Chapter Eight
So, turns out it’s really hard to pay attention in class when you’ve got a town-wide curse to break. Especially a class like charms. It’s also not helped by the fact that the class is taught by Professor Helena, an elderly witch who has a keen eye for detail and patience as thin as spider silk.
‘Ms Reverie,’ Professor Helena called, her voice sharp and pointed like the edge of a needle. ‘Can you please recite the correct spell for charming away dust?’
I clutched my notebook in front of me, which was blank, and willed for someone in the staffroom to cause a non-threatening fire that required evacuation.
But my rescue didn’t come in the form of hunky firefighters; it came through a notebook being tilted in my direction.
Sofia Fable’s wings were pale green and translucent, etched with thin spider-silk swirls; she wore a long, dark-green bellflower skirt and a sage-green sweater.
Her hair was pulled back from her face, and on her desk was an enormous stack of books.
Her gaze was trained in front of her, but her neat handwriting was visible to my quick glance.
I was grateful that the spell was in English – like most spells were.
The truly complex ones were often in Latin or older languages that took an age to decipher.
‘Sweep, sweep, sweep away, make every cobweb and dust bunny scatter,’ I recited, and felt that thrill of watching Professor Helena’s disapproving mouth twitch ever so slightly.
‘So something did penetrate through that daydream haze of yours,’ Professor Helena said, with her eyebrows raised. ‘Would you mind coming and demonstrating? These books on my desk are looking quite dusty.’
I would mind. I would very, very much mind.
My legs felt shaky as I stood and made my way to the front of the classroom; no one said anything, but I could hear every squeak of the chair, every sigh. Professor Helena moved to the side, giving me an encouraging smile that did nothing to make me feel better.
I looked down at the stack of books on Professor Helena’s desk like they were going to transform into little gremlins and bite me. Still, I tried to focus my magic and block everyone out, like that bubble Orion had created for me.
But it wasn’t working. It was hard to ignore your surroundings with the entire class watching you.
‘Sweep –’ I began, and my voice shook ever so slightly. And that’s when my second lifesaver came in the form of the bell ringing, loudly, cutting me off. I felt my eyes slide shut, and the relief that flooded me was potent.
‘Saved,’ Professor Helena murmured, as she let me go back to my seat.
When I reached my desk, the rest of the class had already begun stuffing their books in their bags, racing out of the door for the freedom of the end of the day. I waited while Sofia packed up, before tapping her gently on the shoulder.
‘Thanks,’ I said, lightly.
Sofia’s smile was kinder than I thought it would be. ‘No problem. Believe me, I know how boring charms classes can be.’
‘So,’ I said, as we walked behind the throng of students making their escape. ‘How are you settling in?’
‘Pretty good,’ Sofia said, in a way that made it sound like she repeated the same thing over and over.
I did my best Raven-single-eyebrow-raise that always got me talking, and Sofia laughed.
‘OK, it’s been interesting, but I came to Maple Falls to have a new start, so interesting is better than what I had before: boring. ’
‘Boring?’ I questioned, curiosity burning. I’d never left Maple Falls and was dying to know about the other magical towns dotted around.
‘Boring,’ Sofia echoed. ‘Rose Glenn was just too simple – that’s why I left when my grandmother offered. Maple Falls is already more intriguing, especially with that rogue love spell going on.’
Guilt reared up inside me at the mention of the spell; I wondered if Sofia would be so friendly if she knew that it was my mishap that cursed Frost, her grandmother’s best friend and co-owner of the apothecary.
‘How,’ I started to ask, trying to sound not guilty, ‘is Frost, by the way?’
Sofia snorted, just as we finally got out of the door. ‘He’s still in the poetry phase. Literally. We wake up to sonnets and sleep to ballads. Granny says she hates it, but some of them are quite romantic.’
‘So, not awful,’ I said, hopefully.
‘Not awful,’ Sofia agreed.
That loosened the anxiety in my chest. Enough for me to consider asking Sofia to join Raven and I on our trip to the Wandering Words Library, where I’d meet Orion for my second lesson while Raven studied for her exam.
Selfishly, I also thought he wouldn’t bring up Silas, if he saw someone else with us.
‘Sofia,’ I began, as we stepped into the hallway. ‘Would you like to join me and Raven at –’
‘Hey, trouble.’ Orion’s voice came from behind me, all smooth like melted chocolate.
I whipped a glance over my shoulder to find him leaning against the lockers.
‘Hawthorne,’ I said, nerves gripping my heart. ‘Didn’t you graduate a year ago? What are you doing here?’
