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  “Now that you're here,” Isabel said. “You can use your academy credentials to join Witch Life.”

  I had been refused because of my status as an Illusionist Witch. There was a ton of prejudice against those of us who had no magic of our own. We were scary to other witches. We could syphon magic and create illusions with it. If I wanted to fool someone into thinking I looked a certain way, I could steal some magic and change my appearance. It was a handy skill to have, but it left others not trusting me. I could kind of see their point, especially as I was the type of person to use it. Who wouldn't want to be someone else for the day? It was fun.

  “Registration is through there,” Dracian said as he passed, pointing towards the ballroom. “You better get a move on before they change their mind.”

  Flicking Isabel's hair, Dracian winked at me as he joined his friends and made his way inside. Why did it feel like I was a schoolgirl going to Hogwarts? I was eighteen, surely I should be feeling more grown up than a high-schooler?

  “I'm not sure this was such a good idea.” Marching towards the hall, I didn't wait for Isabel to catch up to me. “But, I have something to do here.”

  “You do?” my best friend said, pulling me to a stop.

  Staring at Dracian's back, I vowed to keep my promise to my mother. She had lain dying in my arms five years ago, almost to the day. Her death had been caused by a spell cast by someone else. My father had succumbed to the spell, too, joining her on the other side at the same time.

  “Okay, time to stop dodging my question. What happened today?”

  Looking around, I smiled at a girl who made eye contact at the wrong time. It was so awkward when that happened, and yet, we British just smiled shyly and looked away. There was no way we would dare speak to a person, it just wasn't the British way. It certainly wasn't my way either, but freedom was upon me, I was going to make the most of it.

  Tugging Isabel into the corner, I watched the students file in as I told her about my foster parents shopping me in to the institute. “I ran as fast as I could when they turned up. Luckily, I found the perfect magical source to blast me out of there. Otherwise, the bastards would've got me. I hate to think what they do there. Impregnation, oh, or what's the one where they shove things up your-?”

  “Okay, stop!” Isabel almost gagged, her cringe written all over her screwed up face. “Why does your brain go off on weird tangents like that?”

  “You're telling me you haven't thought about what the institute does to witches before they disappear?”

  Shaking her pretty head, Isabel raised her perfectly plucked eyebrows. Oh to have the luxury of worrying about hairs that sat above the eyes. What were they for anyway? Why did we have hair on our brow bone?

  A scream from the girl who had smiled at me caught our attention. She stared at the balcony above, her hand slowly raising to point. Her free hand covered her mouth as her eyes widened.

  Moving away from the side of the room, we looked to see what she was so afraid of. My own hand went to my chest when I saw that a girl was standing on the stone banister, reaching for the orbs that lit up the dome.

  “Come down!”

  A girl next to her was desperately trying to get her friend to safety. The stupid friend, yes, anyone who stood on the top of a stone banister and reached for a shiny object must be pretty stupid. Or maybe…

  Looking at the girl’s eyes, I swore under my breath. Her eyes were wide, unblinking, vacant. Someone had put a spell on her. Someone must have suggested that she take an orb. Who would do such a thing and why?

  “Don’t worry,” Isabel shouted to the girl. “I can catch her if she falls.”

  The thundering of footsteps alerted us to the presence of a short woman with very high heels. Her short pixie cut showed a long neck and small chin. Her big green eyes blinked as she came out of the ballroom, spun on her heels and stared up at the girl, who was still reaching for the orb, somehow managing to balance precariously.

  “Young girl, you might think that you can fly like a fairy, but you’re a witch. Get down now, or I’ll throw you out of the academy.” Her clipped voice was sweet, and yet, it held a bite of something sharp underneath.

  I instantly liked her.

  Of course, the student ignored her as she stuck her tongue out and clasped it between her lips. She inclined even further forward, making the students who had gathered gasp loudly.

  Going over to the woman who was inspecting her fingernails, I tapped her gently on the shoulder. “Excuse me, miss.”

