Spellbound

The Witch

Bright sunlight filters through my window and wakes me. It takes all of three seconds to remember exactly where I am. No familiar floral blue armchair with a half read book perched on top of it, no wall of books waiting to welcome me—and most importantly, most heartbreakingly, no Dad.

Yesterday, I turned sixteen. And now, my birthday will forever be tarnished as the day I lost my father. The day my whole world came crumbling down around me. A day, I'll unfortunately, never be able to forget.

The sadness catches in my throat and I swallow it. My head throbs as all the memories flood back to me. I barely have time to process anything before someone is knocking on my door. Incessantly.

Serena beams as I let her in, today she's wearing a puffy pink skirt and lacy white top. The rose scented perfume she wears fills the air around us as she takes a seat upon my unmade bed. Without this beaming blonde, I might not be here right now. It was her hand that guided me. Her voice that snapped me back to reality. All so I wouldn't be reduced to ash—the way my father was. I'm here, and I'm thankful for that.

Memories of last nights adventure flood back to me. Wandering the castle halls alone, stumbling upon a creature; a wolf—some way, somehow, bound to me. And black eyes—piecing me. Accusatory and threatening tones.

"What's a Wardovian Wolf?"

Obviously taken aback, Serena's violet eyes bulge at me, "Oh," she says. "Ah, a wolf of Wardovia, I suppose."

I furrow my eyebrows at her, waiting for something more. She seems to catch on.

"Dangerous." Is all she says, but not in a way that makes my skin crawl. Instead, it leaves me more curious, wondering how that tiny ball of fluff I found last night could possibly be dangerous...

I think back to the man in black robes telling me not to meddle in things I don't understand. Maybe he's right. I clearly don't understand any of this.

Serena looks at me more pointedly now—on the verge of saying something, but manages to restrain herself—which in the short time I've known her, seems like some sort of feat.

Instead, she smiles again, "I'm starved, you?"

I am starved—and I make that plenty obvious to the few others seated in the dining room. Plain toast has never tasted more wonderful. Not because it's Pagus food, but because I can actually stomach it. I never thought I would be so grateful for something as simple as bread. Serena watches me as she happily polishes off her bowl of Pegasus Puffs—the smell, slightly too nauseating for me.

The hall around us is pretty empty, "preparing for all the real fun tonight," Serena says—but billowing black robes catch my attention.

The black eyes from last night, haunting me. He talks to Amethyst in hushed tones. I try not to stare, but I can't help myself. Serena follows my line of vision to see what I'm staring at.

"Have you met Jet?" She asks through a mouthful of puffs.

"Jet?" I say it a little too loudly, and both he and Amethyst turn to see me. Amethyst places her arm on his shoulder and smiles sweetly, before he walks off in an opposite direction.

"Who are they?"

Serena turns back in time to see Amethyst trailing off into another room, "Guardians," she says, "they watch over us and make sure the magic stays in the realms." She shrugs.

I finish my last bite of toast, daring to try a thin layer of butter this time—a mistake.

"What am I?" The words escape before I have a chance to realise what I'm saying. But the truth is, I have no idea. Why can I burn things with my bare hands—create flames from nothing? Why can others materialise out of thin air, or shoot water across the room? Why is there a whole other world where these things are not only possible but completely normal?