Light of Equality (Hawthorn Academy Book 5)

by D. R. Perry

  "I did for everybody else in our year. Last time I checked, you're still one of us." She shook her head. "Or maybe Aliyah wants to open hers next."

  I peered at the rack. Sure enough, two garment bags still hung there. I reached out for the more voluminous one, figuring it had a dress inside instead of a suit. And I was right.

  Last year I'd worn something from a mundane shop in Salem, and on Valentine’s Day, Bubbe had lent me something magical from her days at Hawthorn. Both of them reminded me more of my fire magic than anything else. Grace had gone the other way with her creation for me.

  As I unzipped the bag, hues of gold and pale yellow met my eyes. I'd never worn anything this shiny or light before, and it matched Great-Uncle Noah's necklace because the gold fabric had a sort of red iridescence to it as I tilted the dress on its hanger.

  "You've really outdone yourself with this one, Grace." I took it from the rack and held it up under my chin.

  "Whoa." Dylan dropped his pen. “You leveled up in sewing, Grace.”

  "So, are you going to open yours?" Grace tapped her foot. "It's almost lights out."

  "I guess." Dylan paced across the room, stopping almost too short of the rack. But his arms made the distance. He snatched the garment bag off it, then went back across the room to stand in front of the mirror on his wardrobe.

  Dylan's suit was off-white, bluish instead of beige. Like my dress, it was made from a fabric that changed color depending on how the light hit it. Pale blue flashed in the light, but on his suit, it made a pattern like clouds, or maybe white dunes. I couldn't quite decipher what she meant with the color choices. Everyone else's had something to do with their magical elements, but Dylan's didn't entirely remind me of air.

  Does she know he's an extramagus? What's the latest news on that, anyway? He hardly seems like he's gotten help.

  I didn't say anything. He’d scheduled that meeting with Professor DeBeer weeks ago, but there hadn't been an announcement or any other information publicly outing him like they had for me. Then again, I didn't know the standard school procedure for voluntarily reporting extramagi. I certainly hadn't followed it last year.

  I wasn't in his class and had no idea what might have changed in there, but life on campus seemed harder for him instead of easier, as he'd hoped the day he’d told me about the ice magic. He had no obligation to include me, but it still didn't sit well. Izzy would definitely have flipped cards at that point, but she wasn't there, and I had no way to contact her until after Parents’ Night.

  Maybe the style choices did make sense without the extra information. Art was objective, so perhaps Grace's interpretation of air wasn't the same as mine. We were from different countries and cultures. Surely that explained it.

  Or maybe not. Maybe your "good friend" Grace isn't what she seems.

  I rolled my eyes at the Evil Inside Voice, but nobody noticed. They were all too caught up in the drama of Grace giving her ex-boyfriend attire for a dance she'd be attending with somebody else. I couldn't blame them.

  As we walked back toward our rooms, Faith and Grace chattered about selecting makeup and jewelry after class during the week. I nodded, smiled, and contributed my opinions, but the strange encounter with Dylan stayed on my mind for most of the week, which made me feel like a bad friend. I should've paid more attention to Logan.

  Chapter Six

  We had Bishop's Row tryouts the week before Parents’ Night, too. I had so much on my mind, it felt like I was on autopilot through the exercises and trials. On Friday when I walked into the gym to read the list, I was shocked to find myself on the team playing mid with Dylan. Faith was on reserves with Lee. Noah stood at the board, smiling at the list.

  "Alex didn't make it?" I blinked, taking a step back and bumping into someone behind me. We went down in a tangle of limbs on the floor, and when I partially recovered, I realized it was Faith.

  "It's a good thing, too. Neither of us wants to be on any kind of Team Alex. He sucks."

  "Not even all that well, according to rumor." Noah reached down, giving Faith a hand up. He left me on the floor, which I expected.

  "Gross, Noah. So, are we talking again?" I stood up and straightened my blazer, crossing my arms over my chest. "We're both on the team."

  "Only about Bishop’s Row." Noah rolled his eyes.

  "Fine." I dropped my arms to my sides and peered at the rest of the list. "But no more squicky locker room talk, okay?"

