Thursday 21 June 2001, Annecy, France
"My time in Annecy was perfect, even though it had stagnated after the explosion of cookies in the city, I wasstill able to sell from time to time, the city still bought a lot, enough for me to make a living, I was only 30,000francs away from meeting my target, so I was very excited, I knew that the summer would help me a lot, ithad finally arrived and with that I could focus on getting more money, So much so that I could make morecookies and invest in expanding, I already had plans, I was going to take an advertisement to theneighbouring towns, even spread the word to Lyon about the cookies, with Pierre's help, but somethinghappened to make this perfect plan go down the drain, as I said, conservative witches have always been apain in the arse and I was already disturbed enough by them, even before I started being Shiny Chariot."
I'm about to sell more cookies, today I can make one last batch in Annecy, it'll be a great success, maybe I can close the account, soon I'll have enough to leave with enough to go to Luna Nova and then enjoy the day.
I'm just about to pack up when I hear a knock on the door. I stop what I'm doing as my father, who was on sick leave that day, obviously lying about being ill, isn't even going to answer it, so I go in his place, where I see two older women, they look like witches, one with her brown hair tied up and a big nose and the other wearing glasses and shorter blue hair.
"Is this Chariot Du Nord's residence?" asked the brown-haired woman.
"Yes, it's right here, welcome, are you witches?" I ask them.
"Yes we are witches, we have to talk about something important, you must be the Chariot Du Nord we were looking for, we have an important topic to talk about, it's about your business" said the lady.
"I'm Samantha Babcock and this is Anne Finnelan, we're Luna Nova teachers, can we come in?" The blue-haired girl asks and I nod.
How wonderful, they've come to me, they're Luna Nova teachers, this could be my chance, I don't think even my father expected this, I'm going to win a scholarship for everything I've done, I knew that if I showed my talent, one day they'd recognise my hard work and it really worked.
My father even looked a little different when he heard everything, switching off the television and with that we all sat down on the sofas to discuss what they wanted so much with me, I'm sure this could be a chance of a scholarship, I hope so, it's going to be too magical
"Very well, a very humble house for a Du Nord, even strange for someone who was once so renowned to be living in this place, weren't you from Loperèc? What made you move here?" asks the bespectacled woman with the blue hair.
"Most of the Du Nord family died, only this girl was left after her mother died in childbirth, I'm her father, we had to move to other cities for job opportunities, the city of Loperèc isn't good for that, we're always moving around" Liar, you forced me to move, but I won't say anything.
"Oh, that's very tragic for the Du Nord family, even more so that they ended up in this situation" said the brown-haired woman, who I could see looking at me with a little disgust. I hope not.
"Have you come to offer a scholarship to Luna Nova? I accept a scholarship to Luna Nova, I'd be very happy to study there, I guarantee I'd be a great student" I say eagerly.
"We're not here for that, you're only 11 years old, which is two years below the minimum age to study at Luna Nova, you should stay away from Luna Nova, or at least discipline yourself so that one day you can set foot inside our witchcraft academy, what you've done is a sacrilege to the reputation of witches, where have you ever seen selling mundane cookies using advertising magic to attract attention, this affects the reputation of witches, this goes against our rules of magic, did you know that the consequence of this is to cause a wave of mundanes in magic academies" Said the one with the big nose and I knew she was going to say it.
She really said what was in that report a few days ago, now that I've remembered the name, it's the same as when she was appearing in the reports, it can't be real, they don't mean it, they can't take it away from me... I was doing so well, I was so far away and now this... Damn it, it can't be real, it's just a nightmare, wake me up from this nightmare, this can't be happening.
"You didn't know that, girl? It's not our problem, you should know, as a Du Nord, you're from one of the most important families in the history of magic, you're a descendant of the nine witches, your family has history, you shouldn't have done something of this calibre, if you knew a little about the history of magic you'd know
that this isn't just some little theatre, magic is serious, something that must be taken seriously, you made it sound like magic is something that anyone can do, that's very serious, the reputation of witches has to be perfect, it creates an impression that we are amateurs, that we can't be taken seriously, that's the kind of thinking that can kill magic, which is already at an all-time low" Finnelan said.
"Magic is in decline, you've only made our situation worse, this could cause us witches enormous damage, you're already 11 years old, you should know that this is no summer camp, Luna Nova is a serious witchcraft academy" said the bespectacled girl.
