by Lara Chapman
“Why don’t you two go on to class? Let me get back to you on this, okay?” Lady Jennica asks the question but doesn’t wait for our answer. She doesn’t even say good-bye. She leaves the room, with us trailing close behind her.
Kendall shoves past me and walks toward our next class.
I stand in the hall and watch Lady Jennica. Her fast steps. Her shoulders set.
She’s a woman on a mission to figure this out.
Nineteen
The Crafter Chamber has been converted into a mini art studio. Jo and Missy are walking the room, checking to see that we’re drawing the tattoos correctly. Ivy and I volunteered to do the tattoos, along with the other dozen or so girls in here. The way I see it, if I’m busy with the tattoos, I don’t have to deal with Kendall. And I have something to distract me if Cody falls into her trap.
“Kendall say anything to you?” Ivy asks. She keeps her voice low, knowing that others will eavesdrop. All week, whenever I passed people in the hallway, they stop their conversations. I’ve always wanted to be popular, for everyone to know who I am. But not like this. Like they’re just waiting for me to self-destruct because I can’t handle the pressure of being related to Kendall.
I shake my head at Ivy. “Are you kidding me?”
“I don’t see what the big deal is. People in covens are related all the time. My sister and I would be in the same coven if she stayed committed to Dowling.”
“But you both have white magic skills. She’s a healer and you’re an empath.”
“And?”
I shrug, not entirely sure of the answer myself. “From what I’ve been able to read, which isn’t a lot—there’s absolutely nothing in the library about this—when two witches are related and one has white magic and the other has black magic, it’s some sort of sign. The books don’t say what kind of sign, just that certain things have to be done. Certain spells cast. None of that makes sense to me. I just want it to go away. I want to learn my spells, take my tests, and get through school with as little contact with Kendall as possible.”
Ivy shakes her head. “I don’t think that’s in the cards.”
Jo and Missy ring the chime sitting on Miss A’s podium.
I’m surprised when Jo does the speaking. She’s normally so shy, you don’t even know she’s in the room. “Okay, everyone. It’s nine, so we need to clean up and get back to our rooms. Thank you for helping. You’re doing great.”
We begin closing up our paints and putting paintbrushes into a cleaning liquid Jo’s created. I blow on my posterboard and admire my work. When Miss A enters the room, she’s a flurry of motion, her satin muumuu swirling around her like she’s walking in a tornado.
“Hallie?” she calls, looking around the room. When she spots me, she beckons me toward her.
My back stiffens. Miss A has a wild look in her eyes, and that usually means something big has happened.
I follow her out of the room, and when we get to the hallway, she stops and looks both ways. When she decides it’s safe, she grabs my hand and drags me behind her. She pulls me into her room, shuts the door, and locks it.
“You’re starting to freak me out, Miss A.”
She sits in her recliner and motions for me to sit on the coffee table in front of her. “Sorry, sugar. I just wanted to be the first to tell you. I sure didn’t want you hearing it from someone else, especially one particular someone else. You know, in all my years, I’ve never seen anyone so full of hate. But that girl—”
I put my hand on hers to stop her rant. “What do you want to tell me?”
“I just came out of a meeting with Lady Jennica, Lady Rose, and the headmistress.”
My gut screams Prepare yourself. “Lady Jennica has done quite a lot of research on this whole black magic versus white magic within families—”
“We are not family.” I interject.
Miss A ignores my interruption and keeps talking. “I know you don’t realize how rare this is. I’ve never encountered it in all the years I’ve lived here.”
“What’s the big deal? So what if we have different magic? Whoop-dee-freaking-doo!”
Miss A takes a deep breath, slows her pace. “Hallie, most covens choose to practice only one type of magic or the other. We are the only exception to that rule that I’m aware of. We are the only coven and the only school that not only allows both black and white magic but also teaches both.”
“Okay,” I say. “I still don’t understand why this is important.”
“The reason most covens operate that way is because combining the two types of magic is . . . well, it’s difficult to maintain harmony in such environments.”
“That makes sense, actually.”
“Dowling has been able to do so successfully for centuries, and we pride ourselves on that accomplishment.”
“And now?” I ask.
“And now we have a unique situation.”
“And it involves me, of course.”
She nods. “Indeed it does. Honey, there’s something we’ve known but haven’t shared with you. We wanted you to discover this on your own. We wanted to trust Saffra’s timing. But it appears this is the time.”
Secrets. More secrets. “Am I the only one who tells the truth around here?”
Miss A reaches forward and pulls me in for a quick hug. “I know it feels that way, but you can trust me, Hallie. Maybe more than you can trust anyone else in this building.”
“So, what’s the big secret? The big revelation?”
Even as I say the words, my chest tightens and every breath is a struggle.
“Hallie, sugar, you’re destined to be the next High Priestess.”
The air gets sucked out of the room and takes my heart with it.
“That’s . . . that’s impossible.”
