Witch Bewitched (COMPLETE)

Chapter 13

Raki froze, staring wide-eyed at the fallen cap. He—no, she—waved her hands in front of her. "No, wait! This isn't what it looks like!"

Misa swallowed. She had no idea what to do. She wanted to tell Raki not to worry, but she wasn't sure if she could reveal that she was in the same position without revealing the captain's plans.

"Shh!" Misa put a finger on her lips. "It's okay. I won't tell anyone."

Raki put a hand on her chest. "You won't?"

Misa nodded. "Your secret is safe."

Breathing out a sigh, Raki bent down to pick up her cap. She pulled out a broken hair tie from inside. "I knew I should have just cut my hair."

"Why didn't you?"

Raki shrugged. "Why should I? I'm proud of my hair. I could go as far as wearing men's clothes, but I just couldn't part with my hair. What about you?"

Panic began to clamp Misa's heart. "What about me?"

"Aren't you a woman too?"

"H-how did you...?"

Raki giggled. "You reminded me of myself. Discreetly checking to make sure your linen hasn't come undone, adjusting your cap so your hair doesn't fall, never taking the cadets' invitation to go swimming at the river, wearing a nightcap to sleep. I had my suspicions."

That must have been why Raki was always so interested in Misa. How had she not seen it before? Raki had sensed there was something off about her, but Misa couldn't even detect that there was another woman among the cadets.

"I can explain."

"There's no need to." Raki smiled, and dimples pinched her cheeks. "I'm sure the Society decided that one woman wouldn't be enough for the job."

"Society?"

Raki's smile turned into a look of confusion. "The Society didn't send you here?" She perked up. "Oh, I see! I can't believe it! You're on your own!"

Misa tried to return a smile. "Y-yes, I am."

"Of course! The Society wouldn't be the only place where such an idea would exist. Women all around would have thought the same. And only those with enough courage would carry out the plan on their own to stand for others."

Misa had no idea what Raki was talking about, but she decided it would be safer to play along. "Uh, yes. Of course."

"How marvelous. I was actually quite terrified to come here by myself, you see. Every time an officer called, I thought I'd have gotten myself caught. It's so relieving to have someone like me so close by. Tell me, how have you been faring in your fight?"

Desperate to change the topic, Misa said, "What were you doing in here?"

Raki bit her lip. Her eyes lowered to the desk. "Well, I'm not very sure. It's just that the lieutenant is very good to me, and I couldn't think of anywhere else to hide but here."

"Hide? From who?"

"From Gaveth!" Raki threw her arms in the air. "That boy will not leave me alone. He almost stole my cap the other day. I couldn't risk him foiling the Society's plans."

Before Misa could respond, the door behind her opened. Raki's eyes widened, and she flung herself behind Torren's desk.

"Uh..." Torren stood half in and half out of his office. He glanced from Misa to his desk. "What are you doing here?"

Misa grimaced. She didn't know how much she could reveal to Raki, but since she had already been exposed, she supposed revealing her relationship with Torren wouldn't do any more damage. And it definitely wouldn't hurt to have another woman by her side.

"Raki, it's okay," Misa said. "He won't tell anyone. You can come out."

Raki peeked her eyes from behind the desk. "Really?"

Misa nodded. "Yes. He knows about me as well."

"Oh." Sighing in relief, Raki pulled herself up to stand. Torren whistled.

"Another one?" he said. "I wonder what started this trend of women joining the purgehouse in secret." He raised a brow at Misa.

"It's not like we have a choice," Raki said, stomping a foot. "We want to show everyone that women can be just as capable as men are. It's not fair that the purgehouse only accepts men. It's the only way we'll be able to change anything."

Torren laughed. "I like your determination. Well, now that we've established that there are two women in the purgehouse, why don't you return to lunch? I've got some important paperwork Royle insists I finish before the briefing in Harthem. I appreciate how popular I am, but I've got work to do."

Misa snorted. "As if, Torren. Come, Raki, let's leave before his self-importance suffocates us."

Stifling a giggle, Raki nodded. "That's a very good idea. I wouldn't want to suffocate from something like that!"

"I'm wounded." Torren touched his heart. "I'm the humblest man alive!"

