“You were clearly a warlock before though,” I noted, eyeing his outfit more carefully now that he was close to me. Silvery lines poked through tears in the fabric of his tunic. “I see special thread in your clothes. It’s magical, I’d bet my life on it.”
“Maybe I attended Highborn too,” he mused with a smile, fluffing his tunic out like it was a magnificent cape. “I wonder if entering it again will spark my memories.” We’d just reached the edge of the street and the only thing in front of us was the school building, standing tall and looming.
“Sorry, bud. This place is warded up the ass. You’ll have to stay in the village.” Even if it was the truth, I again didn’t like the idea of him being alone. “I’ll come visit, I promise. I bet you could hang out in the woods over there.” I pointed to the forest on the other side of the clearing. “I’ll try to visit at least once a day so I can check on you.”
He humphed at me. “I’m not a toddler.”
“Yeah, well, I still wouldn’t trust you with a pair of scissors.”
A look of disapproval shadowed his face when I glanced at Gilbert. “Twice a day?”
I put a hand to my hip, and my blank stare showed him just how much I didn’t like him being so needy. “Once.”
“Fine. But I’m finding other ghosts to hang out with when you’re not around.”
“Deal.” I adjusted my backpack and tucked a curl behind my ear. “Be careful in the woods though, okay? I’m told sometimes the magical beasts meet in there trying to get close to the school. Remember we’re at war with them, so they won’t be nice if they see you.”
“Jaz, you’re the only person here that can see me.” A teasing smile lit up his transparent face. “Are you worried about me?”
“Bye,” I sang, twirling on my heels, and I left him behind as I stepped through the school wards. I tried not to picture his pouting face and kept walking up the path until I’d reached the front courtyard. Several groups of students sat around it, casting spells or playing games, and they all stopped when they saw me. With pink tipped curls and a surly attitude, not to mention being one of the only witches in my generation to not specialize, it was clear they all knew who I was.
Would it be uncouth to resurrect an army to bulldoze those expressions off their dumb faces?
Squaring my shoulders, I stomped through the courtyard amidst several whispered comments they thought I couldn’t hear, and I threw the massive front doors open so hard I felt my shoulders creak in complaint.
Just inside, one of the professors was herding a group of kids into the great hall for lunch, and she spotted me standing awkwardly, waiting for the kids to get out of my way. I recognized her as Professor Wisniewski, my conjuration teacher when I attended before.
“Miss Neck!” she exclaimed, and rushed in between the children to approach me, her long, purple dress billowing around her. “I heard you specialized. Congratulations, my dear. I’m so happy for you.” As one of the few people who hadn’t turned away from me in disgust all those years ago, I accepted her praise with a smile. “What type of magic did you specialize in? Beatrix didn’t say on the phone.”
Why had my mom kept that a secret?
“Umm,” I mumbled, looking at the small group of kids that had stayed behind to gape at me. “Necromancy.” Wisniewski raised her thin eyebrows at me but tried to quickly contain her shock before anyone saw.
“There hasn’t been a necromancer for four hundred years.”
That slimy voice could only belong to one person: Professor Halace. If Miss Hardbroom and Professor Snape had a baby, it would be Professor Halace, because what magic school was complete without a hard-ass professor that hated everyone? The only difference was that Halace was drop dead gorgeous and didn’t teach potions.
Coming closer, she looked me up and down with a steadily curling lip. “I don’t see a pet with you.”
“Halace, she hasn’t even had her entrance exam yet,” Wisniewski admonished with a click of her tongue.
Halace clasped her freshly manicured hands in front of her narrow waist, not caring in the slightest about my situation. “Need I remind you for a second time that a Tamagotchi doesn’t count as a familiar.”
I met Halace’s disapproving look with defiance. “Sorry, Professor. The pet shop was fresh out of animals. But my Giga pet did just have a litter of kittens, in case you’re interested.”
