Magi Apprentice Read online

  “They might be jealous of you,” Miss Hunt said.

  “Jealous? Of me? Ugh.”

  “You said they were Riven?” Mr Spiros replied. “So they’re likely in the dark about much of the Magi world. Maybe they just know bits. They’re probably trying to get whatever information about the spectre that they can, and saw you as a way to do that.”

  “So, I need to be careful then, that’s what you’re telling me?”

  “It’s always wise to be vigilant and careful as a Magus,” Miss Hartman replied. “There are dangers everywhere.”

  “I’m beginning to see that,” Katy replied.

  “Okay, well, you weren’t harmed and they aren’t Magi so I don’t see this being a cause for concern,” the Head said, and then added, “as long as you watch your back from now on, Miss Stone.”

  Katy grimaced. She wasn’t sure she agreed with that assessment. One of the attackers had a knife and could have killed her. It sounded like they were trying to minimise what had happened. Either that or they were just trying to reassure her and not worry her unduly.

  “I don’t see a reason to cancel the trip,” Mr Spencer remarked, talking to Miss Hartman.

  “I agree. You’ll be in a group, so you should be fine.” Miss Hartman looked over at Katy and smiled. “Sorry, you probably don’t know, but your year will be going on a school trip back to the Material Realm in a couple of days to visit some key locations and meet some interesting people.”

  “Oh, cool,” Katy replied. It sounded fun.

  Miss Hartman nodded with a smile. “Thank you for coming to tell us about your encounter. If anything else should happen, let us know, but I think you’ll be quite safe here.”

  Katy nodded. “Thanks,” she replied and showed herself out under the watchful gaze of the four members of staff. Stepping outside, she shut the door behind her and noticed another student sat beside the door.

  It was Dana with her long dark hair partially hiding her face, she sat with a slightly hunched posture. She was quite a self-conscious girl.

  “Oh. Hi, Katy,” Dana said with a nervous smile. “You’re back.”

  “Yeah. About an hour ago. How are you?”

  Dana nodded. “Yeah, I’m good, you know? And you?”

  “Yeah, fine, I guess. So, what are you here for?” Katy asked, nodding towards the Headmistress’s door. “Have you been causing trouble?”

  Dana smiled. “No, nothing like that. I’ve been meeting with Mr Spiros and sometimes Miss Hartman since the thing with the Red Witch. They’ve been helping me get over the ghost’s influence, asking me questions about what happened, helping my mind heal, and teaching me some methods to keep people out of my head. It’s been interesting but, intense. You know?”

  “I had no idea,” Katy replied. “Have they been looking into your head?”

  “A bit, yeah. They want to make sure there’s no residual taint from what the Red Witch did. It was a condition of me staying here that they be allowed to do what they needed to do. It’s not nice, I don’t enjoy it. But I know they need to do it.”

  “Crap. That sounds… I don’t know. Like a bit of a violation?”

  Dana nodded. “Sometimes it feels like that. It’s tough, but I’m okay.”

  “So, Mr Spiros is the one rooting around inside your head?”

  “Sometimes. I wonder what he’s looking at sometimes, you know? But Miss Hartman has reassured me that he’s trustworthy. I don’t know, but if she trusts him then....”

  “I get it,” Katy replied, thinking back to when she overheard the Head and Mr Spiros talking, and he mentioned that she was using the students as bait. She felt sure that they were baiting the Red Witch, but even so, it led her to question if they had the best intentions towards the students. Or maybe she was being dramatic. The world of the Magi was a dangerous one, clearly, so it was possible that they just needed to put up with these things in order to ensure everyone’s security and safety.

  “If I can help in any way…” Katy said, feeling sorry for Dana.

  “I’ll let you know. So, how come you’re here?”

  The door to the Head’s office opened, and Mr Spiros stepped out. “Dana, you’re here. I thought I heard talking.”

  Dana nodded as he turned and looked at Katy.

  “On your way, Katy,” Mr Spiros said.

  She nodded, and turned to Dana. “I’ll catch you later, okay?”

