Lulu woke up early in the morning when the sun was just beginning to rise from the horizon and illuminate the gloomy walls of the Witch Academy. Stretching with all her might, she yawned sweetly and looked at the ceiling. The intense smell of magical herbs made her a little dizzy, and there was a bitter residue in her mouth. Turning over on her side, she began to bask in a soft bed, getting a range of pleasant feelings.
Finding the strength to overcome morning stiffness, Lulu got out of bed and looked around. Her eyes rested on Sophie, who was sleeping peacefully at her desk, hunched over. She put her hands under her head to somehow brighten up her uncomfortable sleeping position.
Lulu barely restrained herself from going up to her and kissing her on the cheek. She could not understand why she had vivid feelings for Sophie. She used to think it was just a game. She wrote a love letter, tossed it to the next victim, and then while waiting for a meeting with her, she could play cheerful melodies on the violin all day long. Many people said that Lulu was obsessed with her musical instrument, but she didn't think so. It was her way of existence, and love was her daily bread.
"It looks like you were telling the truth," Bonbon woke up.
He had been sitting on the bedside table all this time and only now decided to slowly turn his head to Lulu.
"Oh, you can move!" Lulu was surprised and immediately bit her tongue. She didn't want to disturb Sophie's peace.
"I'm a familiar, so I can do things that other toys can't do, and you don't have to worry about the lady. She sleeps soundly under my spell," Bonbon's voice belonged to a confident being. Without a single tremor, he pronounced every word clearly.
"Why? She can't sleep herself?" Lulu asked.
"You mortal creatures are used to living in the open air, when everything in the neighborhood is illuminated by the bright rays of the sun," Bonbon paused. "Others are forced to exist at night when the world is illuminated by moonlight."
"I understand, but what does Sophie have to do with it?"
The familiar said cryptically:
"Who knows? Maybe I'll tell you a little secret, but you'll have to earn my trust."
"I'm ready!" Lulu said resolutely, burning with curiosity.
"I like you, so listen to me carefully. Each witch can have one assistant, and to become one, you need to sign a contract and sign it with your blood."
"I don't remember that we were told about this in class."
"Believe it or not. When you become an accomplice... more precisely, my mistress's assistant, then we'll talk, and now it's time for me to wake up this Dormouse."
He shouted out a few words in a language unknown to Lulu, and by magic, Sophie began to wake up. She yawned sweetly and stretched as much as she could. Rubbing her sleepy eyes with her hands, she squeezed out:
"Good morning, Bonbon."
"Hi, and don't forget about our guest," he replied without enthusiasm.
"Oh! Lulu, why are you still here? Leave my quarters immediately and head to class!"
"Well, that's what I thought," Lulu puffed out her cheeks. "Maybe I also want to be gently told "good morning", but no, she's driving me away."
Lulu got out of bed and went to the exit, but Sophie stopped her.
"You forgot your work," she handed a piece of paper. "I hope this incident will not happen again."
"Of course," Lulu nodded. "By the way, do you need an assistant? I suddenly wanted to deepen my knowledge in brewing potions."
"What are you talking about? An assistant?"
"I don't know, but Mrs. Krivda will be interested in a familiar demon. According to the new laws of witches, their use is punishable by life imprisonment," Lulu smiled insidiously.
"What makes you think Bonbon is a demon?" Sophie stood up and frowned.
"Who knows, but he is a master at tempting. His voice is so seductive, and he wanted to kiss me," Lulu suggested. "The head of the academy likes to listen to gossip. Have a nice day!"
Lulu defiantly opened the door, which this time gave way, and slammed it loudly behind her. After that, she leaned against the wall and held her breath.
"What have I done?!" she was horrified. "Why did I say those nasty words?!"
Lulu was left with a bitter aftertaste. Running into her room, she quickly gathered her textbooks and went to the lecture hall, where the lecture was about to begin.
"Lulu, where have you been?" Nana asked.
"Sophie locked me in her room," Lulu snorted.
"But now you know what happens if you fail the test!"
"Yeah," Lulu sighed.
