I was back at the bleak place again. That place thrumming with filth and despair. It was like a rewind tape, like I was going through the motions, which has been replayed before. The dream that I had when I had been thrown into the holding cell, when I had been in a coma.I didn’t know what it meant, but it seemed it would keep coming until I discovered its purpose, its reason for visiting me.Yet, why me?I sighed when a woman’s despairing cry echoed in my soul, tearing at me, reprimanding me, drawing me back from the edge of a great precipice. I was starving. It was just as before.Every cell in my body craved food and something else, something I could lay my finger on, mostly because I had rehearsed the dream by now. Blood.I was somewhere underground.The hunger raked at me with merciless claws until a red haze covered my sight and my pulse hammered with the need for immediate sustenance. Desperate, I scanned the area above my resting place for the presence of enemies and,
I knew that in this realm I wasn’t human, I knew I was different. I wished though it transcended to the reality realm. However, not the blood-needing part.Things moved in the forest, banshees wailed, unfamiliar creatures gathered in the bushes and along the ground. It made no sense, not for one of my kind. What kind?The night should have welcomed me-soothed me. Enfolded me in its rich blanket of peace. The night had always belonged to me-to my kind. Information should have flooded me with each breath I took into my body, but instead my mind played tricks, saw things that couldn’t be there. I could hear a dark symphony of voices calling to me, the sounds swelling in volume until my head pounded with moans and pitiful cries. The spider legs are next. I passed to myself, right before I felt it.Bony fingers brushed at my skin, spider legs crawled over me so that I twisted left and right, flailing my arms, slapping at my chest and back, brushing vigorously in an effort to dislo
A snap of fingers right at my left ear drew me up—away from the vacuum of the bleak rainforest in my dreams—into the presence of a blue-eyed professor whose eyes burned with gentle fury.“Sleeping in class on your first day??”A repeat of the sentence scrawled past his parched lips which informed me that his voice had been what had interrupted my dream. I wasn’t sure if I should be grateful for that or not. On one hand, I had been cut off from being plagued by those wraiths, and on the other hand, I hadn’t learnt something new. If…Wait a minute!I pushed my body to sit upright on the chair, as I discovered that I could remember the dream vividly.Was this the purpose for its repetition? For remembrance? “Professor, I think a blast of magic on her cheeks would wake her up faster than a snap of your fingers.” I knew that voice. Rachel. There were a few bouts of laughter at her suggestion. “You think so, Rachel?” When had she joined the class? Had she been in the meeting?I shoo
My heart pounded in my chest as I awaited the Professor's reaction to my silly outburst. The class was still very quiet, very quiet for my liking. It made me almost berate myself for being so stupid, for being so sensitive. I could deduct from the silence that the old, worn out looking professor was a menace to his students. Yet I refused to cower under his heated gaze, not even with the amount of eyes zeroed on every inch of me.When the professor started walking toward me, when his feet sounded so sure and tacky on the floor as they moved in my direction, I clenched my fists tightly then splayed them on my laps. Then I clutched them again; this time around, they were clutching my trousers with them. I felt a shin of sweat on my eyebrows, despite the good ventilation in the class, and knew that my nerves were breaking out.“You know, I was at the party…”I cocked my head to the side, pretending to be aloof, to be a little interested in whatever he was saying—a good cover to the
The desire to be helped floated in my horizon as I heard the question that was tinged with slight hostility.I turned toward the familiar voice, hope soaring in my chest when my eyes met Raul. His gaze met that of the professor’s headlong. Gone was his cheery smile.“Much? I don’t think so, Prince Raul. I actually think I’m being lenient, and I know you know that.” The professor answered, before his eyes finally landed on me.“Detention, Akwoods. If you flaunt it…”He chuckled drily now, before dealing the finishing blow. “I hope for your sake, that you don’t.”Flaunting it wasn’t even an option now, hearing that evil sound. I wouldn’t even dare it.But it seemed Raul wasn’t done pleading my case.Within the next minute, he spoke in that strange impenitent voice of his I didn’t get the chance to hear before.“She’s a new student, Professor Bulock. I think she deserves a stretch of mercy. She’s not yet aware of how things are done here yet. Surely, you understand that.” Professor Bu