  Standing, Dana smiled. “Yeah, will do,” she answered, and followed Mr Spiros into the office. Katy watched them go, and caught a last glance from the teacher before the door shut, and the slight frown he gave her.

  Getting Reacquainted

  Katy laughed at Trenton’s joke and took a sip of the drink she’d brought with her. “Yeah, it’s good to be back. It was strange going home and seeing my parents after all this.” She waved her hands at their surroundings. “It’s weird, you know? The world, it seems different now. My old life was so limited. We really didn’t have a clue about what was out here. There’s so much for us to learn.”

  Trenton nodded. “I know what you mean. We lived such small and insignificant lives before.”

  “Do you think we’re important now?”

  “Um. I don’t know,” Trenton replied. “I think we have the potential to be important, sure,” he said after taking a moment to ponder the question. “The ability to do Magic means we can have a larger impact on the world around us. Looking back, there are plenty of times in my life that I wish I’d known Magic. Although, I guess we’re also quite limited in what we’re allowed to do.”

  Katy nodded. “We have to remain hidden.”

  “Yeah. We could do so much more if that wasn’t the case.”

  “It also sounds like we’re frequently caught up in our own affairs, as well.”

  “You mean, Magi affairs? Like the Nomads?”

  “Yep,” Katy replied, as she thought back to the attack in the restroom. She was entering a new world now, an exciting world. A world she knew hardly anything about, and yet, it was also a world filled with danger and intrigue.

  She sighed.

  The Magi had so much potential, and yet, it was at least partially squandered on Magi matters. Or was it? Maybe without the Magi to protect humanity, things would be worse.

  But were they worse because of the Magi and their Magic or in spite of it?

  A true double-edged sword.

  She smiled to herself and looked over at Trenton as he took a sip from his can of Coke. He’d been the last person she would have expected to be enjoying a drink with, and yet, here she was. After the Red Witch, she’d found herself hanging out with Trenton more. It was nice. He had an edge to him though, but in many ways, that was part of his appeal. The talk around the Academy was that he’d killed someone during his Epiphany, but so far, she’d not managed to get him to talk about it.

  She’d had a few people question why she was spending time with him, even though she kept their moments together low key.

  Katy smiled at the thought. At least she was back on speaking terms with Titus. She’d basically forgiven him for his lack of support after Mikayla’s prank, but even so, there was no way she was ever going to let him forget it.

  In some ways, hanging out with Trenton felt like revenge. A little F-you to Titus over his inaction. At least, that’s kind of how it was the first few times, but it had evolved since then, and she found she actually enjoyed Trenton’s company.

  “I’m not looking forward to encountering them for the first time,” Trenton remarked. “From everything I hear, they’re a nasty bunch.”

  Katy wondered if she had already encountered them. Was the Red Witch a Nomad? Or, former Nomad, maybe? If so, were the girls she’d run into in the bathroom Nomad followers?

  “Yeah, me neither,” she replied.

  “What about that stuff in Tartarus I heard you got involved in? Was that related to the Nomads?”

  Katy smiled. Rumours of their adventures inside Tartarus had been circli
ng through the school since that fateful day. But she’d been told not to confirm or deny anything, and feign ignorance when asked, but this was one question she really didn’t know the answer to. Katy shrugged. “Dunno.”

  “Hmm, okay,” he asked, his eyebrow quirking in curiosity. But he didn’t press and quickly changed the subject. “So, you just got back today?”

  “Yeah, just a few hours ago,” she answered. “Yuki isn’t back yet, though. What about you? Did you go home? You said you probably wouldn’t.”

  “No, I didn’t. No way. I can’t be putting up with their crap. I have enough to worry about here without adding to it. They wouldn’t want to see me anyway.”

  “Aww. I’m sure that’s not true. I’m sure they’d love to see you.”

  “You don’t know my parents,” Trenton replied, his tone icy.

  “No, I don’t. But—”

  “But nothing,” he snapped cutting her off. “They hate me, and I hate them, so there’s no way I’m going back there.”

