Page 33 of His Blazing Witch (The Silver City #3)

"...You want me to help you put on makeup?"

"Hush! Kelsi!" I protest in a whisper.

I am already dead embarrassed, but her over-excited expression and the glares we are getting from all the nearby students is not helping.

She is smiling from ear to ear and barely glances at the professor behind her laptop. This class is dead boring anyway, I don't even know why I wanted to accompany her... I found out my classes ended an hour earlier than what I had told Liam at the last minute. This is what I get for not checking my schedule properly, I guess. Anyway, I didn't want to look too impatient, so I joined Kelsi for her class, but now, I am regretting this a little...

"So you really have a date with Liam Black after?" she asks.

"We are going to check out the cemetery, you can't call it a date..." I grumble.

"Anywhere with Liam Black is a date, boo! Plus, you are the one asking me to help you with your makeup. This is so a date."

I frown and bite my thumb, a bit annoyed, but Kelsi slaps my hand. I really need to lose that habit...

I sigh instead, and go back to fidgeting my pen above my blank notepad. Aside from a few doodles, I haven't actually done anything... I just keep drawing the same symbols over and over again, some of them were in that book Kelsi found. I don't know why those three just stick out to me. There's a simple spiral, a circle with two moons on each side, and one with a moon and three tear shapes.

"Alright, I'll help you," Kelsi whispers, "but you have to tell me everything afterwards!"

"Yes, yes... What about you and Ben, by the way?"

She freezes over her keyboard, and turns to me with that deer in headlights look.

"W-what about Ben and me?"

...Seriously? Is she blind or just pretending not to know? I doodle again.

"Yeah. Aren't you two a thing?"

"What thing?!" she exclaims.

Everyone turns around to glare at us once more, and the professor clicks his tongue.

"Ladies, can we be quiet for a few more minutes?!"

Kelsi mumbles an apology, embarrassed, but I see some glares still aimed at me. The whispers too, I can hear that.

"That witch... She really thinks she can do whatever she wants..."

"Arrogant bitch."

"Why do the werewolves decide if she can stay or not? Fuck them!"

I glare at the asshole who said that, and just as our eyes meet, he makes an obscene gesture my way. I take a deep breath and remain quiet and avert my eyes, but he continues, making his friends laugh.

...Kill him.

Oh Moon Goddess, no, not the voice again. I slam my pen down. It's been a while and I did not miss it! The guy continues, and he is not even hiding himself. I catch the professor's eyes, and I realize he saw it too. As soon as his gaze crosses mine, he composes himself and goes back to his lesson. ...Really? He doesn't react, and goes on with his class. Is he seriously going to pretend he did not see that? What the hell is wrong with these people?!

"Hey! Fuck off!" yells Kelsi, who noticed it too.

"What are you going to do about it, freaks?!" a girl next to him says with a sneer.

...We should kill that bitch too.

I take deep breaths. No, we are not killing anyone, at least not today, not here. Putting the murderous intent aside, I do not like this at all. They are not just provoking me, but Kelsi has to go through this crap too? This is her classroom, I shouldn't have come. I knew what it was going to be like since I returned to class, but I didn't think my friend would have to go through this shit as well. What shocks me even more than those jerks targeting me is that no one else is saying anything. They clearly know, but those who do not participate all stay silent, some even smirking.

...Humans are rotten... They should all just burn...

Agreed.

As the guy starts making some dance with his middle fingers, I put mine up too, but with a flame dancing on my fingertip.

His smile disappears instantly.

"Y-you bitch! She is going to kill me!"

"I am sure going to fire your ass if you don't leave me the fuck alone!" I retort, not bothering to whisper anymore.

"Mara... Let it go," whispers Kelsi.

"Why should I? This guy has been provoking me on purpose, no one stopped him, neither did the professor. Why should I stop? He's the one who played with fire!"

"Miss, you are disturbing my class! Please leave!" suddenly yells the professor.

To my surprise, Kelsi jumps on her feet before I say anything.

"Sir, he is the one disturbing us! Why don't you ask him to leave?"

