When the final bell rang, Paige was the first one out of her seat. She rushed out the door and towards the staircase, eager to reach her locker before the hallway became swarmed with too many students.
She wasn't fast enough and had to manoeuvre around a few students in her haste to reach her destination. Once there, she pulled the metal door open and shoved her entire backpack inside, only pausing briefly to fetch her gym clothes and sneakers from the bottom of the locker.
She slammed the locker shut and found the nearest bathroom to dress into shorts and a singlet that adhered to her like a second skin. She knew she had abandoned all of her homework into her locker, but that was tomorrow's problem.
Unravelling her iPod, Paige paused by the main entrance to load a new playlist. Once music started playing, she took off at a steady jog away from school. Home wasn't that far away, and with this pace, she knew she would be home in no time. It certainly wouldn't be enough for a proper run. She really needed the exercise at the moment, something to burn off all this pent-up energy she had been feeling lately.
Instead of turning down a street that would take her right by her house, Paige turned away from it, opting instead to travel away from the centre of town. It felt good, really good to be using her muscles again. Lately, it was like being caged, trapped, she couldn't do anything.
Nothing made sense anymore.
Nothing was easy.
God, how she hated this town.
Aaron's dream had given her a taste of Solace Academy again; nothing was worse than that school. It was more like a juvie, a military camp more than anything. Rules and regulations, punishments and judgements. She took extra time in the showers after P.E., desperately trying to cleanse his dream away, but it remained firmly lodged in place, like a nightmare rather than a dream.
After another twenty minutes of mindless running, Paige's thighs begin to protest with each step. Her body didn't even have much time to recover from the encounter in Aaron's dream. She couldn't shake the memory of her body flying through the air and colliding with a rough brick wall. She knew that if she didn't wake up at that moment, Aaron would have done something much worse.
Paige shuddered at the thought and decreased her speed slightly. Not enough to stop the whirl of colours passing by from nearby houses and trees, but enough that her thighs no longer felt as if they were being torn apart.
As she ran, Paige stared at the sky. It was too early for there to be any colour other than blue above, but the colour was somewhat comforting. She was sick of the rain, she was sick of the storm that always seemed to be raging inside herself.
All Aaron's fault, Paige thought angrily as her soles of her sneakers slapped firmly against the footpath. She hesitated at the side of the curb for a second before dashing across to the other side of the road, barely giving herself enough time to check no cars were going to mow her down.
What she wouldn't give to be normal again, if not human, she'd even settle for being a normal witch. It wasn't exactly normal, but it was better than the life she was stuck with. Sensing magic, having her own magic always on the edge of breaking loose, accusing her classmate of being some kind of vicious creature – she was just so sick and tired of it all.
Paige was so preoccupied with her own thoughts and emotions that she didn't realise that these emotions were traced with her own magic. As her frustration grew, so too did her magic until there was no barrier, no fence holding her magic back.
The wind picked up speed until she was trapped in a cyclone. The trees nearby rustled, its branches twisted and pulled towards Paige in an unnatural way. Paige came up short when the branches from a nearby tree came flying loose and almost knocked her over.
"Shit," she breathed, watching as the loose leaves on the ground were picked up in a heavy breeze. The longer she watched, the worse the escaped magic became.
A red convertible three houses down rocked roughly on its thick wheels, its alarm blaring loudly in the near deserted street. The house opposite her was surrounded with a brightly painted white picket fence, the wood creaking against the sudden magic-infused storm that was suddenly raging down this normally quiet street.
Great. Another magical incident she was going to be blamed for.
She was so sick and tired of always getting into trouble.
A row a trashcans along the curb suddenly exploded, the metal tins vomiting its trash over the freshly cut lawns and road. She felt a surge of energy coating her skin, like she had jammed her finger in a socket or something. The air around her body crackled and buzzed with live energy. It was like the dream with Aaron all over again, but at least this time, she didn't have to electrocute anyone. She just hoped she didn't end up electrocuting herself.
"Dammit."
Her anger was only making this all worse. With a breath that was steadier than she expected, she reached out spiritually towards the magic that was rampaging on the unsuspecting street. She felt something connect and didn't hesitate to draw the loose magic back towards her. The more magic she drained from the street, the better the street became.
The expensive car stopped rocking and its alarm finally stopped blaring angrily. The trees became as still and lifeless as always once again, but the leaves, the brightly coloured leaves that had only moments ago been natures carpet for the outdoors, continued to swirl and dance in a breeze that actually wasn't there anymore.
