Page 15 of Uncharmed

Annie did a double take, first at the girl’s arrival, then again when she heard the boy mutter an even more vulgar version of what seemed to be an endless collection of nicknames for Maeve. So much for well-mannered and shy.

‘I’m her cousin,’ Annie answered with a curt smile. ‘Just here to collect her for a family shindig that we have this weekend. Should be a lovely reunion.’

The girl snorted. ‘Grave doesn’t have any family, everybody knows that. Even her fake family didn’t want her any more because she’s such a freak.’

Annie blinked. Perhaps this school was a fan of the tough love approach. Morena had mentioned that it may be a difficult environment. Or...was she missing the joke? Was this...social awkwardness? Why wasn’t she flourishing, as she usually did?

‘Excuse me, please.’ Annie shouldered her way past them both with a slight flounce.

‘Careful she doesn’t curse you,’ the girl shouted over her shoulder at Annie, which only sparked more confusion and a vague touch of panic. Surely Maeve hadn’t gone public with her magic?

As Annie clip-clopped through the canteen, smelling the rather unpleasant combination of reheated food, super-sweet body spray and teenage boys in general, every single head turned towards her.

Not an unfamiliar feeling in itself, but within the school it felt much more.

..hostile. There was none of the usual admiration that she was used to, which touched her skin like sunlight and reassured her that she was doing everything right.

Instead, this attention was a strange mix of gawping and muttering, burst with the occasional yelled laugh.

It was making her feel curiously self-conscious.

..an unfamiliar feeling, one that made her want to scratch at the skin on her upper arms. Annie fought against crossing them over her chest. She tried to keep her chin up.

But, as she thought about it, a little bubble of dread forming at the back of her throat, she slowly began to remember her mother warning her about something like this.

That the perfection spell had a tendency to glitch when it came to the opinions of.

..teenagers. Oh no. Annie cleared her throat and a small squeak came out.

They could all see straight through it. Everybody knew that teenagers had impossibly high standards and very little belief in perfection as a concept – aside from a certain tier of pop star or celebrity.

During her school days, Annie’s mother, Cressida, had worked meticulously to ensure that the alchemy had been balanced for her school friends.

But Annie hadn’t had much use for impressing teenagers since then and evidently her usual draught didn’t cut it.

This would make things extra difficult with Maeve.

She tucked her hair behind her ear, attempted to smile at each of the students.

But, oddly, Annie found she wasn’t entirely sure how to walk properly or where her hands should be in relation to the rest of her body.

She was horrified to realize that she even felt unsure about her outfit choice.

Annie felt a sudden, desperate urge to find a large hole in the earth and dive head first into it.

Her own teenage years had not looked like this.

There had been no plastic trays, no boomboxes, no short striped ties against unbuttoned shirts.

Forcing herself to get a grip, reminding herself that she was actually the adult in this situation, even if it didn’t feel like it, Annie shook off the squeeze of embarrassment.

Finally, after navigating what felt like an endless sea of side ponytails and hair gel spikes, the hostile shouting and pointing helped her to locate Maeve.

Tucked away in the furthest corner of the canteen, with a stack of books built around her like a fortress, a girl was sitting alone.

Pencil in hand, she hadn’t so much as looked up at the chaos and noise, only giving a cursory glance of aversion when one of the boys threw a balled-up burger wrapper directly at her head.

She wore thick, black-rimmed glasses that blended into her long dark hair and she chewed on the sleeve of her school jumper while she focused on her drawing.

Not quite what Annie had imagined – almost the opposite in fact.

But the girl had lovely shiny hair and an adorable smattering of freckles all over her face.

Of course she was a little reserved – who wouldn’t be when faced with this zoo for six hours a day?

Deciding to remain as optimistic as she had been earlier, Annie took a preparatory breath, ready for the first magical meeting with her mini-me.

A moment that neither of them would ever forget.

Approaching the table, she cleared her throat. There was no reaction.

‘Maeve?’ Annie tried again.

Maeve remained completely focused on the sketchbook in front of her, so Annie leaned over to tap the girl on the shoulder. She leapt back with a yelp when Maeve jumped about fifty foot out of her seat, breaking her concentration with a sharp jolt.

