"Just stay here, don't go out, don't do anything. Alec, watch your sister, I'm already late for work. As if I could afford to lose this job," She curses under her breath.
"I'm the older one, I don't need to be watched."
"Older by one year, I'm older in maturity," He stuck out his chin and crosses his arms.
"That doesn't even make sense."
"Enough, just do as I say. I should be home around six tonight," she sighs. "I'll have to call your father, just what I needed. I can already feel the headache coming on," She grabs her keys out of her purse.
Then with a quick kiss on each of our foreheads, she's out the door.
Speaking of headaches, my head's killing me. It feels like it weighs a ton. Not to mention my growing heartburn.
"You okay?" He asks.
"Just shut up and leave me alone," I push past him and go to my room.
"Well, what are you going to do?" He follows me.
"What do you mean?"
"You're one of them now, you have to go to Belmore."
"No, I don't, and I won't. No way I'm one of them."
"Emery, you're going to die."
"I feel fine," I lie.
"I'm scared," he admits.
"Just go play video games or something," I close the door to my room.
I just need to go to sleep. This all has to be some sort of crazy nightmare and once I wake up everything will be back to normal. It's probably because I got punched in the face too hard, that's all. A nap will take care of this whole situation.
A nap did not take care of the whole situation. How did I know? Well, I woke to Alec shaking me, he had tears in his eyes. I've never seen him like this, not once. Instantly I knew something was wrong.
I wanted to get up, to protect him. To be the big sister he needed, but the moment I tried to sit up I felt a wave of dizziness overtake me. My whole body ached and burned like my heartburn had spread to every organ and I was melting away on the inside. I'm drenched in sweat and my head almost feels too heavy to lift.
Alec has to catch me before I fall. I have to put all of my weight on him.
"Emery you need to go to Belmore," He cries.
"I'm fine," I said, but it came out as a pained whisper.
"I thought you were dead; you know how long I've been trying to get you to wake up? For the past half hour! I called mom."
"What time is it?"
"It's a little after five. It's about to be dusk so I came to check on you. We need to go, come on," He starts dragging me out of my room.
"No," I try to pull away but I'm too weak to fight him off.
He drags me out to my own car and sits me in the passenger seat. Then he gets in the driver's seat and buckles up.
"You don't know how to drive," I point out.
"Shut up, this is an emergency," He starts the car.
I could feel myself drifting in and out of consciousness, not even phased by how bad of a driver my brother is. He's crying, tears streaming down his face with little sobs escaping his lips every few seconds.
I was vaguely aware that the sun was setting in the distance and I heard sirens. Lots and lots of sirens.
"Stay with me Emery, please don't die," He sniffles and wipes his face with the sleeve of his jacket.
I wanted to tell him to shut up, that I was fine, but my words would not come out. My mouth couldn't move. I wanted to touch him to tell him he needs to worry about himself and not me, that I'm the big sister and he's the little brother. Yet my hands would not move to comfort him.
"We're not going to make it," He sobs.
I know I should be afraid; I am dying or whatever, but no fear found me. I'm really tired. I want to close my eyes, to rest. It's his crying that stops me from doing so.
Something warm drips down my face, at first, I thought it was just sweat but when he looks at me, he lets out a wail of panic. I felt the liquid stream past my lips and down my chin.
He presses the gas pedal all the way down.
It felt like I had only closed my eyes for a second before I was being ripped from the car. There were a pair of arms around my waist, it was Alec. But then another pair helped him hoist me into the air, an unrecognizable pair.
"Oh, thank the heavens," Someone said, it sounded like Asherah.
"Cutting it close," Someone else said, I didn't recognize his voice.
Figures blurred in and out of my vision. I couldn't focus on anything.
"Please you have to help her," Alec begs.
"Don't worry, she will be safe now. Help me lay her here," The man said.
Then everything just went dark.
When I open my eyes, I see what looks like a starry night sky, yet it's somehow different. It felt off. My mouth is dry, and I feel extremely thirsty. Other than that, I'm perfectly fine.
