A New Family

Holly

“Do you still feel it inside you?”

Zillana was smiling at me the way she always did. I had yet to see the same look given to other students or even her fellow teachers… it was reserved for me and only me.

I knew she was talking about the Fairy Slipper I had taken to heighten my powers.

“The effect is starting to subside. But the feeling was amazing.”

Zillana nodded her head as she played with a lock of hair dangling in front of her eyes. They were sparkling, enticing me to never look away. Part of me wanted to obey… to turn my body into a beam of light that could shine forever, forcing her sparkle to never fade.

I had to look away or else I would be consumed…

My gaze caught Devina’s grimoire, sitting on a shelf behind Zillana’s desk. It was the opposite of what I just felt… dark and weathered… containing magic no person should ever hope to use.

I conjured up the last of my Fairy Slipper-enhanced magic and teleported the grimoire to Zillana’s desk.

Her face immediately changed, the lines of her mouth showing annoyance.

“Why do you still want this?” she asked. “Aren’t we having enough fun on our own without ruining it with such dark, tragic spells?”

I wanted to nod my head and agree with her… to burn the book in a ceremony that could forever rid the world of Devina’s curses…

But that would only hinder my knowledge of how to defeat her. And something about the book was calling out to me. Asking me to replace the owner from which it was taken.

“I need your help,” I said.

“You’ll need more than that if you play with fire,” she warned. “And this grimoire will burn you up.”

“Have you heard anything about the recent events of the Supernatural Parliament? A man burst into flames and my pack has been blamed…”

“Your pack?” Zillana said, disgusted. “We’re not mutts that run in a gang.”

“They saved me. And now they’re in danger. I must return the favor and help them.”

Zillana stood from her desk, moving to the large window that overlooked campus. It was a breathtaking view of the ancient statues and ivy-covered buildings.

“Your powers are being wasted, my dear,” Zillana said.

“I’ve seen the reports. The Rogue attacks are all over the news, even though they claim to be a terrorist organization,” I said. “What they aren’t reporting is how the government’s taken total control of every werewolf compound in North America! I saw that myself by using Fairy Slipper.”

Zillana turned to me quickly, her once sparkling eyes blazing with an intensity I’d never seen before.

“Your mind is too curious. Don’t worry about things you cannot change. It will only hurt your education.”

“My people are being held captive on their own land. If I can’t use my magic to help those in need, then there’s no reason to have such power.”

Zillana laughed, mocking my words, and it stung deeper than I could have imagined.

“This is No Wolf’s Land. Our founders built this university here for a reason. Wolves are beneath us and we should always keep their needs separate from our own.”

It was my turn to stand up, causing Zillana to move toward me. She was biased and didn’t understand how much Ekon’s pack meant to me. I was part of it. Even if witches’ beliefs and customs said otherwise.

“You came to us,” she pleaded.

“I came because they wanted me to learn.”

“They wanted you to learn? Or they needed you to learn so that you could serve them? To do their bidding because they knew you were too powerful to slip away?”

I tried to move toward the door but stumbled over the chair. In the blink of an eye, Zillana was at my side, catching me from the fall.

“What are you trying to say to me?”

“They are using you, my dear.” Zillana’s eyes once again had that beautiful glow that swept me up, not letting me look away. Maybe it was the last of the Fairy Slipper coursing through my veins, but I could sense a sadness in her—something personal and impossible to deny.

Zillana cared for me more than she was letting on. And in that instant it hit me… I cared for her, too. More than I’d ever cared for another person.

“If your friends are in trouble, that’s their own doing. Don’t let them bring you down to their level.”

She pulled me back up to my feet. My head felt like it might float right off my body.

“What should I do?” I asked, nervous and giddy for her answer at the same time.

“Forget about them and stay with us… stay with ~me.~”

***

I went back to my room and sat there, unable to comprehend how I truly felt. My pack needed me more than ever, running from the very government that for centuries had promised to keep the peace.

On the other hand, Professor Zillana had shown me what it meant to be an astute and powerful witch. If I were to abandon my studies now and try to help Ekon and Bambi, it might cause me to be scorned by my peers and teachers at the university.

That meant I might never be able to ascend to the heights I wanted – ~needed~ – to reach.

The door to my dorm room opened and I watched as Sophie slunk inside. My contemplation immediately turned to annoyance as she completely ignored me, instead opening her dresser and removing some clothes.