‘Alumni privileges,’ he retorted. ‘Allows me to stalk these halls in search of certain witches.’ Then, before I could say anything, he slid his gaze to beside me. ‘And who’s this?’
‘Sofia Fable,’ I introduced, stepping back slightly, ‘meet Orion Hawthorne.’
‘Raven’s brother?’ Sofia guessed, glancing between the two of us.
‘I’d like to think I have other titles, but Raven’s brother works,’ Orion said, with an easy smile on his mouth. A smile he’d never directed at me. Where was the irritable dragon I knew? ‘And you must be the new girl.’
‘I’d like to think I have other titles too, but new girl works,’ Sofia quipped back, and Orion’s laugh was quick and loud.
So loud that it made something sharp and ugly flare up in my chest. It was an emotion I was familiar with, but only in my memories.
‘What have we got here?’ Raven asked, walking up to our lockers and glancing between the three of us. ‘New after-school club?’
‘Yes,’ Orion deadpanned. ‘I’m club leader.’
‘Over my dead body,’ Raven shot back, punching in her locker code and shoving her textbooks inside.
Orion smiled slightly, before turning to me. ‘Sorry to break up the club, but Raven, Sofia, I’m going to need to talk to Reverie. Alone, please.’
‘Whatever you say to me can be said in front of –’ I started but Orion interrupted me.
‘Not this,’ he said, holding my gaze. ‘Raven can take my car to the library; we can walk.’
‘Fine,’ I said softly, knowing there was no point arguing with a determined Hawthorne.
‘All right,’ Raven said, already walking away. ‘Sofia, want to join us at the library?’
‘Sure,’ the faerie replied, following Raven out of the doors of Maple Falls High, while Orion and I trailed slowly behind.
Main Street tended to be quiet at this time; most people were closing up shop, or settling into Charmed my peers would be at the beach or the Firewood Forest. There might even be a party happening.
The sky was a lovely lavender colour, streaked with clouds of pink and hints of gold from the dying sunlight.
It should have inspired a sense of peace.
But I was a knot of nerves as I walked side by side with Orion.
‘So, Silas Moon,’ Orion said, carefully.
‘Nope, no, not a chance,’ I interrupted, feeling a flush rise on my cheeks. ‘I thought you wanted to talk about something serious.’
‘Look, Reverie, I just want to help –’
I twisted on my heel and tried walking away from him.
‘Can’t we just go for our second lesson, please?
Let’s just go to the library, where I’m sure there will be more people who witnessed my public humiliation.
And maybe this time we’ll do the summoning spell, and I’ll make the books burst into flames or –’
‘Reverie,’ Orion was in front of me in a flash.
My eyes widened seeing his wings unfurled, in all their glory behind his strong back, silver and almost as wide as the street.
I didn’t realize how fast I’d walked until he’d literally flown in front to stop me.
I tried not to gawk at him, but I hadn’t seen his wings full-fledged in a while.
‘Why don’t we go for a little adventure?’ Orion said, and he cast his wings down.
I watched as they retracted, feeling slightly bereft as they disappeared from view. ‘What?’
He stepped closer, and then, in what can only be considered a mind-bending turn of events, Orion leaned forward to grab my backpack, sliding it off my shoulder and slinging it on to his. I watched, dumbfounded, as he walked away.
‘Where are you going? What about Raven and Sofia?’ I called out to him, but he didn’t even turn to look back at me.
‘They can wait. Now hustle, Reverie. I am not slowing down for you!’
We were standing before the Wishing Well Bakery – my safe haven, my solace, my escape. It was closed today, because the bakery was always shut on Mondays.
‘Why are we here?’ I narrowed my gaze at Orion. ‘I already told Ivy I’m taking a sabbatical to focus on my spellcasting.’
‘Because I’m hungry,’ Orion said, shrugging like it was nothing.
I scoffed loudly, disbelievingly.
‘Famished, in fact,’ he added, and then said, ‘You have the keys to this place, don’t you?’
‘You want to enter an establishment while it’s closed?’ I asked, incredulously. ‘You, Orion Hawthorne, stickler for rules, want to break in –’
‘Hey,’ Orion interrupted, and he rocked on his heels slightly. ‘It’s not really breaking in, if we have a key.’
I couldn’t help it. His words, the way they echoed my own thoughts over a week ago as I stood in this exact spot, made a laugh burst out of me. Orion’s mouth pulled up into a reluctant smile as he gestured hurry up at me.
I don’t know why I didn’t fight it more, but I reached in my pocket for my keys, slipping the one for the bakery into the lock; it opened with a click, and I let the two of us in.
‘So, you think your boss would kill you for breaking in?’ Orion mock-whispered, as I led him to the kitchens.