The Curse (H. Academy Series #1)

Agitation and impatience intertwined in my stomach, causing my palms to sweat and my heartbeat rise. Parties were generally stressful events for me, considering no one ever liked me in the witchy world, but tonight, everything felt heightened. My fears and anguish, my need to fit in. It all boiled to the point of spilling over.

Sighing, I applied the last touch of my mascara and looked at my tight, black dress. The attire was made to fit in. Morta swore this was what every girl wore to lust-charm-filled parties. The dress itself was pretty, but quite a bit revealing, exposing my legs and my arms. Only thanks to the halter neckline was my cleavage hidden. I lifted my hair in a tight pony-tail because I didn’t want it to cover my shoulders.

“Hello, lovely ladies! The listening potion is ready for use.” Eugene announced from the door. My head immediately snapped in his direction, taking in the fuchsia coloured shirt and tight black jeans.

“What the hell are you wearing?” I glanced at his gelled hair and sighed.

“It’s a disguise, Jade.” Eugene put the bottle of bright yellow liquid on my table. “I am supposed to cover for you, remember? This outfit is so bright, it’s going to distract everyone.”

“Does the potion work?” Amma exited the bathroom, her hair curled and face blushed. The white dress she wore was flowy around her legs and tight around her chest.

“I tried it. One drop is enough and you get to listen in on whoever drinks it.” A devious smile spread across his lips. “Who’s going to be the lucky target?”

“Thar.” I sighed, not liking this idea at all. But this had to be done and Thar was the only one we could get close to. “He’s in charge of making sure no one dies during your parties.”

“Good. Remember, you have to be in a 50ft radius from the person you’re listening to. Otherwise it’s going to get all messed up.” Eugene rolled his eyes. “It’s not much of a spell.”

“How long do the meetings usually last?” Amma asked, biting her nails. If I was a nervous wreck, every atom of her being was ready to devour its own existence under the amount of pressure she was under. Her wide eyes shot worry across the room and she glanced between Eugene and me.

“Usually twenty minutes, but this is an important meeting, so I can’t really tell.” Eugene put the satchel he was carrying on my table and took out a bunch of lavender.

“Okay, so I have to stay in the main building, probably in the same hallway as all the teachers and listen to their meeting, with someone possibly patrolling around at all times.” I sighed. Of course, I was the experimental rat that had to do this.

“Relax, girl, I’m gonna cover for you.” Eugene tore the lavender and put it in the pot. “Trust me, I’m really good at it.”

Morta strode through the door, dressed in a black, leather top and matching pants, with her midriff exposed. She was so thin she was able to pull it off. Her signature eyeliner decorated her face, combined with a mildly uninterested expression.

“Will that be enough lavender?” She asked, suspiciously glancing at the pot.

“Yes. It’s important that you channel it at all times.” Eugene kept on mixing the lavender. “Trust me, everyone else will be creating lust charms all around. There will most likely be other magic, too, but I didn’t want to risk it.”

“Cool. Amma and I stay at the party and keep the magic at its peak then.” Morta nodded.

“And I sneak through the teachers’ hallway.” I buried my face in my hands and pulled back immediately, remembering my makeup.

“And I get drunk and wander through the school. If someone exits the meeting and notice s Jade, I’m gonna distract them.” Eugene smiled proudly.

“Yeah, sure, but this all goes to shit if I can’t get Thar to drink something with a drop of listening potion in it.” I sighed again, not nearly as convinced this would work as the rest of them. “I mean, what if Thar notices there’s magic in the drink?”

“That’s precisely why you’re wearing that dress.” Morta glanced over my bare legs.

“So, the party starts at seven, the meeting an hour later. Are you sure Thar is going to come check on the party before the meeting?” I clenched my fists, feeling the fluttering in my stomach turn into queasiness.

I compulsively checked my wrist. Only two points were painted black in the pentagram. My mind kept coming up with this idea that the painted points meant trouble awaited. And nothing changed since the last attack, so I managed to take in a breath.

“Thar always comes.” Eugene’s voice turned gentle as he noticed my nervousness.

“Oh, I don’t feel so good.” I uttered and sat on the bed. Tingles spread through my legs and nausea filled my stomach.

Using Thar like this didn’t sit right with me. Probably because he went out of his way to train me and my dumb ass. Still, this was something that had to be done. Once we found out whether the school was in on my father’s secret, we could plan further. I swore I would tell Thar what we did, once I knew I could trust him.

“Want some water?” Morta asked with a flat voice.

“Try again.”

“Want some vodka?”

“Yes.” I murmured, hoping alcohol would dull my overthinking mind. I never liked following the rules, I cheated on my tests with magic and I enchanted security guards to let me in the clubs. This, however, was too much rule-breaking for me. Partly because I knew this wouldn’t be the last rule we broke.

Morta handed a glass of see-through liquid to me and I took a sip, enjoying the burning in my throat for the first time in my life.

“Don’t worry, hun, once this lust charm kicks in, all of your pain will be dulled.” Eugene’s wicked laughter filled the room.

“Is there a way to stop that thing from working?” Fear coloured Amma’s voice.

“No one is immune to a lust charm. Neither is Thar.” Eugene looked at me pointedly. “Once you do your job, Jade, you can take him for a ride.”

“Yeah, because poisoning him and lying to him isn’t enough.” I grunted. The idea crossed my mind, I would lie if I said otherwise, but thinking he might want me because of the lust charm was something my self-esteem could not take.

“Well, we’re breaking all the rules tonight.” Morta shrugged.

“I just want to do this and get wasted.” I murmured. Vodka did wonders for my nerves and I suddenly simply wanted all of this to be over. So I could get drunk in peace.

“The lavender is ready.” Eugene checked his phone. “Dean is downstairs fixing up the music. Peeps are already showing up and in no time, the western building party will be at full speed.”

