By the time class was over I was starving again. I was going to have to start carrying snacks around with me if this was going to continue. As I was about to leave class Professor Octavia waved me over to her. “Aria, the headmaster has asked if you could go to his office to see him.”
“But … but food.” I said looking forlornly out of the door in the direction of where I imagined all of the food was.
She laughed at me and my obvious distress, kinda mean if you ask me, and just said “Hurry along he’s waiting for you. I’ll ask one of the kitchen staff to drop something off at the office for you. They will be taking the headmaster’s lunch there anyway.”
“Okaaaay.” I said, not convinced that was something that I actually wanted. Have I just agreed to have lunch with the headmaster? I turned and headed out of the door, trying to decide if I was about to do something a bit strange.
“What’s up?” I heard Kyle ask.
When I looked up I saw all three of them leant against the wall of the corridor waiting for me. “You waited for me.” I smiled.
“Of course we waited for you sweetheart.” Kyle said draping an arm around my shoulders and pulling me closer to him. We starting walking down the corridor heading in the direction of the cafeteria and the administration part of the academy.
“I’ve got to go and have lunch with the headmaster in his office.” I said sullenly.
“That’s a bit weird.” Sykes said furrowing his brow. I couldn’t decide if he was concerned or annoyed.
“It is! Well, I’ve actually got to go and talk to the headmaster about something and they are sending some food there for me because it’s lunch time and I am apparently just going to be hungry forever now.” I moaned just as coincidentally my stomach growled in protest.
The guys just laughed at me. “You do seem to be hungry pretty much all the time.” Sykes said earnings a slap upside the head from Liam. “What?” He complained.
“You can’t say that to a woman.” Liam explained.
“But she is!” Sykes pouted looking down at the ground. “It’s not like it’s anything bad.” He looked so adorable when he pouted. I bumped his shoulder with mine as we walked so that he would know that I wasn’t mad at him and gave him a smile when he looked across at me.
“I have never felt this hungry in my life.” I said trying to lessen the blow for him. “Even after I’ve stuffed my face, literally an hour later I’m starving again. I really think that something might be wrong with me.”
“There isn’t sweetheart, don’t worry about it.” Kyle said giving me a quick squeeze. “If it makes you feel better though talk to the headmaster about it when you see him.”
“I suppose I could” I sulked. I wanted to have lunch with my mates. I didn’t want to go and talk to Headmaster Farsight. Don’t get me wrong I suppose
he was alright. I just knew that he was going to want to talk to me about my magic and I just wasn’t in the mood for it.
I left the guys at the door of the cafeteria and dragged my feet down the corridor to the headmaster’s office. I knocked quietly on his door. If he doesn’t hear me it’s not my fault and I am totally going to go back to have lunch with my mates. I nearly snickered as my not so evil plan formed in my head but then suffered crushing defeat when the door swung open and the headmaster was stood smiling on the other side. “Aria, thank you for coming. Won’t you come in?” He said swinging the door open further and walking back into the room. At first I thought he was going to sit at the desk but he strolled past and dropped down onto the sofa at the far end of the office. He indicated to the armchair opposite him and I reluctantly walked over and sat down in it.
“Professor Octavia said that you needed to speak with me.” I said stating the obvious. I wasn’t really sure what else to say.
“Yes, I’ve been making some enquiries about your magic and I think I may have made some progress. Madame Nines had to help me out quiet a bit,” he smiled. “She’s very fond of you already you know.”
“I like her too.” I smiled feeling a bit more at ease.
“I’ll get straight to the point Aria, I believe that I have identified the branch of magic that you have.” The headmaster stated leaning back into the sofa and crossing his legs over. My mouth nearly dropped open with how casual he was acting. Was he waiting for me to ask or something? Am I supposed to congratulate him?
“Okay, do you want to fill me in on that?” I asked.
The corner of his mouth twitched up in a half smile and he answered. “God magic.”
“Riiiiiiggggghhhhhtttt.” I replied. “I’m definitely not a god. I think you got it wrong.”
“Definitely not wrong and no you are not a god or goddess as it would be. You must be either a demi goddess or one of the god touched.” He said.
