Magi Academy - EBOOK

Epiphany

“Hey, Katy, so I heard you and Brendan, you know… did it!”
Katy stopped dead in her tracks at the entrance to the college grounds and turned to see Nicole Travis leaning against the gate, a slanted grin on her face as she returned Katy’s look. Like Katy, she was here finishing up a two-year Fashion Course she’d started after leaving school at eighteen.
“What? No! We didn’t.”
“Was he good?”
“We didn’t do anything!” Katy repeated, feeling scandalised by the accusation and very aware of the look that was most likely on her face right then. A group of girls walked past behind her, giggling.
“Whatever.”
Katy stepped closer to the other girl and spoke in lower tones. “I didn’t. Honestly.”
“That’s not what he says.”
“What do you mean? What’s he saying?” A sinking feeling settled into her stomach at the nebulous connotations of Nicole’s statement. What was he telling people?
“He says you and him got it on. You know, bumped uglies,” she answered, and made a rude gesture with her hands to illustrate the point.
Katy swatted Nicole’s hands away. “I know what you mean,” she griped. “But he’s lying. He wanted to, but I said no.”
“How do I know you’re telling the truth?”
“Cos I am.”
“I don’t know that.”
Katy sighed. “Who else has he told?”
“Dunno. He was telling his mates and stuff as he was walking in.”
“And you heard him?”
“Me and a few others, yeah.”
“Oh god…” Katy sighed as she looked up at the building and grounds ahead of her, filled with an utter dread of what today was going to bring.
“You’re not lying, are you,” Nicole stated, in hushed realisation.
“No,” Katy muttered, her legs felt weak, and she was reluctant to put one foot in front of the other.
“Crap.”
“Yeah,” Katy agreed and sucked in a long deep breath before she forced her body to walk, leaving Nicole behind. She hung her head, hoping no one would recognise her as she moved towards the main grounds of the college where everyone hung out before heading inside. As she walked, Katy scanned the faces of those she passed, looking for any hint that they might have heard Brendan’s lies. Why would he do that? What on earth did he think he was doing telling his mates that they’d had sex?
Christ, it wasn’t just his friends, either, it seemed like he was telling anyone who would listen.
Was it because she’d rejected him?
She slowed her walk and thought back to last night. It had been a fun night out in central London. She always enjoyed her nights out with friends. She’d never expected Brendan to take an interest in her, but they’d spent most of the time at the club talking. He’d bought her drinks and been quite charming really. She’d been tipsy, but she’d never lost control of herself and remembered the night perfectly well.
Later in the evening, she’d lost track of her friends, and it was just her and Brendan. They’d been laughing and dancing, and later on, they’d even started kissing. It had been fun.
He was a bit of a catch, to be honest. She knew that Carmel liked him…
Oh crap.
What if Carmel had heard? She would not like that, not at all. She fancied Brendan like nothing else. She’d be furious.
Katy had to tell her, make sure Carmel knew the truth before she heard anything from Brendan. The empty pit in her stomach grew ever deeper as the consequences of Brendan’s lies became clearer. She needed to stop him. She needed to put an end to this right away.
She strode ahead, suddenly filled with purpose and anger at Brendan’s selfish actions. She didn’t care what others thought of her, she just needed to stop this right now.
She made for where Brendan and his mates usually met up, and as she rounded the corner, spotted him stood in the middle of his mates, laughing and joking.
Was he laughing about her? Was he telling them lies, too?
She slowed, her breath catching in her throat, suddenly terrified of what he might say or do, and the scene that this might create.
Oh god, oh god, oh god. Was she about to do this? Was she about to have a very public confrontation with one of the best-looking guys in college?
As she took another tentative step forward, Brendan glanced up and spotted her. There was a sudden flash of guilt and terror on his face as he looked right into her eyes.
You bastard.
He’d done it.
Nicole had been telling the truth. For a moment, she’d hoped it had all been an elaborate joke, or somehow there’d been a mix-up, but the look was all the confirmation she needed. He’d done it all right, and he knew she knew.
Brendan quickly regained his composure, and looked back to his mates, joining in with the latest joke.
Katy clenched her fists and gritted her teeth with barely contained fury and strode over to him.
“Oh, here she comes,” said one of his mates.
“Oh man, Brendan, you tapped that?”
“I wouldn’t mind sloppy seconds,” said another.
Katy ignored them.
“What do you think you’re doing?” She barked at him.
“What? I ain’t done nuthin’,” he protested.
“You lied.”
“About what?”
The idiot was going to make her say it, wasn’t he? “About last night.”
His friends whooped, and cat-called again.
“It was a good night, wasn’t it?” he asked.
“Piss off. You know what I mean. You and me, we didn’t do anything,” Katy replied, surprising herself that she was holding her own.
“Are you sure about that? That’s not how I remember it.”
One of Brendan’s mates pumped his pelvis, his hand mimicking holding onto someone’s hips.