"Why is it so bad? More mundanes means more witches, no one is interested in magic in the serious and boring way, magic can be fun too, children are essential to keep magic alive, without them we don't have new students learning magic and consequently more witches, magic depends on having more people believing in it and..." I'm immediately interrupted by them.
"The kind of rubbish I expected to hear from the adopted daughter of Laura McLaren and Bernadette Cavendish, we know all about you girl, you also lived with those two for five years, the first was known as the most controversial witch to ever set foot in Luna Nova, she's a bad influence, a rebel without a cause, she had that same way of thinking, wanting more people, to get the attention of more people, including mundanes, she even spoke and debated well, which we had to silence sometimes, because Miss McLaren's strong words messed with a lot of people's heads, but know one thing, it takes away from the prestige of magic, we're not against mundanes, we just want them to have the same prestige as witches descended from witch families" She knows I was with the mums, I now have even more admiration for them.
"If we end up with these waves of many witches appearing, we end up creating a demand and many poorly finished magic schools spring up, magic is a prestigious art, we can't let it stay that way, that's why we've come here, we're going to warn you not to go on and leave this town" said the other.
"What? What if we don't go out?" I say to both of them.
"Chariot didn't hear the two witches" said my father.
"I heard them very well, and I'm not leaving here, it's my home now, I have no reason to leave" I say with my head held high.
"If you want to study in Luna Nova so badly, you'd better get out of town, you're already here with us, we know about your history all over Chariot Du Nord, don't go playing Laura McLaren on us, this kind of rebellious and juvenile behaviour isn't accepted in our witchcraft academy, if you don't leave this town we'll put you on a refusal list and there's no point in paying anything, we won't accept you in Luna Nova" I even clench my fists.
"This doesn't make sense, you're blackmailing me, you can't do this" I say angrily.
"We can and we will, this isn't a request, it's an order, you have a week to leave Annecy, we'll be waiting for you two to leave, after that I don't want to hear any more about you Chariot, especially about magic, you'd better be warned" I start to cry with rage.
"That you're warned about that, we're leaving for now, pack your bags and go somewhere else" said the bespectacled woman, who then got up.
"You're welcome, we'll organise everything, I'll find another home" said my father, and I was beginning to have several thoughts in my head.
I just kept listening to the three of them chatting in the background, getting multiple thoughts running through my head, what the hell, they're taking everything away from me, my Cookies, my chance to get into Luna Nova, just when I thought I'd finally get my chance, I didn't know this was how things worked in Luna Nova, it's all much worse than I thought, my mums hadn't said that.
My thoughts fly through my head, I see the women leave, I sit down in the dining chair, put my hand on my head and look down as I cry.
"You heard the ladies, pack your things, we're leaving here, we're going to another town, well I was thinking of something more comfortable, more beautiful, more unique, well that was my take, this little town of Annecy full of mountains is a bit dull, I was wanting a bit more of a unique landscape, so I think Nice will be our next home, tomorrow I'll leave to find a house to rent, take care of the rest of the things, I want everything to be ready for our departure" Said my father.
I don't care about that, I loved staying in Annecy, I almost had what I needed to survive and now I'm being stoned to death, the witches of Luna Nova have taken the chance to go there out of my hands, I've been forced to leave by them, my chances of living well are simply gone, I can't take it anymore.
"Hey, Chariot, are you listening to me, stop crying and act, I want money, I can't rent a house for free, give me money so I can pay for the hotel and rent the house, what I said still stands, you're going to pay for it, I'm going to need 20,000 francs" I get up from the chair, walk crying with my fists clenched, to where the pot of money is.
I've already lost more money than my target, I thought everything would be fine, but now that I'm close I'm going through this, my fucking father still comes out laughing, he's already heading for the outside door, leaving me alone in the house, he doesn't even help me unload the things, I'm already very angry about all this, now I just want to punch someone in the face, I just want to... Ahhhhhh, why do these things happen to me, what the hell.
[...]
"That was just the first blow that was to come, not only did I have to stop with the cookies, I also had to leaveAnnecy, I was simply going to start from scratch in a new city and I couldn't do anything, I would have to bestuck in a different and new place, now I no longer had the security I had before and I was still obliged toprovide for my father, the bastard even demanded that I do the supporting him thing, which was completeshit, I'd have to go through another fresh start and put the £40,000 aside again."
