Chapter 23
Chapter Twenty-Three
The gravity of my new life knocked me on my ass
The blast knocked me over the picnic table, and a roar kept my head down.
What the hell just happened?
“Nobody move.” A strong male voice bounced around the courtyard, and I dared a peek from beneath the table.
It was the headmaster.
I’d seen the tall, redheaded man twice in the halls. But besides a greeting video in the app, he was pretty illusive.
Everyone froze, unsure what to do. The headmaster pushed his brown robes back, pointed his wand high, and red flares shot out of the tip.
What exploded?
In the midst of the rubble, a rounded form the size of a SUV stepped out from the smoke. Not only did people move then, but they screamed as they did it.
The creature looked like a combination between a bear and lava. Smoke tendrils floated above its rocky and molten body.
The lava bear roared again, sharp black teeth gleamed in the morning sun.
Shit, I needed to get out of here.
Rising onto my heels, I gripped my bag when Headmaster Sprucian yelled at the people in the courtyard. “Everyone, cease moving. It responds to movement.”
“Immostable,” Headmaster said while waving his wand, arms wide to protect the fleeing students. The bear stopped its chase, only to shoot burning lava out of its mouth.
Another faculty member with silver curls, and who I’d yet to meet, shuffled into the courtyard.
She lifted her wand and sliced the air. An orange slit appeared and floated.
She mumbled to herself, and it grew, continuing to widen until Headmaster Sprucian could magically push the lava bear through it.
It roared and slashed its massive paws in all directions. Lava shot out all over the place every time it opened its mighty jaws. Once its claws receded through the portal, the silver haired teacher wiggled her wand up the slice, and it sewed it back together.
Just like that, the horror show vanished, as if it never existed in the first place.
“All right everyone, crisis averted. Class will be delayed thirty minutes, but then I want to see butts in seats.” Professor Jules popped into the courtyard, causing more than a few of us to scream from her sudden appearance.
She leveled everyone with a glare and strolled away like she hadn’t just magically appeared and scared us to death. Headmaster Sprucian talked with the silver haired woman, their expressions pinched.
My muscles were taught but I managed to crawl away from the picnic table.
It took me a whole other minute to stand, and then I was heading for my room. I passed rubble, smoke, and dirty scared faces.
Delanie had left her friends the moment of the attack. Her cries were heard louder than everyone else’s. Naturally.
No one got hurt. We were shaken up, but besides a sore shoulder from falling on it, I’d be fine.
I just needed to breathe, to take a minute of silence, and process everything that just happened. It all felt too great. The pressure, the unknown. This place, and these people. All of it was so far from my normal reality.
What was normal reality anyways? I thought I knew, but it turns out, I had no idea.
“Temperance. Shit. Are you okay?” Another person from my reality slash non-reality walked up to me. Rylan reached out and his hands cupped my face while searching for wounds.
“I’m fine,” I assured him. “I’m just… This is a lot.”
I pushed his hands away and I watched his eyebrows lift. Yeah, I had his cock in my mouth hours ago, and now I didn’t want him touching me.
His face fell, but instead of apologizing to him, I took a step back.
“I just need some space,” I uttered. “Can you give that to me please?”
My thoughts raced, and my heart ached in my chest. My magic buzzed and I didn’t think I could control any outbursts right now.
Arriving at the McKenzie Institute had been a whimsical experience. But, just like all things, magic had two sides—the whimsy and the dark. The gravity of my new life knocked me on my ass.
Literally.
Rylan smiled and gave me a nod like he wasn’t upset or fazed that I pushed him away.
“Take your time. I’ll see you in class.” He leaned over to kiss my cheek, and I didn’t move.
Instead of speaking, I gave him a quick wave and left. My feet moved me up the stairs on autopilot and I sat on the bed as soon as I entered my room.
My fingers itched to call Piper. To tell her all the things. But I couldn’t. She was happy and living her life. I didn’t need to dump my issues onto her. What if she worried about me? I couldn’t have my kid thinking she’d lose her mother because magic was scary.
So instead of reaching out, I grabbed a pillow and screamed into it. “What the fuck!”
Magic sparked beneath my skin, then a crackling noise startled me. Shit, what did I break?
“Momma.”
My noodle.
I shot up to see Edith, scales blue, staring at me from her moose.
“I’m sorry. Did I scare you?” I scooped her up and brought her to the bed.
But, before sitting down, I saw little scorched holes in the sides of my pillow.
Great, I burned it.
“No.” She slithered around my pointer finger and blinked.
I did scare her, but she didn’t want to tell me. What the hell am I doing here? My fingers tingled and my throat felt clogged.
Was I going to puke flowers again? Would I blow up our room?
This was too much. The school, the danger, the billionaire, the—
Edith’s soft voice interrupted my thoughts. “I can help.” She squeezed my finger then released. For a few minutes she tightened and relaxed in rhythm. Her scales shifting colors as I focused on her gentle pulses.
“Use your magic,” she instructed, and I shook my head at first, still feeling on the edge of a breakdown. But then Edith started glowing light pink.
My magic was drawn to her glow like a bug. Creeping, crawling inside me toward the light.
“All right.” I closed my eyes and did the first thing I’d been taught to do. Push my magic to my palm and let something grow. I could do that. I’d practiced it every day since that first class.
“Pretty,” Edith said while slithering into the bouquet of flowers in my hand.
I managed to think about Piper when she was younger dressing up. Something I feel Edith would be into as well.
The intensity buzzing beneath my skin felt less and my throat didn’t feel so constricted.
“When you’re feeling out of balance, I can help you. It’s my honor to help disperse and control your powers.” She glowed brighter.
“Thanks, noodle. I do feel better. You did a great job.” And I wasn’t lying. I didn’t feel plugged into a high energy outlet with unstable magic.
“Do you mind hanging with me today?” I asked, knowing she’d probably curl around a warm body part and observe.
“Yes, I’ll choose my colors accordingly.” She nodded and then the door opened.