“Oh, I’m sure. Except, I remember everything. I remember you asking me, no, begging me in the alleyway, and I remember telling you to piss off.”
Brendan laughed, but Katy picked up on the edge of nervousness in it.
“You were drunk,” he replied.
“Are you saying I don’t remember?”
“Well…” he shrugged, insinuating she was.
“So you’re saying you took advantage? You’re saying you raped me?”
Brendan’s face suddenly grew serious. “No. Don’t you dare say that. What’s wrong with you?”
“What’s wrong with me? What’s wrong with you! Where the hell do you get off lying about having sex with me and telling everyone about it? That’s messed up.”
“I ain’t lying.”
“And I am?” Katy asked.
Brendan shrugged, a smug grin on his face.
“You are a lying little shit. Well, I’ll tell you one thing, you will never have me, ever.”
His mates made “Woooo!” noises at her ultimatum.
“I don’t need to, I’ve already had you,” he replied, defiant.
“In your dreams,” she hissed, and stormed away, ignoring the whoops and calls from his friends as she tried to catch her breath. It came to her in ragged mouthfuls as she struggled to fill her lungs the whole way. She wrung her shaking hands as she made her way into the building, feeling confident that she knew where Carmel would be.
She hoped Carmel didn’t know. She hoped she could tell Carmel the truth before she heard the lie. It felt like the students she passed were staring at her. Did they know? Were they in on it too?
She felt a little light-headed as she walked along the corridor towards one of the common rooms. She didn’t want to faint and sucked in more air, trying to calm herself down.
It didn’t work.
She rounded a corner and spotted Carmel and Sera in the hallway up ahead. Carmel stood with her arms crossed and a frown on her face.
Again, Katy paused for a moment. She wanted to turn around and walk out of here and never come back. But that would only delay the inevitable, and potentially make things worse. She needed to face this now. Besides, she had coursework to finish up. She’d nearly graduated.
Taking another unsteady breath, she forged ahead and strode up the hallway.
Carmel saw her coming.
“You slag,” Carmel accused her, pushing herself off the wall and pointing at her. “You uncaring cow. You knew I liked him, and now you’re…?”
“No. I’m not. He’s lying. I didn’t do anything,” Katy replied as she got close.
“Don’t lie to me. I saw you last night. I saw you kissing him. You knew I liked him. How could you?”
“Yeah, I saw you, too,” Sera added, backing up her friend.”
“But I didn’t,” Katy protested, her hands out wide, palms up in surrender.
“Stop lying.”
“I’m not lying.”
“I bet,” Sera replied, unconvinced.
Carmel spat at her. It landed on her cheek and ran down her face. Katy balled her fists and shut her mouth as she gritted her teeth. She wanted to…. Do something…
“You’re nothing but a slut,” Carmel growled. “A whore. Who else have you had, huh? Who else have you been shagging?”
“No one. I’ve not… Brendan is lying.”
Carmel’s hand lashed out and slapped her across the face.
Shocked, Katy lifted a hand to her stinging cheek and looked up at Carmel, her eyes as wide as dinner plates. “What the…?”
“Piss off,” Carmel yelled.
“No, I…”
Carmel went to lash out again. Katy tensed and braced herself while wanting to push Carmel away. A sudden, fleeting feeling of dizziness washed over her as the moment seemed to stretch and last forever, with Carmel’s hand swinging in towards her in a wide arc, headed right for her face. For a fraction of a second, the air around Katy was filled with a glittering, gold and silver mist. It surged towards her and then it was gone just as suddenly as it had appeared.
Time snapped back to normal. An invisible force slammed into Carmel and threw her across the hallway into the far wall with an almighty bang.
Carmel dropped to the floor, her eyes wide with shock. She seemed to suck in an endless breath as she stared at Katy, and then slowly, Carmel’s eyes lowered to her left arm and leg. Both of them had at least one too many bends in them, as bones threatened to burst from her skin.
Beside Katy, Carmel’s best friend screamed and then fainted. She dropped to the floor in a heap.
Carmel started to huff and puff as she began to panic. She was hyperventilating as she stared at her ruined arm and leg.
“Oh my god,” Katy gasped. “Oh my god. I’m so sorry. I don’t… I don’t know… I mean, I didn’t mean to…” She rushed to Carmel’s side. “Help! Help me! Please!” Katy yelled. “It’s going to be alright. You’ll be alright.”
Carmel looked up at her as if suddenly realising how close she was. Her look of shock was suddenly replaced with fury. She shoved Katy away. Katy fell onto her ass, hitting the floor with a bump. She looked up in disbelief at the huge dent in the wall above Carmel. There was blood on the wall in the dent, and behind where Carmel’s head rested.
A teacher rounded the corner and took in the scene. Shock and disbelief registered on the woman’s face as she was joined by another adult.
Carmel started to freak out, whimpering and gasping for air. Sera came around, with a sizable bump on her forehead from where she’d hit the floor.
One of the teachers helped her sit up. “What happened? Who did this?”
“She did,” Sera replied, pointing at Katy.