by Bailey, G.
There is a little river in the middle with planted flowers and trees all surrounding it. It’s peaceful, exactly why my sister chose this university, I suspect. She always likes seeing the beauty in life, where I am always looking for a way to fix the world instead. I wish we had other family around that could tell us about what our parents were like, who each of us follow, or if we are just random in the family line of personalities. We don’t even know if our parents had any close friends. There is nothing much in our foster pack given to grandma from social services. Bethany and I talked about going to the village we lived in to ask around, but neither of us ever found the time.
“Anastasia, right?” a guy asks, slowing down to walk at my side. He has messy brown hair, blue eyes, and a big rucksack on his back.
“Yep, who are you?” I ask.
“Don. Nice to meet you,” he replies, offering me a hand to shake with a big grin. I shake his hand before looking up at the massive archway we are walking through to get inside of the building. It is two smooth pillars meeting together in the middle. There are old gargoyle statues lining the archway, their creepy eyes staring down at me. Those statues always creep me out. Bethany thinks it’s funny, so last Christmas, she got me gargoyle romance books as a joke. Jokes on her though; some of those books were damn good. I quickly look away, back to where we are walking, as Don starts talking again.
“I’ve heard there is a party tonight to welcome freshers. Are you going?” he asks me, his arm annoyingly brushing against mine with how closely he has decided to walk. I glance up at him to see his gaze is firmly focused on my breasts rather than my face.
“No. I need to unpack,” I curtly reply.
“Can’t it wait one night?” he asks, and I look over at him once again. He is gorgeous, but the whiney attitude about a party is a big turn off. “I will make sure you have fun.”
“No. It can’t wait, and I doubt anything you could do would make the party fun for me,” I say honestly, and not shockingly, he nods before catching up with the two blonde girls in the group, trying his pickup techniques on them. Men.
Bethany says I’m picky, but actually, it’s just because the general male population at my age are idiots and act like kids most of the time too. I don’t see how anyone could want to date them, though Bethany is on her twelfth boyfriend since she came to college, so I know she doesn’t share my opinion. She swears she will know when the right guy comes along, and it will be the same for me. I doubt it. Anyway, finding the “right” guy is not the most important thing at the moment; passing college and getting my nursing degree is.
“This is the oldest part of the university and where most the lessons are. In the welcome packs sent to your old homes were the links to an app which is a map. It will help you find your lessons,” the tour guide explains before opening a door out of the old corridor and into another one which is more modern. There are white-tiled floors, lockers lining the walls, and spotlights in the ceiling that shine so brightly everything gleams. “Every student gets a locker here, which is perfect for storing books and anything you don’t need for every class. Trust me, you will get a lot of books, so the lockers are a godsend.”
We walk down the corridor, listening to the guide explain the history of the university when suddenly there is a burning feeling in my hand that comes out of nowhere. I scream, dropping to my knees as I grab my hand, trying to stop the incredible pain. I rub at my pale skin as it burns hot, yet there is nothing there to see. The pain gets worse until I can’t see or hear anything for a moment, and I fall back. When I blink my eyes open, I’m lying on the cold floor, hearing the chatter of students near me. No one is helping me, oddly enough, and they sound like they are far away. Every part of my body hurts, aches like I’ve been running a marathon.
“She’s a familiar. Has anyone called the police?” one person asks as I stare up at the flickering spotlight right above me.
“We should leave; she could hurt us. Who knows where her creature is!” another man harshly whispers. I lift my hand above my face almost in slow motion. My eyes widen in pure shock at the huge, glowing, purple wolf tattoo covering the back of my hand where it burned. It stops at my wrist, the wolf’s fur extending halfway up my fingers and thumb. The eyes of the wolf tattoo glow the brightest as I realise what this means.
“I’m a familiar.”
Time to run before it is too late.
