Rita at the Collegium of Sanskrit Magic: Year 1

Chapter 1

A life-changing letter from overseas

Rita Barnes was sitting on her narrow bed, hugging her knees to the chest, her face turned to the window. England was famous for terrible winter weather, but recently, everything seemed darker even for her, the almost sixteen-year-old witch.

“Rita!” The nanny’s voice echoed from within the house. “You’ve got a letter from your father. Come quick!”

A small smile graced the girl’s sad face. She felt glad that her father was writing— after all, he was the last close family member she had left.

She stood up and put on her slippers. She scurried first towards the door and then down the empty, gloomy hallway of her house to the kitchen. As soon as she spotted the envelope placed on the table, she grabbed it.

She hadn’t seen her father since her mother’s funeral, which had taken place about a month before. He needed to leave for work, and because of bad weather, she got only one third of his telegraphs.

She tore the envelope apart, curious to see what he had written.

Dear Rita,

I wish I could speak to you in person, but this must suffice. I’m sorry about having left so early. I didn’t wish for it, but life had other plans...

Seeing that the letter was long, Rita sat down on the kitchen chair, threw off her slippers, and immediately pulled her knees up to her chest. Curling up so small somehow made her feel less alone... But her nanny didn’t like it.

“Why are you sitting like that again?” she nagged. “You’re not a kid anymore!”

She was right. Rita was almost a young lady. She was quite tall for her age, wearing a simple, tailor-made dress. She wasn’t particularly beautiful, but she wasn’t ugly either. She was just average, with her pale skin and honey-blond hair, which she now held in a high updo that helped make her round face appear more oval.

How are you, my dear Rita? I hope my letter finds you in good health. By grace of God, I am doing well, too, and so is my business. Actually, it looks like I will have to stay here for another year. I would like you to move to India with me.

“W-what?” Rita muttered to herself, stunned. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to visit India—both her parents loved it, and so did she. However, the idea of moving there was a huge surprise for her.

Your birthday is soon, and since we have spoken about your future before, and you mentioned wanting to study magic, I enrolled you in one of the best magical collegia here in Calcutta.

“Oh my God!” she whispered excitedly, covering her mouth. The mention of a magical collegium was the first thing that lightened up her mood that day... Besides her father’s letter, of course.

She still hadn’t overcome the grief after her mother’s death; passing near her room every single day without breaking down was a big challenge. And because of it, Rita had almost forgotten about that dream and hadn’t applied anywhere. Thinking that she’d go to India instead and study magic at one of its most famous collegia seemed pretty much insane.

It made her feel like she would die and begin a new life somewhere else, as a new person. This realization made her hesitate. She wanted to be reunited with her father, but the prospect of leaving behind just about everything—their family house, her beloved mother’s grave, her friends—was scary.

I know that reading this is a shock for you, my dear Rita, but please understand. A month ago, the love of my life, your mother, went to Heaven. I am not ashamed to say that this made me afraid that I would lose you as well. For this reason, I would like you to be close to me. Please come to Calcutta. I have already informed your nanny about it in a separate letter.

Rita was even more shocked by these honest, straightforward words. Her father seldom spoke so openly about his feelings. She closed her eyes, reminiscing about the day when he had come home and how happy her dying mother felt, seeing him for the last time. Rita knew that her mother wouldn’t want them to live separately. They needed to reunite.

She quickly finished reading the letter and went to look for her nanny. Seeing her with the letter, the older woman began explaining everything to Rita, from what to pack to when she’d start sailing to India.

After a long, intense conversation, Rita headed up to her room and took out of the wardrobe a new khaki bag that her father had brought for her as a gift from India. It was heavily embroidered and nothing like her friends from school had. Of course, they coveted it quite a lot; some even laughed about it, saying it was ugly. But Rita didn’t care—she knew that they laughed simply because they were jealous. She started packing quietly, and as she was done, her eyes fell on the smiling picture of her mother.

Feeling a rush of profound sadness, Rita made her way towards the photo. She gently wrapped her fingers around the smooth mahogany frame and lifted the picture to her face. With tearful eyes, she kissed her mother’s photo and walked back to her bed, tightly holding the frame to her heart. As she lay down with the photo in her hands, she thought of her mother’s youth and especially her one and only journey to India—right after she and Rita’s father got married.

*

Two days later, Rita and her nanny went to the busy old port. It was filled with ships of all kinds and had an intense scent of fish. The sky was light gray and drizzling. As a result, Rita was freezing in her coat and mustard-colored dress. Even though her hat was tied beneath her chin with a ribbon, the wind blew so strongly, she feared that it would strip the hat away.