Magical Mischief (Magic And Metaphysics Academy Book 1) Page 3

  "Hang out with Kristi and the Sparkles?" Estelle prompted.

  I sighed. As far as I could see, there was no way around it. Kristi, no doubt, expected me to say yes to her and spend the week with them. It seemed like no one said no to her, ever. And added to that, Estelle and Tyler now expected me to say yes, too. I was trapped between what my friends wanted and what I wanted.

  That wasn't fun.

  "I have to get to class," I announced, getting up from my bed and swinging my bag over my shoulder. I didn't want to be late, especially as my next class was botany. I'd been looking forward to this one all day.

  "Just think about it."

  I sighed. "Fine, I will."

  I BREATHED IN THE SCENT of plants and soil, feeling comfortable for the first time since I'd arrived here. This was my affinity. I didn't need any help knowing what to do in this class.

  "You must be Tallulah," the teacher said.

  "Lou," I corrected her.

  "Lou, then. I'm Miss Green, welcome to botany."

  I blinked a couple of times. Had she seriously said that her name was Green? When she taught this class?

  She chuckled. "Yes, it really is my name. I come from a long line of nature witches and it just stuck."

  "Oh." Odd.

  "The headmaster said you had an affinity for nature magic?"

  I nodded eagerly.

  "Good. Your spot is over there with Francis. He'll bring you up to speed. You might want to think about joining the Greenies too. They meet on Wednesdays, and we have a separate room for their plants. We've been blessed enough to receive some very kind donations from wealthy alumni, which means we have some rare plants in there."

  My heart skipped a beat. That sounded amazing. "I'll think about it," I said, not wanting to seem too eager even if I wanted to scream my agreement. It might be social suicide to be good at nature magic, but my heart belonged outside.

  Instead, I smiled at her before turning and walking towards the empty space next to Francis.

  Nerves fluttered in my stomach. He looked perfect, even from afar, and I didn't think I was ready to spend time with him in such close quarters. Estelle had implied that having an affinity for nature magic wasn't cool, what if he thought I was a loser for being good at it? Should I dumb myself down?

  "Hi," he said, a wide grin spreading over his face.

  "Er...hi." I did an awkward little half-wave as I sat down.

  "I don't think we've met."

  "Unlikely, as this is my first day," I muttered, overwhelmed by the hotness.

  "I'm Francis." He held out his hand and I took it, giving him a firm handshake.

  "Lou."

  "You smell like vampire."

  My eyes widened. What if he'd noticed I'd been hanging out with the witches in PD? My secret could be out within the first day of academy. I’d sort of figured it would be.

  "I'm a witch, actually. But I get that a lot," I lied, a slight quiver in my voice. Maybe he’d tell the vampire friends, and I could remain discreet. Hybrids, especially vamp-witch hybrids, were a rare class. I didn’t want anyone to think they could take advantage of me. Usually, the offspring of a vampire and witch union turned out entirely vampire or entirely witch.

  "Huh, weird." He shrugged. "It's nice to meet you. I hope you're good at this class, I want a good grade." He grinned impishly, sending the nervous butterflies in my stomach crazy.

  Or maybe they weren't nervous butterflies at all. Maybe they were something a little bit different from that. Not spending much time with people my own age, I'd never really experienced a crush, but I suspected that was about to change.

  It didn't help that he smelled divine, and with every pump of blood around his veins, the smell got stronger, calling to me and begging me to take a bite.

  I frowned. Did I need to feed? I'd fed yesterday so I'd be refreshed on my first day, so I shouldn't need to for another week or two. And yet, here I was thinking about Francis' blood like I was starving. Not to mention the odd fact he was a vampire. I shouldn't be craving his blood at all.

  I shook my head. Those thoughts and desires needed to disappear. They were only going to distract me from the one class I was actually confident in.

  "You all right?" he asked.

  "Yes, fine. Sorry. I'm just a little overwhelmed by being in a new place." At least that wasn't completely a lie. Everything seemed so different and intense, and I wasn't entirely sure how to deal with it. I just knew that I needed to get through the day without doing anything stupid.