I think I've had enough of crying at home, I hear knocking on the door, I go to it, walking a little shakily, after hearing that it was Pierre's voice, he had knocked many times before, but I didn't answer, I was crying so much that I couldn't even process it properly, little do they know the enormous shit that ended up happening, I open the door, I see that the town was almost all at the door, which I hug Pierre tightly.
"Oh girl, calm down, we're really worried, you didn't turn up to sell cookies, this is all too strange, did something happen? We just heard that your father left the house, that's all" asks my worried friend.
"Come in, it did happen, the worst happened to me, it's a long story" I say to them as they go into the house.
"So it's serious enough that you didn't go to work today, your father hit you? We can take it to the law, that's child abuse" He doesn't hit me, child abuse comes in another way, after all I'm not going to report the arsehole or I won't have the slightest chance of working and earning something.
"He doesn't do that sort of thing, we're leaving Annecy, he wants to get out of here and live in Nice, now it's up to me alone to sort it all out if I don't want to spend nearly all my hard-earned money getting things back" I say tearfully.
"That's awful, how can your father allow that?" I just stare at him, already demonstrating that he can and it's better not to question it.
[...]
I told them everything, now they know the situation was much worse, I just didn't tell them about my dad being an arsehole, but they should know that by now, or at least they know how much of an arsehole he is now, well there's not much else to do, things have ended in the worst way, I thought I'd finally be free of everything, but in reality I'm still going to have to go through this kind of thing.
"I told you so, witches are the kind of people you can't mess with, I've been telling you to stop for months, but I'm not going to stop helping you" said Claudine.
"I know it was my fault, but it doesn't make sense for them to be like this, it's very stupid for you to restrict magic to just a few people who deserve it, everyone could have this chance" I say as I pack up.
"It's unfortunately something that happens, only with time will this kind of thinking change, the older witches are very annoying about it, well at least you can learn that, by the way, you said Nice didn't you? I've got bad news, it's not such an inviting place for witches, your father must know something, that's why he moved there, so you have to hide the fact that you have some connection with magic or even use it outside the house, remember that" she said and I took a deep breath.
"It was to be expected from him, you have no idea about anything, not even my story, anyway, let's get everything sorted, now I'll have to start again" I say half down.
"It's nothing, I didn't want to bother you Chariot, but you got so angry that you peed your trousers" Pierre says and I get all embarrassed and confused.
"Eh Pierre, that's not pee" I put my hand down my wet trousers and saw that there was a red liquid on them, it was blood, and I was terrified, it can't be that something like this is happening, what is it? What's going on?
I walk backwards terrified, I run my hand down my trousers noticing that blood is coming out, what is it? Has someone hit me in the body? This can't be happening, is it blood? I smell a slightly ferrous odour and it's really blood, I scream in terror, I'm gasping for breath, I see Claudine coming towards me and I have no idea what's going on.
"What's that? Who hit me? Why am I bleeding?" I say frightened.
"I'm going to talk to Chariot, the same thing happened to me a few months ago, I don't think she has a clue, you go and dismantle things, take advantage and try to get a lorry to take the things, let's help, things seem to be going from bad to worse for her" said my friend and I'm still very scared.
"But what is that coming out of me? Why am I bleeding? Who stabbed me?" I'm very confused and being taken to my room.
"It's nothing like that Chariot, you're just having your first period, it seems like you've never had it before, doesn't it? I look after you, I know what you're going through" What is it? I was even more confused.
"And what is that? I remember something you said in science class" I say confused.
"Welcome to adolescence Chariot, your body has just told you that you're entering puberty, don't worry it's completely natural, we'll talk more about it, okay?" It's good to talk, I don't remember anything, I couldn't pay attention in class because I was too focused on making money, but I've heard a name like that.
[...]
Great, that's marvellous, it means that from now on every month I'm going to bleed through the middle of my legs while my body is forming, I had no idea that this was natural, now that I've been kicked out of my house, what the fuck, it's not enough that it's worse, now everything's even worse, it's like a lorry coming at me.
"Now we're going to pack everything up, you can stay at the house until everything is ready for your move" said Claudine.
"Thank you for helping me, I didn't know this happened, now I'm not only traumatised, but also more angry" I say to her.
"We all do, that's why it's always good to have pads on hand and always have your cycles in your head, you really did forget everything at school, didn't you? But that's okay, we're here to help you, when you get home don't forget that, okay?" I nod and hug my friend.
