Page 14 of Magic in the Woods
“No, no…” she tutted, waving her own hand at me. “We live here under the protection of the Coven; we aren’t a part of it.”
“But if you’re under their prot?—”
She clicked her tongue at me, the same way my grandmother had done to hush me. “That’s all I’m going to say about that.”
I bit my tongue between my teeth. I had so many questions, but I didn’t want to push my luck. They were giving me food and shelter—I’d just have to take whatever information they were willing to divulge.
“There are two ways to enter the Academy: parent presentation or scouting,” Luke began, glancing at his mother, who nodded at him to continue.
I let out a sigh of relief. It didn’t matter if they didn’t tell me about their situation; what I cared about was information about the Coven. I listened, ready to commit every word to memory.
“Witches can only enter the Academy once a year,” Luke continued, “during the freshening.”
“And since you don’t have witch parents to present you…” I couldn’t help but notice that Annabel’s eyes darted to the freezer as she paused before looking back at me. “You’ll have to wait for the scouts to gather this year’s group of human-born witches.”
“This year’s freshening happened last month,” Luke said. “They won’t do it again until next year.”
“That was only last month?” His mother grimaced as she took another sip of the purple liquid in her cup. “Time sure moves slowly around here.” She glanced at Luke before looking back at me. “That’s probably for the best. It’ll give her time to prepare.”
“Yeah,” Luke said. “She needs time if she thinks she’s going to enter the Academy…”
I watched them talk about me back and forth, trying to follow their conversation. I’d have to go to the Academy? But I needed to get to the Coven.
The Academy…I’d heard that before, only mentioned briefly in conversations between my mother and grandmother. It sounded like a school—maybe that was where I needed to be. Maybe that was where I could learn about this world I knew so little about. My grandmother had trained me the best she could, but if the few days I spent in the woods alone had taught me anything, it was that I knew nothing of the world outside the cottage or the shifters’ packhouse. I needed to learn.
Annabel quieted, tilting her head, giving me a soft glance. “No one ever told you about the Academy?” It was like she could read my mind, like she knew me.
I shook my head. No one had ever told me anything directly.
“Witches have to go through the Academy to join the Coven. The process, as Luke said, is called freshening. When witches turn eighteen, their witch parents present them to the Academy for tutelage in their given magical ability.” She looked at Luke, who bowed his head, looking at his lap.
“Also during this time, the Coven’s scouts find those without magical parents—witches who might not even know they have powers. Many of the witches with non-magical parents grow up seeming odd or delinquent in the human world. When the scouts find them, they promise the human parents they’ll take them to a prestigious college preparatory academy for the summer. They also promise a place of safety and acceptance. Many parents of these children are relieved that there’s a place for their…unusual children.” She looked at me, her eyes softening. “I think you know the outside world mistreats people with magical abilities.”
My grandmother had told me countless stories about the outside world and their hatred of those of us with magic. It’d been the fuel for childhood nightmares.
I nodded, looking to my lap. “Yes, ma’am.”
My fingers fidgeted as I kept my eyes down, feeling everyone’s stares on the crown of my head. I waited for someone to say something—anything to interrupt the silence in the trailer. The refrigerator hummed, and the radio had been turned down for dinner. But those sounds did nothing to break up the loud silence here in the trailer.
Slowly, I lifted my head, my eyes bouncing around thetable before I realized that Luke and Emily were staring at their mother, who was staring at me, studying me.
The moment our eyes met, I swallowed a gasp, not wanting to show how intimidated I was by her. It felt like she was looking beyond my eyes—reading my thoughts, my memories. Staring into my soul.
We held eye contact for what felt like hours…but probably lasted only minutes.
When she looked away, I wilted in my chair as if I’d been released, as if she’d been holding me in an upright, locked position while she’d studied me. My upper arms hit the side of the table, my eyes still watching her…waiting for her to do or say something.
Annabel looked over at Emily, gazing at her for a moment before looking at Luke, taking the same amount of time to stare at him.
Nodding slightly, she turned to look back at me. “We’ll do our best to tell you everything you need to know about the Coven and the Academy in the coming year.”
“Does this mean she’s staying?” Luke asked.
“Yes,” Annabel said. “She’s staying until the next freshening.”
CHAPTER SEVEN
Dafni
