Zoe's eyes snapped open to the sight of the harsh white ceiling of a classroom. Jars lined the room, each containing a dead frog, spindly limbs stretched out as if they were flailing to escape. Children sat at the desks, each working at a frog with a scalpel. Strangely, no posters or crude depictions of atoms plastered the walls like most science classroom walls, which gave the room the bleak air of a clinic or a surgery. A dream, Zoe thought. She had always been able to tell dreams from reality. She was also good at manipulating her dreams to her advantage. Lucid dreaming was the most common power in witches, but most people who had it didn't develop any other powers, so they thought nothing of it.
A teacher paced around the classroom. He walked with an air self importance and his eyes glinted with malice. It was evident that the children feared him, as whenever he walked behind one of them, the child would stop what they were doing as if they were expecting criticism, not quite daring to look at him. None of them seemed to notice Zoe, who was quite out of place among the twelve-year-olds.
The first thing Zoe noticed was the full grown girl sitting on the other side of the room, her hair a mess of wild blonde curls. She wore a long, ruffled dress of black lace and a floral shawl draped around her shoulders. Silver rings adorned her fingers, which were clasped around her frog. Misty.
Suddenly, the boy sat opposite Misty raised his head. "Mr Cringley, she did it again!" he shouted, before smirking at her. The frog that was under her hands hopped around the desk. Zoe ran over to Misty, shouting her name.
"Zoe!" the older girl grasped Zoe's arms, her face wet with tears and terror displayed in her blue-green eyes. "How did you get here?!"
"Misty, where-" Zoe started.
"If you won't dissect a dead frog," the teacher interrupted as he strode towards them, "you will dissect a live one."
Misty pulled Zoe closer to her, "Zoe, please! Don't let him make me do it again! Please, Zoe!" the older witch pleaded, her eyes wide with fear. He's going to make her kill the frog, Zoe thought. She reached her hand out to grab it, but her hand went straight through. She tried again, but she ended up with her arm through the desk and her hand underneath. What the-? "Please don't make me kill a living thing!" Misty cried, tears forming in her eyes. She continued to plead, but the teacher forced the scalpel into her hand and pulled her arm down over the frog, dissecting it. Misty wailed, her eyes squeezed shut. The teacher's body tensed in excitement at her anguish; he clearly enjoyed this.
Zoe saw red. He's a fucking sadist. She reached out to grab his arm, but the room's strange physics acted again and she stumbled through him, feeling an odd crushing sensation as the two briefly occupied the same space. She fell on her backside, shaking her head in bewilderment.
As soon as the teacher started to walk away, Misty placed her hands on the frog again. When it hopped back to life, the same boy as before raised his head again. "Mr Cringley, she did it again!"
It's happening again, Zoe thought. What is this?
"Zoe!" Misty wailed again, "help me, please!"
"Misty I can't!" Zoe shouted back, "I can't touch anything, my hand goes straight through it!" Tears pricked her eyes, "I'm sorry, Misty!"
Zoe bolted upright in her bed just as the first rays of sun shone through the academy window. "What the fuck was that?!" she said aloud, although she knew. Hell. Her hell. She curled up in a ball and sobbed. "She's there forever...because of me," she finished with a whisper. Guilt stabbed at Zoe as she rocked back and forth on her bed, remembering...
llllllllllllllllllllllllllll
"Thunder only happens when it's rainin'" Misty sung in her low, crooning voice. Her hips swung in a rhythmic motion as she stirred the dark pink potion in the bowl. Zoe watched her with hunger. For the last few days, she'd had an overwhelming attraction to the older girl, and it scared her. Zoe had never been into girls before, and this didn't feel the same as when she liked a guy. She craved Misty's touch and comfort, wanting nothing more than to curl up in her arms and kiss her, letting the older witch do with her as she pleased.
"Can you give me a hand, Zoe?" Misty asked as she lifted her eyes to meet Zoe's gaze. They stood with their eyes locked for an uncomfortably long second and Zoe felt herself starting to melt. She dropped her gaze and mumbled, "uh, yeah. Of course."
"Crush up the ginseng and the damiana in that bowl will ya?" Misty asked. Zoe nodded and began crushing the herbs.