  “Miss?” She laughed, her big beaming smile transforming her face. “I love that you think I’m young enough to be a Miss. I’m Professor Hinley, but you can call me Mrs Hinley. I would offer to shake your hand, but I’m due a manicure and that student is about to jump.”

  “She’s spelled,” I replied, not bothering to acknowledge any of the other stuff she’d said.

  The teacher’s gaze snapped back to the girl above us. Pursing her lips, she whispered a spell under her breath and clicked her fingers. Nothing happened. Her brows pulled low in a frown.

  “That didn’t work.” My muttered words afforded me a narrowed gaze.

  “Something’s not right. Come with me!”

  Marching towards the stairs, she ran up them two at a time. Her frame was slightly larger, but she didn’t puff as she hurried. Her glamourous mumsie look, if there could be such a thing, was a farce, meant to lull students into a false sense of safety.

  Following her, I trotted up the steps just behind. Her high heels clattered on the stone as she reached the top and headed straight for the girl.

  “Get down!” she commanded in a high pitched voice.

  Again, she was ignored as the girl stretched higher and higher.

  Whispers echoed around the whole hallway as more and more students came to see what was going on.

  “Mrs Hinley?” I said, quietly trying to gain her attention.

  “Someone go and get the headmaster, he’ll know what to do,” she said, waving her hands in no particular direction. “If she touches them, it will give her an electric shock and kill her.”

  Without waiting to speak to her, I moved closer to the girl. She was straining now, her teeth clenching so hard on her tongue, blood dripped down her chin.

  “You can’t touch someone in an inducement spell,” Mrs Hinley said as I inched even closer.

  Every witch in the academy would know that rule. If we jolted someone out of a spell where they had lost the ability to control themselves, they could jump out of their body altogether. Or their soul could. I didn’t fully understand it, ‘cos you know, I hadn’t done so well in magic arts at my high school, but I got the gist.

  Grabbing onto the banister, I pulled myself up, almost toppling straight over the edge before I managed to get my balance.

  Mrs Hinley had a hissy fit behind me, flapping like a duck. “What are you doing, child? You’re not helping at all!”

  Tuning out the rush of gasps and the incessant nagging of the professor, I closed my eyes and caught my balance. Okay, so I was risking everything, but you know... a girl had to act. If I didn’t, the student next to me would probably fall to her death. Her legs were starting to shake, and yet, she still persevered.

  Opening my eyes, I pushed myself up and lunged forward. Screams echoed around me as I flew through the air, grasped the orange orb nearest to us and started to plummet. The electric magic thudded through me, sending my power metre up. Absorbing it, I whispered a levitation spell.

  “Shitting hell,” I heard Isabel say to a boy standing next to her. “That’s my friend.”

  Another shout alerted me to what I had feared. The sound of the girl falling hit my ears just as she passed me. The wind from her fall dragged me down, but I shouted the same spell as I caught her arm with my hand.

  The girl started to float, her body slowing down and coming into line with mine as we landed. I wasn't able to lift my legs properly in time, so we both thudded on the ground gently
.

  A scream came from the girl as she snapped out of her trace. Thrashing on the ground, she pushed me away, her hysteria getting out of control. Her whole body started to seize, her muscles shaking her so violently, her eyes rolled into the back of her head.

  “Move out of the way!” Mrs Hinley called as she jostled through the students who surrounded us. “I must get to them.”

  Isabel was beside me, helping me to my feet. Stepping back, I stared at the girl before looking down at the orb. What was it about the shiny ball that had made someone cast a spell for the girl to grab it? Why was she currently fitting on the stone floor?

  I could feel the intensity of magic from the orb as it pulsed through me, but it wasn’t any stronger than a normal magic spell. Who would harm another student to get it?

  “You’d better give me that,” a stern masculine voice boomed.

  Turning, I blinked as I pushed the magic through my fingertips and into the orb.

  Mrs Hinley calmed the student with a sedation spell, sending her back into a trance-like state.

