Premonition class

The next morning, I woke up feeling refreshed and ready to conquer the day.

I slowly crept out of my bed and stretched. My stomach growled, and I wondered why there was never any breakfast served around here.

"God, I'm starving," I whispered to myself.

"How about some eggs and a muffin?" asked a shrill voice that echoed through my room.

I flinched and looked around.

"Cordelia?" I questioned with a nervous little chuckle. "Is that you?"

"Yes, sir," the voice responded.

"Uh … are you always watching me?"

"Yes, sir," she repeated. "Mistress Merlin has entrusted me to keep an eye on you, two eyes in fact, so I'm always around when you need me."

"Yeah, about that," I muttered as I rubbed the back of my neck. "How about I just call out for you when I need you?"

The idea that this old woman was continually watching me undress, sleep, and study made me feel extremely uncomfortable.

"But the headmistress said I must always--" she started to say, but I cut her off.

"What if I order you to stop watching me and wait until I summon you?" I replied with a raised brow. "Deal?"

"As you wish, sir," Cordelia sighed. "Do you still want breakfast?" "Sure." I nodded.

A plate of eggs and a blueberry muffin suddenly appeared on my desk. The room instantly smelled of butter, and my stomach growled loudly at the sight.

"Thank you, Cordelia," I said. "That will be all for now."

"Yes, sir."

I waited for a minute and briefly wondered if she was really gone, but there was no sure way to tell, so I shrugged it off and ate my delicious breakfast. As soon as I was done, the plate evaporated, and I dressed in my clean uniform that had been neatly folded in the armchair. I glanced at my reflection in the mirror and swept my dark hair out of my eyes. Then I smiled to myself, grabbed my copy of the Book of Beasts and my new bone dagger, and finally headed for the door.

As confusing and muddling as it was to be here in this goddamn academy, with no explanation as to how I got here, I realized I was excited about my next class.

Premonition.

I was ready to take on a new challenge and beat these witches. I'd schooled them in the Blood Magic course, but they were still underestimating me. I'd show them, though, that I was prepared for any goddamn challenge they sent my way.

I read my book as I walked down the crowded hallway. Even though it had nothing to do with my next class, I used each and every opportunity to study.

The more knowledge I retained, the better.

While I continued to read, I accidentally collided with someone. We both went flying backward, and I heard something heavy fall to the floor. "Hey!" a familiar voice yelled. "Watch where you're going."

It was Blair.

The green-haired witch had dropped her book, and her silver eyes were filled with fury and disdain as I bent down to pick it up for her.

I briefly studied the cover before handing the tome back. The binding was a deep, sapphire blue and had golden writing on the cover. I didn't get a chance to read it, though, because she snatched it out of my hands.

"Thanks," she muttered.

"No problem." I nodded, and I gave her the once over.

Today, the lavender-skinned witch had left three buttons on her shirt open, and I could see a trace of her light pink bra peeking through. Thick black liner was swiped on the top of her silver-gray eyes, and it gave her an even more sultry and exotic look. There were also a few braids woven into her sea-green hair, and she was practically glowing.

"What?" she snapped as a deep, plum blush crept across her cheeks.

"Nothing," I chuckled. Then I smiled and gestured for her to go on ahead. "After you."

Blair huffed, threw her nose up in the air, and walked ahead of me, and I followed her past Blood Magic and into a new classroom.

I immediately noticed this room was similar to our previous class. Black walls, a shiny black marble floor, and three long desks filled the space. There was another armoire in here, but not as large as the one inside the Blood Magic classroom. Another small, oval window also sat high above us, but just like most windows in the castle, it was practically impossible to look out of. All I could make out were wisps of silver clouds and droplets of heavy rain beating against the glass.

The room was empty, and I watched as Blair took a seat in the very last desk at the back. Clearly, that was her way of saying she had no desire to sit next to me.

I shook my head and chuckled. When would they just accept the fact I wasn't going anywhere? I knew this game we were all playing was going to be a long one, but I had the stamina to keep up and excel.

These women had no idea who they were messing with and what I was willing to do to succeed.

