Chapter 2
Chapter Two
Welcome to Magic School, dears
Two Months Later…
“I’m too old for this shit.” I stared at the enormous beige-colored castle in front of me, unsure if I had made the right decision.
I felt too old to go back to school. But ever since Piper left for college a month ago, home was too quiet.
Especially after the chaos following “the incident.” Learning of a magical realm connected to ours, and that a portion of humanity now had magic inside them, created a giant clusterfuck in our world.
That’s right.
The world was now full of uncontrolled magic and everything was in chaos.
But, like, we still had to pay taxes and go to work, though.
It took all of two months, but McKenzie Enterprise eventually created a temporary solution to the magic madness.
Control.
We had to learn to control our new “gifts.”
So, when I got the invitation to attend the McKenzie Institute to learn how to harness and utilize my new powers, I jumped at the opportunity. Plus, Piper was gone, and it beat working at the bank. Did I mention I really needed a vacation?
“I’m so excited,” a female voice exclaimed from behind me.
Another voice added, “I can’t believe we both got invited!”
The two overjoyed ladies passed by, both squealing as they practically skipped ahead to the mahogany double doors of the castle. They obviously knew each other which caused me to have a pang of jealousy. Having someone to lean on during this scary adventure would have been nice.
Accepting I had magic was hard. No one in my small town had new powers but me. I tried to keep it a secret for as long as I could. But word spread once someone saw me floating while I yelled at a guy who almost hit me in a parking lot.
Yes, floating.
Not even in a cute, witchy kind of way. More like a woman possessed with road rage and the ability to projectile vomit daisies if the situation called for it. If I’d known how to use those blue sparks, that asshole would have lost an ear or two for nearly running me over.
Maybe I wasn’t too old for school and learning to control my magic for moments like those was exactly what I needed.
Still, I felt lonely and lowkey wish Piper were here with me if only to keep me company.
“Come on, Tempie,” I muttered in an attempt to psyche myself up. “You’ve got this.”
And I did have this. I’d worn real jeans and an actual bra for this. Technically, I was capable of anything.
With sweaty palms, I tightened the hold on my duffle bag and walked into an unknown future that both excited and scared me.
The short distance from the parking lot to the castle was uneventful, but I paused when a circular fountain situated in a vast courtyard caught my eye.
Another reminder that the world was different.
The voluptuous statue in the middle of the fountain poured a pot of glowing green liquid into the water where teeny bubbles rose and popped in the air.
It was weird, and like my sparkly puke, kind of pretty, too.
In my hometown, kids from the high school would pour dish soap into the fountain outside the courthouse as a prank. This looked nothing like the typical white bubbles that I was used to seeing.
The green glow was otherworldly and strange.
And I was awestruck by it.
Then, the hairs on the back of my neck tickled as someone slid to my side. “The water is enchanted. It’s safe to touch if you’d like.”
Enchanted.
What Disney movie was I living in again?
An elderly woman wearing a silver robe stood a little too close to me. She waved her hand toward the fountain, and a trail of bubbles floated over to us. More onlookers gathered with their eyes wide. I wasn’t the only one mesmerized by it.
Purple sparks shot from my free hand, like the powers inside me recognized those of the fountain and wanted to play too. Again, where were those sparks when the parking lot asshole nearly plowed me over?
“Welcome to Magic School, dears.” The woman flashed us a smile then her gaze dropped to my hands. Her face brightened and the smile lifted higher.
I shook my hand to rid the sparks and tingles. Thankfully, I didn’t have to douse them out in the fountain.
“Sorry,” I said as heat crept up my neck. “Still don’t know why or how that happens.”
“Don’t apologize. And you will.” She wiggled her fingers and the bubbles that she surrounded us with popped in unison. Her attention went back to the crowd. “If you haven’t already, please check in at the yellow tables before you enter the castle.”
With a wave of her delicate hand, yellow glitter appeared, followed by a stick that she used to point to my right.
Oops, that was a wand, not simply a stick. I was still getting used to that.
I stared for far too long and probably in an embarrassing way. She had to be from Nathuria, the magical realm the incident opened us up to. As if newfound magic wasn’t enough, we also learned of other beings in another realm. The whole thing really was a mindfuck.
She looked human, but something felt off. Maybe it was the way she moved and held herself, as if she were attached to strings from the clouds. Each step was so smooth, like she was gliding instead of walking.
Until recently, magic only existed in fiction. Now, random people, like say, a single mom with no life beyond being the parent of a college student, had powers.
The Magic School website mentioned that each person had natural talents in certain powers like conjuring, or transforming into animals, or seeing the future.
