‘Okay everyone! Can I have your attention please!’

Auntie M was using her classroom voice to make sure everyone heard her. She had randomly magicked a large set of step ladders and was stood right at the top, just so everyone could see her.

‘Now you all know why we’ve gathered here today. We’re doing what we all do best and that is sorting out the messes that the police can’t fix.’

The crowd hummed and nodded in agreement, sipping at their cups of tea or coffee.

‘I’d like to thank you all for coming out, to help us try and track down these missing women and hopefully find out what the hell is going on under this school. I know there’s been some animosity between our groups in the past, but I’m sure we can get over that and work toward a common goal.’

Everyone continued to nod their heads and agree. Then my Aunt continued.

‘Furthermore, I’d also like to mention that this is personal for me. And my niece Madelyn. Some of these kidnapped women are in fact my students and two of whom are Madelyn’s best friends.’

I could feel everyone’s eyes on me just then, I sort of bowed my head not knowing what to do. But Duncan who was literally always there for me just gave me a reassuring squeeze around the shoulders.

Arne helped my Aunt down off the ladder. Adrian and Marcus then started talking to their people, choosing not to use the step ladder, then again they were quite a bit taller than my Aunt.

‘We’re splitting up in to groups and searching specific areas of the woods and grounds. Hopefully we’ll be able to cover quite a large area quickly.’ Marcus spoke up.

‘Everyone, please take a map and split in to groups of three. We need a mixture of all of us in each group. If anyone finds anything, can the witches or warlocks in each group contact the others just so we know where we’re up to. Thanks everyone.’ Said Adrian. He had a stack of maps of the area printed out on to A3 pages in that weird shiny paper that repelled water. Everyone took a map and shuffled themselves in to groups. Of course I ended up in the group with all the young ones; Eden, Charlie and Liam. Duncan was with us too as he was not leaving my side. Constance and Darius had joined us also. So some of us were actually young and the others, not so much.

It took a little while for us to get to where we needed to be, we all spread out and physically searched for anything that could be a clue to a tunnel entrance or a cave or well or something. Eden and Charlie sniffed the air for any strange scents, Liam left magical markers on areas we had been over, Duncan, Constance and Darius zipped around at super speed, checking every tree and every rock. There was nothing. I however had magicked my broom in to my hand and instantly got on it; sailing up in to the air, earning a squeal of delight from Eden as she watched.

‘Oh my God that is so awesome!’ Eden shrieked at me. ‘Hey Liam! Can you do that?’

‘I can’t.’ Liam replied. ‘ Only witches can ride brooms.’

‘Well that sucks.’ Eden pouted.

I left them all down on the forest floor. In the distance I could see my Aunt and some of the other members of my coven doing the same thing. Except it was only my Aunt and Mai that were floating above the sparse, leafless trees without brooms as they didn’t need them.

I guess we had all had the same idea, thinking that we would have a good view of the lay of the land from a height. I drifted about above the trees, watching everyone else search for anything of interest. At least Duncan and Liam were getting on with their searching and not butting heads with each other. I had no time for that alpha male bullshit today, I had my friends and the other women who had been kidnapped to find.

We had only been searching for about twenty five minutes up to now and still had loads to look through. We all decided to move on to the next area in our sections. I had been flying around on my broom with my mug of tea in my hand, remembering a spell I had written down ages ago that my Aunt showed me; so I could refill the mug with lovely hot tea, without having to go back to the refreshments table to get a fresh one. It sure was colder up in the air and I was thankful for my little spell to keep me fuelled with hot tea. I sat and hovered on my broom, sipping my tea and looking down every so often. There wasn’t anything odd that I could see from up here. Then, the good old brain phone went off. It was Mai.

‘Hey guys, I think we may have found something.’ Mai told us through a psychic link. I looked over to where Mai was floating above the trees in her section, she was waving at us. I looked over to my Aunt who had dropped back down to the forest floor, then shot back up and over in Mai’s direction.

‘Hey!’ I shouted back down to my group. ‘Mai and her group think they’ve found something!’ I alerted them all. Everyone instantly began making their way over to where Mai’s section was. I flew over on my broom and landed next to my Aunt who was now standing above what looked like a really old manhole cover, but a really big one, split down the middle. It reminded me of those big doors that led down in to the cellars of some pubs. There was still a lot of dirt and branches and Christ knows what else covering up the old metal doors, but everyone helped in clearing away a lot of the debris that was covering it over. Arne however, was the one of open the big heavy doors being pretty much the only one with the strength to do so. As soon as he did, the smell of damp, rotting vegetation and stagnant water flew out of the big hole in the ground. There were steps heading further down.

‘Alright who’s coming in?’ Auntie M asked, spinning round to face us all. Arne was already making his way in to the inky darkness. Iris had stepped forward.

‘I have some blueprints saved on to my tablet. I think I may have the one for this tunnel system.’ She announced. ‘You’re lucky to have found the entrance Mai, there were no records of it’s location.’