  I wasn't sure if it was wise to make her comatose again, but who was I to judge? Oh yeah, the girl who had just saved her life.

  “She… she’s almost lost her magic,” Mrs Hinley stuttered loudly.

  Gasps resounded around the hallway as students backed up, their eyes glancing at the orb. No, it hadn’t been me, I was out of magic. Almost. I reminded myself that they didn’t know that I was an illusionist witch, so I was safe from their judgement. For now.

  “Who are you?” A tall, silver-grey-haired man approached me, wiggling his fingers.

  Before I could reply, students parted, almost dashing out of the hallway in all directions. The orb left my hands, flying across the way and into his hands.

  “My name is Alishia Jones,” I replied, standing firm when he came to tower over me.

  His long legs were encased in black denim jeans, his torso covered by a rock T-shirt, the edges frayed and metal rings clanging as he moved. I couldn't help but imagine the guitar probably hidden in his music room at the academy. The old toff probably couldn't play it at all but liked to think he could.

  “My dad liked ACDC. I'm more of a Nirvana fan myself.”

  Blinking, he sloped his head to look at me. “I knew your father from our own academy days. He was a good man.” Turning to Mrs Hinley, he raised his eyebrows. “Take her to the infirmary, I’ll speak to Miss Jones.”

  As he spoke, Dracian Dread came out of the ballroom, winking at me as he headed towards the dorm wing.

  I kept my face straight as a surge of heat raced through my veins. How dare the boy who had hurt my family be so callous?

  “Thank you, sir,” I replied, bringing my attention back to the professor as he spun the orb in his hand. An unexpected surge of sadness made me swallow hard.

  “What just happened? Did you - you know?” Waving his hand at the student before Mrs Hinley disappeared with her, he nodded his head.

  “No! I used the magic from the orb,” I whispered. “I promise I was just trying to help.”

  Narrowing his gaze on me, he pointed towards the ballroom. “My name is Professor Seaton. We’ll speak more about this later. You better get registered before the books close. Welcome to the Undercover Witch Academy, Alishia Jones, it's a pleasure to meet you.”

  Chapter Two

  “Why am I in a different room?” I asked Isabel as she came out of her lodgings.

  The dorms were typical for a university or academy. Room after room with two people of the same gender. I had been instructed to join my new roommate, but I had managed to keep Isabel from leaving me for two hours. She was getting weary, ready to move in and explore her new home.

  “Don't worry,” she said, waving as she closed her door. “I'm right here.”

  Standing in the middle of the white painted hallway, I stared back where I had come from. Dark wood lined the walls mid-way, but the rest of the place had nowhere near as much character as the main building.

  Disappointment almost made me leave. When I had seen the pictures of the academy online, I had been excited to explore its corridors. How could a medieval building have so little character in the dorm rooms? How could I pretend to be in a gothic horror movie if there was no ambience?

  Saying that, was that a shadow at the end of the hall? The flick of the lights made my spine straighten. When they were on again, the shadow had gone. Shuddering, I shook myself of ridiculous notions.

  “Excuse me?” a friendly voice called from the door to my room.

  Bracing myself, I turned to see a girl around the same height as me with long curly waves down her back. Now, she had the type of hair to get away with being in a gothic horror film.

  “Do you ever wonder why we signed up to do this?” she asked, opening the door wider so I could enter.

  Walking into the room, I stared at the decoration on her side. She had a bookcase full of fiction and witch self-help books. Man, she even had the one I had asked for from my foster family. “Dudette, I've been dying to read Seven Ways to Kill a Witch. I figure if anyone wants to kill me, they'll need to be versed in the practice of killing a witch, so why not learn how to look for the signs.”

  “Er...” The girl blinked rapidly as she un-enthusiastically waved towards the case. “You can borrow it, I guess. Although, why would someone want to kill you?”

  “Because they killed my parents.”

  My reply left her baffled, just like a goldfish as it sat in its bowl, day in, day out, its little mouth opening and closing. Maybe I shouldn't have shared such vital information. Silly, Alishia!