  “Okay,” Katy replied, feeling bad for bringing it up. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to offend you or anything.” She’d never had any significant problems with her parents, so Katy found it difficult to relate to Trenton’s issues with his. Her parents had always been loving and supportive of her and whatever she wanted to do. She couldn’t imagine what it must be like to not have that.

  Trenton smiled. “You didn’t, don’t worry. I shouldn’t have snapped. I’m sorry. It’s just one of those things, you know? I know not everyone understands it, so…”

  Katy nodded. “Still, all the same, I am sorry.”

  “Thanks,” he replied.

  “Was all this because of your Epiphany?”

  Trenton laughed. “No, not really. Well… Maybe a bit. But I ain’t going back there for a while. Not now that I know Magic. I wouldn’t want to get into trouble for… Well, whatever happened.”

  “Ah,” Katy replied, but she wasn’t sure she understood what he was talking about. Besides, she felt like she’d pushed him enough and decided she wouldn’t press the issue. She leant in. “Sorry.”

  He smiled. “It’s okay.” He looked back at her, his piercing blue eyes locking on hers and holding her gaze. She smiled back and felt some kind of connection between them. She wasn’t sure what it was, but there was a distinct feeling that they were having a moment.

  Trenton leant in a moment later, surprising her, and she pulled back as he went in for a kiss. She’d moved purely on instinct and wasn’t really aware that she’d done it until after it had happened.

  “Oh, um, sorry,” he said, pulling away. “I didn’t mean to…”

  “No. No, it’s okay. I just… I wasn’t expecting…”

  Trenton nodded. “It’s okay. I don’t mind. I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t apologise. I just—"

  “You know, let’s forget it happened, okay?”

  “Sure,” she replied, feeling heat in her cheeks.

  “I’ve got some stuff to get ready for tomorrow anyway,” he continued and stood up. “So, I’ll catch you later?”

  Katy nodded. “That would be nice.”

  “Great. See ya,” he replied and walked away.

  She waited until he was out of sight and out of earshot and cursed to herself. “Shit, shit, shit. That was stupid.” She couldn’t quite say why she’d pulled away from him like that. In fact, she actually wished she hadn’t, and that she’d let him kiss her. It probably would have been quite nice. But, what was done was done, and there was no going back now.

  With a groan, Katy picked up her stuff and made her way back to her room. She walked in to find Yuki unpacking her case.

  “Oh, hey,” Katy said crossing the room and hugging her friend.

  “Katy, hey. How long have you been here?”

  “Just a few hours,” Katy answered. “Glad to be back, to be honest.”

  “Yeah, me too. Looking forward to learning some more Magic.”

  Katy nodded. “Me too. Is that weird? Looking forward to studying?”

  “Not for me,” Yuki replied. “This is easy compared to what I went through at school. So, how was your trip?”

  “Yeah, okay. I mean, I was attacked, but, other than that—”

  “What!? Attacked? What the hell? What happened?” Yuki dropped what she was unpacking, sat down on the end of her bed, and focused her entire attention on Katy.

  “I was seeing a friend,” Katy replied, taking a seat on the edge of her own bed. “We were in town, having a drink. Nothing unusual, and I was confronted in the ladies’ room by three women. They kept others out of the room and demanded to know what happened with the Red Witch.”

  “What? How would they know about that?”

  Katy shrugged. “I have no idea. I spoke to Miss Hartman and she suggested that the Red Witch might have other followers.”

  “Oh, well I guess she might. If she was doing it to the students here, she might be doing it elsewhere.”

  “That’s what I thought,” Katy replied.

  “Well, that’s a little worrying. Did they say anything else to you?”

  “Not really. One of them called another one ‘Squire,’ which was a little odd. Oh, crap. I forgot to tell the Head that.” Katy shrugged. “Probably not important, I guess.”

  “Well, it sounds like you’ve had an eventful break. I’ve not had anything happen to me. I just hung out with my folks, played games, you know, boring stuff. At least you had a little excitement.”

  Katy laughed. “That’s not really what I would’ve called it. One of them had a knife.”

  “Eeek, nasty.”

  “Then I get back here, and Trenton tries to kiss me.”

