Darius and Max moved towards the water’s edge and raised their hands as they turned the smooth surface of the pool into a simmering vortex of movement.
I stared down at the deep water in horror. If I’d thought I had no chance of swimming in it before, now I was doubly sure that I was done for. Swimming lessons weren’t exactly something that foster kids were offered regularly and aside from a few trips to the local pool, I’d never really learned how. I could get by, but I’d never attempt to hold my own in deep water, especially since the accident.
“Are you ready, little Vega?” Max called and the crowd of students started chanting louder, demanding the show they were promised as my knees locked into place.
I knew what was coming next. I threw every ounce of my power into my mental shield, hoping that I could fight off the Coercion the next time it came. It was meant to be harder to force someone to do something that could cause them harm and as I knew that this could kill me, I had to hope that they wouldn’t be able to make me jump.
“Jump!” Max yelled and I felt his will smashing against my own.
I took a step forward but managed to fight off the desire to obey. I released a shuddering breath, wondering what would happen if I didn’t jump.
Before I could get too excited about the idea, Seth raised his arms, grinning up at me as he called on his power.
I felt the wind building behind me as he directed it to throw me into the water. Panic gripped me and I made a run for it. I might not have wanted to go in at all but I knew that jumping in myself would be much better than getting tossed in by him.
My heart almost exploded as I leapt from the edge and the crowd screamed for my blood as raucous laughter rang out.
I plummeted towards the pool feet first as the water writhed beneath me. I didn’t want to scream but I couldn’t help it, the terror ripped it from my lungs as I plunged towards the water and my dress was whipped up around me.
I hit the water and shot beneath the surface as a torrent of bubbles raced from my lips. Down, down, down, the weight of my sodden dress dragging me to the bottom as it tangled around my legs.
I struggled against it, ripping the straps down and forcing it off of me as I tried to escape the confines of the material.
The water was cold, way too cold for an indoor pool and I knew I had the Heirs to thank for that.
I managed to force the dress off of me and shoved it away as I was left in my underwear. I twisted around and kicked for the surface with everything I had.
My lungs were burning, aching, demanding me to take a breath that would drown me.
My head breached the surface and I gulped down air as the water swirled around me.
I caught sight of the four Heirs standing on the edge of the pool, looking down at me with cold eyes as Darius and Max forced the liquid to bend to their command.
A huge spout of water rose up like a tower beside me and I tried to kick away from it even though I knew it was pointless.
With a flick of Darius’s hand, the column bent and slammed down on top of me, submerging me again.
I was tossed beneath the churning water like a rag doll as I tried to figure out which way was up and the water pummelled me mercilessly.
My heart was trying to beat a path right out of my chest and I kicked for the surface again with a desperate need to escape.
As I swam, the water fell unnaturally still and the temperature seemed to plummet further, wrapping me in an icy embrace.
The light above me showed me which way to go and I started kicking again, wondering how many times I would have to endure this before they’d let me out.
I scrambled through the water, aiming for the surface as my panic and the freezing temperature slowed my progress and my lungs screamed their protest.
The light was just above me and yet it still looked impossibly far away. I kicked towards it again and my hands met with a solid surface instead of breaching it.
My eyes widened as I beat my fist against the slab of ice that had been constructed to keep me caught inside this nightmare.
I was drowning again. Back at the bottom of that river with the seatbelt cutting into me and no way to get free. Except this time I was free to swim but caught beneath the ice. The air I so desperately craved was mere inches away but it might as well have been miles.
I screamed as the panic swallowed me whole and the last of my air shot from my lips in a torrent of bubbles. I could feel my tears being swept away into the freezing water as if they were nothing and my heart was thumping a rhythm which could only lead to its own demise.
My magic warred beneath my flesh, desperate to save me and I drew on it, summoning fire to my hands.
The force of my power slammed through the ice and I managed the smallest gulp of air before Darius and Max strengthened the wall of ice to combat me.
I didn’t know what to do. I had barely even begun to harness my powers and I had no idea how to shape my magic in a way that could help me. I was a blunt instrument hammering away at a wall of steel.
My magic flared again and this time a spiderweb of cracks shot out over the ice but it didn’t break.
My limbs were trembling from the cold and the panic and I could feel the urge to take a breath swelling up inside of me.
I pounded my fists against the layer of ice as I kept kicking, sinking deeper and then bobbing up again. It was no use. Any moment now I was going to take a breath.
My heartbeat whooshed in my ears and each thump of my fist against the ice was weaker than the last. I was out of tears. I was out of time.
My lungs were burning and I fought as hard as I could against the inevitable but I’d already lost that fight.
Darkness prickled on the edges of my vision.
And I took a breath.
ORION SPED PAST me in a blur, using his Vampire speed to outrun me. My heart fractured as he darted into the Lunar Leisure building ahead and I poured every last ounce of energy I had into chasing him.
Mocking cheers and cruel laughter rang out from inside and I knew in the depths of my soul, my sister was in serious trouble. I burst through the door and turned down dark corridors before practically falling over my feet as I arrived at the swimming pool.
