WitchCraft Academy (The First Book)
The Third Chapter

I am abruptly awakened by a noisy thud. Ouch. I realize that the thud was the result of me tumbling out of bed as Juniper rolls into my spot. I glance at the alarm clock and notice that it is nearly 4 pm. Shit, dinner is in an hour.

"June, wake up!" I exclaim as I clamber back onto the bed. She rolls over and nearly pushes me off the bed once more, prompting me to give her a forceful shove, causing her to fall off the opposite side.

"What was that for?" She groggily inquires, still half-asleep on the floor as I peer down at her from the edge of the bed.

"You pushed me out of the bed first," I say in my defense. "I was just returning the favor. It's almost dinner time and I'm starving."

"I claim dibs on the shower!" She squeals, swiftly wrapping herself in a blanket and moving far too quickly for someone who was just awakened from sleep. The bathroom door shuts behind her and the sound of the shower commences. I lie in bed for a few more minutes, still observing faint ripples and vivid hues from the Illusion Elixir.

I rise from my bed and make my way to the spacious walk-in closet. After careful consideration, I select a pair of sleek black skinny jeans and a long-sleeve green shirt that perfectly complements my eyes. I layer them under my favorite cozy black sweater.

Juniper quickly finishes her preparations and leaves the bathroom, looking for her clothes in a rush. I take advantage of her departure and step into the shower, cleansing my body and brushing my teeth. As I gaze at my long, straight white hair, I dream of even the slightest hint of a wave or curl. Alas, it remains stubbornly flat, in stark comparison to Juniper's vibrant red curls.

With a sense of urgency and a growling stomach, I complete my morning routine by applying a touch of natural-looking makeup. Juniper and I link arms and make our way to the dining hall. Situated on the opposite side of the mountain from the dormitories, it requires navigating a series of hallways and staircases to get there.

Witchcraft Academy, nestled within the mountain, has a considerably large campus, despite its relatively small student population of approximately one hundred per year. The students are divided into four categories: Neophytes, Runes, Astrals, and Seraphs. These designations not only indicate grade level but also determine the level of witchcraft education we have received.

As we enter the bustling cafeteria, Juniper inquires about our plans for the evening. We join the line for our favorite school tacos, and I feel a pang of guilt as I ponde how to say this. "I need you and Ethan to cover for me tonight,” I confess, piling on the garnishes for my taco, particularly the sour cream and guacamole.

Juniper chuckles and playfully bumps into me. "What trouble have you gotten into this time?" She teases, and together we find our usual spot with Ethan and Andrew.

"I told you they would be late after last night," Ethan remarks, a hint of annoyance in his voice. “I bet they didn't study for any of the quizzes either.”

I choose to ignore his comment and turn my attention back to Juniper. "I need to go find some baneberry. Sable has gone missing again," I admit, referring to my colorful bearded dragon lizard familiar. Each of us possesses a familiar with a unique ability that we received during our Neophyte year. Sable, in particular, has the power of flight, which often leads him to wander away from me.

"I'm pretty sure The Sisters have baneberry readily available for situations like this," Andrew interjects, taking a bite of his spaghetti and looking as innocent as ever.

"Yeah, but that's not as exciting. I'd rather gather it myself, like a responsible adult," I say, taking a bite out of my taco.

"You mean you'd rather break the rules and sneak out," Ethan corrects, glaring at me.

I sigh heavily. "That too, but I made a mistake. I had Sable in my bag when we went out yesterday, and he must have flown away... I can't sense him within the Academy grounds."

"Ember!" Ethan scolds me sternly. "Familiars are strictly prohibited from leaving the Academy, no exceptions. You know this!”

"I know," I groan, feeling a mixture of regret and frustration.

"I'm just grateful that Karma is a well-behaved little spider," Juniper chimes in, referring to her purple tarantula familiar. Ethan's companion is a bunny named Nimble, and Andrew's is a red frog named Prince (how original, right?).

After hastily finishing my tacos, I excuse myself from the table and make my way towards the other side of the mountain dorm rooms where the secret door and passages are located. Lost in my thoughts and in a hurry, I accidentally collide with The Sisters, Melody, and Harmony, and jump away before I can see any visions of their past.

"I'm so sorry, I wasn't paying attention—" I begin to apologize, but Melody cuts me off.

"It's alright, Ember. Just remember to slow down a little, okay? And make sure you study for the test I'll be giving in The Science of Witchcraft tomorrow," she says, offering me a warm smile. I return the smile as genuinely as I can and finally release the breath I didn't realize I was holding as they walk away.

The Sisters, twins who founded this Academy over three hundred years ago, have designed every aspect of it to assist young witches who struggle to understand the origins of their powers. They are genuinely kind and show great patience with all the teenagers they interact with, but they scare the shit out of me and everyone else here.

They claim to possess the rare and unheard-of gift of immortality, an ability that sets them apart from anyone else. They are over three hundred years old and both look thirty and flawless with only minor differences between them. However, due to my own gift of seeing people's pasts, I have had visions of the two of them bathing in the blood of newborn babies.

I suspect that this is how they maintain their immortality but I choose to mind my own business because, well... They are ancient, powerful, and terrifying. Nobody possesses any magical knowledge that The Sisters haven't taught them. I try and avoid them as much as possible, especially Harmony. She is the more terrifying of the two.

I hurry across the main room and ascend the stairs, weaving through the hallways until I reach the entrance of the dorms. With a gentle push, the rough stone wall moves aside slightly, allowing me to slip through. I grab a torch from the wall as the entrance closes behind me and navigate my way through the familiar tunnel until I reach the light at the end. I hang up the torch and take a moment to gather myself before walking out into the cold winter air.

I know there is some baneberry nearby; magical herbs tend to flourish around the mountain due to the abundant magical energy in the vicinity from the school. I quickly locate the herb and consume a small amount, scanning the area for the illuminated golden line that will guide me to Sable. Within seconds, the line appears and leads me into the woods.

Normally, I don't mind venturing into the woods with friends, but being alone feels different. There's a reason why The Sisters don't allow us outside the Academy without supervision - we are nestled deep within the Montana mountains, overflowing with wild animals and poisonous reptiles. Perhaps I should have taken a combat class or two with Ethan. I definitely will if I survive this.

I follow the golden line for about a mile until it abruptly goes up a tree. Frustrated, I groan and begin climbing the branches, only to find Sable sitting innocently on one of them as if he hadn't done anything wrong at all.

With one hand, I scoop Sable up and wag my finger at him with the other, mimicking the scolding of a mother to her child. "You know you're not supposed to run off. This is the last time I'm taking you out to gather herbs with us. I can't trust you for anything, Sable."

"Let me be wild and free," Sable hisses back. I understand him, but no one else can. It's the same way I can't understand another witch's familiar. We are also able to possess our familiars and travel back and forth from different rooms to send each other messages.

"Sorry, dude, but we're bonded for life," I reply nonchalantly, shoving him into my bag and zipping it up tightly to prevent his escape. As I make my way down from the tree, I lose my footing and accidentally fall on top of a person, causing my heart to nearly leap out of my chest and Sable to let out a loud squeel from my bag.

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