Zoe scanned the dark entrance hall with growing unease.
Before she could decide whether to call out again, three figures emerged from different corners of the mansion.
Each wore a black hooded cloak and a long crow mask that concealed her face.
Silver daggers gleamed in their hands as they advanced from three directions, turning the academy’s silent foyer into something that resembled the setting of a ritual sacrifice.
Zoe’s remaining courage vanished.
“Charlie, run!”
She grabbed his arm and tried to pull him toward the front door.
Charlie did not move.
Instead, he placed a steady hand on her shoulder and kept her beside him.
“Relax, Zoe.
They aren’t going to hurt us.”
He looked toward the approaching figures and offered them a calm smile.
“I have to admit, ladies.
This is a pretty creative welcome ceremony.”
The three cloaked witches stopped at once.
They glanced at one another through the dark eyeholes of their masks, clearly surprised that their performance had failed to frighten him.
One of them refused to give up.
She moved closer while slowly raising her dagger.
“Dark Mother, accept these two living bodies as our sacrifice…”
The young witch stopped directly in front of Charlie and lifted the blade above her head.
Charlie continued smiling while Zoe remained beside him, still frightened but willing to trust his judgment.
The cloaked figure waited for them to panic.
Neither moved.
Her shoulders dropped in disappointment.
She tossed the fake dagger onto a nearby table and removed her crow mask, followed by the hood covering her head.
Brilliant blonde hair spilled across her shoulders.
Beneath it was a beautiful young woman with sharp features, carefully applied makeup, and the irritated expression of an actress whose scene had just been ruined.
“That was completely anticlimactic.”
“You weren’t convincing,” another figure replied.
The remaining two girls removed their masks and robes.
The speaker was a curvy Black teenager who watched the blonde with obvious amusement.
The blonde arched one eyebrow.
“Really?
I’d say you gave us away.
No mysterious cult would let someone complain that much before the sacrifice even started.”
The other girl’s expression darkened.
“You little—”
“Can someone please explain what’s happening?” Zoe interrupted before their argument became worse.
The third young witch stepped between them.
She was petite with short brown hair and a friendly expression that made her appear far less threatening without the mask.
“We wanted to welcome the new student,” she explained.
“The entire idea was Madison’s.
I’m Nan.”
The blonde lifted her chin with practiced confidence.
“Madison Montgomery.
Actress, celebrity, and the only interesting person currently trapped in this house.”
She turned toward Zoe before adding, “You can ask for an autograph later.”
Her attention soon shifted to Charlie.
Unlike the others, she made no attempt to hide the interest in her eyes.
Queenie snorted.
“Celebrity?
When was the last time you were actually in a movie?”
Madison ignored the insult.
The Black witch crossed her arms and looked toward the newcomers.
“I’m Queenie.”
“I’m Zoe, and this is my—”
“Charlie Taylor,” Madison interrupted.
“Cordelia already told us about him.”
She stepped closer and slowly looked him over.
“Apparently, he’s here to help Spalding around the house.
That’s probably the best news we’ve had all year.”
Madison rolled her eyes toward one of the hallways.
“I’m tired of that creepy old man silently appearing behind people with the same miserable expression.
At least his replacement is young and easy to look at.”
Charlie noticed Zoe’s grip tightening around his arm.
Madison either did not notice or did not care.
“Can you cook?” she asked.
“Real food, not whatever Spalding thinks belongs on a dinner table.”
“I can handle basic American food,” Charlie replied.
“Burgers, steaks, fried chicken, breakfast dishes, and a few Southern recipes.
I can’t promise restaurant quality.”
Madison smiled and leaned slightly closer.
“I’m sure I’ll manage.”
Her perfume drifted through the air as she openly studied his face.
Charlie had inherited enough of the original Charlie Taylor’s memories to understand how to deal with ordinary social situations, so he maintained a polite expression and refused to react to her obvious flirting.
Queenie leaned toward Nan.
“She’s been looking at him for thirty seconds and already wants to drag him upstairs.”
Nan tilted her head as she listened to thoughts no one else could hear.
“Not yet.
She thinks he’s attractive and wants to see whether she can steal his attention from Zoe.
It hasn’t gone further than that.”
Queenie stared at her.
“That is still more information than I needed.”
Nan turned toward Charlie and smiled brightly.
“I like the new assistant.”
Queenie looked surprised.
“Why?
Don’t tell me you already have a crush on him too.”
“No.”
Nan tapped one finger against the side of her head.
“His mind is quiet.
I can’t hear anything from him, and it feels wonderful.”
Nan’s gift allowed her to hear the thoughts of the people around her.
Unfortunately, she could not completely control the ability, which meant nearby minds constantly filled her head with unwanted voices.
Charlie was the first person she had ever met whose thoughts remained completely hidden.
