"Finn I don't think we should be in here, what if we get caught?" I said as I gazed into his bright blue eyes. He had the same care free disposition as always, a quality I admired about him.
"We'll be fine Altiair— Not only did we do a cloaking spell but we made sure we were invisible before coming in, nobody saw us." Finn replied staring back into mine. We had already reversed the spell so we could see each other now of course.
"I guess your right... I just worry about what would happen if we were caught by the superiors" He smiled at me vehemently and I knew exactly what that meant, he thought I was overreacting.
"Shh! You worry to much— dont be afraid of what could happen... just live" He leaned in to kiss me, I leaned in as well.
Although we weren't supposed to be doing this, the danger somehow made it more exhilarating. Of course the higher ups wouldn't approve but we didn't care, we were in love and true love has no fear.
His soft thin lips pressed against mine and it felt as if we were the only two people in the world. We began taking off our clothes when suddenly, the door opened aggressively.
I looked up in horror to see the very thing I was afraid of looking down on me as if I commited an act worse than murder.
"What is this?" One of the superiors, Kane, shouted at us angrily. Kane was the head superior of The Orphic Academy. He was tall, intimidating, and mingy, especially to Finn and I. His mid-length dirty blonde hair bristled above his shoulders as he spoke.
"Mr. Wardwell we–" I said, frightened. I was at a loss for words so I couldn't think of anything else to say. He gave me a menacing look, something straight out of a horror movie. A genre I was all too familiar with.
I couldn't believe we got caught, and I didn't understand how either. I was so sure we covered our tracks.
"Get up and get out of this room... and report to my office, IMMEDIATELY!"
Finn and I rushed out and went straight to his office, hoping we wouldn't be punished for skipping class to make out. As we entered the main academy building, the other superiors of the school we're scowling at us as if they already knew, and still, I pranced around proudly with my head held high because I wasn't ashamed, I had no reason to be. It actually felt good to not have to hide and supress myself any longer.
Once we entered his office we closed the door and sat down, waiting for him to come and shout at us even more. We were on the edge of our seats and quaking with fear. I couldn't stop thinking about what our punishment would be, it couldn't be that bad, right?
His office is the biggest in the school, it was decorated extravagantly. His paintings alone were probably worth more than my childhood home. The rugs in his office were meticulously placed and matched his large red desk perfectly.
Although mean and unnecessarily strict, I had to at least commend Kane for having good taste.
"I told you I had a bad feeling about today Finn— we are witches, you should've listened to me" I snapped, he just frowned as his eyes trailed the designs of the rugs.
"I know... I just don't understand how we got caught though-" he replied before suddenly, Kane teleported into the room.
"Because you two ran off and skipped class for the hundredth time, so we used a locator spell to find you. It seems you should be paying more attention in class because an invisibility spell means nothing if you don't block anyone from being able to find you." Kane preached as he walked into the room.
"Sir, we're sorry it will never happen again" Finn promised, I just looked at him helplessly. Even being as scared as I was, I knew I couldn't promise him that.
"I know it wont, ill make sure of it— You two went too far this time" He seemed disappointed, and before he continued, he quickly took a sip of his tea. His arrogance always annoyed me but now more than ever, it almost pained me to hide it.
"What does that mean?" I asked, clenching my jaw. "Are you going to separate us or something?" Kane looked at me us with nothing but contempt in his eyes, my hands were sweating from being so nervous.
"Well, what do you two think the punishment should be for this atrocity?" He asked us, Finn was clearly speechless.
"I don't know, maybe extra chores for a month" I said with clear sarcasm behind it, the slight grin on my face probably didn't help.
Kane must have thought that was hilarious because he started to chuckle. That gave me a glimmer of hope, like maybe we wouldn't be punished after all, thanks to my fantastic sense of humor.
"Im thinking of something more...effective" he replied before sending us flying to the wall with a simple wave of his hand.
As I hit the wall I felt a sharp pain in my back, I groaned but still tried to stay strong. We were now pressed against the wall while also being about a foot above the ground. The pressure of his magic was overwhelming, he is one of the strongest witches in the academy so I shouldn't have been surprised.
"Are you two insane and or just plain stupid?" He shouted "Do you really think we would allow people of your kind to just roam around these halls freely?" I tried turning my head away from him, he forced it back with magic.
