Sage felt her whole body become heavy. She was always the distraction. As if an owl couldn’t do anything else.
As they walked towards the entrance, Camila muttered, “This is so boring. I want something with substance.”
Nadya held the door open, and with a cavalier smile, she said, “One step at a time.”
Camila faced Sage, rolling her eyes as they walked in, and everyone spread out into their respective locations.
Sage made a bee-line for an empty cubicle down the back. As she hurried past the large tables, she glanced at their assignment.
AJ’s eyes were lowered as his bully stood above him. Mason ripped through a study book, tearing out page after page and sprinkling them over AJ’s head like rain. Sage felt her stomach tighten. Seeing someone innocent being treated as if they didn’t matter went against everything she stood for.
She was almost ready to abandon Arielle’s plan and head right to Mason herself. But then he looked up, wild eyes falling on her. He stared at her for a second, face relaxing as he watched her scurry to the cubicle. By the time she sat down, he’d returned his attention to AJ.
She cowered out of sight behind the petition, ready to act fast. Calling her owl forward, she let it pass right through into full shift. Without waiting another moment, she took flight. Sage didn’t want to head straight for Mason, that would be a mistake. She could cause him to act out of fear and nothing good ever came from that.
So instead, she flew in a direct line for the piano. Her tiny feet landed on the keys and a gentle sound filled the air. She pranced her talons across the ivories, little legs sending an awkward tune of chopsticks into the high-roofed room. It would have been humiliating—making her owl dance on a grand piano for a diversion—but she couldn’t help but smile. What a sight it must have been.
Mason glanced across to the unusual commotion. His eyebrows shot up, shocked and confused. That was all they needed: Camila and Arielle pounced, pulling Mason away from AJ. His gaze switched between the two of them as they dragged him across the library. Almost as if resigning to the fact he’d been overthrown, he slumped his shoulders and let them take him without a fight. He settled his eyes back on Sage’s owl and stared at her, bewildered and defeated. His gaze remained until Camila pushed him outside and slammed the doors in his face.
The way he looked through the entrance of the library gave Sage pause. He seemed lost. Disheartened.
The knot in her gut twisted around itself. She quickly flew back to the cubicle and hid behind the dividers. Peering up to the mezzanine, Sage saw Caspar and Nadya run for the stairs. Aligned with her Guardian she could see theirs beside them, a wolf and fox respectively. Both their auras shone bright neon blue as they swiftly found their way to AJ, making sure he was all right. Camila and Arielle sauntered over next, the four of them hovering over AJ like he was a little lost puppy.
But Sage couldn’t have cared less about AJ in that moment. Every breath she took, the knot inside her grew. She shifted back into her human form and slowly stood, her eyes boring through the window.
Outside the library windows, Mason paced up and down the cobblestone path, muttering to himself. Swiveling at the edge of the building, he raked his hands through his hair and lifted his gaze. His deep-green irises landed on her.
As their eyes locked, the storm that had brewed in the pit of her stomach all day suddenly ceased.
And then she knew. They had it wrong. AJ wasn’t the assignment. Mason was.
Chapter Four
After lunch and some fair fussing over AJ later, Sage sat through her math class thinking of one thing only. Mason.
Surely, he wasn’t the assignment. Surely a cock-sure, loner-on-purpose, chisel-jawed, jerk-wad wasn’t the assignment. But she couldn’t get him out of her head.
She knew that hurting people hurt people. Maybe he was in pain. Maybe his heart was so broken he didn’t know how to fix it. Maybe he had a horrible upbringing?
She stiffened. Well, with the death of both her parents and begrudgingly taken in by an uncaring aunt, she had a pretty awful childhood—but that didn’t cause her to take it out on others. In fact, it made her want to be better to people because you never know what someone is going through.
Ugh, and there it was. She had no idea what he was going through. Dammit. Sage had to find out. The constant ache in her stomach begged her to.