“Demi goddess would mean that one of my parents would have had to be a god though, right?” I asked.
“Or goddess,” he corrected.
“Yeah, you’d think a god or goddess would keep a better eye on their kids.” I replied.
“Exactly, that is why I believe that it is more likely that you are one of the god touched.” He replied. “The god realm is supposed to be sealed and there have been no reports of any god sightings for millennia. I think it is unlikely that they would allow a demi god to be raised in the human realm although I suppose that it is always a possibility. We haven’t heard of any of the god touched for just as long.”
“I’m sorry, am I supposed to know what god touched is? Kinda sounds a little pervy.” I said slouching back in my chair. This was all just so exhausting.
“There are several ways to become one of the god touched. There are species that were created to serve gods; individuals whose lives were touched by a god and through whatever means absorbed some of their magic; or by coming into contact with a divine object.”
“So basically, it’s impossible to prove or know.” I realised. “I just continue to be nothing but a freak and there is no end to this. No end to being on the outside.” I looked up at him and felt what I knew was an unfair anger raise in me. “You said that you would help me, you said that you would find out for me.”
“Aria, it hasn’t been very long and at least we know the branch of magic that you have. There are people that we can ask to help us.” He said leaning forward. Unfortunately, he had one of those annoyingly trustworthy faces. Stupid, trustworthy face. “Tell me about your magic. How is it reacting to this realm?”
“It’s changing.” I replied non-committedly.
“Is it increasing?” He asking smiling. Of course my personal problems would be entertaining for everyone else.
“Why?”
“Because if you had been, let’s say gifted, with god magic presumably it would be a ‘you get what you’re given’ type scenario. But if you were a god touched species?” He said leaning forward looking at me like I was about to become some kind of science experiment. “Well, you would mature as you aged, grow into your magic. I don’t think we have seen everything from you just yet Aria.”
“Ok, firstly,” I said waving my hand in front of his face, “turn down the crazy a bit because you’re making me uncomfortable.” He at least had the decency to look embarrassed as he sat back a bit. “Secondly, what if it grows too much? Have you ever considered that? What if I explode in a flaming psycho massacre of students? What if I become one of those mall killers that were all over the news?”
“Aria, I already told you that what the human news was reporting wasn’t true. Those people didn’t lose control of their magic, they were possessed.”
“You don’t understand,” I said standing up feeling the need to pace. I walked over to the window and looked out to the forest beyond. “I … it’s
… well, it’s getting hard to control. The usual ways I had to manage it aren’t working as well. What if it gets to a point where … I don’t know … it doesn’t work anymore. What if it gets to the point where I get possessed?” The thought of my mates suddenly slammed into the front of my mind. I couldn’t risk them if this was going to be a possibility for me.
I hadn’t realised that the headmaster had got up and followed me over to the window until he came to stand next to me. “That isn’t going to happen to you Aria. We won’t let that happen to you. I don’t know if you are aware of this but magic users can get a sense of other people’s magic especially when that person is stronger than they are. The shifters are especially able to sense this, it’s how they identify their alphas.”
“Yeah, the guys mentioned something about being able to feel my magic but I figured that it was a mate thing.” I mumbled.
“Congratulation on that by the way.” He smiled. “It’s good that you are going to have them around to support you.”
“Because I’m about to explode in a crazy mass killing kind of way?”
“No,” he laughed. “Because you are going through changes and you need people that you can talk to about it. I have never felt magic like yours Aria. It is so strong. The strongest I have ever felt. In this realm we have lost a part of ourselves, we are not what we once were. If we have any chance in the war to come, I think it’s going to be you.”
“No pressure then?”
“Maybe just a little.” He smiled. “But we are here to help you handle the load if you will let us.”
“I think I might need to take you up on that.” I felt my shoulders slump forward as I sighed. Just then there was a knock on the door and the headmaster went over to answer it. Thankfully it was food. Eating your feelings was definitely a thing and I was going to fully embrace the saying.
After we finished eating the headmaster talked me through a meditation technique which he thought may be able to help me gain more control over my magic. We must have spent an hour going over it again and again. Apparently, meditation isn’t really my thing.
