I thought of the many long talks I’d had with Beth at night in the dormitory. About how I’d learned to deal with the bullying and nasty teasing by some of the other kids. I remembered standing up to Strickland, and how it had nearly cost my life.
And I realized in that moment I’d made a new life for myself among people who accepted me the way I was.
Julian and Kiernan both took hold of my hands. They looked at me with love and affection, and through their eyes, I saw my parents for what they were: middle-class bigots, no better than those parents I'd seen on YouTube disowning their kids for falling in love with the wrong skin color or sex.
There was nothing for me here. I’d found a new family in the place I’d hated with all my heart when I’d first arrived. And now I wanted nothing more than to return to the academy.
I got up and stared at the strangers I’d called my parents until ten minutes ago. “You can’t disown me because I choose not to be your daughter. You are a disappointment to me, and I never want to see you again.”
My mother's eyes widened, as if she hadn't expected me to fight back, but there it was. I was who I was, and fuck them if they couldn't accept it. Holding my head high, I walked out of the house that had been my home for seventeen years. The armed guards followed us at a discreet distance.
It wasn't until we were several hundred yards down the street that the tears came. Kiernan caught me as my legs buckled, and Julian hugged both of us as I collapsed into a sobbing mess.
I would be strong, and I would get through this. My parents’ attitude was going to go a long way to help me do that, but finding out they couldn't love me as I was hurt more than I’d ever imagined. My body shook in response to the emotional shock, and I clung to the boys.
Kiernan stroked my hair before kissing me, despite the tears and snot on my face. Then Julian turned my head and did the same.
"I know more than most people how much this hurts, Amber," Julian said quietly. He held me tighter. “But Kiernan and I are here for you. As long as you want us, we’ll have your back.”
Kiernan nodded, nuzzling behind my ear. While I was clutching their hands, Julian gestured at our escorts that we were ready to return to the school. As we waited for the portal to open, I turned around one last time, saying goodbye to my childhood and to my old family.
Soon I was back at the academy, surrounded by people that accepted me for who I was. The Second Chance Academy is my home now.
Chatting with Beth, while leaning against Kiernan’s bulk and Julian holding my hand, I was okay with that.
Read the second book, Second Chance Soul, to find out what happens next. Or continue to find the first three chapters of the new book.
40
Snow. More snow. I shivered as I opened the window to allow fresh air into my tiny, shared room. Slug, the orange-furred menace, lifted his head from his food bowl and glared.
I laughed. “Cut it out, you giant flea-bag. It’s your fault it stinks in here.”
I took a closer look, assessing his bulk. “You know, you’re getting a bit chunky, all locked up inside. I’m going to have to feed you less.”
His blue eyes narrowed as he hissed, and his tail swished back and forth. I’d lost track of how often I wondered how much Slug understood. He was definitely smarter than the average cat. Like right now, there was no mistaking the irritation in his feline body-language. But hey, who knew what bugged him this time? Maybe he didn’t like his food, maybe I’d offended him by brushing my hand the wrong way through his fur, or maybe I was breathing too loudly.
“Wanna come play outside?” Grabbing my jacket, I held the door open for him. While I pulled on a pair of gloves and a knitted hat, Slug sauntered down the hallway towards the exit. I didn’t plan to be out long--a quick stroll around the square would have to do.
Outside, I inhaled deeply. Yikes, that burned. The air was icy cold. So close to the Canadian border, the temperatures dropped far lower than I was used to. A thick layer of white had transformed the U-shaped layout of the academy from a run-down structure to a winter wonderland. The administration and a few classrooms were housed in the main tract of the installation, with the student dormitories in the left wing and the bulk of the classrooms in the right wing.
In the middle of the campus, there were a group of single-room block houses which functioned as over-flow rooms. They were much newer than the original building—an indicator that the academy had had to accommodate many more students than originally anticipated.