  "Alright class, eyes on the front," Miss Green called.

  The chatter died down, which surprised me. If everyone looked down on nature magic, then why would they pay attention in a class like this?

  "Today, we're going to be discussing the properties of common garden herbs when it comes to magical cures."

  Finally, something I could dig in to. I settled back to see if she knew anything I didn’t.

  As it turned out, she didn’t teach anything I hadn’t already learned. It was still interesting.

  "Lou, a word?" Ms. Green said as she dismissed class. "Were you bored today?"

  "No," I exclaimed. "I enjoyed it."

  "But you already knew the material?"

  I turned to see if we were alone. Francis waited by the door. I lowered my voice and leaned in. "Some, but I liked the refresher." Throwing my arms up to show her I was interested, I hit a cup on her desk and it went flying, the contents spraying all over her shirt, which began smoking. She squawked, jerking the shirt off, over her head, as fast as possible.

  Just then, Headmaster Schmidt walked into the room, to see Ms. Green stomping on her shirt, her breasts bouncing merrily in a hot pink lacy bra. "What's going on here?" he said quietly.

  "Just a little accident," Ms. Green said with a side glance at my horrified face. "Lou spilled some magical weed killer on my shirt."

  I turned and looked at Headmaster Schmidt with my mouth gaping. "I didn't mean to," I whispered as I watched Francis' face. It was positively gleeful. Great. He took off, no doubt to tell the whole school what happened.

  Ms. Green grabbed a sweater from the back of her chair and put it on. "Can I help you?"

  "I just wanted a word about the annual Botany competition and your Greenies involvement." He gave me a severe look. "Don't you have lunch to get to?"

  Jumping, I scurried from the room. What a mess. I wasn't even sure where the lunchroom was. As I stood in the hall and looked left to right, an enormous figure turned into the hall and noticed my confusion, even though I turned my face away from him as soon as I saw him. I didn't want him to think I might be staring at him.

  "You lost?" Jayse asked from down the hall.

  "Maybe a little," I said with a small laugh and half-smile. "Know where the cafeteria is?"

  "I'm heading that way myself. Walk with me?"

  Now, this was the day looking up. Jayse was possibly hotter than Francis. Maybe. They both had totally different looks but were equally yummy. "Thanks," I said softly as I walked over to him. "It's been a slightly overwhelming day."

  "First time at this academy?" he asked.

  "At any academy," I said as I reached him. As soon as his scent hit me, I knew. "You're an anaconda?" I asked in surprise.

  As Jayse looked at me in surprise, Sadie's earlier words smacked me in the ears. "You can't just ask somebody that."

  Asking a shifter about their other form was the height of rudeness unless it was someone very close.

  "I'm so sorry," I whispered. "That was so rude."

  "Hey, it's no big deal," he said. "But I do try to keep it under wraps. People are really freaked out by snakes."

  "I'm not," I said brightly. "My parents are zoomagologists. I've spent a lot of time around snakes and snake shifters. Even wild ones." I nodded at him. "I think you smell nice," I said shyly, turning my head away. What had possessed me to say that? You smell nice? Geez.

  "Thanks. So do you. Witch?" He turned a corner, walking slowly as we talked.

  "Yeah." I knew his secret, so it would only be fair to tell him mine, but I kept my mouth shut. I didn't want him to blab all over school. I didn't know him well enough yet.

  "Well, here it is. I'm going to go sit with the other Shifts. See you in class." He smiled down at me then lumbered off toward the table full of his friends. I got in line. When my tray was loaded with surprisingly yummy-looking food, I looked around the cafeteria, but couldn't find Tyler and Estelle anywhere. Maybe they'd already eaten. Walking around the perimeter of the lunchroom, I avoided the table full of Jayse, Francis and their friends. I didn't even see the Sparkles. I would've gladly sat with them to avoid this awkwardness. Everyone turned away from me as I passed their tables as if they were hoping I wouldn't ask to sit with them.

