paranatellon

The Witches of King City Academy are nothing if not elusive, exclusive, and intrusive. They know you down to the last detail; keep track of all your secrets, and keep a million of their own on wine-laced lips.

For Ivory Blue, they turn her world upside down overnight. Her worst fear becomes her greatest shame, and in a small city like hers, there's nowhere to hide.

So, in her desperation, she seeks out the company of Archer Finley: defiant loner-boy extraordinaire. He takes her to a place that Witches can't touch; a place outside of time and reality and anything that exists to chain them down.

Soon enough, their life on the flipside feels like home. Away from the rumours. Away from the lies. Away from the blood on their hands.

And away from the world on the surface, because not everything there is quite as it seems.

On the Flipside

THE DULL TONES OF AUTUMN whisk in with the wind, tumults of pomegranate-red and skeletons of burnt umber. They colour the walls and windows of the vacant classroom, save for Rebel and I tucked away in the corner.


Her legs, crossed at the ankle, kick at the table I'm sat on, my own folded to the side. Her hair remains in the ponytail from earlier, careless and yet endearing as she tips her head to the side, tucking a stray strand behind her ear.


While she plays around with a thousand-plus messages and notifications on her phone, answering texts and picture-messages and voicemails, I toy with my own mobile phone and its empty screen. Sure, I have group chat notifications and the occasional picture-message from the Witches or IPs, but nothing sincerely mine. Except my brother, and god knows we're not on speaking terms right now.


Eventually, after nearly ten minutes of pure radio silence emanating from my friend, she looks up, her expression one of satisfaction.


"Well, I'm sure you've seen the group chat." Rebel grins, her fingers curling around the edge of the table and obscuring the purple tone to her nails. "Everyone's in ecstasy. The Witches are going to live on. You've proven yourself, Blue, and thanks to you, Rose is none the wiser about our spell. Because, you know, if anything had gotten leaked, the consequences would have been severe." She rolls her eyes, miming sticking a finger into her mouth. 


"No, I didn't know, actually," I murmur, plucking at a ladder in my tights. Avoiding her gaze for fear it will tear me apart. Push me out like a social pariah; ostracise me, because I am nothing without Rebel Montenero. A shadow. A ghost of a person. Just like Archer thinks I am.


"I mean, of course, there was nothing I wanted more than to protect the Witches, but I didn't really think there'd be repercussions." 


"Seriously?" One flawless eyebrow rises almost mockingly. "Blue, there are always consequences. You're just lucky you made all the right choices. You chose your Witchhood over your brother, and that's what's important. That creepy little kid didn't like me much anyway."  


Creepy little kid? Ebony is a lot of things, insufferable being the top of that list―but the way Rebel describes him makes him seem not like my little brother at all.


"Right. You're right. That was stupid of me." I force out a laugh, something I seem to be doing a lot in front of my best friend. "It's good I did the right thing, though. Witches live on, yeah?" 


"Yeah." The corner of Rebel's mouth quirks up into a smirk. "Forever." 


13 | ever yours, rebel (part two)