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Mona kneeled on the dirt of Morwood’s Graveyard and lowered her head, channeling the tombstones surrounding her. Morwood’s Graveyard was filled with the bones of the deceased members of the Blood Moon Coven and held the dark energy she needed to bring him back from the dead.
She picked up her bag of grave dirt and smeared it over the bones of the deceased wizard she had in front of her.
She knew the risks, but she couldn’t turn back. She needed to gain the trust of Katarina and Angelina if her plan was to work.
Attacking the school when she did had been a mistake, and she learned from her mistakes. She hadn’t been looking at the ultimate goal. Now she knew what she needed to do, and she was shocked that no one had thought of it before. After all, it had been staring everyone in the face for years.
The moon was whole, and the air chilly.
“Incantate, Forumnor. I call to you, the spirit of Alexander Fascinare. I bid you, take the body of this boy.”
Mona looked down at the boy she had kidnapped from Bolt’s Academy. He was still unconscious from the potion that she had fed him earlier that day. He had passed out right next to the woods, which was perfect for her, so she managed to drag him into the tree line before anyone saw.
Mona smiled as the graveyard fell silent and the wind dropped; the spirits of the dead were with her.
Her eyes turned white as Alexander’s spirit coursed through her and into the body of the young boy. She begged for the spirit not take her own body, which was a chance she took each time she did the ritual.
The boy’s body shifted but did not wake. She took the Dagger of the Dead from her satchel and ran it along her hand. Blood dripped onto the body, disappearing into smoke as it hit him.
“Awaken, Alexander.”
Crows landed on the cracked tombstones around them and on the circle Mona had drawn to keep any other spirits who were around from getting in and taking the body.
Her phone rang as she waited for him to wake. “Bloody thing,” she said and turned it on silent. She had to play the part of a student, and they all had phones.
A text came through from one of her “friends” at Morwood’s School.
Get back now! School’s on lockdown. A boy went missing from Bolt’s.
She texted back.
I won’t be long. Stall her for me. DON’T let them know I’m gone.
Girls are idiots, she thought as she thought about how easy it had been to gain the loyalty of all the girls at Morwood’s.
“Awaken, Alexander,” she said impatiently.
A breath escaped his mouth, and his eyes turned from the bright blue they once were to a dull gray.
Her lips curved into a smile. She was his sire, which meant he would have no choice but do her bidding.
“Alexander Fascinare.”
He frowned and looked down at his body. “Why have you brought me back?”
“I need you to help me carry out a plot. One which will finally get us all vengeance for our coven. You will be acting as Jake Perizi, a student at Bolt’s Academy. He is the secret boyfriend of Angelina Dupree. We need to get close to her and her friend, Katarina Ash.” She handed him a notebook. “I’ve written down everything I could find out about Jake while watching him for the last few weeks. Read it, memorize it, and report back to me every Tuesday and Saturday evening, here.”
He nodded and stood up. “It feels good to breathe again. Can we make this permanent?”
She nodded. “I have plans too. The longer you stay in his body, his soul will grow weaker. When he is at his weakest, I will perform an extraction ritual and send him to the world of the dead.”
“Excellent. Let’s get to work then.”
***
ANGIE RIPPED A PIECE of paper from the leaflet on the board in the hall and headed to the gym. It was a chance to join the decorating committee. She pushed it inside her pocket and gulped. Try-outs start soon.
Her heart was pounding. Most of the girls had come from Middle School, so Angie would have a lot of catching up to do if she managed to join the Sparks.
The girls wore their cheerleading uniforms, and all stood in a line. A bunch of nervous first and second years sat on the benches. A couple of them looked confident. Angie tried to mimic them and took a seat at the bench. She had always been good at dance and gymnastics, so she hoped she’d pass with flying colors.
“Isolde Chambers,” the head cheerleader who had braided red hair called. The blond, peppy girl jumped up with a huge smile.
Her entire routine was flawless. Angie swallowed hard. It was as if a led balloon had slid into her stomach.
She exhaled slowly. She hadn’t even realised she’d been holding her breath.
“Lizzie Norman,” the head cheerleader called. The curly red head stood up, not looking as confident as the Isolde girl, and started her audition.
Angie was shaking now. Had she been stupid enough to really believe she could join the squad?
She stood up to leave. “Angelina Dupree.”
She stopped in her tracks. All eyes were on her. She took a step back, plastered on a fake smile, and stepped up. She went over her routine in her head. She’d been practicing enough in her room, to Kat’s annoyance.
She started her routine, but messed up in the middle and fell to the ground.
“Thank you,” the head cheerleader said and wrote something on her clipboard.
“Wait,” Angie said and stood up, red faced. “I can do it again.”
The girl tilted her head. “No need. Caroline Glower, you’re next.”
Angie stormed over to the bench, grabbed her back packed, and left the gym as the Caroline girl started her audition. Her nerves had gotten the best of her.
***
KAT THREW HER ARMS open as Angie walked in the room. “So, did you get in?”
Angie shook her head looking crestfallen. “I messed up my routine.”
Kat’s smile dropped. “Oh, Ang. I’m sorry. I know you love all that stuff, but hey,” Kat said and wrapped her arms around her bestfriend. “There’s always next year, right?”
Angie sniffed. “I guess.”
“Come on,” Kat said and stroked her hair. “Look at it this way, you have a whole year to practice.”
Angie smiled. “I guess you’re right.”
“Oh come on,” Kat said with a smile. “We all know you’re going to be head cheerleader one day.”
Angie laughed, glad to have Kat there. “I do have a whole year to practice.”
Kat nodded. “Exactly, and I just love your late night practices.”
She rolled her eyes at Kat’s sarcasm. “Well, never mind that for now. We have classes early.”
Kat hurried to her small bookshelf set up at the end of her bed. She pulled out a big black book. “Here,” she said, handing it to Angie. “Potions. You need to study.”
Angie rolled her eyes. “It’s recommended reading material.”
“So?”
“So...” Angie laughed. “No one reads the recommended reading material.”
Kat scowled and took the book back. “Well, I do.”