Cat in a Cauldron

Part 1 - Chapter 1 - Cat's Claw

Six Months Previously...

"Come on, Cat!"

"Shh!"

"Andromeda Kathlean! Do not make me come up there!"

"Shh!"

Stuffing her hand in her mouth to muffle the sound of her laughter, Cat stuck her head out of her dorm window. The grassy hill that her dorm building overlooked was occupied by a small group of three people, the three people closest to Cat at Red Anchor Academy for the Complete Education of Silverbloods, or the Races. They waved her to come down, and she promptly stepped onto the narrow sill of the window with practiced ease. She whispered a phrase in the strange language as familiar as her native English, and lowered herself down to the ground, putting full trust into the magic she'd been born with.

As soon as her feet were on solid earth, she was practically bowled over by a massive black Chow Chow. The dog's huge paws threw her off balance as he made a bid for her face. Giving a breathless laugh, Cat heaved the dog off her and doubled up, trying not to make too much noise.

Before she could catch her breath, she was hauled off her feet by a bear of a guy with a mess of black hair and the same chocolate eyes as the dog.

"William," Cat gasped through breathless giggles, "put me down. I think I like the dog-you better."

"Ouch," he exclaimed with a grin.

"Alright, Billy-Bear. Let the cat go so we can hit the town," a brunette beauty said sardonically. Leigh smacked William's arm and he let Cat hop back to the ground.

Just when Cat gathered her footing for the third time, a lanky arm tossed itself casually over her shoulders.

"So what's the plan tonight, Kitty Kat?" Seth asked brightly, lightly knocking his golden-haired head against her blond one.

She grinned and shrugged, careful to keep his arm around her and leaning into the friendly embrace. She started walking, pulling Seth with her and followed by William and Leigh.

"I was thinking we'd go out to the lake, actually," she said.

Leigh sniffed and said, "You know, there's a party over at the Gregson Mansion tonight."

Cat craned her head around to look at her friend with a feigned gasp.

"And how could you possibly know that, Leigh?" she prodded, and added mockingly, "Miss Angel-Spell?"

Her friend lifted her chin defiantly and retorted, "I actually want to succeed. That doesn't make me an angel-spell. And I know because Rip told me."

Rip was Leigh's boyfriend, a year older and free of the Races, therefore allowed to mingle with the Redbloods, or non-magical humans. He and Leigh were practically inseparable, but Cat couldn't see what her friend saw in him. Still, she was glad that Leigh had found someone to keep her out of serious trouble.

The group hiked across the grounds of Red Anchor towards the tree-line. Once beneath their screening limbs, the friends headed towards the southern border of the grounds, careful where they placed their feet. The forest was littered with toadstool rings, and if anyone were to step into them, they would be frozen in place and an alarm would sound in the headmaster's office. Through long practice, the group knew where to step out of sheer habit. In no time at all, they left the trees once again and stepped onto a thin road.

Down the hill, the strange town of Salem, Massachusetts glowed with streetlights and cars. It was easily a half-hour's walk from Red Anchor, and Cat was thankful they didn't have to hike that far. The Gregson Mansion was just far enough away from the town to be considered private and still part of Salem. The property itself was bordered with its own strip of forests, and the only way to the house was a winding driveway from the road the group was walking on.