Nicholas Everett's Story

"Glad to see the place is still standing." The sun reflected off of Sophia's golden hair as it bounced with every step she took toward Hecate Academy. To the mortal eye, there was nothing here but trees and dirt, but with a wave of her hand, the illusion of nonexistence melted away from Sophia's eyes. The Head Mistress walked up to the large, magickally endowed gate protecting Hecate's border and placed her index finer on the lock. "Hecate, Mother of Witches, please grant me your power." A familiar surge of energy ran throughout her body and a silvery black spark flew from Sophia's finger tip and the gates swung open. "Thanks Mom."

She wore a pleasant smile and a sexy black dress that clung tightly to her curves as she strode across the Academy lawn. She sighed deeply, stressful thoughts swirling like a violent maelstrom in the back of her mind. She had been forced to travel away from the academy to discuss several incredibly large issues with the Counsel of Magick. One of which, the very recent murder of Merlin, her mentor of several centuries, was very close to her heart. The Sons of Eden were gaining power, reach, and becoming increasingly aggressive within the last couple of months. Frankly, it had always been concerning and a problem, but once they killed Merlin, Sophia vowed that she'd take them all down. One by one if necessary. Sure, revenge was petty, but the Head Mistress knew it would feel glorious.

She had allowed the students to take a one week intermission between their classes. She figured that they needed a break, even if they had only been about three months into the school year. Now, she believed some changes were needed to be made to the academy to keep it safe. The illusions and wards surrounding it would need to be fortified every week instead of every month. More creatures would need to be recruited to protect the grounds and twice as much crème needed to be offered to the Fay in Goodfellow's forest in exchange for them to lead humans away from the school. Sophia sighed. There really was a lot to do.

'Do you want me to notify the teachers?' A raspy voice came from Sophia's side. She looked to see the large, dark furred form of Delphi. The Great Dane paced along side her, but looked around, as if she was looking for something. Sophia pursed her lips. "Hmm... I really should speak to them." She whistled, several large ravens flew out from several nearby trees. Sophia smiled. These birds were a of her own magickal dabbling and they possessed the ability to relay various messages between people. They flapped in the air near her face, cawing in anticipation for an order. "Would you be dears and tell my teachers that I've returned? And to come meet me in my office? All of them, please." The birds nodded and went away to find their targets.

"Now then." Sophia said, turning towards her familiar. "How about we plan a ball?" 'A ball?' The dog sounded skeptical. "Yes, it's been far too long since we've had a proper ball. It's absolutely dreadful. And we haven't had a tournament yet this year! We need to ignite that fire within our students and competition tends to do that." Delphi sighed and looked at her paws. 'If that's what you think.' Her master laughed. "You'll see, Darling. They need to be prepared for what I believe is coming."

Erik was in the middle of his usual morning routine when the raven flew in through the barley open window. At first Erik didn't even notice it, too busy knocking the shit out of a punching bag hanging in a corner of his room. To be honest Erik didn't notice the raven itself at all, it was more the sudden movement of the huge wolf resting on a cot that caught his attention. In just a moments notice the wolf had jumped from one side of the room to the other, holding a black raven that seemed impressively small in the predators huge paws. "Down Fenris" Erik said as he turned around, sweat cowering his shirtless body. He had given the command like one would talk to a dog, which of course annoyed Fenris. "I caught it. I decide what happens to it" was the answer Erik got. It made the large guy laugh a little "Check if its one of the talking ones first" he replied with a little shrug before he walked into the bathroom to take a quick shower.

"You are to report at Sophia's office immediately" was the first words to great Erik as soon as he stepped out of the bathroom, dripping wet. "Not surprising, send the bird back and tell her I'll be there in 15" Erik replied while drying of his body with a towel as he headed for the most appreciated furniture he owned; the fridge. "....That will not be possible" not really being able to shrug, Fenris had to settle with going back to resting on the cot. Erik couldn't really do anything else than sigh, "well well, done is done."

Getting dressed had never taken Erik long. He just grabbed the first clothes he could reach, today it was a simple pair of brown cargopants and a plaid "lumberjack" shirt of wool. He would have to grab breakfast later. "Help yourself, I'll be back as soon as possible"

About 10 minutes later he opened the doors to Sophia's office, only to discover that he was the last to arrive."Mornin'" Erik said in his usual grumpy tone, not really making a great number of his late arrival. Better late than never. "So what was the urge?" Erik had never been one for meaningless smaltalk and he had no plan about starting now.