A crowd of students stood at the far end of the swimming pool which had been turned to ice. Orion dove from the edge of it, casting a torrent of water from his hands which melted the ice before he hit it. He disappeared under the surface and my throat constricted with confusion and terror.
A huge fissure ripped up the middle of the ice and Orion burst from under it, his arm locked around Tory. She looked unconscious – or was it more than that?
My world slowed and dread built in my chest.
No, she's not dead. She can't be dead.
My mind finally kicked into gear again and I ran to the edge of the pool, reaching for Tory as Orion brought her near. I caught her arm as he placed her down on the tiles at the edge and silence fell. The kind of silence that preceded a time of death announcement.
“Tory,” I sobbed, gripping her freezing cold hand, every part of me trembling as I shook her.
Orion knelt beside her, dripping wet as he pressed a hand to her forehead. He shut his eyes and a deep red light glowed from beneath his palm.
I took a shuddering breath.
The room faded around me.
All that mattered was my sister and the magic flowing from Orion's body into hers.
Tory's eyes flew open and she coughed violently, throwing up water as Orion lurched aside just in time to miss it.
I fell onto her, hugging her close and Orion rose to his feet before I could thank him.
I spotted the Heirs walking along the edge of the pool, making a beeline for the exit.
Hatred tore at my insides as I glared at them, shaking from head to toe as I held onto my twin.
“IF A SINGLE PERSON IN THIS ROOM MOVES ANOTHER INCH, YOU WILL BE FACING IMMEDIATE EXPULSION!” Orion bellowed, the whole of the glass roof vi
brating from his ferocious tone.
The Heirs stopped walking, falling silent. Darius scraped a hand down the back of his neck, looking riled for the first time ever. Seth was rubbing against all of them as if trying to soothe them and the sight of my hair poking out of his pocket made me want to scream.
“Face the fucking wall,” Orion commanded in a tone that made my shoulders tense.
I watched through blurry eyes as the Heirs filed into line opposite Orion. I’d never seen him so angry and I wanted him to unleash every drop of his rage on them for what they’d done.
The rest of the crowd grouped closer together on the other side of the pool, seeming uneasy.
I brushed the damp strands of hair from Tory's face and she blinked up at me in a haze.
“Are you alright?” I choked out.
She nodded weakly and I fell forward to embrace her again, relief singing a song in my heart.
She shifted up to sit beside me and her deep green eyes dragged over my hair. Her upper lip peeled back as she hugged her knees to her chest and rested her head against my shoulder.
“I’m sorry, Darcy,” she said in a raspy tone and I locked my arm around her, shaking my head in refusal of her apology.
“You have nothing to be sorry for,” I whispered, my eyes falling on the four Heirs who I hated more viscerally than I'd ever hated anything in my life.
Orion stared at the back of their heads. They looked like they were lined up for a firing squad and I half wished they were.
The crowd of the Heirs' followers started muttering between themselves and some made a bold bid for the exit.
“No one is leaving this room until I hear what happened,” Orion snarled at them and the straying students backed up into their ranks.
Orion prowled toward the Heirs, grasped Seth's hair in his fist and slammed his head against the wall with a loud crack. “Do you have anything to say about what happened to the Vega Twins tonight?” he snarled as Seth let out a hiss of pain between his teeth.
“No, sir,” Seth said in a low voice and I ground my teeth as I shot daggers at him with my eyes.
Orion stepped toward Max beside him, pressing his face into the wall. “How about you. Rigel?”
“No, sir,” Max muttered.
Orion moved to Caleb, leaning in to speak in his ear. “Have you been fucking with your Source, Caleb? You know that goes against the Vampire code and I might just be in the mood to get your fangs ripped out for it.”
Caleb's broad shoulders tensed in anger. “I'm aware of the code, sir. I didn’t do anything to her.”
“Bullshit,” Orion snapped as I stared at one of the monsters who’d tried to kill my sister.
Orion moved to Darius, resting a hand on his shoulder. Darius shrugged it off but Orion wrapped his arm tightly around him, pulling him close. “Are you going to lie to my face too, Darius?”
Darius shook free of him. “Can't lie to your face when I'm facing a wall, can I sir?” His tone was mocking and cold, his posture as rigid as if his spine was made of pure iron.
Orion whipped him around, releasing him in the same moment. He wasn't as rough with him as the others and I half wondered why. Darius was as bad as the rest of them and it made my blood chill to look at his expressionless face.
“One last chance,” Orion said in a low voice just for him. “Explain.”
Darius's eyes slid from his face to Tory, his jaw ticking before he looked back at the Professor. “We want them out. We're just trying to get them out - you know the pressure we’re under. Max found out their fears and well...we brought them to life.” He shrugged and my chest collapsed in on itself. Could they be any more cruel? We didn’t even want their throne and they were still willing to try and break us so we’d leave.
Orion shook his head, his face painted with disappointment. “I thought you of all the Heirs were better than your parents.”
Darius's face contorted as Orion turned his back on him, which I’d gathered was one of the biggest insults he could offer as a Fae.