She rolled her eyes at me and shook her perfect hair. “I’ll escort you to the headmaster’s office since we don’t allow non-students on the grounds during school hours and you’re not an official student yet. You understand.”
I flipped her off as soon as her back was turned. Wisniewski had a disapproving look over the finger I was holding up that I answered with a sarcastic salute.
“See you later, Professor.”
I turned and trotted to catch up with Halace, her supple hips swaying underneath her black dress as she traversed up a very long flight of stairs. My body wasn’t quite as graceful, and I clomped after her in my combat boots until we reached the right landing, putting a hand to my side when a painful stitch appeared below my ribs from being out of breath.
“Oh my god, how does the headmistress do this every day? She must be so toned,” I wheezed, propping myself up against the stone wall beside the stairs.
“We have a different headmaster now,” Halace noted as she watched unsympathetically while I rubbed my side. “Things have changed since you were here last.”
I barked out a cough and straightened when the pain lessened. “You and me both, I bet.” Finished waiting, Halace turned and walked down the hallway, stopping only when she reached the headmaster’s door that opened before she could lift her hand to knock. She let me enter first, and the door closed behind us.
“Miss Neck, I presume,” came from inside the chamber, though I could not see who owned the accented voice. “We’ve all been on pins and needles waiting for you to specialize. Though I wasn’t there for your initial term at Highborn, the stories all pointed to you becoming a witch. There was no way someone who showed such promise as you could end up powerless.”
“And yet,” I commented dryly, craning every which way to see who was talking but not seeing the slightest hint of life.
The headmaster laughed back and I could hear him pouring himself a drink. Was he invisible? “If you hadn’t encountered a dead bird at precisely the right moment, you would’ve never discovered you were a necromancer.”
“That remains to be seen,” Halace interjected under her breath, wiping at her nose to pretend she couldn’t see my glare in her direction.
“Professor Halace believes that you are pretending to have specialized so you can return to Highborn,” the voice noted, his footsteps getting louder.
“I would’ve thought my aura would be a dead giveaway.”
“Such things can be faked,” Halace remarked, eyes towards the ceiling and not noticing my glare deepen.
“Yeah well, I’m not in that much of a hurry to be back in snob-ville.” As I finished talking, a figure came into view around a mound of books. He was about as tall as the snooty ten-year-olds from the entry hall, and he had a chalice filled with wine that he swirled before taking a drink.
“And yet,” he responded, echoing my words with a look. “Here you are.”
The reminder of my predicament didn’t make me feel better about it.
“Can I get one of those?” I pointed to his glass and Halace shrieked audibly.
“We can’t give a student alcohol!”
“Thought I wasn’t a student?” I countered over my shoulder.
The headmaster took another drink of his wine and shrugged at Halace’s gaping face. “She’s an adult, she’s free to do what she wants, student or no. Halace, be a love and pour her a glass. One for you too, if you’d like.” She disappeared into the poorly lit room and left me alone with the Headmaster that barely came up to my elbows. “My name is Headmaster Cauldron.”
Ahh, shit. He w
as a Cauldron. The snootiest most witch-faced family of them all. My reaction was written all over my face, and when Halace arrived, I took a large mouthful of my wine to steel myself for this conversation.
“My family’s reputation proceeds me,” he noted, smiling at my long gulps.
I waved my glass around, only barely spilling some of the red liquid. “You could say that.”
“Then I apologize. I am not my family. I’m sure you can understand that.” I humphed a laugh and took another sip. “All pleasantries aside, if you could please demonstrate some magic, we can proceed with your enrollment.”
Without taking my mouth from my goblet, I raised my free hand and snapped firmly, letting out sparks that lit up the room and showed how dirty everything was. It was showy magic, but powerful enough where only a specialized witch could perform it. The sparks dissipated, and I dropped my empty wine glass onto a nearby lamp stand.
“Hot enough for you?” I challenged Cauldron, and he smiled warmly at me, not at all like the Cauldrons I’d known before.
“Your entrance demonstration is sufficient,” he pronounced, raising his glass to me and downing the rest of his drink.