There wasn't much magic free at the moment, but she didn't pull it back towards her. This magic was playful, not destructive as it had been seconds before. Paige let it fester, and the leaves continued to float upwards.
As if gravity had been switched off, loose gravel from the roads followed. It was so innocent, so pure, that it filled Paige with a feeling of calm and pleasure. It was so unexpected that she laughed out loud as the loose gravel became mixed with the thousands of leaves.
Sometimes, she just never understood magic. Now, was one of those times.
Paige suspected there was a lot she would never know about magic, but she would never understand how magic could feel like a bottled-up storm one second, intense and violent, but then be like a child the next. Naïve and innocent.
Somewhere down the street, a car door slammed. It was a rude awakening, quite swift and blunt. The magic stopped growing, the sensation became dimmer until gravity switched back on and the gravel dropped abruptly. The leaves, however, took their sweet time descending to the ground.
Paige stood amongst the falling leaves for a long moment, working on getting her breathing under control. She was still out of breath and panting from her run, she never had time to cool down before her magic made another reappearance.
Shaking her head, Paige kicked a pile of gravel out of the way as she turned back towards the footpath. Working on not tripping on the gravel, she stepped back onto the footpath and turned back the way she came. She hadn't been running as long as she would have liked, but the sensation of magic had numbed her muscles somewhat.
Paige froze as she realised she wasn't alone.
It was expected. She thought that maybe the owner of the convertible would show up, demanding answers as to who touched his precious car. Maybe even kids on the way home from school, or an old man watering his garden.
She was not, however, expecting to find herself only a few meters away from Ms. Schade.
Ms. Schade was standing beside an older car, the door wide open. Paige didn't recognise the model, she wasn't much into cars, but judging from the condition of the car, and what she assumed was a teacher's salary, it was most likely a used car.
Ms. Schade blinked at Paige, before her eyes moved down the street, her eyes lingering on the leaves that were still fluttering in the air. Maybe she hadn't noticed. Maybe she just arrived and didn't see Paige's magical display. As the teacher turned back to Paige, she knew that this teacher had witnessed everything.
Just great.
Paige was at a loss for words. Her mind was in overdrive, desperately trying to summon a believable excuse or lie. Instead, she only panicked. "Ms. Schade?" She demanded in a tight voice. She coughed to loosen her throat before she continued. "What are you doing here?"
Ms. Schade was stunned and raised a limp hand towards the house with the white fence. "I live here. What were you . . . doing?"
"I . . . er . . ." Paige swallowed a dry lump and glanced over at her house. It was a cute little, one-storied cottage with ivy-covered walls. She was about to turn back to the stunned teacher when something caught her eyes. She strained her eyes and focused on one side of the house. Her eyes widened and she felt her panic skyrocket.
One of the pickets from the fence had broken free and had broken one of the windows.
Under normal circumstance, Paige would bolt, but she knew the person who lived in the house she had now just damaged. If she left now, she knew Ms. Schade could easily find her and contact her dad. Shane would be pissed she broke a teacher's window and she skipped out on responsibility.
Paige left the sidewalk, leaping over the rest of the picket fence as she approached the broken window. Yep, it wasn't just cracked as she had been hoping. It was a clear through and through, leaving a huge gaping hole into the living room.
"Fuck."
Ms. Schade didn't appreciate the language and frowned slightly as she approached the window. As she inspected the damage, Paige contemplated running off again. Before she could make up her mind, Ms. Schade turned back towards her.
"Sorry," Paige said, palms raised. "It was an accident. I swear. I didn't even know you lived here." Yeah, likely story. She could already imagine what the police would say. Ms. Schade was a teacher, and she wasn't particularly liked by Paige. No one would believe this was just a random accident. She was so screwed.
Paige stepped away from the shards of glass that littered the ground. An apology was useless now, so she tried to make it better. "I'll pay to get it fixed . . . my dad will actually." With no job, and only an allowance, Paige had no other source of income. She was completely dependent on her dad's money.
"Relax, Paige." Ms. Schade had a small smile on her face. That was slightly reassuring. She turned back towards the broken window, one hand reaching for a deep green crystal that dangled from the thin black belt. It was something the teacher seemed to wear every day.
With her other hand rested on the ledge of the window, magic surged from the green stone and into the window. The shards of broken glass that littered the inside and outside of the house shimmered faintly before they lifted off the ground. Repositioning the broken pieces of glass back in place, like a jigsaw puzzle, the entire window blurred as the pieces mended themselves back together. Once the window was in pristine condition again, the magic from Ms. Schade vanished.
Paige was more focused on the crystal belt than anything else. "You carry that around so you always have a connection to magic." What had Valentina called it? "A conduit."
