#magic high

Bella brushed her hair in the full length mirror in her room, admiring herself from multiple angles. She’d tucked the shirt of her uniform into her skirt, accentuating her curves, and she extended her neck this way and that to give herself the most length. Satisfied, she picked up a tub of her signature lipstick, a dark and luscious red, and she applied it to her curved lips. There. Perfection achieved.

“You really had to move that thing in here?” Lilith said from her bed, where she was pulling on tennis shoes.

Bella flipped her hair so she couldn’t see her roommate. “I didn’t think it’d bother you that much. You know how the bathrooms are in the morning.”

“I don’t,” she drawled and grabbed her books from the nightstand.

“Well it’s important.” Bella picked at the green pendant she wore around her neck and tucked it beneath her collar. “Today’s the day. I need to look perfect.”

“Oh,” Lilith said with a roll of her red eyes. “So that’s happening.”

Lilith stood from the bed, and as she passed behind Bella, no reflection appeared in the mirror. Bella suppressed a shiver. Rooming with a vampire hadn’t been her first choice, but she was new to this whole magic thing. She wasn’t going to be the first to blink. If Bella were unkind, she might compare her roommate to a stick bug, long limbed and almost blended in enough with normal people to avoid sticking out, if it weren’t for her glowing eyes and the sharp teeth that protruded from her gums. But the worst thing about Lilith, the actual worst thing, was how all knowing she seemed to be. She had the answer to every test, she dressed people down with just a glance, and all the gossip made its way back to her. If she were stupid, Bella might have liked her. No one wants to spend time with a smart predator.

“You know.” Lilith paused as she placed her hand on the doorknob. Even though she didn’t reflect in the mirror, Bella could feel her eyes on her. “I thought you were really clever when I first met you.”

Bella glanced back over her shoulder. A compliment from Lilith was rare. “Yeah?”

“Yeah,” she sighed. “But seeing you gussy yourself up to bag the likes of Mortimer Goth makes me realize you’re just another vapid girl.”

“And here I was thinking you had some human left in you,” Bella snapped back. “Guess we’re both wrong.”

Lilith stared at her, red eyes wide. Her mouth drew open, extending her long fangs, and then she shook her head.

“If you can bear to stop looking at yourself for one second,” she said, “you might actually be on time to class.”

Bella’s lip curled. “You don’t have to wait for me.”

“I won’t,” she said and threw open the door, before letting it slam behind her. Bella breathed out.

Well, she’d already faced down a vampire today. How much scarier could asking out a boy be?

The morning halls of the school were busy as people ran through the dorm hallways to the communal bath, or hurriedly worked on last minute homework in the rounded commons. Bella glided through the usual panic and stood in front of the door down the hall from hers. Adjusting her hair one more time, she stood a little straighter, and gave a gentle knock. She smiled as the door pulled back, and let it drop when she realized who’d answered it.

“He’s not here,” Michael said. “You’re gonna have to try your luck some other time.”

Bella stuck out her tongue at him. “I was just saying good morning. Can’t a sister ensure her brother is making it to class on time?”

He huffed out a laugh and walked back to his own mirror. He’d been applying pomade to his hair, and he worked to slick it back. Bella leaned against the threshold and let out a long breath.

“You’re not really subtle, Bebe,” Michael said.

“Good, I’m not trying to be.” She glanced around the room. Her brother’s spot was on the far side, piled with magazines and cologne bottles, but the bed by the door was completely unmade, with papers and pens left out in a last minute attempt to finish their weekend assignments. A crocheted Grim plush stuck out from under the bed, kicked aside by loafers. A bottle of hair gel had tipped over on the dresser and was currently making a mess in the to drawer, unable to close thanks to the haphazardly folded shirts that were forced in. The whole room stank of boy.

“Today’s the day, Michael,” Bella announced as he gathered his books. “Today Mortimer is mine.”

“You say that like it’s such a struggle,” he said. “I’ve never seen another girl even look at him. He’ll be thankful if you ask him out.”

“The how is important,” she said. “I can’t just throw myself at him wantonly. I wanted him to want me, and not just because I’m a pretty girl.”

“Okay, well.” He shut the door behind him, and they started towards the main foyer of the school. “He’s a dumb boy without a girlfriend. It’s not really going to matter if you prove your worth to him or not.”

The pair headed down the hallways, past the student room, full of chess tables and tall bookshelves, and into the main hall. Teachers directed students up the stairs and reminded them of when class was starting.

“I don’t want a boy to go out with me just because I’m a nice pair of legs,” Bella muttered.

Michael laughed and pointed to her stockings. “Then why are you wearing those?”

“Not every boy is like you, Caramellino!” she laughed. “You’re speedrunning the entire female population of the school.”

“Aren’t we supposed to be making connections?” he asked with a grin.

“Connections, dummy.” She jumped past him on the stairs and so she could knock his forehead.  “Not ex-girlfriends.”

“Can’t I do both?”

The clock struck the top of the hours, eight rings resounding through the stone halls. Students rushed to their classrooms, and Bella hurried to the top of the stairs. Sage Dyers waited there, her long green locks falling behind her like silken snakes. Scales touched the white skin of her eyes, leaving an odd sheen of green. She smirked as she saw the Bachelor siblings trailing behind.

“No, now,” she said in a low voice that made Bella’s spine shiver. “We wouldn’t want to be late for our potions lesson.”

“I was just corralling my brother,” Bella promised.

“Good,” she said. “Sage Hughes won’t tolerate tardiness.”

Bella grabbed her brother’s arm and dragged him down the halls of the school. For all its majesty, the school was a cozy place, with classrooms nestled into their own corners. They passed the open doorway of the debate classroom, and saw the final students hurry into the herbalism class, which boasted a wide metal cauldron and a room overflowing with plants, and from the staircase up to the music room, an unsteady melody of piano notes clunked down. Bella took a hard left, pulling her brother into the potions classroom with her, and she hurried to her seat.

It was another day at Nightshade Academy.

