Magi Academy Read online

  This was all messed up.

  The door opened. The female officer let her mom and dad into the room and then left, closing the door behind her.

  “Oh my god, my darling, my baby girl. What’s going on? What’s happened?” her mom asked as she rushed in and pulled her into a tight hug. “Are you alright?”

  “I’m fine mom. I’m okay.”

  Her dad stepped up too and hugged them both. “Hey, kiddo. Are you alright?”

  “I’m fine, honestly.”

  “Are you sure?” Her mother continued, fussing over her. “Look at you. Have you had anything to eat or drink? Have they hurt you?”

  “No mom, I’m fine. I’m alright,” Katy reassured her.

  “I can ask. I can see about getting you something…”

  “Mom, stop. I’m okay.”

  Her mom stepped back, tears in her eyes. “I’m sorry. I just… I don’t understand. What happened? Why are you here?”

  “Have they told you anything?” Katy asked.

  “No, nothing,” her mom replied.

  “Not much,” her dad added. “Something about another girl in the hospital. Did you have anything to do with that?”

  “I… I don’t know.”

  “You don’t know? How can you not know?” her mother pressed.

  “It’s… it doesn’t make any sense,” Katy said, unsure how to explain what had happened.

  Her father put his hand on her shoulder and looked into her eyes. “Try us,” he said, his face full of love and reassurance.

  Katy looked at the floor and wondered if she should tell her parents what had actually happened. She didn’t understand it herself. The whole thing scared her half to death, but if she couldn’t tell her parents, who could she tell?

  “Alright,” Katy replied.

  “Good,” her father replied.

  “Look, you don’t have to, not if you don’t—,” her mom started.

  “No, mom. I do. I need to tell you.”

  “Oh. Okay then,” she answered, and waited.

  “I…” Katy paused as she thought about starting from the beginning and telling them about Brendan, but then decided against it. They didn’t need to hear that. “I got into an argument.”

  “An argument? With who?” her mom replied.

  “Carmel,” Katy answered.

  “I knew it. I knew she was no good. I knew from the first time I met her. I said, didn’t I…?” Her mom stopped talking as she looked up into her dad’s eyes and nodded. His look said she needed to be quiet, and listen. “Carry on, sweety.”

  “She was upset,” Katy continued, “we were shouting. She went to hit me and…”

  “And what?” her dad asked.

  “I wanted to shove her away. I didn’t want her to hit me, but I didn’t do anything. I just braced and waited for it. But somehow, she was thrown into the wall.”

  “Thrown into the wall?” her dad asked.

  “Did you push her?” her mother added.

  “That’s just it. I didn’t touch her. I just thought about it. But I didn’t do anything.”

  “So, how did she get thrown into the wall?”

  Katy shrugged. “I don’t know.”

  “Are you sure you didn’t black it out or anything? Do you think you might have…?”

  “Ed!” her mom exclaimed. “If she says she didn’t do it, then I believe her.”

  “I know. I just want to be sure,” her dad explained.

  “You’re not sure?” her mom pressed.

  “Mom, it’s okay. I don’t mind,” Katy cut in. “I want to work this out too.”

  “But, you’ve never hit anyone… Have you?”

  “No!” Katy replied, quickly and honestly.

  “No, I knew you hadn’t. See?” Her mom directed that last word to her dad.

  “Alright, I know you’ve never done it before, but we weren’t there.”

  “Ed! If she says she didn’t do it, then you should believe her.”

  Her father thought about that for a second and then nodded. “No, you’re right. Sorry, kiddo,” he replied and pulled her in for a hug. Katy hugged him back, knowing he didn’t mean anything by it.

  The door opened.

  “Ah, that’s good. It’s always nice to see supportive parents.”

  They all turned to see two people they hadn’t seen before entering the room, one male, one female. Both wore suits and the man carried a large notepad. He had short, dark hair and was quite handsome. The woman had mousey hair tied up in a ponytail, and she shut the door behind them.