We're going back outside and it looks like they're demonstrating a lot of things, I hope that at least in Nice's house I'll have my own room and won't have to sleep in the living room, that will at least help a bit, they all wave at me smiling.
"I'm back, I'm going to help you" I say to them.
"You don't have to, girl, go and rest, look at your state, you should rest a bit, leave it to us, take a walk with Claudine around the city, then you'll come back, you'll have some fun" said Pierre.
"But what about the house? How do I look after it? I have to get everything sorted out, I don't know when my father is going to rent a place, but it'll be soon, he only left his mobile phone with me to let me know the address maybe, but he didn't tell me anything - I tell them and Pierre's friends appear and stroke my head.
"Claudine, take Chariot for a walk, she needs a breeze and some rest, it's been a heavy day for her, she'll be back later" said Pierre.
[...]
Sunday 24 June 2001, Nice, France
"On the one hand, it was a good thing, I didn't have to pay for any transport, the whole town of Annecyoffered to help me, we filled up the cars with all the house furniture, we came in droves to Nice where myfather confirmed the address, he obligingly asked me to get the house key from the hotel and the rest I hadto manage, when I got there the house at least had a room for me, But I already knew something, it wasnice, which was already a sign that my father had taken a slightly more expensive house, so much so that itwas on the beachfront, I was already feeling my pockets emptying just by looking at it, well at least theyhelped me that weekend, Pierre and his friends assembled the furniture and Claudine's family too, we couldleave everything ready, until the move was ready."
Now it's all over, well I don't have so much time left, at least Claudine's family and Pierre's friends helped a lot, I'm exhausted by it all, now I'm in another place, it's been almost 6 hours in a car, leaving Annecy, it's even warmer here, I miss the freshness of the mountains in Annecy, it was nicer there, I'm really going to miss it.
They're all getting ready to say goodbye, the journey back is going to be a long one, I even forget that they have to come back after all this, I'm still going to have to start all over again, probably there goes my pounds becoming Francs again, I'll soon be hugged by everyone.
"We'll miss you Chariot, good luck in Nice, don't let all this get you down, we know you'll come out of this" said Pierre.
"Of course we will, you were a friend to me at Annecy, I was the only witch in the school and then you turned up, we couldn't have a strong friendship, but I always helped you with the cookies and whatever was needed, I know you'll make it to Luna Nova, it's only a matter of time, you've impressed everyone" said my friend.
"I'm going to be fine, I'm going to start again here in Nice even though I can't be a witch, I'm going to do my best to become great, around here, Cookies can't be sold, but I have other talents" I say excitedly.
"You've already learnt to play the guitar, the rest is up to you girl, apart from that you have a good reserve of money there, now we're going, the journey back is going to be long" said Pierre.
"I'm just going to have a little chat with Chariot before we go" said Claudine, pulling me by the hand.
She takes me to my room, where there's only a mattress for the moment, but soon I put a bed, she holds my hands and looks me in the eye, seeming to be a little flushed, she keeps moving her lips in a very strange way, I don't know why she's like this, then she hugs me, very tightly, wow this girl has something.
"Goodbye Chariot, I could never say it, but I had a crush on you, it's a shame you're leaving" I blush when I hear that.
"What's wrong? Are you mad?" I say to her and she closes my mouth with her hand.
"As I expected from your reaction, I can't say much about it, but I have a taste for girls, I'm sorry to say that" she said and I just shrugged.
"Normal, I like it too, but I didn't expect that" I say confused.
"Nobody expects it, but that's what I wanted to say, if one day you visit Annecy don't forget me, OK, I'll also try to make an effort to get into Luna Nova, I'll do it for you" Claudine said, holding my hand and I began to shake my head in denial.
"No, and no, I don't accept that, if you want to go to Luna Nova, do it for yourself, to realise your dreams, not so you can see me, or win me over or something, if you succeed we'll be great friends, enjoy your time in Annecy" I say hugging her who huffs a little frustrated.
"It's OK Chariot, I'll do the right thing, but I really want to see you again, you'll be too busy in Nice" said the girl as I put my hand over her face and took a deep breath.
"Look, don't worry about these things, I'll be fine, you can come and visit me one day, the house is open to see you" She walks away from me and waves goodbye.