"You prove my point, Torren." Misa pulled out an extra hairband from her pocket and threw it at Raki. "Here, you can use mine to tie up your hair. I always carry extras in case mine breaks. I also find a hairnet is quite useful in keeping it in place."

Raki thanked her and began to tie her hair. It was short enough that a simple bun could fit under her cap. Torren continued his act of vanity, and Misa shook her head as she slipped outside. She felt much better than she had when she left the captain's office.

When Raki emerged with her cap on, Misa went with her to the mess hall. She assured Raki that Gaveth would not be a problem if they stuck together and relayed what he had done to her lunch.

"Slimy bastard." Raki peeled her lips back in disgust. "Bet he was collecting all that to dump on my bed. Or my clothes. Either way, I knew he was up to something, the little brat."

"Why does he hate you so much?"

Raki shrugged. "Beats me. I got the top score in a mock test in our protocol entry class. Guess that rubbed him the wrong way."

Misa couldn't help the giggle that escaped her. They turned a corner. "He felt threatened. He might be one of the better runners, but he can't beat your smarts."

Gaveth sneered when he saw the two return. Misa ignored him with effort, but it was much easier to control her temper when she had someone to talk to. Misa itched to ask Raki more about the Society she spoke so much about, but there was rarely an area where they could talk about their secrets in private. She supposed she would one day get a chance to probe, but for now, she enjoyed the small talk.

The cadets cleaned up the mess hall before they gathered at the training grounds for the day's exercises.

Misa struggled to keep up with the others' endurance, but she had improved significantly since she started. She suspected her magic had been the cause for her exponential improvement, though it wasn't enough for her to be the fastest. She noticed Raki kept up with the other cadets with little difficulty.

The sun beat down on them as they ran from post to post, zigzagging as fast as they could all with a large wheel tied to their waists. Dust trailed behind the other cadets. Misa braved through despite the dryness the condition brought to her eyes.

The officer training them halted their exercise at the request of the captain, who had joined them to observe how each were faring. The recruits fell into a line, each standing straight and stiff with their feet together and arms by their side.

"Cadets, Captain Bentham has something important he wants to tell you."

Misa suspected it had to do with Harthem.

The captain had his hands behind him. He trailed his gaze to each cadet until he landed on Misa. It was all the confirmation she needed.

"In three days, I will be going to Harthem for a briefing with the forces of other cities. It won't be a particularly eventful mission, but I do wish to take one of you with me for a few personal lessons about the purgehouse."

Misa could feel the other cadets hold their breath in anticipation. Even Raki had her hands clasped together in hopes of being the chosen one. Misa felt a pang of guilt, knowing that she would be picked despite being the least qualified.

"I have been taking notes of each of you during the past few weeks. My decision lies in your physical abilities, perseverance, and, of course, ability to absorb everything that is taught to you."

The captain crossed his arms. "I also want to inform each of you that whomever I pick isn't the most qualified to become an officer of the purgehouse. You all still have a long way to go before any one of you are skilled enough to be an officer."

Gaveth stood straighter with a smug expression. Misa felt a little less guilty about being picked.

"Cadet Mikim," the captain said. "You will accompany me to Harthem."

Gaveth's face fell. Misa tried to keep a neutral expression as she saluted. "Yes, sir!"

"Carry on, then." The captain nodded at the officer before going back to the building.

The cadets relaxed, and each began to grumble about the captain's choice. Raki could barely contain herself. She put a hand on Misa's shoulder.

"I can't believe it!" she whispered. "I'm so happy!"

Misa tilted her head. "Aren't you disappointed?"

"Disappointed? No!" Raki laughed. "I mean, I did want to be chosen, but knowing that a woman was picked over those boys is more than enough for me. You showed them, Mikim!"

The guilt began to return. Misa wanted to tell Raki that she wasn't picked for how good she was at being part of the purgehouse, but she couldn't. Not when the risks were so high.

"Thanks." Misa forced a smile.

"Enough blabbering! Back to work. Ten laps, then shuffle." At the officer's command, the cadets sprang back to their exercises. Misa hated the physical exertion, but she tried her best to enjoy it because in three days, she would be nearly inseparable from the man she couldn't stand.