The Moonstone (Enchantment Book 1) by Evelyne Contant

monstrous…
    “Should I lie and invent myself some sort of past life as a witch? I’m not a great liar.”
    “Oh, yes you are! Look, you managed to hide a cat from your allergic mother for many years; I think you’re a better liar than you give yourself credit for, my dear! No…Charles will tell the director of the Academy that you’re an enchanter who was raised by humans and that he discovered your talents by coincidence. You can just be yourself!”
    “Perfect, I like it better that way. I don’t know this world at all and I feel like an outsider.”
    I’m laughing on the inside and I can’t help but smile a little. This sentiment is all too familiar to me; I’ve never felt at home in the normal world, so what will it feel like to be there? But why not take a chance? After all, I’ve done enough reading of adventure books. Maybe it’s time for me to live my own.
    “Ok, I accept! Anyway, my books can wait, and nobody will be expecting me for the next two weeks.”
    “Perfect, I’m happy that you see things that way, I was a little worried about how you might react.”
    It’s so hard to believe that the old woman from my nightmares is in fact the only person who knows all my deepest secrets and, in a weird kind of way, I’m going to miss Nyx.
    “I’m going to miss those visits to you as well, you know! I would really have loved to have children.”
    Wow! Can she read my thoughts? I thought that she said a witch can only possess one power and that hers was to change into a kitty, so…
    “Can witches have children? I mean, between them?”
    “Oh, Lou, you’ll be able to have some if that’s what you’re worried about. I just never found the right person before Nathan.”
    No relations with humans, that’s what she means. Incredible, because deep down inside I am human, at least, that’s what I think I am… but that brings me back to the inscription on the book “there is no going back” and it all makes sense now.
    “When I was at the library today I read the inscription on the book that I saw the three of you with earlier. What is it?”
    “It’s a special book of spells. This one is especially for unblocking enchanters. It’s rare to find a magician that doesn’t have access to their powers. Either she was put under a spell, or, like you, she was kept from the world of magic. Gisèle brought the spell book over from a group in England. You were supposed to read the inscription tonight, but it’s just as well that you already have as that will speed up the process. But now we should leave; Charles is waiting for us at his place.”
    The old woman’s enthusiasm is contagious. I feel more and more comfortable with her and I wonder if my mother was as jovial as Gertrude? To my great pleasure we leave the woman’s den and walk toward the equally decrepit garage beside the house.
    “Why is the house in such a state? You seem like a woman who has it all together, why are you letting it all fall apart like that?”
    “In fact, that goes along with the banishment. You see, it keeps curiosity-seekers away; even you who were so close by, you thought the house was abandoned. Well, let’s go and see if my old jalopy is still in working condition, I haven’t used it in more than a decade.”
    “A decade! It’ll never start up.” She’s dreaming in color, the poor woman, I think to myself, looking at her incredulously.
    “Dear, you under-estimate our people. We’ve improved everything that humans created and our cars have a self-sustaining system. The car could be completely rusted out and still start up like a charm. I was just saying that to tease you. I’m sure that it’ll start up.”
    With one quick movement she bends and grabs the rusted handle of the wooden door and in one fell swoop she raises it, making the door-raising mechanism creak and groan. IN-CRE-DI_BLE!
    “Two eyes of a toad and an asp’s tongue every morning and you’ll have the same energy I do!”
    I can’t help but