Hardly anybody was here because they wanted to be. The school was not a jail exactly, but we couldn’t come and go as we pleased. There were miles of Oregon wilderness between us and the next town. Nobody was allowed cell phones, TVs, or computers. Yet despite that, or maybe because of it, the Farkas Academy for Magical Advancement had a reputation for teaching students who needed a second chance. Hence its nickname “Second Chance Academy.”
Two years ago, a magical reactor had exploded. The fallout had contaminated a population of non-magic users and caused random manifestations of powerful abilities. In my case, I accidentally killed a bunch of people as I walked home from school one afternoon. There was nothing I could have done to prevent the loss of life, but I’d still ended up here. The alternative offered to me was solitary confinement in an underground government facility until the day I died. So yeah, being here was definitely the better option.
That didn’t mean I wanted to be here. It was the winter break, and apart from a few hard-core cases like myself, most students had been allowed to go visit their families. I had no internet, and the library was closed. That left me with a few textbooks for the next term as entertainment.
“I’m so bored.” There was nobody there to listen to my grumbling. Kicking a rock ahead of me on the path, my thoughts wandered to my boyfriends. My boyfriends. Wow. One is a miracle, two is… I don’t even know what to call it. One more day. Then they’d be back, and… I sighed happily as I wrapped my arms around my body.
Leave it to the cat to pull me out of my pleasant daydream. I stumbled and flailed as Slug pushed against my shin. His heavy bulk nearly toppled me. I laughed and nudged him away with my foot. “Stop it. I know it’s cold. Let’s just walk across the green and back—”
A shout cut off my sentence. It came from behind the cabin at the far side of the central green.
“Hold him down, for fuck’s sake,” an angry voice snarled. Without hesitation, I ran toward the commotion. It wasn’t until Slug weaved between my legs that I came to my senses. Whatever’s going on, it sounds like several people.
I covered the remaining distance more cautiously, taking care my boots didn’t crunch on the snow. Using the cabin as cover, I carefully peeked around the corner. Just as quickly I pulled my head back, my heartbeat ratcheting up.
I recognized one of the men. Lawson was the guard who’d brought me to the academy last year. The one who’d dropped some nasty comments about people affected by the fallout. The group surrounded a student I knew.
A tall senior in his final year at the school, Matt was brilliant at fire magic. During the term finals, I’d watched in awe as he exploded a tiny flame into the equivalent of a flamethrower before pulling it back into his core without breaking a sweat. Total genius. Yet here he was, struggling between two large guys I’d never seen before. Another shout rang through the air and cut through my shock at the violent display.
“Stop fighting already,” the smaller of the men grunted. I stuck my head back around the corner, just in time to see Matt break away and make a run for it. Lawson held out his hand and pointed it after the young man. A spark hit his shoulders. My hand flew to cover my mouth to hold in a gasp of shock.
Matt twitched violently and fell to the ground. He never stopped twisting and flailing, and I watched his struggle with wide, shocked eyes. A pitiful noise made me look down. Slug was pressing his body against my leg, shaking all over.
He seemed terrified out of his mind, as if he knew wha
t was going on. Maybe he smelled the poor kid’s pain and panic? I bent down to touch the cat’s body reassuringly. Shit, what if Slug gave away my position? Those guys couldn’t realize I’d seen the whole thing. Now was not the time for my pet to freak out. I pushed my hand on to his neck to keep him in place and stuck my head out again.
The men had picked up Matt, who wasn’t moving anymore. I hope he’s only unconscious. I forced myself not to think of the other possibility. One goon on either side, they dragged the student toward the main building, with Lawson bringing up the back. He looked left and right, as if to make sure there weren’t any witnesses.
“Hey, what are you doing?”
The men’s heads turned at the sound. A guy was rushing at them. I didn’t know where he came from, but I recognized the lanky shape. Lance. The boy who’d been an ass to me when I’d first gotten here. What the hell is he doing?
