Day 8: What about their earlier school days? Write a scene of your character in grade school or middle school.

“Who knows the ingredients to a love potion?”

The children burst into wild laughter at the word “love” and started making kissing sounds at each other. Violca leaned toward Donka and pretended to give her a big, wet kiss. Donka squealed and rolled onto her side and away from Violca’s puckered lips.

The teacher clapped her hands and yelled for the children to stop fooling around. The class slowly quieted down and resumed playing with blades of grass while the teacher waited. One student–a girl named Jofranka who Violca hated–waved her hand wildly in the air.

“Yes, Jofranka,” the teacher said.

“To make a love potion, you mix one toad’s leg, one pigeon feather, and one strand of hair each from the heads of the person who wants the potion and from the person they want to use the potion on.”

Violca mouthed the ingredients along with Jofranka as she said them. Of all the children,Violca was the best at making potions. Jofranka was the biggest know-it-all but Violca knew no matter how smart Jofranka was, her potions would never be as good as hers.

“Very good,” the teacher said with a smile.

“Very good,” Violca mocked so only Donka could hear.

“Shh,” Donka whispered, nudging her arm. Donka wasn’t very good at making potions, or at any magic. She was better at cooking and sewing and things Violca hated. She liked to pay attention in class for reasons Violca just couldn’t understand. Violca would much rather be off making potions and practicing magic instead of just talking about them. But they only got to practice after lunch, and class had just begun for the day.

Violca sighed and twisted a blade of grass between her fingers as she tried to tune out Jofranka answering yet another question.