Witches in Training (#2 in the Witches Trilogy) [rewrites ongoing]

Chapter Eight: The Bracelet

VINNI

In my opinion, if people are going to dump a huge, lurking, you-can't-tell-anyone secret on you, the least they should do is warn you first.

Obviously, some people just don't have that courtesy.

But before I tell you about that, let's backtrack. Way back.

*

When Russell told me that Charlotte had been killed in the middle of the night in a horror-slash-thriller-movie set-up, I was a) not happy b) suspicious and c) disturbed. I'd heard about a lot of weird things happening, but this had to take the cake, or at least fall into my top 3.

A thirteen year old girl being stabbed in the middle of the night by a murderous child, and worse, with a human bone?

If this was the real world, I'd think the four year old seriously needed to be double-wrapped in a straitjacket and sent straight to the nearest secure mental facility, but this was a society filled with magical creatures, and magical creatures had a tendency to spring out some pretty interesting abilities. Including, possibly, the use of bones as a weapon. Not that it doesn't still creep me out.

The four year old thing nags at me, though. I am sure there are plenty of them around-this place houses all ages-and I've seen several, but none of them were magically and skilfully proficient enough to actually murder Charlotte without being seen and get away with it.

Except one.

Sarah.

I'd seen her transforming into a girl a third of her age. That was her real body, according to her and Parker. I'd seen her demonstrate several pretty cool abilities and as the Addonexus, I was sure there were a lot more skills that I didn't know about. But whether or not she would be insane enough to use her own bone as a knife, I was doubtful. Sarah was a really cool girl-not a murderer. But as I'd learnt from Raelynn, you can't really trust your friendships sometimes.

I'm watching a video in Training. After all that excitement with group-slash-pair trainings, I wanted to kill myself when I saw the video being played.

Good thing I didn't. For once, it's actually sort of interest-sustaining, showing several plans to improve the Community. That part didn't interest me, the buildings and facilities. What did interest me was the suggested new form of governing.

Currently, we have a council headed by Parker to make decisions. This new and supposedly 'better' system features Parker as the main and sole decision-maker and propelled to ultimate authority. Well, even more ultimate than he already is. Even Alix is mentioned, to be put in charge of Education. It's a simple comment, but it makes me wonder. Education? Why education? Why in particular, Education? I watch on.

Plans to change the whole system, in fact. Kids in Education weren't going to be grouped by ability any more, but rather by age, to supposedly encourage the respective age groups to form closer bonds with people their own age.

Or, I think dryly, as I listen to that, to prevent the more powerful ones from rising up together. Like Paige and such.

And then I hear: this system will be put into place, effective immediately, in that highly synthesised, unrecognisable voice. Well, I think, that's just marvellous. Because everyone knows that Parker needs more authority.

The door opens and someone slips in. Or rather, one person slips in and the other sort of stomps in. They both take seats. The first, slightly stealthier one, looks at me and gives me a half-smile as the voice begins to tell me about all the benefits of the new system. The dark curly hair is a giveaway, even in the dark-it's Sarah.