A/N: Before you read the story, please note that I have not Beta, so please be gentle:) If anyone would like to beta it, I am open;) I hope you´ll enjoy the first chapter and I would be very thankful for comments;)
Diclaimer:I do not own the characters in the story and do not earn any money with the story. It is purely for fun and entertainment!
Introduction
Solstice was just around the corner and Ada enjoyed every single day she was able to get away from school, her twin and her mother and just go outside for a walk. She breathed in the crispy air deeply into her lungs and closed her eyes, listening to the soft crackling of the falling snow. The smells were fresh and earthy and if she were a cat, her ears would have twitched in delight, every time a little robin called. It was glorious.
Ada had graduated only a few months ago and although she had been aware that she would have to study a lot before she could become Cackle´s headmistress when her mother retired some day, she hadn't expected it to be so boring and tiring. She loved teaching, but all the other duties of the Headmistress were still a book with seven seals to her. Being only eighteen, Ada thought it was unfair of her mother, to subject her to the burden of being a Headmistress.
Ada laughed bitterly. She could almost hear her mother scolding her.
"My dear child," she would say, "You have no idea of the burdens still waiting for you. Right now you are simply toddling around. Wait till you have to actually act upon your duties."
She might be right. Ada didn't have to scold any students yet. She didn't have to expel anyone or dry the tears of girls that had problems at home. But she had heard so much about it that she felt like she had done those things herself for a lifetime already.
With a heavy sigh, Ada opened her eyes and glanced around. The whole point of this walk had been to forget about the school and the duties awaiting her. And here she was; in the middle of nowhere and surrounded by the magical nature of Cackle´s grounds and still, those oppressing thoughts caught up to her anyway. Maybe she wasn't cut out for this. Maybe Agatha was right and she was too weak and soft for the job of the Headmistress.
The young witch sighed again and turned around to make her way back to Cackles Academy, when suddenly a bird screamed and flew by her, halting Ada in her steps.
She listened carefully and a chill ran down her spine when she heard…nothing. The birds were gone and the snow had stopped falling.
Curious.
Ada looked to her left and only three feet from her the snow was still falling as it had been just moments ago. She looked up, searching for a branch or some other kind of natural roof that could be responsible for this peculiar situation. To Ada´s surprise, there was nothing overhead. Actually, there was but it was so wondrous, that Ada´s mouth fell open in surprise. In not even two meters height, the falling snowflakes were gathering, seemingly in mid-air, as if a glass globe had been constructed around Ada.
"Wow." She whispered. "A shielding spell. Without even thinking about it. Miss Bat would be proud of me." Although she meant it as a joke, for a second or two, Ada actually checked on her own Magic and had to confirm, that she wasn't the one projecting the shield.
Ada wasn't too worried, her suspicions being on a student which had followed and wanting to play a prank on her. Ada concentrated and frowned only a moment later. She didn't recognize the present Magic signature. Of course she didn't know all the girls in the school, but she knew a fair share of them and she couldn't think of a reason, why a student should have followed her that didn't know her personally.
Once again, Ada looked around, this time stretching out her arms to feel for the borders of the spell. Finally finding them, she leaned slightly against it, testing the strength of it and nodded appreciatively. Whomever cast the spell did her homework. Fairly solid and as far as she could tell, without any loopholes. Certainly not a work of a first or second year student. Ada followed the invisible barrier with her hands until she reached the right side of the path, where bushes covered the view of the rest of the enclosed space she was in. She smiled gently. The prankster must be hiding in the brush. How to proceed? Pretend not to see them or scare them out of their socks?
With a shrug, Ada decided to just dive in and say hello.
"If you´re ready or not, here I come!" she proclaimed and started to divide the branches with her mitten covered hands. Puffing and huffing, Ada worked her way through the brush, getting her woollen hat and mittens snagged on the wood more than once. When she finally worked her way to the other side, the witch looked right and left, not seeing anyone nor anything.
"Hmmm." She hummed, stretching her arms out to find the border again. She leaned forward and there it was. Now this was interesting.
Just when she was about to cast her own spell, a quiet noise startled her. To her surprise, the shuffle had come from the ground. Her eyes slowly scanned the snow covered ground and her eyebrows rose in surprise when she glimpsed a piece of black cloth peeking out from between the bush and a rather thick tree trunk. That must be a very slight prankster if they fit into this small space.
"I think I found you, dear. You can come out now."
No answer. But the cloth did move slightly, obviously trying to hide even further into the underbrush. Now this was rather strange and Ada couldn't help but frown. Slowly she went down into a crouch and squinted into the bright white nature.
