The days before school went by quickly; and soon they were headed back to the airport to depart for school once again. Katy could not believe it was the last term of the school year. They would go over everything they had learned, as well as learning new this term. And she hoped to pick up how to use the elemental power to open a Prophecy Ball.
“Now, no sneaking around! We mean it Katy!” Sandra said in a stern loud voice when Katy rolled her eyes and started to turn away to meet Deen at the terminal. “You are in danger, don’t go sneaking around. Antonio and Tony will be watching you. And Deen has firm instructions from his parents as well, and he is to report any sneaking or rule breaking. They made him take a Warlock’s Oath, he can’t break it. We were going to have you make a Witch’s Oath, but we didn’t know exactly how to word it so that way you could do what you needed when in trouble. And be careful on the Eleball field, your last game is against Spirit. They play rough.” Sandra checked Katy’s bag to make sure she had everything, and made sure that Cleopatra, Shadow, and Starlight were safely stored on board the plane.
“Fine, I won’t do anything, I promise.” Katy said as she jumped up and down as she tried to look around Sandra to see Deen. Deen had stayed with them up until the last couple days of vacation, but she had to tell him about the Prophecy Ball on the plane, she had not had a chance to tell him yet. And of course, his phoenix just hatched, she got a letter yesterday, he named it Elam, and she could not wait to see it.
“Fine go on, Deen should be at the terminal now. He won’t have his phoenix with him.” Sandra said as Katy ran off toward the terminal.
“Deen!” Katy yelled out as she ran into the line.
“Hey! What’s up?”
“What is this about a Warlock’s Oath? What did you promise them?” Katy knew about the Warlock’s Oath, they learned about it in history, it is unbreakable, to break it meant death.
“To tell them, if I know, what you are up to is all.” Deen said, with a sigh. He hated to have done the oath but he also knew he wanted his best friend safe.
“Not the secrets I tell you?”
“No, just what you are up to, like trying to sneak into the Air dorms again. And there is a time limit to end of term.”
“Oh good, I have some information I have to tell you on the plane.” Katy sighed in relief and waited until Antonio sat them down in their normal seats.
For the first hour of the plane ride it was everybody catching up and asking people what they did over break, most travel with family to other witching communities around the globe. Finally, though everybody settled down and Katy and Deen could at last speak without any worry about who might hear them.
Katy told Deen about how she went to the place where she was born about how she ran after she heard some more unpleasant things from Riley, and about how she found the Prophecy Ball, about how she found out she had to open it with Air but had not found out how, or even if it worked, as there was a large crack in it.
“Wow, do you think maybe that prophecy or vision your father had could be in the ball?” Deen asked while he dug out his money for his treats from the cart as it came down the aisles.
“I am hoping so; it would be good to know what it really says.” Katy responded and grabbed her own money. “After all, once we have that piece then we can really figure out why they want me not living.”
“Hopefully we can figure out a way to stop them to, we can’t have you on guard all through school, which would just be boring, especially considering how smart you are, and all the neat spells we can do because of it.” Deen said as he paid for his chocolates and sugar wands.
Katy said nothing as she paid for her gummies and wands and then pulled out her wand and the Prophecy Ball. She knew that since the cart just went by, Antonio would not come down the aisles until later.
Deen said nothing and just watched her and watched out for Antonio and Tony as they came to check on the students. He watched her do all sorts of things with Air, but still, nothing seemed to open the ball. She worked on it for over an hour before she gave up and put it back in her bag. “Well, you will have more time to work on it at school, maybe there is a book about them in the library.” Deen said, as he munched on a sugar wand.
“I don’t know, maybe, but our bookstore didn’t have anything why would our library?”
“Maybe it is like some of our schoolbooks when we get older and have to have a note stating we can buy them at the bookstore. They would be in the library, though.”
“We will have to look.” Katy said and then sat back deep in thought, she talked Eleball and other little things with Deen and the others, when they came by, now she just had to figure out a way to get her father’s side off her case so she could have a normal witchy childhood.