“Awesome.” I threw myself on the bed, only to be pulled back up by Amma.

“Listen, Jade, think about it. If we’re right and your father had something to do with the attacks, doing this is your moral obligation. There has to be a way for us to find out what’s going on and no one will tell us anything. We’re breaking a few rules for the greater good.” Hearing this from Amma was weird, considering she was the kind of person who did homework even if it wasn’t obligatory. She was right, nonetheless.

“Okay, let’s go.” I tried to sound determined, but I sounded like a cat was caught in my throat, scratching it.

Frankly, even if I found something out, I wouldn’t know what to do with the information. We would have to continue our little investigation and I feared we didn’t have enough time. The first two attacks happened very close to each other. How far away could the third be?

Accompanied by another shot of vodka, I staggered down to the lobby of the western building. Decorations hung from the ceiling, lights shimmered around in silver and golden and light pink colours. Pentagrams radiated their power off the floor, students surrounding them, chanting lust charms and other mischievous spells.

The party wasn’t in full blast yet, but the magic was extremely strong.

“If we keep this vibe going, no one will sense the potion spell.” I told Eugene. A tune spread through the living room and Tear you Apart by She Wants Revenge took over my senses. Others seemed to feel the music even louder and their bodies slithered over to the dance floor. Touching, kissing, dancing ensued, making me feel the blush creep my neck and my face.

“Can you guys keep me from joining the dancefloor?” Amma bit her lips as her hands trailed down her own waist, down her legs, to the hem of her dress. The desire shone brightly in her eyes that turned silver under the lights.

“Okay, you need to calm down.” Morta grabbed Amma by both of her shoulders. I felt the lust charm, too, especially as my eyes glided across the living room and noticed Thar standing at the door.

“Guys.” I turned to Morta and Eugene, realising Amma was out of it, swaying to the beat. “He’s here. Is the potion ready?”

“Should I get you two some witch’s brew?” Morta asked.

“Get us pure vodka. Apparently, he likes that.” I shifted from my left to my right leg, overwhelmed by the song and the colours and the spells. Something we failed to consider was the possibility of the lust charm taking over me completely, making me forget about our plan. I guessed I would have to trust my pants to stay on.

Morta brought glasses and Eugene poured a drop of yellow potion into the glass in my left hand.

“Just don’t drink it yourself, you’re gonna experience strong cacophony.” Eugene smiled and I nodded, hoping the nervousness wouldn’t show on my face.

Electricity coursed through my veins as I approached Thar, dressed entirely in black with a stern gaze in his eyes. Worry covered his features and I wanted to comfort him. It wouldn’t be the friendly kind of comfort.

He locked eyes with me as I approached and frowned slightly once he looked over my revealing dress. My skin shimmered under the silver and golden lights, probably emphasizing my curves. Despite the frown, Thar’s gaze lingered.

“I didn’t think you’d be throwing a party with everything that’s happening.” Awesome, he knew it was my party. I sighed.

“Don’t you think there should be joy even in the darkest of times?” My words were fuelled by either the lust charm or vodka and Thar’s expression changed.

I felt the effects of the spell all over my body, electrifying, tingling, sending shock waves through my skin. Quickly, I glanced at the watch above the stone fireplace, almost invisible with the lights stealing all the attention. I had plenty of time.

“Just promise me you won’t break anyone’s leg this time.” Thar smiled at me, the silver reflecting in his dark eyes. Perhaps it was unintentional, but he came closer, his figure looming over me even in my heels. My breath hitched in my throat as I felt those shivers from my spine trade down my abdomen.

“I promise. I brought vodka with nothing.” I handed the glass to him, gulping down the nervousness and desire. Thar’s gaze drifted towards the dancefloor and I followed it. Turning around, I inconspicuously moved closer to Thar, our shoulders touching.

I felt that touch like a strong hit of desire running through my veins. My heartbeat quickened and I grew impatient. What furthered my excitement was the commotion on the dancefloor.

Eugene’s lust charm must have been strong, because a dozen of witches and mages danced half-naked, their bodies swaying to the music, entangling each other, touching, kissing. Skin shone under the light, sweat reflecting off its surface, promising something dangerous and desirable.

I almost yelped as Thar ran his fingers down the back of my hand, the gentleness overwhelming me. My whole body wanted to give in to the touch, even as small and insignificant as this one.

I turned to him, our eyes met and desire surged between us. I wanted to kiss away the worry that made his jaw clench, the concern over what we were doing, what it meant.

Alarms went off in my head as I remembered the mission. Vodka almost spilled all over my dress and I pulled away, gulping down the content of my glass.

As if listening to my commands, Thar took the glass from me and downed his drink.

“I’m sorry.” I murmured, feeling the ethanol burn through my gums and my throat. Thar’s hand was far away from mine and I felt the lack of it profoundly.

“Don’t do this anymore, Jade.” The rawness of his voice made me take a step back. I wasn’t expecting this amount of emotion. “I’m your teacher.” He sighed out the word like there was nothing he regretted more.

His words caught me off guard. Was it possible this wasn’t simply the work of a lust charm?

“You want me.” I breathed out my realisation and found his eyes, so, so dark.

“I have to go.” He tore his gaze off me and stormed out of the western building, not even bothering to check the party one more time.

Morta approached immediately.

“Did he drink it?”

“Yes.” I murmured, feeling my heartbeat recede.

“Good. Why do you look like someone just refused to give you an orgasm?” She frowned at my flushed expression.

“It’s the lust charm, don’t worry about it.”

But I turned around one more time towards the door, even though Thar was gone. The leftover feeling of his fingers brushing against my hand was enough to send another shiver through my skin, imagining all the places those fingers could’ve visited if neither of us stopped.