Raven
My father is looking straight ahead, silently driving me to where my grandmother will pick me up and take me to my new school. Occasionally, he will throw me a glance of concern, but I'm working hard to ignore him by staring out through the window.
"You know this is the right decision, even if it's hard..."
I resist the urge to roll my eyes. Tears are clawing at the back of my eyes, yet I refuse to give in and cry. My father has repeatedly told me that leaving me at Magic Academy is the hardest decision he has ever made. Unfortunately for him, I wasn't born yesterday.
My father is trying to get rid of me, dump the problem child onto someone else, and I can't blame him. There is magic coursing in my veins, yet I can't conjure the most simple of spells. I'm a complete failure. When I get angry, I make things explode or catch fire, and after having baked my old school, my father suffered a mental breakdown.
He doesn't know how to handle me, and it breaks my heart how he doesn't look at me in the same loving way anymore. Where there once used to be love and pride for his daughter, I can now only find radiant fear—my father is afraid of me.
I guess I can't blame him—I'm frightened of my powers too.
"You won't be alone at your new school." My father nods at the mirror resting in the backseat behind us. It's an antique family heirloom, an old golden mirror containing a demon, my mother's familiar. "Lucifer will be there with you."
I frown. "The demon hasn't shown its face since mum died..."
After mentioning my mum, the atmosphere turns heavy, and my heart cracks when I hear my father sigh. He is still grieving like me. My mum died way too young.
"I miss her more than anything in this world..." My father admits. "Your mother was a wonderful woman. It was a blessing to be her mate. There won't be someone else stepping into my life after her, she was too extraordinary, and her magic was beautiful."
Sadness grips my heart. Julia, my mother, was a witch. If she hadn't died in a tragic car accident, she could teach me how to control my powers.
"I wish she was here with us too..." I bite my lower lip not to hiccup and sound pathetic. "I don't want to be alone."
"I'm sure Lucifer will make his appearance once you need him," My father says and stares straight ahead, not even caring when we hit a bump in the road. He continues blinking away tears. "I was never very fond of that demon, but your mother used to talk to him every night. He is a manipulative little thing, though,"
"Don't worry. I'm not stupid." I glance down at the mirror myself, smiling when I see it shine—Lucifer is listening in on our conversation. Lucifer has never talked to me, but his presence is comforting. "I won't release Lucifer from his prison."
"Good, the last thing the world needs is a powerful raging demon." My father scratches his bearded chin, giving me time to take him in for what might be the last time.
He is stocky and built, with greying temples of what once used to be blonde hair. I wish I looked more like him.
Mostly, I resemble my mother with dark, cascading hair and alabaster skin. I barely inherited anything from my father, but I was lucky to be at least born with his stormy blue eyes. It will make it easy to remember him—all I need is to face my reflection.
My father clears his throat. "And try to make friends at your new school; it will make things easier."
"I will try..."
I'm smiling, even though his words cut deep. I suck at making friends, and I don't think things will be different at Magic Academy. The thought of being alone at a new school without a parent to return home to after a long day terrifies me.
My father would break if I told him that; therefore, I keep my mouth shut and stare out through the window. I might be angry at my father, but that doesn't mean that I don't care about him.
I don't want to make my father worry about me by pointing out that I'm afraid. Giving him a piece of my shitty teenager attitude seems like a more humane thing to do. Silent irritation is more expected somehow, not to mention less dramatic than begging him to take me back home.
"We are almost there." My father is beaming now. I blink up at him, surprised when silent wonder lights up his face. His lips are parted as if amazed at the scenery before him. "It's wonderful out here!"
Calmly, I look straight ahead—the scenery has changed. Winter trees have turned into pink-clad trees with colorful leaves sailing down from the bright sky.
I stare at the leaves with blinking eyes, convinced this is the work of magic. I know my grandmother can create beautiful hallucinations; my mother had the same gift.
"Your grandmother must be near; maybe I should stop the car."