My heart was beating so hard, I was convinced they’d be able to hear me. Lance had reached the group and flung out his hands, palms open and pointed at the men. The two goons flew backwards as if kicked by a mule. Of course. He’s an air mage. He had to have hit them with a concentrated air column. Standing over them, his face grim, he looked like a superhero. All he needed was a cape.
Just then, Lawson stepped up behind him. I wanted to warn Lance, wanted to scream, “Watch out!” But that would have endangered me and the trembling furball under my hand. I could only stare.
Lawson touched a black object against Lance’s back. Lance stiffened, then his back bent like a tightened bow. When it looked like his spine might break, Lawson pulled his hand back, and Lance collapsed onto the snow-covered ground as if somebody had cut the strings off a marionette.
Tears were running down my cheeks as I fought to keep myself from sobbing out loud. I wanted to run over and make sure he was okay, but I couldn’t while the men were still there. Lawson touched the motionless body with his shoe, shaking his head. Then he gestured at his buddies to pick up the unconscious kid they’d dropped when Lance had attacked.
“Let’s go. We’re late.” They dragged Matt towards a black SUV waiting outside of the front building. The men bundled the body inside the car before getting in and driving off. I watched them disappear through the gates at the bottom. They were taking Matt away from the academy, and I was the only witness left standing.
Lance still hadn’t moved. I waited until the car was out of sight before sprinting toward the boy. When I got there, I fell to my knees. I didn’t care that the snow was soaking through the fabric of my jeans. Lance looked so pale that I took my glove off and felt for his pulse with trembling fingers.
Please, God. Don’t let him be dead. I couldn’t feel the heartbeat I was praying for. A constant chorus of, “Please, no,” ran through my mind.
41
I kneeled in the melting snow, the cold penetrating my pants. Was it the ice water that froze my core? Or was it the fear that the boy lying before me wouldn’t wake? Either way, my fingers trembled as they pushed against his cooling skin.
Lance looked as if he’d already died, his eyes glittering under half-open lids. I sobbed once, then tried again to feel his pulse. And this time, there was a faint throbbing under my fingertips. Ba-dum. And again, ba-dum. I sat back on my heels, exhaling sharply. He was alive.
Slug had followed me. He bent over the boy, and his tongue darted out. Carefully, he licked his face and pushed his head against his cheek. Lance twitched, then coughed. He opened his eyes, staring at the big cat right next to him.
“What the—Get him away from me.” He groaned, rubbing his face. “Why am I on the ground? What’s going on?”
“Don’t move. Do you know what happened?”
Lance shook his head while pushing Slug with his other hand. “Why is that thing licking me?”
I laughed out loud with relief. “Slug, leave him alone.”
He’s not hurt. Thank goodness. But why doesn’t he remember anything?
Lance was struggling to sit up. I had to help him off the ground. He was sodden and shivering continuously. “Come on, you need to get out of these wet clothes.”
Where should I take him? The boys’ dormitory was just as far away as my own. But I had nothing for him to wear at my place. Decision made, I asked, “Where is your room?”
Halfway across the square, Lance staggered, and I pulled his arm over my shoulder to offer some support. He leaned heavily on me, which slowed our progress. As we approached the other side of the open quad, he stumbled again.
“Hey, stay with me. We’re nearly there,” I said, breathing hard as I supported his weight. Lance nodded, his eyes blinking sluggishly. He’s exhausted.
Thankfully, his room was on the ground floor. Lance pulled the key out of his pocket. I took it and one-handedly opened the door. Single occupancy, lucky dog. Dragging the young man to his bed, I dropped him on it.
Lance groaned and held his head. “It hurts,” he mumbled.
“Do you want me to call somebody?”
He grimaced. “No, I just need to rest for a moment.”
I stood around, wondering if there was anything else I could do. Lance ignored me, lying back with his eyes closed. Time to leave. As I was about to close the door behind me, Lance lifted his head and called out, “Thanks for looking after me. I can’t remember what happened. But you were there when I needed help. I won’t forget that.”
