There is a new class at Santa Cruz Witch Academy and it seems to be in response to Brie’s misadventures. She’s been getting into trouble with the local magikin, and now the assistant dean has started a lecture series that’s all about how to interact with magikin. Find out what happens next in this excerpt from The Daring Witch.
A New Magic Class
Most of the students were seated and there were less than five minutes until the bell rang when Samantha and her rich, preppy friends swept into the room. Samantha Blackburn tossed her red hair, still preserved in its perfect waves halfway through the day, back over her shoulder. Brunette Diana Carter and the blonde Kelsey Patton trotted a few steps behind her like an entourage, scanning the room and whispering to each other. From the snide looks on their faces, I could tell that they didn’t have anything nice to say about anyone.
Then Samantha looked up into the rows of students and smiled, crooking her finger at someone.
In the middle of the astrology nerds, Brad jumped to his feet and came rushing down to her side. Before our entire class, Samantha wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him into a very dramatic kiss.
Damian hissed under his breath. “Oh, hell no.”
I raised my eyebrows and put a hand on Damian’s arm, both to express my sympathy and to warn him against any hasty retorts. If Samantha had chosen to go from secret hook-ups to public displays of affection, then she knew that her relationship with Brad was causing reactions. “Don’t give her the satisfaction,” I muttered.
Sure enough, the broom jocks cheered and a few people applauded, including an awkward clap or two from Brad’s group of friends.
The professor looked up from his laptop with a stern frown. “That’s enough,” he said. “It’s time to start the class. Take your seats and settle down.”
Samantha took Brad by the hand and pulled him into the seat next to hers with a smirk. She and her friends sat in the front where everyone else could see them together. The rest of the students went quiet and turned their attention to the teacher.
Professor Yamasato handed the remote control to his assistant and stood up. The TA immediately got the screen to work with the single click of a button, and a few snickers echoed through the hall. But the professor silenced them with another frown.
I glanced up at the screen, which had a simple block title: Magikin Relations in a Modern World. The image underneath was a photograph of several types of magikin, including a dwarf, a faeriekin, and a kitsune all laughing together in a forced pose. I couldn’t imagine such different races getting along. Was there a stock photo website for magical teaching materials where Yamasato found such a cheesy picture?
“This class is now mandatory for graduation and certification as a practicing witch,” Yamasato said, his voice echoing off the high ceiling. “We will go into detail about the proper way to interact with other magic users and teach you how to become responsible members of the magical community. You should all show more respect. Magikin are often more powerful than witches in their specialized areas of magic, and it’s dangerous for you to cross them.”
He gestured to the TA, who clicked to the next slide. The image changed to more stock photos, this time all faeriekin.