"Listen, maybe you'll give up this idea with the teacher. Find yourself a senior and write love letters for her," Nana suggested. "If you don't have anyone for this purpose, I can become your lady of the heart. I like to read love letters. Well, you know that sometimes witches brag about their love affairs at the nearby sorcerer academy."
Lulu looked at the red-haired Nana and grinned:
"You are already my best friend, why should I write you love letters?"
"A friend's zone? Of course, I'm no good," Nana said bitterly. "Listen, where are you going to rest during the holidays?"
"I have nowhere to go, my parents forbade me to return home until I receive a certificate of graduation from the academy."
"What?!" Nana's eyes bulged in surprise. "And what about the violin of the Sacrilegious-Immortal?"
"It's just my dream," Lulu smiled. — And they will buy it for me or not, I have no idea.
"I'm sorry, I didn't know that everything was so bad for you," sympathized Nana.
"It's okay. There's still a little bit left, just four years. It's not as much as five years!" she pretended to be happy, but deep down in her soul, there was a black spot of resentment. She went against her parents' will and paid for it.
Their conversation was interrupted by Felix, the teacher of protective charms, who entered the classroom. He was probably the only man in the Witch Academy, apart from the master of mythical creatures. His dark hair combed back, and round glasses on a hooked nose always seemed funny to students. He also spoke in a nasal voice. That's why everyone called him the turkey.
"Miss Lulu. Do you know what witches and wizards need to be afraid of more than anything else in the world?" he asked her a question during the lecture.
She got up from her seat and answered loudly:
"Curses, evil eye, and demons."
"That's right," he nodded. "What else?"
"Holy water, inquisitors, and bonfires," she continued.
Laughter rose in the hall, the peers understood the joke, but Felix did not appreciate it:
"Very funny. You should not be afraid of the Inquisition, as long as you do not break the laws. Are you going to follow in the footsteps of Elizabeth the Bloody?!"
"No, Mr. Felix," Lulu shook her head.
"Good. But you know, Elizabeth graduated from our academy and showed promise, just like you, Miss Lulu. Only instead of using the knowledge gained for the good of humanity, Elizabeth used it to harm people, and moreover, she allowed several demons to break into our world," Felix clenched his fists and frowned. "Damn her! She used our knowledge to give these inquisitors a reason to stick their noses into our affairs! Oh, what am I talking about? Oh, yes, sit down Miss Lulu, let's continue the lecture."
"Did you see his reaction when he talked about Elizabeth?" Nana whispered.
"Yes, he clearly doesn't like her," Lulu agreed.
"Of course, because she disgraced the academy and arranged a real sacrifice. She summoned demons into our world. It's a pity that this witch wasn't caught then," Nana was saddened. "What if she decides to perform a bloody ritual again and tries to open the gate to the demons?"
"Don't worry, the defenders of the seven kingdoms will stop her," Lulu reassured her. "I'm sure of it!"
When the lecture was over, the academy attendant came running into the hall. Usually, they were undergraduates who were chosen by voting. She shouted from the doorway:
"Is there a student named Lulu here?"
"Yes, it's me," she said.
"Mrs. Krivda wants to see you! Go to her office right away!"
The attendant immediately disappeared.
"What have you done this time?" Nana looked at her reproachfully.
"Nothing," Lulu spread her hands, but Nana still didn't believe her.
Lulu reluctantly went to the administration. When she reached the head of the academy's room, she knocked on the door and went inside. A large study filled with carved furniture, bookshelves, and all sorts of antiques appeared in front of her. Krivda loved to collect figurines, stuffed animals, and magical artifacts. They were on the shelves, on the windowsill, and even on the desktop, where besides them there were still stacks of documents that Krivda had been working on for hours. The cold floor was covered with warm carpets with a soft pile, painted with golden threads. In the corner, there was a large globe with a secret compartment in which Krivda kept hot drinks — probably because the undergraduates gossiped about it. Krivda loved to drink, and how else could she establish relations with other educational institutions without drinking — and these were "reliable" information from students. The room was illuminated by a stained-glass window, rounded at the top and painted with floral patterns. There were magic lamps on the table and walls, from which a pleasant warm light emanated.
