《Bad Girl Magic》


 Chapter 1

    Allie cleared the frost off the car window using her sleeve. Her hands grown pale and stiff from the early morning chill. She knew she should have stolen that winter coat she saw at Target yesterday. It would have been so easy to walk away with it during the holiday rush.


    Though, considering her luck, she would have been grabbed by the security guards six steps from the exit. Allie blew on her fingers to wake them up a little before pulling her wand out her back pocket. She kissed the pointed white oak¡¯s surface, praying to any spirit that could hear her for it to work just this one time.


    ¡°Reserare,¡± Allie whispered. Sparks sizzled the car door¡¯s lock then she heard a low click. Allie checked the empty suburban streets again. Being caught doing magic amongst the mortals was an instant first-degree offense and being eighteen meant no more cushy time at juvie.


    She rubbed the long scar a rather deranged half-fairy had delivered to her neck her first stint in those cursed halls. It flared, the puckered flesh none too fond of the cold.


    Her end goal was to get the car to Mr.Obin down at twenty-second street which was a good fifty miles away. Allie slid inside the car and smiled at the interior¡¯s almost pristine condition. The new car smell was still clinging to the nice leather seats. Maybe she could haggle a higher price out the old troll. Mr.Obin did say he liked to see spunk from his thieves.


    ¡°Got to get the car there first girly,¡± she said to herself. She stowed her wand back inside her pocket, not willing to tempt fate further, as she ducked below the steering wheel. All it took was reconnecting a few wires to send her barreling down towards the highway.


    Feeling secure her theft would go unnoticed, Allie imagined the the things she would buy once she had some cash. A nice hotel room to stay in. Those new morphable wands the rich kids at her old school were getting. Sure the sky wasn¡¯t the limit, but at least she had nudged the ceiling blocking her path to some type of future. Baby steps.


    It wasn¡¯t until she had swung into fast food lined streets of the University district that she heard the sirens behind her. Allie¡¯s heart jumped to her throat while her mind raced to find a plan to avoid them. The car slowing down despite her foot smashing the gas pedal the hardest she could wasn¡¯t helping.


    Why the hell was there a bait car in the suburbs? Allie swerved into a nearby shopping plaza, semi-frozen hands struggling to wrench her wand free from her back pocket. She spoke the first spell to come to her mind. ¡°Velocitas.¡±


    The regained its speed to her delight. It also hurled itself at an unstoppable pace towards an abandoned shoe store.


    ¡°No! No! No!¡± The brakes were useless at stopping Allie¡¯s momentum.


    Her face ricocheted off the expanding airbag as the car ripped through the storefront, broken bricks cracking the windows. She was barely aware of the two hands yanking her across the space-time continuum till she found herself sitting between a raving old woman and man in a well-tailored suit.


    Allie blinked at the harsh lights illuminating the green tiled hallway. It took a few moments for her to recognize the somber decor from under her shock-induced haze.


    The Low Wizarding Court. Where the little bads were tried so the High Wizarding Court could handle the actually important cases. To a girl like Allie, it was more a home than the hundred sum foster homes she¡¯d been stuck in.


    ¡°Ehhm,¡± coughed the suited man.


    She registered the thick paper folder laying on his lap with confusion. ¡°Are you supposed to be my lawyer?¡±


    ¡°Yup.¡± He smoothed dreads down then offered her a hand. ¡°Ja¡¯shawn P. Kallory at your service.¡±


    ¡°Where¡¯s Miss Lins?¡± she asked, ignoring his hand.


    ¡°Miss Lins is assigned to handle juvenile offenders and as of last week, you aren¡¯t a juvenile anymore.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t remind me,¡± she thought.


    Ja¡¯shawn rifled the papers in his folder. ¡°Any reason you decided to steal that car?¡±


    ¡°I needed the money.¡±


    ¡°You couldn¡¯t get a job?¡±


    Allie squared her shoulders defensively. ¡°What¡¯s it to you?¡±


    Ja¡¯shawn closed the folder, lips curving to a deep frown. ¡°Let me not mince words here Ms. Mincy. The charges against you are rather severe. Using magic in the presence of Normals. Using magic to commit a crime. Destroying Normals property. Requiring a magical cover up.¡±


    She drummed her fingers on her knees. ¡°How much am I looking at?¡±


    ¡°Fifteen to twenty years at an adult penitentiary is what you¡¯ll get if we get a good judge.¡±


    Her stomach threatened to hurl its contents across the gray tiled floor. Allie tried to rise to her feet but Ja¡¯shawn yack to her seat.


