The Witch Within

by M. Z. Andrews

  “Next up is Daphne Fletcher!”

  Daphne waited for Elodie to sit before standing herself. She grinned at the crowd. Daphne was a silver-haired woman with the lines of age marring her otherwise pretty face. By far, Daphne was the oldest of the group, and yet she looked spry in the army fatigues she wore as she stood at attention.

  “Daphne was a general magic studies major, and after her time at the Institute, she ended up going on to work in the public sector. She took a consultant position with the Texas Army National Guard and assists with statewide emergencies, such as fire control, disaster relief, and other very commendable service activities.”

  After the cheers for Daphne died down, Sorceress Stone turned her gaze on the last of the group. The final woman’s lips were puckered into a small protruding circle as she looked out at the crowd. She had sunflower-blond hair and green eyes, a small nose and ears, and high cheekbones, and she was tall and thin. On paper, one might regard all of her features as attractive. But when everything was totaled up, her face looked pained and uptight. And instead of pretty, her face came off as contrived, as if she’d seen the inside of one too many plastic surgeons’ offices.

  “This is Gemma Overbrook. Gemma was also a general studies major at the Institute. Sorceress Overbrook has since gone on to found the first online institution for our craft, the Overbrook School of Witchcraft. Not only does she provide classes for those just learning their craft, but she also offers continuing education courses for those witches requiring refresher courses and for those who would like to acquire additional magical skills.”

  Sorceress Stone paused then and looked back at the group she’d just introduced. She leaned into the microphone. “Please help me in welcoming these five Institute alums, and thank them for taking time out of their very busy schedules to be here today and for the rest of this week!” She clapped.

  The crowd cheered, excited to have well-known alums in our midst. When the cheering had settled down, Sorceress Stone continued. “Now it’s time to get down to business. Before we discuss graduation requirements, I’d like to take a few moments to address our first-year students. For you, the end of this week will be spent on finals. Each of your classes will host both final written and practical application examinations. In order to move on to the second year, you must pass all of your examinations. Students receiving an average grade of lower than a C in any class will be required to retake that class before moving on to the second semester.”

  My mouth widened slightly. A C?! Nothing lower than a C? I bit on the inside of my lip. I wasn’t doing particularly well in my Advanced Kinetic Energy class, and I’d already decided that I’d be satisfied to get a D in the class. And now I had to pull my average up to a C? Ugh.

  Alba turned to look at me, one eyebrow peaked. “Don’t worry,” she whispered. Whether she’d sensed a change in my body language or she’d read my mind, which she did on occasion, I wasn’t sure. “I’ll practice with you this week.”

  I nodded at her and whispered back, “Thanks.”

  After the chatter around the room died down, Sorceress Stone continued. “Now, as you all know, graduation is this Sunday! Not only will second-year witches be on stage receiving their Powers Unleashed certificates, but first-year witches will also be on stage making their major declarations!”

  With a heavy heart, I glanced down at Jax. I knew what I’d be majoring in. Alba and Holly knew what they were majoring in. Sweets had dropped out of school because she’d gotten a job in her area of expertise already. But poor Jax not only didn’t have the powers of a witch, but now her mother wasn’t going to let her go on to her second year of witch school. There would be no major declaration for her.

  Trying to be inconspicuous, Jax tugged the sleeve of her shirt down over her fingers and used the cuff to blot at her eyes. She was crying and trying very hard not to let us see her.

  Holly rubbed Jax’s back, and Alba reached down and tousled Jax’s soft, spiky green hair. Holly had colored and cut it for St. Patrick’s Day, and Jax had liked the green so much, she’d decided to keep it until her birthday. Despite their attempts at making her feel better, Jax didn’t move.

  Knowing that this was once again all Sorceress Stone’s fault, I felt a surge of anger welling up inside of me. I wanted to corner the woman and let her have it. I wanted to tell her what a horrible mother she’d been for all of Jax’s life and force her to see what a great person Jax had grown up to be despite the neglect she’d suffered for the last eighteen years. But mostly I just wanted her to show love to her daughter.

