voice called. Alison was pulled back to the present and did her best to shake off the recent events. This place had to be better than all those deaths and lies and betrayals.

  Alison turned and saw the bright green glow of Eleanor Hudson’s aura. She watched the different streams of light float around the woman. She was a relatively powerful witch, but she kept that hidden and stayed in the background. She was a serious woman with a slight bit of whimsy, though Alison could tell she didn’t let that show very often.

  Eleanor adjusted her square black-rimmed glasses and pulled down on her black lace button-up top. Her blonde hair was pulled back into a loose but tidy bun at the nape of her neck and she smiled kindly at the young girl, years of trials creating wrinkles at the corners of her eyes. Mr. Brownstone had told her about Alison, but the girl was a little quieter than she thought she would be. “And Alison.”

  “Am I... supposed to bow or something?” James asked.

  Shay slapped a hand to her forehead, rolling her eyes. “Seriously, Brownstone?”

  The woman laughed and extended her hand. “How about I just offer you my hand? I’m Eleanor Hudson. I teach magical history and basic spells here. The headmistress was called away on an urgent matter, so she asked me to help Alison with her orientation.”

  They spoke a bit more, then Brownstone, Shay, and Alison made their awkward farewells and her new guardians left.

  “Well, come on dear, no need to be shy, these students will never let you live it down.”

  Alison stepped forward and tripped over a small branch lying on the ground. All beings and all magic gave off energy, and that was how Alison saw the world. The rest were shadows, barely recognizable entities in the background. She smiled and looked toward Mrs. Hudson, getting her footing.

  “I guess I should tell you that I see the world differently than others,” Alison offered. “I see souls and energy. Oh, and spells. Most people don’t even notice that I can’t see.”

  “I may not have noticed either.” Eleanor chuckled, withholding that she already knew. “Just a clumsy teenager like the rest.” Eleanor put her arm around Alison’s shoulder and walked her toward the large mansion. “Come on, let’s get you familiar with the place. There is plenty of magic here, and probably more color than you’ve ever seen before.”

  Alison chuckled politely and walked beside Eleanor while scanning the students. She could tell the freshman from the upperclassman by the teal curiosity in their energy. She tried not to read any one person too deeply, since that
would take her the rest of her time at the school.

  “Ms. Berens, the headmistress, wanted to show you around, but as you can imagine there are a hundred things to do today so you are stuck with me.”

  Alison smiled and stopped to look at the large structure in front of her. Magic swirled around the building and the intertwined colors brought the structure of the house to life in her mind. It was unlike anything she had ever seen, and though it was exciting, the stream of dark magic mixed with the rest gave her a moment’s pause. She had seen enough darkness in her life, even if it was in others’ souls.

  “Up ahead on your right is Max Regency. He will be your channeling teacher. He’s a thoughtful man, full of human philosophy, and has a wealth of Oriceran and Earth knowledge. He spends a lot of time pondering with a glass of scotch.”

  Max Regency was a Gnome, standing around three feet in height. He wore suspenders and a tie, and almost always carried a rocks glass with something in it. He wasn’t a drunk by any means, but Alison could tell from his energy’s dark blue shade that he felt it made him look more intelligent and professor-like. She smiled, already knowing she was going to like him even if others found him boring.

  “You will meet the rest of your teachers soon, but I want to get you familiar with the house.” Eleanor walked Alison through the wooden double doors.

  Alison looked around the entryway, watching the magic move and twist over the walls and artifacts and across the floor. She took a step toward a pillar to her right and touched the stone. There was old magic flowing deep beneath the bright new spells and protections that lit up the school. It was obvious the building had been there before it was a school.

  Above them a vibrantly-souled creature flew through the open space. “That’s our gargoyle.” Eleanor looked up at the impressive creature. “Some witch brought him back from Oriceran and wasn’t aware of just how dangerous he could be, so the new Fixer brought him here to live. He’s friendly, but don’t get in trouble or he’ll carry you to the headmistress’ office by your shirt.”