The Secret World of Maggie Grey (Drew Collins, #1)

by Granger

“And why is this white girl allowed to question me on whether Black people can fly or not? Why can’t we have magic abilities?”

The way you can tell a woman is ugly is not by her looks but by how she looks at you. A woman will use another woman as a reflection to project her insecurities onto you.

“The fuck?” She let out before obnoxiously hollering, “CAN I HELP YOU, LIL WAYNE OR CAN I HAVE MY FACE BACK!?”

Asha is hilarious lol

The School of Intellect…those who are seekers of knowledge, historians, and want to gain a better understanding of just how vastly different we are from one another.

“The School of Spiritual…in my opinion, the hardest degree to maintain. These are my witches, priestess, the study of voodoo, hoodoo, and so much more…and the School of Mythical Magic which most of you think you would get chosen for but it's the hardest school to get accepted into.

“I’m not hating on shit, Kodak Purple!”

“If you look around, you will be able to tell where everyone goes, regardless of age, based on their uniform. White and gray.”

“They are in the School of Elements which are the buildings all the way back there.” She pointed. “You have your Intellectuals which is where you’ll be…they

wear maroon, black, and white, pretty much ...

“They are the School of Spiritual Magic. They wear all black at all times. No exceptions. These would be your witches, warlocks although they hate being called that. Your priestess, root doctors, and those studying under voodoo and any traditional African beliefs, whether you believe in it or not.”

“If you see anyone wearing black and white, they are a part of the mythical schools where your sirens, faes, shifters, and such...”

“I am a legacy,” she said without turning around as she waved at a few people. Nobody waved at her. She was just that full of herself. “I study all four if I so choose. Legacies wear white blazers, khaki, maroon… You don’t see many dressed like me because it’s very hard to be considered a legacy. You either need to come from serious bank like me, good breeding like me, or marry into a royal family–––”

leave…D–do you not understand how serious this is? There is no coming and going out of The Underground and certainly not here at Collins.”

“I’m waiting on my one-way ticket the fuck out of this place so SAY SOMETHING!” I screamed angrily, snatching my bra and shirt out of the teacher’s hand. I stepped right up to the desk where Solomon was and began to put my bra on, never breaking eye contact because I DARE YOU. I DOUBLE DOG DARE YOU TO SAY SOMETHING.

“That’s what the fuck I thought,”

“Taluwi Tribe…hunters of lakes and rivers…They are the first, and oldest tribe to touch the sea and the first tribe to touch land.

“We are the After Dark Community where we discuss all things vampire, blood, feasting, and predators…We are the official source for all things First Family–––”

“We eat, sleep, breathe all things vampire,” she stated. “It is by far the most feared being here in The Underground and we talk about everything regarding the history of our founding mother, Gaia, herself to experimenting with turning and feeding on each other. You even have your hair like ours,” she said with a smile, showing off her fangs.

“First Family…why do I keep hearing about the First Family?” I pressed, wanting to know as much as I can. “They are like…” Hillary tried to find the right words. “They are like the most feared and respected at the same time. They’ve been around for ages, and they are the reason we have all of this but…it's not too many that would go up against them… People may talk bad about them sometimes but it's really nothing you can do. They can be dangerous people–––”

A talking cat…fairies…vampires and a weird ass coach for a teacher. What a day it'd been and it was only the first day. How long was I going to be here for?

“How many times do I gotta say I am a real man?” Quan demanded with a twitch of his whiskers.

“There are three little Black girls dressed in school uniforms running around this very tree,” she said as she looked up. “I

“Aziza,” Hillary read from her book of mythology. “Fairies that provide magic for hunters. They also provide spiritual and practical knowledge. When you come across an aziza; take heed, befriend, and learn. They can be very resourceful.”

“A mimic,” Hillary cut in as she read from her textbook with a point of her finger. “A mythical creature or spirit that can imitate another in the form of impersonation. Often used to trick or fool an unsuspecting victim in hopes to gain and or hide something.”

“The school does that sometimes when they collect students without the parents' knowledge. A mimic is usually from the First Family.”

“You are cordially invited to attend the After Dark Club or ADC informal tonight where all those interested in joining our fangdom can come experience what it's like to be a part of our club. We are a community that respects, obsesses, loves, and cherishes the idea of all things vampire and death. Come learn the history of the First Family…”

“Tonight at 11:33 p.m.…Please come with an open mind…”

“Might turn me into a ant fucking around with you–––”

“Nature and spirituality go hand in hand,” Akeem explained as his hand slowly gripped mine. “Do you feel them running around in a circle? Running around the tree? When you feel it…You can hear it. When you hear it…you can see them…”

A water nymph. I never thought I’d see one outside of the swamps and creeks. They were reclusive and rarely drew much attention to themselves due to how they look. Most could never blend in with regular people, which made them a target and easily bullied. Her eyes glanced over at me as I smiled. She gave me a small, nervous nod before turning back around to face forward.

