Riding on the bus felt far worse than it normally did, each bump and pothole seemingly more violent than the last. Her sleep was absolute garbage, probably from staying up too late after her very much needed power nap.

  She probably had post-traumatic homework disorder, give her a break.

  After somehow dragging herself into class, she couldn't help but dread having to deal with Mrs. Halsey. Old, grouchy, and full of contempt for everything that breathed. If there were any actual witches who survived the Salem witch trials, she was definitely one of them. Every other teacher at least seemed patient, friendly, and actually had hope for the future. Not that she could say much for some of her classmates.

  "Morning, Hannah!" The greeting came from her left. Her best friend, Paige, appeared to have far more energy than what should be legal at this hour.

  "Good morning." At least this day should go by quickly. They just got done wrapping up a major project for the semester, so things should cool down, hopefully.

  "So, you think anything is gonna happen to the library yet? We're already halfway through the year, and it hasn't tried to kill anyone yet." Paige leaned over as she spoke. It was a common joke throughout the entire school that the library was cursed. Last year, a sprinkler cracked; thousands in books needed to be replaced. The year before that, a small fire broke out due to a faulty wall socket. One student suffered a seizure; another had a severe allergic reaction. The list went on and on.

  "The library isn't going to kill anyone... I think." After a while, even she had to admit the string of bad luck was getting ridiculous. There was a small club trying to investigate it. Like some would-be Ghostbusters, the morons. Still, Uncle A's house was like a library unto itself, so it wasn't like she was ever short on reading material. As long as this school doesn't make any attempts on her life, she would be just fine.

  Before her friend could continue, the door opened, and the old witch herself waddled in with a scowl. She carried a stack of papers under her arm before tossing them onto the desk. Taking a deep breath through her flat nose, she spoke before the class.

  "I haven't had my coffee yet, so I would like to make this quick. Last Friday, you were all given 30 questions on polynomial division to complete, showing all of your work." Her eyes slowly dragged across the room. "We will review the questions together, and I will collect your papers... after you realize the amount of mistakes you've made." With a last sweep of the room, her eyes landed on Hannah and narrowed. Her skin crawled as if she were being looked through.

  What the hell is her problem?

  One by one, they went over each problem. Surprisingly, she got most right. Although totally convinced that some were at a college level and tossed in to spite them. Paige just marked hers the entire time with a smile — all correct, if she had to guess. Thank God her ego was nowhere near as big as her brain. She gets enough of that from Mr. Quinn. He's apparently visiting today, according to her uncle this morning. Something about drinks? She wasn't the most lucid on her way out the door.

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  "Very good, Ms. Whitaker. Full marks." It's sometimes jarring to see the old teacher still able to smile. But Paige seems to do the impossible on occasion. Unfortunately, reality had to make a comeback as she walked up.

  Oh God, what is that?

  "Eighty percent... it will suffice, Beckett." She didn't notice at first, but as she got closer to the desk, it smelled disgusting. It was like old motor oil and vinegar. It took her a moment to even realize Mrs. Halsey had said anything.

  "Umm, thanks?" She'll never admit she needed to regain her bearings.

  As she returned to her desk, the smell vanished almost instantly, as if contained to her teacher's wrinkled form. Did Paige not notice that? Her friend seemed all sunshine and rainbows, but even she would have been repulsed. A quick glance showed that, no, she looked completely fine. At least she didn't smell burnt toast — that would have been a whole other problem altogether.

  When lunch finally came around, she couldn't have been any happier. Class had left her feeling the day growing more dull by the minute, but at least now she could relax for a brief moment. Paige was energetic as ever as she went on about this new TV series, some Korean drama, but it was all flying over Hannah's head at the moment.

  "They ended the first season on such a brutal cliffhanger and... Hey, are you ok?" She must have seen it on Hannah's face.

  "Hmm? Oh, yes, I'm fine. Just tired." She let out a yawn. "I was on my computer a bit longer than intended." Try until three in the morning, but who's counting?

  "At least you could. Our power was still out when I got up." It struck Hannah as odd that Paige's power was still out. She lives closer to the city. Uncle A's home was farther out, tucked away up in Ankeny Hills outside of Salem, but before she could further ponder that thought, the bell informed them of their next prison sentence. At least their next teacher wouldn't openly conspire to wither away their souls. As they walked down the halls, Paige continued.

  "Also, I guess some are going around saying the library is flat-out haunted now. I knew it was going to be something this year." Her friend seemed entertained, while Hannah could only groan. Could they not have come up with anything original?

  "Of course they are..." She really didn't like the look on her friend's face.

  "We should check it out sometime!" Her smile only grew. "Mr. Beckett has a Ouija board, doesn't he? It will be fun!" It would appear that the inner machinations of her friend's mind would always elude her.

  "Yes, Uncle A has a Ouija board, among other things." Despite being a handful, she still enjoyed her time with Paige. "I'm sure he won't mind if I borrow it."

  I mean, he actually has several, but I'm not going to say that.

  "Great! Do you think you can grab it for tomorrow?" Her friend was far too excited. Still, she could try to enjoy it. They walked together until Paige had to split up; She had biology, while Hannah had history. She got good grades in this class since her uncle was, at one point, a professor on the subject and would talk her ear off regularly. Don't forget, or you're doomed to repeat your mistakes and all that. Soon enough, class started.

  "Okay, everyone, we'll be continuing where we left off on the Middle Kingdom period of Egypt," her history teacher spoke up. "Cameron, could you please read from page twenty-five?" Hannah just looked out the window as the rest of the room faded from her attention.

  Oh, this is going to feel like an eternity.