by Luna Pierce
“Willow, wake up.” Silas urges me into the present.
I awake in a panic, shoving him and scooting back on the bed, bringing the covers with me in an attempt to protect myself. I frantically look him over, glance down at my own arms and body. I’m here, I’m not dreaming anymore, but why is the fear so real and still coursing through me?
He holds up his hands. “I’m not going to hurt you. I could hear you screaming. Are you okay?”
“Coward.”
Tears fall down my cheeks, and I’m not sure how long I’ve been crying.
Silas scans my body. “Are you hurt? Please tell me what’s wrong.”
I wipe at my face. “I’m okay. It was a nightmare, that’s all.”
“A nightmare?” He shakes his head. “I can feel your hurt. Whatever you’re going through, I’m experiencing it, too.”
My eyes are heavy despite me being so damn afraid of the thing haunting me. “Will you stay with me?” My bottom lip quivers.
“Pathetic and weak.”
“Yeah, absolutely.” He stands, grabbing on to the nearby bed. The legs scratch the floor as he brings it over. Silas sits, only a few inches away, on the other bed.
“Can you come closer?” I reposition myself to give him room.
Hesitantly, he positions himself next to me, kicking off his shoes and bringing his legs up. He holds out his arm, inviting me in, and I’m not sure there’s anything in the world that sounds sweeter than being this near him.
I relax into the curve of his arm, nestling in comfortably. I place my hand on his chest and grow aware of the absence of a heartbeat. My nerves calm, but there’s still a wicked terror lying in wait.
He draws me in tighter, kissing the top of my forehead. It’s soft and warm and everything I needed in this moment.
I fall back asleep, but this time, his presence rids the demons from ruining me.
I wake and am completely startled by my reality. Somehow, Silas is still here, holding me like he may never let me go.
Not wanting to end this heaven on earth, I continue to lie there, soaking him in.
“You were snoring,” he breaks the silence.
I sit up in a hurry. “Was not.” I smooth my hair down that’s sticking up on the side.
He smiles. “You’re somehow even more beautiful in the morning.”
“All lies,” I tease, jumping from the bed to brush my teeth. It’s one thing for him to see my bed head, but I’m not about to subject him to my morning breath.
I come back to find him putting on his shoes. Sadness courses through me at the reality that he’s going to leave. I’ll never quite get used to the total body deficiency I have without him.
“See you shortly.” He touches my face with his hand, running his thumb along my bottom lip in the sexiest way possible. He grins, seeming to know he’s driving me wild.
Upon his exit, I wash my face and change out of my clothes. I hope I haven’t missed the girls going to breakfast.
I leave my lonely room and shut the door at the same time another closes. It’s the short, dark-haired girl I’ve avoided since I moved to the supernatural dorms.
“Hey,” I offer. “I’m Willow.” I extend my hand. “We haven’t formally met, and that’s totally my fault. I’ve been a basket case for a while now and have pretty much dodged everyone I could. Oh god, I’m rambling. I’m sorry. Wow, bad first impression.”
She smirks. “I know who you are. Headmaster Walker filled me in when you switched dorms. I’m Ruby.”
We shake, and cooling energy pulses from her into me.
“Listen, I don’t mean to cut this short, but I have to run. We should get coffee soon,” she says.
“Yeah, I’d love that.”
She departs, and I stagger my own descent, not wanting to follow her closely.
I cross into the open area, stepping along the glass floor that to this day still amazes me. It unravels my stomach to look down, the tree and shrubbery just a shattered surface away. The architecture in this building is out of this world. Who thought to have an indoor, enclosed garden in the middle of a stone building? Not to mention building it well enough so it doesn’t collapse in on itself.
Without giving it another thought, I enter the south wing hallway, pausing in front of the girl’s door. Rustling sounds fill the space, reassuring me that they’re still in here.
I knock.
The door opens a moment later.
