by Alicia Rades
“I know you’re still grieving,” Professor Warren said.
I pressed my fingers to my eyes. “Can we not do this again? How many times are we going to have this conversation?”
Professor Warren paused for a moment, and a look of regret crossed his features. “I’m sorry, Lucas.”
“I’m fine.” If I said it enough times, maybe I’d start believing it.
“Okay, then.” He nodded, accepting my claim, even if he didn’t believe it. “I’ll see you in two weeks.”
I started to get up, but he stopped me.
“And Lucas.” He gave me a pointed expression. “I want to see that journal.”
“Right.” The word felt dry in my mouth. “See you.”
I left the room before I heard his goodbye. As soon as I stepped into the hall, a wave of nausea slammed into me. It was so strong that I stopped dead in my tracks. I resisted the urge to double over, because I knew nothing would come from trying to heave. This kind of thing happened to me daily now. I leaned up against the wall as sweat broke out across my body. I forced myself to control my breathing as the nausea worsened.
“I should’ve told her about the affair,” a voice said in my mind.
It sounded like an old man’s. Just another regret—a secret—for me to carry around for the dead. Not like I had a fucking choice.
The nausea passed as soon as the voice faded. I glanced around, wondering if anyone had seen, but there weren’t very many people in the hall, and those who were here didn’t look at me.
I breathed a sigh of relief, knowing the episode was over. I summoned an old leather-bound notebook—the kind used for recording spells and incantations. I wrote down the thought beneath the others. Professor Warren didn’t know about this journal, the one where I kept track of everything I heard. I kept it just in case one day I needed to shove it in his face as proof of the shit I carried. Next week, I’d check the paper for the obituaries and try to match each thought with whoever had passed.
Maybe Professor Warren was right. Maybe I was focusing too much on the negative.
At least now I had one positive thing in my life. Nadine. I guess it was time to finally add an entry to the positivity journal.
Chapter 6
Nadine
Most mornings, I woke with a headache and stiff joints. Today was no exception. It took me over half an hour to get out of bed. While I waited for my joints to relax, I wrote my symptoms down in my journal.
Feel like shit. Joints ache. Another day in Paradise.
I’d been doing this since I was thirteen, so I could track my triggers. I knew most of them by now, but I figured it was still good to keep track. I poked at my phone for a while, then finally got out of bed to run myself an Epsom salt bath. After soaking in the tub, I finally felt like I could move.
Grammy knocked on the bathroom door while I was getting dressed. "How’s it coming?”
“I fell in,” I joked through the door.
She chuckled. “Do you need me to come in and rescue you?”
“Nah, I’ll be fine.”
“You sure?” she asked playfully. “I’ll break down this door.”
“I’d like to see that,” I teased.
Grammy laughed. “Let me know when you’re ready. Your ride will be here soon.”
“My ride?” I asked through the door. “I thought you were taking me.”
“I’ll meet you there,” she replied. “You don’t want to miss the limo. It’s a special opportunity for First Year students. Everyone looks forward to it.”
I liked the sound of a limo, so I hurried up and got dressed. Twenty minutes later, Grammy stood at the front door with me. She picked a cat hair off my shoulder, then looked at me like she was proud.
“You’re going to love college,” Grammy assured me. “I just know it.”
“I hope so,” I said nervously. “This whole magic thing is really new to me.”
“Pft,” Grammy said, waving her hand. “You’ll get used to it in no time.”
“So… about that séance?” I said slowly.
Grammy’s shoulders fell. “I know how hard this is for you, Nadine, but contacting your parents will be nothing short of emotional torture. I went through it with your grandpa, and believe me when I say contacting the dead makes it much harder to move on. I need you to trust me on this.”
“I do trust you,” I told her. I just wasn’t sure I trusted her on this. It wasn’t fair I never got to say goodbye to them. That was all I wanted.
