Chapter 9

I open my eyes, the sun blaring its rays in my face. “I forgot to close my curtains last night. Big mistake.”

I sit up in my bed when I notice that the cat is gone. Panicking, I jump out of bed and start searching all over my room for it. “Where did it go...? Don’t tell me.” I rush out my door and down the stairs only to see my mom placing down a bowl of what I hope is cat-safe food on the ground.

“Mom!?”

“Oh, you’re awake. So when were you planning on introducing me to your little friend here?” My mom points to the small and fluffy cat with black fur.

“Uh. Well… You’re not mad, right?”

“I’m more surprised than anything. Where in the world did you find a magical beast?”

“A what?” I look at the cat. “That just looks like a cat.”

“You’re such an idiot sometimes. How did you read all of those books but still can’t tell the difference between a normal cat and a magical beast?”

“It was more so the cat found me. I was at the park when some weird flying rat came while I was relaxing on one of the benches. I ended up scaring the rat away, and that's when that cat appeared and started playing with the rat like it was some toy. Then I scared the cat away; the rat flew away, and I chased the cat down because I thought it was a normal cat and I wanted to pet it. After I chased the cat to some random cafe, I became friends with the cat, talked to the owner of the cafe, came home, went to bed, and then that cat appeared outside my window. It wouldn’t leave, so I let it inside and said it could lay with me because I’m a sucker for cute things.”

"Well, why don’t you keep it?”

I stare at my mom like she’s lost her mind. “You’re not serious, are you? Because if you are, you are not my real mom.”

“You’re saying that because cats are expensive, huh? I’ll let you know it's a lot cheaper to take care of a magical beast than it is a regular cat.”

"Ok, but what about that…is magical beast like?” I hold both my arms out in front of me towards the cat. The cat stops eating the food my mom gave it and runs up to me, jumping into my arms. I catch the fuzzy ball of fur and look down at it. “Well hello… I wasn’t asking you to come to me, but I guess if you want me to hold you, I can.”

“It seems to like you very much. You sure you don’t want to keep it?”

“If I could keep it, that would be great, but what about the others? And aren’t you allergic to cats?”

"Like I said, it's a magical beast, not a cat.”

"So I can keep it?”

“If you want, yeah, saves me money.”

“How does keeping this save you money?”

I get cut off by the roars of a grumpy morning, Olivia. “Why is everyone so loud in the morning?” Olivia looks at me. “And since when did we have a cat?”

"Well, aren’t you cheerful today?” I say, sarcasm lacing every word in my sentence.

“Shut up, you sad excuse for a witch. Oh wait, you aren’t even a witch; you’re just that bad at magic.”

“Olivia! Back to your room. And take that attitude with you.”

“Whatever.” Olivia heads back upstairs, where all the bedrooms were.

“Sorry, Livy. You know how she gets.”

“It’s not like she’s wrong.”

“Say, how long did it take for the magic beast to warm up to you?”

"Well, after it sniffed my hand, it became comfortable enough to hop onto my shoulder.”

“Did you know that magical beasts are attracted to strong mana flows? So it must have sensed great potential in you when it sniffed your hand.” My mom smiled at me. I knew she was trying to comfort me after Olivia’s comment, but I don't think even she could cheer me up right now. I mean, Olivia wasn’t wrong. I really was just a sad excuse for a witch. Not that I’ve been accepted as a trainee, let alone an official witch.

“So what are you going to name it?”

I look back up at my mom as I snap back to reality. “Oh um. It’s a girl, I think, so how about... Selene?”

“Like the god?”

I nod and look back at the cat-like magical beast. I lift her in front of my face. “What about it, Selene? Like the name?” Selene meows in approval. “Then it’s settled! Wait… What do magical beasts do exactly?”

After a lot of explaining from my mom, most of my questions got answered, like how magical beasts need to feast on mana to continue using their powers because they are incapable of creating their own mana, or how my mom was able to tell the difference between Selene and a regular cat. Apparently she was only able to tell it was a magical beast because she didn’t start sneezing when it got near her. That is the dumbest way I’ve heard of figuring out if a magical beast is actually a magical beast or not, but I guess it works.

She also told me that most witches used magical beasts as their familiars instead of a normal animal because magical beasts are a sign of power. They also help amplify a witch's power more. I guess I won't have to borrow one from the academy if I get in. 

Selene snuggles up next to me as I sit in my bed, thinking about the upcoming exams. Will I even be able to pass with my academics alone? I think about that old book I found at the town library. If only it were a spell book and not some old notebook with nothing written in it, then maybe I could practice at least one spell! Though the exam probably has us doing a set spell so that everyone’s doing the same one. Ugh! My mind is too scattered to even concentrate on preparing for exams! How could I hope to cast a spell like this?!