‘That I care about you.’ These words kept ringing in my head, but I knew it was because of the emotions that Raul had worn in his eyes when he spoke them. I didn’t think I would forget them any time soon. It was foremost, the emotion of sheer attachment, which kept bringing back those words. And it was not like I was remotely interested in Raul. No. He was handsome and all that, but he seemed to have caught Diana’s fancy. A few years would determine if it was a childhood crush, or something else. Somehow, a feeling or gut—call it whatever—chose the latter.I sighed at that. This development wasn't good. When had he developed the feelings? Was it when I had rejected Adam publicly in the eatery? Worse, after my conversation with Raul, Rachel hadn’t stopped staring at me. Sometimes she was glaring, some other times she was just staring at me, in amazement or surprise. But those few times I caught her looking at me in that manner, as if I was holding gold, she righted her face b
At Sinclair’s question, I furrowed my eyebrows, wondering about the edge in his voice, an edge that was barely there.I didn’t think he was even aware of it. We had both agreed that personal questions were off the bet. That had been the reason I hadn’t asked him about the thriving issue between him and Raul. Yet, here he was talking about me and Raul like we had something going, like he was curious about knowing what exactly we had going on. I ignored him. “I want to go to college when I’m done here, or rather I want to use it as an avenue for exploring the world, before taking up my responsibility. But my parents want me to take up my responsibility after school.” I stopped my movement then and looked at Sinclair in shock. He had answered my question, the first I had asked him earlier, after my registration at the principal’s office. I had asked him what his plans were after school, and he had told me that he didn’t owe me an answer.My ignorance of his questions must have no
There was laughter everywhere in the cafeteria. The matrons serving the food said and did nothing. Sinclair sighed in exasperation. I wasn’t sure of Raul’s reaction to his sister’s bullying. I didn’t look. No. I was already transported in time to the cafeteria back at the pack.I was transported to the past, to the particular time when Noah had poured milk on me; to the time when Daniel had joined them; to the time when the entire student populace, or most, had joined them in throwing food at me; to the time when the matrons had done nothing to help me; until Noami had run and called the principal. My fists clenched, while watching the girl sniff. She was about to cry.I didn’t know when I moved, didn’t care to know how I had gotten in front of Rachel in less than two seconds.I grabbed her by the neck and pulled her out of the chair. “Don’t dare use your magic on me, or you are gone, Rachel.” I said when I saw her hand twitching. It was a gamble. A very risky one, knowing th
I can't believe myself. I can't believe what I had done, when I had opened my eyes and saw the classroom free of smoke, free from the flames I had conjured mere minutes ago. I had jumped on Raul. It was supposed to be a thank you hug, you know, coming from a place of excitement, of happiness that I had finally mastered how to control my magic to some extent, but the hug ended up being the ones couple shared after being apart for probably a year. I had hugged him quite alright, but my legs had moved, of their accord. They had jumped and plastered themselves around his waist. They were still there. Around his waist. My mind was in shambles, especially since Raul had managed to catch me with all precision, still held me now, and showed no signs of letting go. Don't I weigh anything? I retrieved my head from the crook of his neck which scented of masculinity. This contact needed to end now. "Ehmm.." I muttered now, looking into his face, which although wasn't red as mine, showed the
Raul and I stayed cocooned in a comfortable silence for a long while, a privy truce already happening between us. I didn’t see him as the enemy anymore. However, I was still working on separating him from the Queen in my equation of retribution. “How long are we going to stay here? Aren’t we returning to class?” I asked after sometime, my back already yelling in pain for reclining against the hard wall for a long period of time. Raul shrugged his shoulders at my question. “It’s not like there will be any class going on. Do you see any professor around? I bet the students are huddled in their classes, wondering what next would go wrong with..” “With me, you mean….” Raul gave me an apologetic look, but it was all right. It was understandable. Since we have been here, no students have come close, no teachers too. The fire was still burning. I was sure it had ventured into the other classes. Weren’t they coming to stop it? “You know you are the only one that can quench that fire….”
