"I don't use magic."
The principal stared across his large desk, his eyes dark and unblinking. With a neutral expression, his attention turned towards the thick file that rested across his desk. After a few seconds that seemed to stretch on longer than it should, his attention was back on Paige.
It was an odd statement coming from a teenage witch, especially one who had just days ago transferred from a boarding school for supernatural delinquents who misused magic. After four years at Solace Academy, a reform school for supernaturals, she was allowed to return to her hometown and attend the local high school for her senior year.
Mr. Mendes cleared his throat. "According to this file, you're a witch."
Paige Davis shrugged her shoulders, her raven-dark hair flowing over her shoulders as she leaned heavily against the cheap wooden chair she rested on. "Like I said, I don't use magic." Paige preferred not to use magic, but she didn't always get a choice in the matter.
She didn't think now was the right time to talk about the magic she felt right now as she stared at the judgmental principal. Magic hugged his frame, it almost appeared electrified. She was familiar with this type of magic. Her new principal was a thunderbird.
Her dad, Shane, turned towards the principal, his easy-going smile trying to smooth over any tension his daughter caused. "Mr. Mendes, Paige has a . . . complex relationship with magic."
Mr. Mendes nodded and for the first time since Paige met him, he looked rather sympathetic. "I can see that," he said. "I can't imagine it would be easy."
Paige snorted and squandered the sensation of magic down deep. If she was going to survive being here, then she needed to get a grip on her own magic. Easier said than done. She was never good with control. "No shit. Not easy becoming a witch." Magic was hereditary, so Paige always had it inside herself, but she just didn't know it. She was a late bloomer and after her magic manifested four years ago, she learned the truth. She was a witch, a fact that she and her adopted family didn't know until that moment.
"I'm sure. I do know your unusual circumstances put you well behind fellow witches your own age." He looked down at her file again. "The world was not on your side, Paige. Despite being hopelessly behind your peers, you caught up remarkably fast. Your teachers were impressed with how well you not only adapted to your new status, but also your apparent natural ability to wield magic."
Paige felt herself sink into the chair and didn't acknowledge his statement. Magic shouldn't come so easily to someone who lived with it for only four years. She found it hard to block it out some days, although it's better now than it was last year. Everywhere she looked, there was some kind of magic. Some kind of supernatural creature.
Sensing magic was an unusual ability. She wouldn't wish it on anyone.
"Purefin High is a public institution, catering to both humans and supernaturals. As such, we have a zero tolerance for misuse of magic."
She rolled her eyes and glanced out a nearby window, her bright blue eyes scrutinising the view below. His window oversaw the quad; stone floors, beautiful carved pillars and stone benches, rose vines crawling up the side of the building.
The first bell must be due to ring soon. The quad was rapidly filling with students. There was a shapeshifter high in the sky who decided to fly around in the form of a hawk. Wolves prowled through the courtyard and witches levitated in and out open windows.
Paige turned back to Mr. Mendes. "I'll try not to break your school."
"Paige." Shane held a strong warning tone in his voice.
Mr. Mendes had a half-smile on his narrow face. "I'm sure."
He reached into a draw and pulled out a thin binder. The school emblem – which were just a bunch of integrated knots and twists enclosing a seven-pointed star – was exhibited on the cover. Among the loose papers was a schedule with a few empty slots and a long and very detailed school of conduct. Mr. Mendes asked a few questions about subjects she took at her old school and subjects that interested her and he printed out a completed version of her schedule.
Maths, P.E., English, History; all general classes. Classical Studies, Psychology; chosen electives. Magical Heritage: Witchcraft Level Two. Now, that was a new one.
Paige still thought seven classes were overkill. Did they want to drown the students in an insane workload? She folded the schedule and shoved it into her pocket. "What's the deal with this witchcraft class?"
"Well, you're a witch." Mr. Mendes spoke like the answer was obvious. "Every supernatural creature is enrolled in a class that caters to their specific race."
Paige should have expected as much. There had to at least be one magic class she was stuck in. Solace Academy focused more on magical studies than maths or science, but then again, Solace Academy was designed to deal with uncontrollable or destructive supernaturals that couldn't live in the general population for one reason or another.
"I'd rather not."
Mr. Mendes blinked at her. "I'm afraid it's non-optional. Attendance and participation is mandatory to graduate."
