Hidden Magic

Chapter Seven

I am standing in a dark forest, I try to move only to stop short as my hands are tied together above my head. I look up though in the dark of night I can only barely see them surrounded by crude rope made of vines, though it's apparently very strong as I pull, and it won't even budge. I look down towards my feet and see they too are tied with vines, I can feel with my hands that I am tied to a large wooden pole, one that forces me to stand even though my legs feel week enough to collapse beneath me.

I hear a twig snap, and my head whips up, only to see a beautiful women walk freely towards me, a knife glimmers in her hand even in this dark forest. I struggle against my bonds, trying to get free, as she gets closer and closer to me, smirking at me cruelly. "Why are you doing this!" I scream the words out as she gets close enough for me to feel her warm breath on my chilled skin.

"Because you are going to be sacrificed!" She raises her knife and swings the blade down at me, no mercy in her eyes at all, only a crazed glint that I can see even on this moonless night.

I scream and flinch back, my eyes tightly squeezed shut, only the knife never comes, I don't feel any pain at all. Opening my eyes warily, I blink in confusion as I take in my surroundings, I wasn't in the forest anymore, but a bedroom, as my mind slowly calms, I realize that it is my bedroom, at Crest-Fallen Academy, I go to move and my heart races as I feel something restricting my legs.

But I calm down after noticing it is only the blanket, what a strange dream, I had never seen that woman before, how could she be in my dream, or rather nightmare I suppose. I drag my body from the middle of the bed and flip the blankets up, I stand up and stretch, before turning around to right the blankets, I stumble back in shock as I see a man lying in my bed, a man I had never seen before. "Who the hell are you!" He stares at me with amusement and surprise, not seemingly the least bit embarrassed for coming into my room while I was sleeping. He was handsome, pale and lithe, but incredibly beautiful, though I think he had purple eyes.

"Interesting, he said you could see him, that you somehow found him during the induction ceremony, none of us believed him, I came here to prove him wrong, but it seems he wasn't lying, you my dear girl, are certainly an intriguing creature." I sputter, not really knowing what to say, he knew something about the man I had found, the true mentor I had been guided to rather than Alyssa? "We will be seeing each other again soon, dove, have no doubt about that." He winks at me and then a puff of black smoke envelops him, and he disappears, not black smoke, shadows, who the hell were these men that seemed so surprised that I could see them?

I rub my eyes, and look again, but he wasn't there anymore, if he had been to begin with, maybe I was still half-asleep and imagining this. I stumble towards the bathroom, still feeling beyond weirder out, if there was another strange man in my bathroom, I was turning around and going right back to sleep, because I obviously hadn't had enough if I was hallucinating strange men invading my privacy and then disappearing from view in a strange burst of shadows. After making sure there were no strange men hiding in the bathroom, I splashed my face with cold water to ensure that I was completely awake and then headed over to the closet to change into my uniform, choosing a skirt that ended mid thigh and the flats, because I didn't trust myself to have good balance first thing in the morning after the bizarre dream and subsequent hallucinations.

I step out of the closet after changing, tilting my head in surprise as I notice a strange bag placed just on the inside of my room by the door, I had never seen it before, so it certainly wasn't mine. I approach it cautiously, wary of who might have put it there, I see a folded-up note on the top and pick it up.

Karinna, I forgot to take you to the Sira Branch supply closet yesterday, usually your mentor is supposed to do that, but you know Alyssa, anyways after I had to deal with one of the other first years getting bitten by a pixie, it slipped my mind until late last night. Figuring you would already be asleep, I took the trouble of gathering the required supplies and books you need for your classes. The bag is a gift from me, very useful thing to have to carry around all your work and not lose anything, I noticed you didn't have anything like that. I had an early class today and didn't want to wake you, so I placed this just inside your door, I hope you don't mind. Feel free to come find me if you have any more questions or concerns.