Chapter 2
1563 Words
The academy was louder than usual during dance rehearsals. Music echoed through the halls while students practiced everywhere. “Orphic and Luke, you’ll partner together,” the mentor announced.
Luke.
Apparently, everyone in this school adored him.
Perfect grades.
Athlete.
Popular.
The kind of guy people instantly admired. I walked toward the center of the stage while Cyfrin watched from the audience seats. Luke and I started rehearsing, but something felt off. The movements lacked connection, it made the dance look awkward, even the mentor noticed.
“Stop,” he sighed.
“Cyfrin, get up here.” I glanced toward Cyfrin and noticed how quickly his expression changed. He looked almost excited. The moment he stepped onto the stage beside me, the atmosphere shifted.
“Ready?” the mentor called out.
The music started.
And suddenly everything flowed naturally. Every movement felt effortless. Every step matched perfectly. I hated admitting it, but dancing with Cyfrin felt easy.
Comfortable. Dangerously comfortable.
The mentor practically looked amazed by the time we finished.
“Now THAT is chemistry,” he exclaimed. Cyfrin looked away awkwardly while I tried to ignore the strange feeling building in my chest.
After rehearsals ended, everyone slowly left the stage, except us.
“Can we practice that part again?” Cyfrin asked. I nodded. The two of us rehearsed alone while the music echoed quietly through the empty room. For a moment, it almost felt like nobody else existed. Just us. I caught him staring at me more than once. And somehow… I didn’t mind.
As we finished the rehearsals, we walked together through the halls when Cyfrin suddenly spoke. “You were good earlier.” I looked at him.
“Thanks. You too.” He blushed.
“So… uh… good luck tomorrow,” he said awkwardly.
“Yeah,” I answered. “See you.”
As I walked away, I could still feel his eyes following me.
The alarms inside every dorm room blared the next evening.
“Rise and shine, students!” the headmistress announced through the speakers. “Please gather at the Main Campus immediately. We have important matters to discuss.” I sighed as I sat up in bed. Zara groaned dramatically from across the room while Audrey buried her face into her pillow.
A few minutes later, the three of us stepped outside and met up with Cyfrin and Blake.
“What do you think this is about?” Cyfrin asked. “Probably another event,” Zara answered lazily. “Or another dramatic speech.” We joined the rest of the students gathered around the campus courtyard. The headmistress stood at the center with a serious expression. Immediately, I knew something was wrong. “I have unfortunate news,” she began.
The entire academy fell silent.
“The Waldrom family has started searching for the Enchantress again.”The moment I heard those words, my chest tightened. “They believe someone inside this academy knows where it is hidden.” My fingers instinctively moved toward the necklace resting beneath my uniform.
The Enchantress.
“If anyone possesses information regarding the necklace,” the headmistress continued, “keep it hidden. If the Waldroms find it, every life in this academy will be in danger.” I stayed perfectly still. But internally? My thoughts were spiraling. Why did my mother give this necklace to me? What made it so important? The announcements ended shortly after. As everyone started walking toward their classes, Audrey turned toward Zara.
“What exactly is the Enchantress?”
“It’s the most powerful enchanted necklace in existence,” Zara explained. “It can absorb abilities and store them inside itself.”
“The necklace has existed for centuries,” Cyfrin added. “Only one family ever possessed it.”
“The Alyus family,” Zara continued quietly. “But they all died years ago.”
I lowered my gaze immediately.
If only they knew.
The entire day, I couldn’t focus on anything. Questions kept flooding my mind. How did my family end up with the necklace? Why does my family have it? And what makes it so special that every person wants it?
The second class ended, and I used my powers to travel back to our old home in Edinburgh. The castle stood exactly the way I remembered.
Silent. Broken. Haunted.
I slowly stepped inside my old bedroom. Dust covered almost everything. The memories hit me harder than I expected. I searched everywhere for clues.
Nothing.
Frustrated, I entered my parents’ bedroom instead. That’s when I noticed something strange. The closet looked different. I slowly opened it and discovered a hidden trunk buried beneath old clothes. Inside were old photographs.
