by Bob Dattolo
Tiffany’s through the test, with Eva taking it now. There’s 57 seconds left.
I hate this. I really do.
I want everyone to finish the test. As many people as possible.
Except these assholes…trying to kill me until the very end?
It felt different with Levi. It really did. He had a reason to hate me. I have to admit that. These two? Granted, Brody didn’t hate me, he was just taking advantage of the situation.
Still, though, I don’t like that.
My attacks on Marc end, revealing a seriously injured fellow student. One that I want to destroy utterly. He deserves it. He really does.
I hear distant gasps as power wraps me and I rise up in a pillar of fire and wind, creating my own firenado, “Marc?” My power shakes dust from the ceiling, “You’ve attacked me again and again. I think it’s time for you to race the clock. I’ll be waiting on the other side. Let’s see if you can make it.”
He doesn’t react before more power hits him and sweeps him up, sending him from the room and down one of the hallways. Not too far. I want him to have a chance. However slim it’ll be.
Brody manages to crack the maze as I fly for the test, passing Cleo and Cesar on the ground. They’re watching me go, which has me slowing, “I didn’t kill Stacey and I wasn’t responsible for her death. You fuckers turned on me. I can get you to the test to get through, but I don’t trust that you won’t fuck me again. I won’t kill you, but you have 40 seconds to get to and through the test. Good luck.”
Then I was gone and at the test, balls already created, which has me through and to the other side with 20 seconds left.
There are cheers, which make me feel at least decent.
Except my focus is back on the other side as the clock continues to tick.
Both Cesar and Cleo are in their dragon forms and the clock’s running out. If they lose their magic, they get stuck in that form.
Do I help them change back? I can force them and have it done in time…or let them pay the price for what they did.
Marc manages to get back in using the very ground to help him along. He gets to the other side of the challenge just as Brody manages to do the same. I didn’t even see him getting close.
16 seconds.
Brody elbows Marc to the side and jumps onto the rungs and starts climbing across. He gets far enough to make it to the test, not catching that Marc’s coming up behind him. Or that he’s got spells running.
Running and then launched at the frantic Brody hanging from the rung. For the briefest moment in time, his eyes widen as his hands lose their grip from the torrential downpoor of spells hitting him from every direction, and he falls without warning.
Marc reaches the test and is blinking like crazy from the blood coming down his face.
10 seconds.
His magic flares again and again as he tries to cast his spells, getting both balls of light to appear. But nothing else.
As the clock strikes zero, his magic falters and fades. As it happens, the stripes in his hair fade until they’re gone, and he’s left hanging there with normal human eyes.
He meets my gaze, “You coulda been over here. I offered enough times. You had to attack. Again and again.”
Without responding in any way, he lets go and drops into the blackness.
He didn’t make a sound the entire way.
“What…what the fuck? He didn’t have to die!”
Eva is at my side and I didn’t even realize it, “His parents? They were like a lot of the dragons. Unless he made it through and was powerful? He was done. They never would have let him live as a norm.”
“What. The. Fuck. This is crazy!”
Cleo and Cesar roar again, but it’s forlorn. Lost.
I didn’t realize Angelica was on the other side of me, “They were stupid. They weren’t so injured that they couldn’t shift back. Now they’re stuck that way. Forever.”
Can I give them enough power to shift back? Should I? Would I if I could?
Maybe it’s best that they live with the results of their actions.
Maybe.
Chapter 50
The huge doors behind us were open, and most of us didn’t realize it. It took loud cheering from the adults for us to recognize that we had witnesses the entire time to a ton of us being killed. The most intimate experience in our lives is entertainment to them.
I want to murder every single one of them and feast on the remains.
Angelica and Samantha lean into me, “Just take deep breaths. Let it go. We’re done with this year.” Angelica’s soothing voice helps pull me back just a bit.
“Congratulations!” The same fucker is there on another little stage. “You have all passed your trial for your second year at the North American Magics Academy!” He smiles across us as he waves at our group, “As you can see? Your class size has diminished. You came in this morning with 117 students. 16 of you chose to skip the trial and had their power reduced to 25 percent.” He nodded to the side at our former classmates.
One of them yells out, “Good thing we did, cause that whole thing? That was fuuuucked.”
The adults laugh. None of us do.
“101 of you stepped into the trial. I’m not sure if any of you have counted the survivors, but there are 34 of you.” Groans from our group as we seem to realize just how few of us there are. I would have sworn there were more. “62 of you died, with five losing their power when the clock struck zero.” He nodded at our reactions, “Right, five. The three you saw at the end and two that were injured earlier in the trial and couldn’t make it through to the finish line. If it helps any, they both realized that they didn’t have a chance and have been basically sitting and waiting for aid. They were together, so they’ve been talking. Apparently they’re looking to open up a restaurant together.” Chuckles from the adults.
Not from us.