"Sir we—"
"We will not allow you two to poison the impressionable younger kids in this school with this perversion!"
That cut deep, he said our kind as if we weren't normal, and poisoning the other kids? Of course I knew he wouldn't approve but still, it hurt.
I began crying of course, I felt like such a freak.
"We can't help it, its just who we are...I love him" Finn cried out. That seemed to infuriate him even more.
Suddenly he lifted Finn and I higher up using his powers.
"Shut up! You're even more weak and pitiful than I thought, I fear you two are too far gone!" He snapped, my sadness was slowly turning into anger. How was this not considered an abuse of power? I mean assaulting two teenagers who are clearly weaker than you is as low as it gets. "Now go outside so we can finish this accordingly" What did that even mean?
As we walked outside of the room, the other superiors and students were all staring at us, some in disappointment and others with sadness. My best friend Michael seemed to be crying. He already knew but im sure this wasn't easy to watch.
Once we made it to the big field behind The Orphic Academy, I began to grow even more scared of what our punishment would be.
It was extremely humid outside today, the sun was scorching. I always preferred the fall so it just added on to my already horrible day. The wind was blowing though so that helped.
"Wh- What are you going to do with us" I asked frantically.
"That all depends on you" Kane replied, pointing at the both of us. "You need to tell us that you'll never see or speak to each other ever again and we can forget this ever happened"
I couldn't believe this was happening, that he would force to be apart just for being in love, but an even bigger question crossed my mind in this moment, what would he do if we refused?
"Sir, I don't understand— Whats so wrong with us being together?" I'm sure I sounded helpless and pathetic but it was a genuine question.
His expression turned hard "Because its abnormal, and I will not stand for it!" he replied angrily. I put my head down and wept harder. I heard a chuckle come from Finn, which confused me.
"Its funny because, I used to feel so bad for so humans for having to deal with this. It always made me sick that they used religion and their own beliefs to be hateful to one another, and here you are doing the same thing. We're witches, we don't even live by thise rules— but clearly that same belief system rubbed off on even you, Mr. Wardwell, so stupid" Finn snapped while holding back his tears "I wont run away from who I am, so my answer to your ultimatum is NO!"
I was so shocked that Finn would speak to a superior that way. I never doubted it but this moment was confirmation that he loved me as much as I love him.
"Well then so be it... you will be punished just as others were in the past" He snapped as he unleashed the power of his eyes onto me. I couldn't help but to think though, were their others here like Finn and I who were punished just for being themselves?
"What are you gonna do?" Finn asked, his gaze had nothing but anger behind them.
"Strip you of your powers temporarily, until you learn your lesson!" Kane was always really mean, almost to the point of being evil even but this was extreme, even for him. I didn't understand why this was happening. It felt he was doing this purposely to make my life miserable, it all felt so personal.
My heart was racing and I couldnt help but to think the worst. Finn received his powers after a fatal car crash that nearly killed him and his mother. In fact, he was dying right before he received them.
"Please don't— because of the state he was in when he received his powers, we don't know what that will do to him" I worried, Kane just rolled his eyes as if that meant nothing to him. "You know his story, you can't do this!"
"Well he shouldn't have disrespected me and refused to follow my rules.... That comes with consequences Altiair" Kane replied before holding his hand out towards Finn. "Something tells me he'll be fine"
Finn began to quiver and weaken as Kane stripped him of his powers. I could see cuts and bruises being to form all over his body.
"Finn no!" I cried out, I tried rush over to help him but was thrown across the field by another superior.
As the last whisps of magic left Finn's body, he ceased to move. I ran over to him to see if he was breathing, and from what I could tell, he wasn't. It was as if losing his powers made his body revert back to the state it was in right after the car crash.
"What did you do?" Tears streamed down my face, almost making it hard for me to see clearly. "You're the reason he's dead!" Kane looked a bit shocked by what happened, almost as if he didn't expect it.
"No he did this to himself, and you helped!" One of the superiors, Jade, replied calmly. Her tone was empty and lacked emotion. What made her reaction even more unusual was that she was Finn's mother, it left me completely perplexed, unable to think of a reply. "It was your love for each other that did this!" Her tone was almost robotic and it came out so easily, as if she was reading a script, as if she didn't just watch the life leave her sons body. I couldn't find a logical reason why she'd be okay with this, she loved Finn so much.
