Let Me Be Your Home

Cordelia's POV

She was brought in only an hour ago, but I feel like I've been staring at her for an eternity. Zoe carried her back after witnessing an incident where this girl used her powers against a man who wouldn't leave her alone. She saw the two of them talking, and was about to swoop in to rescue the girl when she was thrown off balance by the girl's power. Zoe had never seen anything like it. One minute, this guy was harassing this girl, and the next they were both on the ground. Zoe rushed to the girl, who was thankfully still breathing. She didn't understand how that much force had come out of someone that small. Still, Zoe knew there was only one place to take her where she would be safe.

And here she is, lying in my bed. I start to wonder what color her eyes are. I gently run my fingers through her hair, just waiting for her to awaken. And at that moment, she does.

Her eyes are the deepest blue I have ever seen. Almost like the ocean. My mouth opens as I try to speak, but I can't find any words. I want to introduce myself, or explain how she got here. But all I can do is stare into her eyes.

Finally, she clears her throat, and says softly, "You're not the man who was harassing me."

I chuckle softly. "No, sweetheart, I'm not. My name is Cordelia."

She looks up into my eyes, and I can't think of anything else to say.

"Where am I?"

"You're at Miss Robichaux's Academy, a school for young witches."

"Why did you bring me here?"

I try to remain calm, even as the girl becomes frightened. She tries to sit up, but I gently push her back down. "You need to rest. From what I hear, you fell pretty hard." She doesn't fight me, but she does look at the hand I've just placed on her. I don't take it away, though. 

"He had it coming. I don't know what I did, but whatever it was, he deserved it."

"What happened that made your powers come out like that?"

"He kept touching me. He wouldn't leave me alone. He grabbed my waist, then my chest..." She looks back at my hand, which rests right where her heart is. I pull my arm back slowly, realizing that I shouldn't have touched her without permission. She continues, "He grabbed my ass, so I slapped him. Or, I tried to at least. He grabbed my wrist before I could. He held it so tightly..." Her eyes have started to fill with tears, and it takes all of my strength to resist reaching out for her again. I glance towards her wrist, where I see the mark he left on her. 

"I'm so sorry, sweetheart."

"I was so angry. The next thing I knew I was falling backwards, onto the ground. And when I opened my eyes, I saw you," she says, finishing her story.

"What is your name?"

"Lucy," the girl replies.

"Lucy," I repeat softly, "What a beautiful name." She smiles. "Well, Lucy, you were brought here by a woman named Zoe who witnessed the incident. She says that both you and the man were knocked backwards by a powerful force that came from you in a moment of extreme emotion. She could tell you were one of us."

"You mean, a witch?"

"Yes. Have you ever exhibited powers like these before?"

She shakes her head. "Nothing quite this strong. I've been able to hear people's thoughts before, though."

"That is definitely a sign that this is where you belong. Is your mother a witch? Or anyone else in your family?"

"I don't know. I mean, I don't think so. But I haven't seen my mother in years."

This strikes me as odd. This girl can't be more than 19 or 20 years old. "What do you mean?"

"She kicked me out when I was 16. I haven't seen her since the day she told me I would burn in hell for my sins. Those were actually the last words she said to me."

I want to ask more questions, to find out what she's talking about. Why was she kicked out? What did her mother mean by those words? 

But one question rose above all the others floating through my head. Why am I so drawn to this girl?