Page 10 of Spellcaster (Weatherstone College #1)

Morning arrived far too soon.

“Motherfucker,” I mumbled when my watch beeped at me. I’d known to set it after stumbling back from my shower, but now I really

wished I’d just forgotten. Rolling over in the bed, I hit the wall and startled awake, remembering I wasn’t at home. I was

at Weatherstone.

And I had classes .

That got me moving. I hauled my ragged ass out of bed and rushed to the bathroom to pee, brush my teeth, and get ready for

the day. This time the bathroom was filled with other witches doing the exact same, and there was no sense of dread in the

air. It was excitement all around.

Back in my room, I had just enough time to slap on some makeup and braid my hair before I slipped on the uniform and grabbed

my schedule. My first class today was Elemental 101, which would test our magic against all element affinities.

“Hey, you look great,” Belle said when I all but fell out the door, satchel over my shoulder holding my notepads, pens, and

Beginners Guide to Embracing Your Element by Professor PJ Witherington.

“You too,” I said, shooting her a smile.

Weatherstone’s uniform consisted of black stockings, a blue pleated skirt that ended just above our knees, a white button-down shirt, and a blue blazer that had the college emblem embroidered over the pocket.

It wasn’t a sexy outfit, but then again, none of the magical schools were about the sex appeal.

They were about learning and furthering your career prospects.

“How is it that you don’t look like you were up half the night?” I groaned, wanting to rub at my puffy eyes before remembering

I was wearing mascara.

Belle chuckled, and I glared at her cheeriness and near-perfect skin. Witch wasn’t even wearing makeup from what I could see.

“I’m used to living on little sleep,” she said, as if that were completely normal. “I’ve spent half my life traveling between

my dad in Maine and my mom in Panaji, her hometown in India. The constant time zone changes have made me a perpetual night

owl, who also doesn’t sleep in the day.”

Our friendship wasn’t at the stage of pry-into-personal-life details just yet, so I didn’t ask for any further information.

“Guess I know who to call when I need to party at midnight.”

“Hel yes, babe. I’m your girl if you ever need a friend in the middle of the night.”

I got a stupid rush of warmth at the word friend , and it was nice to know that there was a chance of a real friendship.

We joined the throng of students in uniform, the hall a wash of blue, black, and white. Belle, who couldn’t be taller than

five feet two, set off at a pace that had me near jogging to keep up. “Whatever you’re having, I’ll take two,” I said, stifling

a yawn. “Not only do you not sleep, but you’re also still energized. My ass has been ripped off and I want a refund. My mom

asked me once if I was a cat in my previous life because I had the lounging-around-for-eighteen-hours-a-day part down pat.”

She snorted. “My father asked me why I can’t sit fucking still and my mother calls me her little hyper witch. It’s not always fun, especially when I hyper focus, but for the most part, if I’m busy, I can keep the rest in check.”

Belle led me down a different path than I’d gone with my siblings, and I kept an eye out for Dad, expecting he’d find me real soon. He wouldn’t let it drag on, because the longer I was here, the harder it would be to get me to leave.

When we reached Writworth, my stomach rumbled, and I wondered what the breakfast situation was around here. There wasn’t enough

time to hit the dining hall, with only ten minutes until Elemental 101, but it would be good to know for tomorrow.

“Quick, if we hurry we’ll have time to get to the cart,” Belle said, pushing past a couple of students chatting in the middle

of the hall.

Cart?

There was no time to ask her what she was talking about, as her tiny figure slipped through gaps in the crowd, leaving me

stuck behind a couple kissing like it was their last day on Earth—desperate, drugging, and reminding me that the spark of

magic heating our blood was no joke.

By the time I made it to the end of the hallway, Belle was already waiting in the line for what appeared to be a breakfast

cart. “You’re a fucking angel,” I moaned, my stomach rumbling as the scent of coffee and bagels hit me. “I was just panicked

about starving through these first classes.”

Her face twisted into an expression of horror. “My motto in life is Never Go Hungry. My older sister who graduated last year

told me this was the key to sleeping as late as you could. Not that I sleep enough to worry about it, but I do enjoy fast

food.”