Ms. Schade glanced down at the crystal belt. "Yeah." She looked back up at Paige. "Had it for a long time. Each stone represents a different type of magic." She lifted her shoulders. "It's either this or mess around looking for the right kind of channel. This way is just easier. What do you use?"
This felt like a trap. If she answered, Paige somehow knew it would come back to bite her. Ms. Schade was obviously disappointed, she had wanted some kind of answer, but it was clear from Paige's rigid posture that she wasn't going to answer anytime soon.
"Paige." Ms. Schade was all serious now. She looked back down the street again, back at the oddly shaped piles of leaves and gravel and trash that still littered the street. "How'd you do that? That was serious power you were just using."
"Nah, it was nothing." Paige shook off her stares. She was sick and tired with everyone always staring at her. Like she was a mysterious creature. A phantom. An anomaly. If she acted like it was no big deal, then hopefully the teacher would follow suit.
Ms. Schade wasn't easily deterred. She continued to watch Paige for so long, the young witch grew uncomfortable. Ms. Schade seemed to be working through something in her mind, and at long last, her mind must have cleared. "Paige, have you met Mr. Inwood?"
Paige scrunched up her nose as she thought about the name. It was somewhat familiar, a name of a teacher, perhaps? Finally, nothing came to mind and she only shook her head.
Ms. Schade wasn't that surprised. Mr. Inwood only taught one lesson at Purefin High and he certainly didn't mingle with high schoolers if he could help it. "Mr. Inwood is Head of Magical Studies at Rossi University." Paige knew the university, about a twenty-minute drive outside of town. Paige spent half a day there for an orientation a few months ago. Trying to prepare her for adult life probably, but Paige wasn't really interested. "He also teaches Magical Heritage: Level Three at Purefin High."
"Advanced magic?" No one ever called it Level Three, its students were simply known as Advanced Magic-Users. Paige didn't like the direction this conversation had taken. Maybe she should take off after all? Avoid all the awkward, unwanted questions.
Ms. Schade nodded. "He's tough, but he really does know his stuff. He is an exceptional and knowledgeable witch. I would like to introduce you to him."
"Why?" Paige knew the teacher must be thinking about Paige's magical displays since she arrived in town; the water-magic spell in class, now her magic that rocked this street. The teacher wasn't clueless, she was suspicious. Curious. Maybe Aaron and Valentina weren't the only ones that noticed Paige's unusual magic.
"I don't think my class is a good fit for you, Paige."
It seemed like all of Paige's worst fears were becoming a reality. Had someone in authority finally noticed that Paige held back a significant amount of her power?
"I think you are magically gifted, Paige. My curriculum isn't a challenge for you."
Paige rapidly shook her head. "No . . . No, I'm not. I'm nothing. Just a delinquent."
Ms. Schade disagreed. "I think you use that label as a cover, Paige. If a so-called delinquent uses magic to cause destruction, no one will think twice about it. After all, it's expected of you."
"No," Paige said again, feeling panic rapidly spreading in her chest. "I'm so far behind, it's not funny. All the other witches know what they're doing. I'm lost half the time." Probably not the best thing to admit to your teacher, but hey, maybe this revelation would actually push her back a grade or two. Not that she would care that much.
That, Ms. Schade did agree with. "True, I think you have a lot to learn, Paige, theory-wise. But magic-wise . . . I think you have a lot of potential. A lot of raw power."
"No!" Paige practically shouted. "I'm not interested in advanced magic, Ms. Schade. You can't make me do that."
Ms. Schade remained calm and tried reason with the agitated teen. "It's a waste . . ."
"I don't care!" Paige hurried back to the street, almost sliding in her haste to get away. She didn't quite understand her own reaction, all she knew is that nothing scared her more than using advanced magic. There was too much magic involved, and while she agreed with Ms. Schade – Paige did have the magical potential – she wasn't ready to use that kind of magic yet. She doubted she would ever actually be ready. "I won't do it."
***
Paige's phone chimed with a message as she plonked into a desk. Ms. Clark hasn't arrived yet so Paige didn't bother to conceal her phone as she fetched it from her backpack. It was a familiar number. It was an update from Solace Academy.
Donna blew herself up! 4real!
Paige's fingers hovered over the screen. Finn's text only reminded herself of the dream she shared with Aaron. On the other hand, she couldn't help but find some delight knowing that royal bitch injured herself.
OMFG. Deets. Now!
As Paige was waiting for a reply, Ms. Clark arrived. The teacher took one look at all the devices in students' hands and threatened to confiscate them until the end of the day unless they disappeared now, so Paige was forced to hide her phone away before she could get any juicy details.