Sophia grinned as Olgues entered her office in a loud and dramatic fashion. "So what's up, baby?" he said with a wink. She chuckled. "Just waiting for that beautiful smile to brighten up my day." She slowly removed her sunglasses and leaned against the edge of her desk. "So, my little chocolate cupcake, has everything been running smoothly in my absence? I trust the students haven't been too rowdy?" Her grin widened. "Even so, I bet it was the teachers who were partying too much."

The Head Mistress felt a shift of energy in the room and turned to see Sasha sitting in her desk. “I've got something super important to say when you're finished. Unless you say what I have to say because you probably already know.” Nicholas arrived seconds after, just in the nick of time to share a moment with Mother Nature. There was definitely something between them, Sophia could tell. What she couldn't tell was how it exactly made her feel. Regardless, she cleared her throat and sat down on the edge of her desk. She smiled at Nic. "Morning, Sunshine." She laid back on the desk, bringing her face closer to Sasha's. "And good morning to you too, Dearie."

She sat up straight again, looking around the room. "Who are we missing now? Gats and Thor, God of Frightening Teenagers?" As if called, a broad ginger man grumpily walked into the room, as he usually did. "Morning, Paul Bunyan." She said, looking (in a slightly distasteful manner) at his flannel. Honestly, did the man own anything besides clothes that made him look like owned a big blue ox? She mentally shrugged. At least he wore them well.

She cleared her throat once more, sliding off the desk and standing to address her fellow teachers. "There are a couple of us still missing, but they'll just have to be filled in later. This is important." She took a breath.

"I left last week because I was called to meet with the Counsel of Magick in London to discuss a series of extremely concerning events. One of which-" She looked sadly at Nic. "Was the murder of Merlin." She walked in front of her desk. "The Sons of Eden have become much more aggressive in recent years and their reach is spreading to countries where their influence had been virtually nonexistent. They've murdered a large number of high profile casters, including Merlin and our previous Curses and Necromancy teacher, Ms. Thrashing, and their activity has been getting closer to Goodfellow." Sophia took a breath. "War is on the horizon, my friends. I want our students prepared. But more importantly, I want them safe. More wards on the gates, more illusions in the forest, and no student is allowed to leave the grounds without a teacher present unless I personally give them permission."

She toyed with the pentagram on her necklace for a moment. "This is one of the most powerful generations we've taught. They could end the Sons once and for all, but they're still children and they're inexperienced. We need to make sure that they're well trained and well aware of the circumstances. They'll be going under Battle simulations every week now and a combat trail against another coven every other week. It's vital that they know how to protect themselves. I'm sure you'll like that, Erik."

Sophia smiled, attempting to lighten the mood slightly. "And our last matter. There are several teaching positions open and all of them need to be filled. I have several candidates lined up, but there's one I must discuss with you all. I move to have Divinia Doriano have a sort of trial run at the Curses and Necromancy spot." She put her hands up defensively. "I know it might sound crazy, but she has extensive knowledge of the subjects, already successfully tutors a good number of our students, and this is her last year as a student."

She looked around the room. "Thoughts? Questions? Complaints? Song lyrics you want to randomly sing?"



'Well, that was fun.' Eros thought with his rolled up yoga matt under his left arm and bowl of Fruity Pebbles in his right hand. A small, pleased smile rested on his lips as he navigated the school cafeteria, finding a table that hadn't yet been occupied by any of his fellow students. He scooped a spoonful of the colorful flakes into his mouth and looked around the cafeteria, scoping out the crowd out of pure curiosity. Many of them looked incredibly torn up, obviously a symptom of attending his raging party the night before.

Eros had a gift when it came to throwing parties. He just knew how to get everyone to have a good time. He chewed his cereal, the crunch momentarily deafening him as he observed the people around them. 'Oh look.' he thought. 'There's a couple.' They were sitting a couple tables down and trying to feed each other strips of bacon. Eros smiled. They were so cute. Then there was a slight pain in his chest. He hadn't ever really been in a long term relationship. He rolled his eyes at himself. Self-pity was definitely not on the breakfast menu last time he checked. It would happen eventually. It happened to everyone eventually.

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"Leo. Leo. Time to go drop the kids off at the airport." The man just groaned before turning on his other side, facing away from his wife. Penny let out a sharp sigh before beginning to softly shake him to wake him up. "Baby, I know you're tired but we have to go drop them off." Leo sighed before reluctantly sitting up in their bed and looked at his wife. "Fine, I'll take them." The woman just smiled before kissing her husband softly on his lips. "Thanks, baby. You're the best." He just rolled his eyes before getting out of bed and kissing his wife on the cheek before heading to their conjoined closet and get on his clothes for the day. The man look at the clock above the entrance of the closet before groaning even more. 3:00 in the morning. Leo scoffed before slipping his dress shirt over his head. "It's too early for this."

