Nicholas seemed to have a secret desire to catch a cold because he was up on the roof again. She nearly slipped on the way up but Nicholas leaned down and pulled her up the rest of the way. She huffed as she took a seat beside him and she handed him the box of those chocolate-filled cookies shaped like bear heads. He offered her the box and she took one of the cookies. She preferred the ones filled with white chocolate but these were still good.
"How is Bree?" he asked."You're the only one that calls her that.""I've known her since she was a baby. She will always be 'Bree' to me.""She told me your families are close.""Understatement. Our moms are best friends and our dads studied Magical Law together in university," he explained. "We have vacations, Christmas, and birthday parties together. The Parks are family.""And Aubrey is like your sister.""Little sister who sneaks me snacks." He frowned as he bit into another cookie. "And tells me thatCallie did not have the luxury of time like she did with Trish. She didn’t bother looking into his memories and started weaving a nightmare. She was at the lacrosse field. Matthias was about to throw the winning shot but he was tackled by three players to the ground. The ball fell to the ground before it was scooped up by Nicholas who threw the ball at the net, the other team’s goalie unable to catch it. The buzzer rang out as the game ended. The crowd went wild, cheering Nicholas’s name. His teammates ran to him, raising him up as they carried him like a king away from the field.Matthias got to his feet. The crowd followed after the team until he was alone on the field. He looked devastated. Callie twisted her fingers, not bothering with finesse. A hand touched him on the shoulder and he turned around to find Trish. She smiled at him. He returned it with relief. There was somebody there for him. He dipped down to kiss her but she put her ha
Inducing nightmares didn’t work out like Callie wanted so it was time for Plan B. She learned how to brew potions from Morgan le Fay and she had a recipe for a strong love potion. She could’ve given a Nicholas the potion but she thought it was too cruel. She didn’t want Nicholas Castillo pining after her like some tragic lovesick hero.The love potion would be too strong to give him at full dose. She would need to dilute the potion. She was going for mild attraction. And this would be all over by Yule.There was a snag. She was a decent brewer but substituting ingredients or adjusting measurements was not her forte. She didn’t want to ask help from her Potions professor as they would surely recognize the ingredients and what she was going to brew. The brewing, use, and distribution of love potions were banned ten years ago and she didn’t have time to break herself out of prison.Not all hope was lost. Aubrey had a natural talent for potio
All people could talk about was what happened at the lacrosse game. Matthias had spent the night in the Medical Bay being treated for the potion in his system. Nobody knew how he ended up with a love potion that hadn’t been seen in use since the Middle Ages and their school physician had to call the hospital for a specialist. The cure was a diluted hate potion that seemed to work because Matthias was having breakfast at the dining hall.He kept his head down and didn’t interact with his friends. It looked awkward at their table. Trish sat the furthest away from him. Nicholas sat beside his girlfriend and was very interested in his scrambled eggs.Rumors were spreading and they were getting more and more outrageous."They said that Trish was the one to slip Matthias the love potion. That she bought it off some dark witch at a flea market," Nadia told them. "They said that Trish had been having an affair with Matthias for years.""That’s ridiculou
Callie didn’t care for Divination class. She didn’t have an interest in tea leaf readings and crystal balls. Clairvoyance was an inherent gift and couldn’t be learned by those that didn’t have it. She thought the class was a waste of time.She was usually paired with Aubrey but due to a rising case of Black Cat flu there were an uneven number of students and Professor Goode paired her up with the seer boy in class. He was blind as all seers were and had his familiar, an Australian Shepherd, as his guide dog. His familiar stared at her warily.He was lanky like most boys in their year with golden skin and close-cropped dark curls. He waited by his table as she came over and took the seat across from him. He smiled at her directly. "Hi. I’m Enoch.""Callie.""The new girl from England." He began shuffling his tarot deck with ease from practice. "You have that pretty hair."She touched her dyed brown hair subconsciously. "And how w
Callie dressed warmly in her black coat. It was getting colder as autumn began to fell away and winter crept closer. The Samhain celebrations were going to be held in a clearing in the woods. The way from the school building to the clearing was lit by torches even with the full moon.She followed her classmates as they all walked towards the clearing. It was filled with people, parents and children, mingling and surrounding the tables of food. Familiars were allowed to go to the celebrations with the caveat that they behave. Finnegan stuck by her side as he snuck covetous looks at the meat pies.The parents arrived in the late afternoon and Aubrey introduced Callie to her parents. The Parks were friendly and invited her to spend Samhain with them since she was going to be alone. She found Aubrey and Nadia sharing a mug of chicken pot pie. "You have to try the food, Callie," her roommate said. "The table at the left of the bonfire has all the best pies. You have to ge
Away from the warm lights, Callie collapsed against the trunk of a tree and covered her face in her hands. She tried to breathe, inhaling and exhaling the cold air into her lungs. She told herself she was in the dark with only the trees and the moon to see her. She could breathe better not having to play her charades and pretend she was somebody else.Finnegan was pacing back and forth, agitated. "It was my fault.""What was your fault, Finn?""My fault, my fault, my fault," he repeated. "I killed her. It was my fault."She was getting concerned with her familiar’s distress. She stood and walked over to him. "Who did you kill?"He stopped and went still as a blonde woman stepped out of the darkness and into the moonlight. She was impossibly pale and almost see-through, not quite corporeal. With a voice like she was underwater, she called out, "Finnegan.""Lucy," Finnegan cried. "I’m so sorry.""I know."Callie realized there
The school had a service for Trish a few days after. It was a somber affair where professors and friends told stories about how wonderful Trish had been and how tragic it was for her to die so young. They expected Nicholas to speak but he remained stoic and stayed seated. Matthias gave a speech in his place that ignited the earlier rumors about him and Trish.The school had a bench made in the clearing where they had the Samhain celebrations. Students were leaving flowers and notes on and around the bench for Trish. Everyone was affected by the unexpected death. Shipton Academy was supposed to be a safe haven for witches and warlocks and their perfect little bubble was infected with fear and grief.A few people had asked to hear what she witnessed that night and she had to give them the same story she had to the police. She was the girl that discovered the body. She had Trish’s blood on her hands as she came out of the woods. The sight of her had made a whole school go silent
Both Aubrey and Matthias were pleased to have Nicholas finally leave his room and out into the world again. People were sympathetic and gave him his space. Nicholas went to class and was seen at the dining hall but didn’t really interact with people. He was physically present but emotionally distant.She had a feeling Nicholas was in his favorite hiding spot and there she found him in the classroom watching the view outside the windows. She didn’t uncloak herself until she was behind him and whispered into his ear, "Boo."He didn’t jump. He shook his head, exasperated with her behavior. "Hello, trouble," he said. "What are you up to today?"She gave him an innocent smile. "Who says I’m planning something?"He almost smiled back, his lips quirking up but he forced it away. "Do you know what I thought when I first met you?""That I’m pretty?""No." That made her pout and he continued, "I thought ‘there goes