Heather was going to be late. "Okay," she whispered, meeting my eyes. "Let me talk to the instructors, and when I have an answer, I'll let you know quickly." An ache filled me at the pain and anguish she must be going through. "Can't you use magic to change my body into a girl?" She sounded desperate, placing her hand over mine."There is a magic that can make you look different. They are called glamours. But the spell is only temporary. They can't help you long term." In my own studies, I came across a story or two of supernaturals changing their form. I would look into the possibility, but I didn't want to get her hopes up. "Get to class, and when I have information, I'll let you know," I said, handing her the note. She picked up her backpack and wiped her face as she stood. It was a mess. "Thank you, Miss Croswell." "Sure," I said, standing too. "And one more thing?"Heather looked at me, hopeful. "Your makeup. Want me to fix it?"She sighed. "Yes, please." She swallowed. "May
Sure, he'd been alive a long time and seemed to know everything about the supernatural, but perhaps I should've talked to Abernathy, the dragon, instead.Professor Pops took his reading glasses from his sweater pocket and put them on the end of his nose. He began going over some papers on his desk. The longer I sat, the worse I felt. And I wasn't sure I had a reason. I never once saw Pops be anything but kind and beyond helpful. Sure he was a human turned Hunter, turned kind of human again - No, that was wrong. He was and always would be a vampire. Nothing could change that fact. Plus, I didn't think he wanted to change. I shifted in my seat. Pops looked at me over the top of his glasses. "Cindy? You said you needed to talk to me. Was that true, or are you hiding from someone?"I snorted and cleared my throat. "Have you heard of a land called Polonias?" I blurted.He pulled off his glasses and set them on the desk, then clasped his hands together. "Perhaps. Where is this Polon
I went into my office and closed the door. During class, I asked my students to write a paragraph on what they hoped to learn this year, and now I needed to get through them to gauge not only their ability to write but also whether or not I needed to change my next lesson. The words were a blur. I kept reading the same sentence over and over again and still didn't know what it said. I couldn't help it. Random thoughts popped up. My magic. It came from The Eye of Abernathy, which came from Earth. And Abernathy was a dragon of the Earth. If my sinking suspicions about where I was born were correct -"No," I shook those thoughts away. It just didn't make sense. After staring into space for I didn't know how long, there was a knock on the door. "Come in," I said, glancing at the clock. It was time for my appointment with Sera. Actually, the girl was a little late but better late than never. The door opened, but instead of Sera, there stood a man. His eyes were blue like summe
Gabe texted back that he would be over soon, saying we needed to talk, but I wasn't in the mood for talking. He showed up at my window ten minutes after I was in my pajamas. I wore silk shorts and a matching spaghetti strap tank. With giddy anticipation, I let him in. "Hey," he said softly. He smelled of the fresh night air, moonbeams, pure magic, and something I couldn't quite gauge. What could be the matter?"Hi." I closed the window and turned, studying him as he wandered the room, picking up the photo of us right after high school graduation, before setting it back down. Gabe was hot. His dark hair short and his emerald green eyes seemed even brighter than usual. He always had a tan, and his body was sculpted and sleek. I craved him. And I wanted him to make me forget all my worries for a little while, especially Leolas. Going to him, I pressed my lips to his. He responded hungrily, wrapping his arms around me. I sighed, knowing I would never love another the way I love
Heaving a deep breath, the fracture in my heart splintered, and I threw myself on my bed. Sobs racked my body as pain filled every crevice.I don't know how long I lay in bed and allowed myself to cry. It was after eleven when I made a decision. I needed to talk to my best friend. Taking a deep breath, I went to my bathroom and took in my reflection. My eyes were red and swollen. Haunted. Shocked. Horrified. At the memory of what happened, more tears fell. "Mirror, mirror, made of glass, show me Snow, do as I ask."All of Sharra's mirrors were enchanted, making it easy for me to find Snow or anyone, if necessary, though I wouldn't break a student's trust. It had to be life or death. But with Snow, we had a bond.As the spell began to work, my reflection wavered back and forth until it vanished. In its place was a darkened room. I could hear kissing noises.Were Snow and Dorian - ? I forced myself not to be embarrassed. What just happened between Gabe and me demanded I speak
In the morning, I put on a light yellow dress and did my hair up in a bun. Downstairs I grabbed a piece of toast and peanut butter after turning on the coffee for my mom. She came into the kitchen, surprised. "Two days in a row?" She smiled, taking a mug from the cupboard."Have you heard of Polonias?" I asked, skipping past the silly pleasantries and getting right to the point. I could do a spell on her, but after what happened with Gabe the night before, I wasn't in the mood to force someone to tell me the truth. Her eyes grew large. "Where did you hear that word?"I decided to be honest. "From Quilla, my fairy godmother." I went to the refrigerator for some juice. My mom dropped the coffee mug. "Thenorus," I whispered. The mug halted its descent just inches from the tile floor. She took it out of the air and set it on the counter. "I wish you wouldn't do that," she said, seemingly embarrassed by my magic. I wasn't going to get into it with her, about the fact that I was a
I studied his blue eyes, searching for a sign of deceit, but there wasn't any. "I will as long as we can make it quick. I have classes to teach soon." "You needn't worry. Time in Polonias passes at a different rate than time here. We can be gone a year according to time in Polonias, and you will only miss a day here. Okay?"I bit my bottom lip, thinking I didn't understand how time could scroll at different speeds. Time was time. But I decided to go with it. If anything about the land or Leo became sketchy, I could use the travel charm to return. "Let's get this over with, then."Leo grabbed me around the waist. "Hold still," he whispered, his voice intense. He pressed my body against him, and I held my breath. I didn't know what to do with my arms, so I wrapped them around his neck. It was strange, the way my body so quickly responded to him. Momentarily, I felt like I was cheating on Gabe, even though the ass told me that he never wanted to see me again. I pushed away my guilt
We followed the path through the forest for a long time. Everything around us buzzed with life. The more we walked, the deeper into the woods we went until the path barely allowed us room to get through. Tall, skinny trees with furry silver trunks grew tightly on either side of the trail. Or maybe they hadn't grown there but moved to make room after Leo's spell. With him, such magic felt possible. "Where is this person?" I finally asked after more than thirty minutes of non-stop walking. I wore my wedge sandals, the most comfortable heels around. Still, enough was enough."At the Center," he answered, but didn't elaborate.I huffed. He said the words, but they told me nothing. Still, I strived for patience and kept walking, admiring the vegetation, the colorful flowers, and the random animals and birds we startled.Probably an hour later, I was tired, hungry, and my feet hurt. Leo finally stopped."We're here," he said."Here" was truly magical. A mountain wall shot straight up