Now they've all gone, I'm alone at home, apparently there's not much to do, I still have a whole day free, 250,000 francs in my pocket, which I'll probably have to take out of my pocket, until my father gets here, I paid for him to stay in that super luxurious hotel for free, damn him, he's just taking advantage, swimming in money, 20,000 francs thrown in the bin, and this house probably didn't even come close to what I gave him
in money, he probably only paid for a month.
I hear my mobile phone ringing, I think it must be him wanting to let me know he's going to need something, while he's lounging around in a hotel, a dirty bastard, he just wanted to enjoy all the best.
"[Welcome to Nice girl, it looks like your goal is going to have to fall by the wayside, what a shame, but you know who to contact when everything's going wrong]" I hang up on the damn girl, she's still bothering me by calling me, what a bastard.
"Fuck you, Daryl!" I say into the phone after I hang up and then throw myself onto one of the sofas.
She's still bothering me to this day, what the hell, I'm furious about all this, what do I do now, I'm a bit hungry, I've eaten well around here, I think I'll order a pizza and try to rest, play some video games, I think it might be good, remember the times when mums were with me.
It's not the end of the world, I still have francs left over, I have to think of strategies to start turning things around, around here I don't have the slightest chance of being a witch, there's no sorcerer's stone, there's nothing, ugh, what the hell, how can I get into Luna Nova without knowing how to use magic properly, I haven't got beyond the basics of flying on a broomstick and a few light spells, I had to be torn away from my mums when things were going to get more interesting.
"Hello Nice, I've barely arrived and I already hate you, bad city" I say as I start my Mahoustation trying to distract myself by playing.
Well, I don't need to learn magic, I can diversify myself, that's what I'm going to do, I'm going to join a ballet class, I've seen that there's one around here, so I'll end up helping out when it comes to performing, I'll also take the opportunity to see if there are any jobs, I'm going to take advantage of the fact that I'm a bit taller than the girls my age and say that I'm 14, that way I think they'll hire me, I have to think big, if I succeed like this, I'll be guaranteed to live here and I'll get the money back, I'll spend all these 50,000 Francs on my future, as well as supporting living here.
I have to think big, ballet classes would be interesting, since I'm going to be here in Nice for a while it might be enough, I'll buy my bed too, make my room more beautiful, buy things so I can build my future or leave this 50,000 in reserve, since the other part of the money has already been converted into Pounds.
[...]
The pizza has arrived, I'm taking the opportunity to eat, the sky is still very clear, it's six o'clock in the afternoon, at least the scenery from the window is beautiful, the sea right in front of me and the beach, it doesn't even look like it's a bad place for witches to live.
My mobile phone rings again, and unfortunately I'm forced to answer it, as it's my father nagging me again.
"I've paid two months' rent, that's 4,000 francs a month, the rest you know, water, electricity, telephone and food bills will all come out of your pocket, if I were you I'd be looking for a job, or I'd get a false identity, at least to pretend I'm 14, they're not going to hire an 11-year-old girl, do it soon, I don't want to have to pay to support you, by the way you have a reserve of money there, I'll be back on Thursday, I hope the house is ready, you owe me, I saved you from the worst]" I don't owe you anything, I was forced into all this.
"[You did this, didn't you? You chose Nice to live in because you knew I'd be worse off, you don't want to see me in Luna Nova and you put me in this situation]" I was already angry.
"[It wasn't me who made this whole plan, it wasn't me who wanted to make money using the image of witches, I've saved you from the worst, I'd have to pay a big fine if I continued to use the image of witches in this way, well I'm going to go, say hello to my friend]" I'm not going to say hello at all.
"[Hey girl, how are you? Enjoying the new place in Nice]" Holy shit, that bastard Daryl's voice, I hang up on her.
She's here with my dad, they don't have the slightest sense of humour, my dad's using the money he earns to splurge, I don't even want to imagine what the two of them are going to do in that place, disgusting, shit with shit, perfect couple.
"I simply moved to Nice, and I spent a considerable amount of time in that city, the worst thing was that whenthings were going well in Annecy this happened, now you're going to know the real part of my biography, inthe book it said that Nice was where I learned ballet and dedicated myself to becoming an artist, I even didtheatre together, that I didn't have any hardship, that my life improved a lot, but nobody knows what took meto Nice or how the beauty of the place is actually deceiving, it was one of the worst places I lived in France."
See you, moving witches...