The Shadow Gate

Chapter 7

With every step, the stone O'Day had given her in the cemetery bounced against her leg, a reminder of her lies. With every other step, dread grew in her heart. What had she done? Why hadn't she hidden the stone in her room, or at least put it in her school bag? She considered doing so now, yet discarded the idea when the thought of touching it sent shudders down her spine. What if a Shadow Gate popped up on the sidewalk and she walked in accidentally?Madeline reasoned with herself. She couldn't have left the stone behind. She shouldn't have even left it on her bedside table overnight. Auntie would discover she was hiding something soon enough; Madeline didn't need to make it easy for her. Very little got by her aunt, probably something to do with the whiskers. She sighed when she realized the weight in her pocket would distract her all day. She'd have to come up with a plausible story for Auntie, and quickly, so she could leave the stone behind. Or she'd have to find a good hiding place.She turned her thoughts toward school. This year, eighth grade, was Madeline's favorite so far. Magic could be found anywhere on Eclipse Island, as long as there were people to practice it, but school was where she got to experience it firsthand. And, the school was beautiful. Three brilliant white towers stretched up like arrows pointed toward the clouds. Turrets of gilt silver reflected light back to the sky, a thank you gift to the sun.While the construction might be extraordinary, the true enchantments were found inside the classrooms.The middle tower rose the highest. Sensible things lived inside its walls, like the gymnasium, the café, and the main offices. The left tower contained algebra, geometry, biology, and chemistry — all the math and science classes.But the tower to the right ... it held everything Madeline loved. Languages, exotic and familiar. Art, in all forms, from sculpture to murals. Philosophy, music, history, and literature, the answers to all of life's questions. Madeline believed if she searched long enough, studied hard enough, and believed fiercely enough, that she'd eventually find the answers she needed.The population of Madeline's school was a microcosm of Eclipse Island, made up of mixes of otherworldly creatures. A dragon with butterfly wings, a siren with maenad horns, a centaur with the ears of an elf. That was just for starters. There were some so unique she couldn't give a name for them. All could do wonderful, mysterious things. One could call fish to the shore for dinner, another could create a rainstorm with the flick of a claw.But to them, Madeline was the strangest thing on the island.Because she was the only human.And she had no magic.