As soon as I’ve said it out loud, it feels like I can’t breathe as I sit up and look around at the people staring at me. The group I was with are huddled by the lockers a good distance away from me now, and I turn to see more people have shown up, a few of them on their phones. All of them are scared, worried what I will do as they keep their eyes on me. They are going to call the police and have me taken away because of this. I have to get to Bethany first. I have to at least say goodbye to her before they come for me and take me some place where I may never see her again.
I quickly scramble to my feet and run down the corridor, passing everyone who shouts for me to stop, until I get to the door at the end. I push it open, running through the arch and into the empty clearing. Stopping by the river, I look up and quickly try to remember how to get to the dorms. Shit, I don’t even know what room she is in. I pull my handbag off my shoulder to get my phone out just as I hear a low growl from right behind me.
I slowly drop my bag onto the floor and turn around, seeing a giant wolf inches away from my face. The wolf is taller than I am; its head is leant down so I can see into its stunning blue eyes. They remind me of my own eyes, to be honest, with little swirls of black, light and dark blues, all mixed together. My body and mind seem to relax as I stare at the creature, one which I should be terrified of…but I am not. I feel myself moving my hand up, and then the wolf growls a little, shaking me out of that thought.
I step back, which only seems to piss her or him off more. Some deep part of me knows I have to touch the wolf now, or I will always regret it. I take a deep breath before stepping closer and quickly placing my hand on the middle of the wolf’s forehead. I didn’t notice it was my hand with the familiar mark on it until this point, until it glows so brightly purple that I have to turn my head away. When the light dims, I look back to see the black wolf staring at me as I lower my hand.
“Your name is Shadow,” I say out loud, though I don’t have a clue how I know that, but I know it is true. Shadow bows his head before lying on the ground in front of me. He is my familiar. That’s how I know. That’s why I am not scared of the enormous wolf like I should be. I have a gigantic wolf for my familiar. Holy crap. It takes me a few seconds to pull my gaze from Shadow and remember what I was going to do. Find my sister, that’s what.
“We need to find my sister…can you help me? Like smell her, maybe? She smells like me,” I ask Shadow and then realise I have no clue if he can understand me. Shadow looks up, tilting his head to the side before stretching out, knocking his head into my stomach. I step back, sighing. “Never mind.”
Shadow growls at me, and I give him a questioning look. What is up with the growling? I thought familiar animals were meant to be familiars’ best friends or something. I really get the feeling Shadow isn’t all that impressed with me. He shakes his giant head before walking around me and slowly running off in the direction of the other building.
“Wait up!” I have to run fast to catch up with him as he gets to the front of the university, people moving fast out of his way and some even screaming. I don’t even blame them. A giant black wolf running towards you is not something you see every day. I run faster, getting to Shadow’s side as we round a corner, and I hear Bethany’s laugh just before I see her sat on a bench with a guy. They both turn with wide, scared eyes to us, and the guy falls back off the bench before running away.
The sounds of people’s screaming, shouting and general fear drift into nothing but silence as I meet my sister’s eyes as she stands up. A tear streams down her cheek, saying everything neither one of us can speak. I w
ill be made to leave her, and I have no idea when—if ever—I will get to see her again. Bethany is the first to move, running to me and wrapping her arms around my shoulders. She doesn’t even look at Shadow; she doesn’t fear me either, which is a huge relief. I hug her back, trying to commit every part of her to my memory as I try not to cry. I have to be strong. If I break down now, Bethany will never be able to cope. I pull back as I hear sirens in the background and know my time here is coming to an end.
“I will find a way back to you. I will never stop until I do. Just look after yourself and Phoebe. Promise me?” I ask Bethany, holding my hands on her shoulders as she sobs.
“I promise. If anyone can work out a way around the rules, it’s you. I love you, sis,” she says, crying her eyes out between each word. I hug her once more before stepping back to Shadow’s side, away from my sister and my old life. “Be safe.”