I take a deep breath, unwilling to smile. The scenery fills my father with wonder. He is happy, and I tell myself to inspect him, save the image of his smile in my head because this might be the last time I ever see his face.
My father isn't a supernatural creature. My grandmother told him to jump into his car, drive out into the woods, and let his heart guide us to the meeting place. She must have meant her magic.
A human vehicle can't reach the other dimension where Magic Academy waits for me to enroll. My grandmother will take me there somehow, possibly by using flashy magic.
"Let's park here,"
Our large Volvo comes to a halt, and I wrinkle my nose, not exactly eager to leave my father behind. My grandmother will wipe his memories for his safety once I'm gone; I'm confident, and that thought saddens me. For him, it will be like my mother, and I never existed.
My father slams the door to the car. "Oh, wow! This place is incredible, Raven! Did your grandmother create this scene?"
Sorrow hits me hard when I step out of the car. My father looks up at the petals whirling down from nowhere, and I swallow thickly, knowing this will be goodbye forever.
A lump has formed in my throat, but I fight it and look at the beautiful trees surrounding us. Birdsong is in the air, and iridescent water drops are glittering from straws of grass. It should fill me with wonder; I should be happy.
I inhale the air to calm my turbulent heart but turn around when a pair of rattling bushes catches my attention. Then, for a brief second, I make eye contact with an abnormally sizeable chocolate-colored wolf.
Was it waiting for us?
Intelligent amber eyes stare into mine, and when I show no fear, the animal turns around with an unimpressed snort. I laugh—it seems like a student has greeted me already. And since it's in the human world, it must be an alpha—only those wolves are strong enough to travel through dimensions.
After seeing the giant wolf, I'm having trouble prying my eyes off the bushes in the area where I last saw the creature. Excitement is bubbling within me. It's highly unlike me, but I'm curious about my new school and the different species I will meet there. "Raven?" My father calls. "Is this normal?" Swiftly, I whirl around and tilt my head at the colorful sparkles appearing on the road ahead of us. And once applauds of people who aren't even here fills my ears, I roll my eyes. What an entrance… "Don't worry about the fireworks dad," I'm having trouble containing my laughter. My father looks terrified. "It's just grandmother making her appearance." With my arms planted firmly beneath my chest, I look at the tall woman who materializes out of nowhere. She is wearing a black witch hat and a dark green gown—most witches prefer to dress in modern clothes, but not my grandmother. "Raven!" My grandmother lifts her arms, and I smile when I see her w
"Raven, what is taking you so long?" My grandmother's voice got me picking up the mirror in a rush. Seeing my father frozen hurts me in a way I'm not ready for, so I lock my eyes on the ground while sprinting past him. "Sorry," I apologize with a grimace. "I was just shocked to see Lucy." Surprise flickers in my grandmother's eyes. "He let you call him Lucy?" I nod, and she smiles, satisfied with my answer. "Why don't you head inside the portal, dear? I will be right with you as soon as I'm finished here." "Okay..." I walk for the portal but stop myself from entering. "I wish you didn't have to take away his memories." "It's for his safety." "I know..." I mumble. My grandmother seems troubled, and I notice color draining from her face as she glances at my father. "Removing memories from someone you love is never easy, and if you aren't careful, those memories will come rushing towards you." My heart sque
As I walk up a set of stairs with blue banners hanging down from the ceiling, I have no way of knowing if this is the way to my room. My grandmother still hasn't popped up, and I think something important she needed to care for came up. I don't mind. I enjoy wandering around on my own, but this part of the school building is entirely different from where I bumped into Blake. They decorated this section everything in blue or white. I round a corner, almost bumping into a blonde girl that easily could be mistaken for an angel. The girl is gorgeous until she sneers at me, her eyes looking me up and down. "Watch where you are going!" She shouts in the most dramatic way possible. "And what are you wearing? If you are a student, you need to wear the color of your house. Aren't you sorted yet?" "Sorted?" I ask. Two other girls are glaring at me from behind the blonde girl, clearly her little minions. They all wear the same blue cheerleading clothes,