"He isn't disturbing my class, unlike you two!"

Ugh, I want to puke. This is just messed up herd mentality. Once again, Kelsi reacts faster than me and furiously packs her things, pulling the sleeve of my sweatshirt, furious.

"Come on, Mara. This class is shit anyway. They don't deserve you wasting your fire on them."

"That's right. Fuck off, witches!"

I light up my full hand, showing off my fire, making him shut up. I'm really tempted to burn down at least his desk or something, but then, I wouldn't be able to attend this university anymore. Let's not get kicked out before I decide if I actually want to keep studying or not...

We finally leave that class and Kelsi loudly slams the door behind her.

"What the heck?!" she grumbles.

"Sorry, Kelsi. You tried to convince me not to come back and I–"

"No, boo, you were right. You deserve the right to study like anyone else and you can't control what the crowd thinks. I mean, I knew you wouldn't be in danger or anything, but still, this is so fucked up. This is the fucking twenty-first century and we are all adults. How can freaking adults act like this? They don't know the first thing about you!"

"They are just scared of me," I sigh as we start walking in the corridors. "Werewolves are already a different species that humans have to deal with, and now they have me. They have seen what I can do. I just need to be extra patient and show them I'm not dangerous."

"Yeah, well, I won't blame you if you burn some asses until then. That guy deserves to eat some gravel for breakfast!"

I chuckle, and we find a ladies bathroom. The girl inside leaves as soon as we enter, and Kelsi even checks all the stalls to be really sure we're alone. Then, she drops her bag and looks for her makeup pouch.

"Anyways," she sighs, "did you tell Ben?"

"Yeah, he knows. He said he'll leave me with Liam, anyway. I don't think the werewolves are really watching me anymore now. After what happened recently, I'm probably not at the top of the dangerous people list anymore..."

Kelsi nods and gets up, opening up her pouch and taking everything out. She's got so many tubes of different colors, I'm getting a bit worried. Moreover, why does she have so much when she barely puts on any herself? I did notice she began putting a bit more effort into her appearance since her past as a model was revealed, though.

"Any preference?"

"As long as I don't look like I raided a makeup store..."

She rolls her eyes, but picks a palette, and has me close my eyes. I feel her put some light brush strokes on my eyes.

"What have you decided, by the way? About your classes?"

"Nothing for now, except that Clarissa picked the most boring classes in the world. If I'm still studying here next semester, it will be nothing like that."

"From what you told me, it sounds like your sister does want you to keep studying, anyway..."

"Yeah, she sounded sort of... motherly."

"You don't sound like you hated it, though. Open your eyes?"

I open my eyes, and she's frowning, checking what she did, and grabs something else.

"No, I didn't. It was kind of... nice. I guess it's going to be a messed up family relationship, anyway..."

"Close your eyes again. No, not that hard. Alright... Yeah, I guess that's the best she knows how to do. Plus, I think it's good you have at least one decent parental figure. I mean, if you need, you know she'll be there, so..."

Kelsi's right, it does feel good. I wasn't even that nervous when we talked last night, unlike all the previous times. She keeps going with my makeup, and I'm a bit curious to see what she'll do. I'm almost glad we got kicked out of class, it won't look like I took some time for this before going to see Liam... Crap, now I'm nervous again about seeing him. Will he come on his bike? I hope he does. ...Will it be awkward? Probably. I mean, we still have nothing saying Mara isn't his half-sister, and that's one issue we need to clear up soon...

"Mara?"

"Hm?"

"What was that thing you kept scribbling earlier? It looked like witchcraft symbols."

"Oh..."

Without thinking, I grab one of the lipsticks and draw them on the mirror.

"Hey! That's expensive lipstick!"

"Whatever, I'll buy you another one."

"Plus you have a pen and a notepad in your bag!"

"Kelsi, this," I say, ignoring her plea. "What do those mean? I've had these things on my mind since this morning."

"Huh... The three-moon one means Moon Goddess, the second is the Blessing, I think. The spiral... I don't remember which way which is which, but one is for Rebirth, the other for Spirituality, so either of those."

