AFTERGLOW [TWW √]

✵Chapter One✵

The school life of the students at Cackle's Academy is going on well as usual, this time without any sudden and absurd catastrophic events.
The only event that caused a stir among the students was a month ago; Ethel Hallow's public declaration of love to Mildred Hubble.
Even the professors were visibly astonished, perhaps Miss Hardbroom a little less so than the others.
Somehow there was a mutual agreement among all the women present, young and old, to keep the girls' new relationship a school secret; not a word about it made it beyond the castle walls to the curious ears of the parents.
Ethel and Mildred's young love has brought a breath of fresh air into their lives.
Their school life is no longer boring, animated by short stolen kisses in the corridors between lessons, weekends spent in the green gardens in bloom thanks to spring and finally, Ethel seems to be a new person.
Where anger and sadness once resided is now warm and full.

Who knew that the perfect student with an apparent heart of ice could fall apart at a simple crush?
Maud of course is still reluctant to trust the blonde, after all, it wouldn't be the first time she's devised complicated plans to get up to something and blame it on the trio.
Enid immediately dropped her animosity towards Ethel after seeing Mildred watching Ethel during class; hopelessly in love with her old rival.
Well, no cataclysmic events, but there are certainly no shortage of surprises.
Something in Ethel has changed, it's not known when this new blossoming started and the two girls don't intend to investigate, it's personal stuff and sticking their noses in it for now doesn't seem like the right thing to do.

Even her room has changed, its formerly bare and all too boring side is now chock full of posters a little too black, with boys and girls with spiky and quirky hair styles.
Another surprise for Mildred was to discover that in fact the blonde witch is not as perfect as her mother thinks, her taste in music speaks for itself: Ethel apparently is more like an electric guitar at a punk concert than a violin at the opera.
Not that she minds, discovering new hidden sides of who is now her girlfriend gives her a lot of pleasure, also because she seems much more open and less aggressive towards everyone.
Well maybe not towards everyone; during a school trip with Pentangle students she was reprimanded and punished for a week for getting into a fight with a fifth year boy.
No one could figure out why, but knowing Ethel's composure she certainly didn't break out for some silly reason.
Another thing Mildred added to her "Ethel and her hidden abilities" list was Ethel's ability to pick fights, and to hide like a skilled thief a large, studded, dangerous-looking bracelet with a simple spell.
Another rule broken besides the posters in the room, which by now all the students have begun to ignore in order to better decorate the cold smooth stone walls of the castle.

For some reason both Miss Cackle and Hardbroom seem to avoid calling her mother to talk to her about the recent broken rules and more, Mildred thinks Mrs. Hallow is simply too busy to resolve certain issues with her own daughters.
Sybil has recently started taking remedial classes, Ethel no longer has much time to help her with her homework with the difficult and frequent tests that third grade girls like them have to complete a minimum of three times a week.
In spite of everything it is clearly visible of how the relationship between the two Hallow sisters has improved, it is not hard to ignore little Sybil who often enters her older sister's room and vice versa.

Mildred doesn't think much of these changes, after all they are positive and digging too deep into the positive sometimes isn't the right thing to do.
Her girlfriend is happy, more so than she has been in previous years and this time they are happy together, and that's enough for her.

Ethel can't say the same thing though.
Not all that glitters is studs and freedom, and she knows it.
Ignoring her return to the fake perfect reality that surrounded her doesn't make it endless, sooner or later it all ends.
Interrupting her thoughts is Mildred, who enters her room without knocking with a big smile on her face.
<<Ethel! Have you heard the news?>> she says, trying to contain her obvious bursting happiness.
<<Well, if I'm here in my room studying, unlike you, I guess not!>> Ethel replies sarcastically, but without the classic hint of venom as in the past.
She closes the book and waits with a small smile for Mildred to return to her happy babbling.
Mildred unceremoniously lays down on her bed and starts talking again, Ethel listens intently without
missing a word.
<<Miss Cackle has just announced a school dance in honor of the return of spring, the whole school will be there and the Pentangle students too!
The best thing, of course after the buffet, is the freedom to wear what you want, as long as some little rules are respected; but I don't doubt that Miss Hardbroom isn't ready to slap some Pentangle students but you know...>>
Ethel pretends to distract herself with one of the perfectly sharpened pencils on her desk, then looks sideways at Mildred again with a sly little smile.
<<You're here to invite me to the dance then? >>
Mildred blushes quickly, lowering her gaze to her red shoes, trying not to stutter.
<<Well yes, Ethel Hallow would you like to be my official date for the Spring Ball?>>
Ethel blushes slightly too at the sudden jolt of courage from her girlfriend, and rises from her creaking chair to gently grasp Mildred's hand and leave a gentle kiss on it.
<<Of course my darling! I can't wait to dance!>>
Both girls burst out laughing as Mildred awkwardly gets out of bed.
<<Well, I'll get back to Maud and Enid now and leave you to your interesting notes, see you later for dinner!>>
Mildred says, wiping small tears from the sides of her eyes and then leaving a quick kiss on Ethel's lips.
Ethel sighs happily after Mildred closes the door behind her, showing and becoming who she really is is certainly not an easy road for her, but some results never cease to amaze her and make her heart race.