⬨⬧⬨

The Realm of Magic had never truly been separate from simkind. For generations, magical families have lived with one foot in the world, finding passages and pathways to lead them to a place of pure fantasy. Magic was not just relegated to bloodlines either. Any sim wanting to gain that knowledge could do so. It was in recent years that the thought of formal education and recruitment of occult types brought about the prestigious institution of the Nightshade Academy. The sages took a direct approach to the thought, choosing to take a direct hand in the tutelage of future generations. Their guidance ensured every graduating class experienced prestige and good fortune. This year was no different. This year’s class was so full of promise. The magical and unmagical world might be changed forever.

L had read the brochure. She’d been given the spiel. She’d nodded along as Sage Dyer explained to her all these things. But L was from the old ways, the very old ways, and she’d never set foot outside the Magic Realm before. She’d never wanted to. What was out there for her?

It was in talking with her sisters that L had considered the man variables and decided there was something she wanted. Knowledge? That could be found anywhere. Prowess? Could be learned from her family, from the other spellcasters. But power? Getting close to the sages, being taught alongside prestigious names, earning her place, that was everything.

It was supposed to be an adventure. The young girl steps through the portal to a new realm. She just wished it wasn’t so boring. Glimmerbrook, nestled in the mountains and secluded among the trees, was a crossroads of all kinds, attracting magical and non-magical sims alike. It should be a nexus of weird! L expected to wake up every day face to face with occult types of new breeds, and instead she sat in the same boring classroom, with the same boring students, learning the same boring lessons, taught by the same boring adults who were only teaching them to be more boring. L’s fingers itched to do more.

The potions classroom, at least, was without desks. Chairs arranged around a large cauldron fired by magical crystals. The students sat as they usually did. Lilith Vatore and Bella Bachelor sat directly up front, spines straights, hands in their laps, as they watched their professor work with rapt attention. L usually liked to sit near them for the show, and today she took the row behind them, draped lazily on her chair as her boot tapped against the floor. Simeon Silversweater took up residence beside her. He hunched forward, notebook on his knee, as he carefully took dictation of everything the teacher said. Michael Bachelor and Mortimer Goth were the other constant residents of the back row, watching with bored expressions. L’s eyes slid to Morgyn Ember, her roomie and possibly the most interesting person at school. They were smart, scary smart, but not the teacher’s pet the ladies were. They fiddled with the edge of their skirt, but their shining eyes were focused on the cauldron ahead. They didn’t miss anything. The only other person in Class 3 was Caleb Vatore, who sat beside his sister. He shared the disinterest of the other lads, but wasn’t quite as laissez-faire about it. He reminded L too often of a frightened bird, or maybe a small shaking dog tucked behind the rottweiler that was his sister.

Keisha Hughes stood in front of them, hands outstretched as the ladle turned the cauldron’s waters. She was entirely in white, from her hair to her face to her pointy boots. Like the other professors, she wore something of a uniform as well, a long robe cinched with a crescent moon. Her eyes sparkled as the water heated, reflecting the colors of the crystals below.

“Potion making is really quite simple,” she said. “It’s the right ingredients, at the right temperature, in the right formation. But what it really needs is a dash of magic.”

She flicked her fingers, and sparkles rained down in the water. The bubbling cauldron shifted to a bright green.

“Who can tell me the most important aspect of potion making?” she asked.

Both Lilith and Bella’s hands shot straight up. L would’ve laughed if it wasn’t so terribly predictable.

“Miss Bachelor,” Sage Hughes said. “Enlighten us.”

Bella lifted up her chin. “They require the correct components.”

Sage Hughes tsked. “I’m afraid not. Miss Vatore?”

“You’ve already said it’s the magic itself,” Lilith said. “It takes an apple from a mere snack to something that fills you up entirely.”

“Wrong again,” she said. “The most important part of potion making, of all magic, is experimentation. Magic is a living thing. We’ve managed to harvest it, to wield it, but we only have so much control. It reacts, understands, and changes things. Even we sages don’t know everything about magic. It’s possible we never will. But what separates good spellcasters from great ones is the drive to see something new.”

L sat up. Finally, someone was speaking her language. Anyone could read a book, go through the motions, memorize the words and the ingredients. What she wanted to know was what happened next.

“Now,” Sage Hughes continued. “I’ll need a volunteer.”

Two hands went up again, and L sighed. Without a word, she stood from her seat and marched to the front of the class. Sage Hughes smiled and stretched out a hand to her side.

“Welcome to the front, Miss Faba,” the sage said. “Are you familiar with potion making?”

L nodded. “I’ve made a few before.”

“Good, good.” She snapped her fingers again. From the bookshelves behind her, a tome lifted up and drifted into her hand. “There are easy basics to understand. Miss Vatore already mentioned the Potion of Plentiful Needs, everyone’s favorite. The potion of Nimble Mind is very useful to me. Do you have a favorite?”

“I use a nausea potion on my sisters all the time,” L boasted. “It’s easy enough to slip into a drink.”

Sage Hughes threw her head back and laughed. “A girl after my own heart! I’m sure your sisters loved that.”

“It solved a few arguments,” L said.

She shook her herald and held out the tome. The leather cover was burned with symbols, and engraved with the words “Good Fortune”. The edges of the pages shone with gold.

“I believe you all have a quiz today in Ethren’s class,” she said. “Do you feel prepared for it?”

Honestly, L hadn’t bothered to study. Sage Reyes was exacting, and his classes were dull and focused on the practicalities of magic. She fell asleep reading about it.

“Well,” Sage Hughes said. “Maybe this will help. Mister Goth, what are the two ingredients of a Potion of Good Fortune?”

Mortimer sat straighter in his seat, and he rubbed his right eye. His uniform had a slovenly appearance that shrugged down his shoulders, and the mess of hair he stuck straight up probably hadn’t been washed in days. Dark circles hung under his eyes permanently. He carried the distinguished features of his family in a way that made his young face look like a jigsaw, but one day he might grow into them.

“Uh,” he said, and nothing more.

L watched Bella pass a look over her shoulder. Realizing he didn’t have the answer, she whipped her head around and said, “It’s valerian root and turquoise.”

“Good, Miss Bachelor,” Sage Hughes said. “But you’re not the person I asked. What aspect of valerian do you think help in Good Fortune?”

