Order
I walked briskly toward the main hall; the orb had activated again for the third time. It’s worth noting that it’s only May, and it usually activates four times throughout the entire year.
My long blue dress, which reached the floor, trailed behind me as I hurried, and my dark brown hair bounced lightly with each step.
Finally, I arrived at the designated room, where the rest of the council was already waiting. The walls were paneled with dark wood from halfway down, matching the furniture, while the upper half was a light beige that harmonized well with the richly placed green plants decorating the octagonal room. In the center of the hall stood a low, octagonal column, upon which rested a pale, white-and-blue orb. Seeing the pulsating object, I paused for a moment in the doorway before quickly approaching my companions.
“What’s happening? Another witch?” I asked, tense.
“How did you guess?” said the dark-skinned woman in a black cape that enveloped her deep orange dress. “This is the third awakening in the last four months. Should we do something?”
“And what do you suggest, Ericka?” asked the Asian woman in a dull green gown. “Should we get rid of these girls? Leave them on their own, like in Sokovia?” she asked indignantly.
“That wasn’t our choice, Lidia,” replied Cynthia, lifting her gaze from the orb and adjusting her red hair, which contrasted sharply with her light blue, nearly white dress. “We couldn’t do anything,” she added regretfully.
“Enough!” I snapped, seeing Lidia about to speak. “We have a mass awakening, which means a ton of work. Do you remember what happened in 1683? The academy was in complete chaos with all those kids,” I said, smiling at the memory.
“Oh, don’t remind me.”
“It wasn’t easy,” Ericka remarked. “And I feel it won’t be this time either.”
“Where are we going this time?” I asked with a sly smile.
“New York.”
“Well then, let’s get dressed and go,” Lidia said, heading to her room like the rest of us to grab our capes.
When we all gathered outside, Ericka was already waiting for us. We formed a proper alignment to cast the teleportation spell and transport ourselves to New York. A moment later, we found ourselves in front of the designated building.
The block was built of red brick, looking old—and it probably was. I told the others to stay downstairs and be ready in case of complications. I approached the entrance, but it was locked, so I extended my hand, where a blue mist appeared around the lock, which clicked open. I entered the stairwell and began searching for the right apartment. The stairs were chipped, with gaps in some places, similar to the walls, and there was dust and trash everywhere.
Eventually, I found the right apartment. I didn’t have a number, but I could feel the energy seeping from behind the door. Without hesitation, I knocked on the door, which wasn’t very soundproof as I could hear every word quite clearly.
“Who the hell is knocking?” I heard a deep male voice.
“How should I know?” a woman retorted. “You probably ordered something drunk again and don’t even remember!”
“Don’t just stand there like a saint, woman—go and open the damn door!” the man shouted. A family like this? It would be interesting or go smoothly.
“What do you want?” a very thin blonde in a tracksuit, likely in her 40s, asked in a bored voice. She looked me up and down, then said, “I don’t know what you’re selling, but we don’t want tickets, cookies, or wafers, so you have nothing to do here.” She started closing the door, but I quickly interrupted.
“I’m Ava, from an elite school for talented girls. I’ve heard your daughter has great potential, and I’d like to offer her a place at our school.” The blonde looked at me skeptically but let me in.
“Good evening,” I greeted the man sitting in a recliner in front of the TV. He wore a gray, stained T-shirt, brown slippers, and sweatpants. “I’d like to talk about your daughter.”
“Yeah, yeah, I heard,” he said, taking a sip of beer. “What’s that brat done now?” he asked, bored.
“As I mentioned to your wife,” I gestured toward the woman standing beside him, “I’m here from a prestigious boarding school to make you an offer.” I explained, instantly piquing their interest.
“What kind of offer?” the child’s father asked, sitting up in his chair.
“A scholarship at our school. Your daughter will have accommodation, meals, and, most importantly, education. You’ll be able to see her during holidays, vacations, and winter and spring breaks—if she wishes to join us.”
“How much will this cost?” the woman inquired.
“Everything is free.”
“Don’t give me that—what’s the catch?” The man raised his voice slightly, sitting up straighter.
“The school is in Salem. If I could, I’d like to speak with your daughter.”
“Why?”
“She’ll be living and studying with us until she graduates, and her opinion is just as important as yours.”
“She’s in that room,” the man pointed to the room behind him, finishing his beer.
I entered the room and saw an eight-year-old girl with blue eyes and dark blonde hair sitting on the bed in a small room. Opposite the door was a window with fire escapes; on the right was the bed, and on the left, a desk and wardrobe near the door. The walls were painted light gray, and the floor was covered with dark parquet.
I looked at the girl again, smiling warmly.
“Hi, I’m Ava, and you are?”
“Sara,” the child answered shyly. “I know why you’re here.”
“You overheard my conversation with your parents?” I stated more than asked.
“No, I just know,” she replied calmly. “And I know you’re lying.”
“You’re right, I am lying,” I said, leaning closer to the girl. “I’m here because you have an amazing gift that will be extremely difficult to control on your own. I’m here to help. I’ll take you to my home, which will also be yours, where you’ll learn to control your gift—if you want to, of course,” I added after a moment.
The little girl looked at me uncertainly, and it’s hard to blame her—some stranger wants to take her far away from her family, friends, and possibly even a school she likes. But I had a good feeling. After a moment of silence, she finally spoke.
“You’re like me, aren’t you?” I nodded in confirmation. “Will I see my parents again?”
“That will depend entirely on you and them—whether you all want to meet again,” I said after a pause. “So, what do you think?”
“Okay, I’ll go with you,” she said, and I immediately smiled widely at the news—a young witch we can help train and develop her abilities is always good news.
“Great! Pack some clothes, a toy, or whatever you want, and I’ll talk to your parents,” I said, leaving the room to speak with the girl’s parents.
I know I shouldn’t have, but I needed 100% certainty, so I positively influenced their decision.
When the girl came out of the room, I nodded, signaling it was time to go. The child gave her parents one last hug, but they didn’t even return the embrace. It was heartbreaking to see, confirming my suspicions—I had taken away a burden, a child they never wanted. Sara had already put on her shoes and a light jacket; when we stepped outside, she waved to her mother, who just shut the door.
We walked down to the front of the block, where my companions were waiting. The child, seeing them, hid behind me, and they smiled reassuringly.
“Don’t worry; I know they look scary, but they won’t harm you,” I said with a hint of irony, smiling slyly at them. “They’re like us and will help you too.”
We arranged ourselves in the proper sequence, and a second later, we were standing in front of our small, white-beige mansion in the middle of the forest. On the left and right were stairs adorned with dark red roses between the path leading to the entrance doors, above which was a balcony supported by four white columns. The roof was made of gray tiles, the same color as the wooden frames on the numerous windows and balcony doors. The mansion was built in an old, elegant style and, despite its age, was very well-maintained, with the path leading to it paved with small gray-black stones.
The area around it was protected by a special camouflage shield that we cast centuries ago to protect new generations of witches from hunts, wars, and other disasters.
Sara glanced around the area wildly before finally noticing the mentioned mansion and gazing at it with awe.
“That’s your new home now,” said the previously silent Ericka.
“You’re starting a new chapter, kid, and prepare yourself—it won’t be easy,” Cynthia added.
“Alright, let’s go inside; it’s late, and it’s time to sleep,” Lidia was right; it was well past 11 PM, and we had classes tomorrow.
Following Lidia’s advice, we showed the girl to her room, then went to our floor, into our rooms, and immediately went to bed since tomorrow would be a tough day.