The Magic Pawn Series: The Discovery (Volume 1)

Chapter 13: Off to a bad start

I was sound asleep when I heard my name being called over and over by a voice that was becoming really annoying. I finally opened my eyes.

It wasn't even seven in the morning! I could have hit Camille with something. I could see her lips moving but I did not understand what she was saying. I nodded.

Classes were starting at eight and she was already leaving. Maggie was not in the room. How could they be such early birds?

I barely fell back asleep when the message ringtone woke me up. I took the phone from my nightstand - to mute it.

'Oh, no!!!' I shouted and jumped out of the bed.

How could this happen? Had I really lost track of time so much? It was 9.30 a.m. and I had just missed my first class and not just any class but two hours on the History of magic. Could I have had a better start than this? And, on top of that, I was still sleepy.

I threw some books in my bag (I hope I got the right ones), took the fastest shower and put on the first clothes that I could find – some plain tight jeans and a white t-shirt. I did not lose time brushing my hair. On the way there, I tied my hair in a bun.

Great! I was going to look "my best".

What a first impression I would be making.

I started to run hoping that I would make it there in time at least for my second class, Magic for beginners, since I had lost the first one entirely. There were still five minutes left and, with a bit of luck, if the professor would be running late, I would have made it just in time.

As I was going down the hill, I felt I was in the worst physical fitness possible. I almost felt granny-like. Almost!

I wasn't paying attention and I was deep in my thoughts therefore I did not hear the deafening sound – it must have been the bell – which proved to be the horn of a car. I panicked and simply became still in front of the vehicle that stopped just inches away from me. Just a bit more and I would have been...I shook and immediately let that thought fly by.

'Watch where you're going!' The guy behind the wheel shouted at me.

'And you should drive more carefully.' I was about to say something else to him but I stopped when I saw Eric coming out from the car.

He looked at me and sighed.

'Oh...I don't know why but I am not even one bit surprised', he said. He examined me and then concluded: 'You don't look very well. We need to talk.'

I couldn't have expected anything else from him.

'Later. I have a class to go to.'

I was only five minutes late and the professor was already there. Damn it!

I apologised for being late and ignored the blaming look she gave me. I saw Maggie waving at me and I sat on the empty seat next to her.

'What have you been doing until now?'

'I have been sleeping.'

'You can't tell. You have such black circles around your eyes. You don't look well at all.'

Yeah...nothing new about that.

'Is this what you've been doing in just five minutes?' I asked her and felt almost annoyed with the fact that she had already written down half a page.

'Do you have anything to say, miss...? The professor asked.

She wasn't tall; her hair was short and she wore glasses just like Harry Potter's. Uh...really scary.