CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER ONE

“Miss Millot, thank you for buying. Really, we mean it.”

“It’s alright, Mrs Hampton. Now, off you go now to your other lovely house in Moscow-”

“Madrid!” she corrected crossly. Then her expression softened. “Goodbye, dear!” I shut the door in her face then. After a while, I heard the soft engine of her car rev, then the cruising of tyres across the cobblestone. Cobblestone. That must have been the only disadvantage of the house. I glanced around. And also the fact that it was empty.

I had just moved in from Kronley, a small town in the west of England that no-one had ever heard of. I had to move here, what with Jopston Witches College a ten minute walk away. My mother had forced me not to accept any other universities.

“They don’t teach anything there nowadays!” she had yelled, tying her black hair into a rough ponytail. “You need to go where everyone else in this damned family has gone!” She thrust an accusing thumb towards me. “You don’t always have to be different! Don’t be ashamed of what you are, Michelle Joanna Millot! It is insulting to the family! You are a witch, like the rest of us, no matter what you believe! And so it is only right for you to go to Jopston!” I didn’t put up much of a fight. So, being the witch that I am, I conjured up some money and handed it to Mr and Mrs Hampton, the proud owners of Ash house, East Hillbury road, Jopston. I wasn’t surprised that they hadn’t spotted that the money was fake- yet. It was very good quality, if I may say so myself. I needed a little money of my own anyway.

Then with a click of my fingers, my boxes arrived in the middle of the living room. My stuff sorted itself out, the furniture neatly arranging itself in the order that I wanted, the curtains attaching themselves to the selected windows, the carpets rolling out below my feet, various objects flying around the house and settling in just the right place. I felt something land on my shoulders, brushing against my neck. I knew what- who it was before I had to look.

“Poppy, I’ve warned you enough times to stay off my shoulder. You’re getting heavier by the minute!” I scowled. It jumped off my shoulder. It was Poppy, my- and it hurts me to say this- black cat. She was barely four months old, but extremely clever and chatty for her age, already mastering the art of flying and also growing at a rapid pace.

“I’m sorry,” she growled in reply. “I just hate moving house. It tires me out.”

“Imagine being a human, Pops. You wouldn’t have any magic and-” She shuddered.

“You need not say more,” she grumbled. I laughed. Then it was done. My magic slowly subsided, leaving sparkling trails in the air.

“Hey, Pops.” She scowled.

“How many times have I told you that my name is Poppy, not Pops. Poppy alone is bad, but Pops? Humans call their grandfathers Pops sometimes. May I remind you that I happen to not be a…grandfather!”

“Pops,” I repeated, taking no notice of her warning. “Did you know that the next door neighbour has a cat too, apparently. Mrs Hampton said so before she left to Madrid.”

“I’m not surprised. It’s probably a witch’s cat too, like me. What with Jopston Witches College so close, I’ll bet almost half of this neighbourhood are witches.”

“Maybe. Don’t you think we should go and introduce ourselves? To the neighbours, I mean. It’s only right…” Poppy nodded.

“Let’s go,” she said flatly.

“Wait,” I said quickly. “Let me get changed.”

“What’s wrong with jeans and a shirt?” Poppy commented. I frowned at her and with a thrust of my wrist, my magic swathed itself around me, and I emerged in a short, pale yellow, summery dress and matching yellow heels. Poppy looked impressed. “And where exactly are you going?” she asked sarcastically.

“It’s summer,” I replied simply. “It’s hot.”

I knocked on the worn, wooden door belonging to the neighbour. I patted down my dress, trying to coax Poppy off my shoulder, when the door opened. I looked up.

A young man, about the same age as me- eighteen- was standing there. He was much taller than me, six-two, I guessed. His hair was dark brown, outlining his sharp, defined face. He had pale blue-grey eyes which contrasted against his tanned, light bronze skin. He had on jeans and a dark blue polo shirt, slightly open at the top, giving me a slight preview of what lay underneath. Muscles rippled in his arm as he held the heavy door open, and his features were slightly bemused.

“Hello,” I started. “I just moved in next door. I’m Michelle Millot. I just came over to introduce…” I trailed off as I caught sight of a black cat purring, rubbing itself against his legs. It wasn’t Poppy.

“Hi,” he replied, not at all conscious of my surprise. “I’m Jonathan Hughes. I go to college… near here. Why d’you move in? You go to college too? You’re what, eighteen, nineteen?”

“Eighteen,” I replied, tearing my gaze from his cat. “You?”

“Nineteen.”

“You have a cat,” I said suddenly. It was more of a statement than a question. “A black cat.” He brought his gaze up to my shoulder.

“You do too.”

“Yeah, this is Poppy.”

