It was a typical seventeen soon to be eighteen-year old’s room, furnished with a twin bed, small desk, and bookcase. The standard assortment of posters featuring rock bands and scantily clad models adorned the walls.
Any similarities with an average teenager ended there. If you looked carefully at the books that were nestled neatly between books by Tolkien, Brooks, Grayce, Kay, and Grinsley sat several different grimoires. His desk had the typical laptop, but it was also home to several candles, in various stages of use, plus a massive ancient looking leather-bound tome that bore the name History of Celtic Witchcraft.
The quiet was broken by the obnoxious sound of an alarm clock blaring. A groan and movement of an arm from under the covers turned the alarm off.
The quiet lasted about ten minutes before a female voice yelled, “Caleb! You don’t want to be late for your first day of school, do you?”
“I’m getting up, Mom,” a male voice replied before throwing off the covers to reveal a young man on the verge of adulthood. He had the lean athletic frame of a distance runner with short sandy brown hair.
The young man got out of bed and made his way into the bathroom, with a snap of the light switch showed a handsome babyface with blue-grey eyes and the hint of facial hair staring back from the mirror.
Turning his head from one side to the other inspecting his facial hair or the lack thereof, “Do I shave or not?” He asked himself as he turned on the sink faucet.
Twenty minutes later Caleb emerged from the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his waist and using another towel to dry off his hair. Opening his closet, Caleb pulled out a pair of new jeans and a long sleeve tee with an image of Sauron’s burning eye on the front and the phrase Team Mordor on the back.
Caleb appeared in the kitchen with a bookbag hanging off one shoulder, “Good morning.”
A woman with dark brown hair turned and smiled at him, “You’re up and dressed. Are you ready to begin your Senior year? I can’t believe that it’s been almost eighteen years since you came to us.” She walked over and kissed Caleb on the cheek making him blush.
“Mom!” He exclaimed, “What if she shows up? I’m almost eighteen.” Concerned creased his features as he sat down at the breakfast bar.
“That’s something that you’re going to have to figure out for yourself. I never agreed with your mother and what her intentions for you were.” She paused, while placing a plate with eggs, and sausage down in front of him, “Morrigan only asked that I raise you and teach you our Craft…”
Caleb looked at his adopted mom with a thoughtful expression and took her hand, “You were the person who raised me. You are my mother for all intents and purposes. She wanted someone who she could mold to her designs.” He paused before a wicked grin split into a smile, “I think she might end up with something more than she intended.”
His mom wrapped her arms around him, “Just be careful; there are others besides your mother out there that would love to get their hands on you.”
Caleb gave her a curious look before enlightenment dawned in his eyes, “You mean like the Brotherhood and other Fallen, like my father?”
She kissed him again on the head before she began to clean up the kitchen, “Yes, them but also other Circles. If Morrigan shows up on your birthday and the other Witch families figure out who your parents are then your life as a lowly male Witch will end.”
Caleb finished his breakfast and prepared to leave, “Well then, no pressure. Wish me luck on the first day of my Senior year.”
His mom laughed at him, “You’ll be fine, I have been preparing you for this moment since the day Morrigan dropped you off. I want you to be more alert is all.”
Kiera stood staring at herself in the mirror of the barracks bathroom located at the East Coast Commanderie for the Brotherhood. “Fecking high school. Why me?” She asked out loud to no one in particular.
“Because you’re the only one who looks young enough to pass for a high school Senior, and you’re nineteen.” The newcomer answered her.
Kiera turned and smiled at her best friend Veronica, “You’re just jealous that you’re not going to be able to play with all the horny eighteen-year-old males that would end up following you around like puppies.”
Veronica did turn and examine her tanned athletic curves that her baby blue sleep shorts and mid-drift top that barely contained her six-pack abs. She twirled a strand of her blond locks in one hand and pulled her pouty bottom lip with her other, “Who me?” She said as she blinked slowly.
Kiera busted out laughing causing her friend to join her, “It’s just I always hated being the new kid back when I was in high school.”
“Yeah but look at this way. It’s a whole lot better than staying here doing drills and other kinds of exercises,” Veronica feigned boredom. “Besides, you’re going to that High School in Salem the one made up of mostly Witches. You might learn something new to add to your repertoire.”
“True,” Kiera replied as she looked at her watch. “Dammit, I’ve got to go, or I’ll be late for my first day back in high school.” Returning to her room, she picked up a digital camo bookbag then made her way to the Commandries’ garage where she found her motorcycle waiting for her.
After firing up the engine, Kiera put on her helmet and raced out of the motor pool and towards the highway.