"Did you call me?" Lulu bowed.
"Yes, my excellent student," the head of the academy smiled. She was sitting in her padded Manticore leather chair, and Sophie was standing next to her like a tin soldier.
"I have received information that you want to deepen your knowledge in potions. Tell me, is it true?" Krivda was boring Lulu with her gaze as if trying to read her thoughts.
At first, Lulu was a little confused, but after gathering her strength, she gave a clear answer:
"Yes, I want to become Mrs. Sophie's assistant!"
"Very good," smiled Krivda and looked at the teacher standing next to her. "I don't mind."
"But it's dangerous," Sophie protested.
"You know that sooner or later they will all meet with evil spirits, vampires, as well as demons who live on the other side. You have a good letter of recommendation. Therefore, you will easily protect her from dangers, or is it not so?"
Sophie shuddered and backed away from Krivda's stern gaze:
"Yes, of course! I... agree."
Mrs. Krivda got up from her chair and went to the secretary standing next to her. Taking a parchment from it, she handed it to Sophie. She took an ink pen and wrote something on it, then took a sharp dagger from a secret pocket of her robe and pierced her little finger with it. Scarlet blood sprinkled the paper and immediately soaked into it. Thrusting her finger into her mouth, she began to lick it to quickly stop the bleeding.
"Don't be afraid, this is a regular contract that you will have to seal with blood," Mrs. Krivda explained to Lulu. "Since you don't have your ritual dagger yet, I'll give you mine.
She took a bundle from the drawer and, unwrapping it, showed the student the ritual weapon. Its gilded handle with inlaid gems lay very comfortably in the palm of your hand, and the blade wriggled like a snake and could easily pierce anyone. Lulu swallowed her saliva at the sight of the weapon, but her decision was final. She walked over to the table and glanced at the contract. In it, Sophie took responsibility for the integrity and safety of the assistant. At the same time, Lulu had to enter her name and admit that she would unconditionally fulfill any whim of her mentor.
Raising her hand, Lulu squeezed her eyes shut so as not to see how Mrs. Krivda would pierce her finger with the tip of a dagger. Sharp pain, fright, and that… When Lulu opened her eyes, she saw only a small drop of blood on her little finger. Now she officially became Sophie's assistant, but there was no joy inside.
"Congratulations to you," smiled Krivda, wiping the bloody dagger with a cloth.
Sophie and Lulu bowed and left. When they were far enough away from the office, the newly minted mentor pulled Lulu's hair.
"For what?" Lulu was indignant.
"Get used to it. It's for educational purposes," Sophie smiled mysteriously. "I don't know why I fell for your trick, but I need your help."
"You still need me!" Lulu was delighted. "Yes!"
"Of course, I need a porter. Bonbon is a lousy familiar for that purpose, but you'll do fine," Sophie said contentedly. "I'll be waiting for you tonight."
"But we have a test on mythical creatures tomorrow!" her new assistant objected.
Without further ado, Sophie grabbed Lulu's hair again and pulled it hard to make her bend over. Evil features appeared on Sophie's pretty face: eyebrows lowered, and her mouth opened slightly, exposing two pointed fangs, like a vampire's.
"Remember one thing. You are now my assistant, and this is practically the same as a slave, with only one caveat. I can't let you die," she said angrily.
"It hurts!" Lulu didn't listen to her. "Let me go immediately!"
She forcefully pushed Sophie away and, having freed herself, ran away.
"I think you overdid it," Bonbon's voice sounded in her head.
"Nothing like that. I will make Lulu hate me, and then she will break the contract," Sophie watched with pleasure as her assistant ran down the corridor in an unknown direction.
"Just make sure she doesn't follow in your sister's footsteps," the familiar said mentally. "Hating you, Lulu may fall under the influence of demons."
"Nonsense," Sophie was burning with hatred. "She was blackmailing us, so she also wanted to turn you over to the old hag."
"How unlucky I am," sighed Bonbon. "One of my mistresses is more stupid than the other."