    ¡°The only reason you aren¡¯t in handcuffs right now is because this place is locked up tight. If you want to go anywhere I¡¯ll have to accompany unless you¡¯d like a zap to the face.¡± He offered her a handkerchief. ¡°Plug your nose. You¡¯re getting blood all over yourself.¡±


    ¡°Why am I here now? I was just in a car crash, shouldn¡¯t I be at a hospital or something?¡± Her fingers shook too bad to get the cloth into her nose on the first try. She folded silky square to smaller and smaller triangles while Ja¡¯shawn fought to be heard past the raving woman¡¯s unintelligible shouts.


    ¡°Extractors checked your injuries before they dumped you on me. There nothing wrong with you a healer can¡¯t fix later.¡±


    Fix. Dump. She was a person, dammit! Not some object to be tossed at whatever poor bastard who got cornered by the previous schmuck in charge of her. Allie kept this angry declaration to herself though, focusing on gathering her nerves.Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    A fairy woman, lacy orange wings clashing with the conservative pantsuit she wore, collected the raving old woman and disappeared down the hallway.


    Ja¡¯shawn checked his phone. ¡°Okay, we¡¯ve got thirty minutes or so until the judge¡¯s ready to hear your case.¡±


    ¡°Thirty minutes?! I just got here, shouldn¡¯t I be talking to a cop, getting my statements in.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re wizards. Evidence gathering in uncomplicated like yours takes around ten minutes.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not how we did it in juvie,¡± said Allie, deflating.


    ¡°Blame the Three-One Council for the difference. They somehow got it in their heads that mimicking what kids see on Normals¡¯ television shows would make juvenile offenders less troublesome before they¡¯re shipped off.¡± Ja¡¯shawn threw his hands in the air. ¡°Politicians. What can you do?¡±


    ¡°Oh, spirits! I can¡¯t go to an adult penitentiary. Look at me! They¡¯ll break my skinny ass in half within the week. ¡±


    Ja¡¯shawn raised an eyebrow. ¡°You do know there are guards there too, right?¡±


    ¡°So? One prison riot and the next time you¡¯ll see me I¡¯ll be some corpse at a morgue.¡±


    ¡°You watch too much Normal shows.¡± Ja¡¯shawn checked his phone again. ¡°Alright, when we go to the judge, you¡¯ll enter a guilty plea. I¡¯ll ask the judge to consider your youthful age then we¡¯ll just have to pray they¡¯ve had a good day.¡±


    Allie flung Ja¡¯shawn¡¯s carefully folded napkin, too angry to control herself anymore. ¡°Are you kidding me? That¡¯s it? I want a trial! I refuse to just slink off to prison with my tail between my legs.¡±


    ¡°Then your best case scenario goes from fifteen to twenty to twenty to forty. I would expect a girl who''s lived the life you¡¯ve had would recognize the society we exist in. Do you think a jury are going to take pity on a low-level magic user such as you? You want me to look at you? Why don¡¯t you look at yourself.¡±


    Hot tears prickled Allie¡¯s eyes as she realized her abrasive lawyer was right. Everywhere she went, her inability to easily channel magic had been thrown back in her face. Rich kids. Poor kids. White. Latino. Black. Asian. Fairy. Troll. Beating up on her was a cause anyone could unite behind. Even her foster parents made it known why she remained while others were taken to new homes, though some sugarcoated it.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Ja¡¯shawn collected his handkerchief off the floor and used it to wipe her still bloody nose. ¡°I went too far.¡±


    She pushed him away. ¡°Don¡¯t touch me. Let¡¯s just get this trial over with already.¡±


    ¡°Fine.¡± He deposited the handkerchief on her lap, then gestured for her to put it in her nose. After she did that, he stood. ¡°Try to keep your composure. Some judges really hate to see defendants cry, especially women. It makes them feel manipulated.¡±


    ¡°Leave me alone.¡± Getting to her feet sent woozy quakes to her battered forehead. She was taken aback by her reflection on the shiny tile floor. Black bruises rimmed both eyes, their dark tendrils reaching her neck like someone was drawing on her face but was interrupted before they could finish. Her battered nose was a shade redder than her knotted hair. Allie wiped the blood off her split using her thin shirt.


    ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go.¡±


    The march the black door¡¯s at the hallway¡¯s end reminded Allie of the funeral marche¡¯s she¡¯d seen on some half-forgotten march. Except she was alone, she wouldn¡¯t mind being dead at the moment, and no one was going to visit her once she was buried behind penitentiary walls.


    ¡°Put on your game face.¡± Ja¡¯shawn opened the doors to a spacious undecorated room. Benches filled the space between the Judge¡¯s desk and the entrance. A bailiff, troll if the sharp canines jutting out his lower jaw were anything to go by, stood guard at the only other door to the room. His rat-like eyes gazed at Allie in a way that made her skin crawl.


    ¡°Approach the bench¡± called the judge. The woman was the same shade of mahogany tone as Ja¡¯shawn but unlike Ja¡¯shawn a curled horn graced each side of her temple. Dusky feathers coated the two gargantuan wings attached to her small frame. Allie never thought she would see a mountain fairy this close to Normal civilization. Emblazoned on in her desk¡¯s front was a plaque.


    ¡°Judge Ruth Satsori of the Low Wizard Court,¡± it read.


    Her lawyer placed a steadying hand on Allie¡¯s back during their slow walk to the wooden rail separating the judge from them. The judge watched their procession, head resting her head on a taloned fist, absolute boredom etched on her leather face.


    ¡°What¡¯s the plea?¡± asked the Judge.


    ¡°Guilty, your honor,¡± Ja¡¯shawn replied.


    Judge Satsori pointed at Allie. ¡°I know we are all tired this late night but proper protocol must always be followed. The girl has to give the plea.¡±


    ¡°My apologies ma¡¯am.¡± Ja¡¯shawn nudged his defendant a bit forward.


    Allie¡¯s tongue clung to the roof of her mouth worse than any peanut butter cup. The tears she had held at bay for the last thirty minutes threatened to overflow onto her cheeks. ¡°I. . . I. . .¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡± prodded the judge. She tapped her finger impatiently against her desk.


    The apathy on the older woman¡¯s face, the room¡¯s suffocating emptiness, and the fact no one except her seemed to care her life was finished broke Allie¡¯s control.


    She burst into tears. ¡°Please don¡¯t send me to prison! Please, please, please. I¡¯ll do anything.¡±


    ¡°Handle your client.¡±


    Ja¡¯shawn tried to put his arms around Allie yet the gesture only transformed her sadness to rage. ¡°I already told you not to touch me!¡±


    The bailiff grabbed a mysterious weapon holstered to his belt only to be stayed by the judge¡¯s sharp glance. Judge Satsori returned her attention to the shaking Allie. ¡°If you didn¡¯t want to be here then you shouldn¡¯t have used magic to steal a car.¡±


    ¡°My foster parents kicked me out the day I turned eighteen. Those shelters you cunts build to house freaks like me are literal death traps. Humans wouldn¡¯t accept us because they can smell the magic on us and you wouldn¡¯t accept us because we can¡¯t channel enough to use. So fuck your moralizing. Fuck you for acting like you can hold any opinion on the things I¡¯ve done to survive.¡±


    ¡°Oh, spirits.¡± Ja¡¯shawn laid his head into his hands.


    Judge Satsori didn¡¯t seem to share his exasperation. In fact, her face was beyond inscrutable to Allie. A fact which began to disturb her the longer she remained beneath the judge¡¯s icy gaze. The anger sustaining her dread cooled to a terrible dread. The years she was certain to be fated to stretched across her mind at an unending length.


    ¡°Allie Mincy.¡±


    ¡°Yes, your honor,¡± whispered Allie.


    ¡°I, Judge Ruth Satsori, sentence you to complete the corrective program at Munnins Reform School for Wayward Wizards. You think you deserve a second chance, you got it. This second chance is also your last.¡±


    ¡°T-Thank you Judge.¡± Reform School? Weren¡¯t those the places Normals sent their bratty teenagers too. Allie felt Ja¡¯shawn grip her shoulder.


