Lincoln's School of Magic - Creating the Beast

Quiet

"Audrey?" Lucia asks me while entering our dorm room.

    I'm sitting at the desk under the window on the right wall, studying for potions. It's our lunch time right now, but I'm not hungry. I turn to Lucia as she leans against the dresser next to the desk.

    "Have you noticed something wrong with David?"

    I shake my head. He seems to be acting as usual, but Lucia spends more time with him so she's more likely to notice when something's off.

    "He's been rather quiet the past few weeks."

    "There's nothing unusual about that," I say as I stand up from my chair, "he's always been quiet."

    "I don't know," she says while looking down, "I just sense that something is wrong."

    I put my hand on her shoulder in a compassionate way. I understand how she's feeling. It seemed like her and David had a really special bond, but perhaps he lost interest. I'm sure it's nothing serious, I'll just have to ask him in potions next period.

-

    I go into my third period potions class and sit at my usual table. Normally, I sit next to Adrian with David on his other side. But today, he sat across from us in between Mikayla Stonks, and Luna Mauvert. Stonks and Mauvert are not the kind of girls I would expect David to hang around. They're loud and very girly, similar to Lucia but they're more annoying. Those two always seem to have something rude to say whenever someone gets a question wrong or makes a mistake. Lucia was right, something is wrong with David. As he is getting his textbook from his bag, I lean into Adrian's ear.

    "What's going on with David?" I whisper.

    "I dunno," he asks quickly, "perhaps he likes those girls?"

    I sit back up straight and sigh. That can't be true. I know David. He complains about those girls every day. In the first week of school, David forgot an ingredient in his 'cure for boils' potion, and those girls reminded him of that mistake for weeks after. I just know he can't like them, not even as friends. Something must have happened between him and Adrian to make him not want to sit next to him.

    "Did you and David get in a fight?" I whisper to Adrian.

    "What?" He asks offended, "we're good friends. We don't fight."

    I nod my head as Professor Cornan begins the lesson. His voice is just a background noise behind the thoughts in my head. I'm really worried about David now.

-

    Adrian and I join David and Lucia who are already sitting at our dining table. As we sit across from them, Lucia sends Adrian an angry glare. I try to brush it off, but it just makes me more worried. Is Adrian lying to me? Did he do something to David?

    I look at the table as my chicken and chips appear on the plate in front of me.

    "Chicken again?" Adrian says in an annoyed tone.

    I shrug my shoulders and begin eating.

    "How are your classes going, Adrian?" Lucia asks.

    Her brown eyes stare deep into his nearly black eyes. I can tell she's angry. But why? What did David tell her?

    "Fine," Adrian confusedly answers, "why?"

    "Just making sure you're keeping up with your studies," Lucia smiles, "you don't seem too bright."

    Well that was uncalled for. I can tell that smile on Lucia's face is fake. She knows something I don't, but I will find out.

    "Ouch," Adrian says through a chuckle, "you're not wrong."

    I laugh at his comment. He is right though, his grades are slipping and he's just barely making it through school. He told me that he use to have good grades in primary, but recently he feels he has too much going on and can't find time to study. I'm not worried about him though, he has a natural talent for magic. In time, he will start to get better grades. As for me, my grades are excellent. I have A's in all my classes. David, too, has good grades, unlike Lucia though. She tends to spend more time socializing than studying. She is smart, I think, she just needs some nudging.

    "Lucia?" I ask after a moment.

    "Hm?"

    "Would you like to study with me after astronomy?"

    "It'll be late then."

    She always has an excuse not to study. Eight o'clock is not that late, we don't go to bed until ten anyway. That gives us two hours. But I don't want to argue with her, so I just shrug my shoulders.

    "Some other time then," I say.

    "I'll study with you," David cuts in.

    "You're not in my astronomy class," I say, more like a question.

    "We can study for our other classes together," he begins to list, "Flight, Transfiguration and Potions."

    "Okay," I say, happy that I won't have to study alone.

    "By the way," I add, "my mother finally owled me back. You can all come over for the holidays next week."

    The three of them start to cheer and clap their hands. I'm so excited. I get to spend two whole weeks with my best friends. I still need to head into Sutrum with my mom to find them each a present. Sutrum is one of many magical shopping villages in Wales, and that one is closest to my house. That is also where Lincoln allows all the third year students and older to go every weekend.
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Published December 23rd, 2021