Chapter 6: Still struggling.
Akko slept through Sunday. Her teammates tried to wake her up several times using very different methods, varying from blowing a trumpet to splashing her with water to casting an awakening spell. And yet, nothing worked. And while Akko was a heavy sleeper, this was a bit too much, even for her.
Lotte assumed it was Sucy's doing, and begged her to fix it, while Sucy affirmed she has nothing to do with it and that Akko had probably gotten yet another concussion while trying to fly, which was why she couldn't wake up. Still, the mushroom expert wasn't particularly worried; she'd seen Akko recover from lethal poisons in a matter of minutes, so she knew she was a difficult egg to crack. Lotte, however, was worried, and sought help from the school's nurse, who told them Akko's condition didn't seem to be magical; somehow, she was simply too tired to wake up.
So, they let her sleep. And when Monday morning came by, she woke up like nothing had happened at all. Except she was super confused when her friends told her they needed to go to class, since she thought it was Sunday.
Of course they immediately tried to question her about what had happened while they weren't there, but Akko simply invented some flimsy excuse about having hit her head that they obviously didn't believe, but didn't have the time to question further. After all, Akko wasn't going to tell them anytime soon that she'd agreed to be some woman's lab rat.
But anyways, once Akko had dressed, the three friends exited their room to go have breakfast, but as soon as Akko opened the door she was met with a very peculiar sight. A black kitten with a white star on his chest. Croix's cat.
"Meow." He said as he rubbed himself on Akko's legs, purring in the most adorable manner possible.
"A familiar?" Lotte asked, understandingly confused. "You think someone lost him?"
"I could get rid of him if you want." Such cackled maliciously.
"No!" Akko interfered, taking the kitten in her arms, where he nestled comfortably. "He's… mine." She lied. Technically. It's not like she had permission to own a familiar, but… he was a stray. Plus, baby animals could get severely injured while traversing the Leylines, meaning she couldn't bring him back to Blytonbury next time she went there. How had he gotten to Luna Nova in one piece was truly a mystery.
"Akko, we're not allowed to…"
"I know." She cut Lotte off. "It just… it kinda happened and… I'll keep him secret, I promise."
"Whatever, it's getting late." Sucy drawled out, upset that she couldn't use the cat for her own crazy experiments. Well, she still could, but at the risk of pissing off her favorite test subject.
After locking the cat inside her room, Akko and her friends went to have breakfast, and thankfully she wasn't questioned any further about her mysterious absence on Saturday, her extreme tiredness on Sunday or the cat she'd apparently adopted. All thanks to Amanda being her mischievous self and getting in trouble after starting a food fight with Hannah and Barbara at the cafeteria. Granted, they'd all gotten in trouble, but it was worth it.
Afterwards they'd gone to their first class of the day: magic history. Which was more than a little disappointing, since having stolen her mother's wand and experienced magical induction, Akko was more than ready to test her abilities doing one or two spells. But of course, as luck would have it, the first class had to be a theoretical one!
Still, as the class started and Finnelan began explaining something or other about some whatever old witches, Akko got out her wand and stared at the tip, willing it to light up. She just wanted one tiny spark, at least one single flicker of light as proof that she was now a witch.
But the wand remained just there; with its worn out wooden handle and its thin metal body, immobile and unlit. Meanwhile, Akko looked like she had indigestion, or like she was trying to pop a vein. That's how hard she was concentrating!
Like, how was magic even supposed to work? Do you just… imagine it and it happens? Because that was what she was doing, and yet it didn't seem to respond to her commands. But it felt like she was close! Like her magic was just under her skin, waiting to be released, but… she didn't have the key to open the door and let it flow. Maybe she needed to concentrate just a bit more. Only a little more…
"Akko!" Lotte dug her elbow on her ribs, breaking her concentration. She immediately hid her wand under her desk and looked up just in time to meet Finnelan's angry gaze centered on her. Just then, she noticed everyone was staring at her and the class had fallen silent, like they were waiting for her to answer something.
"Uh… yes?" She asked, blushing in embarrassment at being caught not paying attention.
"Atsuko Callistis." Finnelan's reprimanding voice resonated throughout the classroom, making a chill run down Akko's spine. "Care to explain what a blood witch is? Since apparently you are confident enough in your knowledge to not pay attention to the lesson."
"Uh… I… A blood witch is… a witch… that has… blood?" Akko stammered, only realizing how stupid that sounded once she had said it and blushing even more when all her classmates started laughing at her.
Finnelan could only sigh and turn her attention to the other troublemaker, who had been throwing paper balls at Hannah's head all class. Even after they started magically redirecting their trajectory and hitting her square in the face.
"Amanda O'Neill, if you were so kind as to enlighten us."
"Uh…" The rebel immediately put her legs down under her desk, instead of over it, and sat a little straighter, clearing her throat nervously. "Uh, a blood witch is…" She frowned once she remembered the information. "A myth. Just a scary tale our parents tell us so we don't go out after dark."
