21. Polaris
21
POLARIS
“ G ood morning, students. I believe we have three new witches among us. Please, make yourselves known.” The professor casts her gaze down the line of us waiting outside of her classroom, utterly oblivious to the other students hurrying to their next class. She makes eye contact with every single person before I have the strength to lift my hand.
D’s hand is up first, quickly followed by H, leaving me to trail behind, which earns me a few side glances from the other students.
My heart ricochets in my chest from everyone’s attention on us, but I focus on the new professor before us. Her long brown skirt reaches her ankles, and a white shirt tucked in and buttoned all the way up covers her to her neck. Her brown curly hair is pinned on top of her head, while her wide green eyes are framed by large circular glasses.
“Perfect, the three of you take your seats at the front of the class,” she instructs, waving everyone inside, but it's impossible to move with the feeling of all eyes zoned in on me. Since I've been at Trinity Falls Academy, I’ve learned that nothing good ever comes from everyone’s attention being focused on you, even in simple situations like this. So now I'm anticipating something even worse.
“Unlucky, my friend,” Bryony says with a wince as she ushers me into the classroom, and a sickly feeling takes root in my throat.
How is this even my luck today?
D and H take the first two seats, leaving the chair closest to the door free for me, which almost feels like a blessing in disguise, assuaging a little of the discomfort that stirs inside of me.
The entire class gets seated, shuffling into the rows behind us as the professor seems to mindlessly rearrange the items on her desk for a moment. Thankfully, it gives me a chance to take in the space, which looks very similar to most of the other classrooms I’ve been in so far. There is dark wooden furniture and a soft coloring on the walls. In here, it's a pastel pink.
The walls are covered in shelves, with items crammed in and spilling out of little drawers, while some space holds glass jars, each housing God-only-knows. It’s weird and it’s different, but somehow, a bubble of what I can only assume is excitement fizzles inside of me as I consider what the items are for.
Magic is the obvious answer, but beyond that, I have no idea. I guess I'm going to find out, though.
“Are we settled? Perfect,” the professor says with a smile, not actually waiting for anyone to respond as she clasps her hands together. “To those that are new, my name is Professor Juniper. I come from a long line of witches, and I belong to the Serenity Coven.” She says the words with such pride, I almost feel guilty that I have no idea what she's actually talking about. But she doesn't seem fazed as she casts her gaze over me. “It is with great importance that I spend this first lesson with our new pupils explaining the importance of magic and what it means to us as witches. Along with that comes the importance of how magic keeps balance within the supernatural world. You will learn more than ever about the differences between our quadrants, not just on campus but across the globe. Can anyone give a brief overview of the wolves?”
She finally turns her attention from me and glances over the rest of the class, pointing at someone behind me.
“The wolves are very family-oriented. Bursting into their bubble is very difficult. They're almost impenetrable to anyone who is not a wolf,” someone explains, and the professor nods eagerly.
“Excellent. Excellent. And vampires, anyone?”
I don’t turn around, but I can practically hear the hands fly up for her attention before she chooses someone else.
“Vampires reign supreme, or they like to think they do, at least. However, they keep their friends close and their enemies even closer, politically speaking, of course. Once off campus, you don’t tend to find vampires gathered together. Not for very long, anyway.”
“That’s right, and can we have an assumption on the humans?” The professor swiftly points at another student as I try my best to absorb the information being offered.
“Although there are many human warriors and hunters that come from the blood-cursed line, they are still often left at a disadvantage, and that's where we come in.”
“That’s exactly right,” Juniper interjects before the person can say more. “Our magic can better anybody's chances, especially our own. That then leads me to the significance of witches. The importance of remaining unbiased is paramount. It's essential that we remain neutral among the other quads, not allowing our thoughts and opinions to waver under the lure of a vampire’s compulsion or a wolf's heated desire come the full moon.” She winks like it’s a secret and my cheeks heat, forcing me to dip my head to hide my face. “Although, not in any official capacity, it is the job of the witches to maintain balance throughout each quadrant using the abilities we have in order to ensure an open playing field for all. Which simultaneously leads me to the importance of covens. A coven not only strengthens us as individuals as we connect with one another, but it also allows us to remain grounded. Leaning on one another is not a weakness for us. It is always our strength. Power in numbers, strength and abilities, and a handful of sand is exactly what a witch needs.”