I sat up and the starry sky faded away into nothingness and suddenly I found myself in a strange place. Around me is what looks like an infirmary, sort of. The marble countertops are covered in different types of liquids in strange colored bottles. On the wall where a poster of someone's raspatory system usual was, is instead, a poster of the inner energy lines of a Caster. I'm not on a cot or anything, instead, I'm lying on a thick slab of crystal. It pulses with light every few seconds.
"Nice of you to join us," A voice said.
I flinch.
"Sorry I didn't mean to frighten you," A man said coming out from behind a curtain that takes the place of the door.
"Who are you, where am I? What's going on? Where's my mom and my brother?"
As if on cue someone runs in and tackles me in a hug. It's Alec. He squeezes me tightly.
"You're so stupid, you almost died," He pulls back.
"Where am I?" I ask, again.
"Welcome to Belmore school for the Mystic Arts. Your brother is right, you cut it close Ms. Ellison. We thought we might have to go and get you," The man said.
He has white hair and looks like he is getting up there in age. His glasses are too small for his face and leave indents above his ears. His sausage-looking fingers hold some papers in his hand. On his shirt sleeve is a patch with the picture of a red drop embordered in.
I rub my face with my hands but as I do so something still faintly wet rubs off on me. When I look down, I see a smear of blood.
"Here," The man hands me a wet towel which he grabbed from the sink.
I slowly take it from him.
"Your mother is on her way," He informs me.
"Who are you?" I start cleaning off my face.
"I am Kenshin, the on-sight physician. Healer to Casters and newcomers such as yourself."
I was about to ask what he was talking about when Asherah came in, she has on the same dress from before but the flowers are in full bloom again.
"You should be thankful to your brother, he saved your life," She says.
I turned to look at Alec, really look at him. His eyes are red and puffy from all his crying, his face looks pale and splotchy. His ginger hair is sticking up in odd places like he ran his hand through it several times. He forces a smile for me.
I felt tears come to my eyes.
It's all real then. I am a Caster now. I am one of them. It's not some joke or some curse, it's real. My whole life... just thrown out the window. I'll have to leave everyone behind and stay here.
I burst into tears and embrace him; he just holds me as I shake in his arms.
"I know this is a lot to take in, but I need to start explaining if you want to be out of here in time for dinner," Asherah says.
"I don't want to be here," I whimper.
"I understand, but you have no choice. You see young Casters such as yourself—" I cried harder when she said that.
"—Young casters such as yourself are not attuned to the magical energies around them, therefore your power will use your life's energy as a way to manifest itself. Killing you in the process. Lucky for you, Belmore has power crystals that will help you, young ones, to control your powers and slowly adapt you to live with these gifts so that one day you can go back into the real world on your own. Of course, there is a lot more to it than that, but you will learn more as you start classes here," She finishes with a smile.
"So, you are saying if I try to leave, I'll die?"
"Precisely," Kenshin said.
"There are other rules as well. You are not permitted to bring in outsiders, nor are you permitted to meddle in outsider affairs. You shall not use your powers unless instructed to. Most importantly, never under any circumstances use your powers on anyone who isn't a Caster. You will have to wear our uniform and abide by our school rules, which can be found in this beginner's student handbook. I expect you to read it cover to cover," She hands me a thick textbook-looking thing.
"Are you kidding me?"
"Not only are you expected to obey the law of man but we Casters have our own set of laws as well that you must obey. If any are broken you will have to deal with the Celestial Council. Trust me, they are not fond of rule breakers. They can punish you with something much worse than going to jail. Don't test them. I will be your headmaster here at Belmore if you have any inquires feel free to ask me, though I suggest going to the on-campus library first before doing so as I am a very busy woman."
"Slow down, where will I be staying if I can't leave? What are all these laws or whatever? If I can't bring in any outsiders how will I see my family, my friends?"
"You have been assigned a dorm room. Since you being here is unexpected, you will have to share with someone who has been living in a singles dorm. Single dorms are a privilege that you can earn, but until you do earn it you will have to share. Since your roommate also lost that privilege yesterday it worked out perfectly. As for your family, I'll admit it is a strange situation being as all of our students have family who are Casters just like them, but there is a system in place for people like you. There are certain days we set aside for family visitation. As for those laws I was talking about you should find everything you need to know in your student manual."
