“Now, in my language, please?”
“Domini means master,” Julie kindly explained. “Every Quatura Circle has a ranking system. Newcomers are called Novices. When they start lessons, they become apprentices, in other words Discipulus. When you have learned enough, you rise to Servus and serve the Circle in more complex ceremonies. If you are very talented, you can also progress to Oraculi, meaning teacher. And above this level there are only the Councils, which act as opposition to the Circle and control the Domini, the highest rank.”
I blinked, overwhelmed
“Julie... That was absolutely not necessary.”
“She should know how our system works.”
“And all of that means?” I asked, trying to process how that cult worked.
“It means nothing except that you must obey Amara absolutely, just like the rest of us. And we’re not witches; we’re Elementals.”
Great.
“But I’m not one of you, Grace. Why doesn’t anyone here believe me?”
“You’re just a Novice, and what works for others doesn’t necessarily work for a Novice. Julie was a late bloomer, too.”
I wasn’t one of those. I was Bayla Adams, who just got another headache and would have preferred to sleep for a few more hours.
It had been surprisingly cozy at the witches’ until a dark-haired girl, about ten years old, had woken me up and sent me out to join Julie and Grace in the driveway.
Mum had left right after the argument with Amanda and had just left me behind on the condition that I got to campus on time and called her this afternoon.
Thankfully, my anger had subsided somewhat in the newly blossomed hope. Somewhat...
For the rest of the ride, Grace tried to explain something about crystals and memory magic to me, but my body won the battle against my consciousness and pulled me back into peaceful sleep.
Chapter 40
Larissa
Oliver Bexley was hot, even if all he did was talk about this storm like it was the end of the world.
Short golden-blond hair, dark green eyes and the hell of a biceps that was worth showing off, even if he hid it under a pastel green shirt and wore his tie far too neatly. He seemed to be the only one in the family, apart from Penny, who didn’t use implants and therefore looked like a normal person. A hot normal person.
I had made myself comfortable on the couch of the student accommodation in black sweatpants and my Vanderwood hoodie, together with a chicken salad and my laptop, in order to edit a few photos during my upcoming free seminar period. And I preferred it when the TV was on in the background, even if Oliver was more than distracting.
Footsteps sounded behind me on the stairs and I spotted Emely, who was the only one who had reappeared in this accommodation. She had turned up here an hour ago, ending my lonely weekend.
Bayla had simply disappeared on Friday and, strangely enough, had only managed to text me thirty minutes ago. The other girls had apparently all been home, too.
But what was I complaining about? At least my best friend seemed to be okay, and that was the most important thing. And besides, I’d had this awesome place all to myself.
Emely seemed absorbed in her phone, so I leaned back into the couch and tried to carry on working.
But a few seconds later, I heard someone’s voice on speakerphone.
“Fuck, Emely, do you know what time it is?”
The voice was pleasantly deep, male. Probably a friend of Emely’s. Her boyfriend?
“Seven o’clock, like for me,” she laughed, and I heard her running through the kitchen. “Don’t be such a pussy and be happy that someone is even asking about you.”
“I don’t need anyone to ask about me,” the voice on the other side of the phone murmured. I immediately paid attention because the man's voice sounded like mine did whenever I responded to Bayla's calls. “I’m fine.”
I wondered if that was really the case, but dismissed the thought again and tried to concentrate on my laptop.
This phone call was none of my business, and Emely probably hadn’t noticed I was sitting here because the TV had been on since she got here, and I was very quiet and unobtrusive at the moment.
“But because it’s you and I promised you we’d give updates once a month,” the guy continued. “Wait a minute.” He laughed in disbelief, and I’d have to be lying if I said his laugh was unattractive. “Do I hear Oliver Bexley in the background right now?” He laughed again, this time gleefully. “Are you still stalking your middle school crush?”
I wheeled around to Emely in astonishment. “No way!”
Emely wheeled around as well, spotting me with a startled look.
“Who’s that?” the man asked.
Emely immediately reached for it and pressed the display. Then she took a deep breath and started walking around the kitchen with her cell phone to her ear, stacking bowls from the sink.
“Humans,” she sighed. “The campus is full of humans.”
I didn’t know what should concern me more. That Emely did have a crush on the weatherman, or that she obviously had issues with her fellow human beings.
“Yeah, I’ll have to get used to it,” she continued, confirming to me that she no longer had her caller on speakerphone. “But why I’m actually calling...” She sighed again. “Julian and Nash are acting like children. Nash isn’t doing anything at all to prepare for his future role, and Julian doesn’t want to come to us.” Her voice seemed stressed. “Yes, the usual. And on top of that, they seem to hate each other now, even though there are enough other problematic people running around here.”
I stifled a grin. This girl was strange, but right now, she seemed to me as if this conversation was doing her good. At least, this was the first time I didn’t see her looking hostile.