  “Err, hello?” Katy answered, feeling a little confused. “Where are…?”

  “Your case has been referred on to us,” the man replied.

  “Are you detectives?” her dad asked. They were in plain clothes, so that made sense. Were things that bad? Should she be worried?”

  “Oh god,” her mother added.

  “No. No, we're not with the police. I guess you could say we’re with Social Services. We’re here to offer you rehabilitation in return for the case against you being dropped.”

  “Case?” her mother whimpered.

  “The err… The injured party, she was quite keen on pressing charges.”

  “I knew it,” her mom said, raising her voice. “I knew she was no good. I said it from day one. You remember, Ed? Do you remember me saying? I said, back then. I said she’d be trouble…”

  “Mrs Stone, please…” the man cut in.

  “Oh, sorry,” her mom replied. Katy rolled her eyes at her mother’s outburst.

  “Look, let’s start again. I’m David Fox and this is my associate, Jaki Mercer.”

  “Hi,” Katy replied.

  “So, your name is Katherine Stone, you’re twenty years old, the only daughter to Ed and Rose Stone, correct?”

  Katy nodded. “That’s right.”

  “Good, at least we’re in the right room,” Dave joked, glancing at Jaki. She didn’t seem to think it was funny though, and just watched, stony-faced.

  “Excellent. Right,” Dave said and pushed a sheet of paper towards Katy. “Can you just check your particulars on there for me, make sure we have all your information correct?”

  Katy looked over the sheet of paper and nodded after confirming her details. From her date of birth to all the addresses she’d ever lived at. They’d clearly done their homework. “Yeah, that’s all correct.”

  “Excellent, excellent. Right, as I said, Carmel is happy to drop all charges if you agree to spend a short time at our facility to give you some support and maybe offer you some rehabilitation. You’re free to reject that, but then she will press charges, and you could, in a worst-case scenario, spend time behind bars.”

  “You mean, go to jail?”

  “That’s right,” Dave answered. “This is a one-time offer, and I do urge you to take it seriously.”

  “She’ll do it,” her mother answered for her.

  “Mom!”

  “What? Of course, you’ll take it. You don’t want to go to jail, do you?”

  “Well, no. But this is my decision to make,” Katy protested.

  “She’s right, Mrs Stone, it’s up to Katy to tell us what she wants to do,” Dave added, agreeing with her. “So, what will it be, Miss Stone?”

  “Is it far away?” Katy asked.

  “What does that have to do with anything?” her mother blurted out.

  “Rose!” her father admonished her.

  “Well… I mean…”

  Katy shook her head and looked back at David.

  “It’s not too far away.”

  Katy sighed. “Well, what choice do I have?”

  “Good girl,” her mom exclaimed.

  “Mother!” Katy said, feeling patronised.

  “You made the right choice,” David replied. “We’ll be leaving tonight.”

  “Tonight?” Katy asked, surprised.

  “Unless you’d rather…?”

  “No! No, that’s fine,” Katy answered quick
ly.

  “Very good. Now, Mr and Mrs Stone, if you’d like to just step out with me, I have some papers for you to sign, okay?”

  Her parents agreed, and followed David out of the room, leaving her alone with Jaki, who’d not said a word since coming in. The woman stared at her with steely blue eyes, and Katy had the distinct impression that she could read her thoughts.

  Katy sat back in her chair, feeling very uncomfortable under the woman’s gaze as they waited for David.

  “We know what happened to you,” Jaki said eventually.

  Katy looked up. “She speaks.”

  Jaki raised a single eyebrow. “Are you not interested to know what happened to you?”

  “Whatever it was, it didn’t happen to me, it happened to Carmel,” Katy answered.

  Jaki smiled. “That’s only half true.”

  “What do you mean? I saw it happen. Something smashed Carmel into that wall,” Katy explained.

  “No.”

  “No?” What was this woman talking about?

  “You did it.”

  Katy frowned. “Um, no. I didn’t lay a finger on her.”