It was Silversweater who raised his hand this time. Sage Hughes gestured to him.

“Valerian’s used in herbal remedies to help with sleep,” he said in a low, lazy voice. It was accented softly. L hadn’t quite gotten a read on him yet, not since he kept his head down and focused on his work. But he certainly knew a lot. “It’s a sedative.”

“Very good,” Sage Hughes said. “Combined with turquoise, which is used in protection, this brew will calm your anxiety, and allow you to get through the day unscathed. Now, Miss Faba, why not make a batch for the class?”

In the end, it wasn’t just L making the thing. Sage Hughes got everyone involved, even the sleeping Mortimer, handing her ingredients, reading pages from the tome, and offering feedback. L mixed it herself, watching the staff roll through the golden waves of the boiling pot. L focused all her mind and magic on the staff, infusing it as it rolled through. It should be easy, she told herself. It’s a simple spell. And then they can get through Sage Reyes’ dull class, onto the next dull class, tracking moon patterns and learning the taxonomy of plants, and this was all so boring! This should be magic! It should be thrilling, and exciting, and it should burn from her fingertips and fill her chest with light, and if you don’t have the exact right ingredients under the exact phase of the moon, then who cares? That was the joy! This would be another by-the-book potion with nothing exciting about it, and it would–

L jumped back as the cauldron began to shake, and the bubbling overflowed. The liquid turned into a dull gray-green. It threatened to boil over, smoke rising in black plums. L dropped the staff, and it clattered to the floor. All at once, it erupted. Like a pan of hot oil it spat out, causing everyone to duck for cover. The classroom was filled with smoke. No one waited around. The door flew open, and they staggered into the hall, coughing and covering their faces. Sage Hughes clenched her hand, and the fire beneath the cauldron went out. L jumped when she placed a hand on her shoulder.

“Another important lesson,” the sage said. “You can do everything right, and it’ll still go wrong. That’s not a bad thing.”

“It seems pretty bad!” Lilith snapped.

Sage Hughes shook her head with a smile. “Perfect is the enemy of good. Remember that. Now, that gives you all fifteen extra minutes to study for Ethren’s class. Why don’t you head downstairs while I sort out this mess.”

Begrudgingly, the students stumbled away from the class. L remained a moment longer as Sage Hughes waved a hand. The windows in the room shuddered open, and the new breeze sucked the smoke outside.

“You’ve got to keep a handle on your own mind,” the Sage said. “You’ll influence your own powers, and not in the best of ways.”

L puffed up her chest. “I wanted to see something new.”

“Not a bad instinct.” Sage Hughes glanced at her over her shoulder. “You’ll let me know what you find, will you?”

L blinked, and then she nodded her head. Without another word, she snatched up the tome from where it’d fallen to the ground and hurried to the staircase. All the while she grinned.

Finally, it was time to get into some mischief.

⬨⬧⬨

Bella adjusted her hair for the fourth time. She’d taken up the upstairs bathroom while the rest of the school had gone to lunch. Lipstick reapplied, uniform adjusted, she looked as fresh as she had that morning. Good. The majority of students would be in the dining hall or spread out by the fountain outside. Mortimer usually spent his lunch hour in the commons room. She intended to descend the stairs like one of her romance novels, and then she’d ask him to walk with her, where she’d admit to the butterflies that fluttered in her stomach every time she looked at him. It’d mostly be true, too.

Michael had been partially right. Mortimer Goth didn’t spire the sort of swooning poetic pining of some of the other boys in school. Even Caleb, who like his sister was stick thin and gawky, at least had the benefit of being a vampire and therefore mysterious. In society, the Goth name went far, but in Glimmerbrook they were barely among the top magical families. She’d spent her time in the library going down the family trees and bloodlines. The Goths were an uneven stretch of odd branches and disconnected family members, of which one thing was sure. They were sitting on a pile of riches and enough clout to open nearly any door. It was the exact kind of family Bella dreamed of marrying into since she was a young girl reading Jane Eyre. Curled up in her family’s trailer, listening to the rain patter against the metal roof, and imagining instead that she was in some gothic castle reading by candlelight as a storm crashed around her, possibly haunted by some dark spirit or mad woman.

When Bella and Michael’s parents had enrolled them in Nightshade Academy, there’d been a lot of talk of opportunity. They would meet new people, powerful people. They would learn how to make dreams come true. Any chance they had to better their family and their name, they should take it. Bella’s mom had extolled to her the virtues of her beauty since she was eight years old. It was a constant reminder in the back of her mind, especially when she was talking to Mortimer. Eventually, the other girls would realize how rich Mortimer was. Better to stake her claim now, before anyone else could take this opportunity away.

Bella pushed open the door to the bathroom and started towards the stairs, until she heard what sounded like glass breaking in one of the classrooms. She paused. There was definitely someone in the potions room. Maybe one of the professors, but they were usually downstairs keeping an eye on the students. Bella crept forward and peeked through the door before shoving it open.

“What’re you doing?” she shouted.

L dropped the bottle she’d been holding, and it smashed against the floor. The cauldron in the center of the room billowed with smoke and bubbled with the aroma of a bright and earthy tea. A tome was floating in front of her, and she snatched the ladle out of the air, pointing threateningly at Bella.

“Why aren’t you at lunch?” she asked.

“Why aren’t you?” Bella entered the room, and the door swung shut behind her. “You’re going to be in so much trouble. We’re not supposed to be in the classrooms alone.”

“Mind your own business,” L snapped.

“What are you even working on?” Bella walked towards the cauldron. “Is it the good luck potion again?”

“Maybe.” L huffed out a breath and rolled her eyes. “Okay, well, I was thinking about how you could probably tailor the potion to work for specific things. Like our test today, if we could focus it on academic success, or money making, or–”

“Or love.”

She wrinkled her nose. “Yeah, I guess.”

“What ingredients would you need for that?” Bella wondered aloud. “If you wanted to make it more specific.”

“My eldest sister used to make love potions.” L let the ladle go and walked to the display case. “They share some ingredients with the good luck potion. Maybe it’d be the simplest one to work out. Let’s see, amethyst, dragon fruit, salmon eyes–oh, here we go! Frog hearts!”