As Ms. Clark dove into the different types of Ancient Roman's rituals, Paige shoved the unanswered message aside and mindlessly took notes until the bell rang. She went from one class to the other on autopilot, only contributing when called directly upon. She was so out of it, she feared P.E. more than anything else. She didn't think she'd have the strength to run laps or dribble a basketball today.
Paige didn't really snap back together until she plonked down beside Kendall at a table in the cafeteria. Kendall had a tray of food in front of her, Paige went the opposite direction and instead decided to raid the vending machine on the way into the cafeteria.
As she opened a bag of potato chips, Paige's eyes swept the table. There were a few other students seated here, and while Paige wasn't exactly friendly with them, she knew Kendall was. Sitting with a bunch of people whose names she barely knew is better than sitting alone.
Paige turned to Kendall as she began munching on her snack, the taste of vinegar exploding on her tastebuds. Kendall hadn't touched her food, instead her face was drawn into a frown. Her cheeks looked damp.
Paige stopped eating and discarded her half-eaten bag of chips onto the table. She had only seen Kendall a few minutes ago, as they parted ways after Maths to go to their lockers. "Kendall, what's wrong?"
Kendall sniffed as she looked up at Paige. She was right. A few leftover tears remained on her thick lashes. "I just spoke to my sister. One of her friends – Michelle Gray died last night. She was always so nice to me."
Oh. Death of an acquaintance. Not something Paige was familiar with and she certainly had no idea how to comfort her friend.
"Yeah, my mamma told me about that," said a pretty girl with skin the colour of a latte. She didn't look up from a laptop that was balancing on her knees. Written across the top of the laptop in sparkling blue letters was the name Agatha. "She was missing for a few days. Parents completely freaking out, naturally. They found her last night." She was a witch, along with the rest of the students at this table.
"Things comes in threes, right?" David spoke up from the end of the table. While he still seemed at bit on edge around Paige, definitely because of Aaron, but at least he wasn't going out of his way to avoid her anymore. "Maybe its ended."
Paige shoved her bottle of juice away, her stomach in knots. "Threes?" She had no idea what David was speaking about.
Agatha finally looked up from her screen, her dark eyes weary. "They're calling it the Curse of Mayan. Spooky, huh?" She definitely sounded like a conspiracy nut.
"Agatha, enough with your insane theories," said a pale boy with red blotches all over his face. He turned quiet when Paige's attention turned to him.
Agatha wasn't ready to be silenced. "They're not insane, Alan. Whatever you or anyone else says, something is definitely off with that town."
Kendall had a weak smile as she nudged Paige with her elbow. "Sounds a little like you," she whispered. "Insane theories."
Paige had to agree, but she'd never admit it. A month ago, she wasn't into mindless accusations, it was this town. Purefin seemed to be cursed. Maybe Aaron was cursed? At that moment, her phone vibrated on the table.
Paige looked at the name flashing on the screen and hesitated before rejecting the call. It was just Finn, probably calling to reminisce with all the glorious details about Donna's self-destruction. She wasn't dead, just hospitalised. It could wait. She turned back to Agatha. "What's happening in Mayan?"
"Supernaturals are dropping like flies," Agatha announced loudly, gaining the attention of a nearby table. She giggled nervously and lowered her voice. "Seriously, Michelle marks the third unusual and very brutal death of a supernatural in the last month. First was an entire family a few weeks ago . . ." The news broadcast came to mind. The details were a little sketchy, but Paige recalled two kids and a mum and dad.
"Then the Rogan twins last week," David added.
"Brother and sister," Kendall explained. "The power ritual the other day was in honour of them. They were witches from Purefin. They moved to Mayan a few months before they died."
"Now, Michelle," Agatha said, ticking it off on her fingers. With a shudder, she wiggled the three extended fingers. "Creepy. All died the same. Ripped apart. No one knows what's doing it."
Seemed like a pattern. "Were they all witches?"
David shook his head. "Nah, just the twins. The family were banshees, and Michelle was a siren. Completely random."
"You think it's supernatural?"
Agatha looked at Paige as if she asked a stupidly obvious question. "Fairly certain," she opted to say instead of whatever witty insult she had cooking. She probably knew about Paige's nature for violence and misuse of magic. Most of the students here knew about it. "Humans don't typically rip people apart. Probably some kind of Feral. The Council will track the bastard down."
***Hey guys, I hope you like my latest chapter. Will post another one in a few days. As always, read, vote, comment and follow me***