  “Of course not, you didn’t have to, just like I don’t need to touch that paper cup to move it into my hand,” Jaki replied, nodding to the used cup of coffee the female officer had left on the table. As Katy glanced down, the cup suddenly slid across the tabletop into the woman’s hand and filled up with steaming hot coffee.

  Katy shot out of her chair and stood up. “What the hell?”

  Jaki smiled. “Like I said, you didn’t need to touch her, but you did do it.”

  “What is this?” Katy asked.

  “This, is Magic,” Jaki answered, and suddenly the room was filled with the same gold and silver glowing mist that Katy had spotted earlier. It swirled around the room, but especially around Jaki, who glowed with the stuff.

  “What the hell is this? What’s going on?” Katy gasped.

  The vision of the glowing mist faded, and Jaki held up her hands. “It’s okay, I won’t hurt you. But we do need to talk.”

  “You’re damn right,” Katy replied, looking at the woman suspiciously.

  “Katy, what you’ve experienced, is your Epiphany. Your Magical awakening. You are like me and thousands of others around the world. You’re a Magus, and you’ve just woken up to your powers.”

  “A what? A Magus?”

  “That’s right. Someone who has the ability to use Magic. That’s you, and it’s not actually rehabilitation we’re offering you. It’s a place at a school for the Magically gifted. You’re going to learn Magic.”

  Katy stared at the woman for a moment longer, and then let out a somewhat strained laugh. “Get out of here. What is this, really?”

  Jaki smiled. “I promise you, I’m not lying. Magic, real Magic, is alive and well in this world, and you can use it. We want to teach you how.”

  “This is a very strange rehabilitation offer,” Katy said, frowning. She didn’t quite know what to make of this strange turn of events. As she frowned, she picked up the cup, and felt around it, wondering if there was a thin line of wire she’d not seen. But there was nothing there. Across the table, Jaki raised her hand, and the cup shot out of Katy’s hand, and into hers. Katy jumped at the sudden movement and looked on in wonder. She felt bewildered and wondered what on earth was going on. It didn’t seem to make any sense.

  “Okay,” Jaki said, “I think we’re ready.” She smiled as she stood up. Behind her, David walked back in with her parents, who were all smiles.

  “Is all in order?” David asked.

  Jaki glanced at him and nodded. She then looked over at Katy.

  “I see,” David said as if answering Jaki. “Very well.”

  Katy frowned, confused, and looked up at her parents who seemed oblivious to the strange interaction, and just smiled at her.

  “Shall we go?” David asked.

  Into the Mists

  Katy stuffed her clothes into her suitcase, picking out a range of items that would cover her for all eventualities. She still didn’t know where she was going. Not really.

  Leaving the police station had been somewhat surreal, with the two officers having gone from being suspicious of her, to smiling and wishing her well. They thanked Jaki and David for coming and taking Katy off their hands and promised that no further action would be taken against her.

  Katy felt relieved at the reassurance from the police, but the whole situation seemed strange. She couldn’t quite put her finger on what it was, but she felt sure that this wasn’t normal. You couldn’t just walk out of a police station with their blessing after what she had gone through. At least, that’s what she thought.

  Maybe she was wrong.

  She shook her head and continued packing as her mind returned to the bizarre demonstration of what Jaki called Magic in the interview room.

  Was it Magic, though?

  She’d seen enough films of celebrity magicians to know that people could do those kinds of things through trickery easily enough. Her experience with Carmel was a little different, though. That had come out of nowhere and had led to the girl breaking several bones and landing herself in Accident and Emergency.

  The day had shot by, and it was evening now in the quiet suburbs of North London, not too far from where she went to college. Outside her window, Jaki and David’s car sat waiting in the road. A Black Lexus, gleaming in the street lights.