“Trust me. It isn’t. It’s in your bloodline, confirmed by your gift. To become the next High Priestess, there are many milestones you much reach and even more challenges to conquer.”
I’ve always been an overachiever, but this is a little too much. Even for me. “What if I don’t want to be High Priestess?”
Miss A flinches as if I’ve hit her. “It’s not a matter of you wanting it, dear. You will be the High Priestess. Unless—”
“Yes! Let’s explore that. Unless what?” I ask.
Miss A studies me, as if she’s choosing what to tell me.
“No more secrets.” My voice is firm, but still respectful, I hope.
“Well, this is where Kendall becomes part of the equation.”
I close my eyes. Of course it’s Kendall. I start laughing. “I can’t escape her, can I?”
“Afraid not, Hallie. You see, she, too, has the ability to be the next High Priestess. Same bloodline and all. It would be harder for her to be the High Priestess without your gift, of course. I mean, most High Priestesses have the gift of inheritance. It’s what makes them different from everyone else.”
“But it can happen? A person can be the High Priestess without my gift?”
“She can. But it’s much more difficult. With your gift, Hallie, you are practically unbeatable.”
Practically.
“So, what does all this mean, Miss A?”
“Well, that’s the interesting thing. That’s why Lady Jennica’s been so serious about this research. This hasn’t happened. Not in recent history anyway. It turns out that when there are two potential High Priestesses, they must each prove their power over the other.”
Me? Overpower Kendall?
“You can’t be serious.”
“Now, don’t get all panicky on me. This wouldn’t happen for years, of course. You two are both just learning how to be witches. It may be that one of you doesn’t finish your training here at Dowling.”
“Oh, I’m finishing,” I tell her quickly.
“If one of you doesn’t
finish training,” she says again, “the other would become High Priestess by default.”
“By default? I don’t want to win by default. I want to win fair and square.”
What am I talking about? Am I really willing to go toe-to-toe with Kendall? And what does that even mean? Do we have to fight? Or is there some Hunger Games–type competition we have to go through?
“Any win is a fair one.” Miss A’s voice is definitive, certain.
“I don’t understand how we have the same bloodline. We have one relative in common.”
“Yes, you’re right. But it’s not just any relative. Sarah Elizabeth Scott was the eldest daughter of Dowling’s first High Priestess, Saffra Warnsly. Sarah’s descendant is destined to be the next High Priestess. But she has two. You and Kendall. It would typically go to the eldest, but you are the same age.”
I stand up. I have to move when I’m trying to figure something out. “So now what?” I ask.
“Now nothing. You continue to go through training, just as Kendall will.”
“If she finds this out, she’ll be even more determined than ever to ruin me.”
“Which is exactly why I wanted to tell you what was going on. I suspect the headmistress will share the news with Kendall.”
“Great,” I say. “No doubt they’re working on a plan to get me out of here.”
“Even if they are,” Miss A says, pulling me back down to the coffee table, “you are stronger than either one of them. Heck, honey, you’re stronger than the two of them put together.”
“Yeah, right.”
“You have the power to inherit any gift you want or need. No one in this building, besides you, can do that. No one.”
“What do I do, Miss A?” My eyes are swimming in tears.
“Sugar, you just keep on doing what you’re doing. But you watch yourself with that Kendall Scott. You hear me?”
“I always do that.”
She gives me a full-tooth smile. “Well, then, this won’t change a thing, will it?”
Twenty
You’re trying to tell me you are going to be the next High Priestess?” Dru asks. She’s the only one in the room who can speak.
The other two look through me, like they don’t even see me.
I wave my arms back and forth in front of their faces. “Jo, Ivy.”
Their eyes attempt to focus, and then all three of them break into a series of nonstop questions.
I hold up my hands to stop them. “I’m not done.”
“There’s more? How can there be more? I mean, you’re going to be the . . . the High Priestess! Your picture will be in the hallway like Dannabelle’s!” Ivy’s out of breath by the time she finishes.
“It’s not that easy,” I tell her.
“Meaning?” asks Jo.
I launch into a regurgitation of what Miss A told me. With each new piece of information, they become more surprised, more alarmed, which only makes me feel more panicked.
Pull it together, Hallie.
Watching my friends, I realize I have to be a rock. I have to make them believe I’m not worried. Because I can’t handle them freaked out.
“I need you to be my eyes and ears,” I tell them. “I bet Kendall is being told tonight too. And if she thinks she has to beat me to get to the top, she’ll come at me with everything she has.”
They all agree, of course, and I trust them. I trust them more than I’ve ever trusted any other friends.
“When do you get to become High Priestess?” Dru asks.
“If I become High Priestess, it will be years after my training at Dowling, when I’m twenty-one.”
“And until then you and Kendall are at war?” Ivy asks.
“Looks that way,” I say. “It’s not like Dowling can’t survive without a High Priestess. The last one died four years ago.”