Letters.
Old documents.
And one particular photo immediately caught my attention.
My mother. Wearing the necklace. The Enchantress. I stared at the picture while memories flooded my mind.
The fire that caused all of this. My parents sacrificing themselves to save me. The castle collapsing. And an old man laughing while everything burned. A tear rolled down my cheek. I quickly wiped it away. Then another feeling replaced the sadness.
Anger.
Pure anger.
The Waldrom family destroyed my life. And sooner or later… they were going to pay for it.
When I returned to Emrys Academy, Zara immediately looked up from her bed.
“You disappeared for hours,” she said.
“Where did you go?” Audrey asked suspiciously.
“I just needed some air,” I answered.
Audrey narrowed her eyes.
“For hours?”
“I’m tired,” I muttered before lying down.
Luckily, they stopped asking questions. But I could tell they didn’t believe me. That night, I barely slept. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw the fire again. My parents are screaming. The castle is burning. And the old man smiling.
The next evening was finally the day of the Enigmatic Dance performance. The academy was crowded with students, professors, and visiting families. Everyone looked excited. Meanwhile, I felt strangely nervous.
As the performance began, the audience immediately focused on Cyfrin and me. The music echoed softly through the auditorium while we danced. Every movement between us felt natural. Effortless. At one point, Cyfrin leaned slightly closer. “You look beautiful tonight,” he whispered. I looked away quickly. “You don’t look terrible yourself.” He laughed quietly.
The performance ended with loud applause filling the room. But before I could fully process anything, I noticed someone standing near the curtains. A man dressed entirely in black. Watching me. The second our eyes met, he ran. Without thinking, I chased after him.
“Orphic!” Cyfrin shouted behind me.
I ignored him. The masked man disappeared down one of the academy hallways.
When I turned the corner, more masked figures appeared.
A trap.
“Stay back,” I warned Cyfrin. Before he could argue, the attackers rushed toward us.
I didn’t back down.
I used my pyrokinesis to block their punches and kicks. Then, the air was filled with smoke when I set off a smoke bomb to distract them while I beat every single one of them.
As the smoke disappeared, every single attacker was unconscious on the ground. Cyfrin stared at me in shock.
“How did you—”
“My parents trained me when I was younger,” I answered.
“Who were they?”
I hesitated.
“The Waldroms.”
His expression changed immediately.
“What?”
“They’ve spent centuries hunting us,” I admitted quietly. “They destroy anyone connected to my bloodline.” Cyfrin stayed silent.
“How are you so sure that it’s them?”
“They’re the only people I could think of who would attack me.”
“Why is that?”
I stayed silent.
“You’re not who everyone thinks you are… are you?”
“No.”
“Then who are you?”
I looked away.
“I can’t tell you.” The silence between us felt heavy.
Then suddenly, Cyfrin stepped closer. “Whatever it is,” he said softly, “I’m here for you.”
I stared at him for a moment.
No fear.
No judgment.
Just concern. For me.
Before I could respond, he awkwardly cleared his throat. “Can you teach me how to fight?”
I blinked. “You literally have powers.”
“Yeah, but I don’t want to depend on them forever.”
I could tell he was making excuses. Still…I agreed.
“Stand up,” I told him.
He immediately tried throwing a punch. I caught his arm and pinned him down effortlessly.
“That's all you’ve got?” I teased. He tried to lunged at me but I pinned him to the wall. For a second, we just stared at each other. Too close. Way too close. I immediately stepped back awkwardly. Then my phone rang.
Unknown.
I answered quickly. “Who is this?”
“Orphic!” Audrey cried. “Please help!” I instantly froze.
“What happened? Where are you?”
“Hex Hall.”
“I’m coming.”
Without wasting another second, I ran. Cyfrin followed immediately behind me.
“Why would Audrey even be there?” he asked. “Hex Hall is abandoned.”
“I don’t know,” I answered.
The moment we arrived, something felt wrong.
It was too quiet.
Then suddenly, everything went black.
- Writer
