I'd made it back to our room before Willow and had fallen straight asleep. I hadn't even heard her come in and I hadn't had the chance to tell her about anything. I looked over to her bed but it was still empty. I looked at the window, it was dark outside. I checked the time - 3am. Where is she? I slowly got myself up and out of bed and made my way to the bathroom. I felt awake even though it was so early so I headed out into the living area.
I opened the door and there sitting on the sofa were two girls. One was Flic. One was... I shut the door again. I looked at my bed. Am I awake? I shook my head. I must still be half asleep. I wiped my eyes and tried again. I opened the bedroom door. What the...? "Raven? Is that you?"
"Rose? What are you doing here?" She jumped up off the sofa and was by my side in a flash. I must have blinked for too long and I shook my head again.
"Raven?" I looked at her. The same long dark hair as always, but her eyes... I looked closer. "Your eyes are red now?" That was a colour I'd never seen her wear before. Then they changed purple right in front of me. OK maybe I was still dreaming. Or... "Are you a Witch too? Is that why you're here?" I grabbed her shoulders. She was definitely here and I was definitely awake. "That's why your eyes always changed colour! You were using glamour!" It all made sense now.
"Umm no. Not exactly. I'm not a Witch." She explained.
"You're not?" I was confused again. "Then what are you doing here?"
"I'm your new suitemate. Surprise!" She smiled.
I looked from Raven to Flic. "She is?"
Flic nodded. "She is."
"You're the Shifter! Oh my god you have to tell me everything." I pulled her towards the sofa and sat her down next to me. "How long have you known you were a Shifter? What animal do you shift into? Why were you living on Earth? Did you know who I was? Did you know I was a Witch this whole time?"
"Rose! Calm down," She laughed. "I had no idea until this moment that you were even here, or that you're a Witch." She added. "Wait." She turned to Flic. "Rose!" She pointed at me. "Rose is The Maiden?"
Flic nodded. "I'm just taking a wild stab in the dark here, and guessing that you two know each other." She raised her eyebrows.
"Rose and I have known each other since we were little. The four of us used to hang out together - Rose, Wynne, Dee, and I." Explained Raven.
"Are you here to help find Wynne?" I asked.
"Wynne's missing?" She looked at Flic again, "Wynne is the girl they think is The Maiden?" She asked. Flic nodded. "Oh no!" She turned back to me. "I had no idea Rose, I'm so sorry. We're going to find her, you know that right?" She said it as if it were a done deal and I practically jumped into her arms and sobbed. Somehow this moment of reality, my old, normal reality, had made everything feel new all over again. Flic moved across to sit behind me and the three of us just sat there hugging for ages. It was comforting to have Raven back. She was like something normal I could grab onto in a world of crazy. Of course I wouldn't have classed a Shifter as normal eight days ago, but I wasn't sure that information had really sunk in yet.
I'm not sure how much later it had been but I had fallen asleep on the sofa and the girls had covered me with a blanket. The light was shining in through the window indicating morning was finally here. After a quick run to the bathroom I was back making myself a morning cuppa.
"Morning." Said Flic looking as radiant as usual. "You'd better make that a quick one. We've got assembly shortly," She said checking her gold, diamond encrusted watch. She looked particularly done up this morning, especially since it was late for her.
"What's with the extra layer of beauty this morning?" I asked, stirring in my honey.
"Aww thank you," She smiled, turning on the Plasmax machine. "My mother and father are visiting and my mother likes us to go out for dinner." She grimaced slightly. "After assembly I'm off to enjoy a lavish spread." She added mockingly. I chuckled. Flic was rich but she didn't make a big deal out of it. She certainly didn't go around acting like she was better than anyone else because of it.
"What's this assembly about anyway?" I asked.
"To welcome the Shifters. But also, I heard my Uncle say something about security. I think they're going to make an announcement or something." She filled her cup and I couldn't help but stare at the dark crimson liquid dripping from the tiny tap.
"How is there no coagulation?" I was fascinated.
No sooner had Flic opened her mouth to answer than the door opened and an out of breath Willow came running through. "Late." She breathed. "Can't talk. Be right back." She ran into the bedroom quicker than we had time to say hi. Flic and I looked at each other and laughed.
By the time Flic had finished her Plasmax and I had finished my tea, both Raven and Willow were coming out of their doors to meet us in the living area.
"We need to talk," said Willow looking at Flic and I. "Privately." She tilted her head towards our bedroom.
"Willow, this is Raven." I introduced Raven smiling. "She knows me from the Earth Realm, and she knows who I am. She knows my mum and Wynne are missing. And she's ready to kick arse." I said matter of fact.
Raven stood there one hand on her hip, a huge grin on her face. "Darn straight." She agreed.
"Oh. OK," said Willow shrugging her shoulders. "There was a magical disturbance yesterday."
"There was?" I asked. "Where?"
"Your grandmother said she felt it in the forest surrounding The Foundation." She explained. "We've been trying to find out more details about who it might be. All we know is that they're powerful."
Oh dear. I bit my lip. "Sorry," I said, putting my hand up, "I think that was me."
"It was?" Willow looked confused. "What were you doing in the forest?"
I shrugged my shoulders. "Having a little chat with the Goddess." It was the best explanation I could give considering the power burst I had received.
"Oh. Did she answer you?" Willow seemed curious.
I could feel the magic within me just waiting for me to access it. I brought it to the surface and smiled broadly. "She did." I let the magic simmer back down. Now I knew how to access it, it was just like flexing a muscle.