“Well, I say you just keep doing what you’re doing and try not to think about it. You know?” Jo is so sweet, I want to hug her. But she doesn’t know my entire history with Kendall. Ignoring Kendall is a virtual impossibility. But I don’t say so.
“You just make sure you keep your ears open, Jo,” I tell her.
Ivy sticks her hand into the middle of our little circle. “We’re all in this with you, Hallie.”
Dru and Jo stack their hands on top of Ivy’s. I’m afraid to talk, because talking might make me cry, and there’s no crying in witchcraft, according to Miss A.
“All in,” Dru says.
“All in,” Jo echoes.
I put my hand on top of theirs and seal the pact. “All in.”
If I thought I was going to live my life like normal, that no one would know what Miss A told me, I was wrong. So, so wrong.
When I enter the dining room for breakfast the following morning, the room is half full, as usual. The same girls are in there that we see every morning. But instead of girls yawning with their heads on the table or chatting with each other, everyone is staring at me. Some of them can’t meet my eye but are whispering behind their hands. And I can tell that it is the oh-my-gosh-did-you-hear-about-Hallie kind of whispering. You’d think they’d be more interested in the celebration where they can hang out with boys than in me. And my power. And my future. I swallow the anxiety that is stuck in my throat, pull my shoulders back, and walk into the room as if I don’t notice.
I quickly grab a plate, some fruit, and my favorite yogurt. I keep my face down and don’t make eye contact with anyone until I get to our table.
“Good grief, is that what my life is going to be like?” I look at the girls at our table—my friends. They wear the same look that tells me they don’t know what to say. If I thought I was living under a microscope before, I didn’t know how bad it could be.
“It’ll get better,” Ivy says. “The new will wear off and things will go back to normal.”
“Probably not, but thanks for trying,” I tell her. “How did everyone find out?”
“Kendall and Zena, I’m sure.”
I look at Ivy. “You’re probably right. Knowing Kendall, she’s trying to get as many friends in her corner as possible.”
Jo laughs. “Really? Who would believe a word she said? She’s a liar, through and through. There’s no changing that.”
“I hear what you’re saying, but I’ve known her my entire life. You’d be surprised how many will follow her.”
“Well, that doesn’t affect you at all,” Dru says. “Remember your plan? Keep doing what you’re doing. Learn. Be the best witch you can be. That’s what will win this in the end.”
“That’s the thing. Do I even want to be High Priestess?”
Dru drops her fork onto the plate. The clang of silver on porcelain echoes off the walls. She looks at Ivy. “Is she for real?”
Jo shrugs. “I don’t know, Dru. I think I see her point. It’s a lot of pressure. And to get there, she has to fight Kendall for the next five years.”
Ivy wipes her mouth, places her napkin on the table. She stacks her two plates, then the silverware on top. One big breath, then she looks at me. “Hallie, I’m your best friend. I will always love you. But if you bail out of this and leave us with Kendall as our leader, I will be forced to hate you. Why would you do that to us? To yourself? Are you really considering letting Kendall be the official boss of you? Forever?”
I look at my friends, all three of whom are now scared speechless at the prospect of having Kendall as the leader of the coven.
“Hallie, even if you don’t want to do it for you, please do it for us. I’m begging you.”
Dru leans closer, her big black eyes searching mine for a sign of hope. “Think about it. Do you want to be under Kendall’s control again?”
I don’t have to answer them. They know I’m going to fight it, because the only thing I hate more than Kendall is losing to Kendall.
“Have a nice day, Hallie.”
I smile at the cook behind the counter. It’s the first time she’s spoken to me, and I wonder why she’d start today. Is it possible even the cooks know?
My feet are in fast-forward when I turn around and slam right into Kendall. We both lose our balance and have to catch the wall to keep from falling.
“Of course it’s you,” Kendall says. “Who else?”
I know this is my chance to say something, but my mind is blank. It’s always blank when I’m face-to-face with Kendall. And I’m supposed to be the High Priestess? Yeah, right.
Zena steps forward, pushing me out of the way with the backpack on her shoulder. “What are you doing here without all your little cronies?”
“Guess they’ve already figured out where the winning side is,” Kendall says. Her laugh is mean, hateful, and entirely too familiar.
Zena grabs an apple from the buffet. “You know you’re in way over your head, right?”
“According to who?”
Zena looks at Kendall like she doesn’t understand what I’m saying. “Is she serious?”
Kendall rolls her eyes. “You have no idea how dense she can be.”
“You can at least wait and talk about me after I leave,” I tell Kendall. I step around her to get out and get to class. On my best day I break even with Kendall. And when it’s two to one, I’m totally outnumbered.
I walk a couple of steps, grateful to put them behind me.
But. Wait. If I’m going to be the High Priestess, if I have any hope of being like Dannabelle, I have to start now. I have to be able to stand up for myself before I can take care of others.
I stand in the dining room, halfway between the buffet and the door to the hallway, at war with myself.
No one says I have to deal with Kendall today. I can save that for a day when I have some backup.
