First Time's a Charm Read online

  "Yes, sure," I squeak. I shuffle over to the fridge to grab another chicken breast.

  "What are we having?" Daphne asks.

  "Thai Green Curry." I stir the spices and onions around the pan. I know this bit is crucial to allow the flavours time to fully develop, but now they're here, I'm starting to worry I'm not doing things right. Maybe I should pull a recipe up on my phone, or suggest we get takeout instead.

  "That sounds great," Ryan announces, flopping down in one of the chairs at our table. "Where are the kittens?"

  "In my room." It doesn't feel right to have them in the kitchen while I'm cooking, not when it means I haven't got any time to give them fuss and attention.

  "Can I go get them?"

  "Sure." I shrug. They'll love the attention and it'll give me a moment alone with Daphne to ask what the hell she's doing. "Just a heads up, there's three now."

  "Yes, Daphne said. I'm looking forward to meeting the new one." He bounces out of the room before I can say anything else.

  Turning to my best friend, I point a spatula at her. "What are you doing?" I hiss.

  "Ryan asked to come," she admits. "He more or less walked me here."

  I shake my head. "And you couldn't have told him we needed some girl time because..."

  "The two of you should spend more time with one another. You'd be cute together." She shrugs and goes to sit down on one of the other chairs.

  "And what about Caspian?" I ask hastily.

  "What about him?"

  "I can't date Ryan, I'm already dating someone."

  "I thought his name was Thomas." She grins like she's enjoying this.

  "No, Thomas is helping me with my magic. I'm only dating Caspian."

  "And you don't want to date Thomas too?" Her smile turns into a smirk. She really is enjoying this, far more than she should be.

  I'm about to respond when Ryan saunters back in, three kittens in his arms, each of them mewling for attention. My heart flips in my chest at the sight. He's so adorable standing there like that.

  "Where did all the stuff for the cats come from?" he asks.

  "Caspian got it for me," I say, turning back to the pan.

  I see him crouch down and set the kittens on the floor from the corner of my eye. I guess this is a weird kind of jealousy rearing its head over the fact another guy had bought me things. Well, bought my kittens things.

  "Caspian? The new guy?"

  "That's the one. We've been hanging out." I sound far more flippant about our budding relationship than I feel, but without talking to Caspian, I don't want to put any explanations of what we are to one another out in the world, other than to Daphne. Everyone knows the best friend doesn’t count.

  "When did this start?"

  I can feel his eyes glaring at my back. Huh. Maybe Daphne is on to something and he is into me.

  "After his party."

  The kitchen falls into silence save for the sizzling of my pan. At a loss for what else to do, I drop the chicken in and watch as it browns. The coconut milk and other ingredients are all sat next to the hob waiting for me to need them. I like cooking like this. Having an order to the situation really helps me focus on what needs doing and when.

  "Why didn't you tell me?" he asks softly.

  A tiny laugh escapes from Daphne, but I'm not sure Ryan hears it. That's probably a good thing.

  "I wasn't aware I needed to give you a blow by blow of my love life, Ryan," I answer, keeping my voice far cooler than I actually feel. Is there a chance I've messed up whatever there could have been between the two of us by dating someone I just met?

  No. If it's meant to be, it'll all be fine. That's how all that stuff works. I think.

  I make the rest of dinner in silence while Ryan and Daphne play with the kittens. They're not talking about anything other than how cute the three little fluff balls are, so I start to relax a bit. Nothing can be really wrong if the focus is on some kittens. At least, that's what I'm going to keep telling myself.

  Maybe I'm being a fool. About all of this. I don't know, and I'm not sure I care at this point. I just want to be able to get on with my time here at Grimalkin and not have to worry about my love life. Unsurprisingly, I'm not here to find a boyfriend. I'm here to learn.