“Oh please,” Halace grumped. “Anyone could do that. Are we not going to address her pretending to be a necromancer?”
I spun on her, fully intending to tell her exactly what I thought of her stupid face, but Cauldron ambled up to me with his hands out.
“Now, now, ladies. Halace, your comments are unwarranted. I don’t want to hear you talking like that to any student here, no matter what you think of them.” He turned to me, looking up at my face with a stern look. “And Miss Neck, I expect you to keep it civil with the teachers, and the students. Your journey will be the most difficult of anyone here because there are no other necromancers to teach you. I’ve given you full access to every part of the library for your studies, and feel free to visit me whenever you need help with anything. If you have to perform any resurrections, please do so off of school grounds where the wards won’t be effected.” He tapped one of his small hands against his leg. “I think that about covers it. Halace, please take her to the Advanced Studies dorm.” He turned and disappeared back behind a stacks of books to loudly pour himself another glass of wine.
Halace walked through the door as soon as it opened for us, and I followed her out into the hall. She brushed at the front of her dress and tried to not meet my eyes.
“I presume you have all your supplies for the school year?”
“Minus the pet.”
“Right. Follow me, Miss Neck.” She swished along the hall and we descended down the long staircase, stopping near the middle at a landing with a door labeled ‘Advanced Studies dormitory’ that she opened and motioned for me to enter. We walked into a room that was filled with students scattered amongst couches, pillows, shelves of books, and a fireplace.
“Students,” Halace called over the room, and it fell silent as they all turned their eyes to us. “This is Jasmine Neck. Some of you may remember her from your middle school studies.”
I hoped no one I knew was there, but I kept my eyes firmly on the floor just in case.
“She has recently specialized in the field of necromancy, and while she has to begin her studies from the ground up, she will be staying in this dormitory with students her own age. Headmaster Cauldron expects you to treat her with civility, and as much kindness as you can muster.”
Halace was begging for an ass whooping.
Holding her skirt up as if the floor was dirty, she turned to me with puckered lips like she’d eaten something sour. “I expect you to be on your best behavior, Miss Neck, or you will have me to deal with.”
I raised an unimpressed eyebrow. “I stopped being scared of you in fifth grade.”
A low growl formed in her throat, and she left in a huff, swiping me with her skirts as she went, leaving me in the entryway of the common room. There were several students I didn’t recognize, which was good, but there were definitely ones I did.
“Jaz Neck,” Candace Cauldron tsked with her tongue, walking towards me and placing one hand on her hip. Her groupies followed behind, the trio of witchly perfection. “Didn’t think I’d ever see your neck around here again. And now look at you. Back for more, ehh?” I ground my teeth together as she looked me up and down, finding me wanting. “Neck the necromancer.”
The girl beside her, Christi Pomace, twirled a strand of her blonde hair and grinned at me the way she used to when we were kids, pulling out one of her old taunts to match it, slightly altered to fit my new status. “Kissed any necks lately, Neck-romancer?”
“Well,” I said, strumming my fingers against my backpack straps. “That didn’t take long. Get all the taunts out that you can because that little girl that let you bully her is gone. I will beat your ass ten ways to Sunday if you come at me with that shit.”
Candace scoffed at me and inspected her manicure like everything was still within her control. “Neck seems to have forgotten that combat magic is forbidden on school grounds.”
I raised a hand in warning, and it started glowing with purple magic, slowly filling me with power in a way I hadn’t felt in so long. It made me feel so beautiful and free, it was like coming home. “Who said anything about combat magic?” I challenged with a wide smile, and brought my hand down in a fell swipe, letting a burst of magic loose that smacked them in the face, and when they’d stopped blinking away the sparks, my spell had removed every ounce of makeup from their bodies.
Candace looked like she was dying of Influenza without her sheen of foundation, but of course, the only way they knew what had happened was from the eruption of laughter around them.