  As her voice poured through the speakers once again, I groaned in disgust. Just hearing her speak grated on my nerves.

  “Now that we have gotten that out of the way, we must discuss graduation. I must remind our graduating witches that instead of final testing as done when moving from first year to second year, there will only be a final project. In order to graduate, candidates must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities they have gained throughout the last two years at the Institute by the manipulation of the four elements: fire, water, earth, and air. The project, which will be judged by the members of the Great Witches Council, will be presented throughout the week. It’s a simple pass-or-fail system. Results will be announced at the graduation ceremony. Those who fail must repeat second year before receiving their Powers Unleashed certificates.”

  Excited squeals went up around the room.

  “I think the main thing to note here is that in order to graduate, you must impress our judges. Fail to impress, and—well…” She lifted her brows as she shook her head gently. “You just may fail to graduate.”

  3

  That afternoon, my mother lifted a stack of books and some trash off one of the tables in the dining room of Habernackle’s Bed, Breakfast, and Beyond. Her red hair, streaked with random strands of white, was piled in a bun on top of her head and she wore a green apron over her clothes. She frowned when she saw me come into the restaurant.

  “Mercy, it would really be nice if your friends picked up after themselves and maybe helped out a little around here.” She strode over to the staircase that led up to the bedrooms and dropped the books and the garbage on the bottom step.

  I rolled my eyes. “Ugh, those are Holly’s. You don’t have to tell me. I already know she’s a total slob. Alba tells her to pick up after herself in their room all the time too. She never listens.”

  “Well, can you take those things up to her room, please? I’m trying to prepare for the dinner rush.”

  My shoulders crumpled inward. “But, Mom! I just got home from class. I’m starving! I was headed to the kitchen to have a snack. I have a ton of homework. Finals are this week, you know.”

  “Really, Mercy? How old are you? You can’t help out a little around here? Run the books upstairs, and then you can have a snack.”

  I looked at the stack of Holly’s books at the bottom of the stairs and the empty coffee cup emblazoned with the Paranormally Delicious logo on it and found myself wanting to wring Holly’s neck. To look at the girl, she was completely put together. Probably one of the most put together people I knew, honestly. She rarely left her room without full hair and makeup. She agonized over her clothing selection like she was picking her wedding dress, and she lived for her accessories.

  But at home, she couldn’t be more different. Her makeup and hair products covered the counter of our shared bathroom. The agonizing over her clothing meant she tried on a dozen outfits every morning before school, just to discard her non-selections onto the floor. It drove Alba crazy. The two of them had gotten into it on more than one occasion, which annoyed me even more because then Sweets would get involved. She always had to defuse the situation, which meant we had to listen to her go on and on about the importance of a witch’s coven and how important it was that we all got along. I wasn’t particularly fond of those long lectures. Sweets was, after all, a friend, not my mother.

  “Fine,” I finally grumbled. After all,
I did appreciate the fact that my mother had given the girls and me a place to stay after we’d moved out of the dorms. Granted, it was a temporary arrangement, but I still appreciated not living under Sorceress Stone’s watchful eye anymore. I reached down and scooped up Holly’s books and her empty coffee cup. “Where’s Reign?”

  “In the kitchen.”

  “Can’t I just go say hi first and grab a couple cookies?”

  My mother stopped setting tables and looked at me sharply.

  I knew that look all too well. I lifted my brows. “Fine. Fine. I’m going.” I stomped up the stairs and burst into the room that Holly and Alba shared. Inside, I found Holly at her vanity debating between earrings and Alba sitting on their shared bed with her legs crossed at the ankles and a textbook in her lap.

  “Ugh,” I groaned. “Holly!”

  Holly swiveled around with a bright smile on her face, holding two pairs of earrings up to her ears. “Which ones, Mercy, the blue ones or the silver ones?”

  “Like I care?” I snapped.

  Alba chuckled silently to herself.

  Holly wrinkled her nose. “Uh! Rude?” Shooting us both the stink eye, she turned back around to face the mirror. “Personally, I prefer the silver ones, but I like that the blue ones match my eyes.”