But of course, not everything can start and end well, and Ethel knows that.

Mildred looks at Ethel as if she were something, someone, extraordinary like a beautiful goddess.
She notices her small smiles, her slight embarrassment that colors her cheeks red at the smallest of gestures, even for a kiss on the cheek.
She sometimes finds it hard to believe that the brightest and most beautiful girl in the entire academy is her girlfriend.
Obviously she doesn't leave her friends on the sidelines, she continues to spend time with them carving out various spaces to include Ethel as well.
Sybil with her friends Clarice and Bea also join the cheerful group sometimes; when little Hallow understood what was happening she immediately warned the red-haired witch to treat her beloved sister well and to thank her for encouraging Ethel to change for the better.

But not everything is good as it seems.
Ethel knows that her mother is invited to the Grand Spring Ball of the academy, like all the parents of the students.

Despite everything, she is still very afraid of her mother and her sharp judgment.
Somewhere inside her the hope of gaining affection from her mother is still alive, but it hides just like her secret.
Mildred has always had a loving and caring mother, but the three Hallow sisters sadly always worked hard for every bit of attention.
Ethel knows that her mother does not deserve all of her efforts and energy spent on making her proud.
But she can't stand the idea of having to get away from her sisters and her home, her mother is incredibly cold and ignorant and her father is absent, but her home remains a safe place full of memories for her.
Not to mention her fantastic new relationship with Sybil, thinking about abandoning her in the solitude of that house with only Esme to keep her company breaks her heart.
All she can do now is explain the situation to Mildred and cancel their prom date.
Pretending to be sick is stupid since the redhead can now easily read her face when she lies, she's an open book for her girlfriend.

Now all she has to do is wait for the right moment to break the news to Mildred.

_______________

«Hardbroom will be angry for sure, you could have just used a spell for lost things!»
Mildred is worried, the second lesson of the day is with Miss Hardbroom and she is late because of Ethel.
«Well, it's a really expensive leather choker I didn't want to risk ruining it with a spell gone wrong!» says Ethel.
«But you are never wrong, I don't understand the reason for this sudden worry..»
Mildred rolls her eyes and Ethel can't help but think about how cute she is.

Ethel hadn't actually lost her choker and wasn't afraid to fail the spell, she was simply trying to find the courage to tell Mildred about their date while they were alone in her room.
She obviously failed like a coward.

It's really hard for her to say such a thing when Mildred does nothing but talk about her dress and how she can't wait to dance with her in front of everyone else.
Maud said she finds all this excitement about the date quite childish, after all it's just a school dance.
Ethel thinks that they have the right to be stupidly happy for anything since it is their young and first relationship, some things have to be lived fully because they do not come back.
She can only be happy watching Mildred's face light up even for the simplest things.
Accepting their sexual orientation at fourteen was difficult and they deserve all the happiness in the world.

Finally their run through the corridors ends and they arrive in class, Mildred goes to sit between Maud and Enid while Ethel closes the door behind her, going to sit in her usual place last.
«Finally the two lovebirds arrived, albeit late.»
Oddly, Hardbroom seems in a good mood.
«Two hours of cleaning in the kitchen after class as punishment, too many delays this week!»
Adds the black-haired witch soon after, returning to her seat starting to explain the topic of the lesson where she left off when the two students arrived.
Mildred looks closely at Ethel sitting nearby, who is already taking notes bent slightly forward while her hand seems to write at an inhuman speed.
And the blonde doesn't miss the opportunity to throw a little magic note while Hardbroom writes something on the board.
"You better pay attention to the lesson and take notes!"
A little angry face drawn at the end of the message makes Mildred smile, and she keeps the note between the pages of her notebook.