Callista.As the days go by, fragment by fragment, I heal.I honestly did not think it would be possible, but turns out, I shouldn’t really question the experts no matter how absurd their methods seem. After all, they were experts for a reason.I was moved to the hospital after the first session, where I got my own level of room. The same wards that were in the tower were placed here and they kept the nightmares at bay.The room I got was not open like the rest of the hospital was, but surrounded by linen curtains that were a light beige draped around cherry wood pillars that supported a circular roof. My bed was in the middle of the room, and at the foot of the bed, there was a chest, which was full of the robes worn by the patients of the hospital. They were a very light aqua color, and as everything in the Guild was, enchanted so they were warm when it was cold and vice versa, light and flowing. Some preferred to wear pants underneath, some didn't. Anyone was free to accessorize th
Theon."Hello, Theon," Valencia says as soon as I enter my office.She looks pretty sedate and more exhausted than usual. There are deep bags under her eyes as if she hadn't gotten a good night's sleep in days, and her shoulders are hunched. She seems defeated, which is uncharacteristic of her. But she still wears her signature jacket and sword and still looks more put together than many others I know on a good day.Still, concerns creep up on me."Hello, Valencia." I sit back on my chair behind the desk. "I'm surprised to see you here, to be honest. Especially as Callista isn't here anymore."She perks up at that, expression too neutral to be concerned. "Oh? And what led her to be absent? Where might she be now?”"If you must know, her episodes became too much for us to keep her safe here. She tried to jump off a wall, and we figured it was the right time for her to go to the Witches Guild."Even saying that I feel a hint of melancholy run through me. Goddess, I miss Callista."So,
Theon."What?" I can’t believe what I heard. "You stepped down?"Before she left for the festival to her own pack, Valencia had told me how much she loved her role as the Gamma of the Geraldine pack. It gave her a separate identity from her father. Her title was hers, and she wasn't just the Alpha's daughter anymore. And she had been good at her job. She had a keen eye for any details that were out of the normal. Although she didn't have Haden-level expertise in weaponry and strategy, she was a good Gamma who served her pack well. "Yeah," she replies. "I couldn't take the pressure anymore. I had to go away.""Valencia," I say her name and her gaze lifts to mine. "Are you thinking of leaving your pack?"She sighs, "I honestly don't know, Theon. Once, the place was home to me. And I still love it. I love the people, the customs, the town, I love the forest, I love the life I lived there. At the same time, I want to escape. As if it suffocates me. I feel like a coward for saying this, b
Callista.Matron Aldar teleported us in front of the Academy and bustled away to meet up with the Headmistress before the ceremony started. Ophelia and I watch her go for a bit and turn towards the Academy building. This is my very first time seeing it, and boy, if it isn’t a sight.I have to say when someone mentions a ‘Witches Academy’, the image of a gothic castle with black-clad emo kids comes into mind. Like every other kid in my generation, I’ve grown up on the hilarious ideas humans have on us put into movies and books, so sometimes, I expect the stereotype first and the reality second.Oftentimes, reality is much, much different from fiction, but this is not such a time.The Witches Academy building is situated near the foot of the mountain. Just like the tower, it’s decorated with swirling vines and creepers, but the old, gothic mansion that lay underneath is visible from the tall doorways, Roman pillars, and the narrow, deeply set windows that peek from under the overgrowth
Callista.I cannot believe it.There, in between a boy who looks very young and another girl, Jenny stands, staring bewildered at the explosion of light that filled the ceiling of the hall with light spheres, bobbing serenely. Her mouth is open in wonder. She wears the robes of the students, grey colored with pants underneath, with their cloaks held together by iron chains.The light reflects on her lovely dark skin, and now I can see how unhealthy she’d looked before. Her hair and skin used to look dull, her eyes surrounded by more creases, and her face gaunt. But now, she looks different, happy, excited…And she's too busy staring at everything else to notice me.Not that I blame her, because this place is amazing, but I had been worrying about the bears getting to her the last time I saw her, and my protective instincts rise within."Callista!" Ophelia hisses me. "You can't disturb the ceremony!""That girl," I hiss back. "She's human! I know her!""She's not human, she's the one I
Callista."Oh my God!" After the ceremony, Jenny runs towards me and jumps, wrapping her arms around my shoulders as she traps me in a tight embrace, I bury my face in her shoulder and take a deep whiff of her scent, familiarizing myself with her according to wolf tradition. I hope she isn’t creeped by it. "You're alive! You're alive!"I laugh with happiness. "I am, alive and safe. I never thought I'd see you again!""I thought those men killed you!" She says in a shaky voice and her arms around me tighten. "I'm so glad they didn't."They certainly tried, but I don't think telling those details to a sixteen-year-old is wise. The last thing I want is to give her more trauma."My pack saved me before they could do anything like that," I tell her instead.She untangles herself and holds me at arm's length, her big, brown eyes scanning my being with awe."You're really a werewolf?" she asks reverently. "And you have a pack?"I nod. "Yeah. It's called the Rexellen pack.""Oh wow," she mutt
Callista.The next day, the Headmistress looks at me and hums contemplatively."Perhaps you ought to take a break today."That was after I failed to break a fragment for the third time that day. I don't know what's wrong with me, but every time I try to go into my mind, I get lost, and phantoms make me lose track of the chant. Also, I don't end up in the orchard, I end up in various places of my past.It was annoying the first few times, but I felt particularly drained and exhausted after the last attempt."Yeah," I sigh. "I think that's a good idea.""Come walk with me." The Headmistress invites me as I scramble up from the ground, "Sometimes fresh air is the best cure for a troubled mind."We walk from the meditation room to the hospital. It's near noon, and the sun shines ever so brightly above the clouds, which move like cotton swabs through the clear blue sky. The mountain air is crisp and dry, the fog has reduced a bit today. Witches stroll around, guiding enchanted baskets heav
Callista.“What is that?!” I scream, tensing as another roar follows the first.It sounds like the wail of a wounded animal, a strange trumpet quality mixed with the growl of a predator, echoing through us. It's as if an elephant and a lion were sounding at once.From above, we can hear the witches screaming. That cannot be a good thing. During my time being here, I’ve never seen the witches panic like this."Oh, no!" The Headmistress exclaims, and the next thing I know, she’s rushing to the hospital. I know that at the moment, what I'm supposed to do is run far away from the hospital and let the experts handle it. After all, I was just a patient in the hospital, a werewolf who couldn't even transform. There is nothing I can do to help.But logic had never been my strongest suit.So, I run after the Headmistress and enter the hospital. People are all running in the opposite direction, towards the entrance, novice physicians, orderlies, nurses, and patients. It's a hassle to get insid