Lillian. She stares at me and then turns away, going back into the room. Silent treatment it is.
I poke my head inside. “Morning.”
Remi beams, and Kyra scowls.
“My head!” Kyra whines. “I forgot to take Tylenol last night, and now… uh…”
I cross my arms and lean against the threshold. “I don’t feel sorry for you.”
“You’re cruel, Willow.”
I laugh. “You brought it upon yourself. Let’s get breakfast. I’ve heard that’ll help with hangovers. Or, you could always try the hair of the dog.”
“Nuh-uh, no way in hell am I so much as thinking about alcohol today.” She grabs her clutch off the table next to her bed and mopes toward me, her brown curls bobbing with each step.
“You two go ahead, we’ll be down in a minute.” Remi closes a makeup compact and picks up her mascara.
I glance at Lillian on the way out. With her back to me, she’s laying it on thick, and boy is it working. She continues to break my heart with her distance, but I can’t blame her, that wouldn’t be fair.
I weave my arm through Kyra’s. “Some caffeine should help. Want to stop in the teacher’s lounge and get some of the good stuff?”
“Girl, you are speaking my language.”
Locked together, we make our way down the stairs and through the main lobby, to the north wing.
The scent of coffee fills the air and distracts me slightly from the weird energy of this side of the school. I guide Kyra to a seat and stand in front of her, raising my chin. “Your order, my lady?”
“You’re on one.” She snorts. “I’ll have a latte, please. Vanilla. Skim.”
“Coming right up,” I cheer, spinning on my heel. I push a few buttons and obtain the milk.
“Lillian will eventually get over it, don’t worry too much.”
Her words stop me in my process. I nod. “Yeah, it sucks. She’s rightfully justified in feeling the way she does, I just hope it doesn’t last forever. I miss her.”
“She misses you, too. And I think that’s why it was so hard on her. You two became really close super-fast, so for you to straight up dip, it was a lot on her.”
“You’re right. I was wrong. I should have made more of an effort, and I promise from here on out I will. I’ve been dealing with some personal shit, and it’s been a lot to handle on my own. There wasn’t a day that went by I didn’t think about you girls, though.”
I pour her espresso in the cup and finish making her coffee. I place it on the desk near her and go back to finish my own, aware that it’ll never be as good as Sydney making it. He must use magic, because I’ve followed his recipe numerous times, and it never quite comes out the same.
A crackle of energy bolts through me, and I do a quick scan of the room, not wanting to draw attention to myself from Kyra. Although the shadow realm is deactivated, I’m still fearful that it’ll somehow reopen, and I’ll be sucked in to fight another demon, this time falling to my demise, or worse, hurting someone innocent.
Being friends with me is dangerous, especially with my cursed magic and the fact that I’ve made no progress on figuring out any of the details of the origins of the dreaded curse.
I haven’t even determined what this next curse will be.
“You’re a failure, a fool, a stupid girl.”
I suck in a breath, the pain of the words lashing me internally.
“You can’t protect them.”
My focus shifts to Kyra, sitting at her little area, blowing on her steaming cup of coffee, fully
oblivious to my erratic behavior.
Maybe I never should have given them their memories back. Maybe they really would have been better off without me in their lives. They would have been safe, happier, too. But isn’t letting them have the part of the truth they’re capable of receiving better than stealing something that’s rightfully theirs? How will I ever know what the right decision was?
“This is straight-up heaven.” Kyra holds her mug like it’s the most precious thing in the world.
“You can thank Sydney for teaching me.” I grab my cup and walk to the door.
“Ohh, is he one of your many admirers?” She follows me over.
I chuckle. “Something like that.”
We make our way back out into the lobby, Cameron and a couple of his friends joining us.
“How’d you sleep?” Cam nudges me.
“Meh, you?” The first part of the night was terrible, the terrifying nightmares, but once Silas joined me, I slept soundly, so much that I allegedly snored.
