"Be careful, Miss."

“You’re eighteen and you still don’t have a soul mate, poor thing.” My so called friend, Mae cooed as she rested her head on her partner, Jaemin. She got her soul mate when she was sixteen which was the typical age in the witch community to find your other half. But I wasn’t all that sad because I kind of hate all this clingy one soul mate for the rest of your life . I already have my eyes on someone. Although he may not be my soul mate I can’t help but get excited whenever I see him. He’s a magician although and I must say love relationships between witches and magicians are frowned upon. It’s as taboo as it gets, so I’d prefer to not talk to anyone about my little crush. Otherwise causal talks and friendship between us is allowed to some extent I guess.

“At least let’s hope that it’s not some sleazy human.” I snap at her to which she reacts with a grunt. Jaemin yells at Mae for having me as a friend and leaves the table. I simply have a smug smile on my face.

“Douchebag, he doesn’t even pay the bill.” I add fuel to the fire. “You know what I think your soul mate got scared after hearing you sprout from your mouth. That’s why he doesn’t show up. You deserve to be single, you .” She scorns at me after picking up her belongings and quickly making her way out of the café.

“I think you got it wrong, it’s ‘witch’.” I shout so that she could hear me. I dial to my ‘real’ friend.

“I finally got rid of that bragging queen; she really hit the nerve this time.” I start to tell her today’s events and we kill some time on the phone. “I never liked her anyway; I wonder how you both became friends.” Juyeon asks me.

“Forget that. Now let me remind you that you’ll be giving me a tour around the campus tomorrow, it’s my first day, senior.” I turned eighteen not too long ago and now I’ll be finally entering the devil’s den. Orion high school. The place where we actually learn to get along with those egoistic magicians. Although there are exceptions and some magicians are nice too. There are quite a few humans also but we get along just fine.

“Don’t you worry; big sis will be there to protect Princess from the bad guys.” Juyeon reassures me. Her specialty is her ability to offend and defend. I can’t deny the fact that I am indeed a bit nervous as to how people would react to me being the Head witch and Wizard Oh’s only daughter. Especially the magicians, they would hate me for all I know. They’re probably imagining me on a barbeque grill or something already.

I pay the bill which I don’t really want to do but I have no choice. It’s already getting dark and I take long strides to my home which is more or less a big palace. As I near the gate, I could see him from my rear view. I take a deep breath, this is wrong. But no one will know unless I tell them right?

I continue to take small glances at him as I walk to the huge glass door. My pace is incredibly slow but my heart beats at a contrastingly fast rate. My hands grow cold and I could see that he had stopped moving and I could feel him giving me a glance as well. Do I look pretty today? I quickly brush a hair behind my ear. We have been neighbors for so long but all I can do is watch him from afar. I couldn’t even get him to become my friend because of our and if I go and talk to him now he’d think I’m weird. Or that I have a crush on him.

I’ve heard a rumor that some magicians could read minds. I pray to God that he wasn’t one of those because I wouldn’t live down to the shame with all these thoughts running wild. I think of my dead fish to distract myself and what happened next was scarier than a horror film. He giggled. damn. Did he hear me?

I tumble down on the stairs to my door and I except to have a couple of stitches the next hour but I don’t crash. I could hear my mother making her way towards me when she hears me scream. I am literally floating on air right now.

“Careful there, Miss.” He utters and then with the snap of his fingers he brings me back to land, safe and sound. My face is tickled pink and it’s pretty obvious that I’m flustered with his gesture.

“Thanks.” I utter more like whisper to him and my mother bangs out of the house. “What happened? Why were you screaming?” She asks me with a worried expression.

“I-I was..” My brain is betraying me now and I start to look at her with a blank expression like a nut case. “She was about to fall down but don’t worry she’s safe.” He tells my mother and takes his leave after giving me a small smile.

My mother drags me into the house and shuts the door hard and loud. She queries about what happened. “What were you doing with Mr. Byun at this hour?” She tried to cover her disgust when she asks me that but it’s well evident from her eyes. They’re golden which means she’s mad.

“He saved me from tripping down the stairs. Mom.” I say. She grunts and leaves, “As if a witch couldn’t save herself.”

That night I thought about him and how he observed me as well. A part of me was excited if he could actually hear my thoughts whereas another part of me was quite anxious. He probably hates witches like most magicians do and thinks I’m a little girl who’s not right in the head. But he did smile at me right? I finally get to bed after I come to a conclusion that where he liked me or not, we would never be together. That was the rule of the Imperium and anyone who dared to break it would have to face the consequences.