They went up to their dorms and back down to the dining hall fort the start of term feast and waited for the feast to begin. Or at least Deen was. Katy waited for the headmaster to meet her eyes again.
As if by cue the headmaster stood up. “Welcome to the last term of the school year. Remember that on October 31st classes are going to be cut in half as it is going to be time for Samhain, we will celebrate and have a ton of fun as well as honor those that have gone before us. Now we will have your families here for the feast, so we expect great behavior from all of you. Then, of course, we have our celebration of Yule on the fourteenth of December before you leave for your final break of the school year.” The headmaster paused and then looked over to Katy and once again met her eyes for a brief moment in time before he turned back around and continued his speech. “Again, I remind you, no staking of your vampire professors or poisoning your werewolf professors with silver. Now let the feast begin!” The headmaster sat back down, and the food appeared in front of the students.
Katy ate in silence, she listened to the Eleball conversation around her, and especially since the Fire team’s last game is in two weeks against Spirit, the talk was on the Spirit’s offensive moves of their last games. After dinner Katy went straight to bed, she had a terribly busy term ahead of her and she had a lot to do, and a lot of it had to be without Deen due to his Warlock’s Oath to his parents.
The following days were just like any other term; they went to classes, where they reviewed what they had learned last term and talked about what they would learn about this term. There was a lot of review in all the classes and homework assignments given. Katy had thought she might get a few minutes alone but no matter where she went there was always someone there, as they watched her. Even though the new door had been installed for the Fire house they still had trainee guardians that stood guard at the door and around the school. It became impossible to sneak away. She took out her frustrations in martial arts class but wished she could just sneak away for some alone time, lately it seemed she wanted to be alone, more then she had ever had, even when she had lived on the streets alone.
Katy was tired of all the surveillance, so much so that her temper caused her to spark fire, she started her homework on fire more times then she could count last night before she gave up and going to bed. She hoped the next day would be better, but it turned out just the same, then in Elements something changed.
They sat at their table as they worked on their review papers, mostly the review as on what they had done the last term. They had done Air last term and Katy had showed some power in Air, which was not a huge surprise, since her father was an Air. But her temper was causing issues with her control of the elements and all of a sudden a burst of air just flew from her and across their table, as it spilled all their things in and out of their bags all over the classroom floor. Deen did not say anything just went and started to collect their things. Katy held her head down while she gathered the rest of their things; they were still picking up when the bell rang for their break.
“Sorry Deen,” Katy said as she picked up the Prophecy Ball.
“Don’t be, it happens; just, please, try a little harder to keep your temper in check,” he said with a smile.
Just as they turned to go, Katy decided to try one more time with the ball and with all her might she made a little vortex around the ball. Then something happened. The yellow smoke inside of it went into the vortex and all of a sudden, a broken voice spoke.
“She of your own blood shall bring about your fall… evil resides… don’t forget… write… always trust in yourself… make sure your journal is safe… HIDE IT… these walls…”
Katy looked at Deen. “I…”
“Katy! You did it!”
“But it is not complete it doesn’t tell us anything we don’t know about except this journal he kept. Do you think he hid it here?”
“Maybe, it is probably because the ball is broke, Katy you should tell Professor MacCathmhaoil,” Deen said.
“I think I have to find that journal. There are so many hiding places in this school and with the dorms…” The wheels in Katy’s head started to turn and then she blocked Deen out of her thoughts, but not before Deen caught a glimpse of her plans.
“Katy you can’t!” Deen said as they left the classroom and head toward Divination. “I know you are still planning it; you are blocking me! You can’t go sneaking into the Air dorms!”
“You are right, I will try to think of something else, but I have to find that journal,” Katy lied.
Deen let the conversation end, but they both knew that he would have to write to his parents to let them know Katy had started to make plans to sneak back into the Air dorms. Katy would just have to figure out a way to get past all the security and find a way in without Deen ever knowing. She felt bad about not being able to share her thoughts with Deen but he made the oath, so she would just have to go it alone.
Kris Charles - Author 