  With a sigh, I left the lunchroom, stepping out a side door. It opened into a small rooftop patio that faced the water. Three picnic tables sat empty. I wondered what was wrong with the patio as I sat down and ate. At least I was outside. My energy recharged as I nibbled on the food, but I was absorbing magic from nature more than getting energy from food. The sun, the salty air, it was all good for me. As a hybrid, I needed to connect with my affinity, drink blood, and eat food in order to remain healthy and whole.

  Even though I felt better having sat outside for a while, it was still a lonely lunch. Maybe I could figure out when Estelle and Tyler ate and sit with them the next day.

  My last class of the day was a double period of human studies. The paranormal world and the human world was kept carefully separate. It wasn't easy, with magical creatures running around and rogue paranormals that had to be controlled, but it was necessary. Humans always reacted badly when they found out about us. It had happened before and took a massive amount of magic
to fix. That was part of my mom's new job at the zoo. The humans thought she was just a janitor, cleaning the zoo overnight. But in reality, she worked for the National Society of Zoomagologists. They had someone at every zoo, watching out for magical animals. Most zoos also had a secret branch unknown to humans, but this one didn't, yet. Mom was slated to open it up.

  "Psst." I looked around to see who was making that noise. Ah, finally. Tyler sat in the back of the classroom, waving eagerly.

  As I turned to sit with her, Kristi spotted me. "Lou. Over here." She was in the front far side of the room, opposite of Tyler. I shrugged at my friend and joined the Sparkles.

  "This is the worst class." Madison groaned. "Why do we need to know this stuff, anyway?"

  "My mom and dad use it a lot," I said. "It can be pretty interesting."

  Kristi looked down her nose at me. "Madison doesn't have a need to learn anything like this. Her father invented the Magi-Wave." With a hair flip, she dismissed us both. I was a little impressed, though. Even we had a Magi-Wave. All you had to do was select the recipe on the screen and put the raw ingredients into it, and it could prepare over a hundred meals. "Anyway," Kristi continued. "You should come back to our dorm with us after class and hang."

  She said it with a finality that gave me no room to argue. "Okay, then," I said softly as the teacher walked to the front of the class.

  Francis, Jayse, and their other friend, Brooks, walked in just as the teacher opened his mouth. "Find a seat, boys," the slight man said.

  They sat on the opposite side of the room but looked our way. Kristi gave them a little finger wave, which Francis returned. So, they were still friendly. I probably never stood a chance anyway.

  The class was boring. Madison was half right. They'd wasted an opportunity to take an interesting class and gave it to the world's most monotone teacher. Even I found myself fighting sleepy eyes halfway through.

  Madison slipped a note onto my desk, pulling me from my stupor.

  Madison: I heard you walked to lunch with Jayse.

  I scribbled a reply and handed it back.

  Me: Yeah, why?

  She handed it back fast.

  Madison: He's super hot!

  I giggled and looked back at her. She was looking over at Jayse and his friends wiggling her eyebrows up and down.

  "Ladies, would you like to share something with the class?"

  "No, sir," we said in innocent unison.

  We nearly dissolved into giggles again since we'd spoken the same words, at the same time, in the same intonation. Kristi looked back at us with an eyebrow raised. "If you're going to share a brain get one that works," she hissed, then flipped her hair.

  Her words didn't bother me, I knew I was smart. But when I glanced back at Madison, she was crushed, and Sadie looked upset beside her.

  I didn't say anything else to them until class was over. Finally, my first day was done. It had been awkward and difficult. And I still had to go to Kristi's room.

  "Let's go," she said, starting off. As she passed Francis, she smiled coyly. "Hey, Francis."

  He barely looked away from Brooks as he replied. "Oh, hey Kristi."

  "Are you going to practice?" she asked.

  Francis, Brooks, and Jayse turned to face us. "Of course." He raised his eyebrows. Maybe he wasn't as into her as she was him. "Hey, Lou," he said.

  Jayse echoed him. "Hey, Lou, what's up? This is our friend Brooks."

  I nodded at them and smiled shyly, tucking my hair behind my ear. "Nice to meet you," I said.