    ¡°Your honor, where are you sending my client to?¡± asked Ja¡¯shawn.


    ¡°Munnins Reform School for Wayward Wizards. Was I not clear in my diction?¡±


    ¡°I never heard of such a place. Is it a penitentiary? An asylum? What?¡±


    Judge Satasori leaned forward in her seat. ¡°Haven¡¯t you heard the good news? Dr. Rodriguez, the ¡®Compassionate Mage¡¯ some have called him, has finally gotten the Three-One council to adopt his more rehabilitative towards criminals. At a judge¡¯s discretion, a criminal can be sent to the Munnins Reform School for Wayward Wizards to complete the three year program.¡±


    ¡°And if she fails to complete it,¡± asked Ja¡¯shawn.


    ¡°She¡¯ll spend double the maximum sentence at a nice supermax prison. ¡±


    ¡°Wait, what?¡±


    Cruelty tinged the wide smile crossing the Judge¡¯s face. ¡°All deals come at a compromise dear. You also can¡¯t reoffend, ever, or you¡¯ll be considered to have failed the to complete the program. Isn¡¯t it a win-win? No matter what happens, you¡¯ll end up fitting in somewhere.¡±


    ¡°She can¡¯t do this to me, Ja¡¯shawn.¡± The bailiff grabbed at her arm but Allie jerked away in time to miss him. ¡°Tell me she can¡¯t do this to me.¡±


    Ja¡¯shawn sighed, refusing to me Allie¡¯s eyes.


    The bailiff sealed Allie¡¯s hands together using an invisible bind before Alli could dodge him again. She still fought him. ¡°This isn¡¯t fair! You can¡¯t steal my entire life like this!.¡±


    ¡°Bailiff,¡± snapped the judge.


    It was the last thing Allie heard for awhile. She reawoke alone on an empty bus, hands and feet shackled together, a gray desert stretching endlessly outside her window.

 Chapter 2

    Allie stared at the unmanned wheel as it slowly spun on its own. If it weren¡¯t for the binds and the spell pinning her to the flakey bus seat, she would have tried to wrest it under her control. Where she would drive herself to was another question entirely.


    Civilization was nowhere in sight on the endless desert landscape behind her window. Sun rays licked color back into the the distant mountains as night left for other parts. Allie pressed her hands against the dusty window.


    It didn¡¯t budge no matter how hard she pushed it. Not for the first time in her life did Allie curse her lanky physique.


    ¡°Reserare.¡± Her fingers tingled for just a moment but without her wand to channel it, the magic soon dissipated. ¡°Reserare! Reserare!¡±


    Nothing.


    Memories of old childhood taunts rose unbidden to her mind.


    ¡°Lo-Lo. Lo-Lo.¡± The slur was almost the one constant she had across her transfers from foster home to foster home.


    She pushed the unwanted reminders of her past to the deepest mental pit inside her head. Allie tugged on the blue jumpsuit which had replace her blood-stained leggings and hoodie. Judge Satsori should have at least explained to her what she would be doing during her sentence at Munnins.


    Was it a boot camp? She hoped not. Her greatest athletic skill was running at the first sign of a fight. Would she be Stanley Yelnats without a Zero to turn her luck around? Distracted, she nearly missed the tiny sign on the roadside.


    ¡°Munnins: Home to Second Chances,¡± it read.


    Seconds later, streetlights began to line the crack-riddled road. The hair on her arms stood on end, a possible sign the bus had passed through a mesmer shield.


    High-level wizards could discern everything down to the sex of the spell¡¯s caster by only being near the area the spell affected. Allie had trouble determining whether she had really sensed a mesmer shield or just her nerves.


    The bus slowed as the road came to an end next to two women. A mesmer shield within a mesmer shield was something she thought was reserved for the absolute important wizarding locations. Not due to their utility, a single mesmer shield was strong enough to prevent even the most intrepid mortal at bay, but to express the strength behind the location¡¯s protectors.


    Allie studied the two woman watching the approaching bus. The older woman¡¯s rat-like eyes and unclipped horns marked her for a troll. Her younger companion looked like a human but it was hard to tell with the curly blonde hair hiding half her face. The fact she lacked wings didn¡¯t mean she wasn¡¯t a fairy. She hovered at the awkward height range between a really short human and a rather tall fairy.


