Chapter 9
CHAPTER NINE
Dafni
Don’t make me regret giving her to you to raise instead of putting her in the Academy where she belongs.
I sat straight up in bed, strands of my red hair stuck in the corner of my lips.
Matilda still haunted me. Her voice still sent shivers down my spine and made sweat appear along the back of my neck.
The wet sweat instantly became cold against my skin, and I shivered again, this time from the cold.
Wind blew the branches of the maple tree against my window.
It was summer, but an unseasonable cold snap had blown in and cooled everything down over the last few days.
It’d been a welcome relief to us in the trailer and to the plants in the garden.
This year, I’d helped plant the garden in the spring.
It’d been terrible to watch all of our hard work, the leaves of the plants we’d tended to as seedlings, turn yellow, burnt from the hot sun.
A shiver ran down my spine again as Matilda’s voice echoed in my head. Like the chilly temperature outside, she was cold, still in the freezer, unable to reach me except in my nightmares.
My feet hit the floor as I rubbed my eyes.
I’d snuck a peek into the freezer every time I was around when Annabel opened it to get a package of meat for dinner.
I always saw the black pail sitting there, but I never saw the top, never saw the opaque ice that enclosed Matilda.
It wouldn’t hurt to check—just one time.
I wanted to see for myself that she was frozen, still trapped, where she couldn’t hurt me or anyone else.
Just for my peace of mind. No one could blame me for looking. Checking.
I pulled down the nightdress I’d borrowed from Emily. This one was two sizes too small, riding up my thighs. I tested the door handle of my room tentatively.
The knob turned smoothly until the last part of the turn, when it stuck for a second, sending a loud pop throughout the trailer.
I squeezed my eyes closed, waiting for Annabel to investigate or Luke to stomp through the house in search of the sound.
No noises met my ears as I squeezed the turned door handle still in my palm.
Slowly, as not to let the hinges squeak, I opened the door, letting the slightly cooler air from the kitchen wash over me.
The refrigerator with the freezer above was ten steps away, if I took long strides.
I’d walk over there quietly, check if my mother was still frozen solid, and quickly return to my room.
A one-minute operation. I could do this.
Walking on the balls of my feet, I spread my toes to dampen the sound of my footsteps as I made my way across the kitchen.
I counted my steps in my head, seven…eight, until I made it to the freezer.
Gripping the handle tightly, I pulled, wincing at the sound the freezer door made when the suction broke.
Billows of cold mist landed on my skin as a dim light from the back of the freezer shone on my face.
Keeping one hand on the freezer door, I reached in, grabbing the top of the pail, tilting it toward me.
“The cat’s still frozen.” The voice startled me.
I let go of the pail, letting it fall back into the freezer.
I slammed the door shut before turning around, the back of my body plastered to the front of the refrigerator.
The kitchen seemed darker now that I’d stared into the light of the freezer.
A silhouette sat at the kitchen table I’d just walked by. How had I not seen that?
“You can check if you want, Dafni.” The way he said my name made the nerves in my back tingle. He was right. There weren’t any rules saying I couldn’t.
It was my pail, after all.
I pulled my back off the refrigerator before I turned around and opened the freezer, letting the door swing open.
I tilted the pail down again, this time running my hand along the hard opaque ice that encased my mother.
I could see the blurry outline of her orange fur.
As an extra precaution, I summoned my water magic, further freezing the ice, tiny crystals forming along the surface.
Relief flooded my body, quelling my nerves. She was still contained.
I closed the freezer door slower than I’d opened it, wanting to take my time turning around.
“Come sit down with us, Dafni. We’d like to talk to you.” That was Annabel’s voice.
What were they both doing awake in the middle of the night?
I could never argue with Annabel. I walked over to the table, sitting in an empty chair.
“Luke heard some news at work today.” She brushed light-red curls from her temple. “The freshening is happening sooner than we’d thought.”
I stopped breathing.
“Luke found out this year is special—it’s the year the male witch, Gideon, will choose a partner.”
Luke nodded. “There will be evaluations this year. Each of the three elements will compete and present their top witch to Gideon, who will choose a partner from those three.”
“Male witches are rare, Dafni, so this is a big deal for the Coven.” Annabel reached out and grabbed hold of my hand. “Luke confirmed today that the scouts have picked up the human-born witches. They are in route and will arrive to the Academy soon.”
I tried to swallow, but my mouth was suddenly dry.
“Since you don’t have a parent to present you, joining the human-born witches is the safest way to get you into the Academy,” Annabel said. “I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to be introduced as Dafni Sarracenia to the Academy, being who your mother is…where she is right now.”
We all looked at the freezer.
“Joining the human-born witches would make your introduction more…anonymous.” She wrapped her fingers around the handle of the purple potion in front of her. “You need time to acclimate and learn about the Academy and the Coven before you take your mother’s place.”
Luke nodded in agreement. He leaned his elbow on the table, pulling a piece of paper from his back pocket. Setting it on the table, he unfolded it. The paper was covered with what looked like a hand-drawn map.
“I’m not sure what your plan is,” he said, “but I thought I’d map out the Academy for you.”
I almost laughed out loud. I didn’t know what my plan was either.
In the year I’d spent with the Velkans I’d grown a whole year older and wiser.
Annabel had taught me so much about potions, and I’d become adept at using my wind magic to manage the clouds.
Still, I felt unprepared. I was entering the Academy, about to live with more witches than I’d ever seen in my life, and I was planning to take over my mother’s position—to be the Prime.
“Did I ever tell you about my time at the Academy?” Annabel asked.
I shook my head. I’d never thought about her attending the Academy, although it made sense that she had.
“It wasn’t the best experience…witches aren’t known for their kindness.”
Don’t I know it.
“More often than not, I’d get in trouble.”
Luke scoffed. “You got in trouble?”
Annabel nodded. “Before I had children, I was quite the troublemaker.”
He smiled, shaking his head.
“When I was angry”—Annabel looked at me—“usually because of your mother, I’d go off with a blunt metal object, whatever I could find, and etch spells into the bricks with my earth magic.”
“You graffitied the Academy?” Luke asked, in even further disbelief.
“It was my little act of rebellion.” Annabel laughed.
“The spells never worked. I’m sure I wasn’t powerful enough at the time.
” She sighed. “It seems silly now, but those little acts of rebellion are what helped me decompress. They are what helped me make it through my time at the Academy.” She turned to me, her face suddenly more serious.
“Those little moments of escape are what you’re going to need to find if you want to make it through your time at the Academy.
Maybe don’t etch spells into the walls, but find your own little acts of rebellion. ”
I nodded as Luke pushed the map in front of me.
He went over the floor plan of the Academy.
It was underground and hidden among the rolling hills of the woods.
Small houses scattered on the surface served as hidden entrances.
They looked like normal, small cabins on the outside, but inside they were hollow, containing a trapdoor that was the entry to the Academy.
“Then there’s the matter of your two powers,” Annabel said.
“They’ll know who you are…or at least guess you’re part of Matilda’s lineage the moment they find out you possess two powers.
It’s best you choose one, probably your strongest to highlight, keeping your other magic hidden.
At least until you become more confident inside the Academy. ”
I nodded. I didn’t want to garner attention…at least not until I got my bearings inside this new world.
“Water,” I said. “I’ll claim to only have water magic.”
Annabel nodded. “Now it’s just a matter of getting you in with the human-born witches…”
Luke cleared his throat. “I’ve got a plan.”