Tower of Memories

Healer Sealie wasn't here.

I wondered if maybe I should start wearing a watch. Wasn't there a rule or something about lateness? If I could be bothered to wake up and be here on time, then so could she.

I looked down at my wrist. The thin black leather bracelet did nothing to hide the scars. Or the mark.

I blinked only to see dark green behind my eyelids.

The color of a person's magic was unique to them, not unlike leaving behind a fingerprint.

If I just had something to compare it to.

I fiddled with the bracelet in a poor attempt to distract myself.

The green aventurine stone, polished and smoothed to the point of reflectiveness, held no answers for me.

"For luck." Mom had said when she got it for my birthday last year. "If we're really doing this, we're all going to need it."

"I don't think luck is going to do much good," Dad had said. "Serafina knows what she's doing. And we're always here to help."

I smiled at the memory. Dad, as usual, had been more practical with his gift.

"Did you two plan this?" I remember asking when Dad brought in the large green trunk that was the same exact color of the stone on the bracelet.

"No! Where did you even find that?" Mother had gasped.

Of course they hadn't.

"My brother had this sitting in his shop for a while."

That was it. That was the entire explanation.

Was it homesickness, or worry about what Sealie was going to say that was causing the burn of acid in the back of my throat?

"Ah there you are. I'm sorry for being late. I had a few things to take care of."

Hmm. I looked up at her as I continued to fidget with my bracelet.

"I suppose let's start with the basics. How has your leg been? Anything new? Pain or nausea when you eat?"

I sighed and lifted my head to look up at her properly. "Nothing from the spider bite."

She nodded and scribbled something on the parchment that hovered in front of her. "That's good to hear. Now for the blood sample, just to make sure."

Getting blood tests done magically was a far easier experience than doing it the human way.

For one, less blood was involved.

A prick, barely even worth the fuss, a sharp cold needle that was thin and long and reminded me a little of a documentary I watched about acupuncture.

A crimson drop in a small vial that vanished.

She took it from my right hand. How had I not noticed that she always avoided touching my left one after the mark was revealed?

If my magic hadn't lashed out that day, would I have even known?

"How long have you known I was under the influence of a spell?" I asked after getting my hand back.

She gasped. Quiet and sudden like a burst of cold air. "You know?"

"I'd like to know more," I told her.

She frowned, but nodded. "I suppose you noticing was inevitable."

I sat there in silence, waiting for her to explain herself.

"The moment I saw the mark I suspected the truth. I wanted to confirm it with a specialist first though. The last thing any of us wanted was to worry you."

"Finding out on my own was pretty worrying."

She had the decency to flinch at my words. "Do you know what a mark like that means?"

"I looked in the library and couldn't find anything."

"Of course. We try to keep information about curses out of the hands of children who may not fully understand their consequences."

Curse? It was a curse? "I'm…cursed?"

She nodded. "All of the symptoms match. We're not sure on the when, how or who just yet, but it's definitely a curse."

A curse… a genuine curse.

I knew of curses. But I knew about as much about them as I did about the surface of the sun. They existed and I had no idea how they worked.

"Do you know how it works?"

Her frown deepened. "It will be hard to tell anything for sure. At least until it gets looked at by someone more familiar with curses. I admit I haven't seen many of them in my time here."

"You're used to broken bones and magical mishaps. Not a lot of students go around flinging curses at each other I guess."

She nodded. "Yes."

I rubbed at the mark from under the bracelet. It felt cooler than the skin around it.

How had I never noticed an odd patch of skin here before?

"Do you know if it's possible that it can block me from casting as well as outside magic?"

She summoned a chair for herself with a clap of her hands and a puff of white smoke. It put her at a height for our eyes to be on the same level. "That is a very specific question. Did something happen?"

"A friend from Pixie Tower likes to tell fortunes with a crystal ball. She tried it once on me but claims she encountered something that impeded her. She had to Awaken just to get even a hint of something. After my period started my eyes did this thing where they flickered pink whenever I got upset. She decided to try again." My throat felt clogged up. Come on Serafina, you're almost done. You can do this.

"Did she see something that time?"

"Nothing related to the curse. But it…lashed out. I think. It started glowing and sparking this deep dark green color that I haven't seen before."