  "You, too." They grabbed their bags and walked out the door. Kristi waited for them to leave the room before turning to me. "You already know Francis and Jayse?"

  "Not really. I have Botany with Francis, and Jayse showed me the way to the cafeteria."

  She pursed her lips. "They're great guys. Come on."

  We didn't talk as we followed her through the halls. Walking behind her was a new experience for me. Her head was held high, and somehow, maybe she had a spell on, but everyone just moved out of her way. She didn't have to say excuse me, or squeeze between two people, or wait for someone to move. She just walked, her Sparkles to her immediate left and right, and me in their wake.

  Without having to stop every five feet to maneuver the crowded hall, we made it to her dorm in no time.

  It was hot pink. The whole thing. Each shade of pink complemented the other, in some pink-matching miracle of decorating. As nauseating as it was, it worked.

  She threw open her big wardrobe and surveyed the contents. As I looked around, I realized there was only one bed in the room. "You don't share a room?" I asked. There were three of the same chiffarobes that I had in my room with Estelle and Tyler, but just the one bed.

  "No, my mom made sure I had my own." She sniffed and moved to the next, throwing open the doors. "I have nothing to wear. We need to go shopping."

  After seeing some of the styles in the school, I really wouldn't have minded doing a little shopping myself. My parents gave me an allowance for such things, but I'd never spent much. When I was off with them, traveling around the world, I hadn't really needed an extensive wardrobe.

  Chapter Four

  The mall was bigger than I expected and full of humans, totally throwing me off. I’d not spent much time around humans.

  "Are we okay being here?" I asked.

  "Why wouldn't we be?" Sadie answered.

  "It's just, not on campus..." And I'd read the rules, which had said something about needing permission to leave the grounds. Plus, all the humans.

  She shrugged like it wasn't important. "We're over eighteen, they can't do anything to us."

  "We could get expelled." Nerves fluttered in my stomach as I brought that up. I didn't like being the person throwing a kink in the works, but I didn't want to disappoint my parents, and I knew the academy was pricey. It was only because they'd been saving my whole life that I'd even been able to attend.

  "And lose our money? They wouldn't dare." Kristi barely even looked behind her as she spoke, clearly not at all as worried as me about getting caught.

  "Alright, then." I should have expected this when they’d said we were going shopping, but naively, I'd thought there'd be some way of doing that without leaving school grounds and breaking the rules.

  I just had to hope that the whole strict rules thing wasn't quite the case. I had to wonder what everyone else did that broke the rules, but I guessed I'd find out as time went by.

  "Do many people come here?" I asked.

  "All the time," Madison answered, bouncing along as if she wasn't wearing high heels. I hoped I wouldn't be expected to do the same. I was more of a barefoot kind of girl than one that spent a lot of time trying to balance on a thin point.

  "Okay. Where to first?"

  "We need to hit up the shoe store first, we can't have you going around in those," Kristi said, glancing down at my sneakers.

  I wanted to ask what was wrong with them, but I knew already. They'd already explained a lot of things, like how I had to wear certain colors on certain days, or how I had to wear my hair. It gave me a headache just thinking about it, but I knew there was no other way if I wanted to keep hanging out with them.

  And even though it hadn't been long, I knew I didn't have much choice in the matter. Even if Estelle hadn't wanted me to keep hanging out with the Sparkles, I wouldn't be able to just leave without them making my life hell.

  "Oh, I need to go to Snip and Blow." Sadie flicked her hair, an action I'd seen all three of them do multiple times. It seemed unlikely that it was a natural habit, then. More a learned one. No doubt I'd need to use it too if I was to become one of them.

  "Take Lou with you. She could use a bit of shaping," Kristi instructed.

  It was easy to tell who was in charge here. And that the other two just went along with it.

  I started to protest but shut my mouth when I thought better of it. "What's Snip and Blow?" I asked instead.

  "The hairdresser," Sadie responded. "The best one around. I've never met anyone who was able to tame this disaster zone quite so well." She pats her sleek dark hair. "Not even with magic."

  "It looks beautiful." And it did. The light bounced off it and shined in a way that made me wish I wasn't ice blonde.