"This is crazy," I run my hands down my face.
Alec rubs my back to comfort me.
"There are a few more things I need to explain, it's very important that you keep your magic mark hidden. That is every Caster's weak spot, so to say. If you are hit there or attacked there it will cause more damage than it usually would and could put your life in danger. Considering that your mark in above your heart I believe it is even more important for you to hide it. I am not saying the students here will suddenly attack and kill you, I'm saying that it is better to be safe than sorry."
I had totally forgotten about the weird glowing star on my chest until she said something. When I looked down the glowing was gone and just a simple eight-pointed white star was in its place. Like one of those stick-on tattoos, you get as a kid. It was about the size of a golf ball and nearly blended in with my pale skin.
"That natural instinct you have to cover it up is your body's way of telling you that it is dangerous to have it exposed. Our marks tell us what kind of magic we can cast. There are many different types of Casters, you are what is known as a Star Caster. You have light magic."
"Very rare," Kenshin added.
"Yes, very rare indeed. As well as very powerful. The reason why you started to decay so quickly after you were awakened is because of how much power light magic consumes. Because it is powerful magic it needs a lot of energy to supply itself. Your body wasn't able to absorb energy fast enough to supply the demand."
"Which is why it is especially dangerous for you to leave the campus; you won't last that long on your own," Kenshin said.
"I will have someone escort you to your dorm where your uniforms and a new schedule will be waiting. Dinner is in half an hour, ask your roommate to show you the way to the dining hall. Once your mom gets here—" just then mom burst through the curtain, short of breath, obviously, she had been in a rush to get here.
"Ah right on time, since Emery is not permitted to leave campus, I ask that you pack her bags and bring her things here for her. I recommend you make your goodbyes quick because she needs to eat and rest to regain her strength," Asherah smiles at her.
"You can't just take my daughter away," Mom bent over to catch her breath and slaps her hand down on the counter to steady herself.
"Well she can't go home, or she will die. It's not like she will be gone forever once she gets a handle on how magic works, she will be more than welcome to visit home often. And once she graduates here, she can go wherever she pleases."
"Please we only want what is best for her," Kenshin said.
"Mom we have to leave her here," Alec said.
I felt my tears well up again as I made eye contact with my mom. I knew she was going to agree, she would rather have a witch daughter than a dead one. I am going to be stuck here.
"Well let me at least say goodbye," Mom sobs.
"Yes, I understand, Emery when you are done someone will be waiting out here to take you to your room. Try not to be too long or you might get lost trying to find your way to the dorm alone. Remember read your handbook and if you have any questions feel free to come find me," she smiles.
Then she and Kenshin walk out leaving me with Alec and mom.
"I want to go home; I don't want to be a witch," I cry.
"You listen to me; I want you to keep your mouth shut. Talk like that around here and you will get yourself killed. Casters call them Casters from now on. I want you to do good in school, make good grades, and learn all you can so that you can come home again okay?"
"Mom, please don't leave me here."
"We have to Em, or you'll die," Alec squeezes my hand.
"Behave yourself and don't watch political TV. Do whatever they tell you and don't go causing any scenes like the one you did yesterday. Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes," The word fell out of my mouth like a baby bird out of a nest.
"Come here, I love you so much. You are going to get through this. I'll bring all your stuff here, even blanky," She embraces me and rubs my head.
"Especially blanky," I bury my face in her shoulder.
"I will, I will. You are a brave and strong girl; you can do this. You'll be home in no time," She pulls back and wipes my tears.
I nod.
Alec engulfs me into another hug, he's shaking.
"Don't die okay," He says.
"I won't, and you better not have wrecked my car," I pull back and pinch his cheeks.
"You mean my car now," He flashes his signature smirk.
"How dare you," I scoff.
"Enough you two, we need to get going, you need to rest. Remember I'm just a phone call away. I promise," Then she pulls Alec away from me, and with a parting wave they left.
They left me alone at Belmore.
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