A chuckle ripples around the room at her mention of sand, and I can't help but feel the corner of my mouth tip up too. I manage to lift my head again as Juniper continues.
“My job is to give you everything you need to be as strong as you can, but nothing will be achievable until the three of you figure out how to remove your sigils.”
The reminder of the barriers blocking my magic weighs heavy on my shoulders and I slump in my seat. My bangles are more prominent than ever on my wrists.
“If someone could help us with that bit, that would be great,” D says, a sigh passing her lips, and I hum in agreement.
Juniper offers a tight smile. “You will get there. Above all else, I recommend that you focus on your sigil classes and continue to understand, embrace, and learn who you are.” She clears her throat, her eyes dimming as she settles her gaze on me once again. “My sigil was removed when I found the strength to remember my mother's name.”
I gasp, my heart pounding in my ears, reading between the lines of what she's not saying.
She was a Florentine.
She was a Florentine just like me, and now she stands here as a survivor and a professor, all because she found the strength to remember her mother's name. Such a key part of her past. Possibly insignificant to most, but life altering to us.
My gut lurches as the desire to know such a thing burns strong inside my soul.
If she senses me crumbling, she doesn't acknowledge it. Instead, she waves a hand around the room, a soft, wistful smile on her face. “Today, we will focus on our more experienced witches, giving you examples of what we expect you to be able to achieve once you unlock your sigils. Three different sections fall under a witch's abilities, and they're broken down into potions, charms, and enchantments.”
Three words that hold such meaning yet leave me slightly confused. I’m likely still reeling from her prior statement, but I try to shake it off because if there's one class I need to focus on, it’s this. I want to gobble up every bit of information she has to offer, knowing she’s a key piece to my success and survival.
“Please, Bryony, why don't you give an example to our new students of how we may use potions in a casual, fun way,” Juniper states, pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose before pointing for Bryony to join her at the front of the class.
For the first time, I glance back over my shoulder to find her. I avoid the rest of the witches, still uncomfortable under their silent scrutiny. Bryony smiles, sweeping her hair over her shoulder as she rises from her seat and all but skips to the front of the room. Her eyes cast around the edges of the class, eyeing all the items available before she quickly takes off doing a lap of the room. I watch in wonder as she gathers little items along the way, and as she nears the front of the room again, Professor Juniper murmurs under her breath before snapping her fingers, and I watch in awe as the floor opens up and a small cauldron rises.
Excitement buzzes through me as I watch Bryony line up what seem to be the ingredients she’s pulled together. D and H to my left seem to be equally amazed, while the rest of the class watches on in amusement.
Slowly, she starts to mix the items together. “A sprinkling of strawberry seeds, a drop of potents snare, and a strand of hair clipped from a horse’s mane,” she explains as she goes, and my eyebrows furrow with every added item.
Those sound like some strange things to use, but I keep my opinions to myself and just watch instead of making any judgments too soon.
All too quickly, Bryony is using an empty vial to collect some of the potion.
“Please, Bryony, show the class what you have made.”
Bryony smiles, pulling her hair forward, and drapes it over her left shoulder before she takes the vial and drops the liquid onto the ends. We all watch in awe as her blonde locks turn red—blood red.
She winks at me knowingly, and I grin, clapping with the other students as Bryony takes a dramatic bow.
“Wonderful Bryony. Thank you so much for sharing that with the class. Now, let's move on to a charm, shall we? And let's have Lucille. Lucille, please show our new students how we produce a charm.”
Bryony retakes her seat, running her fingers through the red strands as I rub my lips together. I watch as another girl stands, beaming from ear to ear. Her face is alight with joy and her blonde hair falls in a sharp bob around her face, accentuating her soft features.
She already knows where she's heading, rushing around the room before she appears in front of the professor a few moments later.