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Her eyes were wide. "Were either of you hurt?"

"No. She was fine. It burned when it was happening though."

I was shaking. Why was I shaking?

"It's all right. You're going to be okay. Breathe with me Serafina."

I couldn't. I couldn't breathe. When did I stop breathing?

"I knew telling you would be upsetting…"

I was cursed.

Someone cursed me.

I started laughing.

"Serafina?"

It all made sense now! A curse! An honest to the gods curse!

"I must be the unluckiest girl to have ever gone to this school," I managed to say around the bouts of laughter.

Sealie continued to look very worried.

I calmed down and let out a long exhale. I closed my eyes and covered my face as I listed over to the side. "What is my life?"

"I know this must be a lot to take in…"

"Don't. Please. Please don't give me a speech about needing to 'stay strong' or that 'it will get better'. Please. Just let me process for a few moments."

I don't think I fell asleep. Not quite. I was there on my side, eyes closed tight and knees tucked into my chest, while the world continued to spin.

Someone started whispering nearby.

"How is she?"

"She knows she's cursed. She noticed the presence of foreign magic in her system. She wants a little time to think."

"Does it look dangerous to you?"

"I can't say for sure. I've only seen a few curses before but this one is…particularly nasty if we're right."

"I checked with Lucinda. They never checked for a curse. They weren't sure what was going on."

"Of course not. Why would they? I wouldn't have if…"

"If her magic hadn't lashed out. We might have never known."

"We'd have known. If it can lash out like she said…someone was bound to notice."

"Does she suspect how it got there?"

"She hasn't voiced suspicions to me. But considering she was raised in the human world she might not be that aware of…"

"That's…probably for the best. I used to think Lucina lost her mind when she chose to raise her child away from all of this. Maybe she made the right choice after all. You'd think I'd have learned to stop doubting her."

"But she's here now."

"Yes. Yes, she is. And managing to disrupt everything simply by being here."

"I haven't seen you smile like that since Lucinda was a student."

"I wish she didn't have to go through this. Hopefully the specialist can break it without trouble."

The whispering stopped after that.

(*********)

I opened my eyes and sat up slowly. I felt stiff. Had I actually fallen asleep?

Judging by the fact the sun had definitely moved from where it was when I walked in here, I must have.

I didn't feel better about the whole curse thing though.

"Oh! You're awake! I was starting to worry."

I shook my head. "I'm okay. Anything else I need to know about right now?"

I don't think I convinced her. But if she was expecting cheeriness after that, she was talking to the wrong student with a pink uniform.

"Well…this should your last week on the special diet. Everything else looks good."

Everything except the curse.

"Finally. Some good news."

"I'll see you back here next week, same time."

Freedom!

(*********)

I was torn between going back to Pixie Tower, going to the library or just wandering the campus and hoping I don't get too lost, as I tried to figure out what I was supposed to do now.

I really wished I could be part of the mind meld group chat the others were a part of.

Nothing I could do about that though.

As far as I knew, as long as the curse was in place, I was basically a magic dead zone.

The curse.

The curse.

That was going to take time to process.

It was strange, the blend of giddiness at the suddenly real possibly of being cured, and the dread of knowing that someone did this to me.

But curses could be removed. Or maybe broken?

I would be able to cast if this curse goes away.

Holy Hecate.

I was going to be okay.

This was fixable.

I was going to cast one day.

By the gods ,I needed a distraction.

And the history paper was already done so that wasn't an option.

I never thought I would miss the mindless busywork human schools had saddled me with.

I decided that maybe a walk outside would clear my head.

But someone had other plans.

"There you are!" I looked up from my hands to see Celica walking towards me. It was the real one, judging by the annoyed look on her face.

"I just got out of my meeting with the Healer. Did you need something?"

"Your hands. They bother me. We're fixing them."

Okay…? "Please clarify."

"You are following me to Kraken Tower and then I am doing your nails. Questions?"

"Sure. I need a distraction anyway."

And that is how I ended up getting a look inside Kraken Tower.

It was very purple. But it was more subdued than the visual onslaught of Barbie hell that was Pixie Tower. Deep violet walls with Aquarius patterns, a grey wooden floor, and lights in the ceiling that glowed like bioluminescent algae. Kind of pretty. Except for the fact that we were apparently in the depths of an aquarium.

