Chapter 8: A Witch Among Mortals (Part 2)

Last night was rough.

The hotel mattress was basically a plank of wood covered in discount bedsheets. The air conditioner rattled like second-hand junk, and something kept scratching inside the walls. I prayed it was rats. Rationally, I knew worse things existed. I just didn’t want to meet any of them while half-asleep.

I barely slept a wink.

At one point, I seriously thought about curling up in the bathtub with my hoodie for warmth.

If I had any actual money, I would’ve moved out already.
But nooo.
Apparently, human currency didn’t accept magic crystals at the register. And I wasn’t exactly drowning in Yen, either. In the supernatural world, I wasn’t poor, a few lesser crystals could buy snacks and potions no problem, but here?

Here, one night at this crappy hotel drained almost everything I'd scraped together.

It was fine.
Everything was fine.
I was totally not about to start crying into a vending machine.

All I had to do was survive school today.
Maybe find a better place to live before collapsing.

One normal, boring, uneventful day.
Was that too much to ask?

xXx

I hugged my bag close as I power-walked toward school, every shadow twitching at the corners of my vision.
Was someone following me?
No. Probably not.
Probably.

Inside the building, it wasn’t much better. The hallway buzzed with morning energy, shoes squeaking, lockers slamming, kids shouting across the hall, but my brain filtered everything into background noise.

I was way too busy scanning every doorway like I was in a spy movie.

What if someone had seen me near the greenhouse last night?

What if they reported me to... I don't know, the Magical Crimes Unit? Was that a thing? It sounded like a thing!

Was there a "Witch Watchlist"?

Would they send a letter? Would they kidnap me? Would they—

"Good morning!" someone chirped, and I almost flung my bag at them.

xXx

By the time I slid into my seat for third period, I was basically vibrating with nerves.

I just had to keep a low profile.
No weirdness.
No magic.

And then the teacher walked in.

Grinning the evil little grin of someone who clearly enjoyed watching teenagers suffer, she slapped a stack of mock literature exams on our desks with a sound that echoed like a death sentence.

I stared at the test sheet.

Dead inside.

Is this... karma?

I wasn’t even sure for what, but the universe was clearly out for blood.

xXx

I was doing amazing.

Totally normal. Completely non-suspicious. Definitely not a magical outlaw who casts spells near the greenhouse last night.

Nope.

Just a regular girl.

Sitting next to another regular girl.

Who, maybe, possibly, definitely saw me conjuring magic in the dead of night.

I tapped my pen against the desk in rhythm with my heartbeat.
Which was alarmingly fast.
Which was probably fine.
(Which was probably not fine.)

I glanced sideways.

Mio.

Beautiful, stoic, terrifying Mio.

She was staring at her test paper like it personally insulted her bloodline. Her pencil was clenched so tightly I half-expected it to snap and become a shiv.

Was she mad?

Was she plotting my downfall?

Was she writing a detailed report to the Witch Hunters' Association???

I forced myself to look back at my exam.

Question 1: Analyze the themes of alienation and destiny in—

ALIENATION.
DESTINY.
LIKE HOW I’M ABOUT TO BE ALIENATED FROM SOCIETY AND DESTINED FOR PRISON.

Question 2: How does the protagonist’s journey reflect broader social commentary—

I HAVE NO COMMENTARY.
PLEASE DON'T ARREST ME.

Question 3: Compare and contrast the use of light imagery—

LIGHT IMAGERY.
LIKE THE GLOWING MAGIC LIGHTS I MADE LAST NIGHT.

THIS EXAM IS MOCKING ME.

I short-circuited and doodled a tiny sun in the margin.
And then another one.
And then a stick-figure cat riding a broomstick.
Normal coping mechanisms.

I couldn't look at Mio.
If I looked at her, she'd know.

She probably already knew.

By some miracle (and also because my soul had left my body halfway through), the exam ended.

Third period: survived.
Barely.

I slumped over my desk and doodled a potato with tiny angel wings.

Art therapy. It’s real.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Mio lean closer.

"So," she said, all casual-like, but it felt like a laser beam drilling into my brain. "Sleep well last night?"

I blinked at her.

Was this a test?

"Yeah," I said, voice unnaturally high. "Though my pillow smells like lavender now. It didn’t before. Maybe it’s haunted."

(Play it cool, Reina. Play it cool.)

She made a face like she didn’t know what to do with that information.

Good.

I doodled a smiley face inside the potato wings.

"Did anything... strange happen yesterday?" Mio asked, way too specifically.

I tilted my head. "Besides the fact someone left a mysterious cucumber on my desk this morning? Nope."

Her eyes twitched.

Victory.

She rubbed her nose, looking approximately 87% done with my existence.

I tried not to look proud.

But then, her voice dropped lower.

"So, hypothetically... if someone saw you outside last night—doing something kind of... magical..."

My heart stopped.