What have I done?Panic swept through the magic room like a tidal wave, mingling with the smell of smoke and the sound of screams.My heart sank as I realized the magnitude of what I had unleashed. I had wanted to prove myself, to show my mastery over the elements, but now, all I felt was guilt and remorse.As chaos erupted around me, I knew that I would carry the weight of this moment with me for quite a long time. For in my quest for power, I had unleashed a force beyond my control, leaving destruction in its wake. And now, I could only watch helplessly as the flames consumed everything in their path.The flames. They held me captive. They had me frozen in the midst of the ensuing chaos. They had my heart sinking into the depths of sorrow. The flames, born of my own magic gone awry, danced voraciously across the classroom. Smoke choked the air, thick and suffocating, as desks and books became engulfed in a raging inferno. The screams of my classmates pierced the cacophony of destru
As I caught sight of Sinclair standing by the door of my classroom, a flutter of nervous anticipation stirred within me. The time for my magic classes had finally come, and despite my excitement, I couldn't help but feel a twinge of apprehension. The time has come.Mr. Lethon must have sent him. I thought, checking the time on my wrist watch. It was exactly the time for my magic class. Sinclair was quite punctual.Since I had decided to cut him some slack for not doing anything about Levina's bullying, we have exchanged words here and there—greetings especially—but it has not been like the same. Probably, because I have been avoiding him really. I'm not sure why. I think I just didn't want to talk to him, not that freely as before, at least not yet. However, he was here to pick me up.I looked at Professor Bulock talking about some impossible theory of magic, and almost called him to the fact that his time was gone. But that would be falling under his radar again. I was tired of that
As Diana and I walked hand in hand to school, chattering like monkeys, a sense of elation bubbled up inside me, replacing the feeling of shame that had subsided a little after Laura's words of encouragement.The Queen had fulfilled her side of the bargain, as she had promised us. She had moved the children's classes back to the general school, and she hadn't disturbed me since then. And even though the weight of her last words had never left me, I couldn't help but feel relief and gratitude, walking to school like this, hand in hand with Diana. It was pure bliss.As we walked, Diana regaled me with tales of spells and enchantments, her enthusiasm quite infectious. I knew that it was because I had just shown her, though messy, that I was good enough to be filled in with magic spells. We exchanged knowledge eagerly—I told her about the book I had stolen from the library, and what I had learnt from them—each revelation sparking a lively conversation that danced between us like fireflies
Finally, It was Friday. A sense of anticipation coursed through my veins like an electric current as I ruminated on what it entailed for me. Magic classes.Today marked the beginning of my journey, officially, into the world of magic—a world I had longed to explore ever since my encounter with the vision of the community's first queen. For two days, I had immersed myself in the ancient magic books, devouring their contents with an insatiable hunger for knowledge. With each page I turned, I had delved deeper into the mysteries of magic, learning the intricacies of summoning and controlling magical creatures, as well as the secrets of casting spells both simple and complex. Though I had practiced in secret, hidden away from prying eyes, my determination never wavered. And now, as I sat at the breakfast table with my family, my newfound skills lay dormant, waiting to be unleashed."Well, how are you feeling, Maya? Seeing that today would be your first time learning magic?" I shrugged
I suddenly found myself standing in a vast, lush forest bathed in the golden light of a setting sun. Ancient trees towered overhead, their branches adorned with shimmering leaves that seemed to glow with an ethereal energy. Birds chirped melodiously in the canopy above, their songs blending harmoniously with the rustling of leaves.In the distance, I saw figures moving through the forest with purpose. Without much ado, I walked toward them, pausing when I noticed that I was literally gliding on the air. My feet weren’t touching the grassy ground. I opened my mouth to gasp in surprise, but air didn’t ooze out of my mouth, neither did a sound come out.I couldn’t talk here? If that was so, then I hoped that I couldn’t be seen.As I approached the figures, I realized they were villagers clad in simple yet elegant garments, their faces painted with elaborate colorful patterns. They spoke in a language that echoed with ancient wisdom, their voices carrying a solemn reverence.Among them
As the minutes ticked by, as I neared home, my thoughts circled back to the Queen’s cryptic demeanor, to her parting words. Consequences. What plans did she have in motion? How would she retaliate against our interference? The uncertainty gnawed at me, yet I clung to the conviction that our actions had been necessary, a pivotal moment in our struggle for autonomy and justice within the community that was ruled by the Queen.With a deep breath, I gathered my composure and turned aside to gaze at Peter. He too, seemed lost in thoughts. There was a slight frown on his face, and I couldn’t help but wonder what had brought about the frown. The promise of the consequences?I sighed softly, and turned away, resolving to face whatever consequences awaited us with courage and determination, which was fortified by the unwavering bond of family and the conviction that we had taken a stand for what was right."I won't let her hurt my family," I whispered to myself a second later, my voice a quie
As Peter and I entered the Queen's personal office, I was immediately struck by the air of elegance and authority that permeated the room. Whilst on our way here, Peter had clarified that the room where I had once had a personal meeting with the Queen, wasn't actually hers, but Duke's. It all made sense now. The difference was clear.The walls of this office were adorned with rich tapestries depicting scenes of royal lineage, while intricate carvings lined the wooden furniture, each piece a testament to the skilled craftsmanship of the community's artisans.At the center of the room stood a grand desk, its polished surface gleaming in the soft light that filtered in through the tall windows. Behind the desk sat the Queen herself, a regal figure dressed in flowing robes of deep crimson. I and Peter bowed, and greeted.Beside her stood her brother, Hendel, his expression stoic yet filled with an undeniable sense of pride.But it was her two children who caught my attention. Duke and Ra