“Selene? Do you think I’ll be able to pass the entrance exams?” I slide down onto my back, now lying on my bed. Selene nudges my cheek with her small, black nose. “Thanks.” I scratch the top of her head. “Guess there is no need to worry about it. If I fail, I’ll just try again next year.”

 I turn my head to face Selene. “So what did you think of the others? You didn’t seem to like Olivia very much, at least from my point of view.” Selene hisses when I mention Olivia’s name. “Wow. You must really not like her. What about Isaac?” Selene stops hissing, but she still doesn’t look happy. “He’s a no-go too? Who do you like?” Selene places her paw on my nose. “I meant other than me.” Selene takes her paw off of my nose and just stares at me.

“Ok… What about my mom? Lady with the brown hair.” Selene shakes her head. “But she fed you!” Selene meows at me. “Ok, ok, I get it. You don’t like anyone in the building.” Selene curls up next to my face like a fluffy cinnamon roll.

“I assume you’re tired. Well, today was a long day. I can’t really blame you for wanting to rest, though it is a little early.” I look back up towards the ceiling. Its off-white hue and popcorn paint drops are almost as boring to look at as a solver ball game. I swear, the people they put on those teams have some of the worst playing I’ve ever seen!

“27 days left," I mutter. I close my eyes and think for a moment. Wait, didn't I get a letter from the academy a couple days ago? Yeah, right before I passed out, my mom gave me a letter with the academy’s emblem on it. I roll over to my bedside table and open the drawer. Inside is a neatly folded paper. I pick up the paper and open it.

“Still blank… But, where did the aura around it go? I swear, I remember a blue aura around it when I first opened it.” I squint at the paper but still don’t see anything. Now that I think about it, after I told my mom about it, she asked for my hair clip. Selene’s ears perk up, and she lifts her head, looking at the note in my hands instead of at me. She gets up and walks over to me and the note.

“Are you interested in this paper?” I hold the paper out in front of Selene, and she stares at it for a second. Then, out of the blue, she smacks it out of my hands. Suddenly, black ink starts to fade on the page. It was a note. I scramble to pick up the paper and start reading it.

Dear Livy,

If you are currently reading this, then you figured

out how to dispel the spell I had put on this note.

Do you remember that lady you ran into? 

Well, she told me how you didn’t have access to 

any spell books at all and didn’t know if you could

use magic or not. I put the spell that’s going

to be tested on the back of this page. Try to practice 

as much as possible.

From Mrs. Jaymond, the academy’s dean

PS: That noble woman also put in a recommendation 

for you.

I flipped the note over, and there it was. A beginners spell made for witches in training. I squealed with delight. "Selene, you’re the best! I can’t believe you got rid of that spell on the letter!” Selene just looks at me with her yellow eyes and slitted pupils. “Maybe you aren’t just a regular cat.” I set the note down and picked up Selene, setting her down on my lap.

“I’ll make sure to make you some extra special food tomorrow just for this.” I hold up the note. Selene starts to rub her head against my hand and starts to purr. “Guess you like the sound of that, huh?” I scratch the bottom of Selene’s chin. “And tomorrow, you’re also going to help me use this spell.” Selene meows and lays down on my lap. Just then I get called down for a late dinner. 

“Come on, Selene. Time to eat!” Selene’s ears perk up, and she raises her head. She rumps off the bed and waits for me at the door. I get myself out of bed and leave the note on top of my messed-up comforter. Just then the note bursts into flames and disappears without a trace, not catching anything else on fire that was near it or in contact with it.

"Wait, but I still need the spell that was on the back of the paper!” I stare at the empty spot on my comforter where the note should be. “Damnit. They must have put a spell on it to where it would burn after the spell was broken. Guess they didn’t want others to know. I’ll figure the rest out later. Right now, I need to eat.”

I open the door and let Selene out of my room. I follow close behind her, shutting the door behind me. I walk downstairs, side by side with Selene, as the smell of my mom’s cooking fills the air. She made chicken pot pie.

I sit down at the table with the others as Selene sits at her makeshift cat bowl, waiting for her food. I ended up chatting with the other about what I saw on the note and upcoming exams. Dinner ended up lasting 3 hours because of all the rambling.

After I helped wash the dishes, I headed back upstairs to my room, Selene asleep in my arms. When I open the door, there is something lying on my bed. There it was, in the same spot the letter was in. The old leathery book from my birthday. The one my mom took away from me, only this time, the cover was embedded with many stones. One for each elemental type of magic. In the center of the circle of stones was the biggest stone of all, a dark red and black marbled stone, the size of a rhinoceros beetle.