Home > Secret Legacy (The Windhaven Witches #1)

Secret Legacy (The Windhaven Witches #1)
Author: Carissa Andrews

Chapter 1

 

 

Should I stay or should I go?

 

 

By the absurd color of my mother’s face, it’s safe to say I’m royally screwed.

“I asked you a question,” Mom says, her hazel eyes trained expectantly on me.

My mouth drops open, and I shake my head. “I don’t even know what that is.”

“Don’t play coy with me, Autumn. This is a big deal—a behemoth deal. You don’t get a packet like this to the Windhaven Academy unless they’ve accepted your enrollment,” she says, placing a protective hand across the large purple packet with sparkly stars across it.

Instinctively, I grab for the envelope, tugging it from under her palm. I pull it to my chest without even looking closer at it. It’s got some heft to it, and I float through the decisions of whether to toss it in the trash or walk off with it.

“Look, Mom, there’s gotta be a mistake here. Or maybe someone is playing a practical joke on me. The Windhaven Academy…that’s a school for kids with unique abilities—the supernatural kids. Why would I apply there, let alone get accepted? It’s ludicrous.”

“That’s what I would like to know. Imagine my shock when the mailman passed it over,” she says. “The last I heard you were planning on going to the U next year. I know it’s not as early as you would have liked, but trust me, saving for it was a wise investment. Especially with the student loan snafu—”

“You can relax, Mom. There’s nothing to this at all. I still plan to get my forensic sciences degree, for crying out loud.”

I turn on my heel to vacate the premises before things escalate. Mom and the supernatural world don’t have the best of track records, but Mom and money are even worse. The last thing I want is a four-hour discussion about the nature of things and how the system is built to “keep us little folks down.”

Mom follows me. “Why are you walking away, Autumn? We're not done here. What aren’t you telling me?”

Spinning around, I scrunch my face, trying to hold it steady without drawing out her imagination. “N-nothing.”

“Well, that was convincing,” she says, placing a hand on her hip. “You know, I always thought we had a pretty good thing going here. I know we’ve had our ups and downs, and this last year having to work at the craft shop hasn’t been ideal, but I never thought lying would be a thing.”

“It’s not. I’m not—” I say, unable to contain the anger building inside me. “Mom, I have no idea what this is or why it arrived. If you can’t trust me, or believe me, then that says more about you than it does me.”

Her mouth pops open, but words don’t tumble out at their ordinary pace.

Without wasting another moment, I turn my back on her and stomp upstairs to my bedroom. It’s the one space in this tiny house that’s off limits for her, and she knows it. After closing the door, I fling the packet onto my bed and lean back against the wood doorframe.

My brain whirls around, trying to make sense of the past few minutes. There is literally no reason for me to apply to the Windhaven Academy and even less reason to be accepted. I have no powers at all. None. Trust me, I’d know after the years of wishful thinking and trying to make something amazing happen. I’ve seen close friends learn their abilities and go on to do incredible things. But I’m still here—stuck in Mistwood Point until I can afford the state university like a completely ordinary girl. Meh. At least going for my forensic sciences degree would be more interesting than helping out all the old biddies in town with their fabric choices.

“We’re not done talking about this, Autumn…” Mom’s voice filters from the other side of the door.

“I know,” I mutter under my breath as I close my eyes. “I just need a bit of time to decompress. I’ll be down soon.”

As much as I love my mom, her hovering can be suffocating at times. I’m twenty years old, for crying out loud. If I wanted to go, and could actually afford it, there is literally nothing she could do to stop me.

“Please, promise me you’ll just toss it in the trash. Because that’s what it is,” she says.

Refusing to answer her, I look up at the ceiling and breathe in slowly through my nose. I’ve never understood her extreme reaction to anything supernatural. I know something happened in her past, but she’s refused to clue me in. Who’s the one keeping things from whom?

Shaking my head, I whisper, “Maybe I should get a place of my own.”

It would set me back on my timeline for college, but it might be worth it. I’d gain more autonomy and be able to make my own decisions without a dramatic conversation over every little thing.

My gaze falls to the purple envelope, and I swallow hard.

Could my mom be right? Is it really an acceptance packet? Why would they even send me an acceptance?

Unexpected excitement bubbles inside me, and I can’t seem to contain it. However, the inner voice implanted in the back of my head by my mom tells me I’m being crazy. Even if it was, it’s not like we could afford the tuition. Windhaven is insanely expensive; without pulling a bank job, I’m pretty sure I’m a couple of hundred thousand shy of meeting their requirements.

I bite my lower lip and take a tentative step forward. Despite myself, morbid curiosity wins out. Taking the final few steps to the bed, I drop down and pull the monolithic envelope onto my lap. The setting sun streams into my room, creating a soft glow that entices me to live in the moment. I run my hand along the outside edge of the packet. The texture is more like soft silk than paper, and the stars across the top twinkle with multifaceted dimension in the sunlight.

However, I’m a tiny bit disappointed there’s nothing innately magical about it. It doesn’t fly, or talk, or do anything unusual at all. Surely a supernatural school has resources to do something like that, right? Or am I just being incredibly naive?

I take a deep breath. “Well, here goes nothing…”

Flipping the packet over, I pull the ripcord from the top edge. I half-anticipate letters to come flying out or a bright light to shine from the heavens. But again, I’m sorely disappointed. Inside is just a packet of paperwork. Ordinary, mundane paperwork.

We haven’t even met the digital age, I guess.

On the upside, the paper is the same graceful, soft texture, and I can’t help but wonder what it’s made of. Maybe magical spiders wove their silk into the fabric of the paper? At least that would be cool. As I shuffle quickly through the contents, I find, in addition to the papers, a large booklet of information about the courses available, the history of the school, and other details, like off-campus events for supernaturals. There’s a map, a few event flyers for the campus social groups, and of course, right on top...is my acceptance letter.

I suck in a quick breath and scan through it quickly.

 

* * *

 

Dear Ms. Blackwood,

Congratulations! It is with great pleasure that I offer you admission to the Windhaven Academy Class of 2024.

Your thoughtful application and magical aptitudes convinced us that you have the intelligence and innate talent to be amongst the best here at Windhaven Academy. Among the over 15,000 applications, yours stood out immediately, and our seers recognized the incredible gift your lineage brings to our ranks. As such, we are thrilled to welcome you and look forward to your unique and extraordinary contributions as you adjust to our academic and campus life.

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