‘Okay, we’ve found this one but carry on searching. There’s bound to be more we haven’t found yet. Keep up the good work everyone, we’ll be back as soon as.’ My Aunt gave us all new instructions.

A lot of people had congratulated Mai on her discovery. She saw it from up on high, there was a strange depression on this one part of the ground whilst everywhere else was relatively level. Iris scrolled through some of the documents she had saved on her tablet, looking for one she thought would correspond to this particular tunnel. They would know soon enough if it was correct the further they travelled in. But going by what this document said, it was a series of tunnels and underground bunkers that were constructed during the second world war, to keep the kids and the faculty of the school safe in case it was bombed. Apparently Hitchin had several bombs dropped on it during the war, in fact most of the county of Hertfordshire did. But the bunker was big enough to house everyone in the school and then some.

I watched as my Aunt carefully made her way down the steps and in to the murky darkness, closely followed by Mai, Iris and Marcus. Mai was conjuring as she shuffled her way in to the tunnel, a huge ball of bright white light flew out from her hands and made it’s way out in front; lighting the way. They would be fine down there, but the rest of us had more work to do. We got back in to our groups and decided on the areas we should search next. We grabbed more brews and more biscuits to fuel the next part.

I was stood with Eden for a short while, chatting away as we drank our mugs of tea. She was genuinely, really, really nice and we got talking away from the boys.

‘So two of your friends have been taken?’ She asked me, her brows slightly furrowed.

‘Yeah my two room mates Katie and Victoria. Another one of my classmates has been taken but I’m not friends with her, in fact she’s actually really mean.’ I replied.

‘I’m kinda jealous that you go to that big posh school, I bet it’s kinda fun getting to live with your friends like that.’ Eden said as she stretched her arms up and out in front of her, her brew mug now empty.

‘Refill?’ I asked. Eden nodded. I twirled my index finger over her empty mug and smiled at her as she watched in awe, as the mug gradually filled with more hot tea.

‘That, is so freaking cool.’ She grinned. ‘It must be awesome being a witch.’

‘It has it’s moments I guess.’ I shrugged. ‘It was a bit horrible and weird when I had my awakening though. Why d are you not keen on being a were?’ I asked. I felt like I could ask Eden directly and her not be offended.

‘The same I guess. It can’t be helped though, it’s a family thing too. It was totally awful though when I had my first change.’ She grimaced.

‘It can’t be any worse than mine, can’t it?’ I grinned.

‘Oh I don’t know, y’know how in the movies and stuff that all these supernatural changes happen around like, puberty and stuff? Well I was eleven when I first turned. I got my first period which really shit me up, then like two nights later it was a full moon so I changed in to a wolf for the first time which was… ew.’ Eden shuddered. ‘I literally spent the whole week crying the whole dan time. I had the week off from school too I was that bad.’

‘Okay I think you have me beat there.’ I was a little shocked by what Eden had said. ‘I just ate loads, threw up a lot and hallucinated or.. saw a bunch of black dogs and Victorian ladies.’

‘Hmm I’m not a fan of throwing up, you win that one.’

A little while later and our search had picked up again in a different area. Charlie had palled off with Constance and Darius, meanwhile; Duncan and Liam had seemed to calm down with their weird Alpha male thing and were busy what they should be doing. We combed over this area gain which was a little closer to the school, but still some distance away. I was back up in the air on my broom again, from where I was hovering; I wasn’t actually all that far from the schools athletic track and pitches. I could even see Hitchin which really wasn’t that far at all. I scanned the ground while I was up there, but I spotted something. It was an odd little building with a high wire fence around it. It looked like it could have something to do with the water or electric board. There were always these strange little buildings dotted about in the most random of places. It was worth a look at least. I shouted for everyone to come over and I carefully made my descent.

Constance and Darius were the first to come up to the building and they soon set about getting through the mesh gate that was part of the thick wire fence that surrounded the almost shed looking building. It was maybe two by two metres and just over two metres in height. It had a big steel door on it, emblazoned with signs saying “Danger” and Keep Out.” The buildings door also had a large, heavy, newish looking padlock round its handle.

‘Do you think there might be something in here?’ Constance asked me. I shrugged my shoulders.

‘I dunno, it might be worth checking out at least?’

‘Well one little peek wouldn’t harm.’ Said Eden, agreeing we should take a closer look.

We shuffled in through the metal gate and surrounded the small building. Duncan took point, with the intention of maybe yanking the door straight off it’s hinges which was probably overkill. But I don’t think any of us knew how to pick locks, nor did we have the tools to do so. I didn’t have any unlocking spells come to mind and I’m sure Liam didn’t either.

Duncan reached his hand to the door handle and grasped it tightly, but within a second he hissed and yanked his hand back. I rushed over to him to see what the matter was.

‘Duncan! What happened are you okay?’ I asked him, gesturing him to give me his hand so I could take a look. He opened his hand up, showing his palm. The parts of his skin that had made contact with the handle had started to turn black and look necrotic. I knew exactly what it was. I nearly went in to a full panic as I looked at Liam who looked a little ill now. He knew what it was too.

‘I need my Aunt right now.’ I announced.