Daughter of Chaos Read Online Free PDF Page B

searching for something comforting. Goddesses were listed on the left side of the page, and words on the right. I scanned the list of goddesses, and my stomach sank as I recognized the names: Aphrodite, Pele, Kali, and Freya. On the other side of the page, I skimmed the words I recalled from my meditation: fire, lust, destruction, chaos, blood. My mouth felt dry as I stared at the list.
    Each branch of magic taught at Trinity had a patron or patroness among the Pagan gods. Most of the instructors said it was old-fashioned to work with a patron, and that modern Witches could do magic with the aid of all the gods without swearing allegiance to any one god in particular, but Trinity still focused on the connection between the gods and the different kinds of magic. We had mostly studied the Greek gods, with Demeter and Dionysus in charge of Green magic, for example. I knew that other deities were associated with the three colors in some way, and I also knew that none of the goddesses on my list were linked with the three colors I was familiar with.
    Aphrodite was the goddess of love in the Greek tradition, and she was famed for her short-tempered acts of vengeance when she was displeased. I swallowed, my eyes skimming the list again Despite Trinity’s focus on the Greek gods, we had covered other mythologies briefly, and I wracked my brain, trying to remember what I knew about the other names on my list.. Pele was a Polynesian goddess, but I didn’t remember much about her. Kali terrified me; the Hindu goddess symbolized blood lust and chaos. I didn’t know anything about the last name on my list, but Freya sounded like something Celtic. I would have to do more research on the four goddesses, and maybe then I’d understand a bit more about Red magic.
    A soft knock at my bedroom door jolted me out of my reverie. I shoved my notebook under my bed before standing up to call, “Come in.”
    My dad entered the room, carrying a stack of newspapers. I tensed and crossed my arms over my chest, waiting for him to berate me for coming in so late. Instead, he wore a strange expression that I couldn’t decipher.
    “These were delivered. For your first lesson.” He extended the stack of papers to me as if they might burn him, and he wiped his hands on his jeans once the newspapers were handed off. Dad looked like he wanted to say more, but instead he walked back into the hall, shutting the door quietly behind him.
    I looked down at the stack of newspapers in my arms. There was a yellow sticky note on top of the pile: “read these—look for chaos—lesson one.” The handwriting was spidery, and with a chill I felt certain that Hecate had been the one who delivered my homework. No wonder Dad had looked disturbed! Gingerly, I moved the stack of newspapers to one side. I didn’t want to deal with them tonight: between the meditation and the note from Hecate, I was starting to get a picture of Red magic, and it wasn’t one I liked. Exhausted, I fell into a deep sleep.

 
    Dinner the next night was a strained affair. I guess I could have stayed in my room. I always kept a stash of granola bars and dried fruit that I saved for whenever I can’t bear to be around my parents (plus, eating after doing magic is one of the quickest ways to bring you back to reality), but I felt like I owed it to them to at least pretend to be their normal daughter for a bit longer. Besides, I hadn’t really seen them since the day after Hecate’s visit, and sooner or later, Mom was bound to come looking for me.
    Mom’s a vegetarian and she does the cooking, so I’ve grown up on tofu and lots of spices. Vegetarian food is great, but for some reason, I was craving a juicy, red steak. I’d never had a steak before, juicy or otherwise, so I thought this was pretty weird and didn’t say anything. I just tucked into the chana masala Mom served, keeping my mouth as full as I could to avoid talking.
    I was sopping up the last of the spicy orange sauce with a