Anomalies (working title)

Chapter 6

Josephine (Jo)

Jo could feel the anxiety of leaving home begin to settle in all the new Venificus students. Being a siren and all, Jo could read people quite well. She could tell how easy it would be to lure them in, though she didn't like to use that to her benefit. Blue was especially on edge. Blue hadn't thought that she would be accepted, and now that she was... Jo could only imagine what she was thinking. If she had better control, Jo probably could read it herself. But mind reading wasn't her strong suit, and she was especially drained after last night. Ms. Lynn set the coffee pot on the table. This was a rare treat, even for the bigs.

"Are we expecting anyone?" Jo asked, pouring herself a mugful.

"Yes, actually. Lex is coming today to take you all shopping. Books, pencils, uniforms, that stuff. She should be here in a few, last night might've been a rough transformation night. Even I was feeling a bit flighty at times," Ms. Lynn admitted.

"Well, those red moons can be quite powerful," Jo pointed out. A quiet shiver passed through her as she thought about what would happen if Ms. Lynn turned.

"I suppose you are correct. Ah, well, some things are just out of our control, aren't they," Ms. Lynn finally said after a slight pause. Lily chose that time to knock over her glass of milk, causing Ms. Lynn to glide over to clean up the mess.

"Anything interesting happen to you lot last night?" Reya asked, trying to dispel the awkward feeling that had settled over everyone. Jo took a long sip of her coffee. Today is going to be a long day.

"You Lot? Have you been watching British crime shows again, Reya?" Hayley asked, her eyes smiling but her face not catching the memo.

"...Possibly."

"Oh my gosh, hun, we've talked about this. You always get to invest in the plots and waste energy trying to solve the mystery before the professional actors do," Cam chided, her voice exasperated. Reya's dark cheeks colored at the nickname.

"I do what I want!" Reya yelled mock defensively. Just then, a woman around the age of 20 or so walked through the door. She had pale skin with fiery red hair, freckles, and piercing green eyes.

"Whaddup, losers," she said with a smile.

"Lex!" Jo exclaimed, jumping out of her chair to give the older girl a hug.

Lex and Jo's relationship had been very similar to her and Millie's, except for the fact that Lex had only been six when Jo came to the house for Anomalies, and Lex hadn't found Jo herself. They just bonded naturally. But ever since Lex had gone to Venificus, they hadn't been able to talk as much.

"Pretty big group this year, huh?" Lex said after all the appropriate hugs were given.

"All the fourteen-year-olds we have," Ms. Lynn stated proudly.

"Wow. Looks like the thirteen-year-olds are gonna need to buck up, eh? No one left to force to do the laundry!" Lex teased.

"I'm sure we'll adapt. Alright, here's the supply list... The uniforms are provided now, so there will be no need for that... You know how to get there?" Ms. Lynn asked.

"I've been driving there for four years. I think we'll be fine. Worst comes to worst, I charm my way into some tickets at the train station."

"Alright... Well then. Do you want some coffee for the road?" Ms. Lynn finally said.

"You know me," Lex replied with a wink. Ms. Lynn busied herself in making a to-go cup of coffee and finally led the large bunch out the door.

"Drive safe!" Ms. Lynn yelled after the group as she jogged inside, her sundress swishing around her.

"Alright, kiddos. My car seats six, so who wants to double buckle?" Lex said once Ms. Lynn was gone.

No one raised their hand.

Makes sense. Reya and Cam obviously like each other, Blue and I- Well, that's not a thing to think about right now, and Skye and Hayley are likely to kill each other if they argue in an enclosed space that close to one another.

"Alright. No one? Fine. I'm thinking of a number between 1 and 50. Whoever gets the furthest off has to double buckle with the person who was the second furthest off. Jo?"

"Uh... 32."

"Alright. Skye?"

"10."

"Hayley?"

"15."

"Reya?"

"22."

"Cam?"

"25."

"Blue?"

"35."

"The number was 10. So I believe that makes... Jo and Blue! Blue, since you were further off, that means you get sat on. Sorry! Now get in, dorks!"

Everyone awkwardly piled into the car, and Jo gave Blue an I'm sorry smile. Their relationship over the summer had been... Awkward. And no one except for the two of them knew why. Blue climbed in first, and then Jo gingerly sat down on her lap. The ride to the wizarding shops was not a short one, and everyone was quite drained. Lex was striking up a conversation with everyone, but eventually, the warmth of the small girl below her and the steady pace of the road lulled Jo off to sleep. Except, instead of dreaming, or having one of her usual nightmares, Jo dreamt of a memory.

It's 8th Grade formal, the closest thing middle schoolers get to Prom, except it's at the end of the year. Kind of like a "Hey, congrats, you survived!" thing. The school gym was transformed, with fairy lights, a crappy stereo, and a snack bar. Jo was wearing a blue dress that was short in the front and got longer in the back. Blue was wearing a female cut suit, her short hair slicked back. Jo wasn't used to wearing heels but was willing to stumble a bit for the picture's sake. She and Blue had danced together with their group of friends for most of the night, but somehow, ended up waltzing together during one of the last songs. The dance was soon to come to a close, Iris by the Goo Goo Dolls was playing as they danced, when suddenly the lights and the stereo turned off. No one was allowed their phones, so they were in pitch darkness. Jo could feel Blue trembling beside her.

"Are you alright?" Jo whispered in her ear, holding her close in their waltzing embrace.

"I-i-it's fine. J-just t-thinking ab-bout when... In 7th grade..." Blue quietly stuttered. A year ago, when Blue was in an alley doing God knows what, some boys had jumped her, beating her, pinning her against the wall, and, eventually, touching her in ways she had never wanted to be touched by boys.

"Shh, shh... It's alright. You're safe. They can't hurt you now, I've got you," Jo murmured.

She didn't know if it was her or Blue, it could've been both of them, really. It was most likely an accident. But suddenly, she and Blue were kissing. Full-blown lips touching, hands-on-each-others-back, never-let-me-go kissing. After about a minute, the lights snapped back on, and the two of them jumped back, blushing like they had let the fairies do their makeup. A voice over the announcements told them all to head home, so they did.

Jo and Blue hadn't discussed it since.

"We're here, nerds!" Lex yelled, startling Jo awake. It processed in her mind that she had been asleep on Blue for almost an hour, and she began to blush. Blue, fully awake and aware, unbuckled the seatbelt. They were both blushing almost as hard as they had at the dance, which was saying something.

"Welcome to the Magical Shoppers. We got lots to do, so let's get it done!"