TOGETHER, they stepped into the training room and dispersed to change into black trainee jumpsuits. Strangely enough, Maddie had actually grown to like them, as opposed to her previous opinion.
Once they were all ready and had tied the last of their boots, they gathered in front of the shooting range, and waited for some kind of instructor. But, when no one came after two minutes of deadly silence, Katya brung her hands together, muttering under her breath. A crimson flame of light oozed through her porcelain skin, and before they knew it two instructors had stumbled onto the mats.
"Sorry, sorry!" the mysterious woman-instructor warbled. "Those other magicians we were training before you guys had some serious injuries," she gasped. "Come on, now. Katya, thanks for summoning us; we could've been a while."
Another trainer appeared, this time a man. "Hey, everybody!" he grinned. It was him; the man from the speakers. He'd known about their "rich kid problems", and he'd twisted Maddie's struggles like a rope, tightening onto her lugs and making her feel almost petty. Could everything that had happened to her not been a big deal? Just some rich kid problems? It felt like he was comparing rape to a spoilt Givenchy bag. Oh, you poor thing.
But this man didn't know about what had happened that night, with Lucian. No one did. Thus, Maddie took a breath, gnarled her lips into an almost smile, and acted normal. As normal as magicians could be, she supposed.
"Alright," the man echoed, clapping his hands together. "Today, our first lesson will be physical – useful in the mortal world and out. Everyone, gather at a separate point. This is one of the most important parts of your self defense, against offenders and spies when you go on your mission."
"Knew it," Alex mumbled. "We're all going together, then?"
"Yes." the woman said, adjusting the guns at the range, filling them with gleaming bullets. They reminded Maddie of the pistol she'd shot her self with, the bullet soon pouring out of her mouth like an ocean, clattering onto the sink with an electrifying ding! that made her want to throw up.
Maddie swallowed down her nerves, shuffling closer to the radiating warmth of Alex. By now, he was like her protection blanket. He glanced at her worriedly, eyeing her shaking fingers and pressing his own glowing ones against them. An electric cobalt flame of light oozed through his skin, enveloping hers into a tranquil embrace. Suddenly, the shivering stopped.
"I want you all to pair up, and join a target. You two will help each other; though I doubt you'll need it much. Most of you have experience in this field, I assume." the woman's calculating eyes swept across the group, softening at Maddie and Alex.
Together, they shuffled towards the third target whilst the rest sorted themselves. A line of gleaming pistols lay in a line, but they were different to what she remembered from last time – each of them were a different color, almost like they produced different results, different magic.
One of them stood out to Maddie: a blue one with curling flowers and blossoms of vibrant colors dancing across the body. She picked it up, wary.
"Alright," the woman said, strutting across the mats defiantly. "These guns are all loaded with magic bullets. ONLY magic bullets will be safe for you all; once they pierce your skin, your system will bring them back up. Vulgar, yes, but it's better than death."
Once they pierce your skin, your system will bring them back up.
The thought rung in Maddie's head for a moment, but her string of wander was cut by the slice of a person's voice in the air.
"Anyways," the man continued, "These bullets freeze anything non-magical, and the results are permanent. However, these won't affect you... Which is why we won't be using them long. Consider this your warm up – the real bullets start soon!"
With that, they began. Alex and Maddie accidentally shot simultaneously, and the target's pierced center was the epicenter of crackling veins of ice, like a shock-wave, that ran along the board and hardened before crumbling into shards of glinting ice all together. They looked at each other, and burst into laughter.
"Sorry," Alex shouted to the trainers, who raised a brow at their impudence. "It was an accident!" he muttered. The male trainer plopped down lazily on a pristine couch he'd whipped out with his magic, and summoned another target from the storage room. It floated above their heads with a swirl of powder following it's tail. Whoosh.
"Damn," Maddie whispered, her eyes sweeping over it with awe. "I never knew magicians could do that."
Alex shrugged, continuing his shooting. Next went Maddie, who had a slightly harder time; she fought off the urge to recoil from the gun as the distant memory of another pretty little pistol scraping against her chest thudded in her mind. She shut out the memories of tweeting birds, and the scratching of the sequins again the mouth of the weapon, even her own rapid breathing. All of it. And her finger pressed onto the trigger, an eerily familiar sense of fear oozing from her deep breaths.
Alex waited patiently. He, of course, was unaware of just how much experience Maddie had with a gun; letting her excessively slow turn slide as a mere trigger of doing damage to others, or something.
Regardless of her approach, Maddie became increasingly stronger. Even if it all felt wrong. Just as the balloon of apprehension in her chest deflated slightly, the two trainers lead them to other activities.
In hours, they'd worked their way through the disappearing rope, and almost mastered the concept of archery. They caught on faster than expected. Once again, the two trainers insisted they move on.
