The Cursed Academy

Not YOU again...

"Oh look!  It's the 'Maid Brigade'!!" we heard Nerezza's shrill voice coming from behind us. We all turned to look at her coming towards us with Mallory, Calliope and another girl following her.  

"Hold it. You stay right there!" I yelled.  "Coach Blackclaw said that we were supposed to stay away from each other.  What are you doing here?  You need to leave. Now."   Nerezza and the other girls stopped about twenty feet from the blanket where we were sitting.  I stood up and started walking toward them.  I was feeling an overpowering urge to put myself between her and my friends.

'We must protect the weak.  We must protect the pack' 

There was that voice again!  I stopped a few feet away from the group of girls.  Nerezza was standing with her arms crossed and a scowl on her face; the other girls mimicking her stance behind her.

"YOU don't own the great outdoors.  We can be out here if we want.  I mean, who is going to stop us?  You?  Andrea, the ice queen? She couldn't lift a chopstick.  Oh but then we have Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum over there? Are you going to clean us to death?  Let's not forget about Mohini?  Oh! Excuse me....MO." She turned around and rolled her eyes at the other girls behind her. " Shouldn't you be at a warlock college instead of a school for witches?  Why don't you go home to India and find one there." Nerezza laughed while she continued to spew her venomous words at us while the other girls giggled and laughed.

Mo stood up and walked to where I had faced off  with the group of girls and was standing by my side with her fists clenched.  "What kind of special stupid are you, Nerezza?? I am from Houston, Texas you evil witch Don't you know a southern accent when you hear it?" Mo spat her words at Nerezza, her voice seething with anger.  I put my hand on Mo's arm and gave it a little squeeze. "Easy now, Cowboy.  Don't let her upset you."

"What do you want, Nerezza?  You obviously aren't going away.  What do you want so we can get this done and over with now?" I demanded.

Nerezza screamed, "I had to clean bird cages because of YOU and your friends. My hair is still oily because of YOU.  I don't care WHAT Coach Blackclaw says...I am here and I am not going to leave because I am going to kick.... your...."

"What's that about not caring what Coach Blackclaw says?  I want to make sure I hear it correctly so when I tell my Dad tonight I get it right and not misquote you.... it's Nerezza isn't it? "  Robin cut her off before she could finish her threat.  

'Where did he come from?  We are facing the building.  He had to have come from the woods.'

"Look.  More 'help'." Nerezza said, with feigned disgust at Robin's arrival.  "Oh dear Goddess!  Stand downwind!  You smell like a wet dog! What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be cleaning something?"

'He really does smell like a dog' I thought while I wondered why it smelled so.... comforting?

I was looking at Robin when I saw his eyes glaze over.

'I KNOW THAT LOOK!!!' OH EM GEE!!! I KNOW THAT LOOK!!!'  I was screaming inside my head.  I have seen my father's face a thousand or more times when he was communicating with pack members through the pack mind link.  His eyes would look just like Robin's do right now.  I just knew that he was mind linking someone. 'Witches eyes don't glaze over like that when they communicate telepathically.  Only wolves.  ONLY WOLVES!!  Could Robin be a wolf? He HAS to be!!' my mind was racing.

"Nerezza, Mallory, Calliope, Narcissa" he named the girls one by one. "I would suggest that you all go on about your business and leave these girls alone."  Robin said sternly.

"LOOK.  Just because your father works here does NOT mean that YOU get to tell me what to do.  My parent's paid a LOT of money for me to attend this school.  They are here for free.  I should certainly have more rights to the campus than they do.  Besides, she made me get in trouble and I am going to beat... her...."

"Beat her what?" we heard a booming voice say; interrupting Nerezza  temper tantrum.  Coach Blackclaw stomped  toward us, stopping between the two groups.  

'Blackclaws 2, Nerezza 0'  I giggled to myself.

Nerezza is apparently a quick thinker because she snapped back ,  "Why...  in the cross country race next Friday, Coach Blackclaw.  What ever did you think I meant."  she said, feigning innocence trying to keep herself out of trouble.

"Uh huh.  Ok.  So, that is what we are going with today?  Alright.  First things first.  What are you two even doing in the same time zone as each other?  I thought I told you to stay far FAR away from each other?" Coach asked us; obviously not fooled by Nerezza's act.