"Your own son, how could you?" I said angrily while looking at her at disgust.
"You're right... he was my son and I loved him so much — May he rest in peace" There was little to no emotion behind that statement. I couldn't get over it, her reaction was completely unnatural. "However, if this is what the head superior wants, so it shall be done" The dull look in her eyes made her unrecognizable, How could she be so numb and unfazed by what just happened?
By this point, my sadness had turned into anger because the man that I had loved since the very first day I met him, was now dead. I had already lost my parents at a very young age so Finn was really the only true family I had other than my best friend Michael and my friend Kiara.
"So whats it gonna be, will you leave this unnatural behavior of yours behind you or will you have your powers stripped as well?" Kane asked with a sinister smile on his face. He seemed to be enjoying this, almost as if he planned it.
As I stood there confused and seething with anger, it suddenly hit me. Nothing else mattered anymore, I had to fight or die trying and I didn't plan on dying. Not before I got older and became the head superior of The Orphic Academy. I had to save these kids from the lowlife degenerate that is Kane Wardwell.
In life we have a choice to either live for ourselves or live up to the expectations of others, and I, Altiair Wick, will not be told how to live my life by anyone, no matter how powerful. I will live my life for me and nobody else, I will do what Finn wanted to but couldn't anymore.
"Don't be afraid of what could happen... just live" I mumbled to myself remembering what Finn would always say to me.
I don't know what came over me but I no longer felt weak and fragile. I wanted to fight, but not just for me— for Finn too.
"I will not supress who I am for any of you!" I shouted as I clenched my fists. I could hear the gasps of my classmates and teachers. The superiors all looked at me humorously, as if they didn't take me seriously. That pissed me off. "I WILL NOT LET ANY OF YOU TELL ME WHAT I CAN AND CAN'T DO OR WHO I'M ALLOWED TO LOVE!"
"So brave and yet so foolish and weak minded" Kane said chuckling "So be it, you will be stripped of your powers as well but at least you wont die, that wasn't supposed to happen"
Kane put his hand out to take my powers but I knew I couldn't let him.
"Impetum repellere" I shouted a spell that blocks incoming magic. He should have been able to easily overpower it but somehow I actually managed to block his magic.
"He's blocking my powers... this cant be" Kane was in complete disbelief.
"What? How is that even possible?" I heard one of the students say.
"No, he cannot be stronger than a superior better yet the head superior" Jade mumbled. I honestly doubted I was stronger. It was probably a temporary boost of power, resulting from my trauma.
"Weren't his mother and father were superiors?" I heard one of the teachers mumble. "I mean they were the most gifted witches in the academy, im sure that magic was passed down. Plus the Wicks are regarded as one of the most powerful bloodlines in existence."
Everyone was looking around in shock and honestly, I was even shocked myself. I guess I've spent so much of my life being told what to do, I never actually knew how strong I was at full power.
"Well I guess you'll have to be put down after all" Kane snapped. He seened embarrassed by what just happened. He just glared at me with his angry green eyes.
Before he could even attack I threw him across the field just as he did me and chanted "quieti nunc!" while he was still in the air. The spell was a temporary sleep spell. It was one of the weaker ones so I knew it'd only last about thirty minutes at most.
"How are you this strong? Your only seventeen" Jade shrieked
"I guess your not so superior after all... just older" I said sarcastically with a slight grin on my face. I then threw Jade across the field as well and she ended up next to Kane. I chanted the same spell on her and they both now laying on the ground asleep. I quickly rushed to get my stuff and leave because I knew that after today, I would not be welcomed here.
Right before I got to my room, my favorite of the superiors and one of the professors, Luxx, stopped me. His soft brown skin glistened in the sunlight that shining in from a window inside and he was out of breath, as if he had been running.
"Listen, if you are here to stop me I will take you out just like I did them— even though it would hurt me to have to do that!" I snapped, my tone was sharp.
"Im not here to stop you, I'm here to help you!" He promised in a soft comforting voice "Im just like you, except you have the courage to do what I never did, come out and stand up for yourself" He gave me a look of admiration, his dark brown eyes were glossy. I could tell he was about to cry.