I follow my grandmother through a herd of whispering students. Then, finally, they let us pass by, backing away from our path. But that doesn't help calm down my nerves—everyone is gossiping about me already, wondering what my house will end up being. A girl flicks her long hair. "They must sort her into the house of fire, considering her powers." That's right. It will probably be the house of fire for me. A guy shakes his head at the girl. "No way! That would be too obvious—her house will be the water one!" Ugh. Please don't say that! The last thing I want is to become buddy-buddies with Daisy! "Well, it definitely can't be earth." A girl I don't know scowls at me before whispering to her friends. "She doesn't look like someone who values dedication." Ouch. Although true, that comment stung. "Raven!" My grandmother calls for me. She has stopped walking and is now standing before a mirror, holding up her hand as if meaning I sh
The journey to my room wasn't as eventful as I hoped it to be. Make no mistake. Hayden was kind and spoke the entire time, pointing at doors and telling what was behind them, classrooms and toilets and et cetera. Hayden was more than charming, but once we stood outside my door and he was politely telling me goodbye, I was too nervous. He patiently waited, silent, as if expecting me to thank him for showing me to my room, and I kind of ended up slamming my door into his face. Fuck me. Asking Hayden out isn't a possibility now! I flop down onto my new bed in defeat, arms, and legs akimbo."I'm such an idiot!" My grandmother has already summoned my stuff into my new room. I don't look to check if she forgot something. I'm too caught in self-pity. The mirror is shining next to my hand, and I lift myself to stare at Lucy. He appears to be sitting in a chair and dangling grapes into his waiting mouth—it seems there are different rooms in
I'm having trouble sleeping the first night in my new bed. So many times, I wake up drenched in a cold sweat. I'm seventeen, and I've heard it's normal to dream about your mate before you turn eighteen, but my dreams aren't romantic in the slightest. All the events of today: my father getting his memories erased, by bump into Blake, finding out my grandmother might hide the truth about my mother's death, and then get sorted into the air house—got my mind spinning in circles. I close my eyes again, determined to fall back asleep, and almost immediately, I'm pulled back into dreamland. This dream is calmer and less chaotic—I'm sitting on top of my bed with the moonlight coming in through an open window. The scene is beautiful, but something is odd. I have the vision of everything happening around me, but my emotions aren't my own; it's like I'm sharing them with someone else. Is this a vision of the future? Something rustles, and I turn
Lucy is muttering things inside my head while I sit outside the café in the botanical garden. It's beautiful outside, perfect weather for a stroll, yet the demon is angry that I brought him along to my date. 'Why did you need me here?' Lucy asks, clearly beyond irritated. His tail is swapping from side to side, reminding me of a cat. "Because-..." I stop talking and circle my spoon around in my coffee, grimacing at the people staring at me. They must think I'm insane for speaking to a mirror. "Because I just feel at ease having you around, and I can't explain it, but I lose the ability to think around Hayden." Lucy laughs. 'Haven't you figured it out yet?' "Figured out what?" Lucy smirks from his side of the mirror. 'Hayden is a vampire—they are masters of the mind; he has been using his tricks on you from the first moment you laid eyes on him.' I roll my eyes. "You think the worst of everyone..." 'Ask him.' "Sorry, the
Countless coffee cups are scattered over our table, and Hayden is talking animatedly about how he offended a werewolf girl he dated by buying her a necklace in silver. Long story short—she slapped him, which seems to be a regular occurrence at Magic Academy. Hayden appears to be a bit of a casanova with his charming abilities."You really shouldn't date people before finding your mate Hayden; your mate isn't going to end up wanting you," Hayley states and sighs at her brother, who is still laughing from the werewolf story."What's the fun in staying single? I turned eighteen ages ago, and I have yet to find my mate—flirting is essential to survive."Hayley looks like she might want to slap her brother for the second time today. Her jaw is resting in the palm of her hand, and her eyes casually flicker to mine."What about you, Raven? Are you excited about your eighteenth birthday?" She asks.I put down my coffee, and a nervous smile touc