Of course it is.
"It's also required by law," he added. "Magic is dangerous. A concept you're familiar with, Ms. Davis." Paige felt a spark of anger but he pushed onwards. "In order to live harmoniously alongside humans, we cannot be a danger to them or each other. Therefore, we need complete control over our abilities and instincts."
"Level Two? Witches weren't divided at Solace Academy."
"Hmm. I suppose they wouldn't be. Solace Academy wants to give the students any resemblance of control, restraint and discipline. Here at Purefin High, we strive for something so much more." Mr. Mendes fingers locked together on top of the desk. "There's an advanced class – Level Three – while witches who are beginners for one reason or another, usually lack of magical abilities or lack of knowledge, are taught beginner level magic at Level One."
"So, I'm average then?" Level Two didn't sound that bad. At least she wouldn't be doing any serious magic then. She could survive this.
"As I said, Ms. Davis, you impressed your teachers with your magical abilities, so much that you qualified above a beginner level witch."
Paige was surprised by his words. She was fairly conspicuous at times. Her human father made it impossible to blend in with witches or humans. As such, she was often a topic of discussion and ridicule; the witch raised by humans.
Not that it was Shane's fault. No one knew she was a witch when she was adopted.
At least Shane stuck around, unlike her adopted mum who swiftly divorced her dad and took off with Shane's other adopted daughter, Heather. That's why Paige was determined to make this work. If she had to attend more magic classes, then so be it. She couldn't let down her dad again.
"I don't want to do advanced magic," she suddenly blurted.
Mr. Mendes was startled silent, then he let out a toothy grin. It was obvious he was trying to hold back laughter. "Not to worry," he said, struggling to dial back his smile. "The entrance requirement into Advanced Magic would be well out of your capabilities. Only half a dozen witches in our entire school meet the criteria for an advanced placement."
"Paige is fairly gifted with magic," Shane said, ignoring the fierce glance his daughter threw him. He was going to make everything worse.
Doing advanced magic every day, well, there was nothing worse than that. Paige couldn't survive doing that kind of magic, and not because of her lack of ability, as Mr. Mendes seemed to think. Sometimes, Paige thought she had too much magic, not like she was about to announce that.
"I'm sure." His tone was dry, doubtful. "But for now, I'm certain Ms. Schade can teach you anything you need to know. After all, it's dangerous participating in magic you can't handle." He turned back to Shane. "I understand Paige participated in weekly meetings with a counselor at Solace Academy. We have an excellent guidance counselor at Purefin High. Perhaps it would be beneficial for Paige to have regular sessions with him."
Paige shook her head. "Not needed." No more therapy for her.
Shane cleared his throat and avoided eye contact with his daughter. "It's been decided that Paige will continue regular sessions with someone in town."
"Another therapist? Are you serious?"
No one acknowledged her crude tone. Shane continued to reassure Mr. Mendes. Paige drifted in and out of the conversation, only snapping back to attention when Shane stood.
He took Paige's hands and tugged her to her feet. "Be good, okay?" He tucked strands of hair behind her ear. "Try not to cause too much trouble."
"No promises." Paige shared his smile. "But I'll try."
Shane left after that and Mr. Mendes pointed Paige in the rough direction of her first classroom. Paige held up the school map as she walked the near-deserted hall. She had heard the bell ring as her father departed. She was officially late.
Purefin High was an impressive institution, standing three stories high with more than enough classrooms, a gym somewhere on the ground floor, and a library that took up a portion on each level of the school. Becoming lost, even with a detailed map, was a strong possibility.
Paige managed to find her first classroom faster than she had anticipated. Paige had missed the morning announcements – her first period was also her homeroom – and she arrived just as the teacher was beginning the lecture. The teacher paused, her glassy green eyes on Paige.
Paige was amazed with her restraint. She felt the muscles in her face twitch, she wanted to smile, but she didn't.
"You must be Paige Davis," Ms. Clark said. "And just when I thought we were gonna miss you today."
Paige's eyes swept the classroom. There were only about twenty other students. While most appeared perfectly human, some clearly weren't. She caught the sight of pointed teeth, djinn marks, and eyes that had to be the result of contact lens or supernatural DNA. Letting a brief moment of her magic to take hold, Paige opened her senses. About eight of the students in the room were supernaturals, as was the teacher.
