by Jaymin Eve
“So first years are normally twenty-one?”
“That’s right.” Ilia nodded. “We start junior school at ten, and that runs through until we’re twenty or twenty-one, depending. After that, the Academy.”
“We’re not even recognized as adults until we’re twenty-five,” Larissa added.
Ilia snorted. “That’s right, I’m the adult of this group and don’t you all forget it.”
We rolled our eyes at her, but conversation ended when Larissa paused outside a door in a building near the entrance to the school. She knocked once but didn’t wait for permission before pushing it open. “Dad?” she called, stepping inside.
Ilia and I followed her into an open and warm room. It was lined in light cherry wood shelving that extended all the way to the ceiling. The shelves were filled with so many books that it was boggling to try and take them all in. A large desk dominated the center of the room, made from the same cherry wood, and behind it writing on some papers was Princeps Jones.
He finished what he was doing, dropped the pen, and stood to welcome us. “Please take a seat,” he said, gesturing to the two chairs in front of his desk. Larissa and I sat while Ilia hovered behind us.
“No computer?” I asked, confused by the lack of technology in the room.
Princeps Jones shook his head. “No, computers tend to malfunction around the energy of the Academy. There are a few brands that work short-term, but nothing lasts. So it’s the old-fashioned way around here.”
It was interesting that cell phones worked when computers didn’t. Like she’d read my thoughts, Ilia leaned over. “You’ll have to buy a specific style of phone so that you don’t keep frying it as well.”
Princeps Jones nodded. “Yes, you can get one in Queensborough.” He leaned forward then and handed me a thick piece of paper. Actually, it was more like parchment, heavy and high quality. Written in beautiful script across the page was a timetable.
“First term this year starts on a Wednesday,” Princeps Jones said, leaning forward to point to that column. “You’ll just pick up from here.”
“Your school year runs January to December,” I confirmed.
All three of them nodded. “Yep, but we have plenty of time off throughout the year,” Larissa added. “Lots of supe holidays.”
Looking down, I found Wednesday. There were five classes listed: Basics of Magic, Pronunciation of the Fey Language, Demon Mythology 101, Sword and Sorcery, and Race Morphology.
It looked like I had two classes this morning, followed by a lunch break, and then three classes in the afternoon. I was going to be busier here than I had been in my years of high school.
“A lot of these are beginner classes,” Larissa said, “for first year students. You also need to choose three electives.” She pointed to a small section at the bottom of the page.
There was a list:
Demon, Shifter, Vampire Wars.
Water Magic—strengthening a specific elemental magic.
Pack Laws and Hierarchy
Structure of Supernatural Prisons
Spells and Securities on Supernatural Prisons
Ancient Spells
History of the Supernatural World
Herbalism—the study of plants for spells, attack, defense, and healing.
Rune Magic—an archaic branch of magic.
Bloodletting – finding your inner vampire.
Facts on Faerie
I ran my eyes across them multiple times, trying to figure out what interested me the most. History of supernaturals was a given, I’d already decided that before even stepping foot in here. It was of utmost importance I started to learn about my new world.
As for the rest … bloodletting was definitely out, but the others were harder to eliminate.
“I think Water Magic,” since I was obsessed with water and swimming, “History of the Supernatural World,” for obvious reasons, “and Herbalism.” Plants were cool, even if I mostly managed to kill the few I’d ever had in my possession. For some reason, that one jumped out at me.
Larissa clapped her hands. “I’m in Herbalism. It’s a newer class, so there aren’t many in it yet. It’s a mix of first years and more advanced students. It’s a lot of fun, and it helps to know what plants can heal versus kill you.”
That did sound helpful.
“I’m so excited that we have a class together,” I told her.
The schedule heated under my palm and with a gasp I let it fall to the ground, expecting it to burst into flames. Instead, the writing started to twist and twirl across it as the electives I’d just chosen wove their way into my schedule.
Leaning down, I picked it up, noting I now had a class after dinner tonight. Water Magic.
“That paper is spelled,” Princeps Jones explained. “It will update when there are schedule changes, say if the teacher needs to cancel the class.”
“It’s worth checking it every morning,” Ilia said. “Even if you have it memorized.”
Okay then. Who needed computers when you had magic?
The princeps lifted a shiny black card with the school shield embossed on it and handed it to me. “This is where your allowance is deposited,” he said. “I took the liberty of giving you an extra six months’ worth, because you’ve not had the same advantage as the rest of the students in coming from a supernatural family. I want you to feel settled and be able to buy any supplies you need.” His eyes twinkled. “Unless of course you’ve decided you’re not going to stay on.”
My lips twitched and I recalled how I tried to play it cool yesterday. It felt like a lifetime had passed since then. “I think I’ll stick it out for a while,” I said nonchalantly. I held up the black card. “And thank you. You didn’t have to go above and beyond like that. I’m very grateful.”
He smiled kindly, and I wondered how I’d ever thought he could hurt his daughter. There didn’t seem to be a mean bone in either of their bodies, and considering they were vampires … the myths messed up that one.
