The Shattereds

Chapter 2

Twenty years later...
One student from Magicalness, the School of Magic, always got to train at Witch Broom's castle for two weeks. Emily had earned that honor. She had spoken with the students who had gone the few past years. "Don't get on her bad side, don't break anything, and don't talk to any the servants, except the one assigned to you," said the students. Emily wrote all the tips down. They all talked about Servant Vine, who was usually their servant. They said she was super nice and kind. They said she was powerful, but restricted because of Witch Broom. The school had requested several times to allow her to visit, but Witch Broom had never answered.

Emily rode in a flying car to get to the castle. The driver was a servant at the castle. He wore an all black tuxedo. He did not speak. He had come to pick Emily up. As he drove through the sky, all Emily could think about was the castle and Witch Broom. The students had said they didn't see her much, but they learned a lot from Servant Vine and the books in the library.

They then drove down to the castle. Emily stared at it. It was very old, and Emily wondered how it had been standing so long. She climbed out of the car. There was a staircase leading up to the entrance. The stair case was fairly new. One student said there had been a sink hole around the castle, so the ground had to be strengthened, then the staircase built. Emily looked up at the top as the driver got her suitcase out of the trunk. Witch Broom was at the top, wearing a black cloak. Beside her was a servant, dressed in a black dress.

The driver started carrying her luggage up the steps. Emily walked beside him. They walked to the top in silence. When they arrived at the top, Witch Broom smiled. "Welcome," she said. She held out her hand. Emily shook it. It was cold. When she let go, the servant smiled. "This is Servant Vine. She will be your servant for the next two weeks," said Witch Broom. Servant Vine held her hand out. Emily shook it. Unlike the witch's hand, hers was warm. Emily smiled back at her. "She will take you to your room. I will see you at dinner," said Witch Broom. She walked inside.

"I'm Emily," said Emily to Servant Vine as the driver carried her luggage inside.

"Nice to meet you," said Servant Vine. "Follow me." She led Emily inside. Emily saw the portraits immediately. They scared her. She then followed Servant Vine into another hallway, then into another. She led her to a door. She opened it, revealing a bedroom. Emily walked inside. Her suitcase was next to the bed. Servant Vine stood in the doorway. Emily looked at her. "Feel free to personalize it," she said to Emily. "I know teenagers like posters and stuff like that."

"Have you always been the servant assigned to us?" asked Emily.

"Yes. Ever since this tradition started. Twenty years ago actually. You're our twentieth student," said Servant Vine.

"Wow," said Emily. Servant Vine nodded.

"I'll give you a tour of the castle after dinner. Tomorrow we can visit the library," said Servant Vine.

"What do people usually do here?" asked Emily.

"I usually let them stay in the library. They seem to like that. There's also a training room. You can use that," said Servant Vine. "Sometimes Witch Broom will take you on a trip through the woods, but that won't be until next week." Emily had heard about those. Everyone had agreed it was creepy. Emily put her suitcase on the bed. She started pulling out clothes. She then saw Servant Vine was still there.

"Do I need to dismiss you or something?" asked Emily.

"No. No. I just have to stay with you until dinner. That's Mas...Witch Broom's rule," said Servant Vine. Emily nodded. She turned back to her stuff. She started putting her stuff in the drawers. When she was done, she looked back up at Servant Vine. She was smiling at her. "Ready for dinner?" she asked. Emily nodded. Servant Vine turned around. She led Emily down a few hallways. They then entered a dining room. In the center was a large table, covered in different foods.

Witch Broom sat at the head of the table. Emily was led to a seat near her. There were two seats in between her and the witch. Two servants sat in them. Their eyes were white. "You can starting eating," Servant Vine whispered to Emily. Emily slowly started taking food. Witch Broom was watching her. Emily's skin tingled. She ate slowly. After a while, Witch Broom started eating. They ate in silence. After Emily finished, Witch Broom started talking.

"Your essay was very nice. Magic must mean very much to you," said Witch Broom. Emily nodded. "What was the trigger for your magic to start developing?" asked Witch Broom.

"It started when my parents passed away," said Emily. Servant Vine seemed to stiffen. She looked at Emily with a sad expression. Witch Broom glanced at her, then back at Emily.

"Where did you go after that?" asked Witch Broom.

"I was at a regular orphanage for a while, until someone came to take me to one meant for magic orphans. That's what got me into Magicalness," said Emily. The witch nodded. Servant Vine then saw Witch Broom trying to enter Emily's mind, like she did with all the students. "Witch Broom?" asked Emily. Witch Broom was snapped back into reality. "How did you develop your magic?" asked Emily.

"I started out much like you did. My parents both died, and I was put in an orphanage. I grew up in a non-magic one as an outcast. My magic then grew. I found this castle and started fixing it up. I started collecting books and reading them. That's how I became powerful," she said.