Corruption

I jerk awake, gulping for air with my heart racing. A hear a soft snore and glance at Lilly. I sit up quickly and open my mouth to wake her up and tell her about my dream, but I think better of it. We have school tomorrow, I shouldn’t wake her up in the middle of the night. I lay back against my pillow, thinking about my dream.

“It’s just like the story you and Reika told me,” I say quietly, glancing at my roommate again.

I avert my eyes to stare at the ceiling and twirl a piece of my white-blond hair around my finger, catching a strand of black from my dyed bangs. For some reason the dream won’t leave my mind, and I close my eyes in irritation. Behind my eyelids an image flashes: the woman from my dream, the one on the SilverSlip, her eyes a vibrant purple. My eyes snap open as a sudden thought crosses my mind: her eyes are exactly the same as mine.

I squeeze my eyes shut and rub my temples, a headache coming on. Opening my eyes, I grab my phone from the nightstand and check the time. 3:16 AM. I groan, rolling over onto my side. Weird dreams or not, if I don’t get more sleep I’m going to murder people tomorrow.



“Good luck Aradia!” Lilly calls as she disappears down the corridor leading to Building B.

I wave and smile weakly, overwhelmed by the thought of a very bizarre school day. I grip my Tomes to my chest and head into Building A. I emerge in a red-walled hallway with black doors to my left and write, each one with a white roman numeral on it. I walk the length of the corridor until I read the last door on my right, marked with “XVIII”. My hands shake from nervousness as I turn the doorknob, and I hold my breath as I enter the room. I feel a shock run through me based on the difference between this classroom and a Mundane one. Instead of desks there’s a long wooden table, with comfortable-looking high-backed chairs around it. Based on the number of seats, I figure the class size is small. Girls sit in the majority of the chairs, chatting excitedly. The one normal thing about the room is the chalk-board and teacher’s desk. A woman sits there, typing on a computer. She has straight, jet black hair and gold-colored eyes, with dark skin and white wolf ears. I stand in the doorway awkwardly, unsure of what I should do with myself. She glances up and sees me, a smile stretching onto her face. Sharp fangs reflect light from the top and bottom her mouth, replacing her Mundane canines.

“Aradia, right?” she says kindly whilst standing from her chair.

“Yes, ma’am,” I say, fiddling with the edges of my books.

“How old do you think I am?” she says teasingly. She’s walks forward and shakes my hand. “I’m Cammeron, you can take a seat wherever you like.”

I nod gratefully and sit in the nearest open chair, which is at the end of the table closest to Cammeron’s desk and the door. More girls file into the room, and I see Hayden walk in with one of the other girls she was with the other day. I groan, and she flashes me a smirk.

“Stupid bitch,” I mutter under my breath, feeling the now-familiar burn of my power in my hands.

Hayden takes a seat in the back, next to her friend, and the bell rings.

“Good morning everyone, did you have a nice break?” Cammeron says, stepping to the front of the classroom.

Everyone answers her excitedly, talking all at once. I look around at the other girls and they seem happy, ready for the new semester.

“I’m sure it was great, but it’s time to get back to work. Some of you have taken my class too many times, even though it’s quite simple,” she says, sending a look at Hayden and her friend.

I smile in satisfaction at that, sending a glare toward the two girls in the back.

“We have a new student this semester, Aradia Hollow,” Cammeron says with a wave toward me. “Please make her feel welcome.”

Everyone turns to look at me, so I duck my head and try to ignore the almost-painful burning on the back of my neck.

“Anyway, please open your Tomes to the first chapter, we’re going to go over the basic summary of the beginning of our Enlightenment.”

I do as she says, and glance over the page. The left page shows a drawing of a woman standing in a cave, before four people who obviously represent the four elements. The woman stands proud, a smile on her face. The right page has a long paragraph, which I’m guessing is the summary.

“Would anyone like to read aloud?” Cammeron asks, her eyes scanning the room. Her eyes rest on me, and I sigh internally. “Aradia, please read the summary.”

