Chapter 23 - Black cat

Aurora's pov

It was hard to see outside since there was no moon nor stars in the sky so it was really dark, I think I love the dark, no not think, I do love the dark, it was also very quiet. After walking around the school grounds for a while, I got tired and started walking back to the school. I was almost at the door when I heard a soft purr that made me stop. I looked around for the source of the sound but after some time I was beginning to think I was just imagining things. As I was about to move inside I heard the purring sound again but this time it was a bit louder and I was certain that I wasn't imagining hearing the sound. I'm very sure that sound is coming from a cat. "But what would a cat be doing in the school grounds?" I asked myself but still decided to find the cat, if only there's truly a cat and my mind wasn't playing tricks on me. Walking around the school, I didn't find any cat and I was now certain my tiredness was making me hear things. As I was about to move from where I was standing, I saw bright amber eyes, squinting my eyes through the darkness, I saw a cat as black as the night behind a large tree staring back at me, when he noticed I was staring at him, he purred again. Finding a cat close to the school at this time is just totally weird especially since there is a large forest surrounding the academy, the academy is literally built in the middle of the forest and a very strange dark forest at that, so what would a cat be doing in the middle of the forest and also how did he manage to make it here alive without being killed by the creatures living in the forest.

I walked towards where it was and squat down to its level stretching out my hand so I could carry it back inside since the forest is a dangerous place for such an animal, but the cat just sat down staring at me. After some time it stood up and walked closer to me, but stopped moving at about two feet away from me like there was something blocking it from getting to me. After a while of it looking at me expectantly and me staring at it with confusion, it lay down purring softly. I was wondering why it wasn't moving closer, until I heard a voice behind me.

"It won't be able to reach you" the voice said.

"Turning my head slightly I saw the two lion shifters just few feet behind me. "How is it possible that I didn't hear them coming or atleast smell them" I wondered to myself. I guess It is because i was so focused on the cat that I couldn't tell what was going on around me which is very careless of me I must admit. In the supernatural world, we have always been taught to be conscious of our surroundings for so many reasons and to never put down our guard.

"Why" I asked putting my carelessness aside.

"Because it is outside the school ground and the school has an invisible protective barrier over it, so any living thing can't pass through whether from the inside or outside" the darker one explained. "I'm Blake by the way".

"Oh" I replied not knowing what to say then tried confirming if what he said was true so, I tried moving my hands towards the cat but my hand couldn't reach him, there was like a solid wall blocking me. I kept trying over and over again but it was the same result making me huff in frustration, I tried banging and kicking the barrier out of frustration but still nothing happened.

"If you keep hitting the barrier like that Miss Hannah would feel the disturbance you are creating in the barrier and would be out here in no time" Blake warned.

"Miss Hannah?" I asked.

"Yes, she is the one who put up the barrier" he replied.

"Of course it has to be her, who else could be so demonic" I muttered under my breath and got curious about something. "Wait, how do you know so much about the barrier".

"We tried leaving the school grounds a couple of times and that's when we found out about the barrier" he said referring to him and his brother making me curious as to why they wanted to leave the academy but didn't ask since it's none of my business. "While we discovered Miss Hannah was the one who put up the barrier after she caught us trying to burst the barrier, she said she felt the disturbance we were creating and so she came outside" he explained.

"Oh" I whispered. "So there's no way I can get the cat into the school?"

"Nope, atleast none that I know of" he replied.

"You're a witch right?" His brother asked staring at me.

"Yh?" I replied in a question like manner.

"So you could actually break the barrier using magic right?" He questioned. "We tried breaking the barrier using physical strength but the barrier is way too strong".

"Erm.....Actually...T...the thing...Is...." I kept stuttering not knowing what to say to them till Blake spoke up.

"She won't be able to do that" he said to his brother.

"And why is that?" He's brother asked.

"Because the barrier was set up by a powerful witch, the barrier would be very strong, hence she wouldn't be able to break it because she is not as powerful as the witch who set it, not to forget she's still a student who is still learning". He explained to his brother and I was surprised by how much knowledge he has concerning witches.

"Yh and a spell casted by a powerful witch can only be broken by a witch more powerful than the one who cast the spell" I added still staring at the poor cat laying on the cold ground. "But how come do you know so much about witches?" I Questioned in pure curiosity.

"I have a friend who's a witch back at home" he replied.

"Oh ok" I said placing my hands on the barrier and surprisingly this time my hands goes straight through it with ease making me gasp in surprise, I quickly retracted my hands in shock.

"What's wrong?" Blake and his brother asked in unison.

"Try seeing if the barrier is still there" I said to them.

"Huh?" Blake asked in confusion.

"Just do it"

"Do what?" Blake's brother asked making me groan in annoyance.

"Place you hands on the barrier and tell me if your hand goes through it or if you still feel like there's a wall there" i gritted out.

"Why" they both asked but quickly did as I asked immediately I threw a death glare their way.

"I think my hands just passed through the barrier" I whispered but I knew they heard me clearly.

"Yh right and I think I can fly" Blake's brother replied sarcastically making me glare at him again.

"I'm serious" I said.

"Huh huh" he said.

"Watch" I said to them and then placed my hand on the barrier and just like last time they went through it with ease like there was nothing there.

"How is that possible? Few minutes ago your hands couldn't pass through it". Blake asked confusion written all over he's face.

"Maybe she accidentally broke the spell". Blake's brother replied making Blake and I look at him in annoyance.

"I didn't break any spell, I didn't even do anything, I don't even know a spell used to break a barrier and if I have broken the spell why is it that the barrier is still there and why can't the two of you pass through it, why am I the only one who can pass through the barrier" I asked.