It looked as though she would be staying with someone else tonight and for that I was grateful. Never had I imagined that I could hold such disgust for another individual. For a moment I dwelled on this, wondering what had changed in me…

“I’ll be gone for the next few days. So if you want to do any more spells, feel free.”

“Nothing I’ve done has hurt you,” I said, annoyed.

“Maybe not. But you’ve ruined my trust.” She frowned. “And what about her? Did she ask to be killed and brought back from the dead?”

Sophie nodded to the fish floating lazily in the fishbowl. It was still alive. My spell had worked perfectly. I would admit that something was not quite the same since, but it was still a fish and Sophie should be happy I even brought it back.

Instead of reveling in awe at my magic, she instead harbored aggression and mistrust.

She closed the door to the bedroom with a slam and my fists clenched together, nails digging into my palms. I wanted to follow after her and put on a real show for the rest of the university. Sophie would feel my power and ask to be forgiven for her behavior…

But I continued to sit on the edge of my bed, looking out at the quickly gathering clouds. A storm was approaching… and inside my chest, I felt something else gathering as well…

Zillana had asked me to stay. She knew the importance of my studies. And if I would ever be able to help my pack, I had to learn as much as possible.

I stood up from the bed, confident in what I should do.

***

“Come in!”

Zillana knew I had come before I even had a chance to knock on the door. Once again, she showed me how amazing she truly was.

I opened the door and found her closing Devina’s grimoire. Perhaps my fears about Bambi and the others had piqued her interest. Or else she was just killing time until my inevitable return.

“I’ve thought about what you said.”

Zillana nodded with a smile. “And?”

I swallowed hard and moved to her desk but remained standing.

“You’re right. It’s foolish of me to let things on the outside affect my studies.”

“I must admit, I knew you were coming, but I didn’t know what you would say.”

I searched her eyes to see if she was being honest and once again, I was lost in their enchanting depth. She had a way of captivating me every time… I didn’t know if that was good or bad… but I knew that I wanted it.

I ~needed~ it.

“You are right, too, my dear,” she said with a wink.

“I am?”

My voice sounded small and weak, causing Zillana to laugh. It floated through the air and filled my ears with the sweet, musical sound.

“This grimoire is very, very powerful. You are right to want to learn its contents and find a way to reach the same heights as Devina.”

“I want to be able to defeat Devina. For good.”

Zillana nodded but broke eye contact, looking at the grimoire as her hand traced the ancient symbols that were etched into its cover.

“If you are to defeat someone as powerful as Devina, you must become like her.”

I shook my head, knowing immediately how that sounded. But she raised her hands, stopping my thoughts in their tracks.

“You are good, Holly, my dear. A beautiful witch with pure intentions. However, that alone will not be enough.”

~Beautiful.~

~Pure.~

Her words were so intoxicating I could almost feel them making me woozy.

Zillana raised the sleeve of her blouse and pointed to a tattoo on her left wrist. I leaned closer, trying to see the design in its completeness.

There was something about it… I had seen this tattoo before… but on whom?

“This mark belongs to an ancient coven,” she said, smiling. “A secret society that wants to use magic for the good of the world. It’s our destiny as witches to learn as much about ourselves as we can. And it’s not very often we find someone worth initiating into our group.”

Zillana moved around me and I felt the air change, becoming heavier. Somehow it made me want to breathe deeper, trying to take in every scent from her body.

“What coven does it belong to?” I asked, unsure of my own words.

“If you knew that, then it would not be so ancient and secret,” Zillana laughed. “We don’t worry about our name, dear… only what we can accomplish together.”

Each coven was discernible by its name; as a brand or crest one was proud to wear. But why would Zillana lie? She had done nothing but help me grow. Could I trust someone who held back vital information?

Her eyes met mine, and what I saw inside told me to trust her… to push aside all fears and take the leap of faith she asked of me.

“What will happen if I join?”

Zillana stepped close to me, taking in my scent. I could feel her breath on my neck and it caused my entire body to erupt in goose pimples.

“If you join…” she said, pausing so that I could hear every syllable of her soothing voice. “You will never be alone again. You will be a part of us. And you will be the most powerful witch you could ever possibly become.”

She kissed me on the cheek and I wrapped my arms around her neck, hugging her body close to mine. It was not intimacy that compelled me… but a desire to belong with someone else.

I nodded as my nostrils filled once more with her unbelievable scent.

“Yes,” I said. “Make me one of you.”