Page 28 of Forbidden Magic
I start the hike to the elusive Dark Falls, the beautiful waterfalls after which the Academy was named. The path is sprinkled in moonlight, and I walk deeper and deeper into the unending woods. Between Allie’s behavior and the way mortals are patronized, this new life isn’t quite as wonderful as I wished it to be.
With Dad, we traveled all the time, switching houses almost every year to follow his Ministry career around wherever he was needed. I’d figured spending three to four years in one place would be heaven, but now…
The leafless, skeletal trees encroach onto the path, the trail in front of me becoming narrower with every step. The light dims as a big cloud glides in front of the moon, and vicious caws resonate across the trunks. My heartbeat spikes, but I curl my hands into fists and continue up the mountain.
I won’t let them be right about mortals. I won’t wash out or let the staff bully me into acting like a scared little girl.
I’m a Winslow witch, and we don’t take crap from anyone. We don’t back down.
A loud branch cracks, and I stare at the dark woods. Two golden eyes stare at me from the shadows.
“Who’s there?”
The eyes disappear, but I hear a low growl.
I snatch a thick branch from the ground, hold it up, and close my eyes. Powers crackles from the tips of my fingers, and the dry wood catches on fire. The makeshift torch reveals a second path heading deeper into the forest, large animal footsteps etched into the mud. All the hair on my body rise to attention, and a pervading sourness settles in my chest. My breath quickens.
A large shadow looms over me, its tendrils held away by the fire. It’s big as a house but translucent, and I gape at it, blinking wildly.
“What are you?” I ask.
It hisses and extinguishes my fire with one dry cry before it plunges to my feet. Despite my earlier promises for bravery, I run. My legs scream from the crazy pace as the shadow chases me uphill, its gnarled claws licking my heels. Music booms above the rustling of the branches and the heavy beats of my heart. A green light pierces the darkness.
My pulse staggers when a bonfire comes into view. The student’s laughter erases the chill in my bones.
I spin around, but there’s nothing behind me, and I force my breathing back to normal. If I burst into a party claiming a shadow lurks in the forest, it’d be social suicide.
A thirty foot fall spills loudly into a round, glassy lake in three separate streams. Water tumbles and roars downward, the green, red, yellow and blue party lights turning it into a hypnotic rainbow. Some students are lounging on the big rocks flanking the water.
I tuck my hair behind my ears and straighten my shirt. Leaves crack under my soles. The bonfire is dancing in the breeze, a sea of bodies drinking and swaying around it, all of them having more fun than me. The stink of cheap alcohol and musk pervades the air.
Maybe it’s the adrenaline, but all the happy faces blur together.
I bump into a table full of empty plastic cups and stop to search for Melanie, Allie, or any other friendly face.
“Fire Girl. You came.” Cole greets me, skipping right into my bubble.
I roll my shoulders back and inch backward. I feel vulnerable and lightheaded, so I can’t handle his glamor right now.
The top three buttons of his crisp, black button-down shirt are open, his tie nowhere to be found. His glassy amber eyes are swimming in booze, and his sleeves are rolled to his elbows, showing off his forearms. The tall, marble-like stature once again steals my tongue.
He aligns his cup underneath the Pixie Ale brew keg and pushes the button. Beer pours from the tap. “You look pale as a ghost. Did a shadow chase you here?” A light smile plays with the corners of his mouth.
My eyes narrow, and for the first time, I consider him a suspect. Could he have done it? Made this spectral form attack me? To what end? Scare me? Humiliate me?
“Come and play Truth, Dare, or Spell with us,” he slurs. The offer sounds more like a command, and I half-expect him to snatch my wrist and pull me along.
There’s a peculiar pause, like he catches himself short of doing that exact thing, his hand hanging awkwardly in mid-air. His feline form bends in question, the smooth muscles rippling underneath his shirt.
“No. I’m good.” I walk straight past him and ignore the hard curve of his mouth.
I make it three steps beyond the fire before Melanie wraps her arm around me. “Newbies go skinny dipping the first night.”
“I prefer not to drink and swim.”
Melanie pouts again, her red lips shining. “Alcohol doesn’t work as fast on me. I need a distraction.”
“Sucks for you.” I raise my glass with a big, ear-to-ear grin and gulp down half. The acrid taste of beer helps calm my nerves down.