‘Sorry, sorry. Hi, hello! It’s me, Annie!’ she grinned. ‘Wow, I’m so excited to meet you.’ She clapped her hands together. ‘Yay, this is going to be so much fun. Are you ready to go?’

Maeve stared at her like a rabbit in headlights.

‘Oh no, don’t be scared. Did I come on too strongly? I tend to do that sometimes. I’m just so delighted about all of this. A whole new adventure for both of us, right?’ Annie was still clapping very fast. She wasn’t sure why.

Maeve’s dark brown eyes darted from Annie to the crowd in the canteen behind her, as though to check whether she was safe to engage.

Fortunately, the zoo had already lost interest in the new arrival.

Then her gaze fell to the pink briefcase that had been placed on top of the table and the box of brownies next to it, which was decorated with a ribbon so enormous that Annie now regretted opting for so much frou-frou.

She didn’t want Maeve to think that she was entirely ridiculous.

Annie decided to adjust her approach. Giving Maeve a conspiratorial wink, and with a gesture so subtle that it could be missed with a blink, she sent a small stream of pink sparks towards the ribbon to unlace it.

The box opened and slid its way shyly across the table to reveal its contents.

The drizzle of caramel she’d poured across the rich, gooey brownies looked treasure-like against the grey canteen and smelled impossibly good.

Maeve remained uncertain, her mouth pushed to the side in a distinct, diagonal frown.

‘Go on. Try one,’ Annie nodded keenly.

As unable to resist delicious brownies as any normal being, magical or otherwise, Maeve tentatively reached out to break off a corner, the pillowy chocolate squashing between her fingertips.

As she popped it in her mouth and chewed thoughtfully, Annie noticed Maeve’s posture change the slightest fraction, her shoulders dropping down an inch or two, her chin raising a little.

Annie allowed herself a moment of inner celebration for choosing the dark chocolate chunks coated in a touch of soothing enchantment.

Yes, she had maybe banked on the calming properties being useful for too much excitement when they discovered they were fated best friends, rather than the frankly startled and slightly spooky feeling that was currently emanating from Maeve, but nevertheless. ..

‘Better?’ Annie chanced.

Maeve swallowed, then reached for more brownie. ‘These are really good.’

‘Thanks! I don’t know how much information Morena has passed on, but I run a bakery.

Well, it’s kind of a bakery, kind of a cafe, but I also sell some flowers and we do book club and we do painting nights and it’s such a beautiful spot, although right now it’s covered in Halloween decorations, but in a cute way, you know?

And...wait, do you actually know who Morena is?

Silly me, maybe you’re not familiar with the coven roles yet or. ..’

Annie saw Maeve’s eyes widen again, so she firmly pursed her lips together to stop talking.

With Splendidus Infernum evidently taking a smug rest in this environment, it felt like she was short-circuiting.

She pulled out one of the plastic chairs, brushed off the layer of miscellaneous crumbs that covered the seat and sighed.

She was taking entirely the wrong approach.

This poor young girl was evidently shy and unsure of herself. Annie would have to tread carefully.

‘Sorry, I’m being a little crazy,’ Annie said softly. ‘I think I’m...nervous?’ A pause passed between them, then seemed to settle as they both took a matching breath.

‘Me too,’ Maeve admitted reluctantly.

‘You don’t need to be, I promise. This isn’t a test; it’s not something you can pass or fail.

We’re going to have a great time,’ Annie said, then offered what she hoped was a reassuring smile, dimming down her dazzle a few degrees so as not to be quite so blinding.

It occurred to her that without Splendidus Infernum carefully adding a suitable, likeable filter, she might be a little. ..much?

Maeve frowned again, then nodded. ‘I don’t have any of my things with me, only my book bag,’ she mumbled, heaving a large backpack covered in patches, pins and felt-tip doodles up from underneath the table.

Annie’s brows shot up. ‘That’s just books?’

Maeve, Annie noticed, did not hold back an eye-roll, which surprised her. ‘There’s no such thing as just books ,’ Maeve said, stretching the sleeves down on her jumper. ‘You might have gathered that the conversation around here isn’t exactly stimulating so...’ She shrugged.

‘You don’t spend a lot of time hanging out with your classmates, I take it?’