"Okay..."

"Why am I the one who knows these things better than you, by the way? You're the witch, start studying your basics!"

"Yes, yes... I'll get to learning them. I wonder why these three stuck to me, though."

"You did say you checked the book again this morning, maybe you remembered the prettiest or easiest ones."

"Maybe..."

"Anyway," she says, "do you like your makeup? Should I do more?"

I lift my eyes up, from the symbols to my reflection. However, I don't recognize myself.

Because I'm not staring at myself, not even with the change of makeup. It's that silhouette again, the one with paler skin. I gasp, shocked, and Kelsi chuckles.

"Not bad, huh? You've got pretty skin to begin with, so..."

Kelsi sends a glance toward the mirror, but it looks like she doesn't notice the difference. ...Am I the only one seeing this? It's... disturbing. That reflection is mimicking the slightest of my movements, even the way my chest goes up and down under my breathing, but unlike me, she has a smile on, and a confident look. Who the heck is that... She's even wearing my clothes. Skinny jeans, an asymmetric top with embroidered patterns, and a large dark denim jacket.

"Yeah... Thanks, Kelsi."

"You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm just surprised."

Just surprised to see someone else staring right back at me as if she's my reflection. I try to control my breathing, but this is so disturbing. I want to pinch myself, verify this is real, but I don't want to alert Kelsi. She obviously doesn't see that other girl in the mirror, and I am not sure what I'm seeing, either. Why is this happening? The only time I caught a glimpse of her before was when I used the magic circle! I glance down. ...Is it the symbols? Because I drew them on the mirror?

"Alright! Can you wait for me?" asks Kelsi. "I'll just go to the bathroom quickly and then let's leave before we get in the midst of another angry student mob..."

She disappears inside one of the bathroom stalls, and I'm left alone to stare at that strange reflection of myself. No, not myself. Who the hell is she?

I have no idea what to do. I keep staring at her, trying to get a clue. Is this Mara? Or Clarissa? Why does she feel so familiar? I raise my hand, slowly, and she does just the same. She's not me, but she has to follow my movements? Her skin tone is different, she has no scars. Her hair is not black, but dark brown, and... her eyes are blue, or dark gray, something like that. She had thin lips and a larger nose. The more I stare at her, the more her features get clearer, but she still looks... a lot like me. Who the heck is she?

Suddenly, her lips move, and I can clearly read what she's saying.

“ ...Missed me? ”

What the heck is going on...? Missed her?

I glance back at the stall, but Kelsi is still busy. I take a deep breath and whisper, as quietly as possible, making sure my lips are clear.

"Who are you?"

She smiles.

“ ...I'm dead. ”

Shit, this is the next level of creepy. I close my eyes a second, trying not to freak out. Maybe I'm not cut out to be a witch because I'm sweating, unsure what I'm doing and seriously creeped out. Yet, when I reopen my eyes, she's still there, smiling.

“ Going for a swim again, Clarissa? ”

Oh, shit. She thinks I'm Clarissa? Does that mean she's... Mara? The other Mara? For real? What the hell is going on? I can't even tell if she's a memory, an illusion, a dream... or a nightmare. I lift my hand, and put it against the mirror. That reflection's hand does the same. She smiles even more. It's a strange smile, as if she was twitching her lips, unable to control her movements properly.

“ I missed you too, ” she whispers.

Moon Goddess...

"Mara? Are you listening?"

I turn around. Seriously, why does she try to talk when she's doing her... stuff? I sigh.

"What did you say?" I ask.

"If you're happy with the makeup! We should buy you some. I think olive really suits you, you should try one of those looks I saw in that magazine last week..."

She keeps talking, but I'm only half listening. I'm more disturbed by what's going on in front of me. I don't know what to ask, but before I can come up with something, her lips move again. I can't catch the first part, but it's easy to read after that.