"Oh, Miss O'Neill, I assure you, blood witches are far from being a myth." Finnelan answered before turning to look around the class. "Anyone wants to tell us what blood witches are?" Many rose their hands, but the professor's eyes were instantly drawn to the blue team. "Ah, Miss Parker?"
"Blood witches are said to be people who robbed a witch of her power to take it for themselves, usually at the cost of the witch's life." Barbara answered. "It's a forbidden practice and it's said no one has performed it in centuries."
"Excellent, Miss Parker." She praised her before addressing the rest of the class once more. "Now, does anyone know what makes a blood witch so dangerous? Yes, Avery?"
"There's no limit as to how much magic a blood witch may come to possess, as she can rob the magic of thousands of witches and store it in her body." A girl with short purple hair said. "For this same reason, they can communicate with animals and spirits alike without having to learn their languages; they also can drastically alter the climate and even cast spells without a wand and without having to say the words."
"Well answered." Finnelan nodded, but honestly Akko had to side with Amanda here; this all sounded more like a scary tale than a history lesson. But if it was meant to scare them, it was definitely working.
"More so, blood witches won't target adults; their favorite pray are babies, children and, more commonly, teenagers." She made a dramatic pause, letting her words sink in, and even Akko had to gulp audibly at that. "Which is why all your rooms are imbedded with a protection spell and we have a strict curfew policy. A school for witches would be a feast to any blood witch, after all."
"Yeah, sure." Amanda rolled her eyes, still skeptical.
"Now, let's review the laws imposed during the Middle Ages to deal with blood witches and how they affected us as well."
Akko tuned her out almost immediately after that as she became immersed in her own thoughts. Blood witches sure sounded like creatures of nightmares; her wild imagination pictured them as old hags with green skin and long noses (not that some professors in Luna Nova didn't look like that too), incredibly powerful and incredibly evil, willing to take lives to gain power.
Presented with such an obvious villain, she couldn't help wondering if the blood witches had taken her mother. Sure, Finnelan had said they don't usually go after adults, but that didn't mean it never happened, right? Plus, her mother was the most powerful witch in the world! Surely a blood witch would want something like that.
Huh. Maybe she was onto something. She'd have to keep investigating… and she had to pay attention! Otherwise she'd fail the exam.
Next came Astrology. Ugh. Another theoretical subject. But after that they finally had a class Akko could enjoy: metamorphosis magic… if only Babcock would let her inside the classroom in the first place.
"I don't see a reason for you to take this class." The strict professor said. She was a short woman with blue hair and round glasses, and one of Akko's least favorite professors. Sometimes, she thought she was worse than even Finnelan.
"Please! Just let me try it." Akko pretty much begged. "What difference does it make to you anyway? If I can't do it then the most that will happen is that I'll be a laughingstock."
"Which will distract the class." The professor argued, still blocking her from entering the classroom.
"Oh, come on! I'll be good, I promise." She kept protesting. "I know I could do magic, if you just let me try."
"People don't simply gain magic in one night." Babcock sighed, obviously getting tired of Akko already. "You have to be born with it."
"I was born with it. I know it." Okay, that might not be true, but Babcock would never believe her if she actually explained how she'd gained powers.
The teacher, as expected, just looked at her with skepticism.
"You don't even have a wand." She ended up saying.
"I do!" Akko said proudly, extracting her wand from her pocket and showing it off.
"Is that… Ursula's wand?" Babcock adjusted her glasses and narrowed her eyes, inspecting the object closely.
"My mom always believed in me! She said I would be a good witch, and she knows me better than anyone. She knows of my origins, and she still encouraged my love of magic! I'm sure there was a reason for it. So, unless you have proof that I was born without magic, the least you can do is let me try." By this point, Akko was agitated with barely repressed anger. She was just so tired of everyone telling her she couldn't do anything without even giving her a chance to prove otherwise. Like, would it kill them to let her try?
"… fine." Babcock ended up agreeing, but before Akko could start jumping in happiness, she continued with a strict tone of voice. "But if you give any trouble at all, you're out. Understood?"
"Yes, yes, professor! Thank you!"
"Metamorphie Faciesse!" Nothing. "Metamorphie Faciesse!" Still nothing. Was she doing something wrong? For her classmates it came so natural! And they were doing more advanced transformations. She was merely trying to turn a mouse into a rabbit, not into a horse, or an elephant!
"Aww, playing at being a witch?" Hannah teased as she passed.
"Maybe she thinks she's Harry Potter." Barbara added, both of them laughing at Akko's indignant expression. However, since she really didn't want to get kicked out, she resorted to just blowing them a raspberry instead of picking a fight as usual.
"Ignore them, Akko. This exercise requires concentration." Lotte advised.
