We moved forward at even slower than a snail’s pace. I was pretty sure even a slime could have chased and digested us by now.
The night sky was full of stars and a half-full moon that gave off enough light for us to see across the field, but there were also special lights that let us see even more without taking away from the stars and moon.
“When’s dinner?” Tsukiko asked.
Frances reached into her bag and pulled out a granola bar, handing it over to Tsukiko who immediately devoured it. Wolves had huge appetites that made them snack constantly. We’d learned to keep snacks on hand for our friend or she got a little testy.
“I think dinner is around midnight,” I answered.
“That’s so far away,” she groaned around a mouthful of granola and chocolate chips.
We took another step forward.
“At this rate, we won’t even make it to any of our classes,” Frances said with a sigh.
“I’d be okay with that,” I replied.
Looking around at the other students, I saw most grumbling to each other as well.
I started to turn around when I saw a handsome jawline and a prominent nose. Bogden. He was mostly human looking, except for his yellow eyes with a slit similar to a cat's. I tried to blame it on being a reaper, and having a love of cats who were half in and half out of this world, but it was more than that. Bogden was kind and would stop to help another student pick up dropped papers, even if it meant he was late to his class and got in trouble.
He was also completely out of my league, and my dad hated immortals, so, just like my idiot friends, I was also crushing on an unobtainable man.
No, I wasn’t crushing. I was just admiring. I could admire from afar. And I totally never thought about kissing him.
Almost never.
Rarely.
Not often.
Okay, daily.
“So, we’ve now confirmed that all three of us are hopeless?” Tsukiko asked with a knowing smirk.
I turned back around and lifted my nose. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m just looking around. I’m allowed to look.”
“Yeah, but that blush on your cheeks says you were doing more than looking,” Frances said and poked my cheek.
I smacked her hand away. “Reapers do not blush.”
Both of my friends rolled their eyes at me.
“Jerks,” I muttered.
“Just admit it,” Frances said.
“Nope,” I replied and crossed my arms.
“Okay, but he’s about to come over here,” Tsukiko said.
I spun, eyes wide, to find out she was a liar.
I hissed at her. “You’re such a brat.”
She doubled over in laughter, and Frances joined her.
I rolled my eyes. “Whatever.”
Another step forward.
“Won’t the doc be asleep?” I asked Frances.
She shook her head. “She rarely sleeps.”
The doctor was so weird. It wasn’t just that she was immortal, but that she was definitely insane. It made her a great evil scientist, but super kooky.
After what seemed like hours, we made it to the front and got our schedules.
We shuffled off to the side to compare our classes and the three of us looked up with wide smiles.
We were in all of the same classes together.
“I owe your dad a batch of my famous chocolate chip and stardust cookies,” Frances said.
“Only if you make a batch for us, too,” Tsukiko said immediately.
I nodded my agreement. Her cookies were the best.
We looked down at our watches, and Tsukiko said in a super chipper voice, “Dinner time!”
She skipped off in front of us, her tail high and ears perked.
“I’m pretty hungry, too,” I admitted.
Frances nodded. “Yep. Same.”
We jogged to catch up to Tsukiko, locked arms, and hurried to the cafeteria.
There was already a long line of students waiting to get food, which made Tsukiko whine and her tail droop.
“At least we are here ahead of all those other students who still have to get their schedules,” I said to try to cheer her up.
“Yeah, I’m sure we will get the best food,” Frances added.
“You think they’ll have dessert?” I asked.
Frances shook her head with a smirk. “You’re such a sugar addict.”
“I’m not an addict. I can stop after one more cookie,” I said and pouted.
“You’re going to get fat if you don’t stop eating all that sugar,” Frances said.
I glared at her. “Just because you and Tsukiko don’t gain weight no matter what you eat.”
“Don’t be mad at us,” Tsukiko said, tossing one of her braids over her shoulder.
“Any idea what the meal options are like here?” I asked and looked around the room to try to see what those already eating had on their plates.
Tsukiko tilted her head as she raised her nose in the air and inhaled. “There are too many smells for me to differentiate. So, hopefully, that means there are several options.”
With so many different species in one place, I assumed there would be lots of options, but that didn’t necessarily mean that there were several options for those like me who ate more human-like food.
“Hey, what are you girls up to after classes?” Bogden asked behind me.
I tensed, my heart pounding fast in my chest, and a bit of my dark magic seeped out of my fingers before I shoved them in my pockets.
“We aren’t sure yet,” Frances said, glancing at me for a moment before smiling at Bogden. “Why?”
He walked around me so I could see him and said, “A few of us are planning on having a get together tonight.” He looked around to make sure no adults were near. “Just some light fun, of course.”
“Where?” Frances asked. “Maybe we can stop by.”
Bogden held out a folded up piece of paper to me with a smile. “We’ll start at five. I hope to see you there.” He glanced at Frances and Tsukiko. “All three of you.”
