Page 103 of The Holy Academy of Witches

“Fine,” I conceded, “friends it is.”

“Well, my first act as your friend is sorting out my idiotic brother! Don’t leave please, I’ll talk to him… See what got in that dumb brain of his.”

“No, honestly. If I have to go back in that house…” I swallowed the ball of emotion which was threatening to break me at any moment, “I’ll murder your brother and that would just ruin Christmas.” I gave her a joking smile which she rewarded with a grin. “Maybe you could give me a message or a call when your brother’s not home and we can try this again?”

“Okay, if you’re sure… I’m… I’m sorry about him. He… Well, it’s not my place to say but he won’t have meant it… He’s not a bad person.”

Pain shot through my chest and I grit my teeth. My mouth formed a thin line as I nodded.

‘I’m already yours Teddy’… but he hadn’t said he was mine.

Fifty-Four

Sage

Waking slowly to the smell of mom’s pancakes was perhaps my favourite part of being home. The smell of syrup wafted into the room and I inhaled deeply, eyes closed. The maple smell transformed until it was tinged with citrus and leather.

Will you be my girlfriend?

“Gah!” I sat up, eyes flying open to search the room for the unwelcome intruder. My mind caught up slowly to what happened. He’d somehow ruined pancakes. Taking much shallower breaths while I dressed I tried to ignore the lingering memory of how his scent compared to the one that lingered in the air. It didn’t matter. My mind disagreed, but then it did enjoy driving me closer to the edge of insanity.

Mom, hearing my approach, spun around until her cheerful caramel eyes could look up at me. My smile was genuine. Sweeping her small form into a hug I thanked her for the food. Sitting with my plate, I started happily munching on the pancakes I’d drowned in an uncharacteristic amount of syrup. She blissfully ignored my indiscretion and launched into a tale of her and Dad’s latest warding of a nearby estate and accompanying grounds.

I’d missed her, missed them. Their respecting my wish for space had done wonders in that regard. I didn’t hate them, not really. I only felt the familiar ache of betrayal, quickly followed by the prick of remorse that their need to protect me had changed our lives completely. At least I could keep their burden lighter by omitting my most recent blunder.

“Where’s Theo?” I asked calmly, looking around as if by speaking his name he would appear.

“He left early this morning, in one of his moods if his rigorous stomping is any indicator.” A small furrow appeared on her forehead, her own indicator of distress.

“He’s very determined to win the Run, maybe he’s just using the break for some more rigorous training.” I remarked casually, throwing them both a bone, they were both incredibly headstrong and mulish about certain things. And my mother, once she found a puzzle that captured her interest, was unstoppable. The last thing either of them needed was her trying to find out the latest reason he was stomping around at whatever ungodly hour he’d left.

She met my eyes, my dark blue an odd compromise between my father’s brilliant hue and her brown, and filled my now empty plate with bacon. Digging in again, I sent off a text to Adeline to inform her the house was clear of my idiot brother if she’d like to join us. She responded in the form of a nauseating schedule.

“That’s disgusting.” I said aloud. Her earliest availability was for 7pm, I sent dibs for then.

“Then why are you inhaling it?” My father’s voice came from behind me just before one of his long arms snagged a piece of bacon from my plate.

“Not the bacon!” I slapped the air where his hand had just been.

He danced away, much more graceful with the long limbs I was constantly at a loss with. As he put a plate together for himself he clarified, “What then is so disgusting, Daughter? Has your mother poisoned anything I should be aware of?” He winked as my mom tossed a look over her shoulder at him.

“Adeline’s Christmas schedule. Theo won’t tell me what his problem is with her, so I figured I’d invite her over while he’s gone. She sent this as a response.” I showed them both the phone, figuring it was no great secret as three different instructors and five beauticians were already involved.

“See, I told you Dave. Hateful woman.” My mom spun around, her polished strawberry curls fanning out before settling without a hair out of place. She began muttering what may or may not have been a karma curse in the direction of The Headmistress. I bit my lips to hide the grin from Dad’s keen sky blues. Sending off a final text to Theo to tell him to stay away this evening I locked my phone.

Dad and Theo were the true identical twins, both sunshine skies filled with a thirst for adrenaline. Though today, Dad’s usually mussed golden hair had been slicked back to match the suspenders and khakis that gave him a very ‘old Hollywood’ air.

“Where are you off to this morning?” I asked, more accustomed to his Indiana Jones getup than the current Newsies look.

“Oh I’m off to walk some grounds and give an estimate for a project.” He said, sipping the coffee Mom just finished brewing.

“Well… before you leave, I have something I wanted to tell you both.” I began blushing, for absolute no reason except maybe indignation? Yeah that must be it.

“Well then, let’s hear it!” Mom had pulled herself up to sit on a counter to see over the heaps of food she’d just made.

“I… met someone.” I decided to say, it wasn’t technically a lie. I did indeed meet Cillian.

“I hear that happens at schools.” Dad said through a poorly disguised smile.

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