They worked silently, Zoe sneaking glances at Misty at every opportunity. She occasionally caught Misty doing the same and both girls would look down, embarrassed. After a few minutes, Misty broke the silence.
"How're things goin' with Kyle?" she asked.
Zoe inwardly sighed at the sound of the older girl's voice, "well...um, good, I suppose..." she answered, "it's great to be able to live with him. You know, he's always there, so we can spend loads of time together."
The older witch smirked, "and what about when you're spending time together, hmm?" she asked.
Zoe wasn't sure how to answer. Lately, the only person she could imagine being in bed with was Misty. Her heart was pounding, but she acted comfortable. They were only friends talking about girly things, Misty would know something was up if she started acting awkward. "I'm glad my powers don't work on Kyle," she answered, "that would make things harder."
The older witch smiled and nodded, "that's a great help, I guess." She turned to look at Zoe, "what's it like? When you..." a blush began to rise on Misty's cheeks.
"When I what?" Zoe asked.
"Ya know..." Misty's face was now a similar colour to the potion she was mixing herbs into, "do it. Have sex."
Zoe's heart beat fast. She's so adorable. "It's...painful at first, but you get used to it," Zoe tried to be as vague as she could with her answers; she didn't want to accidentally say something she shouldn't. "Kyle's nervous though, he never...um...finishes."
"What's that mean?" Misty asked, eyebrows raised in innocent curiosity.
Damn, of course she doesn't know, Zoe thought, how do I put this? "It never lasts very long before he pulls- stops doing it."
Misty blushed beet red, "I think some of this potion could help you guys. It's an aphrodisiac. It'll increase your...desire for each other."
"Thanks, Misty" Zoe smiled.
The older witch closed her eyes and began saying an incantation over the mixture. Zoe's eyes wandered up her flawless body, taking in her long, slender legs, her corseted waist, her perfect breasts. She stopped on Misty's cupid's bow lips, noticing their every movement as they formed the sacred words. Zoe imagined pressing her own lips against them, running her hands through that wild hair...she looked away just in time for Misty to open her eyes.
"We should try some first," Misty said. She looked at the floor, nervous, "ya know, just to see if it works. Ah'm kinda new at incantations."
Zoe simply nodded, and swallowed a spoonful of the potion. She winced; the potion tasted surprisingly sweet, but very spicy. Misty did the same, fanning her mouth with her hand in an attempt to put out the non-existent flames. For a long while, Zoe felt nothing. She was about to make an excuse to go back inside when she felt Misty's hands on her waist. Her heart fluttered. I should go, she thought. I should go right now, and forget that ever happened. Instead, she found herself turning round and kissing the older girl on her perfect lips. She closed her eyes, savouring the amazing feeling. Her head spun with the ecstasy of knowing she was loved, she was safe. Before long, she felt Misty countering her movements with her own and slender hands stroking her thighs. The older witch lurched forward in passion and lifted Zoe up onto the botany table.
"Misty-" Zoe started.
"Shhh..." Misty placed a finger on Zoe's lips and pushed a stray strand of her hair behind her ear. The younger girl closed her eyes, and felt Misty's lips, eager on her own. She leaned back, sighing into the kiss and allowing Misty's tongue to penetrate her mouth. Zoe broke the kiss, and ghosted her lips along the older girl's jawbone, shivering at the beautiful sound of her sighs. She felt Misty's hand groping the neckline of her top. The older witch pressed her lips to the top of Zoe's breasts, and the younger girl felt a warm pulse hit her in her core as the hungry lips kissed every inch of her cleavage. Without thinking, she pulled Misty's hand between her legs and softly groaned as the older girl began rubbing her. Zoe soon felt a wetness between her legs. The older girl placed one last kiss on the Zoe's breasts, pulled off the younger witch's top and slipped her hands inside her bra. The younger girl moaned, she didn't know how much more she could take. Her hands responded by pulling down Misty's dress and unlacing the small corset around her waist. The older witch didn't resist as Zoe skillfully unclasped her bra and paused, taking in Misty's small put perfectly formed breasts. She swirled her tongue around a pebbled nipple. Misty groaned loudly, her hands digging in to the younger witch's bare shoulders as an outlet for her passion. That was the last straw for Zoe and she let out a half scream, half sigh as her orgasm racked her body, sending a violent shiver all the way down her. Zoe moved on to the other breast while she fondled the first one. After a moment trying to contain herself, Misty shouted out, the feeling of Zoe's mouth on her breasts sending her over the edge. The older girl yanked down the rest of her dress and let it fall to the floor next the Zoe's leggings and top. She took off her pants and stood before the younger girl.