  “Oh my god! What the hell? You have all the fun. So what happened? Did you kiss him? Was he good? Oh, but what about Titus? I thought…?”

  “Whoa.” Katy giggled, holding up her hands to get Yuki to stop. “Okay, no, we didn’t kiss. I just. I don’t know why, but I pulled away.”

  “You didn’t let him kiss you?”

  “No, and I don’t really know why. I didn’t think about it, it just kind of happened.”

  “Do you think that had anything to do with Titus?”

  “Christ knows.”

  “He’s a little… You know, rough though, isn’t he? Are you sure you like him?”

  “He’s alright. I mean, yeah. He’s got that wild side to him, but, I kind of like that.”

  “Ha!” Yuki laughed. “You’re into the bad boys, then.”

  “I don’t know about that, but, I suppose I quite like his edginess. I’m not sure I see him as long-term material but, maybe as someone to have a little fun with, you know?”

  “Oh, I see. It’s like that, is it? I know what kind of fun you’re talking about.”

  “Yuki!”

  Her roommate laughed. “Titus isn’t going to like that.”

  Nodding her agreement, Katy smiled. “No, he’s not. But, he had his chance and he blew it.”

  “Hmm. So, have you seen Felix?”

  “No, didn’t he go home to his family?” She couldn’t remember if he’d said he was going home or not.

  “I don’t think so. They were busy or away or something. So no, he stayed here,” Yuki replied.

  “I wonder if he’s been alright without us.”

  “He’ll have been playing videos games or something. He can usually occupy himself. He’ll have been fine.”

  “Yeah,” Katy agreed.

  An Unexpected Affair

  “That’s strange,” Yuki said as they walked away from Felix’s dorm room, having knocked on it several times without answer. “He always meets us for breakfast.”

  “Maybe he’s been getting up earlier,” Katy replied. “He probably just forgot. He was always complaining about waiting before.”

  “Yeah,” Yuki replied, but she didn’t sound convinced. Katy didn’t know what to think, but they wandered over to the canteen anyway, guessing that they would find him there.

/>   Walking in, Katy scanned the room, looking for Felix’s distinctive blond hair, and it wasn’t long before she spotted him walking towards them.

  “Oh,” Katy said in surprise. She gave Yuki a nudge with her elbow and nodded.

  “Felix?” Yuki said, equally surprised.

  Katy blinked, almost wondering if it was a mirage that she would be able to clear with the action, but no, the auburn-haired girl was still clinging to Felix’s arm and beaming at them while Felix carried enough breakfast for two on his tray.

  “Hi. You always take ages,” Felix said. “So I thought I’d see you down here.”

  “Hi there. I was hungry, anyway, so I was,” Josie added. Katy recognised her from class. She sported long, curly hair that reminded her of that girl from the Pixar film, the one with the bear in it—she couldn’t remember the name of the film or the character.

  “Yeah,” Felix added. “So, how are you? Did you have a good break?”

  “I suppose,” Yuki replied, still shellshocked.

  “Not as good as you,” Katy replied with a smile.

  Josie giggled, and Felix smiled.

  “It was fun,” Felix answered. “Well, we’re sitting over here. I’ll see you soon?”

  “Sure,” Katy answered.

  “I guess,” Yuki added, her voice flat as they walked off. She turned to Katy. “What the hell?”

  Katy smiled. “Looks like Felix found himself a girlfriend.”

  “How the hell did he do that?”

  “I’m guessing by talking to her? Hanging out? That’s how it usually happens.”

  “But this is Felix. He never talks to anyone but us. He just plays videogames and stuff. I mean, I thought something was off when he didn’t wait for us, but this? I didn’t expect this.”

  “You sound offended,” Katy replied, picking up intense jealous energy from Yuki.

  “I… I’m just a little surprised, that’s all.” Her tone shifting to a more defensive one.

  “That’s all?”

  “Yeah. I mean, I want him to be happy so, if that’s what he wants then, you know, that’s up to him.”

  “So, you’re not jealous?” Katy asked, knowing full well that she was.