Chapter 1
The sun rose over my body through the uncovered broken window, the curtains I found had better use, on me as a blanket, in hopes of stopping the cold that leaked throughout the holes and broken window.
The house creaked as I rose from the bare floor, I moved slowly across and through to the bathroom, making as little noise as possible. It’s laughable how the bathroom of all places is the cleanest of the house, but it’s true with this old place.
Since a young age, I have had to scrub this room trying daily to keep it somewhat clean, I always told myself, how can I be clean, if the room I clean in is dirty, plus the added bonus of eliminating some ammo, from the kids in school who would use any excuse to bully me.
As for the rest of the house, such as the kitchen, living room and my Parents room, I stopped cleaning them when I turned, fifteen and realised just how disgusting they truly were.
Once a week I have to clean the kitchen, as if I didn’t I think the smell would impregnate itself on me, and the flies and bugs would be too much, not to mention the possible rodents that could crawl through the holes in my walls.
The smell is unsettling after just seven days the sight always makes me gag, but I make sure that what ever is left is put outside for bin day, which was yesterday. Looking at it today you would have thought I took a day off from cleaning it yesterday, with the boxes of pizzas strewn across the counter, thankfully they were fresh, which probably meant they one a fight yesterday.
I left it as it is, not wanting to touch the fresh items in case of a quarrel later. Popping my head through the door to the front room, a place I defiantly don’t clean or go in, I just check to see if the parents are home, which they are passed out on the floor, with their surprisingly fresh needles hanging from their arms.
What a wonderful sight this early morning, I see their chest rise and fall in a reasonable normal way and hope I haven’t been infected by their vile habits, by just breathing in their trapped air.
With my room thankfully right next to the drafty back door, I am able to sneak in and out undetected most nights, as for mornings they won’t rise at all, not until after I come home tonight. Cross fingers when I do return, I find them dead.
However, shit I think my life is, I like to think of the three positive things a day, 1) I have a roof over my head, 2) I have somewhere warm to rest my head. 3) a shower to wash myself in.
All of these for today are my positives and probably the only reason why I return here, mostly because I could find somewhere worse, which worries me more thank drugged up mom and dad.
I’m in my final year of school, finally old enough to join the supernatural school, to progress my talents in witchcraft. September is when I start, I’ve read every article on the academy there is to find from beings finding their mates, finding their forever home, and the latter, finding nothing at all, even with power, I have my finger and toes crossed that I will find my mate, or at the very least a tiny upgrade from this mess.
All supernatural’s have to go through the system, it helps with allocating them correctly, but from what I’ve read I think it’s all a ploy to find out who is powerful and who isn’t a worry, in the end they get put where they belong, helped along the way to make sure they don’t fall into evil, or bad habits I suppose.
I have heard of people being eliminated while they are still manageable, apparently that is a very rare occasion but not totally off the table, which just means I’ll have to keep, my wits about me and be careful who I trust.
Mrs. Langdon my former primary school teacher, has been preparing me for the enrolment of the school, her main advice was every creature has an aura, your power influences the aura, and while within the academy it will decided how long you will need to attend, the shortest stay has been recorded at five months, but can be less, and the longest period the academy has kept a being is ten years.
In reality I can’t see anyone actually staying there that long, they would probably just leave and decide on their own accord what they are going to be, with what I have read, and learnt from Mrs. Langdon, I believe I won’t need too long, she doesn’t think so either, which means once I’m done, I’ll finally be free, but with my luck I will be there for the whole ten years.
Regardless of the outcome, I have high hopes and excited vibes, for the term ahead, I’m heading in with a new attitude, I’ve shredded the old, worked my arse off over the summer holidays to build my muscles, as much as little to no food can give, build my knowledge and look ahead none of the people I was in school with came out with supernatural abilities, which definitely means a fresh start for me.
Hopefully I’ll be lucky enough to find some friends, or at the very least, use and embrace my powers if I need too, instead of hiding them away, taking the beating like the good little human I was painted as by Mrs. Langdon.
She is the only person in my life so far that has had my back the whole time, we have been drawn together, it was her that got me into magic after all. That one fateful day she found me battered and bruised, she told me,
“You have a wonderful aura, do you have magic in your home,” I remember looking up at her puzzled,
“No, but my father can turn into a dog,” she smiled at me, taking me to her classroom to be cleaned up, where she then plied me with books.
I returned the books the next day,
“Did you not want to read them,” she asked,
“I did read them all, I just can’t keep books in the house, or my parents will sell them,”
“You read all five of the six-hundred-page books, in one night,”
“Yes, I thoroughly enjoyed each one, and you were right I have got magic in my house, I made this glowy thing from the last book in the pile,” I said, showing her the ball of light I can now make easily,
“Fascinating, okay, here have this pile next, if you enjoyed those five these will be perfect for you,”
And that was where my love of magic stems from, watching me grow into the knowledge hungry witch I am today, there isn’t a book I haven’t read in the human world on magic and creatures, all things mythical and unsightly, that isn’t stored in my brain.
