Stormwood: The Descendant (book 1)

Chapter 1- Escape from Wexton Mansion (part 3)

The boy doesn't move his arm, but his eyebrows raise slightly. "Colia? You mean Colia Storm?"

Colia looks down uncomfortably. She hadn't been called Colia Storm since she was a little girl, since before her father left. "I go by Burn now."

"But are you one of them?" he questions, looking skeptical.

"I'm not sure what you mean. Do I know you?"

"No." Finally, the boy relaxes his outstretched hand, sweeping it through his blonde shoulder-length hair, but he still looks guardingly at Colia. "Well, I guess I must bring you inside, either way. Come, and don't try to play any tricks."

Colia hadn't ever seen any of this is her dreams. The last she'd seen was the Stormwood Academy sign. Then, the dream would end. From now on, her journey is to the unknown.

As they walk through the huge castle, Colia asks, "What's your name?"

"Augustus," the boy responds, "but you shall never use my name because you won't ever talk to me again. Is that clear?"

"No." Colia frowns and stops short in the first hallway, unsure of why Augustus is speaking so harshly. "Why?"

He huffs in frustration, stopping as well. "Because I can't be associated with people like you."

"People like me?"

"You know, Burns," Augustus says with disgust. "I have more respect for myself and my reputation than that, so do me a favor and just stay away."

That air around Colia seems to grow cold, but her face becomes warm and flustered. "What have I done to deserve such contempt? I don't understand." No one at home had ever spoken to her in such a way, and this is the first student she's met at Stormwood. What will the others be like? Colia and Augustus start to move again.

"You're right, you don't understand."

"Care to explain?" Colia snaps, irritated.

"Well, Colia," he begins sarcastically, "I am with the Storm family. If you're with the Burns, I can't have any relations with you. Get it?"

"No, I don't get it!" Colia exclaims. "I am a Burn and a Storm."

Augustus shakes his head. "That's not how it works. You can't be both. Pick a side."

Suddenly, a door opens to Colia's left, making her jump. Within the beautifully woven tapestries lining either side of the corridor is a wooden door labeled "headmaster," and a small, wiry woman with a long gray braid hobbles her way out.

"Oh, excuse me, dears," she says cheerfully.

"Sorry, Mrs. Lazzari," Augustus apologizes, his persona changing completely.

"No worries, no worries," Mrs. Lazzari replies looking over her shoulder as she makes her way down the hall.

Augustus turns back to Colia. "This is your stop." He pauses. "I'm sorry, but you need to pick a side," he repeats himself, his voice not as angry as before. "Choose wisely."

With that, Augustus takes off down the hall, and Colia is alone to face whatever lies beyond the headmaster's door. She slowly steps towards it, her heart beating rapidly and before she can change her mind, hurries through the doorway.

She would've never in a lifetime expected what she sees, who she sees. But there he is, sitting in a chair behind his desk: A broad-shouldered man with short brown hair and the same bright blue eyes as Colia.

"Dad?" Colia gasps. She doesn't have any words nor emotions other than shock.

"Hello, Colia," her father greets, looking up from his papers with a surprised smile. "I imagine you have many questions."

"That's an understatement."

Mr. Storm stands up and comes to Colia's side. "I've been expecting you to show up for a long time. Although, after your mother's phone call last night, I wasn't sure you'd be able to get past her."

"Why am I here, Dad? How am I here?" Colia wonders aloud, overwhelmed by the recent events. "I've been having dreams about this place. How do I know this isn't a dream? Nothing makes sense."

"This isn't a dream," he assures her, "And everything would make sense if your mother hadn't messed it up."

"You're the one who left us," Colia reminds him. Her heart still hurts from his sudden departure when she was four. It's not as if she remembers such old memories, but her father had left her, and her mother believes she is a disappointment. No one seems to want her. And now there is Augustus, who dislikes her for reasons she can't control.

"That's what your mother told you." Mr. Storm's eyes darken and his face becomes stony. "She lied. She lied about many things."

"But why would she-?"

Colia's father interrupts her. "She wanted you to turn against me. We had disagreements in the past, and she didn't want you to side with me and many others who share my beliefs. She hid your very history and identity from you, Colia."

"She raised me. You're the one who only bothered to show your face once a month, and you're calling her the bad parent?" Colia defends, and her father's eyes flash with pain. "You turned me against yourself, not Mom."

"I've done what I have had to do to help you. I will help you."

"How will you help me?" Colia crosses her arms. It must be two in the morning by now, and her brain is clouded by exhaustion. Her eyelids droop and her eyes fill with tears once again.

"I will show you who you really are."

"Who am I?" Colia's voice cracks with emotion.

"You're... you're a magician, Colia," Mr. Storm answers, a serious expression set on his face. Colia bursts into laughter, laughing even harder than she did in the woods with the rabbit, and her father frowns. "I'm not joking.

"I don't believe you, Dad."