"Oh, stop being a baby, Leo." Penelope said as she walked into the closet with a smirk on her pale face. The man just rolled his eyes as he buttoned up his shirt and jacket and walking out into the room. "Nice pink suit." Leo chuckled as he wrapped his arms around his wife's waist and looked down at her. "You're sarcasm kills me, Penny." He leaned in to kiss his wife as her arms moved around his neck. As they kissed, Leo had a smile on his lips before pulling away and kissing her cheek. "I should get going, I'll be back soon." Penny bit her bottom lip softly and nodded as she let go of her husband. "Okay, I'm gonna head back to sleep. I love you."

"I love you too, beautiful." He kissed her forehead before walking out of the closet and heading to his night stand to grab his keys, wallet and wedding ring from. He slipped the ring on his finger and walked out the door as he slid on his coat. As he walked into the commons, it was so quiet. There was barely anyone awake at 3 in the morning and if they were they were more than likely in a room. He walked towards his car and got in before heading towards the town of the others who lived and liked to visit in Goodfellow. It didn't take too long for him to get to the hotel where all, but one of his children were staying. When he pulled up to the hotel, he saw his children sitting down on their luggage, obviously annoyed by their father being a little late. "Dad, you do know that the plane leaves at 5:30, right?" Rose said as she took a seat in the far back with her twins while the boys sat in the middle after putting all the bags in the back, and Daisy sat in the passenger's seat up front and turned the radio. "Yes, Rosie. I know exactly what time your planes leaves now relax." He told her as they drove off.

As they drove closer to the airport, all of her grown children were asking when's the next time they could visit. "I'm not sure. But, you know all the teachers love you guys." It wasn't a lie, they were all pretty good kids, well except for Daisy who was a little on the mischievous and devious side. But, hey, what can you do? Which made him remember his brother who was in town for a few days. His face went straight as he cleared his throat. "So, um. Where's your uncle Jordan, is he still in town? Did he leave?.--"

"He left dad...I think. The last time we saw him,

Was two days ago walking into the bar." His son, Alexander said with Duke finishing the sentence. Something they were known for doing without really knowing they were doing it. At of both pairs of the twins and triplets, Duke and Alex were the closest, just like himself and Jordan were growing up. "Great, meaning he either went back home in LA or I gotta go look for him later." The kids chuckled as the all returned to their phones either texting the significant others or taking pictures with one another to put on their social networking sites. Except for Daisy who was reading a book on dark magick. It took them about forty five minutes for the them to get to the airport. The father helped his kids with their luggage before saying good bye to all of them. He kissed his daughters on the forehead and gave his sons a hug before heading back into his car and waving good bye. "Tell Iris we all said bye." Poppy said as she rushed inside to catch up with her siblings as they walked towards their gate. He looked at the time before sighing.



By the time he got back to the academy, Leo was exhausted. All he wanted to do is go back to sleep. But, seeing that it was almost seven in the morning, he really doubted that that was going to happen. He really shouldn't have stop to get some food for his wife and himself. As he walked towards his room, he smiled and waved towards some of his students before going into where his room was located. He walked inside to see his wife in the middle of getting ready. Looking her up and down, he smirked and whistled. "Look at you. Just as beautiful and sexy as ever." He placed the food down on the round table before walking behind his wife and kissing her neck. Penny sighed before trying to break free to tell him something. Leo...Leo, stop it," She said as she was laughing. "I have to tell you something." He tickled her sides before finally stopping and pulling away to let his wife get up from her vanity. He chuckled like a small child as his wife put her arms on her hips. "Thank you. Anyway, Sophia wants you and the other teachers to meet her in her office as soon as possible. I told them you might be a little late since you had to go to the airport." The man sighed before putting the three plates of food on the table and nodding so Penelope knew he was listening.

"Jordan called to tell you three things. One, thanks for letting him visit, two, He'll call you later today and see if you would like to go out for drinks later, and three, tell all our teacher friends to go fuck themselves." Leo tried not to laugh but, he couldn't help himself. He loved hearing how much Jordan disliked all the teachers here. More than likely most of them had him in class and they weren't a fan of him. And he certainly didn't like them whatsoever.