Grammy glanced out the front window, and her eyes lit up. “Your ride’s here. Now, remember, I’ll meet you at the school to help you unpack. Have fun in the limo, and make lots of friends.”
I chuckled lightly. “I’ll try.”
I gave Grammy a hug, and she squeezed me back tightly. I was glad she was meeting up with me later, because I didn’t want to go through with this day on my own. I didn’t take my bags with me, as Grammy would be coming with those later.
I stepped outside and walked to the end of the sidewalk, where a sleek black limo was parked. An old man dressed in a suit and cap bowed his head to me. “Miss Evers?”
I fiddled with the strap on my purse. “That’s me.”
He smiled kindly. “Welcome to The Hearse.”
He reached out a white gloved hand and opened the door. I ducked inside and was shocked at what I found. I expected a few rows of seating and a couple other students, but there must’ve been a hundred people my age in there.
Holy crap! Inside, the limo was as big as a train! The ceiling was high enough for me to stand, and the red velvet seats stretched so far back I couldn’t see the back window. It should’ve been impossible, since the limo only looked a dozen feet long from the outside.
The floor of the limo was all black carpet, and the seats ran the length of the windows. I could see houses passing by us outside, but the ride was so smooth I could barely tell we were moving. Every couple feet was a small table, and there were various counters with baristas behind them, serving up coffee and snacks. An Evanescence song played softly from the speakers. Students laughed and chatted with each other. Several people were stroking cats on their laps, or flinging strings around so the cats would chase them.
I noticed the Lucky Three a few seats down. They were surrounded by a big group of people and laughing like they were the life of the party.
No one noticed my arrival, except a girl with dark skin and black hair sitting closest to me. She was dressed in a trendy black skater dress, with red tights and high-heeled boots. She kind of reminded me of a gothic Princess Jasmine. Her nails were painted red, and her hair was twisted into braids. She obviously had a good sense of fashion, and there was this friendly, approachable air about her. She was all alone, and she smiled sweetly when my eyes met hers.
“Need a seat?” she asked kindly.
“Sure,” I agreed. I sat beside her and glanced around.
“You’ve never been in The Hearse before, have you?” she asked.
I crinkled my nose. “That obvious?”
She chuckled. “A little.”
“I’m told I’m a witch, but I’m a total magic virgin,” I admitted.
She waved a hand and sat up straighter. “Don’t worry about it. You’ll catch on quickly. I’m Mandy, by the way.”
Mandy? Could she be the girl I’d heard the Lucky Three talking about?
“Nadine,” I introduced.
Mandy shook my hand, but she didn’t let go right away. She turned my palm in her direction and looked down at it. “Wow, I love your hands.”
I furrowed my brow. Was she hitting on me?
Mandy noticed my expression. “Oh, sorry. I just mean… I’m studying palm reading. I notice people’s hands. Yours are really soft.”
She ran her fingers over my palm. I should’ve found it creepy, but she came across as really friendly.
I laughed. “I’m flattered.”
“Can I read it?” she asked.
My heart fluttered. I’d always wanted to get my palm read. “Sure.”
Mandy inspected my palm closely. “Judging by the shape of your hands, you’re really curious and have a lot of ideas, but you tend to worry a lot and are prone to stress.”
My eyebrows shot up. “You’re psychic, then?”
Mandy smirked, obviously proud that she’d hit it on the nose. “Nope. My ceremony’s not until next semester. I just know my palms. The good thing about your hand shape is it means you’re a good communicator, though you don’t always share your feelings.”
If she weren’t a First Year, I wouldn’t have believed she wasn’t psychic.
Mandy ran her finger across one of the creases in my hand. “Your heart line suggests you fall in love easily, but your heart also breaks easily. If I’m reading your head line right, you’re creative and spontaneous, and you love adventure. Now for the fun one…”
Mandy wiggled her eyebrows, but I was starting to get a little creeped out. So far, she was spot on.
Mandy touched the longest line on my hand. “This is your life line. Yours shows that you’re tired a lot, but you’re really strong. But—oh, no.”