“Go. Just go, I don’t want you to see me arrested or how nasty the police are to familiars. The YouTube videos are enough,” I say, but Bethany shakes her head, wiping her cheeks and crossing her arms. I’ve accidently seen enough videos online to know that the police, the government and the general population are not nice to new familiars. That’s why they are taken straight away. I’m not going to fight or try to run like some familiars do. I doubt I would get far with Shadow at my side.
“I am staying until they take you. You will not be alone,” she says as I hear shouting and the sounds of dozens of feet running towards us. I gasp as I feel a sharp prick in the side of my neck, and Bethany screams. Shadow growls, which turns into a howl as I try to reach for him as he falls to the ground at my side. The world turns to blackness, and the last thing I hear is Bethany’s pleas for someone to leave me alone.
New life. New world.
I cough as I wake up, my throat feeling dry and scratchy as I look up at the wood ceiling above me. The smell of fire and smoke fills my nose, making me lift my hand to rub it as I sit up. A red blanket falls to my lap as I look around the cabin I am in. Shadow is lying on the floor near a window, his eyes watching me closely, and the rest of the room is just a row of beds like the one I am in. There is a fireplace on the far wall, where the smell of burning wood is coming from. I look out the window Shadow is lying under, seeing frost covered trees. It wasn’t frosty in Liverpool the last time I checked. Where have they taken me? Surely, I haven’t slept the entire way to the Familiar Empire…but the evidence is looking like that is likely.
I slip my legs out of the bed, seeing that I’m still wearing the clothes from my first day at university, but they are wrinkled now, and the jeans are dirty with mud. There is a glass of water on the bedside unit and a little note. I pick the water up and take a sip before drinking it all quickly once I realise how thirsty I am. I put the glass down and pick up the note, hastily reading it.
Welcome to your new home, the Familiar Empire.
The door by the fireplace leads to a bathroom, and a spare outfit is in there for you from your suitcase. Clean up and come outside. R.
I put the note back down and stare over at Shadow, remembering Bethany’s pleas before the police—I presume—knocked me out. There is no going back now. I’m a familiar, and my life as I knew it is over. Grandma Pops always said you have to make the best of a bad situation because giving up is not an option. That is what I am going to do. I can fix this…somehow. I slide off the bed, walking past Shadow, who watches my every movement before getting to the door near the fireplace. I push it and walk inside, closing the door behind me.
The bathroom smells of bleach, but I guess that means it’s clean at least. It’s colder in here, and its basic design is something you would see in any hotel. There is a shower, towels on a shelf nearby, and a standard toilet and sink. I quickly use the toilet before washing my hands and looking around for the clothes. On a wooden laundry box in the corner is a pile of clothes, as the note mentioned. I pick them up, seeing ripped jeans and a blue jumper. This is one of my favourite jumpers, so I’m glad they picked that, especially considering the frost covered trees outside. I mentally catalogue all the clothes I have in my suitcase and know that not a lot of them are suitable for cold weather. I had saved up money for college, and there was little else left. Plus, Bethany assured me she had winter clothes I could borrow. Dammit. There is also a pink bra and matching knickers under the pile. I don’t want to know who went through my suitcase and picked these; I can only hope it was a girl. By the simple fact they are a matching set, I’m willing to bet it was.
I put the clothes back and carefully pull off my dirt covered clothes. I leave them all in a pile by the sink, and as I glance up, I see my reflection in the small mirror. My hair is messy, sticking in all directions, and my skin is pale. There are big bags under my eyes, even though I’ve clearly slept for a long time, and my blue eyes now only remind me of Shadow and how similar they are.
I grip the sink, looking down and breathing in deep breaths. I’m a familiar. I wish I had learnt more about their kind growing up, but I never suspected I would be one of them. Only 0.003 percent of the entire human race are. What are the chances I would be one of them? I breathe in and shake my head once again. I know I need to shower and face the world I am now a part of. I only have to make my shaky legs move first.
