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12. Cursed

"We are going to sneak in a lab to find out more about a strange woman who has red eyes."

Zander looked as if he was paying attention to my first few words, but then ended up getting distracted halfway through my statement as his eyes wandered down to my right hand. Gasping, the boy caught my wrist and stared at my slightly bloody index finger, thanks to the paper cut I got earlier. "You're bleeding!" He studies my finger closer, brushing his own fingers around the cut. "What kind of monster were you fighting?"

"Papers."

"How dare they." Zander murmured, before leaning his head down towards my hand. Before I could ask what he's doing, I felt a soft peck on my index finger, right before a warm sensation on my cut. My eyes widened as the small spot on my finger glowed purple for half a second. Then, the cut was suddenly closed and healed. He just healed my paper cut with his magic.

I brushed my index finger with my thumb, observing it carefully. The line of the dried blood is still there, but it's healed now. "I love and hate magic at the same time." I love it because it's, well, magic. I also hate it because I don't understand it. How was he just able to do that? What else can this witch even do? How much power does he have? "Can your magic let you change your appearance and let you copy someone else's?"

Zander leaned against the wall of the hallway of the fifth floor. "I'm no shapeshifter, silly. Well, technically, I am, but I can only turn into a cat. Well, I can make slight appearance alterations such as color change but nothing more." As an example, he switched his violet colored irises to light brown. "However, I can turn into someone else but I need to make a potion with a DNA sample from that person I want to copy. Then, I will be copycat." He grinned. "Why? Do you want me to turn into you? I mean, I'll be a better looking you than you, but it will be fun. We can be twins!"

"No." I shook my head and rubbed my temples. "Never mind. Keep your eyes like that for now. People don't usually have violet eyes. If anyone talks to you, just smile and nod. Don't say anything."

"But that'd be impolite and rude of me. What if they need someone to talk to? They'd get sad."

Sweet Holy Thor Odinson, help me with this boy.

"You - " Just as I started to speak, footsteps arrived on the floor, coming from the stairs. "Shit!"

Panicking, I grabbed Zander's hand and led him to the closest unlocked room on our way. I pushed him inside and quietly shut the door. I have no idea where we are, but I'm going to take a good guess and say that we are in a janitor's closet. The smell gives it away. I can't risk turning on any light because we may get caught, so Zander and I remained in the dark. It's also very hot and cramped, that I am face to face with him, our chests are almost touching.

The two of us listened to the footsteps walk through the hallway. Just our luck, they decided to stop in the middle of it. Another footsteps joined after a sound of a door opening, then words were being exchanged. Two people are talking about a project, which isn't really interesting and worth listening to. I put my attention on Zander, who I could feel is staring at me even in the dark. I shifted to be in a more comfortable position, but Zander held me steady.

"Is this the part where we kiss?" He whispered.

"What?" I almost screamed. "No!"

"But that's what happens in movies."

I rolled my eyes. "Well, in the movies, witches can turn invisible and fly and have wands, but that's not accurate either, isn't it?"

He huffs a breath, which went right to my face. "I can turn invisible and fly. Just not like how they do it. And I have a wand. I'm just very attached to it, is all."