“ ...To swim again. ”

Behind me, Kelsi flushes the toilet and comes out, so I hurriedly take my hand back. As if she could see it, I grab some paper to erase those symbols on the mirror while she washes her hand. As soon as I erase them, the reflection disappears, going back to my normal self. I can now properly admire the indeed very pretty makeup I have on, but unfortunately, my mind is elsewhere at the moment.

"Kelsi?"

"Hm?"

"...Is there a pool somewhere in the area?"

"Uh, yeah, the university has a public pool, a few streets away, but I've never gone there. ...Why are you asking all of a sudden?"

"Do you think... Clarissa went to swim there?"

"Uh... I have no idea, boo."

I open my mouth without thinking. Shit, I just realized, I still have that key thing I had found, with all the money. Could it be one of the pool's locker keys? It's worth checking... I glance at the mirror again. That other girl is gone, but it's as if I could still see her. Is she... showing me how to get answers?

"Why are you asking about the pool all of a sudden?" Kelsi asks again.

"I... uh... I just thought, since Clarissa should have been a Water Witch, it might be a lead."

"Oh... Well, I must say, that might be a better location for a date than a cemetery!"

I chuckle and we both grab our bags, ready to leave. I try to avoid glancing at the mirror, but I'm suddenly excited. I'm sure someone's giving me a hand, and this is exactly what I needed to find. I can't even believe I had almost forgotten about that key, and the bundle of money I found! I don't have it on me at the moment, but it doesn't really matter. I just need to drop by the pool and ask if anyone recognizes me, first.

We leave the bathroom, and I'm still trying to convince Kelsi to interact with Ben.

"You should ask him out," I say.

"Me? Mara, Ben is just a friend, I don't think he sees me like that..."

"Do you wear those glasses just for show, Kelsi? Seriously? Come on, I won't be there tonight, and Bonnie is working the night shift. Be a strong independent woman, ask him out. Take him somewhere."

"What if something happens to you?!" she protests.

I roll my eyes, pushing the exit door.

"Kelsi, I'm a grown ass witch, and I'll be with one of the strongest werewolves in the city. If anything does happen again, you or Ben won't be able to do much about it. Come on, just forget me for one night, have fun. You deserve it, and I feel like Ben could use it too."

"Really? Is something wrong with him?" she asks, suddenly all worried.

I laugh at her expression, but the familiar sound of a bike suddenly rises in the parking lot. Oh, Moon Goddess, the fire in my stomach is back again. I'm so nervous to see Liam again... Something inside me can feel him like a magnet I'm attracted to. I want to run across the parking lot to him. Instead, I take a deep breath and control my pace, barely hearing Kelsi who says goodbye and takes the other route. I wait on the side for him to come to me. He's got his helmet on, for once.

He stops the bike right in front of me and I'm so nervous, I could faint. My heart's threatening to burst out. Act cool, girl, you're a cool ass witch...

"Hi," I mutter.

He stopped the bike an inch away from my feet, and it's closer than I can take. His leather-gloved hands reach up for his helmet, and when he takes it off, shaking his wet hair, I don't think sweat has ever been that sexy.

"...Hi," he says, with those destructive sky-colored eyes.

Oh, I'm so done for.

Is it because we haven’t seen each other in a while? I’m much more nervous than usual, and at the same time, I’m ridiculously happy. Liam, coming to get me in the university parking lot with his bike. I could get used to that. I can feel all the stares around us, and even some girls whispering. He’s definitely attracting a lot of attention. Whatever their relationship to werewolves is, no one can say Liam Black isn’t hot as hell. However, I’m the only one he’s looking at. Yeah, I could totally get used to this…

“...I missed you,” he suddenly mutters.

I blush even more if possible, completely taken by surprise. How can he be that straightforward? I wasn’t ready for that! Breathe, Mara, breathe…

“...Same,” I hear myself mumble.

That’s all I can come up with at the moment. There’s just too many emotions at once. Shit, I can be the most badass witch against some jerks, but when it’s Liam facing me, I’m reduced to a shy teenage girl unable to come up with a full sentence. Moon Goddess, there should be some adaptation period or training when you get paired with a guy like this…

I take a discreet deep breath and try to calm down.

