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Parra

Magic

By Alex MasciulliPublished 2 years ago 5 min read
Runner-Up in Return of the Night Owl Challenge
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photo by me ; my friend Emily

She was standing in front of the mirror, letting her fingertips brush against the freshly tattooed skin. Almost her entire upper half was covered at this point. Turning her head to look at the fresh ink that appeared on her neck, she traced the thick black outline.

Everyone going to the university got them. It was a right of passage. They showed the significant moments they had made in their years attending the school. It was either a good thing or a bad thing. They showed up before the event happened, days before or on the day. Some people attending were able to figure out what the tattoo meant before it happened, most couldn’t and had to figure it out after the fact. She was usually very good at figuring out the meaning behind them, but she was just too tired to try and figure this one out.

She covered it with makeup so no one else could see it but her. After it was nicely covered, she finally got dressed for the day. Making her way to the study hall for the class she was in, she kept her head down and ignored the others who tried to make small talk. Alone in the classroom, gathering books to study from, a loud ruckus came behind her. “Another one show up?” a voice cooed behind her.

“How’d you know?” She asked, sitting down at the table with her stack of books just off to the side. Her familiar perched itself on the unlit candlestick.

“You never wear turtlenecks.” The familiar joked. She rolled her eyes at it as she opened a book to study. “You think it’s for that big test you got coming up?”

“Maybe. Hard to tell. It’s a pocket watch with a broken watch face. You have any ideas?” She finally looked up at her familiar. It had golden feathers laid perfectly upon one another. Deep, dark, wise eyes laid perfectly within a heart shaped face.

Everyone always assumed her familiar would be a barn owl for her intuition and wisdom, even at a young age. She had named her’s Ghost since it always showed up out of nowhere to help guide her, and give her advice on how to proceed in certain situations. Ghost always listened to what she had to say and let her rant whenever she needed it. She relied on her familiar more than anyone else.

“I got none, kid. What’s this test on anyway?”

“It’s my final. This test is my last chance to graduate. If I fail, I have to retake this entire year.”

“And if you pass?” Its head tilted, keeping its dark eyes on her panicked features.

“I finally move on…I can finally become an official member of the occult and the coven that has chosen me.”

The owl cooed, shaking out its feathers before answering her. “When is it?”

“Tomorrow morning.” She said with a heavy sigh, running her hands through her silver locks.

“That could mean a few things. Your time here in this school is over and you’re finally ascending into your next life, or your time here is ending.”

“I like the first option better…” She muttered, looking down at the book she pulled out, rereading the same pages she had read a hundred times before.

“Me too, kid, me too.” Ghost cooed. “I’ll leave you to it then, and I’ll see you again tomorrow.” It fluttered its wings before flying off into the bright sky to go hide until the next morning. She stayed and studied the words, practiced the spells and the alchemy she would be tested on the following day.

As the hours fell away and the final got closer, she became more nervous for the final test. Standing outside of the door, waiting for her turn to take the test, Ghost showed back up, perching himself on her shoulder. “How you feeling, kid?” the wise old owl asked, scratching an itch with its blush pink beak.

“Not that great.” She whispered, looking down at her shaking hands. The onyx gemstone seated in the sterling silver band was glowing bright. Showing that her self confidence was lower than normal.

“You know this material back and forth, I can tell. All you need to do is breathe, clear your mind, and focus on the task at hand. You’ll do great, you’ll get into your coven, and make a name for yourself. Everything you’ve ever wanted will be achieved today.”

She closed her fist, taking a deep breath, eyes closed. She nodded to his statement, repeating the words softly out loud to herself. “I can do this.”

“Ms. Abernathy, are you ready?” Her teacher spoke to her, knocking herself from her thoughts. She looked down at her ring and it was no longer glowing.

“I’m ready.” She spoke confidently. She stepped into the classroom, and Ghost flew to the wooden perch that was specifically made for owl familiars.

She went through the series of tests; definitions, alchemy, spells, and real world scenarios. The teacher recorded each of her scores on a sheet, looking quite impressed with the skills of the young girl with bright silver hair standing in front of her.

Once the test was done, the teacher stood, pulling a small plush pillow off of her desk. “Ms. Abernathy, this is for you.” She hummed, holding the pillow out to her. Ghost flew over and pulled the leather band from the pillow, dropping it in the witch’s open hand.

“I knew you could do it, kid.” Ghost whispered to her. She smiled brightly, tightening the band against her delicate wrist, looking down at the university’s crest engraved in the dark leather. She had done it, she had passed the final test. She was moving on into her next life in her coven. Her yellow gemstone ring was shining bright with the confidence radiating throughout her.

Her tattoo was now permanently ingrained against her skin, the makeup dissipating from it to finally show it off to the world. Only her and her familiar knew the meaning behind it and the great adversity’s she had overcome to get to that point. She was looking forward to the many more tattoo’s that would adorn her body in the near future.

Short Story
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About the Creator

Alex Masciulli

work in progress, like most of my stories.

I tend to write mostly darker fiction, so if you like that kind of stuff, give it a read!

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