Nan did not yet understand how unusual that was.
She was simply relieved to stand beside someone who gave her a few moments of peace.
Zoe noticed that Madison was still standing too close to her boyfriend and stepped between them.
She began asking Nan about the academy, forcing Madison to retreat with a faintly amused smile.
Charlie used the opportunity to study the four young witches who would be living beneath the same roof as him.
Zoe possessed a deadly power that caused men to suffer fatal internal bleeding during intimacy.
Madison had powerful telekinesis and could move objects with her mind.
Queenie was a living voodoo doll capable of transferring injuries inflicted upon herself to another person, while Nan could hear the thoughts of almost anyone nearby.
Before arriving in New Orleans, Charlie had worried that Nan would expose every secret inside his head.
The Book of Containment had solved that problem.
After becoming its master, his mind and soul were protected from outside interference.
Telepathy, possession, and similar supernatural abilities could no longer affect him unless they were powerful enough to break through the Book’s defenses.
That discovery removed one of his greatest concerns.
Charlie was now willing to remain at the academy long enough to understand the Book and search for a target he could safely contain.
Working as an assistant also came with free housing, meals, and a regular salary.
In America, a stable income could determine whether someone lived comfortably or spent every month struggling to survive.
The original Charlie had lost his parents at a young age and moved through several foster homes.
He had no meaningful savings, no property, and no relatives willing to support him.
Danger aside, living at Miss Robichaux’s Academy was not a terrible arrangement.
He would have a private room, steady work, and access to people who understood the supernatural world better than almost anyone else.
Zoe glanced around the quiet mansion.
“Are you really the only three students here?”
“For now,” a new voice answered.
Everyone turned toward the staircase.
A mature blonde woman descended with composed steps.
She wore a simple black dress and carried herself with the calm authority of someone accustomed to managing both difficult students and dangerous situations.
“I’m Cordelia Foxx, the headmistress of Miss Robichaux’s Academy.”
Cordelia welcomed Zoe with a warm smile before turning toward Madison, Queenie, and Nan.
“That is enough socializing for now.
A delivery truck filled with food and household supplies is waiting in the driveway.
The three of you need to unload it before lunch.”
Madison’s expression immediately soured.
Cordelia gave her no opportunity to complain.
“I’ll show Zoe to her room.
We’ll meet downstairs at noon so everyone can be properly introduced.”
She then looked toward Charlie.
“And you must be Charlie.”
He straightened slightly.
“Yes, Ms.
Foxx.
It’s nice to meet you.”
“A polite young man.
That will be a welcome change around here.”
Madison placed a hand against her chest in exaggerated offense, but Cordelia ignored her.
“Spalding will explain your responsibilities and arrange your schedule.
Watch how he manages the house and learn whatever you can from him.”
Cordelia’s expression grew more serious.
“There is one rule you must never forget.
What happens inside this academy stays here.
Our survival has always depended on secrecy.”
“I understand, Ms.
Foxx.
I won’t discuss the academy or the Coven with anyone outside this house.”
Cordelia studied him for another moment before nodding with satisfaction.
“Good.”
She called Spalding’s name, and the silent servant appeared from a nearby hallway almost immediately.
He was an older man with thinning hair, a dark suit, and a long expressionless face.
His rigid posture made him look more like part of the mansion’s antique furniture than a living employee.
“Spalding, your new assistant has arrived,” Cordelia said.
“Please show him to his room and begin explaining his duties.”
Spalding gave a single nod.
Because he could not speak, he gestured for Charlie to collect his belongings and follow him.
Charlie briefly said goodbye to Zoe.
She looked reluctant to separate from him, but Cordelia assured her that their rooms would be in the same section of the mansion.
With his suitcase in hand, Charlie followed Spalding deeper into the academy.
Miss Robichaux’s was much larger than it appeared from the street.
The mansion had been designed to house dozens of young witches during a time when the Coven had been far more numerous.
Now most of its bedrooms stood empty.
Because of the available space, Charlie received a private room instead of sharing servants’ quarters with Spalding.
It was a modest but comfortable bedroom on the second floor with a bed, dresser, desk, and tall windows overlooking the courtyard.
His room was also located close to Zoe’s.
Madison occupied another bedroom along the same hallway, which meant Charlie would be living between his girlfriend and a beautiful actress who had already started flirting with him.
For a brief moment, an inappropriate thought entered his mind.
He quickly crushed it.
Zoe was not merely dangerous in the figurative sense.
Her power had already killed the original Charlie Taylor once.
His survival had been the result of transmigration and the protection of the Book of Containment.
There was no guarantee that either miracle would save him a second time.
Charlie looked toward the wall separating his room from Zoe’s and released a helpless sigh.
His girlfriend would be only a few doors away, yet getting too close to her could send him straight back to the grave.
Life was cruel.