"But it's… it's just too difficult." She whined. "Like, the tip of my wand won't even light up, and yours… it does as soon as you touch it!"
"That's because we have magic." Sucy deadpanned.
"I do too!"
"Right."
"Maybe you should focus on lighting up your wand? Before you try making any spells?" Lotte suggested before her two friends ended up fighting so loudly they would all get detention. "I mean, that would surely help you get a better understanding of magic."
"You're right, Lotte!" Akko exclaimed, smiling now that she had a better idea of what to do. "You know? Earlier I almost did it, during history class! I'm sure now it'll take me just a second."
"If you actually had magic, it would have already lighten up." Sucy commented, as a matter of fact. "Real witches don't have to put any effort on it."
"Sucy!" Lotte chastised her. She, however, just blinked.
"What? It's the truth."
Thankfully though, Akko hadn't been listening; her whole concentration was deposited in only a small metal tip the diameter of a well-sharpened pencil, where a ball of green energy was still missing.
But she didn't understand! It should be lighting up, right? Croix had given her magic, which meant she was now a witch capable of doing spells! Sure, she'd said she had to take it easy and not do any magic while she still felt dizzy, but she was fine now! She felt completely normal, so she really, truly should be able to do magic.
The truth is, however, that no matter how hard she stared at her wand, or how much she willed it to light up, nothing happened. Ugh. Maybe she'd have to tell Croix about this. Perhaps the magical formula or the little cubes hadn't worked and she needed another session of magical induction. As much as the thought of drinking that thing again repulsed her.
"Oh, look, Akko's still unable to do magic, how pathetic!" Akko heard Barbara's voice at her back, but did her best to ignore her, closing her eyes and trying to feel the magic within her body.
"When will she understand that only those born with magic can actually be witches?" Hannah agreed, laughing maliciously. "Of course, unless she wants to become a blood witch, but we'd have to kill her then."
"I wouldn't be surprised. Remember the rumors about Shiny Chariot?"
"What rumors?" Akko gave in and took the bait, unwilling to let them speak badly about her mother. So she turned around and gave them the meanest glare she could muster.
"It's nothing, Akko! Just ignore them." Lotte tried to interfere, but the brunette didn't deviate her gaze from the two mean girls from the blue team.
"That she mingled with blood witches. Even practiced their costumes. That's why she's so powerful." Hannah answered casually, staring at her fingernails.
"She would never do that!" Akko immediately exploded in rage. How dare they compare her mother with those evil creatures?! "Besides, aren't blood witches supposed to have disappeared centuries ago?"
"They're supposed to be extinct, yes." Barbara explained. "But witches never really stopped disappearing in suspicious circumstances; the cases were just rarer than in the past."
Wait… disappearing? Like her mom?
"Key word is were." Hannah continued, now with an angry expression. "Ever since the so called Shiny Chariot started performing there have been more and more disappearances, and some even claim to have seen blood witches around."
"That's just a coincidence! My mom would never associate with blood witches." If anything, she was probably kidnapped by them.
"Oh, really? Then why did she encourage her magicless daughter to become a witch?" Barbara asked maliciously. "She was practically asking you to be a blood witch."
After that, all hell broke loose in the classroom. Akko got in a fight with Barbara and Hannah, throwing punches, bites, jerking their hair, etc. Sure, it was two versus one, but Akko was just too angry because of what they'd say. Yes, they could insult her, call her names if they wanted, but tarnishing the name of her mother? That was going way too far.
Of course she got in trouble for that and had to stay up late writing one thousand times "I shouldn't start fights with my classmates". Thankfully, Hannah and Barbara received the same punishment, so that was a little comfort.
At least her new cat gave her company. She'd brought him some food from the cafeteria, and after eating it he'd fallen asleep on her lap. He looked so cute! She had to think of a name.
Maybe… Alcor? Like her mother's familiar? No. It would get way too confusing once they returned. Star then? Because of the star he had on his chest. Or maybe… Polaris, like the northern star, etoile du nord in French, her mother's native language.
Polaris. She liked how it sounded. And besides, it was a star that served as guide to people, just like familiars usually did for their witches.
Granted, she wasn't a witch yet. But she wasn't about to steal magic from anyone to accomplish it either! Like Hannah and Barbara had so rudely suggested.
She had to call Croix. Something had gone wrong! Plus, she needed to share her little theory about blood witches kidnapping her mother with her. Sure, she doubted she knew anything about blood witches, but maybe they could investigate together.
So, she ended up sending her a message, asking to meet her as soon as possible. Almost immediately, she got an answer saying she wouldn't have time until the weekend. Akko was disappointed, to say the least, but she understood. Croix did look like a very busy person, after all.
But for now, all she could do was keep writing lines and hope she would find her mother soon.
A/N: I hope you liked that! And, as always, if you did, please leave a review/favorite/follow to encourage me to write more! Thanks for reading.
Thanks to my beta reader moonwatcher13.