I had considered what my special talent would be more than a few times. Perhaps I’d be a magical florist. Or a human sparkler when I got emotional. Either way, I was here to figure that out, and really hoped it was something actually useful.
Moving from the fountain, I eyed the yellow tables she’d gestured to. A flash of blue blinded me, and I stilled. “Have you registered, miss?”
“What the—”
As my sight cleared, a face came into view. Well… sort of a face. A see-through blue male stood a foot from me. I glanced around the figure, then followed his body down to a metal circle on the ground with a blue light.
“I apologize,” the opaque man said. “I didn’t mean to frighten you. I am a hologram here to assist you.”
The hologram brushed back his curly waves. Was he based off a real person or some AI technology? Holograms were new, and I wasn’t a tech person to really understand how it worked. He shifted from foot to foot, and I snapped out of my thoughts.
“I’m sorry, what did you ask?”
He lifted a shimmering finger upwards like he had an idea. “Have you registered, miss?”
“Not yet.”
He blinked and tilted his head to the side with a grin. “I can get you pre-registered now, if you’d like. Then all you have to do is check in at the table to grab your room card.”
Overwhelm dug its nasty hooks into me. New, worldwide magical powers, magic school, magic realm visitor, holograms that popped out of nowhere. It was a lot, and I was beginning to sink under the weight of it.
Again, I hated doing this alone.
“Okay,” I rasped out.
Normally, I was a decent conversationalist. The magic and sheer intensity of this experience thus far had left me staggering. And exhausted. It had been a long couple of months.
The hologram’s eyes closed but started to shift back and forth like he was dreaming.
In the ten seconds of silence my shoulders finally relaxed. Then, his eyelids shot open. “Done. Temperance Carmichael, age thirty-five, single, from the United States. You are now registered.”
Did he really need to say all that?
I mean, I was thirty-five and single, but there wasn’t a need to advertise it to the whole courtyard.
“Welcome to the McKenzie Institute for Magical Adults,” he continued. “Unless there is anything else I can assist you with, please proceed to the yellow tables.” He waited for me to answer with a blank stare.
“I’m good. Thanks for helping.”
Without a word, the hologram disappeared into the circle, and the blue light vanished. I’m left staring at the spot he used to be, mind reeling at how the contraption even worked.
“Let’s move it, Tempie,” I muttered as I shook away my daze. My empty stomach growled in agreement, and I got moving.
Drawing from the last bit of airport coffee energy, I found my way to the check-in tables, only for an elderly group on a mission to scoot in before me. Being old had its privileges, I guessed.
A young woman with bright red hair and a tablet in her hands smiled in greeting. “Welcome to the McKenzie Institute. What are your names?” she asked the group as four more registration workers jumped into action to get them sorted, which left just two ladies in front of me.
The first to give her name wore a bright yellow jacket and black leggings tucked into purple boots. Her white hair was twisted into a bun on top of her head. “Imogene Behar. It’s pronounced EM-O-GENE. Bay, like the water, and Har, like hard morning wood.”
Excuse me, what?!
I pinched my lips to keep from laughing as Imogene spoke loudly and slowly, making sure they did not forget her name. I certainly wouldn’t.
“Perfect,” the friendly redheaded registrar chirped as if she never heard the filthy words spoken to her.
“Here is your room card and ID. Keep it with you at all times. If you have any questions, Ms. Behar, please reach out to any staff stationed around the castle or any of the people you see with a purple lanyard around their neck.”
The foul-mouthed older woman nods and then flashes the redhead a wicked smirk. “Got it. Now what are the rules about sexual relations on the premises?”
I choked at Imogene’s confident question and tried to cover my mouth. Her comrade looked at me quizzically.
“What?” I hissed with a raised brow. Imogene asked loud enough for everyone within a fifty-foot radius to hear. I wasn’t the only one around here who was shocked.
The young woman, who couldn’t have been older than twenty, quickly grew flustered as she handed Imogene a trifold pamphlet. “Um, yes. We are all adults here. The um, rules are… um… In there.”
Imogene brought the paper closer to her face and squinted.
“I’ll have to get out my reading glasses when I get to my room.
” She shoved the pamphlet in an orange bag at her side.
Then, her friend nudged her shoulder. “Right. Are the rooms co-ed?” Imogene asked, obviously for her friend.
The employee shook her head with a forced smile.
Good to know.
Imogene and her crew scampered off with the mention of the welcome feast in the ballroom.
While the check-in staff rummaged through boxes of papers, something brushed against my bag.
The sparks of magic constantly buzzing beneath my skin recoiled.
No, not a something, but a someone stepped close behind me.
And my magic wasn’t a fan. Before I turned around, a male voice spoke close to my ear.
“They sound like trouble. Probably need to watch our backs around that group.”