  “Holly, you need to start picking up after yourself. My mom’s getting annoyed.” I held out the stack of books and the empty coffee cup she’d left downstairs.

  Holly shrugged. “Sorry,” she said noncommittally. “Is Reign down there?”

  “Yeah, he’s in the kitchen,” I grumbled. “What do you want me to do with these books?”

  Holly didn’t even turn around. “Just toss ’em on the bed.”

  Alba looked up at Holly sharply. “No, don’t just toss ’em on the bed. Put ’em on her nightstand.” She pointed at Holly’s side of their shared queen-sized bed. “Cosmo, I’m sick of your messes. I can’t live like this anymore. It was never this bad in the dorms.”

  “That’s because Sorceress Stone did random room checks,” said Holly. She smiled happily. “Isn’t it nice not to have to do those anymore?”

  “No, it’s not nice!” said Alba through gritted teeth. “I’m sick of your piles of clothes everywhere. You get makeup on all of my stuff. The room constantly smells like fingernail polish remover, and this morning I stepped on one of your earrings on the way to the shower.”

  Holly’s eyes brightened as she turned to look at Alba. “You found my earring? Was it the pink spiky one? I’ve been looking for that one all week!”

  Alba’s face curled into a snarl. “Yes, as a matter of fact, it was the pink spiky one. And it spiked me right in the middle of my foot.”

  Holly looked around. “Well, what did you do with it? Maybe I’ll change into my new pink shirt and wear those.”

  “I threw it away. That’s what I did with it.”

  “Threw it away! Why would you do that?”

  Alba leaned her head back against the headboard and palmed her forehead. “Red. You need to get her out of here before I blow a gasket.”

  I rolled my eyes and held the door open wider. “Come on, Holl. Let’s go. You can hang out in my room until Alba cools down.”

  Holly wrinkled her nose. “I don’t know what she’s got to cool down about. She threw away my earring.”

  “Cosmo… I’m warning you. You’re on my last nerve!”

  “Let’s go, Holl.” I reached out and grabbed Holly by the wrist and dragged her out of the room. I was tired. I’d had a long day at school and had a ton of studying to do. I really didn’t need to be cleaning bits of Alba off the walls after she exploded.

  Holly dragged her feet as I pulled her out of the room, but out in the hallway, she perked up almost immediately. “How do I look?”

  I gave her a once-over. Her blue off-the-shoulder crop top matched her eyes, but she showed almost as much skin on top as she did on the bottom with her short white shorts and wedge sandals. “I don’t know. You’re missing the top part of your shirt,” I said, pointing at the tops of her exposed breasts.

  Holly giggled while rolling her eyes. “Okay, Alba.” She flipped her wavy blond hair over her shoulders and did a little wriggle in front of me, making her boobs bounce like a pair of overinflated beach balls. “No, I’m serious. Do you like this top? It’s from Dixie Carlton’s new line. It came in the mail today while we were in class.”

  I wrinkled my nose. “Dixie Carlton has a clothing line? I thought she was an actress.”

  “Well, duh, she’s an actress, but she’s also Insta-Famous and she just launched her own clothing line. This is from her spring collection. She models almost everything in her line, and I’m not trying to toot my own horn or anything, but I think I look better in this top than she does!”

  I shrugged. “I mean, of course you look good, but…”

  That was all Holly wanted to hear. She squealed before I could finish my sentence, then rushed towards the stairs. “Thanks, Merc! I’m going downstairs to get a snack.”

  “Oh, hey! Bring me a couple of my mom’s chocolate chip cookies, would you?” I asked, heading towards the room I shared with Jax and Sweets.

  A frown passed over Holly’s face, but only for a second. “Okay, fine.” She disappeared, flouncing down the stairs with a big smile on her face.

  I knew where she was going. To flirt with my brother. She’d flirted with him since the day she’d met him, but it had picked up considerably since we’d moved into the B&B. Of course, as usual, Reign wanted nothing to do with Holly, so her attempts weren’t very concerning.

