Home > The Witch's Guardian(9)

The Witch's Guardian(9)
Author: Anna Edwards

She sighs heavily, and I want to ask if she’s okay, but I refrain.

“A Guardian visited me last night. He cured me, sweetheart. I’m…” I can hear the hitch in her voice, and my heart is beating a thousand times a minute. “He took away the illness. I don’t know what I did to deserve it, but I’m well.”

She breaks down on the phone, and my own breathing increases, rapidly turning shallow as I ease myself onto a nearby bench.

“How…” My voice is rough like I’ve had sandpaper shoved down my throat.

“It’s fairy tale and folklore, Juniper, but it has been said that one Guardian exists among us at any time. They punish the bad and help the good. I…I don’t know how else to explain it.” The whisper in her voice warms me.

“I’m coming back right now,” I tell her, ready to magic myself home.

“No,” she snaps.

“Mum?”

“Sorry…sorry, sweetie, but you need to be there. I’m fine. Don’t you see? I could come and visit you!”

I find myself grinning and daring to believe this miracle is actually true.

“Yes, do that and soon. I miss you,” I tell her.

“Okay, sweetheart, I’m letting you go now. Speak to you later. Love you.”

“Love you, Mum.”

I sit on the bench unmoving for I don’t know how long. The wind curls around my cheeks, but it can’t wipe the grin from my face.

“You about done?” Lucas asks, wandering over with a half-full bag of rubbish.

I check the time and see its five to seven. “Yeah, let’s put the stuff back.”

“Here,” he says, holding out his hand.

I pass him my rubbish bag and walk over to the garage to put my stick and high visibility tabard back.

Lucas walks with me towards the school. “So, I was thinking, would you like to come to Rocky’s with me after school?” he asks.

“Like on a date?” I stop walking and stand, looking at him with a frown, but still considering going…I mean Rocky’s do have the best burgers.

“A date, Lucas? With Juniper? Surely you have better taste?” Jacobi snarls, walking around the corner.

“And more class,” Taya adds from beside him, looking down her nose at me.

“Cobi, that’s enough man,” Lucas responds, frowning at his friend.

“No, it’s not enough,” Jacobi snaps back so forcefully even Taya looks up at him, surprise clear on her face. “It will never be enough until she leaves this school,” Jacobi tells Lucas, pointing at me but never dragging his hard stare away from Lucas.

“You’re being unreasonable,” Lucas argues, but I can already hear the indecision in his voice.

Jacobi’s face is taut with rage, and I wonder where it all comes from. What did I do to make him hate me so much?

“You stay away from her, Lucas,” he orders, pointing at me again. “She needs to learn her place, and that does not involve dating.”

I start walking away.

“That’s it, run along now,” Taya singsongs to my back.

I spin around and walk backwards while flipping her the bird. I feel a part of the old me being resurrected.

“I don’t need to date within the school,” I smirk my eyes moving to each one of them in turn, landing on Jacobi last. “I’ve no problem in that department.”

Jacobi’s eyes narrow on me, and I see an emotion I can’t quite place flash through his eyes. I turn back around and head to my first class, thankful I don’t have any classes with Jacobi Ashdown today.

 

 

“You’ve got to be kidding me.” I stare down at the change in my school timetable.

My regular spells teacher is absent for the rest of the year because she’s had the nerve to get involved in a car accident. I have to change classes. They can’t get a substitute or something? No, they have to merge the two spell classes together, which means my fabulous Juniper-free day is no more. I have to sit in the same room with her for the next hour. My day has been going perfectly as well. The headache I’ve had for the last few days has finally left me, and I was feeling a lot lighter about the person I may have killed. Damn woman! I hate her. Damn all women! At the moment, I hate them all.

“Don’t worry. I’ll sit next to you, and we can work together,” Taya coos into my ear and strokes her perfectly manicured hands down my clenched torso.

I don’t give her any response, though. I’m not in the mood for her sucking up to me. I simply screw the bit of paper up and throw it on the ground. I stomp on it with my size nine boots and grumpily make my way to class. My minions following along behind me.

When we reach the room, it’s overflowing with the two classes of students, and the teacher, Miss Bell, looks stressed already. She’s only young but looks older due to her strange style of dress which resembles something from the early 1950’s. She joined the school in the summer. It’s probably her first teaching job, and she’s looked like a rabbit caught in headlights most of the time.

“Come in, hurry up,” she urges us, and we find a position to stand against a wall near the entrance.

All of the seats are taken, including one occupied by Juniper. She looks up at me and glares so intently I’m pretty sure if she could shoot flames out of her nostrils, I’d be burnt to a crisp by now. I can’t help but smirk back and slice my fingers across my throat in a gesture intended to make sure she understands her position. I mean for her to know she’s the lowest of the low at Caspian Academy, and her days here are numbered..

“Right, everyone, listen to me.” Miss Bell waves a silly little tambourine in the air, trying to capture our attention like we’re primary age children. “Quiet now.”

Everyone continues talking over her, so she tries again without any success. My earlier hatred of women dissipates as I stand there feeling sorry for her, just a little bit. I'm not a complete monster, even if I’m angry at the current situation with Juniper.

“Quiet,” I step forward and shout. The room instantly falls silent.

“Thank you, Mr Ashdown.” Miss Bell smiles warmly at me, and I step back into my lounging position against the wall. “I’m sure you’ve all heard that Mrs Weston was involved in a car accident. The school is sourcing another spelling teacher, but it might take a few weeks, and we don’t want you to miss out on lessons in the meantime. We’re going to do things a little differently until the replacement arrives. I can’t teach you all at once, because there simply isn’t the space. Instead, while half of you are being taught by me today, the other half will work on a project, then in tomorrow’s lesson you’re going to swap around. I hope that’s okay.” Miss Bell reaches down and picks up a piece of paper from her desk. “I’ve mixed the classes up and put you in pairs. I want you to work with someone you’ve never worked with before. It’s a good learning experience and often produces the best results.”

My stomach sinks. I’ve just got to hope I have good luck today and get a partner who’ll work well with me. If I don’t, I’ll be coming down on them like a ton of bricks. I may be a joke and lazy most of the time, but my work is important to me. I want to be top of the class when I graduate, especially if divinity has already chosen my profession, and I’m going to be collecting souls in the future.

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