Witch, Wolf, Woods

CHAPTER 4: FINALLY FITTING IN

The next morning, Katja felt a frisson of excitement zip through her when Tante Bettina announced they would be working with natural elements, determining if anyone had an affinity for phenomena such as fire, air, water, stone, or metal.

Katja noticed Liesel, the only other girl still waiting to discover her gift, listening closely to Tante Bettina, and she wondered if Liesel was also scared she might not have an affinity. Part of Katja wanted to reach out and ask the other girl how she felt, perhaps even offering encouragement, but a stomach-churning mixture of uncertainty and shyness ultimately kept her from saying anything.

Katja didn't have any luck connecting with fire, although she admired the raw power of the flame and tried as hard as she could to make it grow or shrink.

She similarly didn't feel anything when trying to influence the air around her, unable to so much as make a leaf blow across the courtyard.

Neither water nor stone responded to her, and it didn't matter whether the stone was in the form of a rock or a costly gem, although she did enjoy looking at the different types of precious gemstones.

Finally, it was time to try her luck with metal. Tante Bettina, who had an affinity for metal herself, instructed the girls to line up behind a long table on which were laid seven different types of metal. As each girl came forward, she was told to close her eyes, and then a piece of metal was placed in her hand, which she was asked to name.

The other girls correctly named one or two of the metals, but as no one named more than two, it seemed they'd simply made a few lucky guesses, which was fine, given that most of them had already discovered their affinities.

When it was Katja's turn, she stepped up to the table, closed her eyes, and held out her hand. As something cold was placed on her palm, Katja felt as if the metal sank straight through her skin, seeping into her bloodstream and filling her limbs from the inside out.

And that's when she heard the music—cheerful, trilling notes soon followed by a majestic chorus of pomp and circumstance, warm and expansive, pliable in the right circumstances but otherwise hard to the world around it. Within the melody, the metal introduced itself, and she was amazed at how easily she could understand what she heard.

"It's gold," she said out loud, eyes still shut. The metal had told her its name, and even though she had no reason not to believe it, she still felt a thrill of pride shoot through her when informed she was correct.

Keeping her eyes closed, she waited until the next piece of metal was placed into her hands, then pulled it close to her chest. This metal was cool to the touch, and its song made her think of falling snow, icicles gently clinking in a winter wind, sharp notes of cold moonlight and deep, melancholy melodies that made her feel far beneath the ground, surrounded by dirt and silence.

When the song was finished and she'd learned the metal's name, she did her best to thank it for sharing something so personal with her.

"This one is silver," she said, handing the metal back.

"Correct!" replied Tante Bettina, and even through her still-closed eyes, Katja could feel everyone watching closely as she was handed the third piece of metal.

This piece of metal was so eager to communicate with her, it burst into song as soon as her fingers closed around it. The song was vibrant and happy, making Katja think of cheerfully completing assigned chores, and she felt warmth from the metal, a softness coupled with an eagerness to be of service. The melody was reasonably steady without much variation, and it progressed forward with only minor changes, making Katja imagine a long, well-lived life.