Bella grimaced at the jar overstuffed with small purple mounds of muscle. “That’s what goes into a love potion?”

“A thing of beauty, isn’t it?” L opened the jar. “What do you need luck in love for anyway? You look like that.”

Bella brushed back her hair. “Boys who think you’re just something pretty aren’t the same boys that love you. I don’t want Mortimer to just think I’m pretty.”

“Oh, Mortimer.” She glanced back over the tome. “He isn’t the brightest bloom in the garden.”

“He doesn’t have to be,” Bella said. “But you know how he writes poetry? He never lets anyone read it. And sometimes when he’s staring off into space, I just want to go with him, you know?”

L shrugged. “I guess, if you’re into that. Come over here.”

Bella cautiously stepped forward. “Why?”

“Two witches are better than one.” Holding the jar above her in one hand, she held onto Bella with the other. “Sage Hughes seems to think magic has everything to do with intent. Think about the positive outcome. Imagine what’ll happen if this works.”

Bella glanced at her sideways, and then she took a breath and closed her eyes. She and Mortimer would take a walk through the forest along the river, and next to the sparkling waters she would tell him what she meant to say all along. He’d like her, he had to like her. Mortimer couldn’t be the kind of person that just cared about looks. He wanted something deeper than that. Bella wanted something deeper than that.

She opened her eyes just in time to see L dump the entire jar of frog hearts into the brew. Bella shouted, and she yanked her arm away, spilling half of them onto the floor. Oh, watcher, oh no, it was so gross!

“What did you do that for?” she and L shouted at the same time.

“You can’t just dump the whole jar!” Bella snapped.

“We want it to work!” L shouted back. “And look!”

Both of their eyes drew to the cauldron, which had turned a fluorescent shade of magenta. It bubbled brighter and taller. Bella staggered back from the boiling brew. Steam poured off it, filling the classroom, and L fumbled towards the windows to try to yank them open, but the room was so full of fog that the sunlight was barely making its way through the glass panes. Bella’s heels staggered on a frog heart, and she slipped backwards. In a desperate attempt to stay upright, she grappled wildly and grabbed onto the edge of the cauldron as she rolled back. The contents rolled forward, and she braced herself for the pain of boiling hot liquid, but she was washed in something else. Like steam from a hot pot, it poured over her, breathing into her nose, into her mouth, into her skin. Her whole body felt tight and stiff, and she couldn’t see as she felt L’s hand against her back. They staggered towards the door and burst through it. L didn’t stop outside the hallway. She dragged Bella back into the bathroom and dropped her on the tiled floor. Bella coughed and wheezed and hugged her knees as the spell passed. She was finally able to open her eyes, tears streaming down her cheek. L was staring at her, a hand covering her mouth.

“What?” Bella croaked out. “What happened?”

L didn’t say anything at all, and Bella gripped the edge of the sink to lift herself to her feet. She brushed her hands through her hair and stopped. Black stringy tendrils sat limply over her fingers. Raising her hands up, she stared at the gnarled, pockmarked skin and ugly unkempt nails. Her eyes went to the mirror, and an ugly green hag stared back with crooked teeth and unnatural cheeks. Bella opened her mouth, hands rising to her face, and in the mirror the hag did the same. It was her. The creature was her.

Bella screamed.

Instantly L slapped a hand over her mouth. Bella bit down on her palm, causing her to shout, and she whirled on her, green finger pointing in accusation.

“You did this!” she shouted. “You did this to me!”

“No I didn’t!” Le shouted defensively. “At least I didn’t mean to! I was trying to make the potion work!”

“You thought it’d be funny!” Bella turned back to the mirror, gripping her dark hair in her hands. “You thought it’d be so cute and mean if you turned me into some kind of monster! You and Lilith could laugh about it all day!”

“Why would Lilith and I laugh about anything together?” L sucked in a breath and tried to put on a calming smile. “You did say you didn’t want Mortimer to like you just for your looks.”

“I didn’t mean I wanted this!” Bella howled. “I can’t see him now! I can’t see anybody! He’ll never like me if all he thinks about is this.”

L raised a hand to pat her, and then thought better of it. “Well, Bella, that may not be the worst thing.”

Her head shot up, sending a death glare her way. L took a step back.

“Get Sage Hughes,” she said. “Get the school nurse. Get me a veil so I can escape into the woods!”

“No, no, no!” L said. “I’ve already made one mess today, Bella, and now this? Look, physical spells never last long. They’re not made to. This should be so simple to reverse!”

“L!”

“Bella!” She squeezed her hands together. “At least let me try! If I can fix you up before the end of the lunch period–”

“And what am I supposed to do?” Bella shouted.

“Just stay here,” L said. “Just for a little while. I’m going to take care of this.”

Bella breathed heavy through her nose, hands pressed against the side of her face. Okay. Okay. “Okay. Do that. And if you can’t, find Sage Hughes, but I’m not leaving this bathroom, okay? I can’t be seen like this. I can’t let Mortimer see me. Okay?”

“Okay,” L said. “Stay put. I’m going to fix this, Bella.”

Her eyes narrowed, heat building under her skin. “You better.”

L pressed a finger to her lips and poked her head out of the bathroom. The coast was clear, and she slipped away. Bella stood in the center of the tiled floor, hugging her arms to her chest. She glanced at the mirror again and quickly turned away. It was too horrible to look at. Mortimer was probably still in the commons, so close and so far. If he saw her, that was the end of it. No boy could love her like this.

And all she could do was wait.

⬨⬧⬨

L hurried down the front hall stairs and stopped outside the commons to quickly adjust her uniform. Sage Reyes was in the doorway, keeping an eye on the students. A tall, well dressed man, and swooned over by half the population of the school, he was the most intimidating of their professors. Perfection and precision were required by him. L wasn’t doing well in his classes.

“Not getting into trouble, Miss Faba,” he said in his low tone.

She grinned up at him. “I was just looking for a book.”

He waved her past, and she hurried to the bookshelves that lined the walls. At lunch, students splayed out in chairs, and the chess table was occupied by Simeon and Morgyn. She brushed past them to scan the shelves and groaned when they came up empty.