  "Whatever. I'm surprised Grace isn't on here." Noah tapped the paper, which listed him as first defense. "She's better than you."

  "Grace told Coach Pickman she didn't want to be on the team." I flipped a lock of hair over my shoulder. "Something about letting Dylan do what he's best at, and they still can’t get along."

  "They're exes, so things are going to be awkward." Noah rolled his eyes, then turned and began to saunter away. "Anyway, see you at practice, kids."

  "Is he always like this?" Faith shook her head. "I wish they'd hurry up and chill out. Tempe's been way too quiet this month, and I don't like it. We'll want all hands on deck before extramurals."

  "Agreed." I nodded. "Have you talked to him? I know you and Grace spent a lot of time together, but Dylan…well, you saw him with the suit. I'm not sure when he's going to get over it."

  "Maybe Hal can ask." She sighed. "Not everyone gets past stuff by talking. I think he needs an outlet, like that open mic night but bigger. The extramural talent show might be the ticket, but it’s months out."

  "You're probably right." I sighed. "He mentioned practicing with Elanor once but never again after that. If only I knew someone else who was into performance art."

  "You do." Faith's grin twisted into the shape I recognized is ironic. "But he's only agreed to talk about sports."

  "Crap on a crap cracker." I closed my eyes. "Leave it to you to remind me about my own brother's passion for music."

  "Well, it can't hurt to ask Elanor about Dylan." Faith tilted her head, her grin softening. "And you've got every excuse to meet with her, considering she's our team captain. I’ll work on Noah."

  That was the plan, but since Parents’ Night loomed on the horizon the very next day, we didn't get a chance to have our chats before the big event.

  Elanor was right. Her parents spent the entire school tour snubbing Logan in favor of her, so Bubbe let Logan escort her around, showing her the second-year set up in the lab, including the row of plants he had growing in the window there. Elanor hadn't brought Benny the philodendron, but Professor Luciano had gotten him a clipping from somewhere, along with rarer seeds, and encouraged him to turn the lab's window into a greenhouse. His entire face lit up, showing that off.

  In Creatives, Grace beckoned us all over. She and Logan spent over ten minutes showing my grandmother the outfit sketches they'd designed together for Hawthorn Academy's cheer squad. They weren't as flashy as Cadence’s at Gallows Hill, but the getups were stylish and flattering.

  "What are you working on, Aliyah?" Dad asked.

  "Mostly pottery, but here's something I'm carving from wood. Lee's giving me tips." I opened the cabinet where I stored my projects, producing the oblong chunk of wood I'd been working with. "It's really nothing much."

  "I think I see it." Dad nodded sagely, taking the piece of wood for my hands. "There's the head, right? Is this Ember?"

  "No, Dad, it's Gale." The clueless expression on his face prompted me to add more. "Dylan's dragonet. You know, my friend, the air magus?"

  "Ah, yes. How's he been?"

  "You ought to ask him yourself. His parents didn't show up again, and he's way more upset about it than he was last year."

  Dad craned his neck, scanning the room. Once he spotted Dylan, he waved and smiled, then made a beeline toward the table where he sat with the guitar the library had loaned him long-term.

  "It's nice of your parents, making rounds like that." Faith sniffed behind me.

  I turned to see her dabbing the corner of one eye, then removing her han
d in a flash before smudging her eye makeup. She blinked a few times, trying to let her expression fall back into resting neutral face without much success.

  "Maybe because my mom had a hard time when she was here."

  "You don't have to rub it in, Aliyah." She sniffed again, the redness of stifled tears fading from the tip of her nose.

  "I'm not, and I'm sorry if it seemed that way." I wrung my hands, frustrated and unable to comfort her. "Anyway, where's Hal?"

  "In the infirmary. With his father."

  "Okay, then." I nodded, then offered her my arm. "Let's go find our critters and get ready for dancing."

  "Together?" She blinked.

  "Of course."

  "You must have more important things to do."

  "Friendship's important, so let's go." I grinned.

  She gave me a lopsided one back, and we sauntered across the room. Faith might've showboated a bit, and I couldn't blame her. Her parents glanced up from where they sat with Temperance, examining some jewelry she'd made. They promptly turned their noses in the air and looked away. I understood how Faith might feel, even though my experience in being snubbed by family was limited to Noah. Dealing with one aloof brother had to be easier on the heart than an entire household.