I sat down at a desk close to the door and continued to read my book in silence. After about five minutes of undisturbed reading, I felt someone watching me from the doorway, and when I pulled my eyes away from my book and looked up, I saw Rin staring at me. She appeared flustered and confused before she realized I noticed her stare. Then she scrunched up her pierced nose in faux disgust, tossed back her raven-black bob, and strutted to the back of the room, near Blair.

"There is no way I'm sitting next to him again," Rin said, loud enough for me to hear. "Satan knows one class was enough."

"Hmm, that's too bad," I said with a grin, and when I turned to look at her, she was sitting with her arms folded, like she was silently daring me to continue. "You'd probably learn a thing or two."

Rin scoffed and then reached into the satchel she'd been carrying. She pulled out a book and slammed it down on the desk, and I laughed and turned back around. I could hear the two witches whispering feverishly to each other, and even though I was focused on my own shit, I still strained to listen to whatever it was they were saying.

I couldn't help it, I was curious.

As I pretended to read, I couldn't make out any clear words except for "library" and "test." The two witches said these words more than once, but everything else was just mumbling. Eventually, I gave up, shook my head, and turned my attention back to my book.

The more I studied, the better.

While I buried my nose in my book, the classroom started to slowly fill up, and the only one who wasn't here yet, besides the professor, was Morgana.

I smiled to myself and imagined how pissed off the long-haired brunette would be once she realized she had to sit next to me for the rest of this class.

I closed my book and patiently waited, since the look on her face would be priceless. A few minutes later, she ran through the door with her shirt buttons only halfway done, and her dark hair was completely disheveled. Her sky-blue gaze landed on me, and as I predicted, she groaned. "Shit," Morgana muttered before she dropped into the seat beside me.

"I guess I'm stuck with you."

"So it would seem." I smirked.

She sighed and pulled out her textbook.

"What the hell happened to you, Morgana?" Faye asked from the desk behind us.

"Bad dreams," Morgana grumbled.

"Was Neon in it?" Faye joked.

"If I were, then it would have been a wet dream," I said as I turned to face the redhead.

Her freckled face turned a shade of crimson, and she cast her goldengreen eyes down at the book in front of her.

"Disgusting," Faye muttered.

I tried not to laugh as she turned an even darker shade of red, and her long lashes fluttered as she pretended to read.

I bit back a smirk before turning back around, and then something else caught my eye.

"You missed a few buttons," I whispered to Morgana.

"What?" she snapped.

I pointed to her shirt, and the blue-eyed brunette quickly looked down to see all her buttons done incorrectly. Just like Faye, she blushed and discreetly started to fix them without meeting my eyes.

"Thanks," she mumbled.

"No worries," I replied in a relaxed tone.

Soon, Headmistress Merlin arrived at the door and flashed us all a smile. She was wearing a deep, plum-colored gown with black and red lace on the sleeves and skirt. Her dark hair was pinned up with a bone, and she wore black leather gloves, even though it was quite warm in here with the candlelight chandelier hanging above us.

"Good morning, class." She grinned. "I hope everyone is well-rested and ready to begin our first Premonition course."

"Yes, Headmistress Merlin," everyone replied in unison.

I nodded, and she turned her attention toward me. Then she smiled and tilted her head to the side.

"Ah, Neon," Merlin drawled, "don't think I've forgotten about you."

I was confused for a moment until she headed toward her large, mahogany desk and pulled open a drawer. She retrieved a copy of the dark blue textbook that everyone had opened on their desks and blew the dust off it.

"This is my personal copy," she said before she handed it to me. "I had it when I was a young witch studying in preschool, and all I ask is that you take good care of it for me."

"Of course." I nodded. "Thank you."

"You can thank me by studying hard." The headmistress cocked an eyebrow at me before she looked at the other girls. "This class will certainly push all your limits. It is not for the faint of heart … and when I say that, I am directing it at everyone here."

Everyone nodded, and their expressions grew even more severe.

I on the other hand looked perfectly calm, not an ounce of worry on my face.