She knows.
Abort mission.
Fake your death.

My brain short-circuited (again), so I blurted the first thing that came to mind:

"Oh my god. Are you saying you saw me dancing?"

Her whole face blanked.

I slammed my notebook shut with a WHUMP.

"LISTEN," I said, way too loudly. "I thought I was alone! It was just a few twirls! Maybe a dab! You know how the moon messes with your vibe sometimes!"

"That's... not what I meant," Mio said, looking vaguely traumatized.

I collapsed dramatically onto my desk. "THANK GOD. I would literally die if someone saw that. I don’t have the stamina for public shame."

I peeked up at her through my arms.

Mio was just staring at me.
Expressionless.
Silent.

Probably wondering how embarrassing and stupid I was.

Good.

That meant she wasn’t thinking about magic anymore.

I, Reina Summer, had successfully dodged interrogation.
(Probably. Maybe.)
But hey — success!

...At what cost, though?
(smiling through tears)

xXx

I'm halfway through doodling a rather impressive explosion in my notebook when the classroom door slides open with enough force to make everyone jump.

Our teacher, Mr. Nakamura, clears his throat dramatically. "Class, we have another transfer student joining us today."

Another transfer student? I only transferred, like, what, two days ago? Is this school just a revolving door of weirdos or something?

...Not that I have any room to talk. Pretty sure normal students don't secretly cast spells behind greenhouses at night.

My pencil snaps between my fingers as a girl with silver hair, actual silver, not dyed, I can tell the difference. She bounced into the classroom like she's powered by pure sugar and sunshine.

That girl isn’t human. Not even close. She’s practically leaking magic everywhere, like a busted cauldron.

How is nobody else noticing this?!

I glance around.
Everyone’s just staring at her like she’s the latest shiny toy, completely clueless.

Right. Of course.
They’re normal humans. No magic sense, no instincts screaming danger. Just me.

Lucky, oblivious, magic-blind mortals.

I slumped back in my chair, muttering under my breath, "By the charred broomsticks of Hecate, this can’t be happening."

Fantastic.

I squint at her, trying to figure out exactly what she is. There's something... canine about her. The way she stands, slightly bouncing on her toes. The eager, wide-eyed look as she surveys the classroom. The way she's... sniffing the air?

By the frayed robes of the First Witches.
She might be some kind of werewolf or wolf spirit.

My master warned me about them. They are supposedly territorial and temperamental.

"Please take care of me!" the girl chirps, bowing so enthusiastically I'm worried she might concuss herself on the podium.

The entire class practically melts with collective "awwws." Even Mr. Nakamura looks charmed.

Am I the only one seeing the GIANT RED FLAGS here?!

My eyes dart frantically around the room until they land on Mio. Perfect, composed, totally-has-her-life-together Mio. She looks... stressed? Her usual calm facade was showing tiny cracks. Her fingers are gripping her pencil too tight, and there's a hint of panic in her eyes.

Wait a second.

The girl glances at Mio with a look of pure adoration.

Mio glances back with silent panic.

They know each other.

Mio knows what she is.

My brain short-circuits so hard I can practically hear the error message. Did I miss something? When did Mio start hanging out with supernatural creatures?

I try to focus on my textbook, but my eyes keep drifting to her. She's sitting there, hand shooting up for every question, getting everything wrong with unbridled enthusiasm. It would be adorable if I wasn't having an existential crisis.

What if she can smell magic? What if she can tell what I am? What if she's here to hunt witches?

I slide down in my seat, trying to make myself smaller. Nothing to see here, just a normal human girl who definitely doesn't practice magic behind the greenhouse, no sir.

Then she leans over to one of our classmates and loudly announces, "You smell like bread!"

My pen goes flying out of my hand.

Is she TRYING to blow her cover?! This is the worst undercover supernatural creature I've ever seen!

And yet... that girl just giggles, looking charmed. The rest of the class thinks it's cute. Even Mr. Nakamura smiles indulgently.

What kind of magical charisma does this silver-haired creature have?! If I said something that weird, I'd be eating lunch alone for the rest of the year!

I peek over at Mio again. She's melting into her chair like she's trying to phase through the floor.

So Mio didn't tell her how to act human. Interesting. That means either Mio just found out what she is, or...

Or Mio is collecting supernatural creatures.

My heart rate spikes. Is that why she's been watching me so closely? Does she know about me, too?

I grip my desk to stop my hands from shaking. This is fine. Everything is fine. I'm just sitting in a classroom with a possibly wolf-creature who might be able to smell my magic while being watched by a human who might be collecting supernatural beings like Pokémon.

Totally normal high school problems.

When the lunch bell finally rings, I watch Mio practically drag that silver-haired mess out of the classroom. My curiosity wins over my sense of self-preservation.

I grab my lunchbox and follow them to the rooftop.

Time to find out what's really going on.