"Perfect. I'll call him later. And I'll get going in a minute. First, I'm going to have a cup of coffee and spend some time with my wife." Penny rolled her eyes towards her husband as she walked past him to pour two cups of coffee for the two of them. "Don't we spend enough time together, Leo? I mean, we've spent everyday together for the past, what? Twenty six , twenty seven years?" Leo just shrugged as he sipped his coffee and looked down at Penny. He might have been short, but Penny was only five feet and one inch tall.

Penny smiled as she finished her coffee and headed to get her purse from the front door. "We should get going. Time waits for no man...even you, Leo." She said in a teasing voice as she walked out the door to get ready for the day in the nurses' office.

When the door closed behind his wife, Leo just imitated what Penny had said before setting the two mugs in the sink of the kitchen and places the food in the refrigerator. Looking at the time, he shrugged and teleported into his boss' office. When he appeared he smiled towards the others before hearing Sophia ask if anyone had any questions. "I do. Maybe my grandpa hearing is kicking in, but did you just say that you were letting, Divinia...Divinia Doriano, teach? Now, I respect very much, Sophie and you know that but, this has bad idea written all over it to me."

Sasha listened patiently to Sophia as she spoke, bowing her head for a moment at the mention of the deaths. She already knew, as much of Puck and Circe Covens did. She wasn't sure who else knew. When the question of Divinia came up, it seemed like everyone except for Erik and Olgues had to protest against it. Her brow pulled down some and her lips formed a tight line, no dimples in sight. There were few times when Sasha was completely serious, even during her classes.

But now seemed like the perfect time to get serious. “How about we pull our heads out of our asses and think of this from a professional standpoint.” She stood up from her perch and allowed herself to lean against Olgues. “Most of us have known Dimka since she was nine. She's never left this school since she first got here. She's like a little sister to most us. We can trust her, especially in this situation. Preparing students for fights against Sons of Eden is what she lives for.”

Looking over to Sasha, Leo held in a chuckle as she pleaded with them. Personally, Leo knew the Divinia for many years but, he never truly got to know her like some of the other teachers. While Leo wanted to interrupt he just looked up at his close friend, Nic already knowing he felt the same way about the girl as he did. The man didn't hate her, he just didn't believe that it was a good idea to let her teach.

“I'm not asking you to pity her, but remember what she's been through. Remember that she survived for two years by herself against the Sons of Eden. Yeah, she's harsh towards the other students, but look at how much the kids that she's tutoring have improved. You and your wards don't like the way she teaches? Your kids don't have to take her classes. There've been zero complaints from Circeans about her. Sophia wants us to prepare the kids for a fight. Whether you want to admit it or not, you all know Div can do it. When's the last time someone beat someone she's tutored in a fight? Tough and harsh is what we need right now.”

"Sasha, I understand what you're saying but there's a difference between tough and being psychotic. This girl has killed people, have you forgotten about that? I'm not saying she's not powerful, I'm not saying that she's not good at tutoring because she is, I'll give you that. But, is it the right thing to give her complete control of a classroom filled mostly with people who already like to harm others?"

“Uh. So, you're saying that everyone - or mostly everyone - who takes courses in Curses and Necromancy is sadistic?” Sasha lifted a brow as she called Leo out on his profiling of the students, her look ever darkening. “She's not psychotic. She's been through a lot and has developed her own methods. Methods which helped her survive, made her strong, and are making her students strong. Or are you saying that you're afraid of putting her in control of a class because you think the "evil Circeans" are going to get worse under her influence? Don't forget that there's at least fifty of your kids, probably about a hundred of Nic's kids, and even some of my kids that take Necromancy. Are you afraid that she's going to "corrupt" your precious and oh-so-innocent wards?”

Was he somewhat afraid of that? Yes, he was. But, he wasn't going to let Sasha know that. Seeing that, she probably wasn't going to let this go easily. "Sasha, we're not talking about my students, we're not talking about Nic's students, or even Erik's students. We're talking about Divinia. And is she sadistic? Yes. She is.", he pointed out, focusing on Divinia and avoiding the point she made about students of other Covens in the currently teacherless classes.

It almost seemed as though she were going to sneer, but she instead had stopped leaning against Olgues and clenched her hands into fists so tight that her knuckles were becoming bone white. “This isn't just about her, you made it about the others in those classes. She has more knowledge and experience in Curses and Necromancy than anyone else at this school except maybe Soph. Are you saying that we should deny her what she's been busting her ass to do for the past decade? Sadistic. Yes. But she's honest and respectful.”

"What? You don't think I know that there are more than just Circeans in that class, Sasha? Of course I know that. And I get that she's had a rough life, a lot a people have gone through shit in their lives and a lot of other students work hard too. But, I don't see us going up to them like, 'Hey, go teach this class that gives you a huge influence over your peers.'"