I nod and begin reading aloud. “In the beginning the world of witches was chaos, with anarchy and unbound power. Seeking to bring peace, a powerful with known as Lementa sought out help, finding the embodiment of the elements themselves for aid. She—” I stop, looking at the next line with confusion.

“What’s wrong?” Cammeron asks, looking at me in confusion.

“It says ‘she demanded their help, and the elements could not refuse because of the extent of her power,’ but that’s not right. She begged for their help, and they almost said no. She had to convince them and trade..” I trail off, looking at Cammeron’s expression of utter befuddlement. Looking around the room I see everyone staring at me like I’m crazy.

Cammeron’s wolf ears lay flat against her head, and her fluffy tail lashes from behind her. “Aradia, please speak to me after class, but for now I’ll continue reading.”

The rest of first hour I sit quietly, almost ripping the edges of the page from fiddling. As the end of class comes closer I chew my lip, feeling stupid and small. Too soon the bell rings, and the class leaves the room. I stand up and walk to Cammeron’s desk, playing with my fingers.

“Please don’t be nervous Aradia, you’re not in trouble. I was just curious as how you would assume what you said,” she says, her eyes kind.

“Last night I had a dream, about Lementa. She was pleading to the elements, but they just laughed at her, saying they had no reason to help the witches,” I say.

“Well, I assure you that our books are accurate, but if you have any more dreams such as this please let me know.”

I nod and say goodbye, leaving the room quickly. It’s day one and I already fucked up, come on Aradia, pull it together.



After a long, confusing day it’s finally fifth hour. I walk to the Dining Hall, excited for lunch based on the amazing food I’ve already tasted from Elemental Academy. I walk through the doors, spotting Reika almost immediately. I head over and notice she’s with Brook. Tension forms in my stomach, and I try to shake off the bad vibe she gives me.

“Hey guys,” I say as I set my Tomes and purse on the table.

“How’s your first day so far?” Reika asks me with a smile.

“It’s been awesome, but confusing,” I say, deciding not to share my first hour embarrassment.

“I don’t want to go to Brewing,” Brook says with a pout towards Reika. “Wanna skip next hour with me?”

“Sorry babe, I have Dream Casting, and I’m extremely excited!” Reika answers with another huge smile.

“I’m gonna get some food, watch my stuff,” I say to Reika.

“I’ll go with you, I want seconds,” Brook says. “And no worries, witches don’t steal from other witches. Except dark ones, but in school no one wants to face Lucinda when they get caught.”

Brook and I walk to the end of the line, which is pretty short. Within a minute I have a half-filled plate in hand.

“What confuses me is why there’s not many students,” I say, looking around the Dining Hall. “If this is the only Elemental Academy in the United States, I’d assume there’d be more witches.”

“A lot of us go to the European EA’s for schooling,” Brook says while drenching her salad in Thousand Island dressing. “Or they’re taught at home, but you need special permission from the counsel to do that.”

I’m about to ask why witches would rather go to Europe, but Brook steps close to me and snags a strand of my hair with her finger.

“You wanna skip next hour with me?” she asks, her face close to mine and a smirk on her face.

I immediately get pissed, and my powers react without my say so. The strand of my hair in her hand changes into a tendril of fire, and she jerks her hand back from the burn. As the strand falls back onto my shoulder the fire dissipates in a second, leaving my white hair normal again.

“Don’t hit on me, you’re dating my friend. Knock it off or I’ll kick your ass, got it?” I hiss, turning on my heel and stalking to the table.

“Where’s Brook?” Reika asks as I set down my plate and take a seat.

I turn to look toward the food line, but she’s gone. “I dunno.”

“Oh well,” she says. “Eat fast lady, you took a while to get here. You don’t want to be late for sixth hour.”

I start to shovel my food down my throat, but remember I have combat training. I look at my half-finished meal sadly, wishing I could eat it.

“What’s wrong?” Reika asks.

“I have combat training next hour, so eating a full meal probably isn’t a good idea,” I reply.

“Damn, that sucks,” she says. “You should probably leave now then, you have to get to the Training Hall before the bell rings or Craftsman will kill you. He’s a bitch about tardiness.”

“Fuck, alright. Catch yuh later!” I say.

