Page 107 of The Holy Academy of Witches

Why couldn’t I stop thinking about him? A cracking sound broke the silence of the lesson I was in as my pencil snapped in half. A girl a few seats over, turned in her chair to look at me. I glared at her till she paled and looked away.

“Why are you sosnappytoday?” Sage asked from beside me.

“I’m not.”

“Umm, yes you are… you’re making me nervous.”

“Your nerves are of no consequence to me.”

She sighed, pulling a face and continued to make notes. I pulled out my phone by habit and immediately flinched at my actions, “I’m done with this.” I stood from my chair, shoving my belongings into my bag roughly.

“Everything okay, Miss Alva?” Professor Hershaw asked.

“Yep!” I continued to pack away my things. Sage shuffled uncomfortably next to me.

“What… what are you doing?” Professor Hershaw asked. She stood in the centre of the classroom, paused mid-speech.

“Leaving.”

“Leaving?” She asked uncertainly. Everyone was turned to face us now. Dorcas had a gleeful look on her face, she gobbled up any kind of drama. A few of the students were whispering to each other.

“Yep.” I placed my bag over my shoulder and nodded at Sage who gave me a bewildered nod back. I walked out of the classroom without making eye contact with anyone, including Professor Hershaw, who, undoubtedly, was mortified. I would hear about this from my mother no doubt.

I wrapped my arms around myself against the bitter wind. The sky was that pale grey, an eerie, endless cloud covering which usually spoke of snow.

‘No one likes snow, Addie.’

My mood darkened with every step. As I rounded the corner, so did my mother.Faaaantastic.

“Adeline, why aren’t you in class?”

“Toilet break.”

“You’re outside.”

“Are we? I hadn’t noticed.”

My mothers features flickered with displeasure, “Is that anyway to speak to your headmistress, Miss Alva?” I looked around to see absolutely no other students.

“Why are you speaking to me like that?”

“Like what?”

“Like I’m just another student and not your daughter… Youronlydaughter.” I don’t know why I was baiting her, I was just on a downward spiral since the moment Theo looked at me like he didn’t even know me. My mother grimaced, her eyes flashing with an unspoken emotion… regret? grief?

“Do not continue down this path Adeline, you won’t like the consequences.”

I could feel the anger building, years worth of venom ready to poison everyone around me. My insides twisted by regular dark magic use, my judgement tainted, my very soul corrupted.

“Why? What will you do? Shout at me? Refuse to speak to me? Treat me as though I’m nothing? A trophy… not even worthy of your time, or your love?” My mothers chest was rising and falling with fury, though her expression gave nothing away, not even when faced with her child’s pain. “Oh wait, you’ve already done that.”

I walked away from her towards the woods. I didn’t look back, though I expected she was still standing there, stunned. I wished I could see her face without inviting some kind of retribution for my words.

Performing dark magic now would be unwise, my thoughts and intentions were already negative… So that was exactly what I chose to do. I sank to the earth, not even bothering to ground myself as I chanted a protection spell and a warding to repel anyone in the surrounding area. I conjured a knife and cut into my palm three times. Blood welled to the surface immediately. I traced the usual patterns onto my forehead and chest in the blood, the moment the symbols were complete magic burned through my body greedily, feeding off my reserves at a rapid rate. I closed my eyes and whispered the ritual enchantments as I drew a pentagram in the earth, letting my wounds, both physical and emotional, fuel the magic. I continued with the ritual, until all I was were the bad parts, until I was utterly lost and all I felt was free… free to just not care… to be far removed from the anger, the grief, the pressure, the loneliness. I sank deeper, deeper. Breath rattling in my ears.

I opened my eyes, the edges blurred and swam. The first thing I saw through the dream-like haze was blood, so much blood. It ran down both arms like I had skinned a deer with my bare hands. The pain didn’t even register as I looked closer, seeing deep cuts that had left my skin like ribbons… that would probably scar if I didn’t see an actual healer. I grabbed some herbs and some of my own healing potion from my bag, frantically rubbing them in the countless wounds. My magic felt like an endless emptiness within me, a dried up river. The dark magic had drained me entirely. I rubbed my palms against my skirt, trying to wipe away the bulk of the blood as my wounds made a poor attempt to rejoin. I paled as I saw something I hadn’t seen in years.

“No… No.” I whispered to myself, panic rising like bile in my throat. I lunged into my bag, tossing things out with reckless abandon until I grasped a water bottle. I haphazardly poured it all over my arms and hands and dropped it in shock at the sight of the inky stain blackening my fingers, spreading up the skin of my hands. The death-dealing poison spilling into my veins, the web-like patterns spreading up my forearms. I looked around myself, fear piercing my senses. I hadn’t had I?! No… there would be signs surely, I’d warded the area. No one was here… No one was near.

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