  When we found Ember and Seth, they'd been hanging around together. But Ember had dozed off, leaving Seth to prance back and forth in front of her whining, the nails on his paws clicking on the floor.

  "Oh, Seth, honestly." Faith gave her familiar a soft smile. "Where do you get all your energy?"

  I knew better than to try rousing Ember, so I scooped her up to drape her over my shoulders. She curled more tightly around them in her sleep, a habit she'd gotten into since this strange lethargic growth spurt had started.

  "When will she get back to her lively self?" Faith raised an eyebrow.

  "Bubbe says by November, most likely." I shrugged. "I miss her peeping at everything, but in a way, I'm glad she's been this drowsy while Mercy makes all the mischief."

  We glanced across the room, spotting Dorian and his folks. They cooed over every little thing that had his name on it. He didn't bother introducing them to Grace, either. For her part, she kept her distance, and I hardly blamed her. She wasn't comfortable around parental figures on a good day, and she couldn't be happy about the lack of introductions. She seemed suspicious of how much Dorian's doted on him.

  "Such a shame how his older sister died," Faith murmured.

  "Really?" My footsteps paused. "I had no idea."

  "I'm surprised, with the way you carried on last year about Providence Paranormal."

  "I don't remember any ice magi in their pack."

  "His sister was precognitive. Remember, he said they're all psychics in his family except for him. Anyway, her name was Cassandra, and she wasn't part of that aluminum foil group anyway."

  "Tinfoil. And I remember now. She's the one the mob boss abducted." I winced. "How did you know?"

  "Hal read his entrance essay, of course."

  "Oh." I shook my head. "You know, I almost forgot he did that with all of us last year."

  "A good thing, too. Everything might have gone sideways if he hadn't."

  "Good point." I sighed. "And thanks for telling me about Dorian. The last thing I want to do is accidentally upset him by blathering on about my uncle."

  "Don't mention it. It's all just part of our mutual crown-straightening society." Faith grinned.

  Like last year, we made an entrance for the dance on Parents’ Night in one big group. Hailey and Bailey even joined us this time, as well as Kitty and Eston, who hadn't before. Hailey had a surprise guest: Arick Magnuson.

  "Temperance won't treat you kindly for this." Faith raised her eyebrow, looking at the shirt and tie he'd matched with his school blazer. "Honestly, asking someone in our year to the dance was a bad idea, Magnuson."

  "He doesn't care, Faith." Hailey rolled her eyes. "Anyway, I asked him."

  "Right." Arick nodded, smiling at Hailey. Skinner stuck his head out of Arick's pocket, crossing his eyes and sticking his tongue out.

  "Whatever floats your boat, I guess." Faith said, clasping Hal's hand.

  "First floor," Dorian called at the stairs.

  A crowd of parents watched as the staircase moved us down. Expressions ranged from smiles to snorts of disdain, though most were neutral, which made sense. The majority of the parental figures here had nothing to do with us, after all.

  Somehow, we were the first students down the stairs. We hadn't planned on that. In fact, Logan had wanted to avoid it. Without Elanor to run interference, his parents made a beeline for us. I escorted him toward my family, hoping the conflicting attitudes would cancel each other out, but of course, we got intercepted.

  The Pierce boy can't avoid his family forever. You should know better.

  "Good evening Mrs. Pierce." I put on my best smile, ignoring the Evil Inside Voice while extending my hand toward Logan's baffling mother. I'd had no interaction with her besides the strange video call at the beginning of summer. Her attitude and behavior had only confused me since then.

  "You clean up more nicely than I expected, Miss Morgenstern." She tilted her head, giving me a once-over. "If only your parents would discipline you properly."

  "I suppose the fact that I'm on probation isn't ideal. To you, anyway." I shrugged, allowing the Evil Inside Voice to come out for once. I figured its sass might counter her backhanded compliments better than I could on my own.

  "Perhaps you'll be expelled, and my son can find more appropriate company to keep."

