Black and white swirl around clashing and colliding, figures dancing, no faces, twirl, swirl, dip and collide. Running, I’m running. Two big black doors standing in my way. I push and shove and they slowly crack open. Something horrible is happening. I’m running, I can see the cliffs, hear the water. A battle. Light versus Dark.

“Meli, Meli wake up!” I was shaking Meli trying to wake her up. She jerked awake and looked up at me. She’s sweaty and cold, breathing hard like she had just run a marathon. I looked at her with worry in my eyes.

“Meli are you okay? You were tossing and turning so hard you almost flew out of bed and you were screaming.” Meli put a hand to her chest and slowed her breathing.

“I’m sorry. It was just a bad dream.” she reached under her pillow and pulled out a leather bound notebook. Taking a pen off her night stand she opened the book to a bookmarked page.

“What are you doing?”

“I have to write it down before I forget.” I watched her write down her bad dream. I didn’t understand why you would want to remember that though. I know I wouldn’t. When she was finished she slid the book back under her pillow and looked at me.

“So are you going to tell me what’s going on?” her eyes looked black and blue and if I wasn’t helping her sit up I think she would have fallen over.

“Can we talk about it tomorrow?” she looked so tired and I didn’t want to keep her up any longer even though I knew there was something we needed to talk about. I nodded my head and helped her lay back down. Once she was back to sleep I headed over to my bed and laid down. Worried about Meli I don’t think I ever went back to sleep because when my alarm went off at six in the morning I was still really tired. I slapped the alarm clock and rolled out of bed. Yelling at Meli to get moving I grabbed my shower stuff and headed for the bathroom. The dorm bathroom was bigger than I have ever seen. Showers circled the bathroom each one a separate cubicle with its own unique shower curtain. A circle of mirrors and sinks stood in the middle of the room. Along the back wall where the toilet stalls. The walls were painted a light blush pink and the stalls and cubicles were painted white.

I grabbed a shower and changed into my school uniform. The uniform I got to wear until I chose what type of witch I am is black panty hose, a knee length black and white plaid skirt, a plain white button down dress shirt and a black blazer. I slipped on the black pumps and went out to stand in front of a mirror so I could braid back my long black hair. There were many other girls getting ready for their first day of school too. At my old school, all the girls looked the same with their tiny bodies and their bouncy straight blonde hair. They were pretty and perfect, I stood out like a sore thumb with my long black hair and gray eyes. I had just never fit in at my old school. But as I looked around at the girls in the bathroom I realized none of them looked the same. Everyone was different, hair, makeup, accessories, we all wore uniforms but even they were different.

I guess in a school where everyone is a witch no one can be the same. Finished dressing I met up with Meli and we headed down to breakfast. I love that the fourth year Kitchen Witches get to run the dining hall however they want to. When we walked in this morning it looked like a grandmother’s kitchen. Tables that sat up to six students were placed around the room while the cooking area was agents the back wall and facing us so we could see the senior K. W.’s at work. A long buffet was set up so we could serve ourselves. I grabbed a plate and walked down the line, piling scrambled eggs, bacon, and hash browns on my plate until everything was running into each other, and then covering it all in ketchup.

“Lily what did you do to your plate?” Meli asked surprised that so much was loaded on to it. I looked at hers and shrugged. She was a light eater, she had a little bit of fruit, some low-fat yogurt, and a slice of whole wheat toast.

“Meli you eat like a bird.”

“Yes well, you eat like a garbage disposal.” I laughed as we walked around looking for a table. Hayden flagged us down having already grabbed a table. We sat down with them I laughed as I watched Meli’s face go from happy to horrified in only seconds. Hayden and Gavin had plates littering the table and were in the midst of shoveling more food into their mouths. “Did you save any for the rest of the school?” Meli asked. I snorted and tried to eat my food while laughing. The guys just nodded and shoveled more into their mouths. Discussed by what she was seeing she squared her shoulders and like a lady ate her bird food.

“So what classes do you guys have today?” I asked hoping that would give us something to discuss.

“I have Ceremony at eight, Solitary at eleven and Magick at two,” Hayden said, I smiled

“Oh good, you and I will have Magick together. What about you Gavin?”

“I have British at eight, Magick at eleven and Celtic at two.”

“Oh! You’ll have Magick with Meli. At least none of us will be alone all day. “We started talking about what we thought our classes would be like when an announcement echoed throughout the halls.

“Good morning students, I hope you’re having a good day so far. I would just like to say that I know that the first day of school is always tough but I want you all to be open to new experiences and people. Just remember to be yourself, have fun, but most of all learn. Our classes here at Cerridwen Danu are to teach you life skills, help you learn more about yourself and help you control and learn to use this power you have been blessed with. I want you to all have a Magical day. Blessed be.”

“Wow, that was different.” I have never heard a morning speech like that before. I looked at the time and decided to look at my map and plan out my root to my classes.

“My first class is Kitchen Witch Studies, I’m going to head that way now. I’ll see you guys later.” I waved goodbye to my friends and headed to my first class. I walked down hall ways and up a few stairs cases. Turning my map around in my hands I just couldn’t figure out where I was or how to get to the classroom. “They were right when they said it was easy to get lost in this school.” I turned around twice before I found the classroom. I was surprised when I walked in. Ovens, refrigerators, and cauldrons were placed around the room. Instead of desks, there were counters with stools.

In the front of the classroom was a poster of a witch dressed in a pointy hat and an apron riding a whisk. The same little witches hung from a string and sat on each counter. Written on the chalkboard in purple glitter chalk was (Please stand at the front of the class room.) I went over and stood next to the windows. Growing on the railing in cute little pots were a bunch different herbs. The only ones I could recognize were basil and oregano and parsley. The start of class bell rang throughout the school. A red-headed woman dressed in black dress pants and a red V-neck blouse walked into the room. She walked over to her teacher’s desk and put on her apron. In big purple letters, it read Kitchen Witch.

“Good morning my first-year students and welcome to Kitchen Witch studies. When I call your name please take the seat I tell you to go to.” I watched as she called out names and placed other students in their seats. When she got to the third counter on the right next to the windows she called my name.

“Hi, I’m Lily,” I said to the girl who was placed in the seat next to mine; the girl looked at me and then as if uninterested looked away.

“Zale” I looked her over along with her uniform she wore black spike heels, spider web fishnet knee highs and a long necklace with a large spider hanging from it nestled between her breasts. She wore her hair up in a high ponytail that curled into a bunch of silky red curls that fell to the middle of her back. She eyes were painted in dark black eyeliner and heavy mascara, her lips a deep red color. The girl was beautiful but I could tell she was a high profile girl. When our teacher was done seating people she passed out a paper that explained what we would be going over this semester, a white apron and a baggy full of random stuff. When she was finished she stood at the front of the classroom.

“We are going to make our own little Kitchen Witch today.” One of the students raised his hand.

“Ah what do we call you?” our teacher smiled and laughed.

“Oh, I’m sorry I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Mrs. Sapphire. You may call me Mrs. S if you would like.” she gave us directions on how to make about how to make our mini Kitchen Witches. I took my time making my little witch. Drawing her face in the clay and dressing the little doll. I placed her on her little wooden stirring spoon and hung her from a piece of clear wire. When we finished our little dolls we went over different papers and talked about things we would be learning. It all sounded so interesting, it made me wonder if I would be a Kitchen Witch like my mother. Around ten thirty our class was over and I was headed towards my second class. Healer Witch Studies.