She finally got home, where her parents were waiting for her.

"Katie, sweetheart, is that you?"

Katie hung her jacket on the hangers in the hallway almost without even thinking about it.

"Yeah," she said in a hollow voice.

"Did you find the flour and icing sugar?" Heleana asked as she came in.

"Uh... yes, here..." Katie replied absently, holding out the bag.

Heleana was just starting to thank her and turn to the kitchen, when she caught her expression.

"Darling, what's wrong?"

Katie felt her eyes sting a little, fear gnawing at her chest like ice.

"I... I think I screwed up..." she said.

Heleana took her arm and looked to the living room.

"Kendall!" she called.

She led her to the sofa and sat her down.

"Hazel, why don't you go to your room?" Katie's father told his younger daughter.

Hazel eyed them all in confusion, and seemed both scared and upset that she was being shunned to the sight. But she got to her feet and left the room without a word. A small part of Katie felt bad, and tried to make a mental note to go talk to her later. When Hazel was safely out of the room and out of earshot, Katie's parents turned to her.

"What happened, Katie?" Her mother asked.

"... I... I'm not even sure myself..."

"Just start from the beginning. Take your time." her father said gently.

"... I was getting mum's ingredients... it took a while because the first shops I went to didn't have the right kind..."

She gulped.

"I... I used magic..."

Her parents froze.

"What?" her mother asked. "What do you mean?"

"I... I just... there were people, and..."

"It's okay. Just tell us what happened."

"I was coming back to the car down the main street," Katie said, not meeting her parents' eyes. "I was nearly at the car when I saw a boy I met at school across the street..."

Heleana's eyes widened.

"Please tell me you didn't..."

Katie frowned in confusion, then her eyes widened in indignation.

"No!" she cried. "Of course not! You know me better than that!"

"You're right, sorry..."

They were suggesting she had used a forbidden type of magic. The magic that forced feelings of affection on someone. Like a love potion.

"So what did happen?" Kendall asked.

"He was right under this rusty balcony with a flower box..." Katie said with difficulty. "And then... it fell... so... I just... without really planning to... I pushed it to the side..."

Her parents exchanged horrified looked.

"Don't look like that!" Katie moaned. "It's not like I killed someone..."

Katie's mother took her hand.

"No, of course not, darling..."

"But you know how dangerous it is to use magic in public..." her father pointed out.

"Of course I do!" Katie exclaimed. "D'you think I planned it?"

"No, we know you didn't..." Kendall said soothingly, squeezing her shoulder. "But tell me Katie, this is important: did anyone see you?"

"... I... don't think so, I ran away as soon as I realized what had happened, and... Luke looked my way but I turned round... so I can't be certain."

"Okay... the chance is pretty small. That street is packed at this hour..."

"Yes, but the chance exis-" her mother began.

Katie's father gave her mother a sharp look that said something like "we'll discuss it later", probably meaning when Katie wasn't in the room any more.

"Don't worry, Katie, I'm sure this isn't as bad as it looks," he said. "You go get some rest, we'll take care of it. It'll be all right."

Katie nodded and got to her feet and left the room.

Katie reached the hallway, but as she climbed the stairs, she heard her parents speak in low voices. She paused, knowing it was wrong to eavesdrop, but unable to ignore it, as it was about her.

"Why did you interrupt me? Katie could be in serious trouble!"

"I'm aware of the rules, Heleana!" Kendall said shortly. "But she is already scared and shaken enough, she doesn't need to be even more so."

"She could be Dispelled!"

Katie shook even more violently. Dispelled. The word that had scared her out of her skin since she was a child. Being Dispelled was the ultimate retribution for the breach of secrecy. It was when a witch or warlock was stripped from their powers and their ability to wield magic. It was such a painful process it had been known to be fatal in some rare occurrences. And even if it didn't, Katie couldn't even think about it without shuddering. Being a witch was in her soul, a part of her. If the Council took that away from her... she honestly didn't know what would be left of her.

"I know that! But I still think we need to let her breathe."

"We should leave... hide her..."

"Heleana, don't be ridiculous, that would never work! The Council would find us and then our fate would be far worse!"

Worse than being Dispelled? Katie couldn't imagine that. If one was Dispelled, they were stripped of everything that connected you to the world of magic. Your clan name, for instance, and you were shunned from the magical society.

"She's a child! We can't let her be..."

"She's a pledged, now, she is an adult in the magical world."