Strangely enough, it wasn't a disappearing rope, or a sword duel, or archery that the group was lead to – but a book. It was made of a soft, chocolate leather, plush instead of strong from what looked like centuries of wear. Words and symbols on the cover blinked on and off, like a glitching computer screen.
In her peripheral vision, Maddie saw the trainers nod at a certain redhead in the corner, and Katya stepped up to the book and let her fingers caress it gently. Her eyes fell shut, and she muttered a word Maddie had heard before: Anoigo.
With a grumble of annoyance, the book fumbled around before falling open onto a page oozing with blue light. There were symbols on every inch of it, scribbled on in haste.
"This book is the key to finding the cure. What it looks like, where it is... Everything. Best of all, it shows us how to reproduce it." the male trainer said, his glance sweeping across the unnerved teenagers.
"Which means we will all be able to have it?" asked Annika. For the first time, it looked as if she was using her long, shiny hair as the means of a curtain, shielding her blush. She hadn't spoken since they'd arrived.
"Yes." the woman answered curtly. For a second, Maddie had seen a peculiar flash of fear in her eyes, but it had sparked out as quickly as it came.
"It's time for you all to leave," the man announced, his eyes darting to his wristwatch. "It's getting late, and we don't need any missing people reports like last time. You all will come back next week, Saturday. We will discuss details then."
With a murmur of disappointment, the group of young magicians poured out of them room and dispersed on their way home.
Maddie's purse begun to vibrate. Suspiciously, she dug out her phone before a string of curses left her lips. Damn it, damn it damn it damn it.
Mom: Madison, we arrived. Landed a few minutes ago.
Dad: Honey, where are you? Is there traffic? Call us.
Mom: Madison, answer your phone. You were supposed to meet us at the airport. Where are you?
She brought a hand to her forehead, tugging on her roots in despair and almost sinking to the ground with buckling knees. How had she managed to forget? Her parents were home again.
Alex brushed past in her peripheral vision, and she stopped him as fast as possible, tapping on his shoulder urgently.
"Alex, listen. Do you think I could get home... by magic? From now on? The car rides are really slow, and I need to get home as fast as I can... My parents will be waiting."
Alex replied with a nod, and hastily sought out Sonia for permission, and a jar of Sakai. Maddie sat down onto a chair in the reception area, sighing. She ignored the miscalls from her parents, texting them instead.
Be back home soon. I'm sorry.
She settled for scrolling through social media for a few minutes. Her last Instagram post had been the day of the party; a selfie the girls had taken on the dance floor while they were drunk and giggly. The flashing strobe lights highlighted their giddy features, and for a second she almost wished everything had always been that way. A group of best friends with lavish lives.
But of course, the picture was only an illusion. The truth was, they'd never felt like BFFs: more like a huddle of trusted acquaintances. Sure, they'd had their fair share of fun nights, but God knew what lurked beneath the alcohol and Burberry shopping bags. Rules, regulations. All of them under Madison Dominic's command.
Maybe there was still a chance for them. Who knew? One day, they could all be real best friends.
Just as Maddie was about to go stalk the other girls on Instagram, Alex rushed to her with a grin and a jar of cobalt blue powder.
"One jar of Sakai, for the queen herself." Alex chuckled. Maddie rolled her eyes, biting back a smartass remark. Taking the jar, she spun it around in her hands.
"So, I just sprinkle it on myself and I'm magically transported where I want to be? How the hell does that work?"
"I forgot," Alex said, twisting the lid of it open. "That you've never been taught before. It's hard to believe you're a magician. First, take a small amount of powder in your hands–"
Maddie followed, rummaging for a small puddle of the powder.
"Then, think of where you need to go. In your case, it's a filthy, nauseating can of garbage, and you'll need a memory too, like the time your bracelet fell in and you just had to follow–"
Whack. "Shut up, will you?"
"Alright, fine," Alex said, rubbing his shoulder vigorously and eyeing Maddie with a glare. "Just repeat after me. Oikos."
"Oikos," Maddie muttered.
"Now blow the powder gently."
Alex ended up with a blue coat of powder on his face. "Gently, woman, gently!"
Maddie stifled a snigger. With a small whoosh, the powder enveloped her senses and carried her into the air. For the first time, her stomach didn't churn like a spinning gear. In fact, the magic tickled her skin until she let out a yelp of laughter and multiple giggles.
Then, she thudded onto the front steps of her mansion.
"Crap..." she murmured, slapping her palm against her forehead. The gleaming sun was about to dip into the abyss below the horizon, signaling a glittering dark night sky. Cautiously, she pulled out her keys from her handbag, jiggling them in the keyhole as quietly as she felt humanly possible.
As she stepped inside, she heard footsteps click onto the polished hardwood floors from the kitchen, with distant mutters. It seemed her parents had been waiting the entire time.
