The Cursed Diamond

|05|

"Hello! My name is Kassi and I'm here regarding your invitation to the academy," she states, looking straight at me. The corner of her eyes crinkles as she smiles. I turn around to see if anyone is behind me because there's no way she's talking to me!

"H-how did you do that? H-how are you even here?" I try to ask calmly, but my brain is all jumbled.

I look at Talia, who isn't having a breakdown, like me. "How are you this calm?!" I shout.

"I think you made a mistake, Kassi," Talia tries to explain.

"I don't make mistakes. The headmistress clearly stated to come and check on Freya. And you are Freya." she deadpans, looking at me.

"Wait, a headmistress! The academy! That's all fake, right?"

"I guarantee you, Astrea Academy is very real." Kassi states.

"I must be losing it! Yup. That's it."

"You are not losing it, Freya. I know this is a lot to take in." Talia says, trying to calm me down.

"Why are you telling me to calm down?! So you knew about this?! Why didn't you say anything about this before?!" I stammer, my hands flying to my chest.

"You need to calm down, Freya. Take some deep breaths." Talia says, worry written all over her face.

I try to take some deep breaths, but I'm unable to. The floor sways beneath me. The last thing I see before the darkness consumes is Talia's shocked face.

I slowly wake up, hearing Talia shout. My head is pounding.

"Freya!"

"Where am I?" My eyes feel heavy as I blink.

"You could've told me you were coming! Why would you just orb in front of her?" Talia nearly yells, and she's not the one to get annoyed.

Everything comes back, and my breath quickens.

"Are you okay?" Talia asks, sitting next to me on the couch as I lie.

"Well, I hate to get in the middle of all of this, but it is simply forbidden to tell humans anything magic-related. You are very clueless, as Talia stated earlier, but don't worry, you'll get caught up." She smiles at me.

I try to control my breathing. "So you're telling me that magic is real?"

"Witches, vampires, Fey, and werewolves are all very much real." Kassi states.

"Yea, I'll just stay here, on the couch."

"Here's some water," Talia says, concerned.

She hands me the cup and I drink it. "This is ridiculous. Witches. Vampires." I shake my head. "Mother would freak out if she knew about all of this!"

"Well, it would make sense why she hates my family and I?" Talia says, deep in thought.

"I'm not mentally ready to have that conversation."

"Well, back to the reason I'm here. Astrea Academy." Kassi states, her perfect posture never faltering.

"Nothing came up on google about that. Where are the cameras? This must be a joke? Where is John Quinones?" I tell her, looking around.

"I'm not here to make jokes," Kassi replies as she turns to give Talia a stern look, who is laughing at my joke.

She waits for me to reply, but I don't. I'm speechless. What am I even supposed to think about all of this? Witches, Vampires, Fey, and Werewolves are supposed to be nothing more than myths. Stories.

"Well, let me explain some things to you." Kassi continues.

"Mhm," I reply, nothing else able to come out of my mouth.

"At 18 years old, an individual's powers are fully developed. That's where Astrea Academy comes into the picture. It helps young adults like you and Talia learn more about your powers and what you'd like to do once you graduate. Think of it as a College for magical creatures."

"We don't have powers." I turn to look at Talia for confirmation, but her face says otherwise. "Natalia Hope Marshall!"

"I'm a hybrid." She quickly replies.

"You're a what?!" I shout.

"My mom's a witch and my dad's a werewolf." She nervously laughs.

I stare at her, eyes wide. I wait for her to say just kidding, but she doesn't.

"Freya, Professor Luna would not have me come to find a human." She responds, sounding a bit too sure if you ask me.

"Gather your things, girls. We should be heading to Astrea Academy soon."

"Who said I'm even coming with you!?" I shout, running to my room, slamming the door behind me.