Page 326 of Castings & Curses

Broody, for once, answered her seriously. “Because he is human, and most humans, especially the males of the species, don’t notice they have aged until it’s a done deal and they’ve lost whatever appeal they once had. Old Prickens, he means no harm, but youth has a beauty all its own, and it is a beauty that once lost, cannot be recaptured! That’s why we need to figure out some sort of spell or potion to prolong life. Very few witches last past a hundred and twenty-five nowadays and are usually suffering from dementia and getting their spells all wonky before they actually exit the earth realm. I don’t mind getting older, I really don’t. I think I might age rather well, but I feel sorry for him, for anyone really, that wants something that is out of his grasp.”

“Well, Idon’tfeel a bit sorry for someone who shows favoritism foranyreason, much less some old perv that wants to get in my brother’s pants!” Shady practically spat. “I might just have to say something to him, like, ‘Look Professor, I am not the only one in this course that has noticed that you have the hots for my brother Broody, and you’d better knock it off or I am going to the administration.’”

Broody stopped walking and turned to Shady. “Please, don’t,” he told her. “Someday, that could be one of us, Shady. Especially with our libidos. I really think that inside ourselves we never feel any older than eighteen, not really. And I’ll tell you something else that I’ve never read any place but that I believe is equally true, having sex with someone is the fastest way to know who they are. Being naked rips away the veneer of who we present ourselves to be, allows us to relax and drift more deeply into our own psyches and communicate on a much more intense level, allowing us to express ourselves in visceral and raw ways that that are unmistakable.”

There was a silence after Broody spoke, and both of his young witch companions had their eyebrows raised in semi-astonishment.

All Shady could say is, “Well if that’s the way you feel about it, I won’t say anything to him Broody. I promise!”

* * *

Moni was nearly noddingoff in her next class,Magical Hyperbole (and how to avoid it), when she noticed a messenger had interrupted the droning lecture of the Professor. As she watched, curious, the Professor engaged in a short exchange with the messenger and turned to look out over the classroom.

“Oh, you there! Miss Crockett! You’re wanted in the Proctor’s Office, immediately!”

As Moni gathered her books and secured them in her backpack, a few derisive tsking noises resounded throughout the classroom, led by Broody, who whispered in a tone of mock horror as she passed his desk,

“Moni, you introublegirl! What did youdo?” All of which failed to amuse Moni, and she purposely stepped hard on Broody’s foot as she walked past his desk on her way to the corridor.

“Do you have any idea what this is about?” she asked the messenger as they walked briskly toward the Proctor’s office. Usually, if someone was pulled out of class it had to do with plagiarism or cheating or notifying a student that they were failing some class or another. As far as she knew she had an A-plus average in every class she was enrolled in, and as far as the other two, well, it was much more likely someone else would be trying to copyherwork than the other way around.

The messenger shook her head. “They never tell us anything, but Iwilltell you that Proctor Reynolds seemed very agitated, so I don’t know.

At Pitchfork Prep, Proctors were not only present during exams but also responsible for following up on any student conduct concerns. Reflecting on that, Moni started to wonder if someone had officially complained about something that had happened when she was in the company of Shady, Luca, or Broody.

That made her start to worry, and as she and the messenger arrived at Proctor Reynolds office, with the imposing sign posted above the doorway, she braced herself. In spite of the bracing, she was still gobsmacked when the door was opened from the other side and she stepped into the impressively large office space. She reeled as soon as she took in what was inside.

It was Sam.

He was older, to be certain, but there was no mistaking the twinkle in his sable brown eyes and the face that, except for being large and having a more chiseled jawline, was a mirror image of her own.

She flew into his arms. He was dressed nicely, in a tan cashmere coat and scarf, and he smelled like a pine forest on a sunny winter morning.

Moni at last stood back. He was definitely more mature, but had the same unruly mop of silver blonde hair as he had always had and the same adorably authentic crooked smile.

Moni was crying. Tears of joy wouldn’t stop falling and she kept flicking them away from her eyes so she could take in his appearance.

“Oh myGod, where have you been? You grew up and filled out, and I guess you are a realmenschnow!” she said, complaining cheerfully. “Talk fast, before I fucking faint!”

Realizing that she was in Proctor Reynold’s office, she shot an apologetic look toward the school official saying, “Ohwow, I’m sorry. I am just overwhelmed. I’m really sorry to curse in your office!”

“Completely understandable,” the Proctor said in his usual prim sounding tone. “Now, I think webothneed to listen to what your prodigal brother has to say, so why don’t we have a seat. I always hesitate to call students out of class but when your brother showed up at Pitchfork Prep Academy asking for you, and also asking if he could be considered for emergency admittance to the Academy, well… I don’t believe I have ever heard of a similar case in the history of the school, and we have had some strange situations crop up, I assure you! First of all, I wanted to ascertain that heisyour twin brother, and not someone claiming to be! I believe your reaction to seeing him has told me everything I need to know!”

“Yes, yes, this is my twin brother, Sam,” Moni said as she and Sam took seats together while still holding onto each other’s hands. “I haven’t seen him since our eighth birthdays… We, my parents and I, always believed that he was abducted. We even waited for a ransom note, but never received one!” She turned to Sam, who was looking as happy as she felt.

“I guess it’syourturn, Sam. Where have you been?”

Sam leaned forward. “I wish I could remember,” he replied, with a tinge of sadness in his tone. “I know that it sounds unbelievable, but I don’t remember anything past our eighth birthday, when we were playing hide and seek!”

Proctor Reynolds frowned deeply as he looked from Sam to Moni, and then back to Sam.

“I’m sure you realize that it would take some very dark and malevolent magic to erase over eight years of memory,” he said in a serious tone. “I can only assume that, as your sister just said, your family postulated, you must have been taken because of your gifts in Magicae. Gifts that you share with your sister, Antimony, I’m sure. It is quite common for twins to have the same gifts.”

Moni turned to Sam again. “Sam, what’s the very last thing you remember?” she asked him. “Very last memory?”

Sam’s handsome brow buckled for a moment. “I was hiding in one of the closets in our room,” he told her. “I had discovered that there was a small square door in the back corner of it that opened into an attic space. The door was so small that only a kid could get through it, and I was convinced that it was the perfect hiding space! I crept in and closed the little door behind me. It was pitch black in that attic space, and dusty. After a few minutes I started to get a feeling of dread, not just the willies but a feeling that something—or someone—was behind me. I was about to abandon my perfect hiding space and crawl back into the closet when I heard a chuckle in my ear. It wasn’t a nice sound, it caused me to get prickles on the back of my neck and I panicked and threw myself forward toward the door to the closet space .I never made it, and the same voice saying, ‘Oh no you don’t!’ is the last thing I remember. And then I show up here, in clothes I don’t recognize and a body I am just getting used to and, well, it’s been atrip, to say the least!”

After conversing for a few more minutes, Proctor Reynolds had Sebastian Crockett fill out a series of forms and then handed him a key.

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