Belle already knew the key to my heart. “I have four siblings at this school, and all of them are going to hear about my lack

of knowledge of the breakfast cart.” How dare they hold out on me like that? Those bastards would be hearing from my lawyers

when I charged them with withholding the truth and miscarriage of justice.

“Is that right, sis?” Trevor swung his arm over my shoulder and jerked me against him in a rough one-armed hug.

Throwing my elbow into his side had no reaction, and I was silently fuming that he was too large and strong to easily injure now.

“Aw, come on. We would have told you about the cart eventually. It’s a rite of passage to starve through the first week of school. ”

Before I could ream him a new one, Belle held out her hand. “You must be one of Paisley’s siblings.”

“The best looking, most charming of them all,” Trevor said, grasping her hand briefly. “I’m Trevor.”

“Belle,” she replied with a glint in her eye. “And I’m stressed for the college community if there are three more of you floating

around out there.”

Trevor wasn’t offended. “I like the fire, Red. See you two later.”

With that, he cut in line, stole the next two coffees and breakfast sandwiches, biting into them as he walked away. Belle

stared after him for a beat, before turning back to me. “Girl, you did not mention that your brother is Trevor freaking Hallistar.”

I snorted, taking a wrapped sandwich from the blonde witch behind the cart. I got a coffee as well, moving off to the side

to add my cream and sugar. Belle took a sandwich too, but she got hot chai.

“How do you know Trevor?” I asked her. “Do you know Alice, Jenna, and Jensen too?”

Belle blew on her tea, lifting the cup to take a sip. “My sister told me that the Hallistars have tons of gorgeous, powerful

kids, and she mentioned your brother won Hottest Warlock last year. Did he tell you that?”

It was interesting to know our reputations preceded us.

“He announced it every morning during Christmas break,” I told her dryly, “as if he was being introduced on a bachelor reality TV contest. Welcome to the breakfast table, Trevor Hallistar, Weatherstone’s Hottest Warlock of the Year.

Trevor is a lot of things, but lacking in confidence is not one of them. ”

“I couldn’t tell,” she deadpanned, and we both laughed as we headed for class. As we walked, I alternated between sipping

coffee and munching on a delicious breakfast combo of scrambled eggs, hashbrown, and crispy bacon.

It was easier to move now that most students were in class. Belle knew where she was going—she’d been studying the maps for

weeks, she’d told me when I asked—getting us to Elemental 101 with a few minutes to spare. This was a freshman-only class,

which explained the nervous faces lingering around the door as we entered.

My sandwich was finished, so I threw the trash away and followed Belle into the room. There were a few rows of desks arranged

concentrically with everyone staring into the middle. My black dress shoes clicked across the cobbled gray stone floor, which

matched the walls. It wasn’t well lit, with the main lighting coming from illumina globes, high on the walls.

My parents’ house was in a human neighborhood, so we used electricity to power our house. But if you lived in one of the exclusive

magical communities, you’d use illumina. They were spheres that could be placed into scones or chandeliers, and were created

through a combination of earth and fire magic, burning bright for years. They could be dimmed and turned off as needed too.

Belle and I sat in the third row of seats from the center. I placed my almost empty coffee cup on the edge of the wooden desk

and lifted my satchel over my head as a light voice echoed through the room. “Doors closing in two minutes.”

Energy sprinkled across my skin, and I turned to find a professor dressed in dark robes drifting a few feet off the ground, demonstrating an impressive use of air.

She looked to be in her late forties, and under her robes she wore a blue suit similar to our uniform.

Her blond hair was pulled back in a simple bun at the nape of her neck, setting off the severity of her dark blue eyes, which observed every seated student.

“I’m Professor Damone,” she continued with a no-nonsense snap, “and I’ll be guiding you through Elemental 101. I’m a strong

air elemental, but I can touch all elements to call, in very minimal capacities. I tend to bring in seniors and other students

to help with more advanced elemental training.”

She was in the center of the room, staring at us as she moved slowly in a circle. “Time’s up,” she said with a smile as she

clapped her hands, and the doors slammed shut. Exactly two minutes after her last warning.

“Let’s begin, shall we...”