Page 17 of Monster's Delight

I gave myself a mental shake—focus, Siobhan!—and plucked out a thin volume on disjunction magic, returning to my seat already reading what looked to be a thesis. Apparently, disjunction magic was a severing spell, with extremely tricky components. I jotted down what I had read, along with its multiple warnings over each part. “Limitation, impossible to cast with ease,” I muttered to myself as my pen wrote. “Okay, moving on.”

I snapped the book closed and returned to the bookshelf, pulling out the book on elimination magic. I wanted to get through as many branches as possible in the next hour.

CHAPTER6

I satat my desk applying my makeup, darker than my everyday, still in just my towel from my shower after dinner.

“Aren’t you ready to go yet?” Hazel asked from a beanbag, blowing on her nails to dry them. “The girls will be by soon.”

We were heading into Wellspring, the small town on the eastern side of the island, for girl’s night. There was a pub with music and billiards, and I couldn’t wait to relax with my friends.

“I’ve picked out my dress already,” I gestured at the couch. “And my hair will take two seconds... literally!” I curled my eyelashes, already dark from mascara, and blinked at myself in the mirror. I had blended purple on the inside of my eye with two shades of browns on the rest of my lid, and topped it off with navy mascara in a heavy wing tip. “Blush,” I muttered to myself, rummaging through my makeup bag.

I chose a warm peach blush to give my cheeks a pop of color and then a dark plum lipstick for my lips, setting it with a quick spell so that it wouldn’t come off on anything.

A quick rapping on the door got Hazel out of her seat, her short green mini dress making it slightly difficult for her to stand up.

I bit my lips to keep my laughter to myself. She looked amazing and I didn’t want her to feel self-conscious about the skin-tight dress.

The vocal appreciation of our friends and neighbors, Una and Rhiannon, met my ears as Hazel greeted them.

I quickly dressed in my underwear and tied the wrap dress around my waist, checking my reflection in the floor-length mirror. I adjusted the hem of the purple fabric until it crisscrossed properly in front of my full hips and muttered a charm to keep it in place through the walking, dancing, and sitting that I’d be doing tonight. The daringly low-cut neckline meant that I couldn’t wear a bra, so I added a little support and coverage with another spell, really enhancing my cleavage.

I wiggled my feet into my comfortable sneakers and grabbed a purse before joining the girls at the door.

“Be still my heart, Siobhan!” squealed Una. “You are jaw-droppingly gorgeous!” Petite and blonde, Una barely came to my shoulder in height, but more than made up for it with her enthusiasm.

“Right back at you!” I replied, taking her in. She was wearing a navy blue halter dress that came to mid-thigh.

Rhiannon, her opposite in almost every way from her black hair, height, and curves, to her quiet demeanor, had on a red, strapless, high-necked dress that shimmered as she moved.

“Wow,” I told her. “We all look incredible. Are you ready to knock some socks off?”

Una laughed. “I wouldn’t mind knocking a little more than socks off.” She wiggled her eyebrows. “If you know what I mean.”

I grinned. “Hear, hear! Let’s go find out what Wellspring has to offer!”

We left the academy and I pulled out my mirror. The girls crowded around, their fingers on the frame as I spoke the spell that would allow us to travel through the mirror to the east end of the island. The mirror travel didn’t work within the academy, so we had to leave the building before we attempted it.

Within a very uncomfortable breath, we were standing at the edge of the small town.

“Everyone okay?” I asked, settling my stomach with a quick charm. “That was a little rough.”

“I’m fine,” Una said, and Rhiannon nodded, but Hazel looked the same as she had after the sea crossing.

I led her over to a nearby tree and wrapped her arms around it.

Within moments, Hazel had returned to her usual greenish-brown coloring and let go of the tree. “That works so well. Thanks, Siobhan.” She cocked her head. “I hear music.”

“Let’s follow our ears!” Una suggested playfully.

Walking down the main thoroughfare of the town, we came across a restaurant, an inn, and then finally a pub with its door open, music pouring out into the still night air. The sign out front proclaimedBuckingham’s Pub.

Our toes tapping, we entered the loud, dimly lit building.

There were multiple tables near the door, more than half of which were crowded with people. On the left was a long bar that stretched the length of the building. In the middle was a large space to dance, with a jukebox against one wall. At the far back, four billiards tables were surrounded by more people.

“Looks like we weren’t the only students to have this idea,” Una said. She nudged Rhiannon with her elbow and nodded toward a table. “Do you see anyone over there that you want to get to know better?”

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