Miss Mabel's School for Girls

Free Miss Mabel's School for Girls by Katie Cross

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Authors: Katie Cross
Tags: Magic, Young Adult, Witchcraft, boarding school
replied.
    “Bianca?”
    A dead bush slapped my face when I headed towards the girl’s voice. It wasn’t until I almost tripped over her that I made out Elana’s figure on the ground. In the inky air, I couldn’t tell what she was doing down there.
    I fell into a crouch next to her.
    “Are you all right?”
    “I sprained my ankle running away,” she whispered. “That thing sounds like it’s going to eat us.”
    “It won’t.” I put a hand on her shoulder. “Just stay here.”
    “What are you doing?”
    I silenced her with a tight squeeze of my hand and turned towards the crunching branches. Ten yards. The thicker undergrowth of this area, probably a dried stream bank, had slowed it down. It was close, probably circling around, scenting us out.
    Silence.
    I busied myself with gathering a bunch of pine needles, commanding them with a silent incantation while keeping my eyes up, glancing around despite the blackness that met me on every side.
    Elana grabbed my arm and pulled me close.
    “Are you crazy?” she whispered, so lightly I could barely hear it. “Get out of here while you can!”
    I ignored her.
    The pine needles congealed into a cool poultice in my palm. I wrapped it around her swollen ankle, the putty clinging to her skin like a slug. Within moments her breathing evened. It would only take a few minutes to numb the pain. I grabbed my wooden club and straightened up again. A twig snapped to my right. I whirled around, rotting branch at the ready.
    Darkness.
    Come on, mangy animal. I want to live far more than you.
    Another twig snapped, and another. The huffing started again. The footfalls so close that I could smell a rotten, musky odor. I lifted the branch so it hovered a few feet off the air when a low growl sounded just a few steps away. The darkness hid her quarry.
    Then a stomp, a rustle, movement. The sounds faded, disappearing into the night. The creature was running away. Five minutes later and I could no longer hear it, even when I strained. I let out a heavy sigh and finally dropped the branch. My arms trembled.
    “It’s gone,” I announced in a quiet voice. Elana peered at me through the darkness.
    “What was it?”
    “I don’t know.”
    I helped pull her to her feet. The dirt shifted beneath her when she put weight on the offended ankle.
    “Thanks,” she said. “It feels great now. I think I’ll be able to walk.”
    “Good.”
    “What did you put on it?”
    “A little family secret my grandmother taught me. Are you going to be okay?”
    “Yes,” she said, a little too quickly. She cleared her throat. “I’ll be fine. I still have to find my butterfly. You should go. I’ve kept you here long enough.”
    I held out the thick wooden stick. “Here, take this with you. It’ll give you some protection if you need it.”
    Elana reached out and grabbed it. “Why are you doing this, Bianca?”
    “You’re hurt.”
    “No, I mean the Competition.”
    I didn’t answer for a long time.
    “Why are you?” I asked in return. The question felt personal, but then, so were the secrets that drove me.
    “Because my parents expect me to win.”
    “You’re only a second-year.”
    “That doesn’t matter to them.”
    Even though she couldn’t see my eyes, I looked away, embarrassed at such a revealing response. She swallowed and let out a sigh.
    “It’s all right, you don’t have to tell me. I probably shouldn’t have asked you anyway. For what it’s worth, I think you’re crazy to help someone that will just be working against you later.”
    Maybe.
    “No Competition is worth losing my humanity over,” I finally said.
    She didn’t answer. I felt around and grabbed another fallen branch for myself.
    “Good luck, Elana.”
    Her eyes were on my back as I left, even in a dark so thick.
    •••
    The cold began to wear into my bones.
    Every step felt like a grinder turning on my hips. The constant fear of unknown creatures made the rustle of a leaf sound like the rush of an

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