Maybe Logan sees how freaked out I am because he says, “You don’t have to worry. Humans haven’t found out—”
“Ugh, Salem witch trials?”
I rub my forehead and grimace. Despite the cool temperature, I’m sweating. This is way too much to take in. First, I learn I’m a witch. Now, there’s some kind of school teaching witches and shifters how to take out evil paranormal beings. Just how many bad ones are there? Maybe it’s not so bad if teenagers are being trained to take them out.
Yeah, sure, Mirella.
“Trust me. Humans don’t know we’re real. They think we’re just villains in movies.”
“Or sparkly heroes who stalk their human love interests, even though they want to suck their blood.”
He shudders. “We don’t speak of that movie franchise.”
“No?” I hesitate. “Vampires are real?”
“Yes. Just about everything you can think of is. Like I said—”
“Clichés are clichés for a reason, and so are all the fables and myths and legends.”
“Exactly. See? You’re a quick learner.” Logan crosses his arms. “So, I’ll give you a week to think over all of this. I know… It was different for me. My parents are both werewolves, so I grew up knowing exactly what I was. You were all alone. That you’ve been able to use magic at all without any kind of formal training is remarkable.”
I’m so overwhelmed that I plop back down to sit against my tree again, trying desperately to ground myself back into reality. All of this is still too much to take in. My mom or my dad or maybe both of them had been witches. What killed them then? Or are they alive out there? Did they abandon me because they didn’t want a child?
I cross my arms and try not to feel self-conscious. “Nothing about me is remarkable.”
“That’s not true,” he protests.
“You don’t even know me.”
“I’ll get the chance to if you decide to come to the school.”
“What’s it called?” I mutter. “Where is it?”
“Magical Hunters Academy.”
I smirk and cock an eyebrow. “Seriously? A little on the nose, isn’t it?”
“Why not call a spade a spade?” He shrugs. “It’s a great school, from what I hear. Only one like it.”
“I’m sure.”
Logan throws back his head and laughs. He crosses over to sit beside me, sprawling out his long legs. He bends a knee and hooks an arm around it. "Not because it trains us to be hunters. Most of the schools are more specific. There's a school for only vampires called Blood Haven Academy, and there's one for only werewolves. That one's Moonstone."
“Why don’t you go to Moonstone?” I ask, curious.
“Because my parents are both hunters and went to Magical Hunters. Tradition. Plus, my parents are forcing me and since they’re paying…”
My mouth turns dry. “I don’t have the money to pay.”
“You don’t need to worry about that.”
My eyes narrow with suspicion. “Why not?”
"Because your tuition and room and board will be paid for, if you decide to come."
“If?”
“Well, yeah, we aren’t in the habit of forcing people to do anything against their will. We fight the monsters. We aren’t monsters ourselves.” He shifts over some and lies down, arms crossed beneath his head.
“But if I want to master my magic…” I say slowly.
“And help to save the world one mission at a time. Don’t forget that part.”
“Yes, yes,” I mutter.
“You don’t have to decide right now,” he says. “Take a week to think it over and—”
I burst out laughing. “I don’t need a week to decide. Of course I’ll do it. Why wouldn’t I? Who would choose to stay in an orphanage, feeling unwanted and unloved when they can learn about this part of themselves they thought might or might not be real? Yes, I’m in. When can I go?”
Logan rolls over toward me, a rumble of a chuckle filling the air. “The next semester doesn’t start for a week. That’s why I gave you the week deadline.”
“Oh.” I try to brush off feeling stupid. “What all will I need?”
With a groan, he sits up and reaches into his jeans to pull out a piece of paper. He hands it out to me, but I ignore it.
In total Mirella fashion, I blurt out, “How do you have clothes on? Your wolf didn’t, but when you shifted…”
“It’s a little forward of you to want to see me—”
“I don’t! I’m very glad you have clothes on, thank you very much.” My cheeks are burning. My face has to be bright red, as red as my natural coloring. I sure hope werewolves don’t have excellent eyesight in the dark, but he probably does, can probably see just how embarrassed I am. “You aren’t my type.”
“No?” He grins. “Shifters, including werewolves, have our own magic.”
“Ah. Of course,” I mumble, feeling like an idiot. I snatch the paper from him. “Thanks.”
It’s too dark for me to make out more than a few words here and there.
“No cauldrons?”
“They’ll be supplied.”
“Seriously?” I perk up. “Witches really do brew potions?”
He shrugs. “I don’t know the ins and outs of witches,” he says. “Your class schedule will be tailored to your abilities, so we probably won’t have many classes together.”
“This will be your first semester coming up too?”
“Yep. We’ll be first years.”
“Not freshman.”
Logan shakes his head. “Nope. The school is only three years.”
“And then what?”
“We graduate.”
“No, I mean…” I wave my hand.
“There are a couple of options, but you really don’t need to worry about that now. Just try to get what’s on the list. If you can’t, don’t sweat it. I’m sure the teachers will be more than willing to accommodate you.”
