Ever since I could remember, Stephanie had always kept me away from magical instruments and objects alike. For instance, she hated my sneaking into her study and perusing the spellbooks there. She wasn’t a fan of it when I also went into the basement, which was an area explicitly designated for magic training. That didn’t stop me from going down there to examine the grimoires, uncanny markings, and runes on the floors and walls.
Now, for the first time ever, she’d willingly brought me down there and taught me some basic spells. I never understood why Stephanie kept me from magic until recently. In her own weird, absurd way, she was protecting me, protecting me from Cassius, who could take me away if he realized the power I possessed. Protecting me from the witches who would deem me ‘dang