    They shared the same hideous jumpsuit though mudstained the other girl¡¯s pant cuffs.


    Both boarded the bus once it rolled to a final stop.


    ¡°Allie Mincy?¡± asked the troll woman. Her voice was a throaty whisper compared to the usual rumbling troll voice. It reminded Allie of the old movie stars a half-forgotten foster parent used to mimic.


    ¡°Who¡¯s asking?¡±


    ¡°You may call me Dr. Nim. I¡¯m junior director here at Munnins.¡± She gestured to the blonde girl who was reclining on a nearby seat. ¡°This is Paddy John. For the next three weeks, Paddy will be helping you settle in to Munnins.¡±


    Paddy flashed a peace sign. ¡°Sup.¡±


    ¡°Do you have any questions?¡±


    Of course she had a million and one questions to ask but the woman¡¯s primness unnerved her. Prim people, regardless their species, always had an evil side lurking beneath their too clean surface. Allie raised her bound hands. ¡°Can I get these off?¡±


    A quick fingersnap released Allie¡¯s invisible binds. Her cramped legs ached at the first tentative steps she took out her seat.


    ¡°Everything you¡¯ll need at Munnins has already been taken to your sleeping area.¡±


    ¡°What about my old clothes?¡± asked Allie.


    ¡°You may receive them, along with your wand, at graduation.¡±


    She bristled at her sole possessions being kept from her. Common sense prevailed over the biting words forming on her tongue. Eighty long years in an adult penitentiary weighed on her shoulders. Being a mouthy tough girl was like in high school was probably not the path she should take if she wanted to leave Munnins a free woman.


    Dr. Vicky cleared her throat. ¡°If there¡¯s nothing else, we must be going. A few formalities have to be cleared up before your have your official first day at Munnins.¡±


    Allie¡¯s foot caught on the bus¡¯s last step as she follow them outside. Her hands failed to catch something to stop her fall and she face planted onto the sandy ground. Paddy¡¯s muffled giggles and Dr. Vicky¡¯s exasperated sigh reached her heated ears.


    ¡°Good thing we were already heading to the healer for your physical. ¡± Paddy offered her a hand but Allie was determined to stand on her own.


    ¡°It was just a fall, I¡¯m fine.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s keep the accidents to a minimum, ladies. We all know certain members on the Three-One council are jonesing for any opportunity to shut us down.¡± Dr. Vicky strode forward while her charges straggled a few steps behind.


    ¡°So, what are you in for?¡± whispered Paddy.


    ¡°You start.¡±Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.


    Paddy stuffed her hands inside her pockets, a slight wind ruffling her blonde ringlets. ¡°Tunneled underneath a bank vault to steal their loot. My intel failed to tell me the bank also stored magical creatures for their highest clients.¡± She swept the hair over her face aside.


    The sight almost made Allie stumble again. Where Paddy¡¯s eyes should have been were angry red scars.


    ¡°Dragon fire. I came to at a prison hospital with the head healer telling my lawyer I¡¯d have to use magic to maintain my eyesight for the rest of my life.¡±


    ¡°Jesus.¡±


    She snorted. ¡°Pro-tip, don¡¯t mention that traitor around these parts. We have a few girls who lost ancestors to the witch hunts his stupid book provided excuse for. I never understand why some people even care. Any wizard who got captured Normals must be a brain-dead Lo-Lo. Oh but I repeat myself.¡±


    Dr. Vicky¡¯s annoyed admonishment for them to move faster provided a welcome escape from further conversation. Allie didn¡¯t sense them entering another mesmer shield as they marched onward. She soon found out why.


    The ground tapered to a sudden cliff that would be easy to miss if you weren¡¯t watching for it. Below them lay Munnins. Flat dirt paths connected a sandstone longhouse to six buildings arranged in a circle around it. A rooftop garden at the leftmost building was the only color amongst the entire lot.


    ¡°Watch your step,¡± counseled Dr. Nims. She stood very close to Allie while they descended the steep steps to the ground below.


    Allie used her sleeve to clean her sand dusted face. ¡°Where is everyone?¡±


    ¡°Class. Here at Munnins we believe in a holistic reform method. Your time here will be spent half learning about yourselves and half learning how to reintegrate into society.¡±


    ¡°She means getting a job,¡± whispered Paddy.