I scowl and cross my arms, almost turtling into myself. “Because who doesn’t want to help the poor, little orphan?” My tone is mocking, biting.
Logan grimaces. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean—”
“No, no. I get it. No one knows how to act around an orphan. Don’t want to step on toes or cause them any more trauma or grief since they’ve been through so much already.”
“You don’t have to go as an orphan,” Logan suggests.
“Um… I am an orphan.”
“Yes, I know, but the other students won’t know that.”
“The teachers will,” I point out and then reconsider. “Are they called teachers or professors or…”
"The lower-level classes are taught by mentors. The highest degree courses are instructed by masters."
“Well, the mentors will know and might let my orphan status slip.”
"Still, you could be Mirella the Miracle Witch. You could have accidentally hunted and slain a… a…"
“A whatever the asshole classmate is giving me grief is?” I ask wryly.
"That works." Logan chuckles. "I don't think you have to worry, though."
“Worrying is all an orphan does. Worry, stress… they’re kinda an orphan’s best friends.”
“That doesn’t have to be the case anymore,” he assures me. “I already know a bunch of cool guys who will be going. You’ll make friends easily.”
“Never had before,” I mutter.
“No?”
I shake my head and look away. One friend in Valerie and that's it. When I had been younger, I had several, but once they started to get adopted, and I was left behind each, and every time, I became resentful, jaded. Eventually, I stopped caring, but sometimes, especially when I'm outside late at night, I start to wonder why I hadn't been adopted as a baby. Why had I gotten passed over? Had I done magical things even as an infant?
“We can be friends,” Logan says.
“And what if you aren’t as popular as you think you’ll be?”
“Oh, so you want to be the most popular girl in school? We’ll definitely have to give you a killer nickname and awesome backstory then.”
I laugh and cover my mouth. “Nah. I’m not worried about being popular. I just want to learn. I…”
“What is it? And don’t think I didn’t notice how you never agreed to be my friend.”
Even though I try to smile, I can’t. “I have a feeling I’ll be behind, far behind. All the other kids will know how to use magic already. Sure, I made that leaf move but barely. I don’t know what I’m doing.”
“That’s the point of going to school,” he says easily. “The mentors will—”
“Yeah, yeah.”
“Don’t tell me you’re nervous,” he teases.
“Of course the big, bad werewolf isn’t.”
“I’ll be there to help you in any way I can… unless that’s too stalker-y.”
I almost manage that smile now. “Great. I haven’t even started at the academy yet, and I already have a stalker. What a girl always dreams of.”
“Just so you know, I don’t need to stalk a girl to get her attention.”
“No?”
“No.” His grin is goofy and adorable.
“Who is she?”
“What are you talking about?” Logan’s confusion is ridiculous.
“The girl. The one you don’t have to stalk.”
“I don’t know what—”
“Guess you were joking about the whole friend thing,” I say, shaking my head. “What a shame. I was just beginning to think we might be friends like you said.”
“Tell you what. I’ll introduce you to her. We grew up on the same street.”
“Aw, the girl next door. She’s a werewolf too?”
“No.”
My eyes are adjusting enough that I can see his blush. “No? It’s all right for the different kinds to intermingle?”
“Why wouldn’t it be?”
I shrug. “I don’t know. Some like to be with their own kind, I would think.”
“Our school is really open-minded. You’ll see.”
“And she is…” I prompt.
He laughs and rubs the back of his neck. “Her name is Synine.”
“That’s a hell of a name.” I bite my lower lip. “An elf?”
“No.”
“A snake shifter?”
“Closer.”
“Is she like Medusa?” I move my fingers through my hair like they’re snakes.
“A gorgon, no, but some do go to the school.”
I shrug. “I don’t have any more guesses. I’m not really a guru on mythological creatures.”
“Yeah, I should’ve just told you. She’s a lamia.”
“Wait. Isn’t that a monster? Lamias eat children, don’t they?”
“You ever have veal?” he retorts. “Or lamb? Then you’ve eaten children.”
“Lamb? No. No to veal either. They don’t exactly serve gourmet food here.”
Logan stands and pats his hands on his butt. “I should get going—oh, wait. I almost forgot.” He removes a vial from his pocket and hands it to me.
“What is this?” It’s too dark for me to see the coloring, but I can see that the stopper actually makes it a mist spray.
“The potion will cause those who know about you to forget about you. It’s your choice if you want to use it, but the mentors thought it might be a good idea. We can’t risk humans learning about the existence of paranormal creatures.”
“I understand that,” I say quietly, suddenly anything but happy like I was seconds ago. “But you don’t need to worry. I’ve always been forgettable,” I say.
Logan makes a face. “Why do you want to blend into the crowd?” he asks.
“Never said I did, but… I tend to make people forget when I… accidentally use magic.”
He grimaces. “That’s a good thing,” he assures me.
“I know, but…”
It's lonely. So lonely. I thought I was the only one, and now, I know I'm not, plus I can actually learn how to develop and better use my magic. It's awesome but also terrifying. It's just as well that I never figured out any grand plans for my future because now, not even the sky's the limit.