I felt my mind warp forward in time, seeing the four of us standing in front of that oak tree in the middle of the night holding hands before visioning us in a living room, sitting in a circle repeating a prayer…the energy was ripe and connected so well. Maggie represented earth, stability, foundational…First Family…first of her kind…first of our kind… Asha was fire…having been through what she’s gone through…it only made her tougher…angrier, wilder, with an out loud personality that commanded attention. I was air…floating with the breeze…going

with the flow until it no longer served a purpose and was able to switch at a moment's notice and now…Isis…timid and shy by nature…she represented the essence of water itself.

North, south, east, west. Earth, air, fire, and water. Everyone else was a side piece to our hold and helped keep us together… This was it. When a priestess finds her sisters, no matter the form they come in…hold on to them for dear life. They are the true magic and power you could yield.

“Somebody close to me is still suffering from their death, and I want to help them move forward. That is why I’m here at Drew Collins and why I want to learn as much as I can so I can apply it to my own family. Nobody, I mean nobody knows this but Jean–––”

Souxie came to Drew Collins with a purpose. Asha and I were brought against our will and who knows why Isis and Hillary were here but fuck it. We’re here.

“I forgive easily. I really do, but I don’t forget. It takes me one time to learn someone’s true intentions and see their true colors.

“She said she’s happy to be around a group of women that don’t judge or make fun of her but still remain cool, cute, and pretty.” Souxie snickered at the thought but little did she know, I actually felt the same way as Hillary. Granted, I was far more advanced in the sexual department, I never thought I’d befriend a siren, let alone be sitting this close to a witch.

“Because it would suggest that the first vampire is actually a man who can shift into a wolf and on a full moon, he thirst for blood,” I said in a chilled voice before leaning back on the pillow. “Or you don’t like that the story is actually a love story that turned into something nasty like two groups of people hating one another.”

“I can smell your body responding to me being here,” he said as my mouth dropped.

“Or until you read that damn book and it’s starting to fuck with your head. It’s not true. You aren’t the Moon. There is no…Moon Goddess or spirit. It’s not.” “So what about the four little girls? What about the one who said the curse would repeat itself?”

“Your emotions being that intense may cause you to do things…act a certain way that you may not even recognize or even remember. In one of those books, somebody in the First Family…don’t remember the name but he said it was something deep inside of him that he kept locked away but if ever released…he would wreak havoc on everyone around him, including loved ones. Nobody was safe around him. Like another identity or personality comes out and takes over. Sometimes he remembers, sometimes he doesn’t…all for the name of blood.”

His eyes, glossy pitch black to the point where I could see my own reflection staring back at me. I could see parts of my eyes slowly filling the corners with red as we stared at one another, predator to predator. His chest was slowly heaving, caving in and out to the point where I could see his ribs flex against the thick dark brown skin. His breaths, shallow as he stared down at my face with a thing of drool stretching from one corner of his mouth…just hanging like a wispy wet web.

“The reason why a smell…a scent is important…” he said slowly after turning off the lamp light. “It helps me understand more about someone. I can learn what they are…where they just came from…their diet…their…I can smell their life without them having to open their mouths. My brother Ty can smell disease on someone just by the way they walk and their breath. You can smell sickness…If I can’t smell anything on you…I…”

The truth is and I wasn’t going to admit it because it could possibly change everything we know about our way of life… Maggie Grey gave off the same energy as a full blooming moon

in the night sky. The same moon that had the power to control us, and our emotions, our abilities to shift and create chaos, violence, and other things we struggled with since the beginning of time.

Maggie felt exactly like the moon to me and I wanted to hurt…

“Have you looked at this black book and the author behind it?”

“Same author that wrote bedtime stories about little pigs and frogs in the pond. None of this is factual. Just speculation. You can’t find these interviews anywhere.”

“She is human with traces of vampiric DNA in her. She isn’t the reincarnation of Gaia or they would have been on her already. She wouldn’t even be allowed in this school, definitely not allowed to be raised outside. Hawkins is looking into her Mother, getting close to her. He found nothing on her Dad so far but it's possible she has siblings that she doesn’t know of.” “On her Dad’s side?” “Her Mother’s side,” he corrected. “I believe she gave birth early like her Mom before her and something happened…Don’t know what, but they got rid of him quick.” “Him? So she has a brother?”