But the earliest greeting she received was from her mother's beloved cat, Augustus. He had a shining coat of white fur and a graceful stride, with big ocean blue eyes. Even Maddie had to admit, he was gorgeous. With a meow, Augustus curled up against Maddie's leg and rubbed.
Much to Maddie's dismay, her mother had taken Augustus with her on her travels, claiming that she needed a source of "relaxation", which happened to be in the form of Maddie's most dear companion. The last few pets had been disastrous; a chirping bird that never shut up, or an overly aggressive German Shepard that frightened all the maids. Augustus was purfect.
"Come here, my darling." Maddie cooed, holding out her arms as Augustus leaped onto her chest. She sighed happily as she stuffed her face into his silky fur; he'd always been her favorite snuggle-buddy. Maddie adored him even more than her own parents.
"Madison." her mother said curtly, snapping her out of her little reverie. Her toxic lips were pulled into a gnarled sneer, the witchcraft oozing out of her sharp words and slicing at Maddie's mind.
Nervously, Maddie put Augustus back down on the floor, regardless of his displeased meow. Once again he curled onto her toes, and for that small show of affection, she was grateful. At least some people cared.
"I apologize, mother. I was out with–"
Suddenly, her father emerged from the kitchen, a broad grin stretching across his wrinkled, sweet face. "Hey, darling. Long time no see, kiddo! Come here, I've got something to show you."
With that, her father dragged her out of her perpetual mistake, saving her from an argument with her witch of a mother, whose features had twisted into a distasteful scowl. A soft hand landed on her shoulder, that of a reassuring pat.
"Sorry, Ellen," muttered Maddie's father. "We have to let it go. We left her alone, and she deserved company."
Then, he pulled Maddie away to his study, Augustus lapping behind them. Once they'd climbed up the winding wooden stairs and pushed the glass study door open, Maddie was revealed to a suitcase of beauties.
Packages and shopping bags of designer brands had been stuffed into her father's luggage, with slivers of pink tissue paper peeking out. Gifts.
As much as Maddie loved her father, and as much as she hoped he understood her, it was times like these she knew he didn't. No longer did she squeal at the sight of these luxuries – because whenever such gifts appeared, they were the thousand-dollar version of a heartfelt apology she'd never received.
Grumbling incoherently, she flashed a wry smile at her father and, with a hasty mutter
of thanks and a kiss, dragged the case to her room. She collapsed on her carpeted floors, huffing before she shoved the contents of riches into her closet.
A small meow sounded at her door. Chuckling to herself, Maddie reached to creak it open as Augustus strutted across the shining landing. The Persian cat jutted his head towards the stairs, and suddenly an aroma of rice and steak wafted across the house and stumbled into her room. Her stomach churned at the thought of dinner with her parents; it was always much too awkward for her taste.
With a sigh, she followed the cat downstairs and greeted her parents with an exhausted smile and drooping eyes. The orange lights of the kitchen cast a glow on her features, which seemed more sunken and worn than ever.
"Madison, dear, are you going to drop by the salon soon? I think it's time we got facials together... when was it last, what, nine months ago?" her mother said, with a smile that looked more like a grimace.
She knew this side of her mother. The rattlesnake was trying to be forgiving and kind for once, even though she was probably seething inside. For what? Maddie prioritizing her true company over her absentee parents? The woman's ears tinged pink – how did anyone in this family possess magical blood?
Annika was right about one thing; it was better for a magician to be special than merely spoilt and selfish. Perhaps that was why she seemed shocked that Maddie was a magician – she wouldn't lie, she did come off that way. Cruel. Selfish. Rich.
"I think Maddie looks fine," her father butt in, cutting into his food. "Just like your mother when she was younger."
Maddie lazily attempted a flustered smile, with little success. She exclaimed how exhausted she was, and ate her meal with no complaint, no conversation. It was awkwardly still; neither one of her parents wanted to let off an aura of annoyance, or perhaps a tense ambiance, but they were worried her disappearance hadn't been for good reason. How she could forget something like their homecoming they still couldn't comprehend.
Excusing herself, Maddie rose from her chair and placed her dish in the sink, where it would be washed by the maids tomorrow. They'd be coming home again, too.
Then, she trotted up the stairs, Augustus bounding up with her. He followed the girl into her room and snuggled onto her comforters, whilst she splashed her face with some water and brushed her teeth. Once she was dressed in her night clothes, she plopped onto her bed and began scrolling through her phone.
Suddenly, a message popped up onto her screen.
Alex: Go to bed, I can see you liking Instagram posts.
Her fingers flashed across the screen as Augustus peered closer in curiosity.
Maddie: Goodnight, Harrington.
She drew her curtains and did as she was told, clinging to her fluffy companion the whole time. The stars, moon, and sun all spun about her in her dreams, and with her magic alone she painted the galaxy that night.