“What’s got you in a fuss?” Morgyn said as they moved their queen.

“Go stuff your mushrooms,” L said. “I need a book.”

Simeon blocked their move with a bishop. “Is it that Materials for Spells and Their Uses book?”

L glanced at him. “Yes. How did you know?”

“You were reading it last time you were in here.” His pawn struck, taking out Morgyn’s knight. “I thought it was clever, breaking things down into their components. It’s any wonder you get top marks in our potions class.”

“I don’t have time to be flattered,” she said. “Do you know where it’s at?”

Morgyn leaned back in their chair. “I saw the handsome Master Reyes taking some materials. They’re probably in his office.”

“Fiddlesticks,” she murmured, glancing behind her. Quickly she turned back around, like the sage could sense her guilt.

“Oh, L,” Morgyn said with a pout. “What trouble have you gotten into today?”

She shot them a scowl. Since their first day rooming together, L and Morgyn had gotten along fantastically. They’d been destined to become best friends. Morgyn spent their days pushing the limits of magic just as L fantasized about doing, and they both had discarded the pants of their uniforms and opted for the skirt. Morgyn wanted to transcend, they’d explained in quiet tones. They were the first person to speak in a way L wanted to hear. It was an instant connection, a bond unlike any other, which made them really very annoying.

“It’s no trouble,” L said quickly. “I just wanted to take a second shot at that potion.”

“And you failed,” Simeone said.

She pressed a hand to her chest. “Wow, no. Thank you for the confidence boost. I would say it worked a little too well.”

“It’s not raining gold or test grades.” Morgyn put their chin in their hand. “What have you done?”

She looked back again to where Sage Reyes stood and dropped her voice. “I wanted to help out Miss Bachelor with her boy troubles. Really, I was being nice.”

Morgyn narrowed their eyes. “What did you do?”

“See,” she said, “Bella insisted that she didn’t want to be known for her beauty. Now, I doubt she will.”

They both stared at her. L tried not to look guilty.

“You made her ugly,” Simeon said.

“No,” she said and pressed her hands to her face. “I made her hideous! And I told her I’d fix it but I don’t know how! I thought the book would give me a clue as to how I broke it in the first place.”

Morgyn put a hand over their mouth to cover up their laughter, not that it was doing much good. They bent forward, shoulders shaking.

“You turned,” they gasped, “the beauty queen into a beast! Oh, this is delicious. I need to see.”

“She’ll die,” L said. “Or kill me, or worse, one of the professors will find out. We’re not supposed to be mixing potions in our off hours.”

“It will cause some trouble for you,” Simeon said.

“We should see the patient,” Morgyn insisted. “To help her. How else can we reverse the effect?”

“We?” She shook her head. “I don’t need co-conspirators.”

“But you do need help.” Simeon shrugged his shoulders. “We may as well try.”

L chewed on her bottom lip. It was true. Simeon had a head for potions knowledge, and Morgyn was twice as crazy as she was. If anyone could figure out how to undo this without getting a teacher involved, she may as well start there.

“We’d have to sneak into the potions room to do anything,” she said, “and I’ve already blown up the class twice today.”

“We’re spellcasters,” Morgyn said. “There’s cauldrons tucked away everywhere. I bet Reyes has one in his office, along with that book.”

“Okay,” L said. “Easy.”

Simeon picked up his knight and let it swing between his fingers. “Easy to break into the office of the Sage of Practical Magic?”

“It’s a reference book,” Morgyn drawled. “It’s not as if he’s locked it away in some vault. We go right now, he won’t even know.”

“See.” L held out a hand. “Easy. Let’s go, right now.”

They stood from their seat. “Thank goodness. I thought things were going to stay boring around here.”

“I don’t mind boring,” Simeon sighed as he followed behind. “Though I am curious to see what components you used.”

“I’m sure Miss Bachelor doesn’t mind being a guinea pig.” L put a finger to her lips as they walked to the archway. “And not a word to anyone.”

“I swear.” Morgan crossed their finger over their chest. “No one is going to know.”

“You know us,” Simeon said. “The epitome of subtlety.”

“Easy,” L repeated. “This whole thing is going to be easy.”

⬨⬧⬨

Bella sat on the seat of the toilet, rocking back and forth. Oh, this was no good. L wasn’t back yet! And all she could do was hide in the upstairs toilets and pray she’d come back for her. She ran her fingers through her hair and grimaced as she saw the gnarled bony green limbs. Ugh, ugh, ugh! How was she too dry and too moist at the same time? Her skin felt slick, like it didn’t fit her right, and then in some places it was too tight to the bone. Her hair came down in stringy clumps. Well, she wanted to be a witch. All she needed now was a cape and a black cat and she’d be adorning everyone’s porches come Halloween.

The door to the bathroom swung open, and Bella sat straight up until she heard the second pair of shoes. Oh no, oh no, oh no. Her stall was closed, but people didn’t need to know she was in here at all. Too many questions. She picked up her feet and hugged her knees to her chest. Great. Come to school to rub elbows with the most powerful witches in the land, end up in the toilet. Michael was going to have a laugh at her.

“I really don’t want to spend any more time in the dining hall,” the sharp clear voice of Lilith Vatore rang out against the porcelain. “It’s so disgusting.”

“It’s really not that bad.” The second voice was softer, clearly that of her brother Caleb. “I think you just don’t like people.”

“What gave it away?” Lilith droned.

Bella sucked in a breath. Fantastic. The only thing worse than Mortimer seeing her like this was Lilith of all people. She’d never live it down.

“It’d be alright if they weren’t so stupid,” Lilith continued. “I told you about Bella this morning.”

“Yeah.” She could hear Caleb roll his eyes. “You told me.”

Bella pressed her face to the stall and tried to peer through the crack. Lilith brushed her straight shiny hair back as Caleb stood against the sink, arms crossed. His own soft brown hair was messily styled without real indication he knew what he was doing. If either Vatore siblings had any style to speak of, Bella had never seen it firsthand.

“I just don’t get it,” Lilith said. “Aren’t we in a new generation of women? Why do they waste their life on men?”