With great knowledge comes great power, or so they say, I feel powerful, but I haven’t met anyone that I could compare myself with, other than Mrs. Langdon who isn’t a witch just a warrior of the mind.
Her talents are exquisite, in her fields of knowledge, consisting of healing skills beyond human knowledge, which are always in use when I’m around, fighting skills, and gardening skills, and her skill of finding books for me to read that I hadn’t read before, on all topics.
We met in my first year of primary school, in the library, she followed me over to my secondary school library, from there she has done everything in her power to help me succeed in every way possible, except friendships, I was never able to get them.
I would die for that woman; she has been a better mother to me than my mother has ever been. Always there for me, no matter the time, or day, during the summer holidays she would work in the town library, which she now owns, to be closer to me, last year she even tried adopting me, but the child protection agency refused to help me, they said that I was in perfect health, and basically I’m to old to be bothering them when I’ll be able to move out soon any way.
The report she requested after they had given their verbal statement, stated that my house is a healthy living space and my parents are amazing, but I saw who did the report and knew he would write one that would paint my parents as good ones, to have a better deal on his drugs he buys off them no doubt. It didn’t go well when I returned and they beat me for reporting them, tired to get the name of who wanted to adopt me out of my mouth, but they would never have her name, not as long as I lived.
It was worth the risk, fate just wasn’t on my side that day, after all everything happens for a reason. The library became my second home, if I needed to escape at what ever time of the day I could go there, I had a key that she trusted me with, it more often than not I would only go there hen she was there, searching for her company.
My parents later found out from the agent who actually reported them, which led to allegations against Mrs. Langdon, being a child groomer, with her being gay, but I felt like Matilda, my parents ignored me, and my teacher adored me, I even had the magic Roald Dahl wrote about.
She was my only friend and saviour, bringing me food, knowing full well I had not eaten, buying me clothing which I was very much grateful for especially when what my parents were providing me was nothing.
There were things I wasn’t able to to take home, I always panicked if I did ever take things they would be missing by morning, which is why there is a staff room in the back of the library with a big locker with my name on it and a lock only I know the code too. I only take home what I need, hiding the rest under a cloaking spell.
She bought me my first pair of doc martens, I smiled wildly hugged her and bounced up and down, then I rubbed my head realising how much they must have cost, I told she shouldn’t have spent her money on me and that the gift was way to mech, just spending time with her was a gift enough for me.
She tied to make me feel better giving me feeblest excuse, saying that they were an unwanted gift, with no receipt and she did not want to see them go to waste.
I couldn’t see her unhappy, or them going to waste, which is why I never take them off, treasuring them with all my heart, no matter the cost, hopefully one day I can return the favour.
She did however remind me to cast the cloaking spell onto them around my parents, making sure sticky fingers didn’t get to them and the other spell she taught me, which keeps the shoes looking brand new all the time, Controversial I know but it worked the way I needed it too, especially when I grew slightly out of them, I thought they wouldn’t fit but they grew with me.
If it wasn’t for her, I would probably be in a ditch somewhere, dead and buried.
After making sure the parents weren’t going to wake, I finish off washing with the tiny soap bar I hide in the bathroom, dry and jog to the library, where I brush my teeth and long boring hair, which I tie up in a tight bun always as I haven’t the means to make it look healthy.
For my birthday and Christmas Mrs. Langdon always buys me eyeliner and water-based eyeliner, with a shimmer bronzer if I run out, I’ve become really good at applying them, making flicks point perfectly and evenly, and I make sure to rub in the blusher well, so it doesn’t look like dirt, mostly I use it to add colour to my pale face.
The outfit I’m going for, is simple, as I want to make a good impression and not stand out too much, starting with fishnet tights, black shorts, black docs, obviously and a long sleeve grey crop top, which is a little annoying but necessary to cover my black cuffs.
I rub at the black markings that are tattooed into my skin, they look like tattoos, they feel like tattoos, but there is something about them that shouts, I’m not a tattoo, no one has answers on what they are, they have been there since I can remember, no one has been able to remove them, as for asking my parents about them, they don’t really give me an answer they just look at me stupid, before turning back to what they were doing.
“Morning, Mrs. Landon,” I shout, I find her sitting in her usual seat behind the desk typing away at her latest novel no doubt,
“Good morning, Willowmina, and luck today, enjoy and do not forget to grab your food,’’
“Thank you, I will,” she knows I wouldn’t forget a good meal, from the reviews the food is amazing for an academy.
I smile brightly as I wave my goodbye, reminiscing of the times that woman has saved me, how she’s the best thing to ever happen to me, my most memorable time was when she turned up to parents evening, not that my mother would come, or if she did she would cause a ruckus. From that one-time Mrs. Langdon never failed to attend another, slowly healing me from the inside out.
