Not for the first time, Jaehyun doubted to just get his stuff, leave and never look back. But that would mean giving up and if there was one thing he despised with his whole heart, it was giving up, so he swallowed his fears and stepped into the kitchen.
A swarm of noise gulfed over him as if he just entered a school canteen. The kitchen was bustling with people, of which some looked more human than others. Jaehyun saw a girl with cat ears peeking from her hair and a boy with fangs. Kun was in the middle of it all, stirring in a pan of spaghetti sauce as he chatted with an older girl next to him, who was cooking the pasta with sparkling silver magic.
Everyone fell silent as soon as Jaehyun set foot in the kitchen, watching him with interest. He hated being the center of attention, and everyone's eyes on him made him feel more uncomfortable than he'd ever been. Luckily, Irene sensed his uneasiness and threw an arm around his shoulders. Her touch was ice on the bare skin in his neck, but he didn't recoil.
"Guys, this is Jaehyun. Don't bother him, don't prank him and stop staring at him like he's an alien," Irene announced.
Jaehyun raised his hand in an awkward wave. "Hi."
The girl at the stove turned around with the brightest smile on her face and gave him an unexpected hug. "Welcome. My name's Jihyo. I'm the mom and co-leader of the coven."
Her warmth was a sharp contrast to Irene's cold arm draped around his neck and he leaned into it, placing his hands on her shoulders. It wasn't that he disliked being touched, but it was unfamiliar to him. He preferred expressing affection by his words and actions.
"It's nice to meet you," he said, when she released him.
She kept a hand on his shoulder as she introduced the others one by one. The girl with the cat ears, who meowed at him as a greeting, was named Yuqi. Cross-legged on the kitchen counter sat a boy with fangs and glowing red eyes, whose name was Ten. On the floor sat another boy, who at first sight appeared to look fairly normal, wasn't it for the green hints of scales in his neck. He introduced himself as Taeil.
The two giggling girls at the table were named Lia and Yuna, and opposite them sat at boy named Jungwoo, who huddled in a corner like he wanted to disappear in it.
"Is there anything particular I should know about any of you?" Jaehyun asked, sitting down in one of the empty chairs. With all the eyes locked onto his every movement, he felt like a prey animal.
"Well, I like spaghetti," Ten said, showing his sharp teeth in a wide smile. "I also like blood, my favorite is O negative, it's very sweet."
"Please, don't phrase it like that," Kun said, exasperated. "He'll think we're a bunch of serial killers."
"I was expecting a witch coven," Jaehyun said. He felt his aura heat up in defense as Ten's eyes roamed over him like he would make a nice desert.
"I'm a witch." Jihyo raised a hand, at which the two girls at the table followed suit. "Me too!"
Yuqi jumped from her spot on a cabinet and wiggled her fingers, little claws sprouting from the nails. "I'm half witch, half werecat."
"A what now?" Jaehyun asked, worried he'd heard it wrong.
"A werecat," she repeated, releasing a dramatic sigh. In a monotone voice, as if she'd explained it countless times, she recited: "Werecats are just like werewolves, only we change into cats. We're dependent on the moon for our strength and we're allergic to silver."
Jaehyun blinked, processing the information. "Okay, cool."
Yuqi grinned, satisfied with the reply, and swiped a bowl of grapes towards her, picking the fruit apart from the branches with impossibly long nails. It was a strange sight and Jaehyun had to tear his gaze away to look at Ten, who sat in the centre of the table. "Vampire, I suppose."
Ten booped Jaehyun's nose with his pointy finger. "Nope."
"Then what?" Jaehyun swatted his hand away from his face.
"Ten is a vetala, which is basically an Hindu vampire," Kun explained, placing a massive pan with spaghetti on the table.
"I'm not a vampire," Ten said, indignant. "I exist between life and death. I can show you the past, the present and the future."
Jaehyun raised his eyebrows. "I can see the present, it's standing in my way."
Lia and Yuna whistled when Ten dramatically jumped off the table and pointed at Jaehyun. "You know, I think I might like you."
"Thanks," Jaehyun said. "I'm honored."
More people appeared in the kitchen, some stepped from the shadows, others walked through the door. Yet all of them had a magical feeling surrounding them. It flickered in the air like the prickly feeling before a thunderstorm. Jaehyun had never felt so at ease and uncomfortable at the same time.
All introduced themselves to him one by one. He learned that including him, there were twelve official witch residents in the house. Apart from the ones he already met, there were two botanical witches named Wendy and Soyeon, and two witch apprentices named Sungchan and Hendery. Furthermore, there was a kitsune named Yuta, who had three foxtails swinging behind him and stared at him with pure white eyes. And lastly, he discovered the boy on the floor, Taeil, was a siren, which explained the scales in his neck.
The Devilish Duo, as he'd dubbed Yangyang and Renjun in his head, were also apprentices, although only Renjun was an actual witch. What Yangyang was, he didn't know yet, but judging from the blue light flashing in his eyes, he didn't want to know.
During dinner, Kun and Jihyo explained to him that they had opened the coven house for all magical creatures, although it wasn't official. They emphasized it had to be kept a secret from the High Coven. They also explained that the purpose of the coven was to learn from each other, which meant that the older members would teach the apprentices, but he should see it more as a study group than a school.
"You wouldn't want more school after school," Jihyo said cheerfully.
Jaehyun almost choked on his spaghetti. "I have to go to school?"
"You haven't finished high school yet," Jihyo said, a stern look in her eyes. "I asked your mother permission to sign you up at the school nearby, where all of our apprentices go."
"My mother?" Jaehyun asked, feeling a slight panic.
"Your stepmother," Kun said. "Mrs. Lee. I know you haven't seen your actual mother in a year."
Jaehyun breathed out, feeling his heart calm down. Yet, at the back of his mind, there was also a spark of disappointment. "Okay."
"You'll start monday morning," Jihyo said, patting his hand. "We'll give you a weekend to adjust."
"I can't wait," Jaehyun said.
《《》》
Whomst the fuck decided to make Sticker the title track instead of Lemonade?? I just wanna talk.
YOU ARE READING
PHANTOM || jaewin
Fanfiction"I could've died!" "That's unfortunate." Rogue witch Jaehyun joins a coven in Los Angeles to gain control over his powers, accidentally falls for his annoying roommate and saves the whole witching world in the process. The sequel to Illusion, but...
