Chapter Two

H a r l o w leaned closer and rested an elbow on the table. "Don't even think about it." She whispered in my ear. I yanked my gaze away from his, my cheeks flushing with the realisation to have been caught staring. "That's Gabriel Garroway. He's been single for most of his life, but if any girl or guy gets too close to him Scarlett Queens will make their life living hell. No joke. She's the one two to his right."

Not wanting to be caught staring again, I glanced at Scarlett from the corner of my eye. Her platinum hair was long, and super model thick. She was wearing a tight turquoise v-neck that went down further than necessary. I couldn't see her eyes from where I stood, but I was willing to bet they were something like a cobalt blue that was super unnatural but probably real.

Of course Gabriel was single but had a possessive friend. It was just oh so cliché.

"As I said earlier, we're going to review the energy comors and what they mean." Carlo said, interrupting my thoughts. "But before we begin, can anyone explain to Aidan how we use energy?"

I sank lower in my seat, my face hot, but i was luckily shielded from view as Cassius slapped a book down onto my desk. I gave him a small smile as he slowly walked away. He probably shielded me from the class on purpose to help with my embarrassment.

Harlow's hand shot into the air. "Harlow," it only took a few seconds for Carlo to call in her. "Go ahead."

Harlow pushed the fringe from her eyes and faced me. Her eyes gleamed with the chance to share her knowledge as she turned to face me.

Her long sleeved sweatshirt was a light baby blue colour, and had a small emoji-type-thing in the middle. It was goofy, and not something I would ever be caught dead it, but her dark sunkissed skin, round cheeks and soft smile made her attractive in a cute way. Not in the same "stop what you're going because I'm walking in your direction" as Scarlett and Gabriel, but she definitely would have gotten the boys at my old school.

"There's energy everywhere." Harlow moved her arms in a giant arc above her head to demonstrate, getting a few chuckles from the class. "Humans know that energy exists- they've harvested it for electronics. The difference between us is that we have the power to tap into the energy and use it ourselves, and humans don't." She smiled at me, as if I was supposed to know what she had meant. It was weird hearing her call humans them. It was as if she thought we were different species- which she did. "Understand?"

I felt shameful that I didn't understand, but it was truth that I didn't. "Not really."

"Okay," Harlow thought for a moment, biting on her lip. It looked as if her mind was speeding a thousand  miles per hour. "Let's talk about something familiar. What happens when you put a metal spoon in hot water?"

I glanced around, shifting. "It gets hot?" This was something we were taught in 5th grade science, not a high school homeroom.

"And what happens when it's plastic?"

"It doesn't get hot," I said slowly. "It stays room temperature."

"Exactly." she grinned at me as if I'd just solved an astrophysics mathematical equation. "Humans are like plastic. Energy is all around them but they cannot conduct it. Witches are like metal. We have the ability to absorb and control energy as we want."

"So how to we take this energy?" I asked; since I might as well humour her.

"Through our hands. Like this." Cassius interrupted, turning his plans up, closing his eyes and letting out a slow hum. He looked like a meditating Buddha. Students snickered, and Cassius reopened his eyes, pushed his sleeves up and sat back in his chair. Harlow just rolled her eyes.

"O-Okay." I elongated the o, laughing along with everyone else.

Carlo cleared his throat, and the class settled down. "We can conduct energy from the universe and into our bodies. Once we've harnessed it, we can use it as we like. Think of it like..." he waved his hand around as if searching for the right word. "Light. It has different colours, each relating to an aspect of life. The most basic task we've done is to envision a colour, focus on it then think aboriginal it entering through your palms and into your body."

I looked down at my hand, opening my palm. It looked normal, not like it could open up and absorb energy from the universe.

"Now." Carlo clapped his hands. "We will try some more complicated ideas. Most of us tried this yesterday, but only a few of the older years were successful. Open your text books to page 77."

I did as he said, opening the book and watching Harlow's hand flick past different, interesting ideas on what we could do with energy.

"Here it is." Harlow Said triumphantly, turning the page and putting her finger on a piece of text.

I looked around at what other people were doing. Most were already studying the book, and others were in meditation, palms up, faces relaxed.

