Page 131 of The Holy Academy of Witches

“Because you can’t seem to escape it? The dread.” She moved to the piano bench before clasping her hands and leaning forward with an overly studious look.

“Right, exactly. Ever since the explosion I’ve had this… dread. And I wonder if it’s the after shock of the… possible alternate ending. Or if it’s something more? Something I should be worried about?” I end weakly, unsure if what I’m meaning is coming through. Am I even speaking English any more? Do I know how to speak any language any more?

“Have you gone to the counsellor since you… since then?” Adeline asked slowly, perhaps she too was wondering if I was insane.

“No, I uhh… asked to postpone our meetings until after the Run since someone hexed me outside her office last time.” I muttered, still embarrassed that I’d been caught unawares.

“Right… Well that’s still a month away, maybe you could talk to her about a virtual appointment?” Her concern twisted something in my stomach. Maybe I should see her, I’d never used our appointments for genuine divulging instead learning more generalised coping skills in the hopes I could use them to control… or repress, my emotions.

“Yeah… I’ll look into that. Thanks, Adeline.” I scooped up the orb I dropped with a sheepish grin, picking up the notes before waving her back down. “I’m ready this time.”

“You’re sure?” She stood slowly, as if to give me more time to protest.

“I’m sure, let’s make some force fields so we can kick ass.”

Part III

Sixty-Nine

Adeline

Two months had passed since I had last seen Theo. He hadn’t run away again, as far as I was aware, not that I was thinking about him. Life had been strange, robotic almost. We woke up, attended lessons and were then confined to our rooms till the morning. Apart from Sage’s mess of emotions about Cillian, things had been quiet… uneventful, but still, time had moved on. Sage had said her appointments with the counsellor were helping, though I think it had more to do with the fact that ever since Cillian had helped her look for Theo, he was still making excuses as to why Sage needed to accompany him to gigs and out for meals and drinks. Some of his reasoning was so transparent it was a miracle Sage still hadn’t cottoned on. Maybe she was slightly less intelligent than I had given her credit for?

I had spent every waking moment either studying or focusing on training for The Run, which now had to be between the hours of 7am and 7pm. Cillian had spent all week mercilessly taunting me in the hopes I would give him my best, and today was finally the day. I had yet to beat him, a fact that he constantly reminded me of, but not this time. Besides my brief lapse of sanity by falling for my friend’s brother, I was in tip-top condition.

I stood in the kitchen, heavy rock music playing through my headphones as I made a smoothie. We didn’t have any classes today and instead were instructed to prepare for The Run this afternoon, so long as we stayed on campus of course.

I turned to scrape my chopping board over the bin and startled as Sage cleared her throat behind me. “By the Gods, Sage. Are you trying to give me a heart attack?!”

“I thought you liked classical music?” She asked, gesturing to my in-ear headphones.

“Classical music is for thinking, Sage. Today is not for thinking, today is for action.”

“Cool cool… Can I listen?”

“It’s not his band.” I replied.

“I know…” though she skulked off to her room suggesting the opposite. I laughed to myself, shaking my head, as I continued to make my smoothie.

Sage reappeared while I was half-way through a workout session, perspiration slick on my forehead. “You okay?” I asked her.

“Mmhmm… Just thinkin’,” she replied.

“About?” I asked, resuming my crunches on the mat I had conjured in place of our usual coffee table.

“Aren’t you gonna be tired? Ya know from the whole…” she gestured at my position on the floor, “physical exertion.” she finished.

“You don’t need to do it just because I am.”

“She’s a sadist.” Dorcas commented as she sat down on the sofa beside Sage.

I paused, sitting up. “You mean masochist, not that I am.”

“ImeanPsycho.” She stuck her tongue out at me before turning sideways to look at Sage.

Sage cautiously tilted her head to meet Dorcas’ stare. “Uhh, can I help you?”

“Are you ready then?” She challenged.

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