chapter 6 deep waters

The light from the sunrise hit me in the face, and I reluctantly woke up. My gaze fell on Madison's sleeping face as she lay unconscious beside me. Slipping out of bed, I grabbed my phone off the charger and walked over to my closet, reaching for the door.

My hand froze in mid-air as a sudden wave of fear and sadness smacked me like a gust of wind. I shook. This familiar sensation tormented me day in and day out, yet its origin remained unknown. I went through the motions of soothing myself.

Once I felt brave enough to open the closet, I breathed a sigh of relief and grabbed a pink T-shirt along with form-fitting blue jeans. After closing the doors, I headed to the bathroom, where I finally took out my braids and brushed my hair. Adding some gel to define my tight curls, I smiled as I noticed how healthy my hair looked—it now reached past my shoulders.

Leaving the bathroom, I peeked into my room and saw Madison sitting up, yawning. She flashed me a grin.

I waved in response. "Morning," I said cheerfully.

"Good morning," she uttered before hopping out of bed.

She wrapped her arm around mine and asked if I was ready to practice magic today.

"Yeah, I'm a bit nervous, but after what happened last night..." I paused, lost in thought.

She looked at me curiously, waiting for me to finish.

"But I want to feel that familiar spark again when I use magic," I said longingly.

"Oh, really? Then let's hurry to my dad's office."

Grabbing our coats to brave the elements, we headed to the school in the middle of the island. Upon reaching the building, we made a beeline for his office. Knocking on the door, we waited for a response, but none came.

"Huh, maybe he's still in the classroom," Madison suggested.

"Well then, what do you want to do?" I asked curiously.

She shrugged indifferently. "We can go there and see him. How does that sound?"

I rolled my eyes, not wanting to go all the way to the other side of the school.

"Or... we can just unlock the door and wait here for him," she giggled at my laziness. She jiggled the doorknob with no success.

We frowned, both raising an eyebrow in annoyance.

"Any other ideas?" she inquired.

I thought silently for a few minutes. "How about magic?"

She turned to me, surprised. "Why didn't I think of that?"

I sighed. "Do you know any spells for opening doors?"

"There are usually several spells to do a single task."

We turned at the sound of a mature voice thundering behind us. Mrs. Dean was walking toward us.

"But we'll keep it simple for now," she said, her voice low but stern. She flashed me a faint smile.

I nervously grinned back. "Okay, what should I do?"

"Raise your hand, focus your magic in your palm, and say: 'Release the boundary that stands before me. Open!'"

I did as she said, closing my eyes and trying to feel my magic. A tingling sensation flowed throughout my body. I felt it swirling, running through every corner of my being, gathering in my palm.

Suddenly, a small blue magic circle appeared at my fingertips, covered in ancient-like writing.

Mrs. Dean's eyes widened in complete surprise. "A magic circle? I've never seen one before... Magnificent."

I repeated the enchantment. I felt my magic drain slightly, but in return, the sound of the door unlocking filled the air.

"You did it!" Madison cheered gleefully.

I smiled from ear to ear. This was a new feeling—exciting and comforting.

Pushing the door open, the three of us walked in. We searched the room, but no one was there. Confusion spread across our faces.

"Seems like he wasn't in here at all," Mrs. Dean said in an anxious tone.

The hairs on my neck stood up as I walked deeper inside, rubbing my shoulders.

"It's cold in here," I complained.

"Really? I think it's warm," Madison retorted, her eyes widening in realization. "I sense residue of black magic. And I'm now certain that you feeling cold is your magical senses growing."

She power-walked to the desk and spotted a note placed neatly on top. Crumpling it in her hand, she bit her lower lip in anger.

"What's wrong?" Madison questioned.

Mrs. Dean paused before answering. Her breathing became irregular, and she turned her head away from Madison.

"I'm afraid, Mr. Stone... your father has been taken by JoJo."

Madison's face dropped in horror. I could tell a lump had formed in her throat, rendering her speechless. Feeling her fear and pain, I spoke for her.

"Do we know if he's okay? Or where he is?"

She nodded. "Yes. It looks like JoJo wants you to meet him in the gym tonight."

My mind went blank. A cold sweat formed on my brow. I could feel my pulse racing. I was not ready to face him.