A shadow fell across Mandy’s face.
“What?” I asked urgently.
Mandy sucked a breath between her teeth. “There’s a circle on your life line,” she said, and I sensed that was really bad.
I shifted in my seat. “What does it mean?”
Mandy’s face fell. “It means you’re either going to suffer a severe injury or be hospitalized.”
I laughed, because it felt really ironic.
She furrowed her brow. “You don’t believe me?”
“No, I believe you,” I assured her. “It’s just creepy how accurate you are.”
Mandy looked uncomfortable, like she wanted to ask about my hospitalization, but she didn’t. “Well, at least there are no surprises. Um… one more thing.”
“What?” I asked.
Mandy cleared her throat. “I noticed your fate line is really prominent.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means your life is controlled by destiny,” she told me.
I tilted my head to the side. “You believe everyone has a destiny?”
Mandy shook her head. “Not everyone. But yours, Nadine… it seems pretty important.”
We both went silent. Something about what Mandy said seemed really ominous. Mandy looked just as uncomfortable as I was, so she changed the subject.
“Since you’re a magic virgin, it’s my obligation to tell you to check out The Hearse for breakfast, lunch, and dinner,” Mandy said. “And definitely visit after midnight.”
“Why?” I asked.
She gestured around us. “In the morning, it’s a coffee shop. At lunch, it becomes a café, and at dinner it’s a fancy restaurant. It’s at the witching hour that things get fun, though.”
I leaned in, intrigued. “What happens at the witching hour?”
Mandy grinned. “The Hearse turns into a nightclub.”
I bounced in my seat. “Ooh, sounds fun.”
“Don’t get me wrong,” Mandy said. “The coffee shop is great, too. Come on, let’s order something. Everything’s free today on our ride to school.”
Mandy and I stood and walked up to the barista. My eyes caught a vine plant wiggling on the countertop.
“Is that… alive?” I asked Mandy.
She chuckled. “All plants are alive, Nadine.”
I scoffed. “Well, yeah. You know what I meant.”
Mandy shrugged. “It’s just a vitamort plant. Makes wonderful tea, but be careful. If you eat the leaves raw, it’ll kill you.”
I took a step away from it. “That sounds… dangerous.”
Mandy shrugged. “Only if you eat it raw. What do you want?”
“Mm…” I continued to eye the menu. “A hazelnut cappuccino sounds good.”
Mandy leaned against the counter and laughed. “Do you want to be awake for three days straight?”
“No,” I replied.
“These aren’t normal cappuccinos, Nadine,” she told me. “They’re made by Alchemists and infused with magical properties. You should try the vitamort tea.”
“Didn’t you just say it could kill me?” I asked warily.
“Not if you prepare it right,” she said. “It’s really good for nerves.”
I couldn’t deny that I was really nervous about today, so I went with Mandy’s recommendation and got the vitamort tea. It was really sweet and had a hint of lemon to it. I finished it quickly and could already feel my nerves calming.
Mandy glanced out the window and inhaled a sharp breath. “We’re here!”
Miriam College of Witchcraft was on the edge of town. I glanced out the window, and my jaw dropped when the campus came into view. A huge gothic structure stood towering three stories high. It was the kind of place that should be cast in a dark sky and a full moon, with the howl of a werewolf in the distance. Just one look, and I was already eager to get inside.
A large iron gate surrounded the property, with a thick forest behind the school. Inside the gates was an expansive lawn where groups of students were lounging under oak trees or playing Frisbee in the grass. A couple of girls sat on the sidelines and giggled as the Frisbee was sent off course. The guys started arguing about using their Mentalist powers unfairly, when it was clear from this perspective the girls were messing with them.
I was surprised to see how many cats were on campus—nearly one for every two or three students. If I had known we were allowed to bring pets, I would’ve considered adopting one.
The Hearse pulled up to the front of the school. When I stepped out, Grammy was already waiting for me with my bags at the front doors.