They did it as if they truly believed in what they were doing.

If I didn't at least look like I was trying, I would stand out again, in a negative light and I didn't want that- so I might as well go along with it and pretend.

I scanned the text, and the colour that stood out for me was red. It induced courage, lust and desire. Just reading those words made me glance at Gabriel, whose eyes were closed and his lips were pressed down in a thin line of concentration.

I shook my head and looked away. Gabriel was off limits. Not only that he had a scary, psychopathic friend, but he was way out of my league. Not only that, but I had never spoken to him, he could be a douchebag for all I know.

Instead, i read through the rest of the colours and decided on yellow:
It supposedly brought focus, happiness and luck, as well has helping a person open their mind and becoming more aware of other options. Those were things I needed right now.

All I had to do was "conduct" the colour. I took a deep breath, opening my palms to face the ceiling and closed my eyes.

Now it was just the question of how you conduct energy. Picturing the colour seemed like a good idea, so I thought of myself pulling the colour from the world. It throbbed with new found energy behind the back of my eyes. A soft hum filled my ears as it expanded and crashed against me. My palms tingled and electricity flowed through my body, joining with my blood as it pumped through my veins. It streamed up my arms, down to my stomach and fell into my toes. The yellow gathered bigger and stronger until it had no where else to go. It exploded out of my palms with such force it must have lit up the entire room.

The ringing of the bell snapped my eyes open, and I looked around. The scuffed floor, the chalkboard covered in writing, the odd lack of windows. Everything felt normal. Had anyone felt what I had felt? Most of the room had crestfallen faces, but I looked up at Carlo, suddenly taken aback to see him staring straight at me. He had small smile on his face, and a gleam in his eye as if to say "I told you so."

Harlow stood up, dropping her backpack onto her seat. "I'm guessing from the look on your face that it worked." She smirked.

"I don't know." I shrugged and picked up my bag. "I'm not sure what was supposed to happen." I met her eyes and smiled. "It was unlike anything I'd every experienced." I said, suddenly realising afterward how ditzy I sounded. What I'd experienced was only in my head, right?

Harlow glanced at her watch. "What do you have first?" I pulled out my half crumpled schedule and handed it to her. "Same as me: biology." She scrunched her nose and I laughed. "They put you in all honours classes. You saw what was written on the board, each colour has a meaning. Once we learn how to do it, it helps us do things."

"What kind of things?"

"For example, blue increases intelligence and makes your memory almost photographic." I nodded. "That means that we wouldn't have to attend as many classes etc cetera. All witches have honours classes."

She led me out of the classroom and down into the library. It took many twists and turns that I didn't remember anything until we stopped in front of a classroom door.

"We're here." She pushed open the door and led me to a table in the front. I followed, although being front and centre wasn't really my thing in lessons.

More students piled in for the lesson, some I recognised from my homeroom. Then, as I started to think it was stupid to think he would be in this class, Gabriel strolled inside, followed closely by Scarlett, who laughed and flipped her hair at something he'd presumably said.

His eyes met mine, and my breath caught in my lungs- I was taken aback at how he's noticed me for the second time. But he couldn't be interested me. It was probably just that I was the new girl, or that I'd roasted those two Seniors when I walked in. And because, as embarrassing as it was to admit it, he's caught me staring for the second time.

"I told you in homeroom that he's taken - remember?" Harlow giggled into my ear.

My cheeks heated. "Was it that obvious?"

"That you were checking him out?" She smiled, amusement glittering in her eyes. I nodded, humiliated that I had been caught staring twice now. "Quite so."

"I'm not doing it on purpose." I said snippily, shifting in my uncomfortable plastic chair. "I'm not going to try anything- but have you seen him?" I demanded, determined not to let my eyes drift away again. "How can I not stare?"

Harlow's olive brown face became suddenly serious. "Scarlett doesn't take girls flirting with Gabriel too lightly - and when they do- bad things happen. It's in your best interest to stay away from both of them." The earnest look in her eyes made me nod.

I was about to ask why, but before I could open my mouth, the bell rang and class began.

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