Witch of the Gate (Part II): Heart of Ether

I am walking through a crowded corridor full of young people full of hopes and dreams. Young men and women equipped with books, notebooks and thirst for knowledge are going from one classroom to another to take a class of their subject of desire.

I am one of them as I have been studying science at the Ohio University for two years now. At first, it was my choice to follow chemistry but I also like biology and a little physics.

So, I take chemistry classes as my main course but I am also taking classes in other sciences at the same time. With that way, I am always busy studying. Library has become my second home.

My social life didn’t change much. I have a couple of female friends. One of them is my roommate, Clarice as I live in the dormitories of the university.

She is a lively girl with a slim but sculptural body, long brown hair and light brown eyes. She is studying environmental science and she is really focused on that. When I have time, I take a look at her books and they are really interesting too.

My second college friend is Mina. She commutes to university from her home as she lives in the same city. She is a voluptuous beauty with dark blond hair and hazel eyes. She has her own car as her family is well-off.

She is studying civil engineering as she wants to follow her father’s path and take over his company. I also like studying with her. Some of her classes are the same as me so, I enjoy studying them.

She finds it amazing that I can understand and study subjects that I don’t have my focus on. In a matter of fact, she calls me by the nickname, Miss Genius.

Well, from a young age I could understand the knowledge provided in science books and more. I could have gone to college much earlier than the expected but…

Anyway, my life is following a normal and uneventful path. As I study at the university I stay here and I only visit grandmother in Christmas and some days in summer.

Away from fairytales and battles, my life is more normal now.

-“Daphne!!!” Clarice is calling me at the end of the corridor. She must have finished her classes.

-“Let’s go to the cinema!!!” She shouts excitedly. She is really unpredictable. She has those funny ideas out of the blue.

One time is going to the cinema, another time to go to a club, or follow the hiking club. As she is lively, she wants to be busy and energetic all the time. Most of the times, I can’t say no or maybe it is a habit of mine so she won’t hate me.

-“What a coincidence! There is a new release about a fantasy movie.” I hear Mina’s voice behind us.

-“Is it good?” Clarice asks.

-“Well, it is the same cliché story about a forbidden love between a vampire and a human but the male main actor is so hot!!!” She comments with bright eyes. She is a direct and sincere person and sometimes she is misunderstood for being crude or snobbish.

However, I like this boring conversation between young women. It feels real and normal. With that way, we agree to go to the cinema on Saturday.

-“Daphne, are you ready?” Mina asks.

She is generous and kind-hearted enough to give me a ride downtown to my part-time job. Grandmother is paying for my tuition so I can’t expect her to provide me with pocket money.

I work at a bookstore in a busy central street downtown. It has a big variety of novels and scientific books. This is like paradise for me as I got permission to read whatever I wanted. In these two years I have been working there, I have read a lot of fantasy novels and scientific books, too, especially books about botany.

My employer is a really good person who loves any kind of books. Mrs. Griffin is a short and thin woman around forties. She is wearing a pair of glasses and she has short curly brown hair. I think she is single as her big love is books. As kindred spirits, we connected immediately.

-“I can’t understand how you can catch up with everything. You are studying different majors, you are working part-time job and you have time for the botany club at the university. At the same time, you are also studying Clarice’s and my books. You also have time for us. You are indeed Miss Genius.” Mina says as we riding her car.

I can’t talk back as she is right but it is a fact that I like studying. It was my comfort in the past when I was alone or hurt. I could only distract myself in studying and now it is an enjoyable and useful habit.

-“What are you going to do at summer?” She asks. Summer vacation is in two months after the semester’s exams. I shrug.

-“I am going on holidays in California. Do you want to come?” She asks me. I am surprised. I didn’t think that she will invite me.

-“Thank you but I can’t.”

-“You can’t study all the time. You need to be more sociable and to enjoy yourself. Your only friends are me and Clarice. You are nineteen and you don’t have a boyfriend either.” She scolds me.

Well, I had a boyfriend. He lives in Rosefield as a farmer. However, I don’t know what our relationship is now. After that shocking scene he had witnessed, grandmother and I had disappeared for months.

When I returned home, I was confused and absent-minded. I couldn’t explain to him much. I told grandmother that he has seen those creatures. She was surprised at first as it is a fact that common people can’t see Etherians. She quickly understood. He saw because he was next to me. My excited feelings had activated my mana, which had affected him.

It was risky for him to know so grandmother made a special potion to delete the memories of that event. Derek was normal again and he was talking to me as usual but deep inside me I was feeling sad as he has forgotten the truth.

Then, I decided to go to college too and I only see him in Christmas and summer like grandmother. This was not a healthy relationship so we decided to remain friends. However, this was not the only reason.

I couldn’t take my mind from that sudden but passionate kiss that I shared with Leonard. I was absent-minded for a while as it was the only thing I was thinking. I couldn’t understand.

I thought that he didn’t like me. He was rough and sarcastic with me. He didn’t approach me with friendly intentions and he was distant. Suddenly, he kissed me before I left and surprised me.

However, it was not possible to know him better. We are literally from different worlds. There is nothing in common and there is nothing that connects us. I thought that at the university some miles away from there, I could forget that, but I still have some thoughts.

Anyway, I don’t want to destroy my normal life here so this boring and super busy life is enough for me. As long as my identity as a Witch of the Gate concerns, I didn’t concern myself anymore.

Grandmother took back her powers so she is the active Witch of the Gate and I have my normal life as I desire.