Lóstrego 

“Conceited snobs!” I fumed with anger. Who sends their only daughter to an all-girls boarding school? 

“Mary-Kate they are not conceited snobs. You are being dramatic.” my mother said putting one hand on my shoulder and the other on the wheel trying her best to comfort me, but failing.

“And how would you know? You’ve never went to Madame Lóstrego Academy! Are you that desperate to get rid of me?” I stammered.

“Mary-Kat-” she sighed

“It’s Kay.”

“Kay...I wish you could understand I am doing this for you. You need this. It really hurts me not seeing you at your full potential. I know moving across the country and going to a new     school can be hard, but you can do it. You’re.. y-you’re a Sanchez” she cried. That’s exactly what my father used to say. You’re a Sanchez. It seemed the more time that’s passed since his death, the harder it got for my mother. We didn’t talk for a while after that. I could hear my mom sniffling and I knew she was crying. I didn’t want to face her. I did not want to tell her, but I was actually glad we moved to Texas to Ripon, United Kingdom. People took pity on me after my father died, it wasn’t the same. My mom decided it was best she stayed with my grandmother while I attend the academy. I knew we were getting closer as the buildings started looking older and older. The sky seemed turned a little darker. Almost as there was a big storm coming. As soon as we turned into the academy gates it immediately started pouring. We are not used to rain. 

“Woahhh” both of us gasped. We started to laugh.

“You might be right about the conceited snobs” my mom joked. The academy looked like a castle. Everything looked so vintage. I looked down at my black high tops, suddenly feeling a lot more out of place than before. As we approached the doors there was a lady waiting right in front holding a umbrella. Her smile was a pretty as a beauty queen. She waved as my mom stopped the car.

“Hey, look at me”, my mom held my chin and looked me straight in my eyes.

“I’m..I am going to miss you so much. You are everything to me and I only want the best for you. You know that right?”

“I know you do ma”, I replied.

“I love you Kay. I love you so much. You deserve everything.” she squeezed her arms around my body and kissed both sides of cheeks. 

“I love you t-” I was interrupted by a knock on the car door. It was the women with the umbrella. 

“DO YOU NEED HELP GETTING OUT THE CAR”, she yelled from the outside. I nodded and gave my mom one last hug.

“Call me, okay.”

“Okay, mom” I said. I opened the door and the lady put her umbrella over my head. Two other women opened the trunk and took out both of my bags.

“It’s always stormy in Ripon. My name is Madame Lóstrego, but not the same one that founded the school. She’s my great great great grandmother. You must be Mary-Kate Sanchez.

“Yes, that’s me, but you can call me Kay”, I told her. In a matter of seconds we were inside. I looked back to wave back to my mother, but the rain was too strong. 

“Hmm Okay, well let me show you around. Siobhan and Saoirse take her bags to her dorm”. Madame Lostrego did not have an English accent, it sounded Spanish. Similar to my dad’s accent. She took me around the academy. It was just us. No students. No other teachers either, just Madame and I. She walked in a fast pace and talked even faster. I was so in awe that I tuned out everything she said. The ceiling were highl and the chandeliers looked like they’ve been there for ages. Though I kept noticing a saying that was placed on every wall we passed. “Do not exceed your boundaries”. That must be why no one was in the halls. 

“Here it is” she said. I immediately tuned back in.

“Sorry...what?”, we were standing in front of a door.

“This is your dorm. All your bags should be in there.”

“Thank you”, I said twisting the door knob.

“Oh and Kay… remember do not exceed your boundaries”, she asserted and walked away.

I opened the door and two heads turned towards me. 

“Mary Katee!! You’re here!” one of the girls squeezed her arms around me.

“..Hi you can call me Kay” I said.

“Welcome Kay, I’m Finley and that’s Miya” she pointed to the girl behind her sitting on a bed. She didn’t looked too amused that I was there. Her arms were crossed and her stare was as cold as ice. 

“You’re American aren’t you” Finley asked.

“Yeah, we just moved here 3 weeks ago. Just getting used to things” I collapsed on my bed. I noticed Miya rolled her eyes. She must not like Americans. The storm outside got louder and louder. 

“Is the weather always like this around here” I asked. The both looked at each other, but it was a strange look. Like they were keeping a secret.

“Don’t Fin-” Miya said but was interrupted by Finley.

“Oh you didn’t know”

“Know what” I asked.

“Madame Lostrego is a witch” Finley said. I long pause erupted with the three of us exchangings looks”. I bursted out laughing.

“Yeah whatever”.

“It’s true” Miya got up.

“She is not just any witch she’s a bad witch”.

“Oh and let me guess she controls the weather” I mocked.

“YES” they both blurted out. I didn’t believe it for a minute. They probably say this to every new girl. For their amusement I thought I should just go along with it.

“How do you know she is a witch?”

“Well…  20 years ago a girl went passed THE BOUNDS-” Finley spoke with a grim voice.

“Wait what’s THE BOUNDS?” I questioned.

“There are 4 places you should never go passed. They are all in different corners of the school”.

“So that’s why there’s all those “don’t exceed your boundaries” signs all over the school. 

“Exactly” Miya said.

“So what happened to the girl?” I was getting interested. There was still no way Madame Lostrego is a evil weather changing witch though.

“The girl’s name was Darcy Ellis. She was dared to go passed THE BOUNDS”.

“Did she go”

“I’m getting there” Finley cried.

“She walked down the stairs down to the south of the school. Her friends stayed close behind her. It was a a night just like this. Darcy put her foot over the bounds and nothing happened. They joked about it went to go back to their rooms. But Darcy couldn’t stop there. 

“Oh no” I started laughing before Finley could finish the story.

“Just listen!” Miya yelled. Finley continued.

“Darcy stepped over the boundaries. 1 2 3 seconds gone by. They group of girls started moving closer to Darcy. Until whoosh! Darcy was snatched up into the ceiling. The other girls tried to run away, but there bodys were frozen. Madame Lostrego casted a spell on them. They tried to scream, but their mouths were glued shut. No one knows what happened to Darcy and her school mates.

“Well that;s not true..” Miya interrupted.

“There was a girl..no one knows her name, but she was also a student here. She overheard Darcy and her friends and decided to follow them. She saw the whole thing happen. But Madame Lostrego saw her and now...she’s mute.

“What?” I couldn’t believe it.

“She’s deaf and blind” Miya explained.

“I would have rather been locked in the basement”.

“The basement?” I questioned again.

“Oh yeah Madame Lostego locked her and her friends in the basement. Everyone knows there in there. We sometimes hear noises a night.”

“If all the people that saw Madame Lostrego in her “witch form” are either locked in a basement or mute then how do you know this”, I asked.

  “The unnamed girl… wrote all over the school before she was moved out.” 

“Look” they took me over to the closet. Miya opened in and there were some words I couldn’t make out.

“It’s messy but it says “do not trust Lostrego she is a witch a lighting witch.” A loud lightning bolt struck loud. It sounded very close by. Miya smirked.

“Know do you believe?” she asked.

“I’m almost convinced”

“Guess what Lostrego means in Galacian?”

“First of all what is Galacian” I asked.

“Doesn’t matter” Finley said.

“Okay what does it mean then?” I said and they both looked at each other.

“LIGHTNING!”