The Witches From Bloomwood

Chapter 7 Roots of the Past

I took the time during my lunch break to indulge in a pair of delectable croissants, enduring an impossibly long line at the most revered bakery in Bloomwood. It was what I truly deserved after Drake ruined my breakfast.

I found myself gravitating to the local history museum, waiting out the front until I finished my pastry goods before venturing inside. The museum was packed with tourists, young and old admiring the old farm machinery and elegant dresses belonging to lifestyles long deceased.

I wandered over to the town records consisting of photo albums and letters. Each book was categorised by a letter of the alphabet in order of surname. I started turning over pages in the book labelled with the letter B. To no surprise I found that the entire book had been dedicated to the Bloomwood dynasty, we had truly procreated like rabbits. Hundreds of names and even more photos and letters filled the book to the brim. Flipping nearly to the back I finally found the name I was looking for, Dorothea Bloomwood, my great grandmother. Turns out she was absolutely gorgeous back in her day.

I smiled as I eyed the sepia toned photograph of her in a lacy white dress and large hat, basket of sunflowers under her arm. Her hair dark and coiled, eyes despite the lack of the colour the image possessed.

I reached out to touch the plastic film that protected it and a spark of magic jolted through my fingertip and into my arm. A flash of sparkling red light flashed before my eyes and I recoiled in panic. My feet moved beneath me as if I were trying to stand on a wave of water and I grabbed the plinth the book rested on to brace myself and avoid falling over.

I breathed haggardly for a few moments before straitening, looked around to see if anyone had noticed and found that I had a few people giving me odd looks. It was nice to see that if I had of collapsed that I would have received plenty of help.

I tentatively closed the book and made my way out of the museum. I paced my way back to the school, feeling very dazed and confused. I pondered the entire way as to whether my increase in magic had something to do with the strange dream and vision. Whether it was the real reason or not, I had been left thoroughly shaken. For I now knew the fate of Dorothea Bloomwood, and I was determined to not follow in her footsteps.

I assigned some reading for my students, marking the remainder of their tests before handing them back out at the end of the class.

"You have that brooding look on your face." Ren remarked judgingly before my desk.

"Drake decided to stalk me today." I divulged, relieved to get it off my chest.

Ren's nose wrinkled. "That fucker."

"I know." I packed up my books. "He actually showed up here at the school."

"That's not creepy at all." He remarked, waiting so we could exit the room together.

"I know, and then I confronted dear mother and that did not end well at all." I walked with him down the bustling hallway, students giving me a wide girth.

"I can imagine." He replied. "So did you kick his arse?"

"Not exactly." I regrettably informed. "He ruined a perfectly good meal and then I might have run off to let him play chambermaid by himself."

"Why do I have a lot of weird pictures in my head?" He frowned as we reached his next class.

"Because he's your type, stage five clinger." I quipped. "I'll tell you more later." I would have ruffled his hair, but I knew how expensive the products he used in it were. I opted for patting him on the shoulder of his flower-patterned blazer.

Ren's mouth worked as he prepared a response before, he registered his peers milling about him and thought better of it. "To be continued." He ducked into his next class and I continued on my way out.