I swallowed and took the paper, basically snatching it from him so he wouldn’t see the black smoke leaking from my hand. “Thanks,” I breathed.
He smiled and walked away.
I slouched forward, my body feeling exhausted after having been tense for so long.
Tsukiko patted my back. “If it makes you feel better, you only looked slightly terrified when facing him.”
I groaned softly and put my head in my hands. “Crap.”
Frances took the note from my hand and read it. “You guys want to make an appearance?”
Tsukiko shrugged. “Why not? It should be fun.”
I shrugged, too. “Sure.”
Tsukiko smirked. “Don’t act like you aren’t dying to see as much of Bogden as you can.”
“Oh, I want to see him as much as I can, but I don’t want to see all the girls that will be hanging off of him tonight,” I whispered.
Frances narrowed her eyes. “Yeah, I’m not sure I can control my anger.”
“You’ll have to,” Tsukiko said. “Because we are going.”
“Are you going to be able to suppress your jealousy when girls flirt with Rathik?” I asked and folded my arms across my chest.
She growled. “They won’t.” Her ears flattened to her head and her tail twitched behind her.
I arched a brow as she had just proven my point for me.
“Whatever, let’s just get some food and worry about what club we’re going to choose,” Tsukiko snapped and spun away from us.
Frances and I smiled at each other.
Tonight was going to be very interesting.
Three
TSUKIKO
Dinner was so good that I went back for thirds. First, I’d had meat and potatoes. Then, I’d had some weird slimy concoction that tasted amazing. Last, I had tried a meatloaf that was several types of meats mixed together. Whatever it was, it was
delicious.
I patted my full belly as I followed my best friends towards our fifth period, Monsterology.
Monsterology was super frustrating because they required us to learn about each type of monster and their body parts. I really didn’t see the point aside from learning where they were most vulnerable when attacking.
“I have no idea what I’m going to wear tonight,” Frances complained.
Loralie and I locked gazes a moment and both rolled our eyes at the same time.
Frances had twice as many clothes as Loralie and I combined. She had an outfit in every color and could mix and match easily.
The academy was actually pretty large, and after a few more turns, I was completely lost.
“Where the heck are we going?” I asked, sniffed the air, and scowled. There was a lot of wet dirt or something around us.
“We are on the third sub level and our classroom is just around the corner here,” Loralie said.
Sub level?
I stopped and my hair stood on end. “Below…ground?”
Loralie put her arm around my shoulders. “Girl, you knew that most of the school was below ground. Don’t act shocked.”
Honestly, I had forgotten.
“I don’t like being underground,” I growled softly as I resumed walking next to them.
“We know,” Frances said and patted my back.
“When do we get our books?” I asked to try to distract myself.
“I think they said they would be delivered tomorrow evening before classes to our rooms,” Frances answered.
“Any idea how heavy they’re going to be this year?” Loralie asked.
I chuckled. “As long as they aren’t half our body weight like in fourth grade, I don’t care.”
Frances laughed. “Come on, it was pretty funny watching you lug that huge bag around. Plus, you got super strong by the end of the year.”
I growled. “I also almost fell down two hills and face planted like a dozen times.”
“Oh, joy, the triple narcs are here,” Norma, a vampire with a chip on her shoulder, hissed as we walked by her in the hallway.
I snarled at her.
Loralie hissed back. “What’s wrong, Norma? Can’t find a blood bag to suck on? Had to resort to the fake stuff already?”
“Oh, please. I’m not a loser like you three who can’t even get a date to a school party and have to resort to going with each other,” she scoffed.
“No, you just latch onto some unsuspecting victim who doesn’t realize until it’s too late how insane you are,” Loralie snapped. “Filthy bloodsucker.”
“You’re just mad because you know you have no hopes of ever defeating me in a fight,” Norma said and took a step closer to Loralie.
I stepped between them and let my canines down. “I’ll gladly tear your throat out. Want to step outside?”
“Girls!” Mr. Sampson, the Monsterology teacher, snapped. “Fighting is not allowed.”
I flipped my braids over my shoulder as I turned away from Norma, showing her my back. “Shame, I wanted to snap that twig neck of yours.”
“Sooner or later, people are going to realize what puppets you are and that you shouldn’t be allowed to join us. You’re just narcs who report everything to your daddies and try to get everyone else in trouble,” Norma growled.
“You’re just a pathetically bitter jerk who can’t see past her own jealousy,” Frances said. “It’s really sad, Norma.”
We walked into the classroom and Loralie took a deep breath to calm herself as we found seats in the back of the room.
“Someday, she’ll get what’s coming to her,” I whispered.
“Hopefully, it will be at our hands,” Frances said.
Loralie and I nodded our agreement.
By the time classes ended, I was ready to tear apart a herd of basilisks.
“Hey,” Antoine, a werewolf I often practiced fighting with, called from across the quad with one hand raised.
We all stopped and waited as he ran over to us.