  "You mean, like me?" Dylan sauntered over, hands in his pockets. Gale stood on his shoulder, glaring daggers at Mrs. Pierce.

  "Ah, yes, the work-study kid." She sniffed. "Are you employed under the table somehow this year? It's the only way I can imagine you'd afford an outfit like that."

  "Actually, our extremely talented classmate Grace Dubois spent the summer making attire for everyone in our year." I grinned, letting Logan raise his arm to turn me in a slow spin, the better to show off Grace's creation.

  "Peep!" Ember swooped down from wherever she'd been stretching her wings, making as if to divebomb Mrs. Pierce before banking abruptly and landing on Logan's shoulder. She rubbed cheeks with him, then hopped over to perch on me.

  "So, this is Logan's mother." The familiar voice came from behind me.

  "Izzy?" I turned my head to find my psychic friend on the arm of Lee Young, which I would never have expected because Izzy shunned romance like some people avoid musical theater. Maybe she’d come with Lee platonically like I had with Logan. He’d mentioned bringing a friend, not a date.

  "Hi." She smiled, but it didn't touch her eyes. I recognized that look. Mrs. Pierce was about to hear some inconvenient truths.

  "Izzy, don't."

  "Sorry, not sorry." Izzy reached into her beaded cross-body bag and pulled out one of her well-worn tarot cards. She held it up with the back to Mrs. Pierce, snorting before she flipped it around for everyone to see. "Ten of Pentacles reversed. Inauspicious to the max."

  "I know what it means, you little charlatan." Mrs. Pierce narrowed her eyes. "I'm in total control of my life and need none of your nonsense."

  "I flipped it for Logan." Izzy held her head high, basking in the disdainful gaze. "And thanks to you, he's not."

  "This is the reason I didn't want him returning to Hawthorn Academy this year." Mrs. Pierce shook her head. "And why he'll be leaving with me at the end of the evening."

  "I'm not going, Mom." Logan planted his feet, clinging to my arm. "I'm staying in school."

  "Good luck staying on this campus all year." She stifled what I suspected was a fake yawn. "The moment you step off it, you're coming home."

  "This is Massachusetts." The hand he had on my arm went clammy and cold. His voice cracked, but he managed one more defiant statement. "I know my rights."

  "Then you'll spend the rest of this year here, languishing with misfits and miscreants. But we'r
e not paying your tuition next year." Her smile reminded me of a steel trap. "You'll have to drop out."

  "I can't believe what I'm hearing." Professor Luciano stunned us all by stepping forward. He snapped his fingers, and his strix familiar took off from his shoulder, silently gliding away. "My best student will have all the help he needs to complete his education. His GPA alone qualifies him for a scholarship I manage, to say nothing of all the volunteer tutoring he's been doing."

  "My son will fail academically at some point. His grades always drop out, and eventually, so will he." She sniffed. "If he thinks otherwise, he must be as mad as that extramagus on his arm."

  "If you can't discontinue abusing my students, I will ask Headmaster Hawkins to have you removed from campus."

  "That's outrageous." Her smile reminded me of a barracuda’s, but the figure that suddenly appeared beside her was a much bigger fish. "My husband’s on the Board of Trustees."

  "But you aren't." The headmaster approached. "Tone it down, or you'll be asked to leave campus for the remainder of the evening."

  Her eyes widened, and her hands opened and closed rapidly. She said no more, just turned on her heel and marched back toward the stairs, where she waited for Elanor to descend. The headmaster nodded at Professor Luciano, then headed toward Hal.

  "You shouldn't have challenged her, Professor." Logan stared at his shoes. "She'll find a way to get back at you, and you have enough to worry about."

  "Nothing's more important than my students." Professor Luciano reached out, patting Logan's shoulder.

  "What about your family?" Logan finally looked up, eyes too shiny.

  "I’m an old man, Logan, and I never married. You students are the closest thing I’ve had to family in ages."

  I noticed that the scene Mrs. Pierce had made had managed a feat Grace might not have achieved on her own that evening. It had distracted all the guests from Temperance's entrance with the other first-years. Elanor didn’t make much of a spectacle on her way down the stairs, but that was clearly intentional.