Summoned By Magic by Lexie Scott
Chapter 9
Natasha was already gone when I got back from the shared bathrooms down the hall the next morning. I wanted to ask her opinion of what I should wear for my assessment, but I was on my own. How physical would the tests would be? Would Mrs. Hedgings have some magical tool to see what my affinities were? I couldn't help but think about a certain sorting hat. Maybe there was something similar at this school.
Or maybe I needed to accept that my life wasn’t like a book. What did I know? I met a mountain lion and honey badger yesterday. The possibilities of what I might discover were endless.
Just in case I needed unrestricted movement, I settled on jeans and a loose T-shirt then slid on my tie-dye converse so Aiden could be here with me in a small way. I didn’t want to go down to the dining hall alone, and I was still too nervous to eat. So I waited in my room, listening to voices and footsteps fill the hall until it was time to leave.
I gave myself ten minutes to walk over to the lab building, and the pathway was full of students heading in both directions when I stepped out of my dorm. Excitement filled the air as people hugged and greeted each other.
I hadn’t planned on being the new girl my senior year, and I missed my friends back home more than ever. They were still enjoying their vacations and would get to continue our traditions without me.
There was no point wasting time or tears thinking about how my life could have been. That was over. I wasn’t that girl anymore. I had to be brave and accept my new reality. With a steadying breath, I rolled my shoulders back and merged onto the path toward the labs.
It was easy enough to get to the building, but finding a staircase or elevators to the third floor was proving to be a challenge. I clutched my folder to my chest and looked for someone to ask.
Each person who neared me acted as if I was invisible. I opened my mouth like a fish trying to stop someone but failed miserably. I checked the time and started to panic. Three minutes left to get to the right office. Being late wasn’t the first impression I wanted to give, even if she didn’t end up being one of my teachers.
“Excuse me?” I said louder this time, and a girl around my age actually stopped.
“Yeah?”
“Can you tell me how to get to the third floor?” I nearly held my breath waiting for her reply.
“The stairs are behind that door. The elevator is around the back end of the building so you’re better off using the stairs.” She pointed to an unmarked door down the hall, and I thanked her profusely before hurrying over.
Why would they hide the stairs? Did they just assume everyone knew? It wasn’t marked on the campus map. Details like that weren’t included. I huffed and took the steps two at a time before pushing through the door into the hall and searching the name plaques next to each door for Mrs. Hedgings.
Halfway down, I found it and knocked on the door.
“Come in,” a gentle voice replied.
I opened the door and stepped inside to find an elderly woman waiting beside a wide oak desk. “You must be Saige Williams.”
“Yes.”
“Good.” She patted her white hair, which was pulled back into a low bun. She wore a simple, ankle-length dress in light blue, topped with a knitted white cardigan despite the warmth of the room. “Come and sit.”
She waved me toward to armchairs facing each other deeper into her office. She sat, so I took the other and laid my folder across my lap.
She watched me, studying my face more intently than was comfortable. Her eyes narrowed slightly, and her head tilted to the side. My skin tingled under her appraisal, and I combed my brain for an opening to redirect her attention. Finally, she stopped and gave me a warm smile. Mrs. Hedgings was what I imagined most grandmas were like. The complete opposite of Susan.
“I will be administering your assessment today, but why don’t you start by telling me a bit about yourself? It’s quite rare for a witch to join our school at your age.”
I swallowed, running through what details I was allowed to share and what I was supposed to keep secret. “Okay, what would you like to know?”
That seemed safer than giving too much information away.
“Tell me about your family. What affinities do your parents have?”
I blinked. I didn’t know. Masie hadn’t told me what my mom could do, and I didn’t ask about her or her parents either.
“I’m not sure.”
She cocked her head. “Air? Water? Fire?”
Okay, maybe I needed to start this conversation with what I knew. Hopefully, then we could skip more awkward questions.
“I’m adopted,” I admitted for the first time to a stranger. My hawk didn’t count. “I don’t know very much at all about my birth parents. I didn’t even know I was a witch until this weekend.”
Her brows rose. “Oh, my.”
Maybe she would realize I don't belong here and would send me home. That would be nice.
“We have quite a bit to cover, dear.” She picked up a notebook from the side table next to her. “What do you know about witches and Drexel Academy?”
My shoulders slumped. “Very little. I didn’t know witches or shifters or vampires existed until Saturday when I was told I was coming here. I packed up my suitcase and was on a plane within hours.”
I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to tell her that. How did that fit in with the Stone Scholarship story? It wasn’t like they could get mad at me. They did a horrible job of explaining anything. If they spent more time talking and less time ignoring me, I might be a little more prepared.
She tapped her pen against the paper several times while watching me. “Sweet thing. You must be all sorts of confused. I can’t imagine how overwhelming this must be.”
My throat constricted. I didn’t want to cry in her office, but she was the first person to consider how I was handling this.
“I want to be here. I wanted to learn how to control the powers I have, but I don’t have any idea of what to expect or what I’m getting into.”
I wasn’t sure why I felt so comfortable opening up to her, but my gut told me I could trust her.