“Whether she's formally placed as the Professor and Mentor or not, she's still going to have influence over her peers. She has every damn right and you can't stop her. She's earned her place and has been here longer than any other student. And need I remind you that none of the Curses classes nor any of the Necromancy classes are required? They're completely optional. How many students every year drop out of Battle Magick class because they can't handle it? If students can't handle the class, then they don't have to take it. Yeah, other students work hard. But they aren't fucking qualified. She is. She's been qualified. Have some faith. Most people don't think any one of us should be teaching. Nic's a perverted manchild. Erik scares the shit out of everyone and looks like a rapist sometimes. You're a manchild. Soph acts like a sixteen year old. Olgues and I smoke pot with our kids. And how many of us have had a drink with our students under twenty-one? I recall you and penny sharing a glass of bourbon some time ago with a few sixteen and seventeen year olds. Okay - So she killed some kids. They all made it back and none of them filed complaints. What did they do? They worked harder to better themselves. Alex didn't make it back because he didn't want to come back.”

She was really getting worked up now, throwing everyone under the bus and pointing out that there were a lot of people against them being in their positions as well, gusts of air whipping around the office as she took a strong step forward. “Go ahead and name one person more qualified to teach those classes. Name one person from Circe with the qualifications for the job and the respect from the students of Circe needed to be a Mentor. People are dying, Leo. Merlin's dead. Ariana's dead. They're closing in on us and it's about time that we all buckle down and nut up. If you're so scared for your kids, advise them not to take the class. Either way, it's not up to you. I agree with Sophia full heartedly. If Divinia was as much of a threat to the students and the school as you think and say she is, she would have been expelled and most likely killed by now. But she's still here and she's still alive because she knows what she's doing and she is especially valuable in this particular time of need.”

As Sasha took a step forward and the wind started blowing around the adults, Leo just tried his best not to get blown away. He was a small man and if the wind got any stronger, he would be pushed down. He was about to say something else before he started thinking about what he has done for the past twenty nine years. Giving in just to make to arguing stop. While he hated giving in, he knew that he wasn't going to win this argument.

Leo took a sharp sigh before running his head through his hair and looked at the shorter woman in the eyes. "Just suck it up, Sport and get it over with.

"I just don't want anything happening to these kids, Sasha. Okay? But, if you and Sophia truly think that letting the girl teach will help protect us, then fine. Let her teach. But, if it blows up and ends up going wrong, it's on you, not me."

“Nyeh!” And it was over just like that. Valid points made and argument won, the serious Sasha faded along with the win and the more childlike Sasha came out once more, sticking her tongue out at Leo as she mocked his last words much like an eight year old child before turning to the others. “If you cared about these kids, you'd be tougher on them. I'm going to follow Erik and Divinia's example.” She crossed her arms over her chest and lifted her chin a bit, having to look up at Leo [and pretty much everyone else] as she dared them to start up with her. “I second the motion.”

Divinia teaching? To be honest Erik was not so sure if that was such a good idea. She was with no doubt one of his best students and by far his favorite. But there was something about it he didn't like that much, he couldn't really put a finger on it, but something just didn't seem right about it. Maybe it was just that he didn't like the thought of having her as a colleague instead of a student.

Damnit.. Where the hell is that wolf when I need him Erik thought to himself as the discussion between Sasha and Leo became more and more heated. Fenris was usually the one Erik confronted when his own feelings confused him. Unfortunately the wolf was probably busy eating his way through the fridge, so Erik would just have to sort his thoughts out by himself.

As the wind started picking up Erik got closer and closer to something of an answer. Remembering he had learned in the military In combat the fighters own feelings should never be taken into consideration, a wise commander didn't call of an attack because he feared for his own life, and he wouldn't order an attack just because someone who meant something to him. If anything like that happened, the commander should be released from duty as he is no longer capable to make wise decision. This was something Erik believed to be the absolute truth and remembering that made him sure that the only reason he din't want her as a teacher was because he viewed her as something of a daughter, and he had a feeling that would end if they were to be colleagues. But he should not put his own feelings before the obviously best choice.

"I vote yes. but as I see it, I shouldn't have much of a saying in this. Everyone knows Divinia is one of my favorites, and that will affect my judgement no matter how hard I try not to." Erik said as Sasha calmed down. He wasn't really surprised when Leo choose to back down instead of standing his ground. "I'll leave the decision to you" He said and nodded to the others while scratching his beard, knowing that they probably would decide to make her a teacher anyway. 11