“You’re going to pay for this, Neck!” Candace warned, and they ran out of the room so they could put on their layer of paint again. I was still giggling when a few of the guys approached me.
“That was pretty badass, Jasmine,” one of them said. He had glasses and a sweater on, rocking that nerdy sexy vibe.
“Jaz,” I corrected, only slightly flustered that a cute boy was paying attention to me. I tried to hide it with a confident look.
“A necromancer, that’s impressive,” another praised, stepping closer when he saw me looking to the side, my attention captured by a boy sitting on one of the couches, reading a book about card tricks. As if sensing me looking at him, his grey eyes raised to mine, and I quickly turned my head to the boys in front of me.
“Yeah, well, the only thing I can’t resurrect is Candace’s fashion sense. Hey-o!” They laughed along with me.
“We have class, but if you want to hang out later, you just let us know, Jaz.” The sexy nerd winked at me before he and his friends left the common room, leaving me momentarily shell shocked.
“You shouldn’t hang out with them,” the boy on the couch warned absently in a stylish British lilt, his nose still in the card tricks book. I walked closer to the couch to study his carefully styled messy brown hair, his short manscaped beard, and his blue suit. This boy spent as much effort on his appearance as possible in order to maintain his ‘I don’t care’ persona.
“Sorry, I only listen to advice from strangers on Tuesdays.”
He looked up at me with grey eyes curtained by perfect eyelashes I was very envious of. “I’m Alec Claus.”
I held in the laugh that immediately tried to sneak past my lips. “Like Santa Claus?”
“Ho-ho-ho,” he said smoothly in a way that was way sexier than it should’ve been.
“I’m sure there’s a joke here about delivering a package, but I will try to be mature and not say it.”
He leaned back on the couch with a slight grin as he appraised me from head to toe. “I can assure you, I’ve heard every Christmas and package joke about my name you could possibly think of. I’ve lived up to a few of them too.”
Ahh, shit.
I tried to laugh but it ended up between a bray and a cough, leaving my cheeks pink under his gaze. “Yes, well, that’s nice to
know, Santa.”
“Alec,” he interrupted, staring me down so hard that I felt weak at the knees. “Considering what you just pulled after someone made fun of your name, I’m surprised you feel the need to do the same thing to me.”
My lips pressed together and I looked down at my shoes on the red carpet. “Touché. Sorry, Alec.” I chanced a look up at him and found his grey eyes looking at me, a small smile curving up the ends of his teasing lips.
“I’ll allow one Santa joke per week, providing it’s tasteful, and involves my package.”
“Pfft,” I scoffed, adjusting my coffin bag on my shoulder. “I’ll pass, thanks.”
Unfolding his long legs, he stood up and was so close to me, my breasts touched his collared shirt when I inhaled. I hadn’t been that close to a boy since my last time at Highborn, and my pulse shot off without my permission, making me quickly out of breath. “Welcome back to Highborn, Jaz.” He sauntered off to the boy’s dorm, leaving me to fall against the couch when my legs gave out.
While I was placed in the dorm with other students my age, I had to start my classes with all the fifteen year old basic witches, picking up my studies where I’d left off before being expelled. I dressed in my new uniforms, sporting the ugly plaid skirt and a button up shirt with a tie.
Staring at myself in the long mirror of the dorm bathroom, I scowled at my appearance’s resemblance to a thirteen year old who had never even said a swear word. Couldn’t I wear something more mature like the advanced studies students? They were free to wear whatever they wanted, as long as it was nice enough for a job interview. Then there was me, wearing a skirt short enough to show my ass if I bent the wrong way.
I picked up my coffin bag and slung it over my shoulders, making my way down the staircase to the common room where my peers giggled amongst themselves at my outfit. I whizzed past them, not looking away from straight ahead of me, until I swung the common room door open to the school staircase and saw Alec smoking an e-cigarette like this was the spot behind the Herbalism greenhouse that people used for smoking and trying to get to third base with the girls.
Neck-Romancer: A Neck-Romancer Novel Page 4