    The smell of food wafting to Allie¡¯s nose aroused her stomach to an angry roar. Her last meal was a hoagie she pinched before her disastrous carjacking. Paddy patted her on the shoulder.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be taking you to the mess after we¡¯re done here then the tour! Let me tell you, the halls¡¯ interiors are twice as beautiful as their outsides.¡±


    Paddy¡¯s earlier comments prevented Allie from laughing at her exaggerated excitement. Why was there nowhere she she could escape her low level status?


    Dr. Nims directed them to the nearest building. Paddy was right if you multiplied their beauty by zero. Their shoes squeaked on the cheap linoleum floor, the lights flickering on off at random moments. Low chattering could be heard through the thin wooden doors. A girl scurried past them with a curt hello to Paddy.


    ¡°Are there any boys in this school?¡± she whispered to Paddy.


    ¡°Nope. Rumours are it''s because our dear old director is a perv who made being a girl a requirement to get in.¡±


    ¡°Ms. John,¡± snapped Dr. Nims. ¡°I would remind you not to scare new students with baseless gossip. Should I request a new student to guide Ms. Mincy?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry ma¡¯am. I wouldn¡¯t do it again.¡± She wiggled her eyes at Allie the second Dr. Nims wasn¡¯t looking.


    ¡°As to your question Allie, no judge has sought fit to send a boy our way yet. Young men do tend to suffer harsher sentences than young women for similar crimes so our dearth should be expected. Make no mistake though that we welcome every gender here at Munnins.¡±


    ¡°Quite, quite,¡± agreed Paddy.


    Dr. Nims shot Paddy a threatening look then opened the only door to have a frosted glass window on it. A dark-skinned man stopped drawing a circle on his desk. His opaque wings twitched at the newcomers entrance.


    ¡°Lost your keys again have you Haddad?¡±


    ¡°To my eternal embarrassment Dr. Nim. Beatrice is waiting the examination room for the new student. I have the paperwork ready to be signed after they¡¯re done.¡±


    ¡°Paperwork?¡±


    ¡°Mhmm.¡± Dr. Nim checked her watch. ¡°We can go over the details later.¡± She pointed to the narrow sliding door tucked away in the farthest corner. ¡°Hop to it.¡±


    ¡°See in like five minutes,¡± said Paddy, waving.


    A woman hunched on her knees was what greeted Allie¡¯s sight. Pretty rainbow headscarves half-covered her wispy afro. She was much too tall to be a fairy and the white rimming her large brown eyes made it clear she wasn¡¯t a troll. Her attention was focused on the small black beetle trying to escape her fingers.


    ¡°Hello? Beatrice?¡±


    The woman dumped the beetle into the cauldron-shaped trash can. ¡°Remove your clothes.¡±


    Allie instead took a step back. ¡°What are you going to do to me?¡±


    ¡°Physical since the Low Wizard Court is too lazy to have it done whilst you were in their custody.¡± The woman got to her feet. ¡°Fo.¡±


    Storm clouds appeared above the woman¡¯s opened pals, their rain mixed with soap. ¡°I said strip.¡±


    Despite her misgivings, Allie followed the woman¡¯s command. The waxy paper clung to her bare bottom as she settled on the hospital bed.


    Orange gloves went over the woman¡¯s freshly washed hands. She pulled a thick file out a drawer in the wall. ¡°It says here you¡¯re a Lo-Lo.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± she sighed.


    ¡°How did you manage to get yourself in here? I thought most Lo-Lo¡¯s stuck to using Normal methods to live their lives.¡±


    ¡°Can we just start the physical.¡± She wilted a bit under the woman¡¯s severe gaze. ¡°Please.¡±


    ¡°¡®kay bossy.¡±


    ¡°You aren¡¯t going to tell anyone else are you?¡±


    ¡°I would lose my job if I went around spilling patient medical information willy-nilly. So would the few staffers who know about this.¡±


    Allie¡¯s heart jumped into her throat. ¡°Who else knows?¡±


    ¡°The Director. I think also the head teacher, Mrs. Chuy.¡±


    Her weakness being largely unknown turned wheels in Allie¡¯s head. Was there a chance she could avoid the fate she met at every school she had ever attended? ¡°Will we be doing magic in any classes?¡±


    ¡°Yes, for the career skills classes. Well most. The Library Science course never goes beyond simple spells to locate books, arrange stacks, etc. Hold still.¡± The healer summoned a glowing circle.