  My gaze slips to my phone. Maybe I should be thinking more seriously about this Unleashing ceremony. If I'm not careful, I'll end up barely passing my exams and then having to get a mundane job out in the world. Or no job at all. I've heard horror stories about people who did badly at university and then couldn't get any kind of work because they're either over or under qualified.

  Nope. That's not a life I want for myself.

  I fill three bowls with rice and curry, before setting two down in front of the twins. "There's more if you want it," I tell them while grabbing my own dish.

  The food disappears quickly. Though really, it always does when those two are around. I've often found myself wondering whether or not they used to challenge each other to a food race, but I never have the guts to actually ask.

  "Daphne said you wanted to come over," I say to Ryan, feeling a little too forward about it, but knowing it’s the best way to cut to the chase. "I doubt its because you wanted food."

  "You do cook really tasty things though," he counters.

  "Nuh-uh. I'm not buying it. Spill." I cross my arms and try to look stern, only uncrossing them seconds later when Rhubarb bats my leg with his paw. I lean down and pick up the kitten, letting him snuggle into my arms.

  There goes my attempt at looking stern. No one is ever going to believe I mean business when I have a tiny ball of fluff perched on my knee.

  "I need help with my potions homework." His words run together as he speaks so quickly, but I hear them.

  "What kind of help?" I eye him suspiciously.

  Ryan doesn't say anything, causing Daphne to roll her eyes and sigh in frustration.

  "He's failing potions and he wants to ask you if you'll tutor him," she says on behalf of her brother.

  "Oh." That's unexpected. No one wants my help in anything magic related and I don't blame them. Though I suppose I am good at potions, so this one does make some kind of mistake.

  "I'll pay you?" Ryan offers.

  I scoff. "You're not paying me."

  "Well, it'd be our parents paying you," Daphne explains.

  "I'm still not taking it."

  The twins exchange glances.

  "Please?" Daphne asks. "If Ryan fails his potion class, our parents will cut the allowance they're giving us."

  "Wait, you both have to pass everything to get it?"

  She nods. "I think they did it that way to make sure we help one another. I don't know, it's all a little bit weird."

  "You can say that again." Suddenly, I feel a little wave of affection for my parents. They may be slightly clingy at times, but at least they don't put stipulations on making sure I can afford to live while I'm here. Of course, that may change once they learn the truth about my magic. I've avoided the subject every time I've called home.

  "Please? You're the best in our class, Mona." The way Ryan says my name sends a shiver down my spine.

  No. I shouldn't act like that. I'm already dating someone and Ryan is Daphne's brother. It would be weird to be anything more than friends with him.

  "Fine," I agree. "But just you. No one else gets the offer." I'm assuming Daphne will include herself in that. Though knowing her, she's probably trying to matchmake and give the two of us some alone time. That's going to backfire on her if she keeps it up, but I don't say that aloud. She'll work it out in her own time, I have no doubt about that.

  "Thank you, Mona." He reaches across the table and takes one of my hands from my lap, giving it a squeeze.

  Rhubarb crawls forward and puts his paw on top of Ryan's hand.

  "That is adorable," Daphne says, a gooey expression on her face. "He wants to hold hands with you."

  "Meow?" Rhubarb looks up at me with questioning eyes, before tapping hi
s paw down again.

  "Yes. You can come to potions study classes with us too," I tell him, pulling my hand away from Ryan's and using it to tickle the grey kitten's chin. His purrs of delight fill the room. It seems like keeping a kitten is easy so long as you can keep him well fussed.

  "Do you have any dessert?" Ryan asks, pulling back from me and losing his grateful edge.

  I just smile. "There's some ice cream in the freezer. Third draw down. Don't even think about taking one from the shelf under it, Jenny will absolutely murder us." She’s the least favourite of our other flatmates, and not one I want to cross.

  Daphne chuckles. "She would. And even if we replace it, she'll know. It's scary what the woman can tell. It's almost like she's clairvoyant."

  "I don't think that's a real thing," I counter.