Siobhan, Saoirse and Andrea joined us and stood behind Mo and myself. "Coach Blackclaw?" Andrea tried to get the coach's attention.  "Coach Blackclaw.  We were just completing a new student orientation tour and having a picnic when Nerezza came up to us and tried to start trouble."  She said, trying her best to not cry.  

Andrea is very empathic, as well as a healer, and had told me earlier that extreme emotions are very taxing on her psyche as well as her physical being. She said that when people are yelling or upset or angry that  she could feel the negative energy like a poison seeping into her and making her ill.  

'I am sure all of this is making her feel just horrible!'

Saoirse spoke up, "Coach Blackclaw.  Andrea is telling the truth.  See?  We have our picnic blanket over there under that oak tree." She pointed.  Coach Blackwell looked behind her to see the blanket with what was left of our lunch on it.  I am pretty sure that Coach knew that Andrea was telling the truth because he  turned to look at Nerezza and said. "So, you want to run cross country track?  You want to beat Sophia's... track time? Is that what you are telling me you were saying?" Coach Blackclaw confronted Nerezza with her lie, turning it into an unexpected predicament for her. "I expect you to both be in front of the Administration building on Monday morning for running practice."  He said with a smile. "Since you two cannot stay away from each other, then I guess I will have to watch you myself.  Maybe running will burn off some of this excess energy and anger you seem to have toward one another." he added.  "Nerezza, your friends can go to the bonfire tonight without you.  I gave you both specific instructions to stay away from one another and you chose to disregard what I told you to do.  Tonight, you are confined to your room starting immediately after dinner. Am I clear on these instructions?  You don't seem to have remembered the last ones very well." He scolded.

"Jokes on you.  I am a great long-distance runner.  I can beat you....in this....as well. And, I didn't want to go to the bonfire anyway.  It makes my hair smell like smoke" Nerezza said mockingly and flipping her blonde hair over her shoulder.

"Might go good with the butter." Mo added under her breath.

Coach Blackclaw replied.  "Good.  Since we are all so eager to beat one another I think that a six a.m. start time on Monday morning is in order.  Be here or …go home... permanently.  Am I clear? Oh.  And since you all want to follow the leader.  You can run with Nerezza and Sophia" He said to her entourage. 

 Nerezza and her friends nodded and turned to leave.  I could hear Nerezza's protests about 'it being too early in the morning to run' to her friends as they walked away. 

As soon as they were out of sight, Siobhan appeared at Coach Blackclaw's elbow, handing him a plate with a sandwich on it and a bottle of water.  "I made you a sandwich, Coach Blackclaw" she said with a sweet smile.  "I have chips, too, if  you tell me what kind you want."

I looked over at the blanket and Robin was already sitting down munching on his sandwich that Saoirse had made for him. He had already finished one bottle of water and was working on a second one. I hurried to sit next to him because... I didn't want anyone else to sit there?

'OK where did that come from?  Why do I care who sits next to him?'

Coach smiled and accepted the plate and water.. "May I join you?" He asked, nodding his head toward the blanket. Siobhan's eyes lit up and her smile got bigger.  "Of COURSE you can!" 

"Thank you." I said to Robin who was busy eating another sandwich. "I am sure it wouldn't be an issue to deal with her but, I am starting to make friends here and I don't want to get sent home for fighting." I explained.

Robin smiled and said between chews "No problem.  Glad I could help."  I was staring at Robin, trying to look for other clues that he is a werewolf.

'This guy is a wolf.  I just know it.  How am I going to find out without asking him and blowing my cover? Wait.  If HE is a wolf and Coach Blackclaw is his FATHER, then is Coach Blackclaw a werewolf, too?' All of these questions were making my head hurt.

The others sat down around the edge of the blanket while Robin and Coach Blackclaw ate their sandwiches.  Mo had flipped her skateboard over and was spinning the wheels with her fingers.  "Hey Coach? " she said, giving the wheels another spin, "What's the deal with the sign out front.  Why does it say cursed?  What do you know about it?  We were just talking about it.  Do you know who would want to destroy the sign and why would they spray paint cursed on it? Are we cursed?  Is the school cursed? What IS the curse?  You have to know something." 

Coach finished chewing the last bite of  his sandwich and drank the rest of his water bottle.  He handed the plate and empty bottle to Saoirse who tucked it inside of  her unicorn backpack. "That was delicious.  My compliment to the chef!" he said with a huge smile.  

"Well Mohini," he added. "Let me tell you everything I know about the sign being spray painted with the word cursed on it."