Mrs. Dean grabbed my shoulders, urgency plastered on her face. Her tone was sharp.

"Listen, Dominique, this will be a life-or-death situation. We have a couple of hours for me to teach you some spells and how to defend yourself."

I shivered in fear. My body shook uncontrollably, but I forced myself to shake it off.

"I'll try," I said, unsure.

She nodded. "Good. Let's get to work."

Walking over to the bookshelves, she began browsing. My gaze fell on Madison, who still seemed to be in a trance. I grabbed her hand and pulled her into a hug. She slowly returned it.

"Dominique, I'm scared for my dad."

"I know you are. I'll do my best to bring him back."

She nodded slightly.

"Okay, I'm going to teach you a few defense spells." Mrs. Dean walked toward us, carrying several books.

I steeled my nerves and readied myself. "I'm going to put up a protective sphere so we won't destroy the room," she said, raising her hands. Closing her eyes, she focused on building her magic. Her hands began glowing purple as she waved them.

"Spatial magic: artificial room!"

A dome of magic enclosed us, and the office disappeared. I stared in amazement.

"In this space, you can unleash your powers without damaging the real room," she explained.

Opening one of the books, she flipped to a page and showed me one of the techniques she would teach me.

"This one," she said, pointing to an image with text underneath. "This first spell is a shield that absorbs and reflects certain attacks."

I listened intently as she continued.

"In the magical world, you are born with one type of aptitude. It is impossible to house two."

She paused before adding, "That being said, we can use what we call neutral magic."

I tilted my head in confusion.

"I'll bite—what's that?"

She looked at me, her expression exhausted.

"Does me asking questions bother you?" I asked timidly.

She quickly shook her head. "No, it's not that. We just don't have time for every question, but I will answer this one."

I swallowed hard, reminded of the gravity of the situation.

"Neutral magic is a type of magic that doesn't fit into any specific archetype, so it can be used by anyone."

"So, does that include your spatial magic, or is that your archetype?"

"It's neutral," she clarified. "Along with shield, warp, and binding magic, to name a few."

With new understanding, I stared at the book. "Can I try the spell?"

She nodded and stepped back. "Ready?"

Raising her hands, she attacked.

"THREAD MAGIC! CHOKING YARN!!"

Two large thick balls of yarn materialized out of thin air and snake their way towards me I jumped out of the way.

My hands trembled. I choked on my nerves.

"Get up and try again!"

Stumbling to my feet, I steadied myself, pushing away my fear. I looked at her with renewed determination. She repeated the same spell, and just like before, the balls of yarn shot toward me.

I raised my palm.

"Reflector frame!"

A curved, layered shield materialized in front of me. It absorbed the yarn breaking them down into energy. The shield enclosed the power inside it, the energy violently bouncing around within. Lowering my arm, I pointed at Mrs. Dean. The stored magic turned into a beam and shot toward her.

"Shield magic! Triple force!"

The beam struck her shield with extreme force, breaking through the first layer effortlessly, then shattering the second. Her eyes widened in shock and fear as she hastily dove out of the way just in time for the last layer to be smashed to dust.

When the smoke cleared, Mrs. Dean was on her knees, breathing heavily. Her purple hair was a mess.

Fixing her shirt, she stood. "Incredible," she said. "I knew the Guardians were strong, but going up against one is humbling."

Clearing her throat, she looked at me.

"Are you okay?" I asked worriedly.

"Yes, I'm fine. That spell doesn't just reflect—it doubles the attack by adding the defender's magic to it."

Madison rushed to her side.

"Here, let me help you," she said, hovering her palm over Mrs. Dean's arm.

"Healing magic! Soothing palm!"

A white light appeared and covered her hand. The bruising on Mrs. Dean's forearm slowly disappeared.

A small grin formed on her face. "Thank you. Healing magic isn't widely known—you are a rare talent."

Madison's cheeks turned slightly pink.

"Thank you," she said bashfully.

"Now, I'll teach you the three-layer shield and one other defensive spell."

"Okay, I'm ready."

Walking back to the far end of the spatial dome, she stood directly opposite me. Our training continued. In just a few hours, I would be thrust into a life-or-death battle against the being who had changed my world forever.