WitchCraft Academy (The First Book)
The First Chapter

Cast

Ember Ashwood

Juniper Collins

Ethan Price

Andrew Thompson

Axel Grimshaw

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Melody Evergreen

Harmony Evergreen

Sable

Karma

Nimbus

Wraith

"Hey, wait for me!" My best friend Ethan calls out as he tries to catch up to me and our other best friend through the wilderness. "Ember, Juniper, please wait!"

"It's not our fault you can't keep up," I giggle, holding onto Juniper's cloak sleeve, careful not to touch her skin and trigger a vision of her past as we push through the thick trees and vines. Juniper always has the worst memories of her past.

"Yeah, come on, Ethan, hurry up!" Juniper playfully teases as I guide her into a familiar opening in the woods.

Finally catching his breath, Ethan joins us. "If you're going to keep dragging me along on your adventures, at least give me a chance to catch up!"

I joke, looking into his disapproving eyes. "You're supposed to be in great shape, being gay and all."

Ethan sighs, "I keep telling you, that's a stereotype. Not all gay men are super fit. Personally, I'd rather be back at the Academy studying for the Astral Projection quiz tomorrow with my boyfriend."

Rolling my eyes, I reassure him, "You and Andrew will do great on the quiz. You may not be stereotype gays but you are definitely stereotype nerds." I tease. "Just relax. We'll head back soon." And it was true. Ethan and Andrew are both straight-A students who never get into trouble. Ethan has dark skin and curly black hair, he is also tall and skinny. Andrew however is short and a little chubby with a round baby face and shaggy blonde hair that need a trim.

Juniper takes out a hidden stash of weed from a box on a tree branch and lights it up for us. "Yeah, chill dude. It will be fine." She says, pulling me out of my thoughts.

"Remember the last time you guys tried making an Illusion Elixir? You both had a bad trip and I had to babysit you for hours." Ethan complains, "And cover for you with The Sisters. I hate doing that."

"We learned from that though," I explain, grabbing the last ingredient for the elixir, Mugwort, and putting it into my bag, glad the snow hasn't started yet. "We used too much Salvia Divinorum last time."

Juniper nods in agreement, passing the joint back to me. "Who knew it could be so strong?"

Ethan rolls his eyes. "You two will be the death of me. And Andrew will kill you both when he becomes my widow."

I shrug casually. "We've heard it all before. Besides, you can't even get married."

Ethan softens his tone. "Not legally, but in our hearts. It's 2010, they have to legalize gay marriage eventually. Love is love, right?"

Juniper and I both nod in agreement as we put out the joint and hide it back in the box. We make our way back through the woods and toward the mountain we have called home for the last two years. Careful not to get caught by The Sisters as we sneak back into the Academy. Again.

At the age of fourteen, just like my mother and grandmother before me, I embarked onto my journey at Witchcraft Academy. In our family, the lineage of witches is limited to women. Sometimes, I despise this fact because my twin brother, Jackson, is a human, and I only get to see him on Family Days, summers and holidays. In some families, the males get the witch gene and in some families the women get it. Never both though. And witches are rare enough, a small community hidden in the human world.

Tragedy struck our lives a year before I joined the Academy when my mother passed away in a car accident. She left behind me, Jackson, and our four-year-old sister, Aurora. Ever since then, our father has spiraled into the depths of alcoholism, leaving Jackson to shoulder the responsibility of taking care of Aurora and managing the household. It's been almost three years, and Christmas serves as a painful reminder of our loss. I hate this time of year with a passion.

In the dead of night, Ethan, Juniper, and I venture into a forgotten tunnel nestled within the mountains that we call our school and home. It's a path rarely trodden by anyone but us. We ascend the staircase and emerge through hidden stone doors that look like walls, finding ourselves in the main hallway of Witchcraft Academy, between the dormitories of boys and girls.

Cautiously surveying our surroundings, we ensure that no prying eyes catch sight of our nocturnal escapade. Given the late hour, the chances of being discovered are slim. Sometimes other students sneak out and we have our traditional school rituals occasionally but it's very hard to get expelled here due to the low number of witches. Slowly but surely, we make our way towards a narrow spiral staircase embedded within the wall, leading up to the dormitories shared by Juniper and me.

"Ember!" I hear a hushed yet audible whisper emanating from the direction of the boys' staircase. Juniper and Ethan hastily ascend the steps, evading detection, while I remain at the bottom, fully aware of the identity of the caller.

"What do you want, Axel?" I inquire, as a striking young man with tattoos and long flowing light brown hair makes his way into view. His usual leather jacket has been replaced by a white t-shirt and blue pajama pants.

"I'm just wondering why you're out of bedthis late. Sneaking out again?" He jests, approaching me with the scent of rum and cigarettes clinging to him.

"Is it any of your business?" I retort. "And shouldn't you be busy lighting puppies on fire or making babies cry with your girlfriend?"

"Phoenix isn't my girlfriend," he counters, raising his hands in a defensive gesture. "And you really think so lowly of me?"

"Why should I give you any credit?" I shoot back. "You graduated last year, but because you lack ambition and your dad happens to be a teacher here, you get to stay and drink and seduce every woman within these mountain walls. Fuck you, Axel, I have things to do tonight." With that, I snap at him and turn around, making my way back up the stairs.

"Goodnight, my Snow Witch," Axel calls after me, seemingly unaffected by my harsh words. Yeah, he may be attractive as hell, but he also has a reputation for sleeping around, including with my rival, Phoenix White.

I walk down the narrow yet tastefully adorned hallway, passing by the other doors until I reach the room shared by Juniper and me. I open the door, relieved to find Juniper already in the process of mixing the ingredients in the cauldron she retrieved from my closet.

"We just need the Mugwort and Salvia Divinorum," Juniper informs me, and I hand her the bag while Ethan sits disapprovingly on the edge of my untidy bed. "Was that Axel?"

"Yep," I confirm, emphasizing the 'P,' and take a seat next to Ethan, our shoulders touching. I leave Juniper to handle the potion brewing since she excels as a student. Ethan, on the other hand, is a stellar scholar compared to us both, but he refuses to assist us when it comes to tripping balls on drugs. Or in our case, magical potions. Which is totally uncool of him considering it's completely safe. The worst that could happen is being trapped in a bad trip for eight hours.

"Is he ever going to stop trying to get into your pants?" She asks, blending the herbs together in the moon water.

"Probably not," I reply with a smile. "But I enjoy rejecting him. It's amusing." Despite Axel's persistent flirting, it doesn't bother me much. In fact, I've been messing around with Nico to make Axel jealous. Nico is attractive, popular, and genuinely nice. I like him, but he's a bit too dull and agreeable for my taste. I definitely won't be losing my virginity to him.

As Juniper quietly adjusts the spell, it breaks my train of thought. She pours the mixture of herbs and moon water into a small stone bowl and takes a large sip before passing it to me. "Bottoms up."

I smile and accept the bowl, taking a generous sip as well, tasting the sweet earthly herbs. "Bottoms up."

"Why can't I have normal friends who don't want to trip balls on a Saturday night?" Ethan groans, falling back onto my bed as Juniper and I giggle.

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