The Legend of the Eight: The Gifted

8: Thicker Than Blood Knots

Nicole nodded slowly.

Wil snickered. "Didn't they get you a wand?"

She stepped away from the towels to the mirror and there, she stripped off her white tee which had been soaked sheer. As she did, Nicole noticed a flesh-colored bandage on the inside of Wil's forearm and beneath it, the slightest edge of a tattoo was visible. Nicole couldn't tell what it was but she wondered if it was the same as hers. If it'd shown up in the middle of the night.

"They did," Nicole answered, looking away from Wil's bandage. "But I didn't see anyone else using one so I left it in my room."

"No one over the age of six uses wands," Wil said, tying her damp curls up into a bun. "Aren't you some kind of magic fetus? You have no business messing with free magic."

Nicole giggled and then she gestured to the puddles of water around them. "Clearly."

Wil laughed again and then rolled her eyes at Nicole. Then she dug through her pocket for mascara and chapstick, returning to the mirror where she touched up her makeup. Mid-swipe, she saw Nicole watching so she frowned and then asked,

"What?"

"I met you at the party."

"You'll forgive me for not recognizing you," Wil said, holding her wet shirt in one hand and turning the other into a fist. A small breath of air came out of her hand like a blow-dryer and she used it to dry the rest of her shirt. "I go to a lot of parties."

"I'm sure that's true. And I would probably believe that you didn't know me if I was anyone else. But you know who I am. In fact, I think you've known exactly who I am since you first saw me at that party. That's why you took off. I didn't get it then but I do now. Because I look just like her—well, except for the hair but if you put me in a dark wig, I could be her twin."

Wil stopped her spell and put her shirt on, smoothing it over her body. Then she cleared her throat.

"I know you've been asking about that day. And I know you think there's some kind of conspiracy theory but the truth is, there's not. And I know that must suck to hear because she was your sister and believe me, if I could do that day over again, I wouldn't have given Reagan that book. I'm sorry."

Nicole opened her mouth to speak but nothing came out.

"Listen," Wil said, filling the silence. "I made a mistake and that's something I have to live with but you don't have to. You have this incredible opportunity. You're in the freaking World of Magic! The best place in the Three Realms."

Wil swept her finger through the air and the water around them began to evaporate, soaking through the marble floor like a sponge. When she was finished, she looked at Nicole and smirked.

"Magic is real. And once you know that, nothing else in the Three Realms matters."

AFTER HER CHAT WITH WIL, Nicole met Kate in the Dining Hall. The lunch spread was as extensive as breakfast—with pasta, pizza, and salad stations accompanied by many other options. Kate said that Mondays were usually Italian Day. Nicole filled up on raviolis and salad before it was time for the second half of classes. First was Botaneous Magic with Mrs. Truly followed by Premonitions with Madam Selena. Premonitions, the study of fortune-telling and sensory-based magic, left a lasting impression.

Madam Selena was a tiny, wiry-haired, bug-eyed woman in her late-forties who spoke in grand euphemisms that were impossible to understand. When Nicole entered the classroom, the teacher made some comment about a forgotten history repeating itself. Nicole made a face and Kate laughed, walking them to their seats.