"Woah!" Said Raven. "That's quite some power you've got there."
"You can feel it?" Asked Flic.
"Definitely," Raven answered. "You can't?" I was curious about that myself now. Maybe I should be careful who I flexed that muscle around just in case. Flic and Willow both shook their heads. "Hmm, just me then." Raven chuckled.
I pictured the well of power within me filled with warm light, I pulled on the light, taking it deeper into the well, deeper inside me. "How about now?" I asked Raven.
Her eyes glowed a deep red for just a second as she concentrated, then she shook her head. "I can still feel it, but it's more subdued. You feel like any other Witch now." Her eyes returned to their purple shade; I wasn't even sure it had been a conscious change this time.
I smiled, reassured I was still incognito. I reached out and gently took a strand of her straight dark hair. I pushed out my magic and smiled at how easy it still felt to use it, even with it buried deeper. Willow and Flic gasped at the strand of purple hair I now held in my fingers. I gently let it drop. "Thanks Raven." She smiled broadly and I noticed for the first time how pointed her canines were. Maybe it was something to do with the new animal side of her. I smiled back, not minding one bit that my friend wasn't who I thought she was; after all, neither was I.
"Come on guys. We're late as it is." Flic announced, checking her watch again. The four of us hurried down to the auditorium.
Everyone was already seated and Baron Winterborne was centre stage at the podium mid sentence. I was sure the door shut extra loud behind us, and my cheeks reddened as heads turned to look at us walking in. Flic and Raven sauntered off to their individual sections not looking bothered at all by the extra attention. Willow pulled on my arm as we walked hastily down the steps to the front of the Witch section.
"Nice of you to join us ladies." Said the Baron, a hint of annoyance in his tone.
"Sorry," I muttered under my breath figuring he'd hear me anyway with his superior vamp hearing. I sat down low in my chair while everyone still stared. I wasn't used to the spotlight. I noticed Belladonna shake her head and roll her eyes before muttering something to Poppy.
"If everyone's finished..." Baron Winterborne locked eyes with Belladonna briefly. I guess he'd also heard what she had to say. "As I was saying, Shifter classes will begin Monday afternoon. You will all be expected to start at midday. No excuses are accepted; not even those of you who claim to have become nocturnal due to your animal bond. Trust me, we have heard all of the excuses before." There were a few groans from the Shifter section signalling there were many that had wanted to try that excuse. That raised a few laughs from the rest of us.
"Next order of business is to address the rumours of Witches going missing." I bristled. Missing witches? A few murmurs came from the crowds, mostly from our section. "The Foundation is working with the Vampire Council, the Head Coven, The Table of Alpha's, and the other ruling bodies to assure that the security of every student is our top priority. You may notice a few extra security personnel around campus. Please continue your normal daily or nightly routines as usual. Anything out of the ordinary that you may notice should be reported to myself or other faculty members immediately."
I noticed he hadn't actually addressed the rumours of Witches going missing directly. I hadn't realised anyone else was missing apart from my mum and Wynne. I looked around. There were a few less sitting at the back of our section now that I thought about it. How many have gone missing? The Foundation has only been open a week, surely not that many. Willow hadn't said anything, but she didn't look surprised. I looked over at Belladonna; she sat there with a huge smile on her face. I didn't like that smile. Not one bit. She turned to look at me, raising an eyebrow, and blew me a kiss and waved. Well what the hell is that supposed to mean?
The Baron was continuing but I didn't think I'd missed anything too important. "Now I know it's late and you are all wanting to get to bed." Late? He was looking at the Vamp section. Oh right. "But I am going to need all Ancients to come down to the front of the stage please." The first few rows started moving towards the steps and walking down. "All Ancient Vampires please." He reiterated, his eyes scanning the next section. They seemed to land on someone but I couldn't tell who it was. Until she stood up. Raven? I looked at Willow confused. Not that I thought that Willow would have the answer and she certainly looked as confused as I did. Then the whispers started. I turned back as Raven made her way down to the front of the stage, her head held high. The whispers got louder. I heard words like 'Female', 'Shifter', 'Hybrid', 'disgusting'. What was that supposed to mean? What's disgusting?
"She's a Hybrid," Willow whispered.
"What does that mean?"
"She's half Shifter and half Vampire," She explained.
I looked at Raven. Vampire? My mind flashed back to those pointed canines I'd noticed earlier. She was standing with all the males at the front of the stage. They had somehow managed to encircle her. She's in danger. I stood up.
Willow grabbed my arm. "She's fine."
"How do you know that?" I was ready to pull away and... do what I didn't know... but if my friend needed me.
"Look again," Willow prompted. "They're protecting her."
I looked back at Raven. The males were surrounding her, but I noticed many of them were scanning the crowds as if looking for trouble. I sat back down. "What are they protecting her from?" I whispered.
"Think about it. She's the only Ancient Vampire Female there is. There's no way they're going to let anything happen to her; she's too valuable."
I leaned over to Willow. "Why are some people saying she's disgusting then? I don't understand."
Willow sighed. "The races aren't supposed to mix."
"Why not?" I was baffled. That seemed a bit of an outdated attitude for such an enlightened group of people.
"It's a whole thing," She waved her hand. "Ansuradon experimented with genetics and it didn't go well." She made a face as if to show how bad it really was.
Ansuradon? There was that name again. I think it was time I found out who the hell this guy was. "Tell me later?" Willow nodded. I would make sure she didn't forget that conversation.
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