As soon as the bell rang, Sage bustled out of class and headed straight for her locker. Throwing her books inside, she began to consider where she might find Mason.
“I didn’t mean to,” a fearful squeak came from down the hall.
Sage peered around her locker door. Halfway down the corridor, Mason had bailed up a freshman. He scuffed the poor soul’s collar and held him up against the wall.
Well, that was easy, Sage thought.
“Don’t give me that garbage,” Mason scowled, clutching the boys collar in his fists. He gave a quick side-eye to Sage, then returned to the boy. “I saw you do it.”
“W… What are you talking about? Maybe… maybe it was someone else who looked… who looked like me,” the boy stammered.
Mason clenched his jaw and pulled the boy closer to him. Again, he glanced at Sage almost as if he was reveling in the attention she gave. Turning back to the boy, he used full force and slammed the flailing body against the wall. “You little weasel. It was you. I won’t let you go till you admit it.”
Sage’s Guardian instincts switched into high alert. She quickly glanced over her shoulder to make sure no one was looking and shifted. Her insides swirled with adrenalin as she flew with speed towards the altercation. Even if Mason was the assignment, even if there was something more to him than being one big bully, she couldn’t let him hurt the boy like that.
As she approached, she began flapping her wings against lockers. Clack, clack, clack. Mason swiveled and when his eyes rested on the owl, he dropped the boy. Mouth agape, he stared; and the boy ran off.
Satisfied, Sage turned and flew back from where she came. Safe behind the full-length locker she shifted into human form. As soon as she did, fingers ripped the edge of her locker.
Sage watched in horror as Mason opened the door wider than it should go. Hinges cracked as he looked beyond her into the corridor. “Did you see that?”
With her heart in her throat, she replied with the only angle she could. A lie. “See what?”
Mason frowned, bringing his attention to her. He glanced her up and down. “You’re Sage, right?”
“How do you—” Sage began.
“I asked people,” he interrupted. Nodding at her head, he explained, “Bright purple hair is the giveaway.”
“Right.” Sage felt her eyebrows drop. She turned to look inside her locker. Having a conversation wasn’t part of the plan. She wanted to follow him to his dorm room and see what his deal was. Not get to know him on a personal level. If she wanted to do that, she’d tell him what a dick he’d been to those boys today.
“You were in the library today.” He stated, still holding onto her locker. “Did you see the owl in there, playing the piano?”
Sage felt her throat dry up. She was used to hiding what she was, but the direct question threw her off. Shuffling papers inside her locker, she kept up with the lie and mumbled, “Owl?”
Mason huffed and snapped his hand away from her locker. Sage had to catch the door before it swung in her face. Without saying goodbye, Mason rushed off. Sage closed her locker, watching him storm towards the entrance, shaking his head.
“Oh my goodness, are you okay?” a sweet voice said from behind her. Sage spun on her heels to see Arielle approach with Camila close behind her.
“He’s charming,” Camila said, thick with sarcasm.
“Mm,” Sage glanced over her shoulder and watched Mason head towards the dorms. Her stomach wound into a knot—something she didn’t want to get used to. The reason for it eluded her. The only thing she knew was that she had to go after him. Turning back, she said
, “Do you think I should follow him to make sure he doesn’t bully anyone on his way to the dorms?”
Camila nodded. “That’s probably a really great idea, I’ll come with you.”
“Well, hold on,” Arielle said with her hands on her hips. “Ain’t I the boss of this assignment?” She pouted, then erupted in giggles as if the whole thing was a joke.
“Well,” Sage said, trying not to sound exasperated. “What do you say we do about him, boss?
Arielle pinched her chin between two fingers, her eyes thoughtfully dancing between Camila and Sage. She whipped her hand away and decisively said, “Okay! Camila and I will check on AJ, while you follow him. Is that all right?”