  “My name's Alishia Jones.” After taking out the book, I went over to her and held out my hand.

  It was better to be polite to the witch I would be sleeping next to. If she was going to kill me in my sleep, being nice to her might make it harder. Killing a kind girl would make her feel guilty. Not that I had a complex about getting killed. Much.

  Clearing her throat as she took my hand gingerly, the girl summoned up a fake smile. “I'm Helissa Wayward.”

  Almost choking, I turned my gaze to stare at her. I had been admiring her Witch Way is the Best Way poster just behind her head, but her name made me want to bow down. Now it was my turn to be the fish in a bowl. “As in... The Weird Wayward witches? The inspiration for Shakespeare's witches?”

  Nodding slowly, Helissa tucked her hair behind her ear as she looked at the ground. “The very same. A bloody annoying name to live up to, I'm afraid. Don't expect good things. I'm literally here because of my bloodline, not because I'm any good at magic.”

  “I know how you feel,” I muttered, going over to my bed and dumping my backpack.

  “Are you the illusionist witch who invented a way for your kind not to steal magic from other witches?”

  Glancing over my shoulder, I narrowed my eyes on Helissa. She was as blunt as I was, that was a bonus. I hadn't met many people who were upfront. Maybe the academy would be better than I had thought. Two new people I liked... both women, naturally. And two men I didn't like... at all.

  “I'm the very same witch, yes. Don't worry, I won't be nicking your magic in the night.”

  Going to the window, I watched the students as they formed groups on the grass, introducing themselves and settling into the new school year. This is what it must have felt like to go to a boarding school. My parents had been on the verge of sending me to one when they were killed. I had escaped that hideousness when I went into foster care. It was the one and only saving grace of their death. Cold? Yes, it was. I couldn't help it, it was the only thing I could hold on to that didn't make me fall apart.

  “The whole place knows what you did to save that girl in the entrance hall.”

  No matter what happened in the academy, it would always feel like a school, so I had to come to terms with that. Why not embrace the bitchiness, the comparison, and the utter disregard of others emotions? How else would I survive as a student of magic?

&nb
sp; Moving to my bed, I stared at the unmade mattress. The institute and my foster parents had chased me out before I could make any arrangements. I didn't even have sheets on my cover, let alone a change of clothing. Most witches would be able to magic up new outfits and decorate half-dorm rooms, but me? The magic I cast with borrowed energy wasn't as powerful as that, so I had limited options.

  “I can... I mean... I...” Helissa waved towards my side of the room, staring at my glaringly small backpack.

  Smiling, I shook my head. “Thanks for the offer, but I've got to head out.”

  Grabbing up my bag, I rushed from the room before my roommate could reply. It was mortifying that I had nothing to my infamous name. A girl had to do what a girl had to do, which was why I made my way out of the building, searching for an establishment that served alcohol.

  Students watched me as I left the grounds, striding through the gates as if I didn't just perform the perfect illusionist witch spell. If only they knew who I really was. Although, saying that, it was probably best they didn't. I was just as bland as my magic most days. Some days, my imagination took me on trips that others would enjoy if they were with me.

  Laughter burst from my lips at my own thoughts. A passing boy smiled at me, his cheeks burning bright red when I grinned back. I didn't have any interest in engaging much with the opposite sex... well, except for the cute boy that had walked past, winking at me... he was right up my street.

  “Excuse me.” He stopped me, pointing towards the academy as he spoke. “Is that the Undercover Witch Academy?”

  Smiling, I glanced at the ground before lifting my head. No, why should I be shy around him? I was Alishia Jones, kickass woman, ready for...ah, who was I kidding... “Ermm… yeah, that's the academy.”

  Thanking me with one of those annoyingly coy grins that sent girl's weak at the knees, he waved as he moved away.

  My sigh was loud before I snapped out of it and headed towards the pub on the corner of the park. I was eighteen years old, far too old to fawn over male witches. Why was I checking over my shoulder to see if his retreating butt was still in sight?