It takes a few seconds before I can let go of the sink and walk the few steps to the shower. I step back as I switch it on, knowing there is a good chance cold water is going to come out first. Knowing me, I’d end up jumping back and knocking myself out somehow. I put my hand out and test the water, waiting for it to go warm before finally stepping in. Resting my head under the warm water, I let it soothe me before opening my eyes, seeing hotel-like little bottles on a shelf in front of me. I’m curious about this place, so I quickly wash my hair and myself before getting out the shower.
Lacking a hair dryer and my brush, I towel dry my hair as much as possible before running my fingers through it. It feels good to pull my clean clothes on, and I fold the towels up, not wanting to leave a mess. Going back to the mirror, I glance at myself one more time, knowing I need to walk out of here with my head lifted high. I’m Anastasia Noble, and I am familiar. The more I repeat it, the more it sinks in. This is my life now.
Welcome to the Familiar Empire.
I walk back into the bedroom and see my purple Skechers shoes in front of the fireplace, which I didn’t notice before, and I’m thankful they haven’t gotten lost. They are limited edition, and I worked paper rounds for five weeks to buy them. I slide them on before walking to Shadow, who is still sleeping by the window. He somehow makes the hard wooden floors look comfy. He lifts his head off the floor, waiting for me to say something, I think.
“I’m guessing you think it is safe here. You seem relaxed?” I mutter, crouching down and placing my hand on his head, stroking him, this time using my hand that doesn’t have the mark on it. He makes this grumbling noise and turns his head to the left a little. I move my hand to the left, sliding behind his ear, and he lets out a contented noise as I scratch behind his ear. “So that’s the spot, huh?” I chuckle at the near purring noise he makes. Almost sounds like a cat, but I doubt telling Shadow that is the best idea. I let myself relax for a moment before the burning curiosity makes me look to the closed front door. I can’t hide in here forever.
“Are you coming outside with me?” I ask Shadow, who stretches his legs out and stands up as I step back. I’m taking that as a yes. I walk around him to the door, feeling him right behind me as I pull the door open. The outside is quieter than I expected. There are rows of massive trees, covered in frost, and my breath comes out like smoke as I wrap my arms around myself. I walk down the three wooden steps, searching around in the trees for any sign of life. I step to the side as Shadow nudges me from behind before jumping down.
“Anastasia Noble, right?” a woman says from my left, and I turn to see a woman, about twenty, with curly red hair and a thick black coat and boots on, walking towards me. She is beautiful,
and I notice the ends of her hair are more a faded orange colour when she gets closer.
“Yeah, are you R?” I ask as she gets to me and offers me a hand to shake. I see the familiar mark on her hand first. It’s a phoenix. I shake her hand, and she holds on tightly, turning my hand over to look at my mark. This woman’s mark is much smaller than mine, only taking up a little spot in the middle of the back of her hand, nothing like my large one. Hers is glowing red, unlike mine which is purple.
“Yes, I am R, though most people call me Raine. That is one hell of a familiar mark. You will have some serious power,” she says with a low whistle, and I pull my hand away. Raine looks away from me to Shadow, her eyes widening and her mouth parting open.
“An ancient familiar! The rumours are true,” she mutters.
“What’s an ancient familiar?” I ask her.
“All familiar animals have their own power. The ancients are the most powerful and haven’t been seen in years. In the last three years, there have been three other ancients, and word is they are coming back for a reason,” she says, but it still doesn’t make much sense.
“What reason?” I ask her, and she pauses, looking around herself for a moment before opening her mouth to speak before a man cuts her off.
“Enough. I told you to bring the new familiar to my office, not tell her fairy tales outside in the cold,” he angrily grumbles, and Raine rolls her eyes before turning around. I look around her to see a man stood still with his arms crossed over his thick leather jacket. His grey hair is long, tied at the back of his head. I look for his familiar mark, but the way his arms are crossed hides his hands from me.
