Loved By Witches

Atlantis High School

Sophia stood at the gates of Oakwood Heights Academy, with her single strap of her worn leather bag.

The school looked like a palace with manicured lawns, marble pillars, and students looked like they had stepped out for a fashion catalog.

It turns out that Madame Olga still helped her gain admission into the school just so she could escape. But she is abandoned to fend for herself.

Sophia tried to find her way. She felt every eye on her. It wasn't just her thrift store jacket or her scuffed boots that stood out, it was her silver hair.

Keeping her head down, she hurried toward the main hallway. Her mind was a mess of grief and nerves, and she wasn't looking where she was going.

Suddenly, she heard a thump and collided with someone, the impact sending a jolt through her shoulder.

"Hey, look where you're going, are you blind?" a sharp voice snapped.

Sophia looked up, squinting against the bright hallway lights. She was staring at a girl who looked like she belonged on a billboard, with perfectly curled blonde hair, flawless makeup, and a designer uniform that probably cost more than Sophia's family's last six months of rent.

"Oh, I’m sorry," Sophia stammered, her face flushing. "I was looking—"

"You were looking at the floor." the girl interrupted and hissed.

Her eyes were cold, scanning Sophia with visible disgust.

Sophia froze. Still, she apologized again. “I am very sorry."

"Of course, you're sorry. Poor thing.” The girl snapped and walked away.

Two other girls stood over their lockers and laughed out loud. Sophia felt ashamed.

One of them smirked, crossing her arms. "That is Star. She’s the queen of this school. You should be lucky you even bumped into her. She doesn't usually look at dirt like you twice."

Sophia opened her mouth to defend herself, but the other girl cut her off with a dismissive wave. "Hurry up and move before you pollute the air with your poverty." They laughed and began to walk away.

Sophia stood there for a second, her heart hammering. She hadn't even been in the building for ten minutes and she already had a target on her back.

“Just get through the day," she told herself. "Don't get into trouble.”

Soon, the bell rang, and Sophia followed the flow of students into a history classroom.

The teacher was a tall brunette man with sharp glasses who introduced himself as Mr. Chen.

"We have a new student joining us today," Mr. Chen said, gesturing toward her. "Would you like to introduce yourself?"

Sophia stood up, feeling thirty pairs of eyes digging into her. "I'm Sophia. I just moved here from Cleveland High, Kira."

The room erupted in snickering. A girl in the back whispered, "Cleveland? Isn't that the place where the poor farmers stay?"

Star, sitting in the middle row, didn't even turn around. She just spoke loud enough for the whole room to hear. "No wonder. I could smell the poverty the moment she walked in. Mr. Chen, I think the class needs a new poverty repellent."

The minions giggled, but Mr. Chen tapped his desk sharply. "That’s enough. Welcome, Sophia. Please take a seat."

Mr. Chen turned to the whiteboard. "Today, we are discussing the geopolitical shifts of the 17th century, specifically the impact of the hidden economies. Can anyone tell me why the sudden collapse of the silver trade in 1640 had a disproportionate effect on the Mediterranean powers?"

Star’s hand shot up instantly.

"Yes, Star?"

"It was due to the over-reliance on Spanish bullion," Star said confidently, leaning back in her chair. "When the supply dwindled, the inflation caused a total stagnation of trade routes, effectively bankrupting the merchant classes."

"A very strong contribution, Star," Mr. Chen said, nodding. "Very well-read."

But then, he noticed Sophia's hand. It was raised halfway, trembling slightly. "Sophia? Do you have something to add?"

Sophia stood up. She knew this history, not from a textbook, but from coven records. "Actually, while the bullion was a factor, the real collapse happened because of the clandestine treaty of 1639. The Mediterranean powers didn't just lose silver, they lost their primary labor contracts to the northern privateers, which effectively shifted the entire naval power balance overnight. The inflation was just a symptom, not the cause."

The room went dead silent. Mr. Chen stared at Sophia, his eyebrows rising behind his glasses.

"That is incredibly accurate," Mr. Chen said, sounding genuinely impressed. "In fact, most university level texts overlook the 1639 treaty entirely. Excellent input, Sophia. It’s nice to have another history enthusiast in the room."

Sophia sat back down, her face burning. She could feel Star’s glare burning into the side of her head.

People looked at Sophia with shock because for the first time, someone had challenged the "queen’s" academic throne.

When the bell rang, Sophia was the first one out. She packed her things in a frenzy and bolted for the door, desperate to get away before Star could say anything.

In her rush, she turned a corner too sharply and slammed into a solid chest.

"Oh goodness, not again!" she gasped.

Her bag flew open, and her meager belongings spilled across the floor.

There was a cheap plastic hair comb, and a few crumpled loose leaf papers scattered everywhere.

It was a humiliating display of her current life.

She dropped to her knees, frantically grabbing at her things. "I'm so sorry, I wasn't looking..."

"It's okay. I think you were looking where you were going, just maybe a little too fast," a deep, calm voice said.

Sophia noticed a pair of hands helping her. They were steady and tanned. She looked up and instantly felt the air leave her lungs.

He was easily the most handsome person she had ever seen. He had dark, messy hair and eyes so blue they looked like the ocean under a clear sky.

He was looking at her with genuine concern. "Are you okay?" he asked.

"I... yeah. I'm fine," Sophia stammered, her brain failing to form a coherent sentence.

They both reached for her history book at the same time. Their fingers brushed.

The moment their skin touched, powerful surge of electricity shot up Sophia's arm.

It wasn't a static shock it was a literal vibration of energy that made her vision flare. Her breath hitched.

As a witch, she knew exactly what that feeling was. It was the "Tether." The undeniable, magical pull of a soul lover.

She looked into his blue eyes, her heart racing. Out of all the people in this school, and all the places in the world, she had just bumped into her soulmate.