“Thank you for coming,” I say.

“I didn’t think your class would end early.”

I don’t want to tell him it ended early because I got kicked out, that’s still something I have to work on. I simply nod, realizing he would have been fine waiting for me. I’m actually a bit glad he didn’t, I don’t think I could endure all those girls staring at him. Wait, am I really the jealous type?

“So, uh… how were your classes?” he asks, a bit awkward.

“Boring.”

My short and honest answer isn’t helping. He nods. We barely exchanged a couple of texts today, just enough to let him know when and where to get me. We stay silent for a long minute, both a bit unsure what to say. I’m happy to see him but… it feels a bit like we can’t let go of what happened the last time we saw each other. I don’t know where to begin though. How do we clear the air between us?

“Mara, can we… just go and talk somewhere?” he asks first, mirroring my thoughts.

I nod and glance around. Indeed, we’re catching a bit too much attention around us. I don’t know if it’s Liam, his bike, or me… but a little crowd is gathering and from my previous experience, I really don’t want to stick around.

I nod and he offers me the helmet. However, my eyes still go down on the bike.

“…Can I drive?”

“Heck no!”

I chuckle, amused by his offended expression, and finally take the helmet. As I can’t help but smile, Liam seems to relax a little too. He suddenly grabs my hand, making me all nervous again, and gently pulls me closer. I feel the chills go up my spine, and sure enough, our lips finally meet for a kiss.

It’s a very simple short kiss, but it sends some delicious heat waves throughout my whole body. Liam’s leather glove around my neck is driving me crazy… When we part, I’m definitely blushing and hotter than I should be. However, seeing him smile softly is all that I need. I put on the helmet with my shaky fingers and hop on behind him in a hurry to hide my inner turmoil. I can’t calm down just like that, though. Too close for comfort, as they say. Although I like being the one to drive, hugging Liam from behind isn’t too bad…

“Where are we going?” he asks, suddenly bringing me back to reality.

“Oh, uh, the university pool.”

He freezes and turns his head to me with a frown.

“The pool? …Are you sure?”

“I know, but yeah. I’ll explain once we get there.”

He nods and starts his bike, apparently already knowing where to go. The powerful roar of the engine excites me a little, although we’re not going far. Plus, holding on to Liam’s leather jacket is a bit… enticing. I missed his warmth. As we ride across the campus, I’m shamelessly holding on to him as close as I can. Moon Goddess, I really missed him.

The ride is almost too short, and soon, he stops in front of some old white building.

Wow, the university pool is about as old as Kelsi had said. The blue letters are even fading a bit, and for a minute, I’m afraid it’s going to be closed. A bit reluctantly, I get down from the bike as Liam turns the engine off.

“Haven’t you had enough water already?” he asks with a sigh while I take the helmet off.

“I... got an unexpected clue earlier,” I admit.

“…The voices again?”

His frown reminds me that I already told him about that too. I shake my head.

“No… I mean, I did hear them today, but it’s okay, I think I can control them now. No, I think I found a way to get in contact with… Mara.”

Liam doesn’t hide his surprise. He stays speechless for a second, but then he gets off his bike and puts the chain on quickly before turning to me.

“You said, Mara?”

“The other Mara,” I explain. “I think she’s… still inside me somewhere.”

“Ma-… I mean, you do understand how complicated and fucked up that is?” he sighs.

“Well, we can just add that to the list,” I retort, pushing the helmet to him. “Liam, honestly, I still don’t have all the answers and it may get weirder from here on out. So, if you don’t feel ready for this shit…”

“No, no, Mara, wait.”

He grabs my hand again, sending butterflies to my stomach. I look at his eyes, quite blue today. How does he ride a bike with one of them being blind…? I have a hundred stupid thoughts coming to my mind but really, I’m just crazy about the touch of his hand on mine. It’s like I can’t focus when he’s this close.

He looks down at our hands touching, and takes a deep breath.

