Daughter of Chaos Read Online Free PDF Page A

voice was quickly turning to irritation at his tone. “What do you mean, what did I do?”
    He pressed on. “Rochelle left school with you. Is she kicked out, too? Were you dabbling with something dangerous?”
    “Why would you assume that Rochelle had anything to do with what happened?”
    Justin paused. “She’s not as … focused as you are. And she’s dangerous.”
    I laughed humorlessly, fighting back tears. “Not as dangerous as I am now. She had nothing to do with me getting kicked out. She just cut class to try to make me feel better. Unlike some people,” I spoke quickly, not giving him the opportunity to interrupt, “who seem to think now is the perfect time to make me feel like shit.”
    I hung up the phone and threw it across my room. It didn’t ring again, and I didn’t care.
     
    ***
     
    It sounds cliché, but when I woke up, I felt better about everything. I hadn’t had any nightmares, and as the sunlight streamed into my room, I felt a new sense of purpose. I needed to figure out what Red magic was, and fast, if I wanted to know what I’d become.
    When I emerged from my bedroom, the only member of my family who was there to greet me was Xerxes. He rubbed his whiskers against my legs as I stood in the kitchen, searching the cupboards for food. Desperate, I grabbed a banana and some toast and headed back to my room with the cat trailing after me.
    I shut my bedroom door and cast a quick circle to seal my room from intrusion. Mom and Dad were at work, but I wasn’t taking any chances. I added a protective ward for good measure. Xerxes looked at me, bored, and rolled around in a sunbeam on the floor.
    “Why don’t you help me for once, cat?” I was annoyed that he insisted on hanging out with me, but it was hard to stay mad at Xerxes for long. He’d been in the household before I was born, and even though he was close to nineteen years old, he acted like he had as much energy as a kitten. I loved Xerxes, and I had considered him my cat, not my parents’, since I was in first grade.
    Ignoring the blissful purrs coming from the side of the room, I grabbed my Encyclopedia of Witchcraft off the shelf above my desk. If there was any common knowledge about Red magic, I would be able to find it there.
     
    ***
     
    Xerxes pressed his head against my side and mewed pitifully. Dazed, I looked up from the book and glanced out my window. It was dusk outside. I had been in my room reading for most of the day. Stretching my arms, I cracked my knuckles and dropped my head in a slow circle, focusing on my breathing. I glanced back at the open page in my lap. This book was full of knowledge, but it didn’t mention Red magic anywhere. Rubbing my temples, I leaned back and closed my eyes.
    I needed to think about this logically. First, I thought, running through what I’d just read and what I’d already known, I should start with the other magics. White is pure goodness, and White Witches are usually a bit above the nitty gritty details of the real world. Those on the White path are more concerned with grace and old wisdom than with daily living, they are sworn enemies of Black magic, and, I ticked off on my fingers, White magic governs all intellectual and spiritual endeavors. I smiled grudgingly. Justin had certainly chosen his path well! He was always lost in thought, and even his behavior on prom night indicated that he was above the actions of the real world.
    I moved on to the Black path. Black Witches value power, influence, and vice, I recited to myself, and they also work with spirit. They are the opposite of Whites, focusing on the darker aspects of spirituality. They aren’t evil, but they’re usually misunderstood. My parents have a deep prejudice against Black Witches, and they hated that Rochelle and I were friends.
    Green Witches, like my parents, govern the realm of earth and are much more grounded in day-to-day reality than Whites and Blacks. Greens have the easiest time living among Nons,