Paige looked at Ms. Clark again, only this time not bothering to conceal her smirk. With her pastel pink hair and pointed ears, she had to be a sylph. One of her roommates was one at Solace Academy – air spirits and insanely intelligent. Only her roommate had silver hair. Paige could feel Ms. Clark's magic. She was a sylph.
"Sorry," Paige said. "I couldn't get Mendes to stop talking."
That earned a few snickers from classmates and an eyeroll from Ms. Clark. "Just find a seat."
"With pleasure."
Paige found an empty seat near the back of the room to claim as her own. She grabbed an empty notebook and the assigned textbook from her backpack. It was brand new and still in its wrapper.
Paige eased back into the chair as Ms. Clark began speaking again. Paige was already behind the rest of the school. She wished she had started at the beginning of the school year, like everyone else, but issues at Solace Academy delayed her start date by a few months. She had no idea what she had missed in that time. She glanced at a nearby desk just to figure out what part of the textbook they were reviewing.
Half an hour later, Paige had learned nothing. An entire lecture of Ancient Roman pottery. Her dad might as well get his money back for whatever he was paying for her education.
Paige's next class involved her somehow travelling to the third floor before the warning bell rang. It was a class she foresaw often being late to. Much to her surprise, when she arrived, the teacher was nowhere in sight. The warning bell had rung, the class was filled but Paige managed to spot an empty seat near the back of the room.
She had no idea when the teacher – Mr. Withers according to her schedule – would arrive, but Paige figured she'd have a few minutes of free time. On the way to one of the last vacant desks, Paige unzipped her backpack, struggling to wiggle a paperback out from between two thick textbooks.
Finally triumphant, she shifted her backpack on her shoulders. She was so preoccupied with opening the paperback to a marked page that she didn't realize until too late that someone stood in the way of her intended desk. She managed to steady herself before she ended up on her ass in front of the entire class. That wouldn't be the image she'd want her new classmates to hold onto.
"Watch it," she snapped, bending to retrieve the paperback she dropped in the collision. Before she could, someone snatched it out from her grasp.
"You walked into me."
Paige felt a growl forming in the back of her throat. "You shouldn't be in the way." Shallowing her annoyance, she glanced up, any future remark dried up on her lips. It wasn't just that the guy was cute, he was hot. Hot enough that she already envisioned herself spending long-hours imagining him without clothes.
His long-sleeve tee melted into his muscled shoulders, his bright, almost emerald eyes captivated Paige in an intense gaze that she could not look away from. When his mouth formed into a smirk, she caught sight of a faint trace of stubble along his jaw.
Paige forced herself to focus. He wasn't a witch, that much was obvious from the way he carried himself. He moved swiftly, almost animal-like, each step filled with pent-up energy. She could sense his magic. As she suspected, he wasn't a witch, but a werewolf.
Her eyes landed on the paperback he still held within his possession. "That's mine."
He glanced up through strands of sandy-blonde hair. "Wuthering Heights? Really?" He reconsidered. "English requirement?"
Paige yanked the book out of his grasp and held it close to her chest. She resisted the urge to flip him off and storm past him. She didn't like the judgemental tone in his voice. Did he just think she was some dense girl without a flicker of intellectual thought? He must have seen the anger festering in her eyes because he held up his hands and spoke again.
Amusement sparked in his endless eyes. "I meant no offence. It's just not an easy read."
Her fingers tapped along the edge of her book. "I guess not. But Emily Brontë's words are more stimulating that anything I'd get from here." She gestured to the surrounding classmates.
He held back a laugh. He was going to say more, but Mr. Withers finally appeared. He was definitely an improvement over her last teacher. He was younger too, maybe mid-twenties, with dark brown hair tied at the bottom of his neck. Tattoos of silhouette birds swarmed down one of his arms. He didn't acknowledge his tardiness and no one questioned him. The students' free minutes were up and they piled into their desk, but the blonde boy, the werewolf, did not move.
"Lucas Baker, find your desk."
The werewolf – Lucas – barely glanced at the teacher before headed over to a desk beside a blonde girl, another werewolf. She smiled as Lucas appeared and leaned towards him as he sat.
That's the thing about supernaturals. Each race was like a clique, and within each of these cliques, there were the usual cliques any school had. The popular crowd, with the rich, good-looking ones. Jocks, pretty cheerleaders. There were the loners, outcasts, geeks, slackers, potheads.
