Page 7 of Forbidden Magic
An ornate round staircase leads to the second floor, and Miss Eillis opens the door wide to a round room with many windows and two twin beds. To my extreme relief, there are no plants of any sort inside.
A stunning girl with luscious curves is laying down tarot cards by the bay window, her flaming red hair sticking in all directions.
“Well, I’ll leave you girls to get acquainted,” Miss Eillis says, turning on her heels.
My roomate eyes me up and down and stands. “I’m Lydia.”
“Jules.”
“You’re a mortal.”
It’s the first time today that I’ve heard the word uttered with something else than disdain or apprehension. “Yes.”
Lydia lets out a relieved breath and slumps back on her chair. “Thank God. It’s a nut-house in here. The two guys living below are Basilisk shifters. As insnakes.” A shiver passes through the girl. “How did you end up here?”
“My Dad is a Minister,” I say.
Her brows hike up. “You’re a witch?”
“Yes, you?”
She shakes her head. “A seer. My great grandmother was somewhat of a celebrity. That’s why I got in. Honestly, I almost wish I hadn’t. I’ve been here for six hours and still haven’t found the courage to leave the room. That waiver fucked with my brain.”
“You and me both.”
I unpack my stuff while Lydia chats me up on Florida and how she almost went to MIT instead. When the bed is made and my clothes tucked in the creaky drawers, my stomach grumbles.
“Have you eaten? I’m starving. I skipped lunch,” I say, remembering how quickly Allie blew me off.
“One of the snakes, Blane I think, told me the cafeteria is a bit of a hike. Of course, he meant that he might eatmeif he woke up hungry at night. I’m used to mortals being the norm. Here, it’s like we’re lepers or something.”
“Tell me about it. The blue dye thing—creepy.”
“Right?”
We both nod enthusiastically, and my chest warms. I’m getting positive vibes from this girl, and I’ve learned to trust my witchy instincts.
Seers are supernatural beings like us witches. We’re mortal, which differentiates us from the shifters, vampires, and other creatures that live for centuries.
Lydia and I follow the road leading to what is marked on the map as the dining room/gym/infirmary. We cross paths with a few groups of students and get a few whistles and catcalls, but no one stops to talk to us.
The building is modern and fancy like a resort restaurant. A steep black roof rests on floor-to-ceiling windows, the glass allowing a wide view of the well-lit interior.
We order the safest items on the menu—pizza and salad—and observe the other students. Three large banquet tables spread the length of the cafeteria and smaller tables are set in the corners. Most of them are empty, so Lydia and I sit across from each other at one end of one of the bigger tables.
We eat and watch as more and more students stream through the doors.
I grab my phone and dial Allie’s number.
Lydia raises her brows. “You brought your cell? The acceptance letter said that reception was spotty at best.”
“Yeah. You can take a witch out of the human world…” The ringing tone gives way to a smothering silence. “Allie! Where are you? It’s half past five.”
A yawn stretches across the line. “Damn, Jules. I dozed off.”
My eyes narrow. “Get your ass over here.” Blowing me off before was rude. Not showing up now is unacceptable. We haven’t seen each other inthree months.
“I can’t. I have three chapters to finish,” she whines.
