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“I thought you might appreciate something a little bit more lightweight, Miss Cristescu,” Mr Williams said with no small amount of disdain.
I resisted the urge to lower my fangs and instead plastered on a benign smile. “Very thoughtful of you.”
Mr Williams moved on and finished handing out the tennis balls before returning to his desk. He pulled one final ball out, holding it in the palm of his hand, and closed his eyes.
“Today, I want you to concentrate on getting the ball to levitate a few inches above your palm.” As he spoke, his tennis ball instantly rose, hovering perfectly in the air. “By the end of the week, I’ll expect you all to be able to do this,” he continued. The ball rose higher, starting to spin in a circle. The circles increased ever larger before it was hurtling around the room at high speed. Several students gasped, and I grudgingly admitted that Mr Williams was a talented warlock. I spent a moment wondering what the heaviest thing he’d ever been able to levitate was. A king-sized bed? A car?
My thoughts were cut short when something bounced off the side of my head. The class burst into amused laughter while I scowled in annoyance. Mr Williams’ tennis ball had just crashed into my temple.
“Ooops. Sorry about that. I must be a little rusty after the Christmas break.”
At the front of the class, Belinda and her friends snickered. Anger boiled within me at my teacher’s casual and insincere apology. I saw red. Acting on instinct, I picked the ball up from where it fell on the floor and launched it through the air at Mr Williams. I might’ve been hopeless at magic, but my aim was on point. The room fell silent as the ball bounced off the side of Mr Williams’ head with a satisfying thud.
“Ooops,” I said, mimicking his half-arsed apology as I glanced around the room. “Looks like I don’t need to worry about throwing a ball with magic when I’ve got such a good arm.”
Again, the students laughed, though this time, it was at Mr Williams’ expense. If I wasn’t mistaken, Ren Tanaka’s lips twitched in amusement, though Peter wore a stoic, unreadable expression. Mr Williams’ face went crimson as he roared, “Quiet!” The room fell silent. “Darya Cristescu, go to Principal Wolf’s office this instant.”
“Okay, but can I take my tennis ball with me? It’s kind of cute.”
“Go now!” he shouted.
I picked up my bag, throwing in the tiny tennis ball. Nic stared at me wide-eyed, probably worrying about the severe punishment I would receive. I shrugged, giving him a look that said everything would be fine. Heading towards the door, I cast one last glance in Peter’s direction. He watched me leave, still no trace of expression on his face. I wondered if he approved or disapproved of my behaviour. Despite having top grades in all his classes, Peter still had to deal with snobbish treatment from some of our teachers because of his last name. Unlike me, though, he never lashed out and simply took the treatment stoically and without any discernible reaction.
Maybe I needed to take a leaf out of Peter’s book.
“Please inform Principal Wolf that you’re being sent to his office because you assaulted a teacher during class.”
I raised both eyebrows and cocked my head. “That wasn’t assault. It was self-defence.”
Mr Williams gaped. “It was not.”
“In fairness, it was,” Ren Tanaka spoke up, surprising everyone. Huh, I think I like the new boy.
“If you don’t wish to be sent to the principal’s office on your very first day, I’ll advise you to stay out of this, Mr Tenaka.”
“There are twenty witnesses in this classroom who saw you pommel your tennis ball into her head before she threw it back at you,” Ren argued, and I smiled. It was official. Ren had gained a fan.
“Yeah,” I added. “You can say you were rusty all you want, but everyone knows you’re a master of telekinesis. Masters don’t make sloppy mistakes.”
I shared a grin with Ren and noticed Peter’s eyes narrow as he glanced between us.
Mr Williams’ eyes flashed black. “Out. Out now before I make my mind up to have you suspended, Darya Cristescu.”
I laughed at that. “Okay, sure, have me suspended. It’d be such a terrible punishment not to have to look at your sour face for a few days.”
Sensing his barely restrained rage, I didn’t wait around for him to retaliate. Luckily, I got on swimmingly with Principal Wolf’s receptionist, a shapeshifter named Chloe. She was an attractive woman in her mid-thirties. Her long, shiny black hair and goldish green eyes hinted at the fact that she was able to transform into a panther at will.
Needless to say, I was glad to be on amicable terms with her.
“Darya, so lovely to see you,” she greeted with a warm smile. “What brings you to the office? Do you need a spare copy of your timetable?”
