Lovesick Witches

Let the Contest Commence

"Are you excited Beatrice?" I asked as my friends and I walked through the corridor, making our way to the Great Hall. 

"I think I'm just nervous, to be honest," she replied, timidly. 

It was the first day of the head girl competition, Beatrice against Fenella. We had been helping Beatrice prepare for a few months and we were all feeling pretty confident that she was ready. Today was officially the start of the contest, although the first challenge wouldn't begin until the following day. Today was more just an introduction to this year's contest and an announcement of what the first challenge would be. 

"You will be great Beatrice," Clarice reassured her as we came to a holt before reaching the doors of the Great Hall. "Trust me. You've had all of us helping you. You've even had the current head girl on your side! Fenella doesn't stand a chance against you." 

"Thanks Clarice," said Beatrice with a weak smile. 

"Right. You guys should go in and sit down. I'll have a word with Beatrice," said Mildred before Clarice, Sybil, Maud and Enid entered the noisy hall. 

I stood just outside with Mildred as we gave Beatrice a little pep talk. We gave her support and encouragement to try and ease her nerves. After that word of advise, the three of us entered the hall. 

The spacious room was packed with students, hustling and busting as they took their seats. There was a stage set up at the front of the hall, on which Miss Cackle stood with Miss Hardbroom by her side. The two of them watched as the last few students took their seats in the audience. 

The annual head girl contest was a big deal at Cackle's Academy. It was probably the most exciting time of the year. The competitors competed in various stages in order to gain points. There were multiple rounds and there would be a winner for each of them. The head girl would be the witch with the most rounds won at the end of the competition. 

As I squeezed into my seat next to Maud and Enid in the busy hall, I was hit by a wave of anticipation as I sensed the excitement in the atmosphere. The large windows of the ancient-looking room let in the warmth of the natural daylight from outside. It was the beginning of summer so the weather was starting to get much brighter and happier. All the witches in the bustling room chatted, enthusiastically, amongst themselves as I took in the vibrancy in the air. 

"Quiet, girls," snapped Miss Hardbroom as the double doors at the back of the hall swung shut. She looked stern as her intense gaze scanned the room, her eyes narrowed. I gulped as her glare hit me. It was as though she was seeing right into my soul, despite only scanning past me for less than a second. It gave me a sudden feeling of warmth and happiness when her soul tapped into mine, sending shivers through my body. 

The chattering dropped to silence in the hall as Miss Hardbroom spoke. Everyone's focus turned to the people standing on the stage, facing us. On the right of Miss Hardbroom stood Mildred. Since she was the current head girl, she had the opportunity to open the competition. 

Beatrice stood at the far left hand side of the stage, facing the ocean of excited students. Fenella stood at the far right hand side of the stage, doing the same. 

Fenella was really pretty. She had big blue eyes and her hair was a dark shade of brunette. She was thought to be the Ethel of year four. Along with Clarice, she was always top in the class. But Clarice was kind and friendly. My friends described Fenella to be bossy and selfish, very much like Ethel. 

After Miss Hardbroom used her signature stare to painfully drain out all the energy in the room, Miss Cackle stepped forward. 

"Good morning girls," she beamed. "As you know, today is a very exciting day. It is the start of this year's annual head girl competition. The two competitors this year are Beatrice Bunch and Fenella Feverfew. As always, these two witches will be up against each other over the next few weeks. A number of different rounds will be taken part in and many challenges will be tackled. Students will gain points for winning a round and the witch with the highest score by the end of the contest will be crowned the winner and next year's head girl. I would like to welcome the current head girl to open this year's competition. Mildred Hubble." 

A round of applause filled the Great Hall as Mildred stepped forward. 

"Being head girl was something I never thought would happen. When I joined this school, I was eleven years behind everyone else. Before I started here at Cackle's, I didn't know that I was a witch. I didn't even know that magic existed! And I was hopeless. Even after I had been at Cackle's for four years, I was still the worst witch." 

A wave of giggles flooded the dining room as everyone reflected on Mildred's clumsy past. 

"But somehow," she continued, "I've ended up as head girl. And that is due to this huge family that we have here at Cackle's. I am truly thankful to each and every one of you here today. To my friends who are always by my side. To Ethel Hallow for giving me some very tough competition and pushing me to do what I never thought I would be able to." 

Another wave of laughter washed over the hall then as Ethel, sitting a few seats to my right, rolled her eyes. 

"And to the incredible teachers here." Mildred turned to face Miss Cackle. "Thank you Miss Cackle," she said. "For always believing in me and letting me stay here despite the large number of times I have made mistakes and messed up." Mildred then looked at Miss Hardbroom. "And thank you Miss Hardbroom. For being harsh on me and pushing me time and time again to achieve great things." 

She then turned back to the front and looked out into the audience. "Being head girl this year has been a true gift I never could have imagined happening. And on that note, Beatrice, Fenella, I wish you the best of luck. May the best witch win. Let the competition commence." 

A second round of applause drowned the sound out in the dining room, this time, cheers and shouts of encouragement were also heard. You could really tell that Mildred meant a lot to the school. It was beautiful to see this amazing family cheering for Mildred and I felt so honoured and privileged to be a part of it. 

Even Miss Hardbroom was clapping for Mildred, a smile on her face. It was nice to see her smile. But I couldn't help but wish that it was me she was smiling at. 

"As Miss Cackle has mentioned, round one of the competition will begin tomorrow," said Miss Hardbroom. "Fenella, Beatrice, I can now tell you that the first challenge will be familiar control." I watched Beatrice as she smiled with a sigh of relief. She had done a lot of practice of familiar control with Mildred and was very good at it. I looked at Fenella who stood with a smug smile across her face. It looked like Fenella was skilled at familiar control as well. 

"Girls, meet Miss Cackle and I in the library after lessons tomorrow," Miss Hardbroom told Beatrice and Fenella, "and the first challenge will begin. Good luck." 

Hecate looked stunning in another one of her long, black, fitted dresses. It beautifully hugged her slim figure as the sunlight beaming in through the windows pleasantly brought out the tints of dark turquoise weaved in with the silk. Her lipstick was darker than usual, more of a purple than a red and it contrasted vividly with the paleness of her skin. 

My staring-at-Hecate session was interrupted by the movement of students around me as everyone got up and exited the hall, the noise level rising back up to its usual, loud chattering. 

My friends and I joined Beatrice again in the corridor just outside the Great Hall. 

"I'm so happy it's familiar control tomorrow!" Beatrice beamed. "I have a good chance of winning this one."