“This trial has been…enlightening, to say the least. We have seen some examples of creative spell use. Unusual levels of bloodthirst. Impossible magics. The will to live. Congratulations all of you. I know you just experienced a 65 percent attrition rate, but you have to realize; you survived. You made it. Now, I know a number of you are injured. We have medical care waiting for you here and more back at the academy. The buses are waiting for you to return. For those of you staying on campus over the summer, we are remaining open. There will be food and you’ll have access to most of the normal spaces. We’ll also open up parking spots if you happen to have a car so that you can get around. We don’t do that for first year, but we do for second and third. Remember, third year starts on time. Be here or be hunted. Until then? Congratulations again. You deserve your rest.”
The 16 that stepped out early joined us. Their happy, chipper voices are a stark contrast to the sullen presence of the rest of us.
65 percent.
101 kids walked in there and 34 walked out.
I hate this place with a burning passion. We nearly tripled our numbers coming into this year and are ending with less than we had expected to start with.
This is a nightmare. A complete and utter nightmare.
Some of our classmates stay behind to get worked on by the medics, but most head for the buses. My allies are around me as we get on and find a seat. I’m sitting next to Eva, much to my shock.
My spell goes around us to keep our voices from others, although I included Eva and Tiffany.
“Hey, I have a silence spell up except for everyone that can hear my voice. For my allies? Tiffany and Eva are included.”
Samantha hits the seat in front of her, “What the fuck was Brody thinking?”
Tiffany shakes her head, “That we were vulnerable. He saw his time, his opportunity to get stronger…paid for it, too.”
“He wouldn’t have. Except for Maddie stepping in? He woulda killed us.” Eva patted her stomach, “How did you heal us? Healing anyone is freaking brutal, but you’ve been doing some crazy crap! I swear I saw you working with every
affinity!”
Parece sighed, “Just tell ‘em. They’re not dumb either. None of us are. There are a ton of rumors out there about you anyway.”
“Tell us what?”
“I’m a freak. Not just my hair, eyes, and what I shift into. My affinity? They don’t know how or why I am the way I am. I don’t fit into the normal affinities. As far as they can tell, my affinity is magic. I can cast spells across all of them. That’s part of the reason they have researchers here studying me.”
She blinked slowly at me, “Umm…yeah…that’s fucked. You know that, right?”
“I do.”
“And your parents? I think you said they were mages?”
“Yeah. Mages.”
“Where from? You don’t know who they were?”
“No clue. I was from Florida, though.”
She tilted her head and stared at me. I expected her to say something, but she was interrupted by the bus starting and the door closing.
“Everyone that’s hurt? Come back to my room and I’ll heal you. Let’s just…let’s just get the fuck through this and leave. This place, man…”
No one said much of anything to me at that point. Not that I expected it. We’re just too raw, and this place is a wire brush rubbing into us again and again and again.
So many dead. Too many.
Chapter 51
I was clean and back in my single change of clothes at last. I healed the others and they headed out. I also fed more power to Parece, Samantha, and Levi. I debated giving another to Angelica for a bit, then did it anyway. She’s still way above the others, but…she deserved it.
Part of me wanted to give the last one to someone, but I decided to keep it just in case I need it at some point. The fact that I can burn it for faster healing is pretty cool. Kinda expensive, energy-wise, but worthwhile in situations where you need to go fast, or you die.
Eva collapsed in her chair, staring at her packed bags, “What’re you doing over the summer?”
I wasn’t expecting the question, but I’ll take it, “Umm…I’m not entirely sure yet. The others aren’t sure if traveling around is a good idea or not. I can stay here, but I don’t really want to. You?”
She shrugged, “Going home. I’m gonna spend some time with my parents. Friends. Maybe two weeks? Then travel. Visit other members of the family. I may stay there longer. The islands are amazing for the beaches, but I really like Florida’s beaches.”
My eyebrows went up, “Florida? Really? Why there?”
“I told you about my aunt and uncle? They’re the strongest in my family next to me? They pretty much control Florida for water mages. With the additional power you gave me, I might actually be up to their level now. I wanted to check in, see the sights, things like that.”
“That sounds like fun.”
Now I want to hit Miami again. I really, really like those beaches.
“What’s Tiffany doing?”
Another shrug from her, “Going back home. She may take some trips but doesn’t have much planned.”
“Yeah, I can see that.” We fell silent for a bit. “34 of us left.”
Her face sobered, “That’s…those numbers. So many of us died.”
“Too many. Such a waste of talent. Of possibilities.”
She stared at me for long minutes, “I’m starting to see that. We can accomplish more together.”
“We can. But nobody trusts me when I say it.”
She snorted, “Well, maybe your rumor spreader also died?”
“That’s a possibility. I’m starting to think that maybe they didn’t.”
“Why not?”
“Just a gut feeling. My life isn’t that easy, you know? I’m trying to take solace in the fact that I’m alive. At least for now. There are a number of us that lived that are on my shit list for taking part in destroying my stuff, but…maybe cooling off over the summer will help me get beyond that.”
“Yeah, maybe. After seeing all of that, I can’t say that clothes or my laptop are all that important to me right now.”
“Truer words, Eva. Truer words.”