He spun then to pick up a stack of books from a shelf behind his desk, holding them out to me, and I lifted the heavy load. “The books are for your classes,” he said. “There’s notebooks for each class, along with pens and all that fun stationery stuff.”
I personally loved stationery. New pens were life.
Ilia leaned closer, her red springy curls bouncing around. “Additional textbooks and resources are given out in class. Plus there’s the library, of course.”
“So, all of my food and accommodation is provided?” I wanted to double-check I wasn’t accumulating a huge bill or anything.
“All included,” Princeps Jones assured me. “Food, lodging, uniforms, and any excursions you might have to undertake for the school. The allowance is just for extras: clothing, dinners in town, movies, and such. We want you to learn, but also to enjoy your life. You’re only young once, and this is not a prison. It’s a highly regarded, state-of-the-art learning facility.”
And I’d been chosen to be here—literally hunted down. I almost couldn’t believe it.
“Have you made any leeway into figuring out her race?” Larissa asked her father, and I was grateful she remembered to ask that.
His lips thinned. “Not really. Your power is too locked down. You definitely have some magic user in you,” he said, fingers forming a steeple in front of him. “You might be a pure mage, or … there’s a possibility of a mixed race. If that’s the case, you could actually be any of the other three: shifter, vampire, or fey. Clearly your supernatural side has been suppressed for some reason. For now, let’s not rule any race out.”
“Half fey, half mage makes the most sense,” Ilia piped up from behind.
The princeps nodded. “That does make sense, but I’ve never sensed any affinity for elemental magic in Maddison’s energy, and it’s usually quite strong.”
“You sensed it when my magic flared occasionally?” I asked.
He nodded.
Elemental. Well, I definitely d
idn’t do anything cool with fire or water. Except swim like a fish, but I decided not to mention that, because it felt like misleading information. That was a skill, not magic.
“I’ve sent out a request for a very strong sorcerer to visit soon,” Princeps Jones said. “Hopefully he will be able to figure out why your energy is locked down.”
As scary as it was to think of a sorcerer messing with my magic, I was more than ready for answers.
“Until then, the teachers are aware of your unique situation,” Princeps Jones added. “They’ll give you leeway and then we can reassess everything once your magic is unlocked.”
Larissa and I stood, and I shook the princeps’s hand. “Thank you for this opportunity,” I told him seriously. “You’ve already changed my life.”
Thank you, pink hair.
10
We left the princeps’s office early enough to grab a quick breakfast. The first meal of the day was my favorite, so there had to be a damn good reason to miss it. After we’d ordered from the magical hologram screen again—French toast with blackberry syrup for me—the three of us got down to some hardcore gossip.
“So I heard a rumor, Maddi,” Ilia said, leaning in close to me, “that you caught the attention of the Academy kings. What happened last night after I left?”
Larissa shot me a knowing smirk and I wrinkled my nose at her. “What exactly did you hear?”
Ilia’s smile broad. “Well, apparently Calen was all over you on the main floor of the magic dorms, and I heard you rejected him. Straight-up badass style.”
God, supe-whispers was as bad as human-whispers.
“Then last night at dinner, you took off when they got close.” She lifted her eyebrows at me. “Everyone was losing their minds, because it’s the Atlantean-five. No one runs from them.”
I groaned, resisting the urge to drop my head in my hands and hide. It was exactly what Larissa had laughed about last night. “I think the rumors are greatly exaggerated,” I said.
Her grin got wider, and I felt my own lips twitching in response. “It’s not funny,” I snorted. “I barely know shit about this world. I really need to focus on catching up. The last thing I want is to deal with this drama on my second day.”
“There’s something about you, Maddi,” Ilia said, leaning back in her chair, arms open on either side of her. “It’s what we talked about yesterday, and it was something I felt from the first time I started tracking you. Your energy, for lack of a better word, draws supernaturals to you.”
My face must have gone very pale, because she shook her head and chuckled. “Not in any crazy way, girl, don’t freak. But … it might have been enough to grab their attention. Only time will tell.”
Our food appeared then, looking fresh and delicious. I tried not to think about what Ilia had said, focusing on shoveling the amazing food in my mouth. I didn’t really believe her, because this was no high school soap opera. I wasn’t an amazing, beautiful, funny girl who was going to snag all the guys.
I was a bit of a mess. A lot of a loner. And mostly … invisible. I mean, dinner last night and now breakfast with Ilia and Larissa was the first time I hadn’t eaten alone in years.
She was wrong. There had to be another explanation.
After finishing our food, we started to walk. I hadn’t gone beyond the commons and my dorm yet, and I focused as the girls explained the layout of the Academy. “The school is set out in a circular pattern and there are four main sections or quadrants,” Larissa said. “There are also four dorms, which are scattered around the outside of these quadrants.”