Sage nodded and Arielle’s freckled nose scrunched in delight. She threaded her arm through Camila’s and tugged at her to follow. Camila gave Sage a half-grimace, half-smile, and Sage could tell that Arielle was growing on her.
“I’m coming, geez!” Camila teased, slipping her arm from Arielle’s hold. She stepped closer to Sage and said, “Be careful, would you? I have a weird feeling about him. Tell me everything.”
The knot in Sage’s stomach subsided the moment she caught sight of Mason again. He was on the other side of the field, turning up the path for the boys’ dorm. She ran to catch up. As she charged up the hill, she noticed him walk directly past the entrance and straight for the parking lot.
She watched as Mason jumped on a motorbike and started the engine. Just her luck. This wasn’t going to be easy after all.
Sage took a deep breath and resigned to the fact that this assignment was going to test her limits. And as Mason revved his bike and sped off down the driveway, she ran into the surrounding forest and called her owl forward.
Chapter Five
Graystone Academy was location on part of a thirty acre property. It was surrounded by the forest that cornered Ever Valley National Park. The closest town, Burrville, was a ten mile drive through a winding forest road to the base of the foothills.
Sage took flight through the trees, knowing it would take Mason at least five minutes to get to the main road. If she was quick enough, she could take a short-cut through the forest and be able to follow him from there. As she reached the main road, she took rest on a high branch and closed her eyes. Sure enough, there was the low hum of a bike, rumbling towards the road.
When Mason sped past, she flew behind him, sticking to the treetops and hoping he wouldn’t see her. Even though his bike was twenty times louder, she still cringed every time her wings whipped through the cool air. As if the slight noise will give her away.
On the outskirts of Burrville, Mason swung a right at the old brewery and continued along a gravel road. Not far along, the road narrowed and ended at a parking lot. Three buildings were set off the end of the road. A pottery workshop, a mechanic, and a boxing studio in between them. They all looked the same—old and run down with weeds growing from their bases and rust lining their roofs. Sage stopped and found a tree to curl her talons around.
Mason slowed his bike and parked at the opening of an alley alongside the studio. He entered the building below the flicker of a neon light that spelled “bo - ing club”. Sage stayed in the shadows, using her owl’s vision to spy through the small, steel barred window out the front. She could see Mason greeting a man in his mid-twenties with a quick shoulder tap.
“Hey bro,” he said, as some kind of hello.
Well, that’s that, she thought to herself, wondering if she’d made a mistake in the heat of the moment. Maybe he wasn’t the assignment after all. Maybe he simply was just a jerk with a chip on his shoulder.
Watching as he hung his blazer over a fold-out chair and unbutton his shirt, Sage decided he definitely didn’t need her help. He was toned. Muscles curving in all the right places, divots and lines that formed a six pack. No, he didn’t need her help at all.
As he tugged his bandages over his knuckles his eyes flicked to the window. Even though there was no way he could have seen her up the tree from that distance, she backed along the branch, just in case. She watched him as he stepped into the ring and bounced from foot to foot.
Satisfied that she was wrong, Sage sighed and turned back toward campus. But she only made it half a mile before a small knot pinged in her stomach. She didn’t know why, and she couldn’t have explained it to anyone, it was just a feeling—she had to go back.
The tips of her wings grazed pine nettles as she swept around. Quicker, her instincts urged her. Silently, she scolded herself for leaving him alone. The heavy feeling of dread sunk her heart to her feet and back.
She burst through the tree line and flew right across the parking lot, swooping over Mason’s bike and stopping just short of the window.
Hovering, breathless, she peered in.
Mason was still in the ring, a slight grimace on his face as he stared at his opponent. Another boy with similar height and weight jumped with light feet around him. Four men in suits sat in a line outside of the ropes. The man Mason greeted earlier stood beside them—his teeth sunk into a red apple as his eyes bore into Mason’s back.
The opponent threw a right hook that landed square on Mason’s right shoulder. The force sent Mason backward at the same time the man with the apple yelled, “hands up”.
