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Kat rolled her eyes at her best friend. “You’re locked up in our room reading that old thing all the time,” she said, pointing to the book. “Nothing weird is happening, and that book is going to get us in trouble.” Kat placed her hands on her hips. “You were the one who persuaded me to stay for the Winter Solstice Dance! I lied to my parents!”
Angie huffed. “Fine. I’ll get dressed, but there’s tons of cools rituals in here too.”
Kat rolled her eyes, and Angie put down the book.
Kat eyed her friend’s superhero pajamas. Angie loved comics, but Kat could never get into them. “Hurry up. They will be arriving soon,” she said, referring to the advanced witches and wizards that were coming to teach the classes. “I’m going to find Lara.”
Angie rolled her eyes and hid the book out of sight.
Kat ran down the corridor and found Lara sitting on a wooden ledge, looking out a window which had no glass; it was just a carved arch in the stone wall. “Hey.”
Lara turned her head. “Hi,” she said sadly.
Kat lifted herself up onto the ledge. “What’s up?”
Lara forced a small smile. “Nothing, I’m glad to be back...it’s just, well, everything’s changed since I died. I mean, you were so little! You don’t even have your memories of me. Mom and Dad think I’m still dead, and all my friends are older and have jobs now. I can’t be Lara Ash. I have to be Hope.”
Kat sighed. “I know. I can’t imagine how much it sucks for you.” She looked out and over the grounds. Snow was settling on the icy grass below. “At least the dance is tonight. It’s something to take your mind off things.”
Lara forced another smile. “Sure. Let’s go down.”
“We need to wait for Angie.”
“Oh,” Lara said, her smile fading. “She’s nice and all, it’s just I don’t think she likes me.”
Kat smiled. “She’s not a trusting person. She just doesn’t know you properly yet. Give her time. Ah”—Kat turned—“speak of the devil. Ang, over here.” Kat waved her over.
“Hi, Angie,” Lara said.
“Ready?” she asked Kat, dismissing Lara.
“Yeah,” Kat said and jumped down from the ledge. “I’m excited!”
“Me too,” Angie admitted. “Arnold Mafesta is coming. He’s the potion master of the magick world! Did you know he found a cure for the Blood Pact Virus?”
Kat lifted any eyebrow. “The what?”
Lara perked up. “It’s a deadly virus that takes over the body when a blood pact is betrayed. The potion is called Venemorgh, named after the plant that made the potion work. It’s rare, though, so hard to get a hold of.”
Angie rolled her eyes. “Yeah, what she said.”
They walked out into the courtyard. Lara pulled the hood of her red cloak over her head, stopping the snow from falling on her jet-black hair. Angie’s lips were colored deep crimson—a rose by any other name—her favorite lipstick in the Witches Brew Makeup Collection.
Winter had fallen over the small corner of North Carolina which housed the three academies. The sky was washed with gray and black clouds that hovered over the academy. The willow tree stood frozen, covered in a thin ice that laced over the cobbled courtyard.
“It’s freezing,” Kat exclaimed and buttoned her gray coat. “I hope they get here soon.”
Angie pointed to the black iron gate. “They just arrived.”
Two witches and one wizard walked through the gate as if it were smoke and breathed in the cold, crisp air. The wizard was Arnold Mafesta.
Angie squealed in delight and ran toward the wizard, extending her hand. “Mr. Mafesta, Arnold, I mean uh, Potion Master Mafesta. Um, it is an honor,” she said, her face turning the same color as her lips.
His expression was unchanging. He was in his early fifties. His dark brown hair was graying in places, and his thin lips were pale, matching the rest of his pasty complexion. His dark brown gaze met Angie’s. “It’s Master Mafesta.” His voice was monotone. “Ah,” he said, looking behind her. “Lilith Krauss, thank goodness,” he said, looking over the top of Angie’s head.
“Thank you for coming,” Krauss said with a broad smile. “Your bags have been taken up already by our maids.”
He nodded but shared no thanks. “What room am I in?”
“Room two four six. Top corridor, west wing.”
He nodded stiffly and walked past them and into the building.
Krauss hurried to greet their other two guests, and Angie blinked back her tears.
“Never mind,” Kat said, squeezing Angie’s arm lightly. “He’s just a grumpy old man.”
“Yeah, he’s an idiot,” Lara said.
Angie turned. “Whatever.” She walked over to the willow tree that towered over her. Kat and Lara followed.
“Come on, Ang,” Kat said, nudging her. “We have the dance.”
Angie shrugged.
Kat grinned. “We need to get ready for it. Dresses, shoes...makeup.”
Angie’s face lit up on the last. “Can I do yours?”
Kat nodded. “And Lara’s.”
“It’s okay,” Lara said on seeing Angie’s frown. “I prefer to do my own.”
Angie grinned. “Coolness.” She linked arms with Kat and walked back into the academy. “They’re allowing the other two schools to come too,” Angie said excitedly.
“Guessing Jake’s going to be your date.”
Angie nodded enthusiastically. “Yep.”
Lara hurried next to them, the ice crunching under her suede black boots. “They’re letting Morwood’s come?” she asked, her eyes frantic.
“It’s going to be fine,” Kat cooed. “It was ten years ago,” she whispered. “Nothing will happen.”
They fell silent as a group of excited girls hurried past them, wearing black cloaks.
“Plus,” Angie whispered. “There’s a ton of security...the wisps, the advanced witches,” she said, not wanting to say Arnold Mafesta’s name, still upset from his ignorance of her, “and the teachers. Plus, if anyone does try anything, I’ll burn them,” she said with a laugh, but Lara winced.
She remembered back to the final fight between the two academies. The day of her death. She glanced back at the willow tree before they got to the academy doors. The girls at the academy did indeed burn. She had watched the flames dance up their bodies as they screamed; she had watched before the Morwood girls hung her from the willow tree for everyone to see—a reminder that a traitor would die a traitor’s death.