    Instinctively, Allie held her breath while the circle phased through her skin. She avoided the big gasp her lungs wanted so the healer wouldn¡¯t notice her unnecessary act. Beatrice scrutinized the circle¡¯s front.


    ¡°Good. We¡¯re done after I check your hair for lice. Freakish buggers infested the school last month and I refuse to let it happen again. You¡¯d think someone would have figured out why they¡¯re immune to magic already.¡±


    Allie submitted to the woman¡¯s sharp prodding lice comb though the comb¡¯s teeth caught on her many knots. She winced at the stray red strands collecting on the floor below.


    ¡°Did old Beatrice run you ragged?¡± asked Paddy as Allie returned to the main room.


    She shook her head then searched the room puzzled. ¡°Where¡¯s Dr.Nims?¡±


    ¡°Junior Director Nims was called away to handle an emergency issue. She told me to tell you sorry for the inconvenience,¡± replied Haddad. Coke bottle thick glasses now rested on his crooked nose, the circle he¡¯d been drawing gone. He beckoned her to his come to his desk.


    ¡°Fill the red tape out quick so we can breakfast.¡±


    ¡°I need to read it first.¡± Allie scanned the three papers presented to her. They were the standard consent forms she¡¯d had forge parental signature to attend field trips.


    Paddy whooped the second Allie signed the final paper. ¡°Who wants eggs? I want eggs. Whose getting eggs? I¡¯m getting eggs.¡±


    Haddad waved goodbye while Paddy pushed Allie back into the hallway. Allie scanned the deserted corridor.


    ¡°Are we allowed to just walk around unsupervised?¡±


    ¡°Basically. There are three rules to follow in Munnins. 1. Steal someone else¡¯s shit at your own peril. 2. Don¡¯t rat someone out. 3. Don¡¯t ever, I mean ever, cause a scene. Munnins is leagues better than where we were all heading.You fuck around, you on your own. Got it?¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡±


    They left the building to head to the one directly across from it. Paddy jerked a thumb towards the longhouse as they passed it. ¡°That¡¯s where you¡¯ll be sleeping tonight. Ain¡¯t no privacy but the beds are soft enough.¡±


    Loud screams coming from the longhouse caused both girls to stop in their tracks. They turned to see a troll girl fleeing the house. Dr.Nims, two male fairies dressed in guard uniforms, and a strange pudgy human man exited after her.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t me,¡± the troll girl screamed. ¡°It was Carleese. I swear it was Carleese who did it.¡± The fairies proved her attempt to flee futile. Her hands became trapped to each other at the same moment her feet did so. She collapsed on the dirt path crying.


    ¡°Should we do something?¡±


    Paddy shook her head. ¡°You see the dude next to Dr.Nims? He¡¯s the director. The guy who owns this whole shebang. There¡¯s nothing you could do without getting in trouble too. Come on, I don¡¯t want to see this anymore.¡±


    Allie risked a probing glance at the man. Except for his awful bowl cut hair, he didn¡¯t seem all that remarkable. She wondered if he was mixed like she was or had the sun just baked his poor skin to its light brown crisp. ¡°Is the rumor you mentioned about him earlier ¡±


    ¡°Heck, no. I was only trying to scare you.¡± Paddy pulled Allie close once they were a good distance away from the crying scene.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°The halls are bugged with listening spells. I want you to listen close because I will not repeat myself. Everyone has a hustle here and I mean everyone. For the most part we play nice. Unless you edge onto someone else¡¯s turf. I like you Allie, you seem like a nice kid, so I want you to think really hard when an offer comes your way. The wrong choice turns you to a patsy like that girl.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t we supposed to be turning a new leaf?¡±


    Paddy¡¯s rough laughter scalded Allie¡¯s ears. She hated people treating her like she was naive.


    ¡°Well, then let me into your crew.¡±


    ¡°I run solo babe.¡± She hooked her arm to Allie''s. ¡°You ready for eggs!¡±