  I pushed open my bedroom door to find the lights on and Jax curled up on her side of our bed. “Hey, Jax.” I dumped my backpack down on the floor and then flopped backwards onto the bed.

  “Hi, Mercy,” she said in a tiny voice.

  “Did I wake you up?”

  “No, I was just laying here.”

  “Why? You sick?”

  “No. I’m not sick.”

  “Then what’s the matter?”

  Jax sniffled and rolled onto her other side, giving me her back. “Nothing.”

  “Oh, come on, Jax. Are you still riled up about your mom wanting you to go to regular college next year?”

  Jax was quiet, but I noticed her shoulders shaking. “No.” The voice came out in a high-pitched tiny squeal, which was the sound her voice made right before she started bawling.

  I sighed and rolled out of bed, then walked around to the other side of the bed so I could face her. “Oh, come on, Jax. You don’t have to try and hide it. I know that’s what’s the matter. I just don’t understand why you’re so worried about it. I told you we’d try and get Gran to reverse the curse she put on you.”

  “But, Mercy,” said Jax, sitting up in bed and grinding her fists into her eyes, “what if she won’t do it? Then I won’t be able to go to college with you and the girls next fall. And there’s no regular colleges in Aspen Falls either, so I won’t even get to live with you.”

  Sitting on the edge of the bed, I patted her leg. “Have a little faith, Jax. We’ll figure something out.”

  Her brows drew together. “You promise?”

  “Yeah, of course. I wouldn’t leave you hanging. You’re family.”

  Jax lurched forward in bed and wrapped her scrawny arms around my shoulders. “Thanks, Mercy, you’re the best!”

  Just then Alba threw open the door. “I’ve had it with her, Red. I’m not even kidding. Shorty, switch rooms with me.”

  “What?” squealed Jax, her eyes widening.

  “Switch rooms with me. You and Cosmo get along good. You two should stay together.”

  Jax’s head shook rapidly from side to side. “Noooo!”

  “Oh, come on,” begged Alba.

  “But Mercy and I are cousins. I can’t leave her.”

  “First of all, you’re not real cousins. And second of all, graduation is in a week and then I’ll be moving out for the summer. You and Red can room up then i
f you want.”

  “You’re moving out for the summer?” I asked, surprised. It was the first I’d heard Alba mention her plans for the summer.

  “Duh? I’m married. You thought I was gonna live at the B&B all summer with you losers?”

  I rolled my eyes. Alba really had a way with words. “Thanks.”

  “Use your brain, Red. People at college go home for the summers.”

  “I didn’t say I thought you were staying, Alba. I just hadn’t heard you say a word about it, so I didn’t know what your plans were.”

  “Yeah, well, my plan is to move home. I’ll be back in the fall.”

  Jax’s face fell. “But I might not be here in the fall.”

  “Shut it, Shorty. You’ll be here in the fall. We’ll figure something out.”

  “That’s what I told her.”

  Suddenly Holly was back in the room with a pouty bottom lip and droopy eyes. We all looked down at her as she crumpled onto the bed.

  Alba stared at her. “Who crapped in your cornflakes?”

  “Reign just left to go on a date.”

  “So?”

  “So?! Didn’t you hear me? He left to go on a date!”

  Alba didn’t seem to get it. “And?”

  Holly wrinkled her nose in Alba’s direction and her face reddened. “And I don’t like it! He didn’t even look at me.”

  “You know he’s not into you, right? It’s high time you got over it.”

  Alba had taken the words right out of my mouth. I was thankful I didn’t have to be the blunt one.

  “Sucking on a lemon first thing every morning really isn’t a very good idea. It makes you sour. You know that, Alba?” snapped Holly. Then she looked at Jax. “Jaxie, you wanna room together until graduation? I really can’t take Alba’s bad attitude anymore. It’s bringing me down, and I’m barely going to pass this semester, so I don’t need my sour roommate dragging me into the briar patch with her.”

  As Alba’s eyes brightened, Jax’s jaw dropped. “But I’m Mercy’s and Sweets’ roommate. I can’t leave them.”

  “Sure ya can, Shorty. It’s easy. I’ll even move your clothes for you.”