We didn’t say anything for more than a half hour as we stared at her bags. Her ringing phone broke things up, and I left the room behind.
It’s so quiet here now. Everyone’s somber on top of our number being depleted.
I’m shocked a shit when I get to the caf and find an unexpected person at one of the tables. She was distracted with others and didn’t see me come in. She definitely caught me as I sat across from her at her table. “Hello, Kaylee.”
Her shoulders rounded and she looked down, “What…what do you want?”
My mind went down dark paths in my head as I stared at her, “What do I want? That’s an interesting question. It really is. What. Do. I. Want? Such a simple question. Rife with meaning. With subtext. With endless possibilities, where the world is opened up to me and I can satisfy my deepest, darkest craving with just a simple wish.”
Her eyes flashed as I talked, then settled back on scared.
Her scent matched.
“Just leave me alone!”
If she were a dragon, she’d be more terrified of my scent. It’s beyond rage. Well beyond it.
“Kaylee? The trial was an eye opener for me. It really was. I’m more than starting to see why third-year students look like veterans. I feel like one. The trial was even worse this year than last. Made even worse when I realized something today. Lots of little things came together for me and painted a picture that I simply can’t ignore.”
“Why don’t you ever make sense?! I’m leaving!” She got up, only to freeze as a wall of metal, stone, and fire grew up around her. The metal has spikes and razor blades coming from it, while the rock has wavey black lines that I know are as sharp as the razors.
The fire is, well, fire.
“Sit. Down.”
She sat, breaths coming fast as hell as her heartbeat skyrocketed. “What do you want!”
I leaned into the table, “I told you what I wanted, Kaylee. I did. I’ll continue with what I was saying, though. Now, where was I?” I tapped my chin, “Oh yeah, the trial today. I saw some things today that kinda helped me pull other things together. Disturbing things. Things involving you.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about!”
“Uh-uh-uh, Kaylee. Right now it’s time for you to be very, very quiet before I slowly pull your tongue out of your skull and eat it. I don’t mean it like an expression. I mean I will do that very thing if you speak again before I tell you it’s okay to do so. Remain silent if you understand.” She didn’t respond other than to pee. I’m not sure if she did that by accident, but I’ll take it as consent to continue.
“You see, I missed it last year. I really did. You were my friend. My ally. My only ally. You relied on me to get through the trial. I relied on you. Yet I missed things. This year I spent so much of the year searching our classmates for the person fucking with me. I had it narrowed down to a mage from last year, of which you’re one. Except I didn’t really look at you. Now I think I’m a fucking idiot. I really do.”
I let that sink in a minute. “I watched you today. I caught some things. The first person you killed? You used a spell to make him swing at you, then you killed him and drained him. Then I saw you kill others. I saw you use spells without signs of it being done. Absorb power with a spell you probably shouldn’t have been able to use. At least last year. Then I remembered some of the other kills I found last year. You ran ahead. I kept finding bodies. I never even thought you were the one that killed them. Yet you were. You took the information I gave you and you got stronger. Then you used your timid little persona to trick people.” More things hit me. “Hell, every time I tried to tell people things, you’d do something. In the caf before the trial, I missed you casting a spell that made the table explode. I missed you forcing the guy in the first room to nearly attack you, which stopped me from telling the group some things due to needing to kill him to prote
ct you. You delayed at some of the tests, putting me in danger from attacks, all the while begging that I save you. In the last room? I saw you coming out from under someone. I totally overlooked that you were draining him at the time. Then…at the end. You delayed and delayed and even hit me with your magic again and again, nearly taking out my eyes. All so you could leave me and get through the challenge and leave me behind.”
She paled as I paused. Thankfully, she didn’t say anything.
“That last week last year? You even said it and I missed it. How you made a terrible mistake. You wanted me as your ally. And you wanted me to have only you as my ally. I’m not sure if the plan was to kill me to start or if it built into that, but you spread the rumors last year. Everything you did was set up to make me suspicious of everyone else. Not of you, though. You somehow beat yourself up…then left my closet door open when you went back in to get your phone. You destroyed all of my stuff. Again and again. You drove everyone away from me. Except you pushed too far and I had a breakdown. That’s what you meant by you making a mistake. You just wanted me to leave everyone else and be only with you, except you nearly had to go in all by yourself. What I saw today in the trial? The look of contempt on your face? That’s the real Kaylee. Not the timid mouse that you present. Not anymore. You may have been that last year, but this year? No, you killed and killed and killed last year. Seven, by my count. This year? I’m just not sure. Four, I’m pretty damn positive about, but I think at least five others on top of that. You took the information I gave you to help you get through the classes and the trial, and you used it to fucking kill our fellow classmates.”
Still no response.
“Feel free to speak now. For a bit.”
Her fear started going down as her shoulders came up. By the time her face took on the same cold look, the scent was completely gone. “I’m impressed. You finally figured it out. I would have thought running from you in terror would have been enough this year, but apparently all the time I was worried that you’d finally figure out that your spells were beating the shit out of me was all wasted.”
