The grey light of dawn broke over the Academy. It was a cold morning. A lonely figure moved on the lawn outside the mansion, a hunched shadow. It was Kyle, who did not seem to sleep much, and often awoke long before Zoe and the other girls. He was focused on his lonely task at present, picking up the frogs that lay scattered all over the lawn. Cordelia's spells kept curious tourists and journalists away from the gates, so no one saw him at his work.
Inside the mansion in the green house, Cordelia was hard at work as well. She had ushered the others to bed after their grim discovery the night before, soothing jangled nerves and offering words of reassurance. But she herself was shaken. She had known the enormity of what had passed. This was an omen, or a message of some kind she was sure, but where had it come from and who had sent it?
One of the frogs was on the bench in front of her now, cold and prone, its long legs spread out like a sea star, the ugly gash in its belly revealing the contents of its guts. She had lined her jars and vials up in a row upon her bench, concoctions and mixtures she had made for revealing truth and gaining clarity. She tried them one by one, sprinkling and pouring tiny amounts of each on top of the frog. The room began to smell strange and sickly, like flowers beginning to rot, and Cordelia was starting to get a headache from the fumes. But nothing had transpired. The frog lay motionless, covered in various shades of strange concoctions, damp and shiny from her brews. She bit her bottom lip and pushed her blonde hair behind her ears.
"Come on Cordelia, think!" she muttered.
She was the Supreme. Surely this was within her realm of understanding. For the hundredth time since she had become leader of the coven, she wished she had Myrtle by her side to guide her. She took a deep breath and exhaled. She needed to focus. What hadn't she tried?
She cast her eyes around the room. It was filled with all sorts of helpful herbs and exotic plants. A green haven tucked in the belly of the grand old mansion. Misty had loved this room best of all. Cordelia's gut tightened thinking about it. Herbs and potions lined the shelves but she knew in her heart none of them could help her. Only her power as Supreme could see her through.
Then she had an idea.
She looked down upon the frog, cold and dead and pathetic. Her hands hovered over the top of the creature. She focused on its tiny frame. She knew what she had to do.
Vitalum vitalis.
She felt a surge of energy, like blue fire, ignite in her chest and travel down her arms and out of her hands. She let out a tiny breath as the life giving force left her body and entered the frog.
The frog lay still.
Cordelia withdrew her hands and watched it warily. Had it worked?
She jumped as the frog let out a croak and leapt off the bench into the air. She made a lunge for it and her fingertips brushed its skin. Immediately she was lost in a vision.
She saw a sunny room, full of desks and chairs, a blackboard, students. A classroom. She saw unfamiliar children's faces. A teacher. Frogs! The students had frogs in front of them. Scalpels glistened in the student's hands. She felt fear. Oh, a terrible sick fear that tightened her stomach and stopped her breath. Then she saw Misty Day. Misty was crying. She was screaming out in pain.
"Misty!" Cordelia cried.
Then everything went black.