The Wizarding War, Melissa Nichols [the reading list book .txt] 📗

~Three weeks ago~

“What do you mean I’m a wizard?!” I shouted, absolutely in shock. I had no idea what to think, what to say.

“The proper term is Wigand.” Black answered, unfazed by this life-changing news that he’s handed me so nonchalantly.

Disgusted, I turned to Mother for some help and I saw tears running down her face. Immediately, my priorities shifted and I held her hand, the need to protect her overpowering once again. “Mom? What’s wrong?”

“I’m so sorry, sweetie.” She whispered and covered her mouth with her other hand.

“Mom, what are you talking about? Its not your fault.”

She just shook her head and broke down into sobs, pulling her hand from mine. I watched her for a second, confused, then I turned to Black and it was like a light had flipped on. This was Black’s fault! If he hadn’t come here, nothing would have changed. Angry, I stood up.

“What gives you the right to come in here, say something so stupid like that, and make my mother cry? You’re a heartless freak and I want you out of our house now.” I pointed at the door and our six German Shepherds rose to their paws, growling and snapping, my own mouth turned up to resemble a human growl.

Black looked at me quite calmly while I stood there, not moving. Then, he sighed and stood up, leaving a card on the table dividing us.

“Talk it over with your mother, think it out and give me a call. See you around, kid.”

And just like that, he was gone. I stared at the door, now closed, and tried to wrap my head around everything that has happened. Mother was still crying and wouldn’t let me comfort her no matter how hard I tried, so I finally gave up and went to my room. I closed my door and leaned against it. I studied my room and how perfectly it reflected me. It was tidy, organized, with a silver paint on the walls and a few posters. One poster was a gift from a choir festival I had participated in, a second poster featured myself in the middle of a high kick at the tae kwon do championships last year. My medal hung beside it, proclaiming me champion for that year. A third poster was a picture blown up to poster size of myself and a girlfriend at a fancy restaurant. Mother had obviously followed me on my date, even though she’d promised she wouldn’t. The light from the lamp hanging above us made it seem like the light was centered around me, with my girlfriend slightly less illuminated. The light revealed happiness and other tender feelings that I normally don’t express. I had kept this poster after our break up simply because the look on my face reminds me that I’m capable of those emotions, and that always helps to calm me down. Except for today.

Knowing what I needed to vent, without breaking stuff as a normal teenager would have, I dug in my closet and dragged out a punching bag. I didn’t bother with the gloves I usually wear when I’m practicing. I needed to feel the pain in my knuckles, even though they would probably get bloody and maybe dislocated from the lack of padding.

Two hours later, I came downstairs again. My knuckles were, indeed, bleeding but thankfully they weren't otherwise injured, but I didn’t care. I had vented enough of my anger so I could talk to Mother without getting either of us more upset. It was quiet and I found Mother and the Shepherds in the foyer.Mom's face was buried in her hands and Grace and Krull had their heads on her lap.

“Mom?” I asked quietly and sat down beside her. “Mom, talk to me.”

“Black wasn’t lying. You really are a wizard. That’s why the Shephers are so well-trained, why every cat and dog in the neighborhood comes to you. You’re an Animalia.”

“A what?”

“Its an affinity, a type of magic. There’s Animalia, Infernae, Icilae, Aquilae, Healers, Necros and another one. I can’t quiet remember, but it’s the affinity of air.”

“How do you know all this?”

“Because I’m a Healer, and your father was an Animalia, too. Top of his class, actually. ”

“You never talk about him.”

“He was killed when you were a baby. I never said anything to you before because it hurt too much. I couldn’t handle it then, the man I’d loved for twenty years was gone. But I wouldn’t let it affect me during the day, when I needed to be strong for you.”

“Wait, so you knew all along?”

“How could I not? You have two Wigand parents. It was guaranteed you would be, too.”

“Then why didn’t you tell me?”

“I was going to. I wasn’t expecting Black to be here so soon. I thought I’d have a little more time.”

And that was all that was said. Mother saw my knuckles and healed them, which freaked me out a bit. I’d gone all my life healing normally, hnw I was watching my skin and bones move, pop back into place and stitch themselves together. It was freaky, to say the least.