"Exactly" Blake said. "And if she has indeed broken the spell, Mrs Hannah is supposed to have been here by now because she will feel the barrier breaking".

"We will think about it later but first try if you can bring the cat in before we get caught, dinner would soon be over" Blake's brother said and that's when I remembered the cat.

"Yh sure" I replied and walked through the barrier to the other side where the cat was, I picked up the cat and tried passing through the barrier with the cat in my hands but the cat wasn't able to pass through it. I kept trying and trying again but I was the only one able to pass through the barrier.

"The cat isn't passing through" I said worriedly to the twins who were at the other side of the barrier staring at me.

"This is bad" Blake said.

"What is?" I asked.

"If the cat can't pass through and you've been forcing him to pass through, I'm sure Miss Hannah would have already felt the disturbance within the barrier and would be here very soon" he said. "Drop the cat and come back so we can leave before she gets here else we would be in serious trouble".

I stared at the cat in my hands, I just couldn't leave him out here in the woods all by himself especially with the way he was staring at me, "I can't". I told them.

"What do you mean you can't?" Blake questioned.

"We aren't going to abandon him, we will just leave before Miss Hannah get here and come back for him when she leaves" Blake's brother explained as if he read my mind, but I just couldn't leave him, what if before we get back he's gone. I ignored them and kept trying to pass through the barrier with the cat in my hands.

"If you keep doing that, you're going to break the barrier" Blake said.

"That's my aim" I replied and kept forcing the cat through the barrier when suddenly a loud cracking sound echoed.

I continued trying when another loud cracking sound echoed as though a loud fracture has just occurred. The barrier shimmered and became visible for a little while, It was a light green shimmery wall-like barrier.

My eyes widened at the sight of a long, thin fissure appearing on the barrier. Alot of cracks could be seen running across the barrier, I then focused on trying to enlarge the crack. When I saw it was large enough to pass through with the cat, I rushed back to the other side of the barrier, when suddenly the barrier gave a last shudder before it shattered and broke like a mirror being smashed by a powerful hit.

Having passed through the already broken barrier with the cat in my hands we were already running towards the school because Blake and his brother were already panicking saying Miss Hannah would be here in no time and we might get expelled if we get caught, when suddenly the three of us stopped dead in our tracks and became as stiff as a statue with fear. I sniff again just to be sure of what I had perceived and sure enough the scent the three of us just perceived belongs to Miss Hannah and principal Demitrey.

"Oh no, we are in trouble" Blake's brother said panicking. "How are we going to explain the reason behind the broken barrier". Blake instantly pulled his brother and I towards the back of the big tree beside us. We heard the light footsteps of Miss Hannah and principal Demitrey getting closer and closer to us till they stopped at the place where the barrier was set up which was a few feet away from the tree we were hiding.

"How did this happen" principal Demitrey asked after placing his hands on the place where the barrier was supposed to be and feeling nothing.

"Someone tried passing through the barrier" Miss Hannah replied. "But what I don't understand is why I couldn't feel the disturbance in the barrier until the barrier was broken".

"Who could have done this?" principal Demitrey asked angrily. Principal Demitrey and Miss Hannah haven't noticed our presence or our scent which is surprising and also a good thing because if we get caught, we were going to be punished for sure and there'll be no way to escape the punishment. I guess the only reason they haven't noticed our presence yet is because their full attention and concentration is on the broken barrier.

"It must be one of the students". Miss Hannah answered "most of them usually try breaking the barrier but they have never succeeded because I always felt the disturbance they were creating within the barrier but I just don't understand why I didn't feel the disturbance this time, this barrier is very strong and not many witches can break it so I don't understand how this was possible" she explained looking confused.

"Are you sure that the barrier wasn't broken by one of the creatures in the forest because all the students are in the dinning Hall having their dinner" principal Demitrey asked

"No forest creature is strong enough to break my barrier" she replied looking offended by principal Demitrey speculation.

"Can you put up another one?" Principal Demitrey asked.

"Yes I can but it will take alot of my energy and power since I will have to make it more powerful than the previous one so I'll suggest we wait till tomorrow so I can and meditate and gather as much energy as I can". She replied.

"You have to do it now Hannah, you are well aware of our surrounding and we don't even know what sort of dangerous creatures are lurking in this forest and I wouldn't like to put the students in danger, their parents and the council would have my head". Principal Demitrey said.

Taking a deep breath Miss Hannah opened her mouth to reply but stopped and turn her head backwards towards the tree we were hiding because Blake's stupid brother accidentally stepped on a twig causing it to snap which principal Demitrey and Miss Hannah heard, they began walking towards us. This is bad".

Blake and I glared at him, "what is wrong with you" I whispered yell at him but he just kept looking at everywhere but me and Blake.

They were just a foot away from us when suddenly we found ourselves in the hallway leading to the dinning Hall in the ground floor. What just happened".

"What just happened?" Blake voiced my thoughts.

"Yh what the hell just happened? We were outside, hiding behind a tree just few seconds ago, so how did we end up in this hallway" Blake's brother asked in shock.

"Did you do this?" Blake asked, his eyes on me.

"No" I replied.

"Let me guess, you don't know a teleportation spell" Blake's brother asked staring at me suspiciously.

"I know a teleportation spell but I didn't do it, I couldn't do it even if I wanted to and you guys were there with me, you guys didn't see me chanting or flicking my wrist did you?" I Questioned.

"If you didn't do it then how did this happen?" Blake asked. I looked at the cat in my hands and shook my head refusing to believe what just crossed my mind.

"Do you have an idea about how we got here?" Blake asked.

"I don't know but I think it has something to do with this cat". I told him staring at the black cat in my hands.