“Let’s fix that.” She smiled again. “I’ll start at the beginning. Does that sound okay?”
I nodded and relaxed into my seat.
“Drexel Academy is named after William Drexel. He was the first shifter to make a pact with the witches and vampires, thus establishing peace and unifying the supernatural world. He left his fortune to the improvement of interspecies relations and education, so this school was founded. It was the first of its kind, allowing all the species to gather and learn in the same place.”
I wondered if I shouldn’t grab a pen or take notes are something. The history was fascinating. “When did that happen?”
“The pact was formed in 1780 in Scotland. The school was built in 1842. While you will share some classes with shifters and vampires, there are specific courses for each species. I’ll let your counselor explain the class offerings in general, but as far as the witch curriculum, you should be able to create potions, cast spells, and learn to manage and manipulate your affinity by the end of your fourth year, which is your year. The goal for witches is to build to the point that you can cast a spell without speaking it as well as creating portals, animate objects. If you have any psychic abilities, then harness those to reveal information or see the future. You may find witches your age enjoy using their abilities to create potions and spells to treat blemishes, color hair, dry or style your hair quickly, and other things that simplify your life. Those are often easy spells taught at home, but since you come from a non-supernatural family, you will have to ask for help with those as they are not a part of the school’s curriculum.”
My mind was buzzing with the possibilities. I knew Hannah would be able to help me discover all the fun things I could do.
“Now, all witches can cast spells and brew potions, and most, but not all, have an innate power where they excel. We call those affinities, and they are based on the five elements: Earth, Water, Fire, Air, and Space.”
“Just one of those?” Masie hadn’t warned me about that.
Mrs. Hedgings nodded, “Generally, yes. On the very rare occasion, a witch might have two.”
Her answer put me at ease, but this was yet another thing that made me different.
“Before we start, have you experienced anything that would lead you to believe you have an affinity?”
“Actually, I think I have two.”
She seemed shocked for a second before returning to her gentle smile. “Well then, let’s see.”
I followed her to a table with five boxes at the other end of the room. She went to the opposite side and stopped in front of the first box. “Let’s start with the easiest to identify.” She lifted the top and revealed a small planter with several flowers blooming. I wasn’t sure what to do, and I didn’t want to cause another earthquake.
“Hold your hand directly over the flowers.”
I lifted my right arm and hovered my palm a few inches over them.
Nothing happened for a few seconds, then all of the blossoms leaned in one direction, toward my hand. My eyes widened, and I wanted to pull away but didn’t move.
“Good.” She made a note and returned the cover before taking a step to the next one and lifted it. A bowl of water stood still. My heart pounded as I moved my hand over it. Was it going to shoot all over the room?
I sucked in a breath as the water rippled and droplets rose until they touched my palm.
“Interesting.” She made another note, and I wiped my wet hand on my jeans as she continued down the line.
The next box held a candle, which she lit, and I returned my hand to the position. I waited, watching the flickering flame, but nothing else happened.
“Okay.” She blew it out. The next one was a glass cylinder with glitter in it. I stared at it, and she laughed lightly. “If you can manipulate air, the glitter will move. It’s the most obvious way to see movement.”
That made sense. I held my hand over it, but after about twenty seconds, nothing happened.
“This next one is different,” she began. “The ability to manipulate Space, or ether, used to be more common, but over the past two centuries, it’s become quite rare. It includes changing the weather, creating and removing light, and influencing gravity.”
This one sounded by far the most interesting, but I doubted I had it if it was so rare.
A light bulb sat on the table, and she turned it on. I put my palm over it and waited for something to happen. It dimmed for a second, then went back to normal. I sighed and dropped my arm. I waited for a reaction from her but she quickly added a note before returning her attention to me.
“It appears you were correct. You have two strong affinities.” She grinned. “That means you have twice as much to learn, but don’t let yourself worry. The academy is full of people who can help you.”
I hoped so. Otherwise, I’d be expelled by Christmas. As much as I already missed my family and wanted to go home, having confirmation that I belonged here made me determined to stay. I had to learn all I could so it would be safe for me to be around my family again.
“You can take this to your counselor, and he can get you in the right classes.” She handed me her notepaper, and I went back to the chair to add it to my folder.
“I don’t normally offer extra help, but you are in a unique situation. If you would be interested in my tutoring you, we can come up with a schedule that works for both of us.”
“Thank you. I would really appreciate that.” She was so nice, and I would need all the help I could get.
“Now go on. The start of term assembly is at ten, and you don’t want to be late.” She walked me to the door of her office, and I thanked her again before taking the stairs down to the main floor and heading outside to go back to the administration building.
Only a few people milled around. It was probably class time, so I rushed down the path without the crowds. When I reached the back entrance of the building, I froze. I skimmed over the rulebook last night, but fell asleep before finishing.
I pulled out the packet and quickly signed the back like I was supposed to before heading inside. I hadn’t noticed anything that stood out from the basic rules I was used to from my old school. No mention of promising my first-born child for a sacrifice or offering myself up as a blood donor. I could finish reading over them later. I doubted there was anything all that unusual, and it wasn’t like I was the rule-breaking type.