“Maybe some men are worth it.” Caleb examined his nails, painted pink, purple, and blue.

“You would say that,” she cooed. “I just didn’t expect Bella to get so dizzy for a lad. If she wants to marry rich that badly, she won’t have a problem.”

Bella sucked in a breath and swallowed it down. Not that it was any surprise what Lilith thought of her. Her best and worst quality was her bluntness. But honestly! Like Bella was some gold digger with nothing to offer the world.

“You’re so cynical of love, Lilith,” Caleb sighed.

“You could stand to be that way.”

Lilith finished adjusting her hair and turned. Bella swore her dark eyes flashed through the crack in the stall, and she slapped a hand over her mouth, sitting back. Ugh, her skin smelled disgusting! She swallowed down the urge to gag.

“If you’re going to spy,” Lilith said loudly, “you could at least be quiet about it.”

Her sneakers approached the stall, and Bella bust out, “Don’t come in here!”

Lilith paused. One foot turned back towards her brother, and then three gentle knocks sounded on the stall door.

“Bella?” she called sweetly. “Is that you?”

“Yes!” she snapped. “And it’s very rude to talk to me right now!”

“Your feet aren’t on the ground.” Lilith pulled on the stall, which thankfully didn’t open. “Is Mortimer really that intimidating for you?”

“Lilith, leave her alone,” Caleb said.

“Oh, no.” Her voice filled with glee. “Did he reject you? You must be devastated. Are you crying?”

“He didn’t reject me,” Bella said. “I want some privacy in the bathroom please!”

“Lilith.” Her brother’s footsteps got closer. “Now you’re just being cruel.”

“As a good roommate, I need to check on you.” Lilith’s fingers reached over top the stall. “I just want to see if you’re crying–ah!”

Lilith pulled herself up, and as soon as her eyes met Bella’s, she let out a shout and dropped to the floor. Bella covered her face in embarrassment. Caleb tried to help his sister, who crawled away from the door.

“What happened to you!” Lilith shouted.

Bella squeezed her eyes shut. “I told you! I want to be alone!”

“You look like a monster!”

“I know!”

“What did you do?!”

Anger overtook Bella, and she pushed open the stall door, standing in front of both Vatore siblings. Lilith was prone back on the ground with Caleb kneeling over her, and they both stared up at her with wide eyes.

“I didn’t do anything!” Bella shouted. “Everything would be going perfect if it weren’t for people like you and L! All I wanted to do was talk to a boy, but noooo. I have to be punished for showing an interest in Mortimer. Go ahead and laugh, Lilith! I’m sorry I dared to have a crush on someone!”

Bella caught sight of herself in the mirror, shoulders raised, chin low, looking like an old rotted witch. She screamed and dropped to the floor, shielding her face with her arms. This was not how today was supposed to go.

A hand pressed against her shoulder, and she peeked up to see Caleb standing over her. The soft look on his face was almost enough to send her over the edge. Now she was getting pity. What else could go wrong?”

“Did you say L did this to you?” he asked.

“It was an accident,” she sighed. “I think. She’s supposed to be finding a cure hopefully before–”

A dull chime rang out through the school. First bell. Ten minutes to get to next classes.

“Lunch is over,” Bella said, defeated. “At this point, I should just go face the firing squad.”

“Looking like that?” Lilith said. “You’ll just drip your way to class then.”

“It’s not like I have a choice! Everyone’s going to see how hideous I am.”

Lilith sat up and smoothed out her skirt. “You’re not hideous, Bella.”

Bella glared up at her. “Really.”

“I mean you are, currently.” She waved a hand in her direction. “And teenage boys are notoriously stupid, so I wouldn’t go swinging your bat in Mortimer’s direction right now–”

Caleb rolled his eyes. “Point, Lilith.”

“Right, right.” She held up her hands. “All I’m saying is, at most, this will be a funny anecdote in a few weeks. People might remember the time you looked like this as a lark, but when they think of you, they’re going to think of how smart and funny you are first.”

Bella held her breath, and when nothing else came, she said, “Usually your compliments come with a scathing critique at the end.”

Lilith shrugged. “I’m done.’

“Wow,” she said. “That was surprisingly sincere.”

“She’ll get there, given the chance.” Caleb patted her shoulder. “You know, one of us could go get one of the professors without you having to do a shame walk.”

Bella hung her head. “I didn’t want anyone to see me like this.”

“Too late for that now,” Lilith said. “I saw Sage Hughes out in the hall.”

“Yeah,” she said. “That’s probably smart.”

Lilith stood. “Let me go. You’ll be back to your usual beautiful self in a tick.”

“Thank you,” Bella said.

“Yeah, yeah. Don’t get too–”

They all froze as the door started to open. Lilith moved first. In a blink, she slammed herself against the door and slapped the lock, shouting out, “Occupied!”

“It’s a stalled bathroom,” a voice shouted from the other side, and Bella froze. That was her brother. And if Michael was around…

“Come on, Lilith,” a second voice said. “Open it up.”

“Oh,” Caleb said quietly next to Bella. “Isn’t that…?”

“Yeah,” Bella breathed out. “That’s Mortimer.”

⬨⬧⬨

“You know,” Morgyn said as they waltzed around the dark wood office, “I thought breaking into Sage Reyes quarters would be a little more interesting.”

L flipped through the large reference book titled Materials for Spells and Their Uses. Large illustrations took up one side of the page as scrawled text filled the other. Simeon looked over the personal collection of materials that were stacked in the sage’s office. Like everything about the school, it was grandiose. Lots of dark wood decorated with warm gold accents, and piles and piles of books stacked together. A radio was set up over the mantle of a fireplace, and the windows looked out into the mountains behind them. Sage Reyes did indeed have his own cauldron, which currently bubbled as L retraced her steps.

“You mixed it with a love potion?” Simeon said, leaning over the pot. “No wonder you got such nasty results.”

“It made sense at the time,” she muttered. “How long does it need to cook for?”

“Oh now we’re following instructions.” Morgyn dropped into Sage Reyes’ seat and spun around. “You think it’s a cushy job, being a sage?”

“No,” L and Simeon said together. L turned, holding the tome out in front of her. “Maybe I did it backwards.”