I leave the Dining Hall quickly and walk to the Training Hall, straining my ears to hear for the bell. As I walk into the building I hear it ring, and considering the large amount of people already there I assume it’s the bell marking the beginning of sixth hour. The Training Hall reminds me of a gymnasium, but with a completely glass roof. From the outside I assumed it was two-stories, but in reality it has an extremely high ceiling. The ground is dark tile, but roped off areas near the walls have padded floors, and a padded ring sits in the center, with a waist-high barrier surrounding it. Benches are attached to every wall, so I take a seat to the closest one.

“Listen up!” a man says loudly, standing by a door in the back. He strides forward, making his way to the center of the room. “For you newbies, I am Craftsman. I have three rules: be on time, listen when I speak, and try your hardest in my class. You fail to meet these rules, and you will be punished.”

I watch him curiously, my nervousness disappearing. Breaking things? Fighting people? This is what I’m good at. I watch Craftsman as he scans the classroom, making sure he has everyone’s full attention. He’s tall and broad shouldered, with tanned muscles bulging from his black wife beater. His hair’s a dark brown, cropped short and streaked with gray from age or stress. His eyes are a mahogany brown, and he’s clean shaven.

“The Training Hall is open for recreational use from two PM until ten PM. During class, you will do as I instruct without complaint. You will be working alongside your Guardians, or with an assigned Guardian-in-Training if you do not have one. Group with them now, and come up to me if you need to know who you’re assigned to,” Craftsman says, ending in a dismissive tone.

I scan the room, excited to be working with Tristan. I spot his head near one of the matted corners, so I make my way over.

“Hey,” I say with a smile when I reach him.

“Hello,” he says, his sexy smirk in place.

“Everyone ready?” Craftsman shouts. “Start on the mats, your partners will test your assests and decide which fighting style suits you best. From there we will focus on honing your skills. Remember ladies, no magic!”

From there everyone starts finding mats to spar on. Tristan and I remain where we are, blue mats underfoot.

“Come at me,” Tristan says, getting in a defensive stance.

“Just start hitting you?” I say with a furrowed brow.

“Yep,” he says. “I can take it.”

I shrug and get into an offensive crouch, scanning his stance and deciding a solid punch to his side would be easy enough after a feint to his groin. I rush him, bringing my knee up full force toward his sensitive region, and he easily blocks by grabbing my knee. With him distracted I pull my arm sharply toward my body, then jab his side with my fist. A soft oof leaves his mouth and he jumps back, putting a hand to his bruised rib.

“Have you had training before?” he asks me, only slightly breathless from the blow.

“My dad taught me some, he wanted me to be able to stand up to bullies without a problem,” I say.

“You’re good, and you’re definitely fit for harsh, straight forward combat. Come at me again,” he says.

We spar the rest of sixth hour, with him amping up his game. I land on my ass a few times, but it just motivates me to push harder. When the bell rings, I feel bruised but satisfied, all my pent up energy gone.

“I hope I didn’t hurt you too bad,” Tristan says, putting his arm around my shoulders as he walks me to my dorm.

“Nah,” I say, moving closer to him.

“Hey, wait up!” I hear from behind me.

I turn and Lilly’s jogging toward us, looking disheveled.

“I was in sixth hour with you, nice of you to notice,” Lilly huffs as she reaches us.

“Sorry,” I say honestly. “When I’m fighting I’m in my element.”

“Yeah, whatever,” she says, though I can tell she’s not really angry.

“How was your first day?” Tristan asks as the three of us walk back to the dorm rooms.

“It was alright,” I say, thinking of first hour. “But combat training is awesome, I feel like I’m useful.”

“You like combat training?” Lilly says, looking at me like I’m crazy. “That shit’s horrible, way too much work for me. If I have issues on a new moon I’ll have a strong, sexy Guardian by my side.”

“Aren’t you currently Guardian-less?” I say with a glance at her.

Tristan laughs and she glares at me, her mouth pursing.

“Shut up,” she mutters, and I laugh heartily along with Tristan.

I nuzzle into Tristan, a smile on my face and my friends by my side.