I would never understand what anyone was thinking with the spells on the Towers.

The windows, instead of seeing outside into the forest, were instead filled with squids. Lots of tiny squids in a variety of colors. Most were a shade of purple.

Better than having an actual Kraken on campus, I suppose.

Celica had one arm wrapped around my left arm, and held on with a grip that made it very clear that going anywhere was not an option for me. She wore very fake smile that she may have intended to be friendly but instead made me very nervous.

"Sit." She unceremoniously shoved me into the chair by the dresser, and started pulling various things out from a drawer.

"You are very serious about this."

"If you and I are really going to be seen by the whole school, spending time together for the next five years, I am going to require a higher level of upkeep from you Stewart."

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Look. You want to keep your hair that short, fine. Some people like the tomboy thing you have going on. But can you at least try to keep yourself presentable?"

"Is there something wrong with how I look?"

"There's very little right with it. You know I think you might be the only girl who doesn't wear a hint of makeup. Some people can do with just a bit but you don't wear any."

I shrugged. "I don't like it. I don't bother because, it makes me uncomfortable. And besides I'm just not the kind of person makeup appeals to."

She yanked on my right hand and pulled it towards her. "When did you last have a manicure?"

I exhaled slowly as I tried to remember. "Five years ago?"

"I can tell. I'm not even going to ask what color you want. I only have one shade that would work with your skin tone."

"Is this just something you do?" I asked her as she started filing my nails to something closer to even. "With friends that are girls, I mean."

Celica looked up at me for a moment. The eyebrow over her yellow eye went up. "Do you?"

"I wasn't exactly Miss Popular before coming here. I've never done this before."

"What about sleepovers and stuff? Isn't this like a thing girls our age do?"

"Maybe? I haven't had a sleepover before."

Celica's hands stilled as she looked down away from me. "I…haven't either. Sleepovers I mean."

She reached up and pulled some of her hair behind her ear. For the first time since meeting her I could see one of her ears. The long-pointed part of it was almost jarring. I knew she was part elf. The blue-grey skin wasn't exactly subtle, but even her brothers didn't have that.

"Were they…a problem?"

"What: the ears, my eyes , or my skin?"

"All of the above?"

"I was the only kid in any of my schools that looked like me."

I sighed. "That sucks. I…went to human schools. Before here. My mother was the only witch I knew."

"Stewart. A human last name. Your dad's?"

I nodded. "From what I know, they eloped and Mom left all of this behind. But even without magic, I think the other kids could tell I wasn't like them."

She laughed. "That's good. If neither of us knows what we're doing then no one can be disappointed."

Disappointed? "And in those theoretical sleepovers that neither of us had, what else are we supposed to do?"

"Honestly? I don't know. Like gossip or something. But you are the gossip. And terrible about sharing stuff."

She wasn't wrong. "Yeah…"

She then started cleaning the area around my nails with some kind of solution. It felt cold and evaporated quickly. "How did the Healer visit go?"

I started chuckling. "You won't believe this. I asked if she knew about the spell and guess what I found out."

There was a glimmer her eyes. "It's true?"

"It's a curse," I leaned forward and whispered.

"No! Really? On the names of the gods?"

I nodded. "One hundred percent confirmed."

"When and how?"

I shook my head. "No idea. They're getting a specialist to look at it. Don't know when."

"If they break it…"

"If we're right, which we probably are, I should be able to cast. Unless something goes terribly wrong, which would be par for the course so far."

She shoved playfully at me, "Don't jinx it. We have enough going on."

"What else is going on?"

"The staff is doing their final round of deliberations and voting. We'll know about Dragon Tower any day now."

"About time! They've kept us in limbo since the start."

"Well maybe if someone hadn't nearly died…"

"Not my fault there were death spiders in there!"

"And ghosts."

"And ghosts! Or whatever!"

Celica chuckled as she shook a bottle of deep red nail polish in her hand. "Hold still."

Celica had enough mercy in her system to just do a plain color. No funny patterns. Just red nail polish that dried to be a color very reminiscent of Dragon Red.

I wasn't even going to pretend like I believed that to be a coincidence.