“Charms don't hold for very long. They're said to last an hour at most. But with this little trinket here, I can use my words and this vial to create something magical.” She holds out a cross pendant, one you would expect to find on a necklace. The bottle in her hand has something written on it, but it doesn't seem to be a language I can understand. Taking a drop of the liquid, she pours it onto the cross, and it's as if glitter coats the surface. Lucille shivers as if it affects her too, and she beams brightly. “Anyone with this pendant receives the gift of good luck for the next hour.”
I gape at her as Juniper offers a small round of applause.
Good luck? No way. That's not possible, right?
“Wonderful, Lucille. I'll be taking that. I've got a meeting later on, and I need it to go well,” the professor says with a wink, pocketing the pendant.
The second her hand slips into the pocket of her ankle-length skirt, I instinctively stuff my hand into my pocket too, blindly searching for the familiar weight of my coin.
I wasn't supposed to bring it out with me, but after last night, I couldn't bear to leave my room without it. Now, with the joker’s face pressed into my palm, I take a deep breath and relish in the grounding sensation it gives me.
“And what would we say is a good example of an enchantment?” Juniper muses, tapping her chin as she looks around the room. “If we could have Foster step forward, please. Give us an example of an enchantment.”
I peer over my shoulder, feeling more confident with every passing moment that a witch willingly offers us a sliver of knowledge. This time, a guy seated at the back of the class stands. His sharp nose and strong jawline make him look dark and dangerous, but he doesn’t seem to have the confidence that comes with those features. He keeps his gaze downcast, avoiding everybody around him.
He steps to the front of the class and retrieves a bag of sand from behind the professor. She smiles at him proudly as he makes his way around the room, chanting under his breath as he lays the sand down. Once the sand encircles the entire room, he silently moves to the center. Ignoring the tables and people around him, he closes his eyes, holding his hands out softly in front of him. His words continue to repeat again and again until the air falls still around us.
My heart flutters in my chest as I wait for something to happen. It’s only when his eyes blow wide and he drops his arms to his sides that he finally speaks.
“Protection is done.”
He takes a seat as Professor Juniper applauds him, and everybody else falls in line. The noise echoes in the air, even though I have no idea what we're celebrating.
“Thank you so much, Foster. That, ladies and gentlemen, is what we call a protection spell. Anyone with any harmful intentions would never be able to step over the threshold unless a break in the sand occurs. No witch, vampire, wolf, or human will be able to penetrate this room if the magic senses ill intent on their behalf.”
My mind is blown as I stare in wonder, completely shocked by such abilities, when the bell rings, cutting through the air and bringing the class to an end. I don't want to stand. I don't want to leave this spot. I want to continue devouring everything she has to offer—everything my peers have to offer, too, it seems.
Looking down at the bangles on my wrists, I plead for them to leave my skin, but it's futile. Until my sigil classes start, there's no way out of this. Even then, who knows how long it will take for me to figure it out?
“Thank you so much for attending my class today. To my three new students, I want to inform you that covens will consider the three of you, so be prepared to receive offers. What you may have to do to secure it ultimately depends on the coven itself.” She smiles wide with pride, nodding at each of us before she glances toward the back of the class. “Bryony, please, could you help me tidy up the room?” Juniper asks, effectively dismissing everybody else, and I stand from my seat, making my way to the door before I peer back at Bryony.
As if sensing my concern, she offers me a soft smile. “Don't worry, Polaris. You go ahead. I'll catch up. Don't worry,” she repeats, and I nod.
My tongue runs over my bottom lip as nerves get the better of me, and I step out into the hall. The bustle of students is overwhelming, more so than usual, since I don’t have Bryony at my side. It also doesn’t help that I have no idea where I'm heading next. I've had the class before, offensive and defensive, but I'm still becoming familiar with my surroundings and I'm not sure where that is from here.
Spinning on the spot, I search for D and H, but they’re already gone. With my lips curled between my teeth, I keep myself pressed to the wall, heading in what I hope is the right direction. Another bell rings and the student body around me fizzles out to almost none. I'm sure I’ve made a wrong turn somewhere, as I don't remember any of the corridors I take, but I fight back the distress tingling at my fingertips.
As I turn to the left, I slam straight into a body and almost fall to the ground, but I'm saved from such a disastrous fall as I lock eyes with my savior.
I don't manage to speak a word before my world goes black.