Twenty minutes later, Kiera pulled into the school parking lot and made her way over to the motorcycle parking area. There were your typical brand names parked there, Harley Davidson, Indian, Victory, Suzuki, etc. After parking her Ducati next to a sweet looking Kawasaki Ninja, Kiera followed the other students that were either getting off buses or dropped off by their parents into the auditorium.
Once inside the auditorium, Kiera made her way over to the line that had the sign Seniors above a table. Rolling her eyes and mumbling a feck me she joined the line where a group of girls, all dressed in various types of clothes, everything from goth, to gypsy, to preppy eyed her curiously. Kiera looked down at her clothes; she had decided to be practical, wearing black jeans, motorcycle boots, hunter green tank, and her leather riding jacket. “I’m going to kill someone,” She said under her breath.
“As long as it’s not me. I’ve been waiting too long get out of high school, and dying isn’t how I planned to do it.” A male voice said behind her.
Turning Kiera took in the young man who had overheard her comment. He had sandy brown hair, blue-grey eyes, and was wearing blue jeans and a long sleeve tee with the Eye of Sauron adorning the front. Tall a little over six foot with the slim build of a runner. He gave her a lopsided smile, he reached out, “I’m Caleb. You must be new here; I wouldn’t worry about them.” He said indicating the group of girls in front of us, “They tend to think that since we’re at a school for Witches that they should dress like the stereotypes depict.”
She returned his smile and took his hand, “Kiera and why not follow the stereotypes?”
Caleb looked thoughtful for a moment before he responded, “For the most part we’re all Witches. We already have enough people who fear us for what we can do. No need to put a bullseye on your back and advertise you’re one of the freaks.”
“Cynical much?” Kiera asked with a grin.
Caleb chuckled, “Sorry, but I’ve been dealing with them for going on four years now. I want to finish this year and get as far away from Salem as possible.”
She smirked, “I understand your sentiment. I hate high school too.” I hated high school the first time; now I’m playing a Senior. All this because her superiors wanted someone inside this school to keep an eye on all the Witches. She thought as she and Caleb slowly made their way to the class registration table.
“Where are you from? Your accent sounds like New England but different.” Caleb asked.
“I get that all the time. South Boston via Ireland, I was born in Dublin, but my parents moved to Boston when I was ten.” Kiera supplied, “What about you? Born and raised here, in Salem that is?”
“Not sure where I was born, I was adopted, and my mom brought me here when I was a toddler, you could say I was raised here. Another reason for me to get the heck out of here when I graduate.” He answered flashing her another smile.
Kiera blushed slightly, “Adopted huh? You don’t know who your parents are, that’s got to be tough?”
Caleb waived a hand dismissively, “It’s not that bad. My mom knows my birth mother, and from what I know my father died before I was born. Besides, my mom is great.”
The turn at the registration table finally came. Kiera went first was after checking in she was given a paper printout of her class schedule. After examining it, she frowned then moved off to one side while Caleb repeated the same process.
After getting his class schedule, Caleb joined Kiera, “Why the frown?” He asked.
“What is this Current Events class? I haven’t had a class like that at any of my other schools.” She replied.
“Ah, I take it this is the first Supernatural school you’ve attended?” He paused and when she nodded he continued, “Well, here they like to keep the student population up to date on the goings on out in the Supernatural World.”
“What do you mean?” She asked.
Caleb pulled her off to the side and out of earshot of anyone who might be listening, “Ever since the Emergence twenty-five years ago along with the breakthrough the Gnomes made with magic and technology, humans have been on edge about us, not to mention the appearance of the Brotherhood and the Church’s stance on most Supes. The school administration along with the help of the major Witch families here in Salem and other Supernaturals thought it prudent to keep the students up to date on the Human leadership and laws that would affect the World as a whole, not just the Supernaturals.”
“What do you know about the Brotherhood?” Kiera asked softly.
Caleb looked at her thoughtfully, “I know that they never existed until about twenty years ago. Some Cardinal in Rome got the grand idea of bringing the Order of the Inquisition back to life. Only this time he added a militaristic arm to them modeled after the Templars. Rumors are that the Cardinal received a vision from God telling him that the His creation needed saving from all the Demons and Monsters.”
She examined this young man that she had just met. He was not what her superiors had claimed that all Witches were. Just as Kiera was about to ask Caleb what he thought about the Brotherhood, a loud bell rang signaling the beginning of the school day. “It was nice meeting you. I guess I’ll see you around,” She offered.
Caleb nodded, “Yeah, nice to meet you and we will see each other. We both have the same Arcane History and Current Events classes together.” He replied with a wave before he disappeared into the see of students.
Kiera looked at her class schedule and moaned, “English Lit, feck me.”