[Art by kyotemeru on Twitter]
Y/n's POV
Hi, I'm Y/n Clawthorne, and my best friend has snakes for arms.
Well, not real snakes. Gus and I needed a model for our most recent Illusion assignment and at the mention of something strange and unusual, Luz was more than happy to volunteer.
"Thank you, Augustus, Y/n," our teacher says, jotting down a few words, and her notebook gives us a thumbs up. "You're free to go."
We let out a victory cheer and run out of the classroom, savouring the early dismissal. I almost get my hand bitten off as Luz reaches up for a high-five, but after a quick spell she's back to normal.
"I can't believe Professor actually let us out early!" I say. I don't get a lot of time off at school. Along with Luz, I take all classes, so my schedule's different each week, but it's totally worth it not to be confined to one kind of magic. The only other choice would be the Emperor's Coven. I shiver at the thought.
"I know, right!" Gus replies. "Hey, why don't we go to the Club Fair? We can be the first ones to sign up!"
The Club Fair happens every year at Hexside. You can join extra curriculars to boost your grades, or just to have some fun. I tried making a Bad Girl Coven Club one year, but Principal Bump wouldn't allow it (Eda had made it when she attended Hexside – and after club "activities" it took weeks to turn the school fountains back into water).
The bell screams just as we make it to the fair. Students swarm around us, appearing behind stalls and scanning through pamphlets. Luz waves us goodbye - with her actual hands this time – and rushes over to her Book Club stall. After a bit of searching and a few fairy pie samples from the Baking Club, we finally find Willow's stand.
"Hey guys!" She greets us with bright eyes and an even brighter smile.
"Hey Willow, got any new recruits for the Flyer Derby Club yet?"
"We've already got most of our team, we just need one more player to complete it." Willow's eyes light up the way they do whenever she talks about Flyer Derby, a fiery spark you become quickly accustomed to after you've known her for a while. It can be a warm flame or a vicious inferno. Luckily for me, I usually get the former.
I take a seat on the bench of her stall, smiling at my friends. They turn back to the crowd, encouraging others to join the club. I lean back on my arms and lift my head into the sun. Today's been nice, what could possibly go wrong?
As soon as the thought fully forms in my mind, it's shattered by the image of a tiny man and his Abomination walking towards our stall, his beady little eyes directly locking on mine.
"Professor Homunculus! What a pleasant surprise!" The face of the Abomination carrying Homunculus shifts to match the professor's sneer.
"Clawthorne. It is of my understanding that you have a detention scheduled for this break, do you not?"
"Whaaaat? Lil ol' me?" I blink my eyes with mocking innocence. Gus quickly covers his laugh with a well-timed cough, and Willow finds a sudden interest in a root sticking out of the ground.
Professor Homunculus clicks his tongue in distaste. "The lockers won't clean themselves, Clawthorne." I see Willow open her mouth to argue, but I put my hand up. This is her big day, and I'll do everything I can to make sure it goes as smoothly as possible for her. I send her an assuring smile.
"Save me a spot on the team, will ya?"
Hunter's POV
Never in a million years did I think I'd be here, in the most repulsive place on the Boiling Isles. It's rumoured to be filled with difficult tasks and horrific creatures.
School.
It's certainly strange being surrounded by so many witches my own age. My time at the castle means I'm used to being around adults 24/7. I practically am one at this point, with my amazing responsibility and impeccable intelligence. Belos recognises this, of course, but Darius is the opposite. He's the whole reason why I'm here in the first place.
"Look at all these potential recruits," I whisper to Flapjack. I've kind of accepted him as my palisman at this point, he wouldn't stop following me around after the events at Eclipse Lake. Ugh, not that I need that in my mind. That Clawthorne is the last person I want to think of.
Flapjack chirps. "Well sure, I've hardly spoken to witches my own age. But teens are probably into the same things that I am! Like authority, and rules!" I stand up, sauntering into the crowd of students. Number one rule of being the Golden Guard: Always appear confident.
I make my way to an unsuspecting student. "Classmate! Ignore the fact that we've never met. What if I told you all your dreams could come true?" Their eyes sparkle in wonder. "And you just have to leave your home, friends, and family forever?" Their face immediately shifts and they slowly walk away. What is wrong with them?
I try my best to recruit a few more students, but for some Titan-forsaken reason none of them seem even vaguely interested.
"I mean, do I wanna study different kinds of magic? Heck yes!" says one boy. "But why is joining the Emperor's Coven my only option? When I'm older, I'm going to give this system a long overdue update."
My stomach drops, and I inch back as if he's suddenly caught some deadly disease. "What are you talking about..."
My foot lands on something soft, and an ear-piercing screech fills my ears. Soon enough, I'm face to face with a griffin.
"Oh for fu-" Another screech erupts, cutting me off. Flapjack quickly transforms into a staff in front of me and I hop on, shooting into the sky. Unfortunately, I'd momentarily forgotten that witches aren't the only beings that can fly.
The griffin pushes off the struggling witch, making a beeline straight for me. I dive out of the way, but as I do so he rips off one of my shoes. "Hey!" I zigzag, confusing the beast and grabbing my boot out of its mouth, quickly slipping it back on (A/n: I better not get any feet comments-).
My gaze whips to the witch who was previously trying to tame the griffin. She's currently jumping up and down, waving her arms in the air, as if that's magically going to help. A plan quickly forms in my mind. I take a nosedive straight down to the witch, switching into a tumble at the last second. The griffin lands on top of the girl, who quickly ties a rope around its writhing body.
I brush invisible dust off my shirt and quickly smooth my hair back. Typical wild witches.
"Hey! Hey you!"
I turn around to see a witch with dark green hair and round spectacles approaching me. Crap, she must recognise me.
I try to move away but find myself in a tangle of vines, and soon I'm right in front of her. She towers over me. A deep fear sets in my stomach. All of a sudden, she smiles.
"Wanna join my flyer derby team?"
Y/n's POV
I run as fast as I can. The graffiti didn't take kindly to me trying to remove it from the lockers. Long story short, I ended up chasing it halfway around the school before it begrudgingly gave in. And now I'm late for our first Flyer Derby practise.
I hop on my staff to move things along, diving and weaving, trying to get my head in the game before I arrive. It's Willow's big day, and she's been talking about it for weeks. I just hope she got a final player.
After flying over the trees I spot my classmates on the court. I do a few twirls to show off a little, along with a particularly impressive jump where I land on my palisman just before I hit the ground. I bring myself to a stop in front of my classmates. They cheer, and Gus gives me a celebratory fist bump.
I quickly count our little crowd. Huh, we're missing two members.
"Hey guys, where's Willow?"
"Right here!" replies someone behind me.
I swivel to find one of my best friends with sparkling eyes and a large, contagious smile. And next to her...
"You."
♡♡♡
I know I say this every time but thank you so much for reading so far! 11K READS ARE YOU KIDDING ME?? I'm so happy you guys are liking it. And they'll be more Hunter interactions in the next chapter, don't worry :) Love you all, stay hydrated!