This can't be happening, there is no way that just happened.
"Holy cow, Em you're a---"
"Don't say it!" I snap at her.
"But you are."
"This is just a mistake, a simple mistake," I quickly rebutton my shirt.
"Karma," Triton slowly backs away.
A loud murmur broke out within the crowd my name flying out of their mouths in relation to the word witch. They stare at me differently from the way they had looked at me moments ago. When I take a step towards Darius, everyone backs up as if I have some disease.
"I think you should go home," Darius said.
He can't even look me in the eyes anymore.
"I can drive you," Beth offers.
"What's going on?" Alec broke through the crowd.
"She's a witch," someone sneers.
"No, I'm not!" I cry out and as I did the light above me shattered.
Everyone jolts back.
"W-what's happening?" I back away from everyone as my hands start glowing a bright white color.
"Witch!"
"Devil!"
"Get the hell out of here!" people shout.
"No, I'm not a witch! Stop it!"
"Emery you need to calm down," Beth tries.
Calm? How could anyone be calm in this situation? They literally just hexed me or something, making everyone think I'm a witch. This is going a bit far even for them. I'm not a witch, nor have I ever been a witch. This is all some kind of cruel joke.
"Witch, get out of here!"
"Devil spawn!"
"No one wants you here."
"Stop it!" A blast of light shot from my hands and hit the wall burning a hole in it.
Someone screamed.
"Come on!" Alec grabs me by the arm and drags me out the double doors.
We ran all the way to the edge of the parking lot, my glowing hands causing students arriving at school to swerve all over in distraction. Their eyes go wide when they see my face.
I think I'm going to be sick.
"Alec make it stop," I beg.
"I'm calling mom," He pulls his phone out.
What will that do? How is that going to stop me from becoming the next main attraction in this year's fourth of July? I could probably light up the whole freaking town with my freaky glow hands.
I need to hide. I can't be seen like this. People are going to think I am one of them, one of the witches. I need to lay low until I get this all sorted out. Obviously there has been a misunderstanding or a crime has been committed. They attacked me, that's what this is.
"Where are you going?!" Alec calls after me.
"Anywhere that's not in public!" I call back.
"Hold up," He chases after me, phone to his ear.
I have a few options, the dollar store which is on the verge of closing down. The skate park, which has an indoor skate arena, closed until 5 PM. And then there is the old abandon taco truck, rusting away.
When I reached for the door of the taco truck another light blast shot from my hand. It blasts a hole right through the lock.
I yelp in surprise.
Alec ducks down as if he is afraid it would somehow ricochet off the truck and hit him.
"Open the door," I turn to Alec.
"Okay, okay, just keep those things away from me," He slowly moves to open the truck door.
There has to be a way for me to shut it off. Maybe if I just try and suck it back in. Yeah, cause that makes sense. How do witches even hold it in? I am pretty sure it is not the same as trying to hold your pee while you find a bathroom. Maybe if I just concentrate really hard.
"In the abandoned taco truck, yeah the one by the school... It's hard to explain, you'll have to see it for yourself," Alec explains to mom.
I have to block him out if I am going to do this. It has to be like sucking in your stomach or something right? If... I... just... focus...
"Mom's on her--- oh my god Emery, whatever you're doing it's working," he said.
"It is?" I open my eyes.
He's right gone are the glow hands, here to stay, the spotlight shooting out of my chest. The star mark on my chest is lighting up like Christmas or something. It's so bright you could see it through my shirt. At least it's better than glow hands, I guess.
"Trying to signal batman?" Alec tries to lighten the mood.
"Just shut up okay. I'm trying to think."
He frowns but keeps his mouth shut.
Okay so if this is some hex or curse or whatever then they can reverse it. I just have to get the police involved and make them force the witches to turn me back to normal. Obviously, the witches thought it would be funny to get back at me, well it's not. And they have another thing coming if they think they can just get away with this.
A loud tapping on the truck door brought me back to my situation.
Alec slides open the door and there is mom staring at us in confusion. It's obvious we caught her in the middle of getting ready for work. Her hair isn't even brushed. She has on khaki pants and a tank top. Her makeup only half done.
"What is it, what's this big secret?" she asks in annoyance.
Alec moves out of the way. Mom stares at me in confusion, she doesn't understand.
"Some Casters came to the school and did something," He supplies.
"What did they...do..." she slowly moves towards me, her eyes finding the glowing under my shirt.
When she got to me, she slowly unbuttoned my shirt to look. She gasps when she sees the north star blinding her with its light. I couldn't help but burst into tears at that very moment. This can't be happening; please tell me this isn't happening.
"They turned her into one of them," Alec said.
"Can they do that?" Mom asks.
"We need to go to the police, they attacked me. They did this, they can undo it," I said between sobs.
"Right, the police," She nods.
I think she's in shock, she still has yet to look me in the face, her eyes still lingering on the spotlight shining in my chest. I quickly covered it back up. If no one else was going to be level headed about this, then I guess it must be me.
The whole drive to the station I covered it up with my hand. I didn't want to blind any passing drivers. The mark was warm to the touch, like when you leave a flashlight on too long. Despite how warm I was I couldn't keep myself from shaking.
The three of us walk into the police station. Five o'clock shadow guy was there again. His tan skin looks oily like he needs a shower. I swear his bald head is shining brighter than my bat signal. He has coffee in his hands which he proceeds to accidentally spill a little on himself at the sight of me.
"Didn't I say not to come back?" he raises an eyebrow.
"A crime has been committed," I try to remain composed.
"Really? Against you? Well, what happened?" He leans against the front desk.
The clerk glares at him in annoyance.
