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Gospel
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 goesRelated chapters
Simmer Sermon
Callie's eyes widened in incredulity. "The apocalypse?""Armageddon, Ragnarok, and whatever you want to call it.""And two ghosts–"He corrected. "Witnesses.""–are a sign that the world is going to end?""It’s the first sign. There will be others.""Like?""War, famine, plague, death," he listed off. "The Four Horsemen of the apocalypse will come and wreak havoc while we’re powerless to stop it."She leaned against the bookshelf and pointed out, "You’re awfully glib about the prospect of the world ending.""Every generation is obsessed with being the last and that the Second Coming happens in their life time." He rolled his eyes. "I’m from generations of Seers who all insisted it was going to happen to them and they were all wrong."That made sense. It probably made them feel better to think they were important. People had strange priorities when it came to their egos. She once watched two demons
Simmer Altar
Callie was twelve when she woke up to her bed stained with blood. She was horrified to learn she was bleeding between her legs. There was no wound or pain and she went to her mother for help. Lilith explained to her about moon blood and babies.The concept of becoming a mother terrified her more. She imagined a baby in her belly growing like a parasite and it would burst out of her once it was big enough. "I never want to have kids," Callie declared.Lilith smiled and gently patted her hair. Her mother had moments when she was sweet and kind and Callie wished she could have her like this more. She loved her mother best when she was this way. Lilith felt like a real mother and Callie treasured these moments."I was not that older than you are when I was cursed to be barren," Lilith told her, somber. "My husband, Adam, punished me for leaving him. But how could I stay when he could not accept me as his equal? He could not love me and he hated me instead."Cal
Simmer Scapegoat
Callie ducked into the girls’ bathroom between classes. The fourth floor bathroom was her favorite as it was the least busy since there were fewer classes on that floor. She nearly bumped into the Fourth Year girls who were on their way out. She weaved around them as they ignored her and left.She went to the sink to wash her hands when she saw something silver on the ground. She bent down to pick it up and found it was a headband with cat ears snapped into two pieces. It was identical to the one Aubrey owned. There was a quiet sobbing coming from one of the stalls.She walked over to the stall, unsure of what to do. She couldn’t be sure it was Aubrey in there. She hesitated before knocking softly on the stall door. There was a pause."Is that you, Aubrey?" she asked."Go away," Aubrey sobbed. "I want to be alone."Callie looked around as if the answer on what she should do would appear. This was none of her business. She tried to be as considera
Simmer Righteous
All the avian familiars were getting sick. They were all brought to the Medical Bay where Doctor Dougal diagnosed them with West Nile Virus. Nadia’s familiar was one of the infected and was quarantined in the Medical Bay. Goblins could heal faster than regular animals but they weren’t immortal.A few of the familiars had already succumbed to the virus. Nadia was distraught as the days went by and her familiar wasn’t getting any better. Magic could only do so much and even witch doctors couldn’t find a cure. Nadia’s familiar was going to die and there was nothing they could do about it.Callie came along as Nadia and Aubrey visited the Medical Bay. The golden parakeet was asleep in its cage. It looked small and pathetic. Nadia couldn’t touch the bird as she could become a carrier for the virus and infect the other familiars so she just watched the bird sleep."Tiya’s going to be okay." Aubrey wrapped her arm around Nadia and le
Simmer Omnipresent
"Callie! Wait up!"She stopped and turned around to see Enoch running towards her, his familiar pulling him forward on his leash. They stopped in front of her. Enoch took a moment to catch his breath and she let him. She was in no rush to get to her Herbal Magic class and brave the cold."I’ve been looking for you everywhere," he said, still winded. "You’re a hard one to track down."She tried her best to be."Thank you." He grinned. "I just wanted to say thank you for what did for the familiars."She froze and her heart started beating faster as she began to inwardly panic. "What are you talking about?""You helped cure them.""What makes you think I had anything to do with it?"He tapped his temple with a finger. "Seer, remember?"Her heart beat even faster as she tried to think about what to do next. Her fight or flight instincts kicked in. How much did he see? What did he know?"What did you see?" she demanded.
Simmer Parable
The next day, Callie was determined to get the sugar cookies to Enoch. She wasn’t going to be deterred. He would be walking back from the Greenhouses soon and she could catch him alone in the woods. She sneaked out of her Magical Zoology class and sat under a tree to wait for Enoch’s class to end.She carefully took out the pink box from her backpack and placed it on the ground. She opened the lid and looked over the cookies. The crushed cyanide she’d sprinkled over them looked like powdered sugar. Enoch wouldn’t suspect a thing.Guilt wasn’t a foreign feeling to her. She had nothing against Enoch but he could be dangerous to her. Her anonymity was her biggest advantage in reaching her goals and she didn’t know how much he’d seen in visions. He was a liability.A growl made her look up. A large dog that looked like a Doberman stepped out from behind a bush. The red eyes and the forked tail told her it was more than an ordinary
Simmer Appearance
Callie had to stay in the Medical Bay for two days as Doctor Crane fussed over her injuries. Not many doctors had dealt with a Hellhound attack before so she excused the woman’s dithering about infection. A real bite from a Hellhound could take weeks to heal but she didn’t have that problem. She had some bruising but that would fade.The police were investigating the attack and she gave her statement to Officer Oliveira. Nadia’s father had a good poker face and she couldn’t get a grasp on what he was thinking. He seemed sympathetic but she couldn’t discount if he thought the attack had anything to do with what happened on Samhain. Fortunately, Doctor Crane ordered him out as Callie needed to rest and the officer hopefully didn’t return with more questions.Aubrey and Nadia brought over her homework along with a small blueberry cheesecake. Callie smiled brightly and helped herself to the dessert as the two girls kept her briefed on the go
Simmer Brethren
After spending the long weekend being counterproductive, Callie was eager to get back to Shipton. She had less than two weeks before the Council’s Winter Ball and her anticipation was growing with each day. She woke up one morning to Aubrey jumping on her bed and shaking her. She opened one eye blearily as her roommate pointed to the window.Aubrey exclaimed in excitement, "It’s finally snowing!"Callie sat up and stared at the snow outside before deciding she was uninterested. She lied back down and pulled her comforter over her head. Aubrey tried to shake her again. Her roommate tried to plead with her, "Let’s build a snowman."Callie muttered through the comforter. "You’re too old to be playing in the snow, Aubrey.""I’m sixteen, not sixty. I’m not that old.""You’re not six which is the only appropriate age for this nonsense."She couldn’t see her roommate pouting but she knew Aubrey definitely was.
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