“Oh. This one’s Max.” He leant down and picked Max up. “What a coincidence.” His eyes narrowed. “You didn’t tell me. You’re going to college here too, right?”

“Yeah, it’s about ten minutes away.”

“What’s it called?” he asked.

“You’re not allowed to say, remember?” Poppy hissed in my ear. “What if he’s human?” I glanced down at his black cat, then back up at his penetrating blue-grey gaze.

“Somehow, I don’t think he is,” I replied. “But… I’d better not take my chances.” Poppy grinned, contented.

“Why don’t you come in?” Jonathan invited abruptly, when he realised that I wouldn’t answer his question. “It’s kind of hot out here.” I nodded and stepped into his house. Poppy growled softly.

His house was flushed with light, clear windows lining the white walls. He led me past a set of carpeted stairs and into his living room. There was a small glass table between two off-white leather couches, then a few metres away, there was another larger table flanked by six matching wooden chairs.

“Sit down, make yourself comfortable,” Jonathan said, bringing me a glass of what I assumed was water. “Where did you move from?” Jonathan said casually, when he had sat down opposite me.

“Kronley. You probably haven’t heard of it,” I said with an apologetic smile.

“No. What’s it like there?”

“It’s pretty gloomy. Lots of rain and a grey landscape. In the summer it gets better, I guess. You see a bit of sun between the clouds sometimes.” I paused. “What about you? Have you always lived in Jopston?”

“No. Like you, I’m quite new here as well. I moved here…last September, I think.” I nodded politely, sipping my drink. Instinctively, I spat it out. He laughed. “That’s not water, it’s Jopston alcohol. Very strong. I didn’t know if you’d like it or not.”

“It’s very…bitter,” I agreed. “But it’s fine. Honestly.” I sneaked a sliver of magic from my finger, too quick for any human to notice. His eyes widened slightly. Or maybe it was just my imagination. I sipped the drink again. Better.

“Do you move often?”

“No, but I don’t believe in the whole moving-is-oh-so-stressful thing. It’s quite easy for me.”

“I agree.” He looked down at my glass, now empty. “Can I get you another drink? I’ve got beer and orange juice.”

“Orange juice, please.”

We chatted for a good two hours, until I glanced outside and realised that it was getting dark.

“Oh damn!” I glanced at my watch. “I need to go, sorry. It’s already seven-thirty. My mom,” I explained briefly. “She’s coming over.” He nodded, his expression suddenly serious.

“Don’t keep Mrs Millot waiting!”

As I walked out, I could swear that I heard him say, “See you at Jopston Witches College.”

“Mom. Do you like it?” She glanced at my house, her delight obvious.

“Of course, Mish. It’s very…spacious. Does Poppy like it?” Poppy lifted her head off the sofa.

“I think it’s OK,” she muttered, then laid her head back down.

“Mish, darling. I heard you talking to someone earlier.” She lowered her voice. “A boy. You know how I don’t like human boys. They’re so unpredictable. Please don’t speak with him unless it’s necessary.”

“Mom, it’s fine. I figured that there’s a big chance that he’s a witch too. He has a black cat called Max, and everything. I bet he’s not a human. Either way, we’ve just met. I only went over to say hello. There’s nothing going on between us.” Mom sighed.

“Alright-y, then. I’d better get going. I need to make dinner for the twins. Ta!” She smiled, and disappeared. The twins. My two little sisters, Sara and Lizzie were the most annoying little things on the earth. That was one reason that I was glad to leave home. Although everyone else said they were –dare I say it- sweet, they had taken no effort to hide their true selves from me. I had had my belongings vanish more times than necessary. Of course, their excuse was that they were still growing witches and their magic was still out of control, but please, give me a break. They were eleven years old! How could their magic still be out of control? I dread to think what will happen when they hit puberty.

Poppy giggled. “I miss the twins. Do you think they’ll like a visit us?” I shuddered, and shot a glare at her. She winced. “If looks could kill…”

“I’m going to bed,” I announced. “I start college tomorrow.” Poppy was dumbstruck.

“It’s only eight-ten! Where’s the Michelle I used to know? What happened to the girl who would stay up until God knows what time reading some hefty book!” She sighed. “Moving does take a lot out of people. Even witches.”

“Where do you want to sleep?” I asked, turning back to her. “Your bed is upstairs, but I can move it.”

“It’s alright. I’ll come up now with you.” She jumped up from the sofa.

“No-!” I started, but I trailed off as she settled herself comfortably around my neck. “You can do that, but only if you lose some weight, Pops. You’re getting heavy.” She glared at me, hurt.

“I’m sorry, but if you think I’m fat, I’ll go…” I sighed.

“Whatever. Just come upstairs.” She grinned.