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Everyone quietly awaits his next words and I feel myself leaning forward in my seat.
As he continues, all eyes are faced to the front. “Before we get into our research, we do need to understand that the forest that surrounds our school, the one that used to act as a shield and ally for the academy, is now forbidden to any and all students.”
I feel my hands shake in my lap as I listen to the ominous words. This is what I had wanted to learn more about and, knew I couldn’t ask again.
“Long ago, the forest had been spelled to act as a magical shield for the Shadow Legacy Academy. It was a wonderful place where we were welcomed by all creatures that inhabited the forest. Now, you all must understand that dark magic is strictly forbidden at the school. Any student caught using dark magic will be expelled and have their magic removed immediately.”
I heard a few gasps around me as students were intensely listening. I couldn’t help myself and when I turned to look out the window facing the back of the forest, I caught Ason looking at me again. What was with this guy? He clearly had a problem andneeded to figure it out soon. I’m not the type of girl who will ever let someone– especially a guy– intimidate me.
“A group of Witches went against the rules and began practicing dark magic inside the forest. At first, they kept their wrongdoings a secret, but quickly word spread as the mermaids who lived in the lagoons began to call to students like sirens, luring them into the waters and then drowning them. It became all too clear that these Witches were using their magic for evil. They wanted to control all supernatural creatures and believed that they were creating an army of sorts. However, a group of students discovered this plan and tried to stop them. The Witches performing dark magic were from the Cunningham heritage– a group of powerful Witches who were strong and all held elemental magic.” Candi winced next to me and I offered her a comforting smile as we continued listening. “One of the Witches who tried to stop the Cunninghams was a Halliwell. This particular being was filled with Elemental powers as well as the ability to find her enemies before anyone else could. She died in the forest, but her surviving sister told the story of what had happened. Once the academy learned of what had happened, they placed a warding spell around the forest. We couldn’t remove the dangerous curse that was placed on our once beloved forest, but we could prevent any more students from being killed. The forest, unfortunately, took ten of our students. Nothing like that has happened since…” His words were muffled by the sound of my own heart beating like a wild drum inside of my chest.
One of my ancestors, a Halliwell, had been killed inside of the forest. My mother had never told me this before. Honestly, she had withheld all information about our family from me. I understood that she wanted me to have my own journey of discovery- blah, blah, bah– but this would have been good to know.
I could feel the eyes of my classmates boring into me.
Without thinking, I raised my hand.
“Yes, Farrah. Do you have a question?”
“With a new student now missing, should we worry that the magical ward isn’t working?” I asked.
I did my best to ignore the stares and whispers around me. Candi watched me carefully and I hoped I hadn’t upset her with my question.
Nodding, I was granted my information. “We have the human police looking for all missing teens– both human and supernatural, but we can’t be certain of anything yet. We are leading our own investigation into the disappearances... but yes, we do fear that the curse of the thorns and forest may be alive again. The trees in the forest whisper to each other, sharing evil secrets. Listening very carefully, you can hear snatches of conversations from long ago, of spells cast and ancient secrets found in the hollows of the giant trees. The allure of the forest can be strong, but you must do your best to ignore the call. Stay away from the forest,” he advised.
I saw another student raise their hand; but before he could ask a question,a loud siren blared through the school.
“What is that?” I asked, muffling my ears with my hands.
Candi’s grim expression had me wishing I had never asked. The sound had interrupted an interesting lesson on the forest, but something told me that I was about to get another lesson.
“That is the warning siren. Something bad must have happened,” Candi said, her voice trembling in fear.
Great, just what I needed, something else to go wrong.
Chapter 6
Aheavydoseofreality descends on us as we enter the large auditorium.
When the loud sirens began, I had no idea what was happening. Panic had ensued and students began shrieking as they scurried toward the auditorium. I was somewhat relieved to find other students who were new like I was, just as lost as I was in the moment. Thankfully I had Candi and she had led me to where we needed to go.
“Silence,” Headmaster Patricia roared, as she stood on the large stage in front of us. Her long, golden robes seemed to sway as she moved to stand in front of a sleek podium.
Everyone sat still as statues as we waited for her announcement. My heart was racing and I felt a strange urge to cry. Nothing at Shadow Legacy Academy had gone right since I had arrived. Maybe I should just call my mom and beg her to come and get me?
“Last night something terrible happened,” Headmaster Patricia stated, wringing her hands as she spoke.
The rest of the professors lined the stage behind her. Their stoic expressions made me even more nervous about the moment.
“This isn’t good,” Candi whispered, as she leaned into me.
Shaking my head, I agreed with her.
“I regretfully stand here to tell you all that another student went missing early into the morning hours. Second-year student, Lara went missing. Her roommate and friend, Stella, reported her missing before breakfast. We fear she, too, may have succumbed to the cursed forest.”
Anguish filled Headmaster Patricia’s face and everyone around us began gasping and crying out in shock. I found Stella in the crowd and she was sobbing, her face buried in her hands. Tears streamed down her face as a few students near her tried to comfort her. I could see a billow of smoke surrounding her and a part of me felt bad for her. Sure, Stella had been terrible to me, but I wasn’t a cold-hearted monster. She was clearly upset over her missing friend.
I had no idea what to do. Students were missing and I had never felt more turmoil in my life. As she continued, I saw the professors lining behind her give students empathetic and somber expressions. “Until further notice, the academy will be on lockdown. No student is allowed outside of these walls unless accompanied by a professor. This is a dire situation and one that I won’t take lightly. I can assure you that we have a team who are doing everything in their power to find out why the curse is being tampered with,” she stated.
