How to Survive College

Our kind was in danger. Of every 100 human girls born, one was a witch. One out of 100 witches born would grow into a sorceress. But the odds of a sorceress making it to 28 were a fraction of 1%. Our kind was dying. Most of sorceresses had no idea how dangerous the world was until it was too late. But I had a unique opportunity to warn them. College. I was a sorceress myself. It had been a long and hard road but I had made it past the most dangerous years. 28 years old and in complete control of my powers. Finally, it was time to give back. I had gone to college and graduated. A Bachelor's in Education. The plan was to teach. Why? Because I was looking for sorceresses. And they flocked to college. I wanted to help them make it past the danger zone. And I was ready for it. I had sat down and made a list of everything I knew. All the dangers. All the tips. How to Survive College - A Guide for Sorceresses. And now, I was here. Last year, I was a substitute teacher. I taught a variety of classes. This year, I had a steady job in one classroom. 14-18 year olds were my students. And I was looking for the telling signs. For the first few weeks, I kind of enjoyed the daily grind but it had started to get old. Nothing. I had seen nothing. I sat at my desk, scrolling through the assignments that had been turned in so far when I saw her. Pretty green eyes. Long, curly red hair. She was in my 2nd period class. A junior. She was a sorceress. I was sure of it. We started talking, she was my student after all. And I found out what I needed to help her. She was 16. She knew she had magic. I had no idea what kind. But I knew it was real. She could do it. And now, I was ready. I sat her down after class and gave her the paper. A few pages, nicely printed and stapled together. "How to Survive College - A Guide for Sorceresses" "Read this," I said. "And meet me here at 7pm tomorrow night. Don't tell anyone. Come alone." "I can't believe I'm a sorceress." she said as she took the paper from me. She was a little shell-shocked at the revelation. I had expected that. I told her I had work to do and dismissed her. The next night, she came alone. I was glad she had listened. "I read the paper." she said, handing it back to me. "What did you think?" "Surprisingly, it helped a lot. Last night, I got a text. I didn't recognize the number. But it said my name and told me I would be seeing them soon. How did they know who I was?" she asked. "That's the first rule." I said. "Your name is your power." "If someone knows my name, they can have power over me?" "Right." I rummaged around my desk drawer and pulled out a coffee mug. "My name is Jane." was written in fancy letters across the side. "I thought your name was Ms. Brown." she said. "That's what I want you to think." I said. "Why do you have a coffee mug with 'Jane' on it?" she asked. "You'll see." I said, cryptically. "I thought coffee mugs were really bad." she said. "They are." I agreed. "Why do you have one?" she pressed. "Because 'Jane' is not my name. But it is a name I answer to. And it is not a name that can be used against me." I said. She looked confused. "Rule #2. Be the name others give you. 'Jane' is a name that I can answer to, because it is a name I have given to others. It was a nickname in grade school. But it is not my given name. It is not the name of my Baptism. It is not a name that holds power." I explained. "Oh. I see. I'm ‘Red’ sometimes. Because of my hair." she said. "That's absolutely terrifying." I said. "What?" she asked. "'Red'?" I repeated. "Yeah, it's just a nickname." she said. "'Red is bad. But it's a good thing you're not answering to it. A nickname is a nickname. It's not your name." I said. "When I was 9, I made a new friend. A girl my age. She was nice. We played together every day. We were inseparable. One day, she asked me what my name was. I told her. I was 9, I didn't know any better. She was my friend. She wouldn't try to hurt me. She made me a coffee mug with my name on it. It had cartoons on it. It was kind of cute, I'll give her that. 'For the bestest friend in the whole wide world!' was written above my name. I was touched. I used the mug every day. I was proud of it. And it was a bad idea. Because even though she was my friend, she still had power over me. She could use my name against me. And she did. She took the mug and she used my name. She wanted to be popular. So she made me walk up to the most popular girl in class and punch her in the face. I broke my hand. I got expelled. And I got in a lot of trouble. All because of a mug. A mug with my name on it. All because I didn't know Rule #3. Rule #3 is the hardest rule. But it is the most important. Never refuse drinks from strangers. Never refuse food from strangers. Never refuse anything from strangers. She was 9. She was my friend. She was a sorceress like me. But she was still a stranger. I was 9. I didn't know any better. I was stupid. A stupid little girl. I got lucky. I got away. I lived. And I knew better now. That's why I wrote the list. That's why I printed it and had copies. Because I knew better now. And I was ready to protect myself. And I was ready to help you protect yourself. But you had to be ready too." We chatted a little while longer but she got tired and asked if she could go home. I said yes. As she turned to leave, I kind of blocked the way. "One more thing." I said. She turned back to look at me. "What is it?" "Don't fall in love." I said. "Why?" she asked. "There will be a boy. A prince. A lovely boy with blue eyes and a charming smile. He's your soulmate. Your perfect match. Maybe even your actual soulmate. But he is not real." I said. "What do you mean?" "He is a demon. A demon of love. And he is a very hard demon to defeat. But you have to try. Don't fall in love." "Why?" "He will leave you heartbroken. But he will never leave. And he will destroy you every chance he gets. Because that is what love does. Love destroys. Don't fall in love." She looked a little confused but she nodded and said she would remember. She turned and left again. This time, I didn't stop her. Over the next few weeks, a few more sorceresses came to me. 3 in total. A junior and 2 sophomores. I gave them all the list and I sat with them all for an hour to talk. I warned them all not to fall in love. I warned them all about 'Red'. One day, in class, a new student transferred in. Blue eyes. Charming smile. And a demon. I could smell it. He was Prince Charming. And he was looking for a sorceress to fall in love with. I knew how this would end. And I kind of wanted to stop it. But it was none of my business. It was 8am. My day had just started. It was going to be a long day. The prince walked in. Every girl in class stared. I rolled my eyes. "This is Mr. Lost." our principal said. "He has transferred from a school on the other side of the city. He will be in your class from now on. Please welcome him." "Hi." he said, smiling. Every girl in class giggled and took a deep breath. I recognized 3. The four of them were my students. The four of them were sorceresses. Mr. Lost. Prince Charming. The demon. I stood up. "How intentional was that name?" I asked. "What do you mean?" "'Lost'?" I said. "It's a family name." he replied. No, it wasn't. But I didn't argue. "Well, have a seat." I said, gesturing to an open chair. He walked in and took the seat. Next to 'Red'. And he smiled. The demon had found his prey.

How to Survive College

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