Morana knows she's different from other people in more ways than one. Firstly, she's sixty-seven years old but stopped ageing in her twenties. Weird things have also happened around her right after she's wished for it. But most importantly, no matte...
I spent almost every evening practicing magic with Alejo. He had started by teaching me how to make my magic come forth and make it dance around me like a force field. Then using it to sense his magic. After that we had started on some spells.
It was very different from how I had imagined. I had assumed it was all about saying some well-chosen words and stuff would happen. Saying words was a part of it, but it was mainly in some ancient language, which sounded like gibberish to me. But then to that there wasn't any waving of a wand needed, though some spells had some ridiculous hand movements to them. Instead, it was a lot about picturing things inside your head, mainly different complex patterns.
It was also a lot more theoretical than I had imagined. Learning about the different patterns and what they actually represented. According to Alejo, once I understood that, I would be able to create my own spells.
It really was like being back in school. Only also not at all.
I had always done well in school. But that had been the result of hard work steaming from a desire to be perfect so people would like me. I had never really enjoyed it. This was different though. It was complicated and hard at times, but it was interesting and, according to Alejo, I learned it all quickly.
Towards the end of October, I had learned how to call objects which were in the same room as me to me. That had been the first more proper magic Alejo had taught me. I had also learned how to scry at my request. I guessed my desire to learn that wasn't one hundred percent decent, because knowing how to made me feel more secure that I would never lose Alejo. If he would disappear on me again, I could always find him, no matter where he was.
We had also gotten started on levitation. I could make myself hoover in the air a few feet over the ground and was working on figuring out how I could use that same spell to make other objects than me levitate. Alejo, of course, could have shown me the proper spell, but he wanted me to figure it out as a test to see if I had learned enough of the theoretical knowledge to transform a spell meant for something to do something similar but not quite the same.
It was the 27th of October and I was in the staffroom trying to figure out the last quirks of the spell. I had ended up going into work less and less, it just didn't seem as important anymore. Alejo paid for basically all food, even when I tried to insist on paying parts of it, and since I didn't have to pay rent either, my need for money was almost gone. Besides, it was so much more fun to be at home with Alejo, practicing magic, and it also felt much more important. So my number of sick days had rapidly been going up.
But I knew I had to get back into work. If I was gone too much, I would risk losing the job and that would be bad. All moments I had for myself though, was spent on studying magic.
"What are you doing?" Dereck asked and sat down next to me.
I swiftly turned the paper I had been drawing patterns on so he wouldn't see it.
"Nothing really. Just doodling," I lied with a shrug.
"You hid it awfully quick for being a doodle," he laughed, but there was a stiffness to his laugh and something uncomfortable in the way he gave me a light shove, which was surely meant to be playful. I couldn't exactly explain the patterns though, so I just shrugged and didn't say anything more while ignoring the realization which had come during the past month that I didn't want to have.
"Halloween is soon," he said when it was clear I wouldn't continue the current topic.
"Yeah, got any ideas for a costume?" I asked and for the first time that month, my mind wasn't on magic or Alejo. Halloween had always been my favorite holiday. Felt like it made a lot of sense now that I knew it was a witch-holiday as well, though it was the dressing up I enjoyed the most. To, for one day, be able to be someone other than myself.
"Not completely sure yet. You going as a witch as usual? You are coming, right?" he answered and looked sternly at me.
"Of course! Why wouldn't I? It's a tradition."
It had been among one of the first things me and Dereck had done together as friends. He had invited me to a Halloween party and since that first time, we had always gone to the same party together. Because of that, I couldn't help but feel surprised he had needed to confirm it.
"Well, you've not been around much lately and never had time for anything. So thought it better to ask. Just in case," he mumbled and looked away.
A tinge of guilt hit me. I had told him I was busy every single time he had asked if I wanted to hang out ever since we had hung out at the end of September. I hadn't thought much about it, too occupied by my own desire to learn magic as fast as possible. But as I looked at Dereck's downcast eyes, I knew I had hurt his feelings. That wasn't good.
Of course, there were limits to mine and Dereck's friendship and there was only a matter of time until he started questioning why I wasn't aging, but I didn't want to upset him unnecessarily. He was my first long-term friend after all. Though we would need to stop being friends soon enough, I owed it to him to be a good friend until I couldn't be that anymore.
"I'm sorry. There's just been... a lot. But Halloween is our sacred day, so of course I'll be there!" I told him and he gave me half a smile.
"Just you, or will you bring someone?" he asked next.
I knew I would have more fun if Alejo was there also, but Dereck obviously didn't want that, so I wouldn't bring him. He probably wouldn't have been able to anyway, since his coven would have their own celebrations.
"Just me!" I therefore answered him in a cheery voice and saw him brightening up as well.
"It's going to be fun!" he exclaimed and took hold of my hands. It made the realization I fought harder to ignore, but I withdrew my hands and pushed the thoughts away.
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