"Misty, you're beautiful" Zoe gasped. Misty's small breasts were complimented by her long, narrow waist, which tapered out to round hips. Between the older girl's legs were a mess of light brown curls, similar to the ones on her head. Zoe looked on as Misty pulled herself onto the table and slowly spread her legs, her mouth hanging slightly open to allow for her heavy breaths. Zoe crawled towards her and pushed her head between the older witch's legs. She was surprised to find Misty's centre was quite dry, obviously exhausted by the older girl's orgasm. Zoe lapped at Misty eagerly, desperate for the taste of her, the feeling of her, everything about her. The younger witch soon felt herself getting wetter in response to Misty's cries of pleasure. She pulled her head away and sat up, Misty eventually following.
"My turn" Zoe all but whispered. She pulled off her panties and spread her legs for Misty. Zoe's vagina wasn't bare, but she trimmed the hair there regularly so it didn't show when she went swimming. Misty seemed confused at Zoe's lack of pubic hair, furrowing her brow as she leaned into the younger girl's crotch. Zoe felt the older girl's tongue penetrate her, sliding in almost as deep as Kyle went. Kyle. Zoe's nights with him a distant memory now she was feeling what she did. Misty's tongue was out now, and she teased at Zoe's entrance with two fingers. She pushed all the way in and shifted her fingers around inside, trying to find a good position. The movement triggered a second orgasm from Zoe, this time eliciting a louder scream. She felt Misty's fingers curl and pull out, leaving a strange, satisfied feeling inside her. The older witch lay down next to her and they fell asleep, Zoe's head resting on Misty's chest.
Zoe's eyes flickered open and focussed on the sunlight dappled floor of the greenhouse. Relishing in the peacefulness of the scene, she stretched forward. Suddenly, she felt the hand on her breast. Misty's hand. Oh shit! The memories of the night before flooded back to her. She jumped off the botany table, pulled on her clothes and hurried into the academy, leaving Misty sleeping naked in the greenhouse.
Zoe went away with Kyle for five days, the comforting familiarity of his presence grounding her, a welcome break from the chaos that was consuming everything else. Her attraction to Misty dissipated as quickly as it had formed, causing Zoe no end of confusion. She wanted to avoid Misty for the rest of their lives, but she had to talk to her about what happened.
Zoe returned the day before the Seven Wonders. She was immediately swept up in the fight between Misty and Madison, then the Axeman showing up. It was evening before she could talk to Misty in private. She found the older girl sitting cross legged on her bed, eyes closed as she hummed along to "Edge of Seventeen". Zoe knocked on the open door.
"Misty?" Her voice was shaky. Misty's eyes brimmed and she jumped up, wrapping Zoe in an uncomfortably tight hug and burying her face in Zoe's hair.
"I missed you Zoe", she kissed the younger girl's cheek. "I understand why you had to go, Fiona wanted to kill you." Zoe felt the older witch's hands slide down her arms, "but she's gone, Zoe, she's gone, and I always knew we were meant for each other. That feeling I got before I found you, when I was meditating in the wood, it was love. I know that now. Now we can tell them Zoe, we can tell everyone about us and whoever's the supreme will pass the Seven Wonders and everything will be over. We can all be happy."
Zoe's heart broke as she pulled away from Misty's grip. "I'm so sorry this happened Misty," she started.
"What-what are you talking about Zoe? There's nothing to be sorry about." Misty's eyes widened in her fear and confusion.
"Whatever happened that night, it was weird. I don't know what it was. I was attracted to you and I don't know why, but I'm with Kyle. I love Kyle." Misty's hands shook as she put two and two together. "You're an amazing, talented, kind, beautiful witch and one of the people I trust most in this world. But I don't love you. I'm sorry, Misty."
Misty wailed and sank down to the floor. That was how Zoe left her on the night of the Seven Wonders. Curled up on the floor. Alone and in tears. Weak when she most needed strength.