“I never really sleep well if I’m being honest,” Cam declares.
I had no idea he had trouble sleeping. I guess we all do now that I think about it. Silas is, well, a vampire, so naturally, he doesn’t sleep much. Deghan complained he hadn’t been sleeping well, and Sydney lives off coffee because of his own lack of rest.
I’ll have to see if I can figure out a way to help all of us sleep. There has to be a spell or a crystal that could do the trick. I should check with Abigail the next chance I get.
We enter the dining hall, filing toward our destination. Food.
I grab a couple of breakfast burritos and a cup of salsa and find a place to sit. It’s not long until our table is full, and everyone is chatting up a storm.
The girls. Half of the guys—Cameron and now Deghan. And some of their friends, including Lillian’s guy, Ethan.
The two of them sit next to each other, and for a second, I watch them. I try not to be a creep, but I really am so happy that Lillian found someone who brings her joy.
“So,” Deghan interrupts. “Who’s coming for family day?”
I swallow the bite of food in my mouth. “Family day?”
“Yeah, not this coming week, but the next. They do it every year. Everyone has their parents or whoever come.”
“Really?” I take a sip of the tea Cameron brought me.
“Mmhm. They encourage us to give them a tour, eat lunch together, introduce them to our friends and teachers and stuff.” Deghan shoves a large piece of pancake in his mouth, syrup oozing out.
I reach out, wiping my thumb across the mess on his lip, licking it off of myself.
“Okay, never do that ever again,” he says, wide-eyed.
“Oh god, I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. That was the hottest most unexpected thing I’ve experienced.”
I smack him. “Whatever.”
Through another bite, he mumbles, “No joke.”
I focus back on my food, not containing my smile. “Who are you bringing?”
“Aunt and uncle, probably. They’re kinda busy all the time… I wouldn’t be surprised if they don’t make it.”
I nod. “I should probably call my mom and tell her. Maybe she and my uncle could drive over. We only live ten minutes away.”
“No shit? I didn’t realize you were from here.” He glances across the table to Cam.
“That’s what I said,” Cameron adds. “Willow’s been hiding out from us all these years.” He winks at me.
I finish the last few bites of my food and clear my trash. “I’ll see you guys later. I’m going to see if I can borrow Walker’s landline.”
Chapter Eight
“Willow, what can I help you with?” Headmaster Walker asks from his seat behind his desk.
“Do you mind if I borrow the phone? I want to ask my mom about the family day thing.” I stay in the doorway.
He shuts his laptop and stands, his tall frame high above the desk. He must be at least six feet tall, about the same height as Deghan. “Sure, I was needing to get another coffee anyway. Take your time.”
“Thanks.” I smile. “I was curious about something, though, if you don’t mind me asking.”
“What’s up?” His expression is welcoming.
“With locking the school down like you have, how does that impact people coming in and out on family day?” I make sure my voice is low enough to not bring any unwanted attention.
“That is a valid concern. Basically, the leaving isn’t the issue, but the incoming traffic is, so I’ve formed a team to scan everyone visiting the school, especially those with supernatural abilities. No more than two people per supernatural student can visit, which shouldn’t be an issue, and only approved visitors.”
“Approved visitors?”
“Meaning anyone on your emergency contact. We don’t need any strange second cousin twice removed visiting out of the blue. Moms, dads, siblings, aunts, and uncles… those are all acceptable.” He grips his chin in his hand and tilts his head. “Didn’t you get the memo?”
“No, I must have missed it with everything going on. My mom and uncle are okay, right?” I better make sure prior to calling and asking her to come.
He nods. “Yep, you’re good to go.” Walker strides toward the door.
I step inside, out of his way.
He stops shy of leaving. “I assure you that I will do everything in my power to keep you and everyone at the school safe.” And with that, he heads out.
I get comfortable in his chair and pull the phone off the charging dock, punching in the numbers I’ve memorized by heart.
