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Wednesday, September 13

Corrie entered her room to see Edie sitting cross-legged on her bed and reading. This was such a common sight that Corrie hardly noticed it anymore and shut the door behind her, turning to her own bed.

As soon as the door shut, however, Edie looked up and set aside her book. “There you are! I talked to Ginny after class.”

Corrie dropped her bag on the bed and turned to Edie. “About the ghost? Did she say something interesting?”

Continue reading “Chatoyant College Book 14: Chapter 27: Hanging Around” →

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Chatoyant College Book 14: Chapter 26: Investigating

April 2, 2020April 1, 2020 claredragonfly

Tuesday, September 12

Corrie frowned, thinking about what Edie had just told her. She’d said yesterday that she wanted to talk to her and Dawn about Annie’s problem, but they hadn’t all been able to get together until dinner tonight, since Dawn worked on Monday evenings. Corrie wished they hadn’t waited. She wanted to go ask Annie more question, but she knew Annie had decided to go to bed early, since healing her burn was apparently exhausting her.

“I know it sounds kind of crazy,” Edie said, twirling her fork in her spaghetti. “But…”

Continue reading “Chatoyant College Book 14: Chapter 26: Investigating” →

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Chatoyant College Book 14: Chapter 25: Some Time

March 30, 2020March 29, 2020 claredragonfly

Edie ran up the steps to the second floor of Mary Thomas, only slowing down when someone she vaguely recognized flattened themselves along the wall as though she was going to barrel over them. Embarrassed, she switched to a fast walk. At least she wasn’t far from Annie’s room now.

She hesitated at the door, then knocked gently. If Annie was napping or something, she didn’t want to disturb her.

Annie’s voice was soft at the best of times, but Edie was used to it by now, and so she could make out the words from the other side of the door. “Who’s there?”

Continue reading “Chatoyant College Book 14: Chapter 25: Some Time” →

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Chatoyant College Book 14: Chapter 24: In Shock

March 26, 2020March 25, 2020 claredragonfly

Dawn wanted to ask Ginny if Annie would be okay, but if the answer wasn’t good, she didn’t want to force Ginny to say it in front of Annie—or listen to the silence. So she just bit her lip and focused on helping her friend walk. Luckily Annie was small and light, because she really didn’t seem to be able to keep herself steady. When they got to the steps, she and Ginny just lifted Annie by the arms.

They finally reached Ginny’s office, where Ginny had Dawn wait in the doorway, holding Annie up, while she pressed a button in the wall next to a bookshelf. The shelf came down to reveal a cot on its other side. Dawn wasn’t sure whether it was magic or just a very clever Murphy bed.

Without waiting to be told, Dawn helped Annie get onto the bed. Annie clutched the edges of it with apparent gratitude, taking deep breaths through her teeth.

Continue reading “Chatoyant College Book 14: Chapter 24: In Shock” →

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Chatoyant College Book 14: Chapter 23: Do Something

March 23, 2020March 22, 2020 claredragonfly

Dawn thought Mardalan seemed to disapprove of her spell idea, but since she hadn’t actually suggested any alternatives, it must have been good enough for the assignment. Maybe it was a weird combination. But if it didn’t work, Dawn would be no worse off.

She set the candle on her desk, taking her time to find the right spot, while Mardalan spoke with Celeste. She put the stone on top of the candle, to the right of the wick, and tried to concentrate on seeing the future of her relationship while also finding her inherent magic to light the candle. It took her a couple of tries—she hadn’t been practicing—but the candle caught, the reflection of the flame shimmering in the stripes of the stone.

Continue reading “Chatoyant College Book 14: Chapter 23: Do Something” →

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Chatoyant College Book 14: Chapter 22: Violent or Passionate

March 19, 2020March 18, 2020 claredragonfly

While they passed the papers around, Mardalan opened the storage locker and carried out several handfuls of candles of every type—from fat white pillar candles to tiny candles that appeared to shimmer, obviously intended for birthday cakes. After laying the candles on the floor, she returned to the storage locker and brought out several plastic bags. She lay them in among the candles, then stepped back. “Please come up and choose candles,” she said. “One per person, please, but choose whatever you would like. Please also select one item from a bag, then return to your seats.”

Continue reading “Chatoyant College Book 14: Chapter 22: Violent or Passionate” →

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Chatoyant College Book 14: Chapter 21: Candle Magic

March 16, 2020March 15, 2020 claredragonfly

Monday, September 11

After having gone through two full weeks of Ritual Magic classes, Dawn had to admit that Mardalan did seem to have some understanding of knot magic. She performed a simple spell right in front of them on the first full day of class, using a knot to capture smoke from a small candle; they all watched the smoke disappear into the knot in her rope, and when she untied the knot, the smoke was completely gone. Dawn couldn’t even smell anything.

Mardalan had also avoided touching any of them, even in passing. She was obviously not an experienced teacher, but at least she seemed to have no interest in doing them harm.

Continue reading “Chatoyant College Book 14: Chapter 21: Candle Magic” →

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Chatoyant College Book 14: Chapter 20: Strange Noises

March 12, 2020March 11, 2020 claredragonfly

Edie gasped. She should have known that the story would have a tragic ending, since they were talking about a ghost, but the idea that this striving scholarship student had died by suicide still really struck her. She would have guessed that the student had been killed by a faerie or some magic gone wrong. But then, there wouldn’t be a well-known story on campus about a student having been killed by a faerie, would there?

Of course, she hadn’t heard this story before. It could have easily been suppressed by the magic that kept people from noticing the strange discrepancies that having a campus filled with faeries produced. And she thought if that were the case, the only reason it could have resurfaced was if there was really a ghost.

“So she haunts the building?” Corrie asked. “What is she supposed to do?”

“People say they see her, standing in the hall or on the stairs,” Sam said. “Or there are strange noises.” Continue reading “Chatoyant College Book 14: Chapter 20: Strange Noises” →

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Chatoyant College Book 14: Chapter 19: Haunted

March 9, 2020March 8, 2020 claredragonfly

Friday, September 1

Edie walked a little bit ahead of Dawn and Corrie as they entered the Mary Thomas dorm, looking around. She’d been in here a couple times now, but she was still trying to rid it of the association it had picked up last year, since Elrath had lived here. She was trying to learn to like it now that people she liked—Annie and Roe—lived here. And it did have interesting Victorian architecture. It was pretty in some ways, though that big staircase leading up to the second floor still seemed intimidating.

Annie was the reason they were here; they were picking her up to go have dinner together in the dining hall. And there she was, approaching the top of the stairs from the hallway, covering her mouth in a yawn.

“Are you okay?” Corrie asked Annie as she came close. “It’s not even seven o’clock, you can’t be tired yet.”

Continue reading “Chatoyant College Book 14: Chapter 19: Haunted” →