"Oh."
The exclamation escaped her in part in surprise but in part in horror. She had expected a lot, but not a small child. Ada´s eyes quickly scanned whatever she could actually see of the child and her horror deepened even further. The black cloth she had seen before, was a long undershirt. The child was obviously sitting with its legs drawn to her chest with a thin bare arm caught in-between.
Ada couldn't see much more, but the slight tremble in the little creatures' body worried her to no end. She had to hold herself back from reaching for the child and pulling her or him into her arms to warm the frail body. She needed to tread carefully.
"Hello there, little one." She whispered gently, kneeling down into the snow. She ignored the cold wetness seeping through her clothes for now. She could have easily cast a warming and drying spell, but who knew what behaviour it would trigger from the child.
"My name is Ada. Who are you?"
Though there was no direct answer, the little body shifted slightly and long black hair fell over the bare arm
"Wow." Ada smiled. "what beautiful hair you have. I wish my hair was so long. I never could get it to grow further than to my shoulders." Ada hoped that the child would be maybe curious and peek out at her but she was disappointed, when only a thin hand was stretched towards her and with a graceful but still childish gesture, the child cast a spell and Ada´s hat disappeared and reappeared in the small hand. Another rustle and the child pulled back from Ada´s sight completely.
"Hey!" Ada called, careful not to sound intimidating. "My head is going to freeze now and I will turn into a popsicle."
When a high-pitched giggle reached her ears, she knew she was on the right track. And from the sound of it, the child was a girl.
"Don´t you want to come out? I would love to look at you properly, you know?"
Silence.
Ada reached out with her Magic to probe the shield. Still there.
"Can you at least tell me your name? I am sure it is as beautiful as your hair."
Again only silence.
But just as Ada was about to lean away from the bush, the snow covered leaves shook slightly and impossibly dark eyes appeared in-between the branches.
"I am not allowed to speak with strangers."
Ada smiled understandingly.
"I am a student at Cackles Academy. I won´t hurt you. I promise."
"Cackles?"
"Yea." Ada shifted on her knees, trying to slide closer. The girl didn't move away and Ada felt encouraged to wriggle even closer. When she was only half a step away from the bush she stopped and raised an arm, outstretching right hand towards the girl.
"I can help you to warm up. "
Another shiver went through the leaves and finally Ada saw the girls face emerge. Her hair was indeed jet black, just as her eyes were, with only a few flecks of hazel blotches in them, sparkling like little pieces of amber. Her face, though still round with childish features, was chiselled elegantly, but at the same time, rather seriously for a small child.
"Ah. There you are, my dear." Ada smiled at the girl, not getting a smile back. "Who are you, child?"
"I don't know." the girl answered seriously.
"What do you mean? Everyone knows who they are. Everyone has a name. Even my cat does." The young witch laughed, thinking that the child was joking.
"Mother says I am no one."
Ada´s face turned serious within a second of hearing this. What mother would say such a cruel thing to her own child? Though Ada and her twin had had their fair share of heated fights with their mother, never something so horrendous had left either of their mouths. Ada felt tears of anger well in her blue eyes, but forced herself to not shed them. She couldn't let the child in front of her see her like that.
"How about I´ll show you the Academy and let you have some cookies. My mother works there…" before Ada could finish her sentence, the girl in the bush gasped and retreated.
"No mother….mother will hurt us."
"No no! Dear, she won´t. My mother is very nice. She´s been working with children all her life and they all really like her. She would certainly love to treat you to a nice warm cup of tea and those chocolate chip cookies I have seen her bake yesterday."
The girls face reappeared with a hesitant spark in her eyes.
"Cookies?"
"Sure. Loads of them! Ada giggled, wiggling her outstretched arm. "Take my hand and I´ll transfer us into the castle. You´ve been out here for far too long without the proper clothes."
Hesitant and very slowly, the girl reached out to Ada´s hand and grasped it slightly, still staring at Ada´s face. Maybe looking for danger, maybe in curiosity. It was hard to interpret the child´s facial expression and Ada didn't dwell on it.
"You will need to retract your shielding spell, dear."
"But it protects me." The girl protested, slightly tugging at her hand, as if she wanted to pull it out of Ada´s. Before she could do so, the older witch put her second hand over the small one and patted it calmly.
"Don't worry. You have me now. And as long as you are with me, I will protect you."
Ada meant what she said, but when she said it, she had no idea how much grieve that easily given promise would cause her in the nearest future.
To be continued...