It rings three times, and a familiar voice shines through. “Hello?”
“Hey, it’s me.” I make note of how… happy she seems.
“Willow, sweetie, hi. Is everything all right?” Mom asks.
“Yes, all good. How are things there?”
“Great, wonderful really. I’m feeling much like myself, more so than I have in such a long time. I’ve even got Danny to get off my back a bit.” She laughs.
“I’m so relieved to hear that. Which brings me to why I called.”
“Yes, of course. What’s going on?”
“There’s this family day coming up. I’m only finding out about it because of everything that’s kept me occupied, but if you don’t think Danny is too busy, maybe you two could come? It’s on the Wednesday following next.” I hold my breath, not sure what the response will be.
“Let me see here…” She rustles with something in the background. “Danny has that day scheduled off of work, so that would be perfect timing.”
I exhale. “Really?”
“Yes, honey. We’d love to come visit you. What a wonderful surprise!”
“That’s great. I can’t wait to see you.” My heart swells with emotion.
“Likewise.” A buzzer goes off. “Hey, I don’t mean to cut you off, but I’ve got to get my muffins out of the oven.”
“Muffins?” I call out. “Don’t tell me they’re blueberry.”
“Guilty,” she admits. “I’ll bake you a fresh batch for our visit. Deal?”
“You’re the best.”
“Love you, sweetheart.”
“Love you, too, Mom. See you soon.”
I hang up, reeling in the relief that she’s still doing okay and I’ll be seeing her soon. If it were up to me, I would have spent the weekend there, but with the new orders of keeping the school secure, I’m unable. Despite the demon breaking through the shadow realm, the academy really probably is the safest place for me, especially with having the guys around. Not sure I could have made it out of the demon attack without them.
Walker peeks his head into the office. “I’m not trying to rush you. I walked by and saw you hang up.”
“I’m finished.” I push in the chair and make my way around the desk. “I appreciate it.”
“No problem at all. The service here sucks. It’s partly the old building, but it’s also because of the wards
put in to protect the school. It blocks out some of the frequencies of the cell towers. We’re constantly updating the internet and keep accidentally breaking it.” He laughs. “I did need to speak with you, though.” His tone becomes more serious.
I stop my exit out of the office. “Yeah?”
“We could use your help with the realm repair if you’re still interested.”
Here I was thinking he was about to kick me out of the school for some random reason, and instead he’s recruiting me for an incredibly important project.
“Whatever you need. I broke it, I feel obligated to fix it.”
“You’ll be starting back to your regular classes tomorrow, but if you don’t mind me pulling you early from a few of them, we could begin then. I checked your grades, and you’re excelling in all of your coursework, so I don’t foresee any issues. It’s not your responsibility, and you’re not obligated to help, even if you don’t want to. Don’t feel bad if you want to sit this one out.”
“No, absolutely. I’d love to help. I’m truly thankful to be here. It’s the least I could do.”
“Another thing, too, is around this time in the term, the lectures become shorter, allowing more time for completing those pesky papers and projects and studying for exams. Use that time however you see fit. I’m aware you’re chomping at the bit to make progress on your curse, so I encourage you to utilize it wisely.”
Is he giving me permission to blow off my homework and study magic? I am pretty well caught up, despite the circumstances, with only a few outstanding assignments left to complete. It wouldn’t be too difficult to balance focusing more on my personal research.
Abigail walks into the room. “Am I interrupting?”
We shake our heads.
“Not at all,” Walker confirms. “Was having a chat with Willow.”
She hands him a stack of papers. “Here’s the information you requested.”
“Ah, perfect. Thanks, Abigail.” He takes it, adjusts his glasses, and flips through a few pages. “Willow will be joining us tomorrow,” he adds without taking his eyes off the document.
“You have so much going on,” she says. “Are you sure?”
“You two keep acting like there’s a choice in the matter. I’m helping, end of story.”