“I’m… sorry about how I reacted yesterday,” he says. “I didn’t mean to hurt you or anything. I… I’m just… My father was a fucking jerk, and to think that you’re… maybe… another victim of his in some way, and… my…”

“Liam, I’m not your half-sister,” I retort. “I know I’m not!”

“Alright, alright,” he says.

He pulls me in for a hug, taking me by surprise again. Moon Goddess, he smells so alluring… I feel his strong arms wrap around me, and his large hand on my nape.

“I trust you, okay? I’ve decided, I… I’ll trust you. It’s just that I can’t help being scared of the answers we’ll find, how much dirt we’re gonna have to dig up. I’m… I don’t want to lose you, and I’m afraid one of us is going to regret it once we find the answers.”

I take a deep breath and hug him back.

I understand his concerns, but I just… I don’t know where I get this faith from. In Mara and in Clarissa. I don’t really care about his father, I just need my answers, about everything.

“...It would make no sense that the Moon Goddess paired us, right?”

He takes a deep breath and we separate a bit, his hands lingering around me.

“Actually, I've thought about this a bit, and… what if I’m paired with… Clarissa?” he wonders. “And Mara, I mean, the other Mara is just a… passenger?”

I stay mute for a while. He even got that far? I chuckle nervously, but it’s certainly not funny. I take a deep breath and put my hands on his cheeks.

“Well, I don’t know for now, but I’m hoping to find some clues in there. About Clarissa or Mara, I don’t know. I just have a feeling.”

He slowly nods and we separate, although he immediately grabs my hand to hold, intertwining his fingers with mine.

“Alright. I’ll… have to trust you on that one,” he says.

Though I can tell he’s about as unsure as I am, feeling his skin against mine gives me a bit of courage. I don’t want to give up until we get to the bottom of this. And I am certainly not giving up on my bond with Liam. I need him.

We walk inside the building and immediately, the strong smell of chlorine annoys me. Liam makes a grimace too. I walk up to the welcome desk, and the old lady behind it brightens up when she sees me.

“Oh, it’s been a while!” she says.

Liam’s hand suddenly tightens around mine, I really wish I could do that mind-linking thing at this very moment. She knows me, she recognizes me!

“H-hi,” I replied.

“Sorry, Clarissa, sweetie, the pool is being cleaned today…”

Liam and I exchange a glance.

“Th-that’s too bad,” I mumble, “but… um… I actually just came to get some things I forgot. Is that alright?”

“Oh, really? Well, you know the way. But it’s only because it’s you, darling! Is your boyfriend coming with you? He’s handsome!”

I chuckle, and next to me, Liam’s ears become a bit red too. The old lady opens up the door, and Liam and I walk into the pool. There’s a long corridor with the changing rooms, but I ignore them and walk straight to the lockers. Careful not to slip on all the water spread out, I almost run to the first one I see, checking the lock.

“Mara? Are you going to explain?” asks Liam, a bit lost.

“Oh, sorry. I actually found a key, hidden in my bedroom a while ago, and… uh, Mara mentioned something about going for a swim, so I thought it might be a key to a locker here.”

“Okay. So, does it match? You got the key?”

I grimace. I would have brought it, if I had known! I bite my thumb, nervous. How would I even know which locker it is? There wasn’t a number or anything on that key! I take a deep breath and look around. What do I do now? Liam is waiting for me too. I glance to the side, and there’s a mirror above the sinks. Should I try it? I put down my bag, but as I open it, I get another idea.

“Mara, is everything okay?” asks Liam, unsure.

I stand up.

“Yeah, uh… I’m going to try something a bit weird, don’t freak out,” I say.

“Okay…”

Well, I guess there isn’t much that could freak him out anymore. I look around.

“Spark?” I call out. “Spark, if you want to make yourself useful, now is the time, lazy kitty.”

I wait a bit, looking around. Liam doesn’t say anything, but from his expression, I know he thinks I might have blown a fuse…

“Meow.”

I jump and turn around. Moon Goddess! Spark is sitting right there, next to one of the lockers, and look at that, he has that damn key!