  "It doesn't matter if it is or it isn't. Don't touch her ice cream," Daphne informs her brother. "Or you'll pay the price with me."

  Chapter Twelve

  The sun lights up the gardens of the academy more than it should do this time of year. It's warmer than it should be too, which seems to have brought everyone else outside too.

  "The kittens would love this," Daphne observes, leaning back and letting the sunlight hit her face.

  "They would. But we're still not sure if I'm allowed them here. The last thing we need is for them to get taken away from me." Especially now I'm becoming attached to the creatures. Rhubarb is by far the one who has the biggest hold on my heart, though. He's the right combination of boisterous and cute.

  "I'm sure it's fine. We're witches. Cats come with the job description."

  A snort escapes me. "Thomas said the same thing the day we met."

  "How is your fling with a teacher?"

  "He's not a teacher, and it's not a fling," I point out. "It's a perfectly respectable friendship where he uses me as a case study for his thesis."

  "Alright, well how is that going then?"

  I sigh. "It isn't. I haven't spoken to him since we were in the...library." I catch myself just before I let the word secret slip. I know she'll want me to take her there if she knows about it, and while I want to, I don't know how Thomas will feel about it. I'll ask him next time he decides to talk to me.

  "And Caspian?"

  "Is fine. We're going to the library later."

  "What is it with you, guys, and libraries?" she jokes. "Next, you'll be telling me that's where you and Ryan are working through the potions stuff in there too."

  "Where else would we be doing it?" I respond, though now she's saying it, I do spend a lot of time in the library with various guys. I swear the people working there must think I have some kind of harem.

  "In your room?"

  "I don't want to give him the wrong impression."

  "Oh, Mona. Isn't that the whole idea of studying with him in the first place?" She's so amused, and I don't really understand why.

  "And here was me thinking the point of us studying was so he could pass potions."

  Our attention is drawn away from our conversation by shouts from the football team.

  "You'd think we'd have invented a magical sport better than that," I observe.

  "Just because you want to play Quidditch."

  "I never said I wanted to play, just that it would be a good sport to watch if it wasn't fictional." All the good sports were just that, the figment of someone else's imagination.

  "Alright, I'll give you that. It would be fun to watch."

  "Maybe we should try enchanting a broom at some point and try to make it real," I muse.

  "You're scared of heights."

  I scowl. "We don't have to go very high."

  "I think that defeats the point."

  "Spoilsport." I cross my arms and fake pout. There, that'll teach her to tell me my ideas are no good.

  "Says you who keeps taking guys to the library and not your bedroom."

  "It's not like you've taken any back to yours either," I point out, regretting it the moment the words are out and hurt colours her face. "I'm sorry, Daphne, I didn't mean it like that..."

  "I know. Don't worry." She waves it away.

  "He's still not talking to you?"

  "Not even in class. But can we not talk about it?"

  "Sure, sorry." I feel bad for bringing her ex up in the first place. I know she's still smarting from his rejection. I just wish I could do something about it.

  We lapse into silence, both enjoying the warm weather. I'm looking forward to summer when we can do this more often. If my magic sorts itself out, maybe we can even bring the kittens out and cast a glamour over them so no one can see what they are.

  "I hope the weather stays like this," she says after a while.

  I snort. "You know it won't. It'll start raining, then go cold. And then the snow will start and we'll have one day of loving it, followed by a whole month of wishing for summer."

  "And then we'll wish for winter because it's too hot to even function." She laughs lightly, and I'm glad we haven't completely ruined the mood by talking about past boyfriends.

  "Being British is so fun sometimes," I drawl.

  Daphne smiles. "I wouldn't give it up for anything."

  "Not even a perfectly brewed cup of tea?"

  "I think that'd make me more British, not less."

  The game of football draws closer, the guys getting more and more boisterous as they play.

  I roll my eyes. If they're not careful, they're going to end up hurting someone with it.

  "I wish they'd go play on the actual pitch." Daphne sighs.