“Everyone present in this room bar the Vega girls is now in detention with me for a full week. Capella, Altair, Rigel and Acrux, you will take two weeks and you're on a warning. One more stunt like this and I don't care if you're the sons of the stars themselves, you will be expelled from Zodiac.”
“You know what, Orion? Go fuck yourself,” Darius snarled, barging past him and marching straight out of the door.
Orion glared after him but didn't make a move to stop him.
“Detention?” Tory wheezed. “Is that it?”
Orion didn't answer and fury filled me. “How can you let them get away with this?” I demanded.
I noticed Marguerite and some of her vile friends pointing at my hair and giggling under their breath. My skin flushed hot and I turned back to Tory, wishing we could just disappear.
Orion crouched down before us and reached for Tory's hand. “You need more healing.”
“Not here,” she hissed, her eyes whipping to the onlooking crowd. “I just want to go.”
He ignored her, pressing his hand to her shoulder and that strange red glow built beneath his palm once more.
I'd never felt so low, like the wind had ripped holes in the sails of my life and left them in tatters.
But I would fix them.
And I'd rise again.
Just not today.
THE BURNING IN my lungs eased away as Orion’s warm hands pressed against my skin. As I came back to myself, I started shivering, my teeth chattering as I curled my legs up to my chest.
Darcy was holding my hand, her olive eyes wide with concern as she looked at me and a lock of hair not even long enough to reach her chin fell towards me. I frowned at it, reaching out for the jagged ends of her hair and noticing the tear tracks which ran through her makeup.
“Draw on your fire magic,” Orion muttered. “It’ll help warm you up.”
My gaze slid to him for a moment and I shifted away from him a little but he didn’t release me.
“I’m just making sure all of the water is out of your lungs and healing any damage it did,” he explained, his tone oddly flat.
“What happened to you?” I asked Darcy, my voice rasping through my raw throat. Drowning and screaming obviously went hand in hand.
Darcy’s lips parted then closed again and her gaze flicked beyond me. I turned that way and found Seth, Caleb and Max still standing against the wall though they’d turned to look at us now that Orion’s attention was off of them. Their faces were written with displeasure at the turn of events. The only one looking back at me was Caleb. His jaw was tight and his eyes full of secrets that I couldn’t begin to fathom.
My heart leapt with another jolt of fear and I quickly looked away again as Orion released his hold on me. I took a deep breath and found it pain free at last. I knew I should have been thanking him but I couldn’t quite bring myself to say the words. I dragged my knees closer to my body, aiming to cover myself as much as I could and hide my lacy underwear from view to the best of my ability.
I felt small, pathetic, laid bare for all of these assholes and stripped of every cocky, fiery part of me until all that was left was the girl who had never had any parents and always wondered what that kind of love would have felt like.
I was still shivering. Each time I reached for my fire, it slipped away from me again. I couldn’t focus on it. It hadn’t saved me when I’d needed it to. Being powerful hadn’t helped me one bit. But it was the reason for this situation. It was why the Heirs had done this to me. If I didn’t have my magic then they wouldn’t have been interested in me at all.
“Caleb, take off your shirt and give it to Miss Vega,” Orion snapped.
Caleb hesitated a moment before he started to unhook his buttons and I finally found my voice.
“I don’t want anything from him,” I said, my voice low, empty, but certain.
Caleb paused and Orion let out a low growl like this whole thing was a huge pain in the ass. Perhaps
he’d like to be the one trapped underwater next time and see what he thought about accepting charity from the people responsible.
Orion shrugged out of his own jacket and handed it to me instead. Darcy guided my arms through the sleeves and I tugged my wet hair out of the collar as I got to my feet and buttoned it. The dark material swamped me, hanging to my thighs as I wrapped my arms around myself again.
I wanted to lift my chin, throw a scowl at the Heirs and their stupid followers but instead I knew I was doing a good impression of a kicked puppy.
I pursed my lips but failed to drag my gaze up from my toes all the same.
They’d wanted to break me. And maybe they had.
Orion looked at me and Darcy. “I'll walk you back to-”
A high-pitched scream filled with terror punctuated the air from somewhere outside the building and a shiver of fear raced through me.
“What now?” Orion growled as he turned and started jogging towards the exit.
Darcy snatched my arm and dragged me after him, clearly not wanting to get left behind with the Heirs and their fan club.
I forced my numb feet into motion, passing Caleb and the others without looking at them again.
Darcy yanked me into a run and I followed her lead as we caught up to Orion just before he reached the double doors which led out of the building.
There was more screaming now, people yelling for help and crying out.
Orion didn’t slow, shoving the doors open and heading out into the night.
A huge crowd had gathered close to The Orb and beyond them, a flickering orange light reflected off of the shimmering gold wall of the building.
“Move aside!” Orion commanded and the crowd parted like a tide to admit him.
Darcy kept us right on his heels as we carved through the press of bodies. Everyone was twitchy, people were still crying out and the occasional scream cut the air apart.
“Who is it?” a boy muttered to my right.
“Do you think it was a Nymph?” a girl whispered fearfully.
Zodiac Academy: The Awakening: An Academy Bullymance (Supernatural Bullies and Beasts Book 1) Page 36