“Love spells are notoriously finicky,” Simeon said. “And you’re not going to fix her with one.”

“I know that.” She waved a hand at Morgyn. “Can you grab me the valerian root?”

They huffed and stood up from the chair. “Valerian root, valerian root. What does that look like again?”

“Here.” Simeone handed them a corked bottle with what looked like pink budded wildflowers. “The spell’s going to be confused, L. It needs to be detangled.”

“And it will be.” She moved the ladle as Morgyn dropped the root into the cauldron. A plume of pink smoke burst up with a sigh. “The way I figure it, we can displace the spell with another spell.”

Morgyn dropped the bottle on the desk. “Nope. Not at all. This isn’t a fairy tale, L. True love’s first kiss isn’t going to save the day.”

“It could help it along a little.” She yanked three empty bottles off the shelf and quickly magicked the contents of the cauldron into them. “Look, I can’t help Bella, we all know that by now. But if we guide the spell towards its completion, it’ll pass on its own.”

“Or it’ll make things much worse,” Simeon said.

“I guess we won’t know until we try,” she said.

L held up one of the vials to catch the ephemeral light that hung from the ceiling. Pink liquid reflected like stain glass against her skin. Then, she heard from outside: voices.

“I wish Keisha would keep a better hold on the students,” Sage Reyes deep voice carried as the doorknob rattled. All three of them stood perfectly still. “That’s the second time today the potions classroom had to be cleared.”

“You know how kids are,” came the voice of Sage Dyer. “They can be–hey!”

The trio stared at their professors, who stared right back. L felt her heartbeat in her chest. She did the only thing she could think to do, which was launch the first vial across the room. It landed at the feet of their professors and immediately a large plume of pink smoke erupted up. They both stumbled back, and L shouted, “Run for it!”

She didn’t wait to see if her conspirators followed her order. Bolting forward, she slid past the two sages and burst into the hallway. Morgyn was just behind her, one hand clutched to their skirt to keep it from flying up. Simeon moved slowest, but thanks to the confusion of the smoke, he was able to barrel past the two sages. Students stared at them as they raced past the herbalism room, and the potions class where Sage Hughes had her hands on her hips. She shouted something at L, but she didn’t stop until she saw the doors of the bathroom. Her boots slid across the tiled floor. Out of breath, hair flying every which way, she gave a wild eyed gaze to the two students standing in front of the door. Michael and Mortimer. Just the two idiots she wanted to see.

“You!” she shouted and pointed a finger at Mortimer, who jumped in surprise. “I have a job for you.”

Morgyn crashed straight into her, followed by Simeon, who managed to grab them both by the sleeve to keep them from completely falling over. Wobbling upright, L produced a second potion and held it out to Mortimer.

“Oh hell no,” Michael said.

“Shut it, pretty boy,” L snapped. “Consider me, for this brief moment, a fairy godmother. Mortimer, you’re our hero. Are you ready to rescue the lady fair?”

Mortimer’s mouth opened and closed. After a few stuttering sounds, he said, “What?”

“I’m vetoing this,” Simeon said.

“Seconded,” Morgyn gasped. They clutched a hand to their chest as they tried to catch their breath. “L, this is a bad idea. You’re only going to make things worse.”

“L!” came the sharp, sudden voice of Sage Hughes. She marched forward, and the three delinquents jumped back. “You and I are having a talk!”

“Nope,” L said and tossed the second vial. This landed a few feet from her, but it was enough to draw back the crowd of nosy students and give the sage second thoughts. Now with a clock ticking down, L turned, final potion in hand, holding it out desperately to Mortimer.

“We’re on Beauty and the Beast rules, Mort,” she said. “And this time you get to play the beauty.”

“Do not take anything she gives you,” Michael said.

L grabbed onto Mortimer’s hands, holding the vial in his palms, and she stared into his eyes. He lurched back, thudding against the bathroom door.

“Don’t think, Morty,” she said. “You’re at the tallest tower, you’ve defeated the dragon, you’ve raced to the top of the stairs, and she’s waiting for you to throw open that door, and save the day with a kiss. You can do it. Throw caution to the wind, embrace destiny.”

A muffled conversation was happening behind the door. L dragged the potion flask up and yanked the cork free.

“Your princess waits,” she said.

The potion bottle was nearly to his lips when the door pulled back, and Mortimer fell like a log. Everyone shouted as the vial fell from his hands and crashed to the floor, sending up a rising tower of pink smoke. Michael and L staggered back, but it hit face first against Lilith, who coughed and wheezed as she accidentally breathed in the concoction. L's eyes went wide.

“What is–” Lilith waved a hand in front of her face, eyes squeezed shut. “L, what are you doing?”

“I was trying to help,” she said.

“Yeah,” Caleb said, standing over the prone Mortimer. “It’s really obvious.”

“Do you feel anything?” L asked.

Lilith turned away from the crowd. “What did you just poison me with?”

“It’s, well–”

“Class 3!” boomed Sage Reyes. He and the other sages marched forward. “I need to see all of you in my office!”

“Seems we have the entire class right here,” Sage Dyers said. She rubbed her eyes, streaming pink tears from them. “Except one.”

“No,” called a small voice. “I’m here.”

The door to the stall opened, and there was Bella, face still slimy and green and wart covered, her normally shiny black hair in dark clumps around her face. The way her eyes drooped and her mouth bubbled, she was almost unrecognizable. Michael and Mortimer stared in open shock. Lilith opened her eyes and looked straight at Bella. L sucked in a breath.

“If your fairy tale plan was stupid before,” Morgyn muttered, “it’s definitely screwed now.”

“Shut it.” L raised a hand in their face. “Maybe this is exactly what they need.”

Caleb helped Mortimer to his feet, and Lilith stood between them. She stretched out a hand to Bella, who hesitantly took it. Their fingers interlocked, and Lilith stared down at the green hand she held, turning it over like an archeologist finding a pot shard. She blinked some more, her red eyes starting to water pink.

“Bella,” she said and looked up into her eyes. “I take back everything I said. You really are hideous.”

L breathed out. Welp. That was that.