Paige never really had a clique. Well, she did before her powers manifested. She had friends, a lot of them. Human friends. Some were even in this very class, but like Paige, they had no desire to rekindle their childhood friendship. Once Paige discovered she was a witch, she might as well of had the plague.
Solace Academy wasn't that much easier, either. There were witches there, a lot of them, but she didn't really belong with them. She was the outcast amongst them, the one that barely knew a thing about witchcraft, the girl with the human family, and that didn't sit well with some people.
***
By lunch, Paige was already plotting her escape.
Once Ms. Bevan – who turned out to be a djinn – finally released them from Maths, Paige hesitated by the open cafeteria doors. She didn't have to look inside the large oval room with a dozen wooden tables to know what was happening inside. It was much more than just people sitting around, chatting and eating lunch.
She didn't need to see it. She could feel it.
Magic.
It was a never-ending stream, a bottomless supply of active magic. Paige was used to dormant magic. Magic that was held tight and locked away. At least, that's how Solace Academy operated. Students didn't walk around the halls, using magic every instant of the day. Here, they did.
It was never once a consideration. It never even crossed her mind. She didn't expect to see magic, to feel other people's magic, every waking moment. Even late at night, while snugged in bed, her defenses were down, and while he was active with his powers, she could feel the magic from the thunderbird three houses away.
Fleeing from the cafeteria, Paige took a few turns and stumbled across the quad. She wasn't the only one prompted outside to bathe beneath the rays of sunshine. She found a stone bench isolated from the rest to claim as her own. It didn't have direct access to the sunshine, it was shielded by a large tree, but it would have to do.
She grabbed her phone from the side pocket of her backpack and the screen lit up with the press of a button. Scrolling through her contacts, Heather answered on the third ring.
"Paige?" Her sister's voice was groggy, grouchy as if she had just woken.
Paige glanced at the bright sky and wondered how her sister could possibly still be asleep at this time. "Did I wake you?"
She heard a rustling sound through the phone, then Heather's voice became much clearer. "Kinda. It's been a late night here."
Paige couldn't help but smile. A late night meant she crashed sometime in the early morning. God, she missed her sister. It's been only a month since Paige made a day trip out to see Heather, but it feels much longer. While her college life seemed fun, Paige didn't feel as if college was for her. Not that she could mention that to her dad. He'd probably freak, then show her all these college pamphlets. "Party or studying?"
She could hear her sister smiling through the phone. "Both, actually. I was working on this monster essay when Harriet heard of this party in the mines. It was awesome. Crazy lights, glow-in-the-dark body paint, and music loud enough to burst your eardrums. Wish you could have been here, sis."
Paige laid down on the stone bench, her feet dangling off the end. "Wish I could be anywhere but here."
"Aw, bad first day?" Heather's voice was mocking. "It's only – wait, what time is it?" She paused for a moment and came back with the time. "Only noon. You can't complain yet, Paige. You've only had what? Two classes?"
"Three classes," Paige muttered bitterly.
"Bad classes, huh?"
Paige tilted her face towards the sky and closed her eyes. For a moment, she considered moving elsewhere so she could be in the path of the sun, but her body protested the idea of moving. While her classes weren't as bad as they could have been, Paige couldn't help but feel as if she didn't belong here. The whole magic factor was her main concern.
"There's too much magic here," she finally admitted to her sister. "It's giving me a headache."
"You're in the general population now, Paige," Heather said. "It's not like at Solace Academy. Magic is everywhere. It's all in the open." Her words only caused the ache in Paige's chest to grow. Heather was human, but she's always been fascinated with Paige's magic ever since it manifested. It was something their mum didn't approve off. While Erica was happy to pretend like she only had one daughter, Heather never did turn her back on Paige.
Paige opened an eyelid when the bell rang. She remained unmoving on the bench, pretending like she didn't hear anything. She also pretended like she didn't see all the other students moving back into the school. But Heather was no fool.
Her tone was light as she spoke next. "I think that's your cue to get back. I'll talk to you soon," she promised, disconnecting the call before Paige had the chance to waste any more time on the phone.
Now it was her turn to become grouchy as she pushed away from the bench. She dropped her phone back into her bag, slung it over her shoulders and headed back inside.