“Connor beat back the werewolves? Connor? The guy who can’t hit the wall with a dodge ball saved us?” Riley, captain of the football team, scratched his head.

Blake grinned. “Yep. Lousy at dodge ball, but apparently pretty good with a spell.”

“Not a spell.” Amber walked up and slid her arm through Riley’s.

“You sure?” Riley asked.

“Witch here. If a spell strong enough to send a wolf pack running was cast, I would have felt it. No one in this school is strong enough to hide that much power from me.”

Riley shrugged. He was a norm. What did he know of spells? “Well then, what did Connor do?”

Blake pointed down the hall. “Don’t know, but here he comes. Ask him.”

Sure enough, Connor, with an odd collection of students following, approached the lockers. Connor looked dazed, as if he hadn’t expected the attention.

“How did you do it?” Sophie gushed, hanging onto Connor’s arm.

Connor removed Sophie from his arm, opened his locker, and reached for his books. He jerked his hand back when the door slammed shut. A big, beefy arm kept it shut.

“My girl asked you a question.” Max glared at Connor.

Riley moved between Max and Connor before Connor was stuffed in his locker and Max was expelled and kicked off the team. “Just be happy he knew what to do.”

Max growled but walked away.

“Call me,” Sophie said to Connor as Max pulled her down the hall.

“If you call Sophie, Max will kill you.” Blake’s snarky tone indicated he didn’t care.

“You think I don’t know that. I’ve been dodging her since the attack. She’s only interested in me because she thinks I’m exciting now.”

Riley nodded, surprised Connor realized that.

“It might help if you explained how you did it,” Amber said.

Connor, in the middle of pulling books out of his locker, looked over in surprise. “I told the Council of Covens. Your mother was there. Ask her.”

Amber huffed. “The council doesn’t share knowledge.”

Before Connor could reply, Mr. Abrams, the principal, tapped his shoulder. “Good, you’re here. The council is back with more questions.”

“I don’t have more answers.”

“Come along.” Abrams turned and walked down the hall.

Connor sighed and followed.

Walking home after being grilled by the council, Connor passed Riley’s house. Riley sat on the front porch with Amber. Connor leaned on the gate and said, “Do me a favor. Tell your mom that repeating the same questions won’t change my answers.”

“Sorry. Mom’s a bear.”

“I was thinking cobra,” Connor retorted.

Riley laughed. When Amber pegged him with a hard stare, he shrugged. “Connor said it. Not my fault he’s right.”

Amber slapped Riley on the arm and said to Connor, “Would you tell me what happened? Maybe I’ll see what they think is missing.”

Connor’s eyes lit up. “That would be great.” Joining them on the porch, he said, “When the wolf pack came out of the woods, I was in the chemistry building. Everyone ran, and someone pushed me to the ground. By the time I got up, the room was empty except for me and Sophie. She was cowering in the corner. The werewolves attacked the runners, so I decided to hide in the storage room. I dragged Sophie with me –”

“So that’s why Sophie’s sweet on you. You saved her.”

“Shut up.” Amber glared at Riley. “Connor, please continue.”

Connor nodded. “The storage room had monkshood.”

“Monkshood?” Riley asked.

“Another name for wolfsbane. Now hush.” Amber kept her eyes on Connor.

“I created a liquid with monkshood as the base and loaded up a squirt gun Ms. Lee had confiscated a couple of days ago. When the first werewolf came into the class, I shot him. By the time I shot another three, the wolves realized what I had, and they ran back to the woods.”

Amber shook her head. “That shouldn’t have worked unless you have witch blood and know the right spell.”

“Yeah, that’s what you mom kept saying.”

“So, do you?” Riley asked.

Connor raised an eyebrow. “Do I what?”

“Have witch blood?”

Amber slapped Riley’s shoulder again. “If he did, he would be registered.”

Connor and Riley exchanged grins. Riley said, “I’m right, aren’t I?”

“Grandma said talent cannot be pigeonholed and refused to take the trials. No one in the family has been tested. Legally we aren’t witches.”

Riley laughed. “I’m beginning to like you Connor.”

“Humph.” Amber shook her head. “The council will come after your family when they figure it out.”

“You gonna tell?” Connor asked.

“No, but they will find out. You know they will.”

“Then they will deal with my grandmother.”

“Who is she?”

“I call her grandma. You would call her Morgan.”

“The Morgan who turned down a seat on the council by freezing the council for three days. That Morgan?” Amber squeaked.

Corner nodded. “That’s the one.”

Amber sat down on the step and sighed. Morgan was feared by the council and Connor was powerful enough to hide his magic from the Council of Covens. “Won’t this be fun.”

More flash fiction by N. R. Tucker.