"Your gay?" I asked, shocked.
"Yes, and I know how it feels to be afraid... but your brave and strong— something I could never be"
"Your wrong, it takes lots of courage to know who you are and hide it to protect yourself... come with me!" I suggested, he just stared at me with uncertainty.
"I can't... I've dedicated my life to this place and I wont turn my back on these kids... and future kids that could be like us" he insisted. I knew he was right, he couldn't leave even if he wanted to.
"Okay, but I promise you that once I'm ready... once I'm at full power I will come back and save this place from Kane, Jade, and anybody else that would stop anyone from being themselves" I assured him "whether that be gay, trans, bi, or just different"
"You're resilient and so smart, you always have been. I'm sad to see you go but I know you'll be okay, you're a Wick afterall." He grinned before hugging me tightly. "Take Michael with you, she shouldn't be here either." My eyes immediately lit up.
"Why are you calling Michael a she?"
"Because she isn't a boy and I think you and I have both known that for a while. I'm willing to bet you don't completely feel like one either... now take her with you" Luxx demanded, I didn't know what he meant by that but I definitely did later on.
"Okay— I will!"
"Also take this spell book, its big and it will teach you everything you need to know plus more— even the things we're not allowed to teach most kids here. Im holding you to your promise, I dont care how long it takes. Whether that be weeks, years, or months... you come back and take Kane down." I smiled and nodded at him. It meant alot that he was risking everything to help me get away.
"Thank you Professor Luxx, For everything— when my parents died you stepped up and became the closest thing to one.... I will never forget that!" I assured him. He paused for a moment and stared at me happily. I could tell that meant alot to him. "Please be careful."
He smiled at me and said "Your welcome and no, you be careful I've been pretending for over thirty years Altiair" he replied "Now go"
I went to my room and grabbed everything I possibly could in one trip when suddenly Michael walked in. Tears were rushing down his radiant brown skin, he looked devasted.
"Where are you going Altiair?" He asked anxiously.
"Im not sure yet but you're coming with me, so grab your stuff" I demanded "its not safe for you here either, now go!" He was dropped off here as a baby so he had no real family here, just Finn and I, but Finn was gone. I had to look out for him now.
Michael quickly ran to his room to get his stuff and when he was finished met me back in mines. We immediately left and were now on our way to nowhere.
We were now just walking around trying to figure out what to do next.
"I know Michael" I said mysteriously as we were walking down a long empty road. "But the question is how did Luxx know"
"He caught me a few times wearing women's clothes and then found a spell I tried to create to change genders and I think he put two and two together" Michael admitted
"So is this what you really want? You want to transition?" I asked. He stopped walking for a moment and took a deep breath. As if this was going to be the most important thing he'd ever said before.
"Yes I do, I know you may think of me differently but this isn't who I am... I don't and have never felt like a boy" Michael replied somberly with his head down. He had really long hair and it was usually in a ponytail but it was all down right now.
As I looked at him, no, as I looked at her, I saw her beyond what she looked like physically. I saw her for who she was inside, and in this moment, it all clicked.
"Think of you differently? I love you even more now! Do you know how bad I wanted a girl best friend Michael?" I replied smiling, she began laughing and nudged me.
"Haha very funny! But don't call me Michael... call me...Calluna" she insisted almost as if she had the name planned already and knowing her, she did. She seemed relieved, lighter almost. "Clearly this is something I've thought about for a long time.
"Of course, Calluna!" I smiled
"So where are we going?" She asked, I looked around us in confusion because honestly, I had no clue.
"Not sure yet but I know one thing... someway and somehow I want to create a safe space for everyone and anyone who needs it. I want to find people who are different just like us, people who were Exiled or ran away. I wanna teach them everything and show them what it feels to be loved unconditionally and what its like to have a real family. I want that for the both of us!" I explained, she was nodding her head at every sentence, I knew she understood more than anyone. "I want them to understand that being different just makes you... more interesting"
"Do what Kane and Jade were afraid to do... let people be themselves without limitations" she replied "I'm down!"
I came to a stop looked over the bridge we were walking on and got a look at the beautiful view in front of us and said "Im thinking maybe California?"