"She's sixteen!"

"She's young, but she's not a child. And it was windy all day. Besides, she didn't go out trying to look for an excuse to use her magic."

Katie slid to the floor, tears streaming silently down her face. She had never thought her using magic outside her house, especially mostly by accident, would cause this much trouble... even if she didn't get reprimanded, what about her parents? They were supposed to "keep her in line", so if she made a mistake, would she atone or would they? She might have been a pledged, but she only had been for a couple of weeks... maybe they wouldn't be too hard on her, and just give her a slap on the wrist and a warning. But her parents...

"I know you want to protect her," Kendall said gently, and Katie knew even without seeing them that he had wrapped his arms around her mother. "But we need to let her grow up. We can't smother her in the name of protecting her."

"I can try," her mother said stubbornly.

"And you will lose her," Kendall countered. "You know she's already thinking we protect her too much. I love her as much as you do, but she needs her space."

There was a pause, and Katie thought she heard her mother sniffling. She bit her lip.

"If they Dispell her..."

"They won't. It was unintentional, and she's only just taken the pledge."

Katie should have felt reassured by her father's words, except she knew him. He wanted to sound confident, but there was the faintest hint of doubt in his voice. And if she could sense it, her mother certainly could.

"Maybe you're right..." Katie's mother sighed.

"Come on, let's go get some sleep."

She heard their footsteps come closer, and she darted out of sight their shadows appeared in the doorway. She hid round the corner while they crossed the entrance to their bedroom. Katie considered standing behind the door and listening, but she soon decided against it. She'd heard enough for one night.

Katie felt nervous as she stepped into the school halls the next day, as well as tired from her restless night. She hadn't been able to stop thinking about what her parents had said. And more than anything, she hated to be the reason for a fight between them. She knew they were both agreeing on wanting to keep her safe, but she hated seeing them at odds because of a stupid mistake she'd made. In fact, she hated seeing them at odds for any reason. They'd seemed fine that morning, talking as they usually did, but Katie couldn't help wondering how much of it was real and how much of it was for show. She rubbed the back of her neck as she glanced around for Lucy. She would be a soothing presence in this mess. She was just looking for her locker when she spotted Luke. Panic filled her. What if he had seen her? What if he'd recognised her? Fortunately, right now, he wasn't looking her way. She quickly turned into the corridor next to her and went the longer way to her class. Fortunately, they didn't have many classes together that day. She carefully averted her eyes whenever they did and focused on the lesson to not be tempted to glance at him to see if he was looking at her, even though the prickle in her neck made her suspect that he was in fact doing it.

What is he thinking right now? She wondered, biting the end of her pencil. That I'm weird? Asking himself why I was in town the same day that box almost fell on him? If it was really me he saw, if he saw anyone? Is he worried, angry...?

As she asked herself these questions, she shook her head. She had to stop worrying about that. There were a hundred girls in town with the same haircut and build as her, Luke had no way of knowing it was her that day in the street... but what if he did?

Stop it! Mum and Dad are working on it, and they both said not to worry too much.

She took a few deep breaths and did her best to relax. Strangely, it was easier when Luke wasn't in the same room.

"Katie, are you okay?" Lucy asked over lunch.

"What? Yes, of course."

Lucy eyed her shrewdly.

"Something's been bothering you. You've been distracted all day. What's the matter?"

"Nothing..."

"Oh, don't give me that. What is it? It is Luke?"

"No... well... okay, maybe it is, sort of."

"I knew it. What happened?"

Katie glanced around, and then, in a low voice, she recounted what had happened in the street. Lucy listened in silence. Whenever magic was involved, she was always good at listening, though whether that was out of respect, because she didn't know much about it, or something else, Katie didn't know.

"What would happen if he did see you?"

Katie sighed.

"I'm not sure. In principle, I suppose it would be what should have happened with you," she said. "He's our age, so he's old enough to withstand it... I hope."

She'd never witnessed a memory being erased but had no desire to.

"What about you?"

"... I don't know. I suppose it depends how severely they want to impress how dangerous it was."

Lucy's brown eyes darkened in concern.

"What does that mean?"

Katie took a deep breath.

"It could go from a simple slap on the wrist because I'm a young pledged... to me having my powers taken away to serve as an example."

*********

Uh oh, don't like the sound of that, ladies and gents, no sir! What about you?

What will the Council decide? Let's find out in the next chapter!