Corruption

After the excitement of my horrible adventure, Monday morning felt so boring. It had taken Reika, myself, and Tristan to convince Lilly that she didn’t need to know every little detail about my freak out. All I had told her was that I had wandered into the woods on a hunch and that once I figured out more on what I had seen I would tell her. She wasn’t satisfied, but when Reika told her to drop it she shut her mouth. I’d never seen the heterochromatic girl so serious and cold, it was scary. At the same time it made me respect her even more, and made me realize that one day she was going to be a commanding presence and a very powerful witch.

First hour, Coven History, was normally so interesting, but today I don’t care about the founders of the hierarchy system we use today. I sit doodling in my notebook, thinking about Amelia. What the hell was going on? And all these years my mother has been alive. What bothers me the most, however, is the prophecy. I know I have to figure it out. I have a feeling this is bigger than just myself or my friends.

Out of no where I hear a very distinct mrrrow. I jump and glance up, immediately feeling a blazing sensation on the back of my neck. The entire class is staring at me, along with a flat-eared Cammeron. I furrow my brow, then look down as I hear a happy purr. On the page of my notebook rests a two-dimensional, fluffy cat, with wide eyes and a feathery, lashing tale. She stays on the page and stands, rubbing her face against my index finger where it rests on the page. I feel heat creep up my neck and glance back up.

“Speak to me after class, Aradia,” Cammeron says, her golden eyes concerned.

Shit. “Yes, ma’am.”

Hayden and her friend put their heads together with a mean look and a pair of barely stifled giggles. I narrow my eyes at them, and from below me I hear my feline friend hiss. Just then the sharp cry of the bell signals the end of class, and everyone gathers their things to leave. As Hayden passes my desk I see her subtly move her arm to brush mine. Remembering the first day I met her, I summon fire with barely a thought. I projected it to snap toward her hand, and just as her skin’s about to graze mine she jerks her hand away. I smirk at her as she gives me another dirty look over her shoulder before going through the door. Once the room is empty I haul myself to my feet and walk to Cammeron’s desk. She’s sitting in her chair, typing something into her computer.

“I’m writing an email to your Control teacher,” she says. “I’ve told her to put some focus into your Projection power.”

“I’m sorry,” I say, biting my lip. “I wasn’t even paying attention. I thought I actually had to focus my energy but I wasn’t trying to Project, it just happened.”

“I’m sure,” she says genuinely whilst turning to face me. “You’re a young, newfound witch. I’m not angry, these things happen. I remember when I was your age, in the middle of class I couldn’t get my lost dog out of my head and next thing I knew the teacher was a yapping Pomeranian.”

I laugh with her, my anxiety dripping away.

“Were you raised in this world?” I hear myself ask.

Cammeron gives me an understanding look. “No, my dear. I was raised in a Mundane foster home. Something happened while I was there, and someone from the Canadian Elemental Academy found me. It was the best thing that ever happened to me.”

“Thank you for sharing,” I say, feeling touched.

“How do you feel about being a witch, Aradia?” she asks me, golden eyes glinting.

“I love it,” I say honestly. “It’s incredible, magic and covens and the elements. But...there’s some responsibility that has come with my powers, and I’m not sure what to do about it.”

“Responsibility?” Cammeron says curiously. “Are you referring to school?”

“No,” I say, weighing my words. “There are more important things than school, things I know I have a part to play in.”

Cammeron looks at me searchingly, brow furrowed. “I don’t understand, not really, but I can tell you can’t go into detail.” She reaches out and grips my hand supportively. “But remember, we are blood of blood, connected in a way Mundanes can never be. There is nothing you have to be solely responsible for, there will always be support from fellow witches.”

My smile falters as I take in what she said. “Blood of blood...”

“That’s what all witches are, blood of each other and blood of magic.”

“Blood of blood!” I repeat, realization hitting me. “I have to go, thank you!”

I turn and race for the door, hearing a confused “you’re welcome?” from behind me. I run out of the room and down the hallway, making a break for the outdoors. Once outside I pulled out my phone, keeping up a jog toward the main building. I pull up Tristan’s contact, then back out. He’ll know to meet me. I pull up Reika’s contact next, hitting the little telephone icon to call her.

“Hello?” I hear her ask in a whisper, her voice slightly warped through the phone.

“Reika!” I say, breathless from running. “Meet me on the tower roof--bring Lily if you can.”

“You got it,” she replies instantly, still in a whisper.

I hang up just as I reach the doors to the main building, the ones leading into the girl’s lounge. I walk through the dark red room quickly, seeing a couple of girls relaxing on the white furniture. None of them pay any attention to me as I make my way to the tower. I walk up the steps, taking in again how beautiful the architecture of this school is. I make a quick stop in my room to dump my tomes and then continue to run up the stairway, breathing hard from the workout.

By the time I reach the eighth floor my leg muscles are pulsing with a dull ache and my lungs feel as if they are on fire. Through the glass doors I see Tristan sitting on the bench by the firepit. I push through the doors and move to sit beside him, giving him a smile and a kiss on the cheek. The sun is shining brightly, a cool wind rustling the trees in the distance and lifting my white-blonde hair.

“I knew you’d know to come,” I say happily, leaning into my Guardian.

“I could feel it,” he says simply, bringing his hand to my cheek. “What’s this about?”

I lean into his touch briefly, then pull away. I open my notebook and flip to a blank page, pulling my pen from my pocket. “There’s something I need help with.”

I write down the prophecy, making it easier for us to decrypt it. Tristan watches me write, and as I finish the last line I hear the glass doors open. I look up to see Lily and Reika making their way toward us.

“What’s this about?” Reika asks.

“What’s that?” Lily asks as she settles beside me, touching my notebook.

“This is about the other night,” I say, looking around at my friends. “I can’t tell you everything, but I was given a prophecy, and I need your help to decipher it.”

“I love a challenge,” Lily says confidently, taking the notebook from me. Her silver eyes scan the page, her brow knitting together further and further.

“Give it to Reika when you’re done,” I say.

Moments later she looks at me, a puzzled look on her face, and hands the notebook to Reika. She reads it quickly, her mismatched eyes darting across the page. When she’s done she looks up, worry in her eyes, and hands the notebook to me.

“Any ideas?” I ask, searching my friends faces.

“‘Friends will fall’ sounds like an omen of death,” Reika says immediately, looking troubled.

“Of people I care about,” I say. “The prophecy is for me.”

“Obviously,” says Lily with an eye roll. “The first part, something about finding light, who is the ‘they’ it’s referring to?”

“One of the things we need to figure out,” Tristan says.

“I was talking to Cammeron at the end of first hour,” I say. “She mentioned how all witches are blood of blood. The lines ‘blood of blood, mother and daughter, join together to end the slaughter’--at first I thought it was saying that the ‘mother and daughter’ are supposed to come together, but now I’m thinking it’s all of the witches.”

“It makes sense,” says Reika, leaning forward in her seat. Her long black hair brushes her jean covered thighs. “But whoever ‘mother and daughter’ are must join together as well.”

“Who could the mother and daughter be?” Tristan asks quietly.

I sigh, feeling a headache coming on. “Me,” I say quietly. “And my mother.”