Mason raised his hands, but it was too late, a left jab slammed against his cheek. Mason fell to the ropes, clutching them to stop from falling. As he took a moment to catch his breath, blood pooled at the corner of his mouth.
Sage urged forward, her talons circling the steel bars in front of the window. As quick as the flash of empathy appeared, she pushed it away, ashamed to be cheering for a bully. Confusion soon followed. What was the knot in her stomach? Surely, it wasn’t to stop him from fighting in a normal boxing match?
The man outside the ring ran to Mason, veins popping on his forehead. He spat bits of half-chewed apple flesh as he hissed, “Get up, boy.”
Mason stared at him for a moment before giving a quick nod. He wiped his mouth and pushed off the ropes to face his opponent. Sage held her breath as Mason dodged a swinging arm, slamming his fist into his opponent’s ribs.
Yes! She cheered to herself, throwing her wings up in celebration. But she’d gotten so excited she’d forgotten where she was, what she was. Her wings flapped against the window pane as she lowered them.
She froze as Mason’s eyes darted for a split second meeting her neon purples’. That split second was long enough. He squeezed his eyes in a long blink and …
Thwack! Another blow to his jaw.
Mason’s eyes rolled to the ceiling and he fell, chest hitting the ground.
For what felt like forever, Sage sat in her human form on the roof of the pottery workshop, which shared an alley with the boxing studio. She’d seen the men in suits leave with the opponent almost immediately after the fight but after another thirty minutes there was still no sign of Mason. He’d been knocked out and her stomach was in turmoil just thinking about it.
She cussed to herself about what a terrible Guardian she made. One that only got put in charge of distractions—she’d become so good at that she did it unintentionally, too. She felt awful that he’d lost because of her… that he was hurt because of her. So, as the sun inched for the horizon, there she was, waiting for a bully to see if he was okay. But it could have been more than that too, if he was in fact the assignment.
The side door of the studio opened into the alley and Sage leaned forward. Mason stepped out, back in his school uniform, with white strips across his eyebrow and dried blood along his bottom lip. A bandage wound around one of his wrists, halfway to his elbow. It looked newly dressed and for a second Sage wondered when he’d hurt himself there during the fight, but then she remembered he’d had it on in the library earlier.
“Mason?” A gruff voice boomed from within the studio.
A grimace made its way across Mason’s face. He quickly closed the door and rushed down the alley toward his bike. Sage tried not to breathe as
he passed right below her.
“Mason?” The voice cried again. The door swung open with such a force it slammed into a dumpster behind it. “Did I say you could leave?”
“I’ve got school tomorrow, Ben. Can’t it wait?”
The way the man tightened his jaw gave Sage chills. She leaned further forward and half-shifted, letting her talons dig into the roof for support. Two giant wings reached from her shoulder blades. She didn’t know what for, but she was ready.
“Can what wait?” Ben growled.
Mason’s shoulders slumped. Still facing the parking lot at the end of the alley, he said, “The impending lecture. I’m just…. Tired.”
“You’re tired?” Ben scoffed. Even the way his boots hit the gravel felt threatening. “How selfish do you want to be? Do you know embarrassing that was? To have my own brother lose so pathetically in pre-selection. We have to wait a whole three months for the next tournament.”
Wait? Brother? Sage didn’t know whether to feel relieved or even more alarmed.
She stared at Mason as he stopped at his bike, a gentle hand smoothing over his helmet. “I’m sorry.”
That wasn’t the Mason she’d seen earlier. That wasn’t the confident cocky jerk who thought he was too good for the world. No, that boy, right there, he was broken.
“What?” Ben teased with indignation. “I can’t hear you?”
Mason’s fists tightened and his jaw clenched as he spun. “I’m sorry, okay? Is that what you want? I’m sorry that I can’t follow in dad’s mighty footsteps. I’m sorry that you aren’t strong enough to do it yourself.”
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