"The witches cursed me," I said.
He nearly chokes on his coffee from laughing.
"They did, show him," Alec steps in.
I slowly move my hand and shirt away to show him the glowing star. His eyes go wide at the sight of it. He set his coffee down.
"This is a serious matter officer; Witches came to my daughter's school and attacked her," Mom said.
I look at her, I've never heard her call them witches before.
We seem to have caught their attention. With the thought that a witch could go to a high school and attack innocent kids like myself more officers started getting rowdy. The words terrorist attack floated around.
"It could be retaliation for last night," Another officer butts in.
"We don't even know if it's true, look why don't you come with me so can I get your statement and get to the bottom of this," Five o'clock shadow said.
"Was anyone hurt?" The officer asks me as we sit in an interrogation room.
"I was! Look what they did to me."
"But does it hurt? Are you in pain, do you need a doctor?"
"Well no, but—"
"Okay then was anyone else hurt?"
"No, but—"
"Did they threaten you?"
"No, but—"
"Did they threaten anyone else?"
"You're not listening to me, they cursed me."
"Please just answer the question."
"No, they didn't but they did do something to me, there were five of them."
"Five, and you saw their face? You could identify them if needed?"
"Well no, but—"
"Why don't you just tell me exactly what happened," He sat his pad of paper down.
"They came in like light or something, five of them. They each had a weird symbol on their cloak or whatever. Then they told me I had been chosen before shooting me with their powers. I couldn't move out of the way, it was like they had made me stay in place, used their powers to stop me from running. Then boom they were gone, told me to go to Belmore. Next thing I know my hands are glowing and I got a freaky light curse on me."
He sighs and leans back in his chair.
"Well?" mom says.
"I can bring the headmaster of Belmore here and make her explain, but from what I just heard it sounds like your daughter was chosen, she has magic in her, the elders must have awakened it," He sat forward, his chair creaking under his weight.
"I don't have magic in me. They did this, they need to fix it."
"Can they even do that? Is that even legal?" Mom asks.
"Yes, it is, it's part of their whole celestial law thing. I'm not an expert but I can get one here to explain, just sit tight," He stood and left.
We had to wait a whole hour before anyone showed up again. The longer we waited the worse I started to feel. I developed this huge headache and despite how cold it was outside and in here I was burning up. I had to take my flannel off and pull up my hair.
Five o'clock shadow who I found out is actually officer Perez walks back in with a woman. She looks to be in her late 20's, not a day older. She is breathtaking. She has long dark curly hair which comes down to her lower back. Beautiful grey eyes that only complement her warm caramel-colored skin. On her head is a flower crown that goes with the dress she has on which literally looks as if she has a garden growing on her body.
She smiles at me. A warm caring smile. Not even Jesus himself could have made a smile look so loving. I'll admit I was awestruck and by the looks on mom and Alec's face I know I wasn't the only one.
"Emery, meet Asherah, the headmaster of Belmore," Officer Perez said.
She slowly sat down in the seat directly in front of me and looked me dead in the eyes before her gaze traveled to the star on my chest. I felt exposed. As if I was indecent and should cover-up. I felt my face blush, which must have been hardly noticeable since it was already red in the face from how hot I was.
"I see, this is quite a pickle," She finally said.
"Can you fix it?" I ask.
"What's there to fix?" she locks eyes with me.
"Fix my daughter it was your people who did this," Mom jumps in.
"There's nothing wrong with her..." Asherah looks at her in confusion.
"Do you not see the glowing star on her chest?" Alec says sarcastically.
"Oh, I see it."
"Then fix it," I say.
"There is nothing to fix, that is your mark. You are a Caster. Although it is quite troublesome that the celestial elders didn't tell me that they were going to select someone today," She pondered to herself.
"I can't be a Caster, I'm human. I was human, like two hours ago. This isn't possible."
"Oh, it is, sometimes people can be greatly attuned to the cosmical energies around them and never know it. Occasionally, the elders will choose to awaken that person to their natural ability if they see the need. Though they haven't done so in many, many, years..." she trails off.
"I thought the Caster gene was hereditary," Mom points out.
"Oh, it is, but that doesn't mean there can't be an exception," She smiles at me again.
"Well, I don't want to be an exception. Just turn it back off or something."
"There is no turning it off, once it's awakened that's that," She chuckles.
"This isn't funny, I don't want to be a witch. You need to tell your elders or whatever to get back down here and fix it," I stand up.
Her face darkened at the word witch. I swear all the flowers on her seemed to wilt and die away. She stood too. She's certainly taller than me. By at least a foot if not more. The only thing between her and me is this metal table.
"I am not going to sit here and be talked down to by some immature high school twit. If you don't want to die, I suggest you come to Belmore before dusk. If not, then there is nothing I can do for you. Good day Ms. Ellison," She said.
"Hey, we aren't done here, Hey!" I tried but she walked out of the room.
"Well, you did it now," Perez sighs.
"Make her come back and fix me!" I demand.
"You heard her kid, there is nothing wrong with you. You're just a Caster now. There is no fixing it, there is no magical undo button. You have to go to Belmore and learn like all the other Casters in training."
"I don't want to go to Belmore, I don't want to be a Caster. This can't be happening," I sat back down.
"Look we've done all we can. Just go home and pack your bags, don't be stupid kid."
"I'm not going."
"Then you'll die."
"No, I won't because I'm not a Caster," I cross my arms.
"If you want to try and prove that theory then be my guest. I got other work to do," he opens the door and motions for us to leave.
Fine if the police won't help me then I'll just have to handle this myself.
I'm not a witch and I'll prove it.
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