The Arete Academy

Page One: A Normal Sick Day

      Arete Academy is a home away from home for most of the witches here. Parents send us here to upstate New York when we become too much for them to handle, how pathetic.

     Bright lanterns lit the halls of the castle that we called school, casting long shadows on the brick walls. In the first year, we learned how to tell the time from the shadows, so there are no clocks in sight. The universe gives us everything we need, from water, to food, to even magic.

    It's almost eight in the morning which meant that everyone would be headed to first period. Except for me because I slept through my three alarms. There are spells and tricks mostly everyone does to make sure they get up. I prefer not to, if my body wants me to sleep then I'm damn well going to sleep.

"Get your ass up!" I heard before feeling cold air on my bare legs.

     My soft starry blanket was yanked off of me, leaving me in just a short sleeve shirt with the school emblem on the front and underwear. My best friend Olivia looked me at me already annoyed.

"Five more minutes." I mumble.

"You're late again. Ms. Edwards said I could come try to drag you to class."

"Not happening."

"Are you gonna go next period?"

"Probably. Edwards first thing Monday morning? I'll sit this one out."

"Fine but if she gives you detention I don't want to hear it."

"Yeah yeah."

She reluctantly left me, bouncy black curls in tow. Olivia Livingstone, Liv for short, was undeniably the most beautiful girl in our year. They say you can't have both brains and beauty, but Liv is the exception. She has the highest marks and a passion for learning anything she can about magic.

I woke up an hour later feeling as if I had got no sleep at all. My pillows were everywhere and my sheets were off the bed, a sign that I had been surely tossing and turning in my sleep.

      While I was putting on clothes, I suddenly felt sick and had to run to the bathroom, barely making it to a toilet before vomiting. Once I left, my head hurt and my eyes were glossy. I sent Liv and a couple of my other friends a text saying that I was sick. None of them believed it because well, they know me. I had faked being sick many times before to get out of class, but not this time.

       I chugged a bottle of cold water quickly before hopping back into my bed. My eyes were closed and I was asleep before you could even say Arete Academy.

     A soft knock at the door woke me up some time later. I called out that they could come in. It was my friend Haley who was probably upset that I left her alone in the last three periods we normally share.

"Hey, Kianna. How're you feeling?" She asked while sitting in a recliner that she had claimed as her own.

"I feel like my whole body is on fire."

"I could walk you down to the nurse if you'd like."

"Nah, I'd rather sleep. Maybe eat some soup?"

"Is that you asking me to get you soup?"

"It is."

"Fine and only because Riley wants food too."

      Riley was her girlfriend of nearly seven months. They were polar opposites in almost every way but they couldn't keep away from each other. Despite the strict rule that we're not allowed to date other students, a lot of couples took the risk of getting caught. Getting caught meant detention with Mr. Greenberg, a.k.a writing the rule down hundreds of times because he thought that would help get them into our heads. It doesn't.