“Thanks for letting me sit by you,” I told Mandy. “And for reading my palm.”
Mandy waved her hand, like it wasn’t a big deal. “No problem. Hopefully we’ll run into each other soon.”
“See you around.” I waved to Mandy, then hurried over to Grammy.
“Did you have fun?” she asked when I approached.
“Yeah,” I told her. “The Hearse was pretty cool.”
Grammy smiled. “Told you.”
“Come on, we’re going to end up in the back of the line.” I grabbed one of my bags and rolled it behind me. I could hardly get inside fast enough.
I stepped through massive double doors into a huge foyer two-stories high. Deep red carpet spanned the giant room and met up with a grand staircase painted in a black, glossy finish. Above our heads hung a black iron chandelier with burning candles on it. The walls were made of a dark wood and lined with beautiful sconces or elaborate mirrors. Everything was either red or black, and the lighting was dim, but I didn’t mind. It was like we’d stepped into a vampire’s lair, and I was down for that.
All around the crowded room were various plush sofas and chairs where students sat and chatted. One corner even had a huge fireplace, where a painting taller than me hung above the mantle. It depicted a beautiful woman wearing a corset dress. She had long flowing brown hair and beautiful bright eyes. Her skin was impeccably smooth, and her expression warm and welcoming. She was the kind of woman who you could go up and hug even though she was a stranger.
Grammy caught me staring. “That’s Mother Miriam.”
“Oh?” I asked, unable to take my eyes of the artwork. “She looks lovely.”
I finally tore my gaze off the painting to look at the students. They performed magic out in the open like it was nothing. I witnessed someone conjure their class schedule and overheard one girl telling another her aura was off today. At the fireplace, a group of Alchemy students were cooking something sweet-smelling over the coals.
“This way, Nadine.” Grammy led me over to a line behind the registration table. She stared straight ahead, like all of this beauty was an everyday thing. Meanwhile, I was still trying to take it all in.
“Is something wrong?” she asked.
&n
bsp; I shook my head. “No, it’s just that this foyer’s so big. I’m wondering how much of the mansion is left.”
Grammy smiled sweetly. “There’s no shortage of room in this mansion. It was enchanted long ago with a space-bending spell to make room for new students. There’s much more to this campus than meets the eye.”
“Which Cast can do that kind of magic—the spacial thing?” I asked.
“All of them… and none of them,” Grammy answered.
I furrowed my brow. “What do you mean?”
“When members of different Casts gets together, they’re capable of extraordinary things—things we can’t do on our own,” Grammy said.
For the first time in weeks, I felt relaxed. “I can’t wait to start classes to learn more about magic.”
At the registration desk, they gave me a folder filled with information about my room, my schedule, and a map of campus. I also got a beautiful beaded bracelet that Grammy informed me was enchanted. It unlocked my dorm and acted like a credit card as long as I was wearing it. Every time I bought food on campus, the total would be deducted from my meal plan, which like my tuition, Grammy was paying for. Count me in on the magic credit card!
I groaned a little when I saw my first class was at 9:00 a.m. I wasn’t exactly what you’d call a morning person. At least the classes sounded cool: Miriamic History, Demonology, Introduction to Tarot, and Conjuring Basics.
Looking at the map, I saw that Grammy was right. This place was way bigger on the inside than it looked on the outside. It was like an endless maze, one I wasn’t sure I’d ever manage to learn. Great. The new girl was going to get lost on her first day.
“Come on, Nadine.” Grammy cocked her head, and I followed her up the grand staircase, lugging one of my bags behind me. Grammy carried the rest of my luggage.
At the top, a huge, ornate window looked out over the forest. I glanced to the left, then to the right. Each hallway was identical to the other. They seemed to go on forever, as if someone had set up two mirrors facing each other. The same red carpet and dark walls from downstairs spanned in front of us. The walls were lined with beautiful sconces every few feet.