  Katy finished stuffing the last of her clothing into the case and grabbed several items from around her room. She had no idea how long she’d be away from home, so she thought it best to take a few things with her, including her phone, makeup, various toiletries, some jewellery, a couple of bags, a small photo album she’d made up and filled with pictures of the people she loved. Her case was filled to bursting, but she finally felt like she had everything she wanted to take with her.

  “Are you coming down?” her mother called up. “It’s time to go, I think.”

  Katy sighed and took a final look around her room. She wondered when she’d be back. She’d not even finished her course at college. Would provision be made for her to do that? She was basically at the end of it anyway. She just had the finishing touches to add to her work.

  She guessed she’d find out.

  “Yeah, coming,” she called out, and left her room, manoeuvring down the stairs to the hallway, where Jaki and David waited for her. “Ready, I think.”

  “Excellent,” David replied.

  “Alright sweety, this is for the best, I think,” her mother said. “At least you won’t have your life ruined by this one mistake, hey?”

  Katy smiled. “Yeah, I know.” She hugged her mother.

  “Call me, won’t you?”

  “I will,” Katy answered. “Promise.”

  She stepped up to her dad and hugged him too.

  “Good luck, kiddo, we’ll see you on the other side, yeah?”

  “Yeah,” Katy replied and gathered up her stuff. She said her goodbyes, going through one more round of hugs and kisses before she finally got into the car after putting her case in the boot.

  She climbed in the back and waved to her parents through the window as David started it up.

  “So, where is this school again?” Katy asked as her home disappeared from view.

  “That’s kind of hard to describe, but we have a short journey ahead of us to get there.”

  “A train journey, maybe? To Scotland and a grand castle?”

  She could see David smile as he watched the road. “Something like that.”

  “You’re being very mysterious,” Katy said. “Should I be worried?”

  “We’re sorry,” Jaki answered. “We’re not trying to keep you in the dark, it’s just that some of this is kind of hard to explain, and might seem a little crazy to you, so it’s often better to just show you.”

  “Like you did with that paper cup?” Katy asked.

  Jaki laughed. “Yeah, something like that.”

&n
bsp; “So my parents think I’m going to some rehabilitation centre, then, right?”

  “That’s right.”

  “Awesome, I’m only twenty and already I’m going into rehab.”

  “Fake rehab,” David replied.

  “Right, sure.” She didn’t know what she believed right now. They were being very cagey, but the way the police were with them, all looked very official and above board. She didn’t get the feeling that these two were trying to do anything hurtful towards her, but at the same time, the whole thing, the entire arrangement was just odd.

  She had no doubt that some people got the chance of being rehabilitated rather than going to jail. She’d heard of that happening before, so she knew it was a thing, but this was different.

  “So, am I right in thinking you don’t work for Social Services?” Katy asked.

  “Correct, we don’t,” David answered.

  “Sooo… Who do you work for?” Katy pressed when it was clear that David wasn’t going to expound on his answer.

  Jaki turned in her seat. “We’re an Enrolment Team, and we work for an organisation called the Arcanum. The Arcanum works with the Magi to help keep them hidden from humanity. That’s their job, to keep people like your parents safe, and to make sure they don’t ever suspect that Magic, and those who use it, are real.”

  “So, how do I fit in?”

  “You’re a Magus. A Novice Magus who’s just had her Epiphany. The Arcanum keeps watch for people like you, and as an Enrolment Team it’s our job to bring you into the protection of the Magi Council.”

  “So, that’s where this school comes in?”

  “The Academy of Aetheric Arts, yes.”

  “An Academy? Cool.”

  “It is. It’s very new, too. You’ll be joining only the second year ever to start there.”

  “Oh?”

  “It’s not our place to get into this with you, so I won’t say too much. That’s for your teachers. You have so much to learn, but I’m sure you’ll enjoy yourself.”

  Katy took a breath. “I hope so.”

  “Okay,” David said, as they turned down a side road. “Looks clear, let’s Port.”

  Jaki looked around, checking the street. “Yeah, looks good.”

  A note of worry settled into her gut as David turned to look at her.