  "Wait, there's a pitch? Why aren't they there?"

  "Probably waterlogged from the rain."

  Ah. Right. Rain. As in, what it had done all last week, and probably all next week too. No wonder everyone's outside taking advantage of the sun. I mean, we're here doing exactly the same.

  One of the guys kicks the ball and it comes flying towards us. At first, I duck, but the closer it comes, the more I'm certain it's going to be a problem.

  "Daphne, duck." I tug on her sleeve and she finally moves.

  But it's too late, and without thinking, I pull out my wand, pointing it towards the ball and thinking about how much I want it to turn into a stream of confetti. Maybe I should just send it back to the guys playing, but my first thought is not letting it hit Daphne in the head, not on whether or not they'll be upset with me for destroying the damn thing.

  Magic zings up my arm, and seconds later, the ball implodes into a shower of tiny bits of coloured paper. It's a relief to know my magic is at least doing what I want it to in emergency situations. It's a step in the right direction, even if it's not quite what I want.

  Because I know what I'll find at my feet, even without anyone pointing it out.

  "Hello, little one," I say, crouching down so I'm closer to the ground, and the tortoiseshell kitten staring up at me with huge bewildered eyes. I scoop it up in my arms, knowing our time outside has come to an end. I need to get her back to my room so she can play with the others.

  "Again?" Daphne asks.

  "I think thank you is the better way of phrasing what you're trying to say," I retort.

  "What are you going to call this one?"

  "Why don't you name her?" I pass the kitten to my friend. This is definitely the easiest way of naming kittens without having a long list of cat names in my pocket. Come to think of it, that might not be the worst idea if this keeps happening.

  "Isla," she says firmly.

  "Isla?" I have no idea where she's got that one from. It's not what I consider a traditional cat's name.

  "A character from a book I read. It seems to fit."

  "Sure, Isla it is."

  Just how many more kittens am I going to end up with? My room can't house an indefinite amount, especially if I want to keep them a secret from the academy. Then again, two professors and potentially hundreds of students have seen me conjuring them. I doubt it's much of a secret any more.

  "Oi! You destroyed
our ball!" one of the football players shouts.

  I turn around. "And you nearly broke my best friend's head. I call it even."

  We don't wait for them to respond and head back inside. To the safety of a sport free zone.

  Chapter Thirteen

  "What about dragons?" Caspian asks.

  "Too obvious. I can see Feathertop marking us down for picking something so obvious."

  "I wish I could argue with that."

  "Believe me, I do too. That way the research is easy." I open the next book from our stack and look through it for inspiration.

  "Unfortunately, I think that's why dragons would get us marked down."

  Sometimes, Feathertop could be the worst. At least we're in different classes of hers so can do our research together without it seeming too much like copying.

  "Manticores are kind of cool?" I suggest, reading through the scant information the book I had open gave us.

  "And that's all there is about them in the Encyclopedia of Creatures?" he asks.

  "Fair point." I move on a page, and flip it again the moment I see the word unicorn. Most of the girls probably want to do them because they're cute. Same with alicorns.

  "Mermaids?" he asks, while showing me the illustration in his book.

  "You just want to spend your time looking at pictures of them." Mermaids are notorious for never wearing clothing, and for having a frame that could benefit from a bra. The poor things must get terrible backache.

  "I'll have you know, they've fascinated me since I visited the sea as a child." His attention wanders off. I want to call him back, but the slightly haunted look in his eyes tells me not interrupt whatever this is.

  "What about a subset of the mer?" I ask after a couple of minutes of silence. "Sirens might be a bit obvious, but I heard tales about the ceasg, maybe there's something we can look into?"

  "I've never heard of them," he admits, still not quite himself. Something is definitely up, and I don't know what it is. I also don't feel like we're at a stage in our relationship where I can properly ask him about it. Hopefully, he'll offer up an explanation sooner rather than later.