She pointed toward one massive building. “This section is where all the sit-down classrooms are, any class that requires book work. Your history class will be there. Along with Pronunciation of the Fey Language, Demon Mythology, and a few others that you’ll have during the rest of the week.” She turned and pointed to another building, one that soared a lot higher in the sky than the classroom section. “This is the herbalism quadrant, where all the plants are. Best that you don’t venture into any unknown rooms there. It has a forest in the center, and around it are lots of specialized herbalism and healing rooms. It’s a really cool, Zen sort of place.”
“So classes run Monday to Friday, and we’re free on weekends?” I checked. They both nodded. “And vacation days?”
“You’ll have days off all the time,” Ilia told me. “Especially at each of our special dates. We don’t follow most of the human holidays, like Easter and Thanksgiving, but we do have Christmas—mostly because we love presents.”
That made sense. From the little I knew, supernaturals didn’t follow the same religion or history as humans, even though the two worlds had clearly been mingling for many thousands of years. They would celebrate vastly different historical events.
“What are the other two quarters of the Academy?” I asked.
Larissa spun toward another building, next to the classrooms. “That’s the practical magic section. For hands-on learning outside of the textbook. Shifters learn to control their beasts there. Magic users practice spells. The fey burn trees down and then quench the fire with their water…”
“And it’s where vampires learn how to safely hunt their prey,” Ilia added. She chuckled as I shivered. “Animals, of course, even though that blood can’t really sustain them for long, but it helps to hone their instincts.”
Good to know the movies got something right.
“The last quarter, over there, is the water world,” Larissa supplied. This quadrant was huge as well, almost as tall as the forest quadrant. “This section we share with the demi-fey. There are all different specialized water zones, including pools, creeks, and even a magically created ocean. It’s kind of spectacular. That’s where you’ll go for Water Magic after dinner tonight.”
I couldn’t wait, my heart rate picking up at the thought of an entire area dedicated to my favorite element.
“First, though,” Ilia said, “there’s a start-of-year assembly.” Her eyes dropped to where I had my schedule clutched in one hand, books in the other. “And if you give me five minutes, I’m going to find you a bag.”
One of the downfalls in not being able to use computers … there was a lot of paperwork. I took a moment to be grateful that I’d never been able to afford a laptop, because I would have legit cried if I’d fried it.
“Thank you,” I said, “I really appreciate that.”
Ilia winked and then dashed away.
“How are you feeling today?” Larissa asked in her quiet, observant way. “Yesterday was … a lot. I mean, I can’t even imagine discovering that you’re not human and then being swept away to a supernatural school all in the same day. That’s, well, a lot.”
I leaned my shoulder against a nearby brick pillar, careful not to crush the trailing rose vine that was covering half of it. I gave her question some actual thought before I answered. “It’s like a dream, you know. I keep pinching myself to wake up. I’m not sure it’s actually hit me yet, but at the same time I feel excited and—” My voice broke and I cleared my throat. “Hopeful. For the first time since I was a young child.”
Larissa’s eyes were shiny. “I’m so glad that Ilia tracked you down. My dad said she never gave up.”
Something I was now beyond grateful for.
“Am I the only supe you’ve ever met that grew up outside of our world? That knew nothing?”
Larissa nodded. “Yes, it’s almost impossible not to know once your race energy kicks in. Your case is unique because of the block on your power.” She paused. “Actually, I did hear of one other like you.”
That piqued my interest. “Who?”
“A wolf shifter in America. She was spelled to hide her supernatural side and went through most of her life thinking she was human.”
“Wow, and she’s fitting in fine now?”
Larissa shrugged. “I’m not totally sure, but I believe so. She fell in with the leaders of the American supernaturals, so she must have someth
ing going on.”
Wow … wow!
A kinship with this chick rose up inside of me. I wished there was a way I could talk to her. I’d love to know how she dealt with all the new emotions, if she was much happier now than she’d been before finding out.
Ilia dashed up then, barely out of breath. Her dark skin was rosy, her lips red, her hair healthy and bouncy. If I didn’t like her so much, I’d have to hate her on principle.
“Got one!” she all but shouted, holding it out to me.
My eyes widened at the satchel. It looked expensive and designer, made from dark brown leather, with two thick buckles on either side holding it together.
“Hope you don’t mind that it’s been lightly used,” she said. “This was mine for a few months in my last year of school.”
A short burst of laughter left me. “Are you actually kidding me right now? I’ve never owned anything this beautiful before. I can’t even tell you used it.” I slipped my books and pens inside, buckled it closed, and hooked the strap across my body. It was perfectly weighted, and I could barely even tell it was there.
Ilia shrugged. “I have a shopping problem. This is just one of many bags I own. I won’t even notice it’s gone.”
Our worlds could not be more different, but apparently it didn’t matter when it came to friendship. We’d found our common ground somewhere.
A tinkling sound drifted through the air, and I remembered it from yesterday.
“That’s the school bell around here,” Ilia said, as students got to their feet around us. “It still sounds even when we’re on vacation, just so we know roughly what time it is.”
My skin tingled as the tune finished its light melody, and I shivered.
“There’s magic in the music,” Larissa explained, noticing me rubbing at my arms. “Not that you have to be supe to know that. Music moves everyone in different ways, and it’s a magic even humans can access.”