I nodded, pleased with his reaction. I remembered my panic when I couldn’t find his heartbeat. I’d been so scared, I’d had to fight not to lose it right there and then. And I wanted answers. Why had Lawson and his men abducted Matt? Where had they taken him? Why had they tasered Lance and just left him? If I hadn’t been there, he could have died of exposure and shock. I could only think of one person who might know what was going on.
Ms. Farkas, the head witch, had helped me last term. She’d said I should come find her if I had any more problems. It was already getting dark. The lamps dotted throughout the campus had turned on, and their orange light created shadows in doorways and behind brushes. I walked faster. What if Lawson had seen me after all and was waiting to jump me the way they had Matt? What if one of his men lurked near the cabins? I was running by the time I arrived at the admin building.
My breath was wheezing in and out as I tore the door open and slammed it shut behind me. I turned, fearing somebody might have snuck up on me, but there was nothing. Only a few students with their heads down, hurrying toward their dorms.
Resting my hands on my knees, I bent over and calmed my breathing. Then I walked to Ms. Farkas’s office, knocked, and waited for permission before entering. The head witch sat behind her desk, working on some kind of chart. Her black hair was pulled into a messy ponytail, making her look much younger than she was. I’d seen both the caring and the stern side of her over the last months. As the owner and principal of this academy, she obviously took her responsibilities seriously.
Ms. Farkas looked up and smiled briefly. She put her pen down and gestured for me to take a seat. The images of the young man being tasered and dragged to a car flickered through my mind. I didn’t want to sit. I wanted her to fix this.
“You’ve got to call the police,” I blurted out.
She pulled up her eyebrow and leaned forward. “The police? Why? What happened?”
“I saw a student being kidnapped. Please, you’ve got to do something.”
Ms. Farkas stared at me, then picked up the phone on her desk. “I’ll call Lawson. He’ll know what to do.”
“Lawson? But he’s in on it.”
The moment I’d blurted out the words, I knew I’d made a mistake. Ms. Farkas slowly lowered the receiver on its cradle. “Please tell me exactly what happened. You’re making no sense.”
I took a deep breath and told her what I’d seen. I left out how Lance had been attacked as well. It would only confuse matters, and I needed her to take action to get Matt back. They couldn’t have gotten far. If I could convince her to call
the cops right now, they might still catch up with the SUV.
But then she held up a hand and stopped me mid-sentence. “Look, I’m sure there’s a perfectly good explanation. Why don’t you check with me in an hour, and I’ll have an answer for you?”
There was no point arguing. I had to trust her to do the right thing. But in the back of my mind, a stubborn flicker of doubt took seed. Why isn’t she more upset?
As I walked to my residence hall, I kept an eye out for Slug. I hadn’t seen him after helping Lance to his feet. He was probably trying to catch a mouse or something. I hoped he wouldn’t stay outside for too long. Even though I was wearing gloves, my fingers felt like frozen fish sticks.
I entered the dormitory building, blowing on my hands to warm them up enough for me to open my door. The contrast between the bare light bulb glaring off the white walls and the black denseness of the residence hall interior blinded me for a moment. So much so that I screamed when something the size of a piglet hit my midriff. Instinctively, I grabbed whatever had just jumped at me. Holding on tightly to my giant pet, I clutched Slug’s furry butt against my stomach. His familiar head rested on my shoulder, and he obviously didn’t care he’d nearly frightened me to death.
“Goddammit, you stupid cat,” I muttered as I balanced his bulk on one arm and turned the key in the door. Once fully inside, I dropped him to the ground.
Slug landed on his legs and glared at me. “Smarter than you, human,” he seemed to say.
I took off my coat and flung myself on my bed. The more I thought about it, the more I was confused by Ms. Farkas’s behavior. I’d told her what had happened. Shouldn’t she be as freaked out about this as I was?
Slug jumped on my tummy, slid off me, and squeezed himself between the wall and my body. Automatically, I reached out and stroked his velvety fur. Touching him calmed both of us. His rumble started like a small airplane engine and grew until he vibrated against my side.
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