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I clambered over the broken branches and rocks littering the forest floor, propelling myself from tree to tree with my arms, trying to get there as quick as I could.
I had no idea where ‘there’ was, I just knew that I had to get there before...
Before it was too late.
I eventually stumbled out of the trees and into a clearing, only to see Natalie standing in the middle, wearing a white dress that almost glowed in the white moonlight.
“Natalie!” I yelled as I saw a shadowy figure behind her, but I was too late.
A sword burst from her chest, and red blossomed out over the white of her dress until she was dripping with crimson.
I ran over as she dropped to the ground, and the shadowy figure disappeared, leaving behind nothing but a silver pin with the school badge on it.
Just like the teachers wore.
“Natalie...” I managed as I kneeled down next to her, willing her to wake up.
But she didn’t so much as stir.
“Amy.”
I glanced up at the familiar voice to see a pale woman looking at me, with wild green eyes and jet-black hair.
“You have to wake up, Amy.”
#
I BOLTED UPRIGHT IN my bed, the disturbing dream refusing to leave my thoughts.
I grabbed the blanket from the foot of my bed and wrapped it tight around me before taking my phone and checking the time.
Half five.
Well, I knew I wasn’t going to get back to sleep, so I risked texting my auntie.
She probably wouldn’t be up, but...
Well, I wanted to talk to someone.
You up?
Thankfully, she responded almost instantaneously.
Yeah. Need to come over?
Yes.
I’ll put the kettle on.
I didn’t bother getting changed out of my pyjamas, instead just putting on my boots and long black duffle coat before heading out to her house, my phone still in my hand.
I made my way there in just a few minutes, and as soon as my auntie opened the door, she wrapped her arms around me.
Shit, how bad did I look?
“Bad dreams?”
I just nodded.
“Come on in.” She closed the door behind me as I headed through to the kitchen. “Do you want something to help you get back to sleep?”
“There’s no point. I need to be up for classes in a few hours.”
“You could call in sick this morning. Gail would understand.”
I shook my head. “I get nightmares all the time. I’ll be fine.”
“I know, but... Amy, you should give yourself some time. After the attack, and what happened with your mum, no one’s expecting you to be okay right now.”
“I’m expecting it. And I don’t want to fall behind.”
“If you do, you don’t have to do your exams right away. You can delay a year and do your ASs and A-Levels at the same time.”
I frowned. “That would be double the work.”
“Or you could take a year to focus on your magic.”
“And go to university a year older than everyone else?”
Auntie Jess shrugged as she went over to the kettle and the two mugs next to it. “Just think of it as having a gap year. Plenty of students have them.”
I folded my arms tight across my chest. The idea of waiting an extra year for university did not sit well with me.
“I’m just saying, you shouldn’t feel pressured, Amy. You have other options.”
I nodded, but it was mostly to get off the topic, not because I believed her.
Auntie Jess sighed and I got the impression that she knew that. “So, what will it be? Something to sleep or coffee?”
“Coffee.”
She nodded before getting out the jar of instant. “So, do you want to talk about your nightmare?”
“I... Not really. But I think I have to. It’s like Gail said when I came here, I’ve been dreaming of things that I’ve noticed but been ignoring. I saw Natalie being attacked by a shadowy figure. I couldn’t make them out, but they had a teacher’s pin.”
Auntie Jess frowned. “Natalie?”
“One of my new friends.”
She nodded. “Well, if you saw her being hurt by a teacher... That’s not good. Did you see anything else to identify them?”
“No, but...”
Auntie Jess passed me my coffee, waiting patiently for me to finish.
“I ran into Mr Stiles today. And I don’t know what it was, but... He felt weird.”
“He probably felt like a Demon, and given the last time you saw Demons...”
“The last time I saw a Demon, it was Caroline, and I didn’t have this reaction to her.”
Auntie Jess nodded. “All right. I’ll go and talk to Gail about him. See where he came from.”
I stared at her. “You believe me?”
“I believe that you’re perceptive, Amy. And no small part of that is your magic. You might not always know what to do with what you perceive, and so end up ignoring it, but that doesn’t mean that you don’t see it. I’m not about to get Mr Stiles locked away for potentially hurting a student, but I don’t see the harm in asking some questions.”
I smiled with relief. I’d expected her to tell me that I was imagining things. “And there was something else. When I was talking to him, I saw something. His appearance changed.”
“Well, that I was aware of. He wears a glamour. It’s impressive that you saw through it, though. It’s a strong one. Strong enough that most magical beings would have to strain to see past it.”
“So, everyone already knows?”
“Most of the teachers can sense it. I’m not sure about the students, though.”
“And you’re not worried that he’s hiding his appearance?”
“Well, it’s not uncommon. And it’s rude to peer through a glamour that strong. They’re usually for covering up scars bad enough to resist healing magic.”
“His just seemed to change his hair colour. He had a white streak. And he had a tattoo on his wrist.”
Auntie Jess smiled. “Then I don’t think you have anything to worry about. His hair was likely just to look more professional. I know I thought about glamouring mine for this job. And the tattoo is how Demons show their marriages. Some do glamour them just for privacy. They can sometimes be used to identify exactly who they’re married to.”
“So, that’s normal?”
“Pretty normal, yeah. But don’t worry, I’ll still ask Gail about him.” She took a sip of her coffee as she regarded me carefully. “Was there anything else?”
“Yes. In the dream, after Natalie was hurt, I looked up to see a pale woman with dark hair and wild green eyes. She told me to wake up.”
“Was she tall? Built like a brick house?”
“Yeah. I think her biceps were the size of my thighs.”
Auntie Jess gave a bittersweet smile. “It’s just a sign that you’re fighting the block.”
“Who is she? Do I know her?”
“I can’t tell you. Not without risking weakening the block.”
“Would that really be so bad? Wouldn’t I come into my magic faster if you did?”
“No. I talked to Gail about it, and she thinks it’s a bad idea to try to weaken the block. The best course of action is to let you gently chip away at it yourself. If you try to force it, it could have nasty consequences.”
I nodded, but I wasn’t exactly happy with the answer.