“Alright, alright,” Sage Hughes said, ushering the other students away. “Let’s get to class. Marks off for tardiness.”

“Come here, darling,” Sage Dyers said, stretching out her long, black tipped fingers to Bella. “We’ll get you fixed up.”

“We didn’t even do anything,” Michael complained.

Sage Hughes put a hand on L’s shoulder. “You and I are going to have a little talk after all this. You can tell me why you attacked your teachers with the weakest love potion I’ve ever seen.”

“Ever?” L said. “That seems like a low bar.”

“And you’ve limboed right under it, kid.” She snapped her fingers at the rest of them. “Let’s get moving. There’s going to be a lot of detention notes going around.”

The whole class groaned. L felt a need to defend herself.

“I was only trying to help,” she said.

Bella shot her a withering glare beneath her brows. “L, maybe in the future, you should stop trying.”

“Wait, okay,” Mortimer said. “So that’s Bella.”

“I’m sure Miss Faba can enlighten us all about what happened,” Sage Reyes said. “In detention. My office, now.”

L looked up at him and let out all her breath. Sometimes, you just can’t fight fate.

⬨⬧⬨

Bella sat outside in the courtyard, relaxing on the large fountain. Yesterday’s adventure had come and gone, and while the class would be scrubbing potion stained tiles for the next three weeks, at least she was herself again. Lilith had rolled her eyes as Bella checked herself obsessively in the mirror, ensuring every flaw was gone. Bella had let her. Whatever brief camaraderie they’d shared, it was gone now. Things were truly back to normal.

She should be reading her astronomy book, but she’d let her mind wander instead. A cool autumn breeze ran through the trees. The mountains nestled around all of Glimmerbrook, making the whole world feel small and isolated. It was nice right now. After everyone had seen her at her worst, she didn’t mind being alone. 

But around here, no one was alone for very long.

“Hey,” Mortimer said as he approached the fountain. Bella hadn’t even noticed him coming, hadn’t had time to fix her hair, or adjust her top, or ensure her long legs were in focus. He’d caught her in a moment where she was completely off in her own world. She supposed it was fair. He so often was.

“Hey,” she said and folded her book. “Did you come out here to study too?”

He held up his own textbook. “It’s one of the only classes I like around here. How are you doing today?”

“Do you mean am I a grotesque monstrosity unfit for human society?” She closed her eyes to the breeze as it ruffled her hair. “I’m feeling normal.”

“That’s cool.”

He shrugged his shoulders, and Bella peeked an eye open to look at him. No, Mortimer wasn’t anyone’s teenage heartthrob. He looked like he’d never done laundry a day in his life, and his greasy hair was stuck straight up in an attempt at some fashionably punk. But there was a softness to the eyes, and in the curve of his lip. There was something gentle about him. Bella hadn’t known much gentleness in her short time. Something about him was comforting, and she could easily imagine sinking into his arms as he explained the universe to her.

“I’m sorry,” she said.

He blinked. “What for?”

“It’s L’s fault, really,” she said, “but I did sort of help her make a mess, and now we all have detention for weeks. I should’ve dealt with it. I just didn’t want anyone to see me like that.”

Mortimer climbed onto the fountain, sitting up on top of the edge and letting his feet dangle down into the seat. “Why not?” he asked.

Bella huffed out a laugh. “Why not? I was disgusting. I looked disgusting.”

“You certainly weren’t as appealing as you are now,” he said. His gaze was up, staring at the tower of the school with a distant expression. “People are so quick to judge based on appearances though. I think it makes a monster so interesting. Having some creature drag itself up from the depths, and everyone throws spears and rocks, but in the end most monsters just want to be home. They’re antagonized. They want to feel safe, just like anybody else. Laughing at someone just because they don’t look ‘normal’ is so messed up. Who gets to decide what’s normal anyway?”

Bella gazed up at him. A small smile pulled at her lips. “I guess that makes sense.”

“Have you read Frankenstein?” he asked. Bella shook her head. “Most people only know the movie version, and it’s pretty good, but the book is incredible. The creature is giant, with oily skin and hair, and everyone fears him just because of his appearance, but he’s well read, and learned, and everything he does to get his father’s attention just ends in more cruelty. He’s one of my favorite literary characters.”

“I always liked Bride of Frankenstein,” Bella said.

“I guess that’d be more your kind of monster,” he said, sliding down to sit beside her. “She’s beautiful, but it hides the creature underneath.”

“You think I’m a creature?” Bella asked.

He smiled. “No. I think everyone feels like a creature sometimes. We all feel the slings and arrows of the world. Sometimes it feels good to see something they call hideous fight back. I always thought you’d be the type to fight back.”

Bella sat a little straighter. “You thought that, huh?”

He nodded. The two sat in silence for a moment, neither quite sure what to say next. The breeze rustled the treetops again, and then the upstairs window hinged open, and L leaned out the side.

“You’re supposed to be helping us in the potions room!” she shouted down.

Bella looked up, hoping her sharp gaze could cut L from this distance. She saw Michael appear in the window and sweep her away with his broom. L threw up her hands and marched off. Bella almost laughed when her brother tossed a thumbs up her way and quickly latched the window closed. She shook her head and turned back to Mortimer.

“I guess we should go,” he said.

“Oh, they can wait,” she said. “Besides, we’re studying, aren’t we? Have you read Jane Eyre?”

“Once,” he said. “I’m more of a Turn of the Screw fan.”

i think i started on a different path for caleb that was a little more romantic poet, and then i remembered his 80s glam rock styling and veered hard. it’s very funny to me that i paint him as this nervous lad lacking confidence but also he’s rocking fishnet and leather. vampires are always a conundrum.

mortimer is so heavily influenced by Rémi Marocelli’s Bella Goth Reborn i have no excuse. i like the punk goth angle for him, which i think goes with his overall geekiness. he’s also very rich, so he has more options and looks than his peers. he just wants to be free.

morgyn i think i had the most fun styling. for me, they’re starting to push the boundaries of accepted fashion. i went for a mix of masculine and feminine that also prioritized their comfort. you can tell i looooove that jumpsuit from the fashion street kit (and the shoes)