torment / a michael langdon fic

2

With a flick of his hand, each of the roses in the bouquet flew into the air, before floating into the hands of every witch in the room. I took mine between my fingertips and smiled. A few girls burst into giggles. I shook my head, grinning - these guys were good.

"Red and white, for unity. We hope you'll open your hearts and minds to us." Ariel smiled.

The rose in front of Cordelia floated in front of her. Her lips were pressed into a thin, contemplative line. She was hesitating, running an internal pros and cons list.

Cordelia took a deep breath before speaking. "It's true that witches and warlocks have been at odds for decades. Girls, I've spoken with Augustus in private for some time. We both think that, for the sake of the coven, unity is the only answer,"

A soft inhale went through the witches.

"Some of you have been raised to think of witches and warlocks as opponents, instead of the same kin. I myself have fallen into those same thought patterns. But this is not what our community, our magic, stands for. These gifts are more than roses. They symbolise turning a new page. All of us, everyone in this room, is joined by our magic and incredible gifts. United." Cordelia finished her speech and grasped her rose by its delicate stem.

Ariel smiled.

I scanned the room, taking in all the new faces. My sisters did the same. The air was electric with change and freshness.

Some girls began vying for the boys' attention, turning their roses every colour of the rainbow, from orange to blue to purple. The boys grinned, one sending petals showering over some girls with a flick of his wrist.

"As a gesture of good will, and of our new friendship...would you boys like to stay for breakfast?"

---

Within minutes we'd found enough chairs to seat everyone. There were dozens of us, all packed into the dining hall. It felt full on any regular morning, with just us witches, but the extra boys made the air buzz. We sat elbow to elbow, laughing as we bumped into each other.

"Sorry! It's a little cramped in here, huh?" the boy next to me laughed as he knocked my fork out of hand.

He seemed totally at ease on foreign turf – his plate was loaded up with bacon, eggs and croissants. I wondered how we miraculously had all this food to feed the extra guests.

"No worries. I'm Lyla."

"Jerome." He smiled, holding his hand out for me to shake. I took it with a smile.

Most of the tension from the morning had evaporated – the girls and boys seemed completely at ease with each other. As I learned that morning, we'd all had similar experiences – we were the weird ones, the ones that didn't fit in at regular schools. Outcasts and rejects in another life, we found endless things to talk about in this one.

The only tension I noticed were between the two leaders, at each end of the table. Cordelia barely took her eyes off Ariel, refusing to turn her back on the ocean before it swallowed her up.

Other than their power plays, everyone else seemed happy. Every face was full of food or laughter or both. Girls were blushing, boys were laughing and gesturing wildly in conversation.

"I have to interrupt for just one second," Cordelia stood up, tapping a fork against her glass half-filled with orange juice. Waiters were making their rounds about the table with bottles of champagne, topping up everyone's glasses with bubbly.

"Today is a special day. It's one of our girls' birthdays today – Lyla. She turns eighteen, and we are so happy to have her with us for another year. Happy birthday Lyla!" Cordelia grinned.