“Oh Moon Goddess, I can’t believe this cat!” I exclaim.

“Where the hell did he come from?” asks Liam, frowning.

I chuckle and walk up to the cat. But to my surprise, Spark suddenly jumps higher, above the lockers. I frown.

“Spark, give me the key, please.”

“Meow…”

I roll my eyes. Seriously? Now?

“Spark!”

I try to jump and get to him but that stupid cat is already too high! I sigh.

“Is it because I called you lazy?” I ask.

He stares at me from above, with that mighty look of his. Oh, seriously…

“Alright, I’m sorry, okay? I won’t call you a lazy kitty again. You’re a handsome, super useful kitty. Are we good now?”

Liam laughs.

“Mara, you don’t seriously think that cat is…”

Before he finishes his sentence, Spark jumps down into my arms. I sigh and finally take the key.

“You were saying?” I ask with a little smile.

Liam’s staring at me, his mouth open while I agitate the key and Spark climbs on my shoulder.

“My magic cat,” I chuckle.

“You’ve got a… okay,” he sighs. “Magic cat. Noted.”

I smile and take another look at the key. There really isn’t a number on it but there’s a little sticky mark, it might have been torn off… I start looking around. Since the pool is closed, most of the lockers are open.

“You have to try all the locked ones?” asks Liam.

“I guess so.”

We take a little look around, but there are only three, and actually, I already know which one it is. Of course, it has to be the thirteenth one… I feel a little nervous, but I don’t wait a second before opening the locker.

To my surprise, it’s almost empty. I mean, I don’t know what I was expecting, but… there’s only a little notebook. I grab it, realizing there are some signs on it. No, those are definitely witchcraft symbols, but I don’t recognize them. Damn it, I should have studied more! An eye and arrows? I need to ask Kelsi later.

I open up the notebook, my heart beating like crazy. This was what Clarissa had tried to hide so hard… From just one glance at the first page, it’s clearly a journal. The dates are on the upper left hand corner, and it starts a few days after Clarissa came here… Moon Goddess, this is really Clarissa’s journal!

“It’s blank?”

I turn to Liam, surprised. Blank? What does he mean, blank?

“...You don’t see the handwriting?” I ask, surprised.

He frowns and shakes his head.

So this is what that glyph was for, others can’t read this journal! Moon Goddess, I really need to read this. I can’t wait, but we shouldn't really stay here.

“Liam, let’s go,” I say. “We should…”

I freeze, on my shoulder, Spark starts hissing too.

Snakes. Just like in the bathroom, snakes are appearing on the floor, emerging from the water. Spark jumps down from my shoulder to stand in front of me, his fur almost double its size as he hisses furiously.

“What the…”

Liam starts growling too, and grabs my arm to pull me behind him, but I resist him.

“Liam, no!”

He turns to me, surprised, but I step in front of him, immediately preparing my fireball, ready to attack. There are three snakes, the same size as the one Spark and I killed before in my bathroom. I fire immediately at the closest one and Spark jumps on another furiously. It’s not a long fight. Just two more fireballs, and it’s over, only dark burns left on the floor. I take a deep breath. Spark, perfectly calm, sits up to start grooming himself, getting rid of the dark ashes.

“What the fuck was that?” growls Liam. “How can there be another witch’s magic in Silver City?!”

While Liam walks over to check out the burn marks on the floor, I’m lost in thought. I’m trying to think fast, to remember the recent events… the last time this happened. My eyes go down on the little notebook still in my hands.

“Liam…”

“What?”

“I don’t think that’s… another witch’s doing.”

He stands back up, confused.

“...What do you mean?” he mutters, walking up to me.

I take a deep breath, but the more I think about it, the more evident it seems.

“It happened before, in my apartment. I went to the bathroom after finding a magic circle hidden in Clarissa’s room. Now, I've found her journal, and it happened again. In another area full of water. ...I don’t think that’s a coincidence, or another witch’s doing.”

“You mean…”

I nod.

“Yeah. Maybe Clarissa wasn’t as powerless as I thought she was, after all.”