Over the next week, I thought long and hard about what I was going to do. I finally called Black and told him I’m going to Magicae. My mother and I never spoke again. A rift had come between us. I could see how much it was hurting her, but I wasn’t ready to forgive her yet. I was still angry she’d kept something this big from me simply to save herself a few tears. She could have told me when I was a child, could have helped me for this necessary change in life plans, like a mother should. But she hadn’t and I wasn’t sure how long it’d take for me to stop being angry enough to think this through and think about forgiving her.

After I called him, Black stopped by and told me what I could expect. Basically, it was a month before classes started and he had already made the arrangements to get there, which would take a week. But in order for me to leave here and get to Magicae with enough time for me to settle in properly, get used to the school and possibly make a few friends, we’d have to leave in one week. I was also allowed to take one pet purely because of my affinity. An Animalia is useless without an animal to bond to. I chose my favorite puppy, Crash.

So, the week flew by. Mother withdrew me from my high school while I went all over town buying more supplies than I’d know what to do with, before I started packing.

Needless to say, I was all packed and ready to go when Black came to pick me and Crash up. During the week I had stocked up on food for Crash, as well as toys, a leash, collar and treats. I also bought myself lots of school supplies. I wasn't sure if the school would provide supplies for myself and Crash, or if Mom would be able to send me things I needed, so it was best to buy as much as I could now and hold out for as long as I could while I got settled.

~Present day~

After I was settled in, I hooked Crash onto his leash and went to the track, where I spent all day carefully working our legs into the ground from exhaustion. Personally, the exercise kept my muscles from getting lazy and the dreaded body fat from reappearing. For Crash, the exercise kept him from destroying the apartment out of boredom and excess energy. He’s still a young puppy, so exercise was currently the best thing for him. So, we ran all day, stopping only so we could eat, drink and get our heart rates back to normal.

The next few days passed in the same routine. I’d walk Crash through the campus every morning after breakfast then we’d run for pretty much the rest of the day. He’d come with me to lunch and I’d feed him my scraps before we walked around again, letting out bodies digest the food. Then we’d run until it was time for dinner, at which point we went back to our apartment, fed him his kibble, and  made myself some dinner. After dinner, I picked up my room, did some laundry if I needed something for tomorrow, and then I took a shower and went on my laptop until I passed out.

But, every morning, I always saw two people consistently. One of them was a silver haired girl, running all alone. The other person was a red-haired, green-eyed boy about my age. Curious and deciding it wouldn’t hurt, I approached each of them and introduced myself. The silver haired girl was Katherine, and the red-haired boy was Derek. As it turned out, Katherine was already pretty advanced for her age, magically speaking. Derek wasn’t as advanced as Katherine was, but he was farther along than I was. After talking for a bit, and apparently coming to the same conclusion that we’d be good friends, we stayed together for the rest of the day. We all ran together, then we swam in the school pool. After changing into dry clothes, we got some lunch and we decided to go to the library and get ahead in our studying. After that, we separated again. I brushed Crash out, then I took a shower before I went to meet Derek and Katherine so we could go to explore the school a bit, neither of us having been brave enough to do it on our own, until it was six o’clock and time for dinner. We ate, then we walked back to our rooms and agreed to meet again tomorrow. So that’s what we did every day for two weeks. Though, usually we wouldn’t explore the school. Instead, we just walked aimlessly and talked.

After all of this activity, I was exhausted at the end of the day, but I figured as long as I’m making friends and exercising myself and Crash like we need, and still getting something productive, out of it, like studying ahead in my classes, then there are worse things I could be doing with my time. Besides, the activity kept me from slipping into depression due to Mom’s betrayal, so that was definitely a bonus.

Before I knew it, the day of the welcoming celebration came. Everyone had been told to gather at the cafeteria at nine o’ clock this morning so I, Kat and Derek skipped our morning exercise routine and just studied at the library until eight fifty, and then we made our way to the cafeteria, grabbing a seat at the front center of the seats. Then, we waited.

At nine fifteen, the ceremony began with a darkening of the lights and mini fireworks went off with a colorful bang. The crowd made sounds of appreciation and I have to admit, I was pretty taken away, too. The fireworks subsided and a few colored lights came back on.