“What’s up?” I asked.
“Want to spar real quick?” He asked. “I’ve had a stressful day.”
I smiled wide. “Yes, please. I was just thinking about taking on a herd of basilisks.”
He chuckled. “If you do that, it will take you another week to get that stench out of your fur.”
I scowled, recalling the last time we had fought a herd and had had that exact problem. Frances’s arm had been so covered in goo that she’d opted to just get a completely new arm instead of trying to get the stench out. “Yeah, you’re right.”
“You’ve got ten minutes,” Frances said. “Then we have to go run my errand.”
Right, we had to go see the doc to get her stitch fixed.
Antoine lead the way and we followed, weaving around kids as we went to the fighting ring.
We passed by Rathik and a few other nagas, and his eyes tracked me.
I tried my best not to let him know I had seen him watching me.
As much as I wanted to try to have a relationship with him, it was basically impossible.
Not just because I had a hard time talking to him, but also because I was terrified of snakes.
There were a few other students in the fighting ring, but there was a large enough spot available for Antoine and I.
“Kick his butt!” Loralie cheered me.
“Go, Tsukiko!” Frances added with a fist in the air.
Antoine chuckled. “It always amuses me that they cheer like this is a real fight.”
“No claws,” I ordered him. “I don’t want to worry about blood on my clothes or tears.”
He nodded and raised his hands up to his face. “Ready?”
I put my own hands up in a defensive position, smiled wide, and nodded once. “Ready.”
He launched himself forward and the primal side of my brain kicked in, taking over my movements and pushing out all thoughts.
This feeling of freedom was addictive and there were some wolves who gave in and ended up permanently as wolves.
That was why I tended to avoid fights like this in my wolf form.
Antoine was an incredibly skilled fighter and I knew if he really tried, he could defeat me, but he held back for our sparring.
“Two minutes,” Frances called out.
I tried to move faster, to take Antoine down by surprise, but he spun around me, locked his arms around my neck, and squeezed.
I growled, but raised my hand in surrender. He had defeated me, whether I liked admitting it or not.
Antoine chuckled and released me. “You’re getting better, but you really have to work on not telegraphing your moves. I saw instantly when you decided to attack me.”
I faced him and bowed. “Thank you for the match.”
He bowed back. “Anytime.”
Turning towards Frances and Loralie, my eyes widened when I saw Rathik a few rows behind them, his fists clenched at his sides as he looked down at Antoine and I. His eyes met mine a brief moment, and then he spun around and slithered off with his lower body in his snake form.
“What was that about?” Antoine asked me.
I shrugged. “No idea.”
Only, I had a niggling feeling that Rathik had been getting closer and closer to me and I had to find a way to stop him. He and I could never be.
Never.
Four
FRANCES
Dr. Frankenstein lived a twenty-minute walk from the academy, but a five-minute drive. Since we weren’t allowed to wander off without permission, I opted to call for a driver to take us to and from the doctor’s place.
The skeleton driving us in the taxi didn’t talk, which was perfectly fine with me. I preferred not having to socialize with strangers.
Tsukiko had seen something behind us after the sparring match with Antoine that had saddened her. By the time I had turned around, I hadn’t seen anything or anyone, so I had no idea what she had seen and I knew she wasn’t going to talk an
ytime soon, if her narrowed eyes and crossed arms were any indication, so I would just bide my time and ask her later.
Loralie dozed beside me, her eyes closed and a light mist of darkness surrounding her. It was a defensive magic that prevented anyone, aside from those with a magical key, from touching her while sleeping. If an enemy tried to touch her while she was asleep, or unconscious, the power would seep into the person, grab their soul, and pull it out. Then, it would wake Loralie and she would reap their soul fully, taking it be processed in the afterlife. She said there were occasions when the defensive magic didn’t activate, but it was very rare. Her father had told us to try to keep her from becoming too tired because he believed if she was too tired that it wouldn’t activate.
Loralie’s grandfather gave Tsukiko and I the magical key, so we could wake our friend without worrying about dying. Since Loralie napped often and we had to wake her multiple times each day, it was a wise decision. I preferred my soul inside of my body, thank you very much.
The taxi stopped, and I nudged Loralie in the shoulder with my elbow. “Rise and shine, Dark Beauty.”
She grumbled incoherently, wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, and then opened the door.
“Wait here,” I ordered the skeleton. “We’ll be out in less than twenty minutes.”
His skull bobbed up and down in a nod. He put the car in park and then propped his feet up on the dashboard and put his bony hands behind his head.
Tsukiko followed me out of the taxi and shut the door behind us.
The three of us stood, side by side, looking up at the spooky gothic mansion that the doctor resided in. When she had created Grandfather, she had done it alone, but now, she had a few students, several minions, and a full staff for cleaning and cooking. Grandfather said the doctor would forget to eat for several days, until she fainted from lack of food, if she was left alone. Her staff ensured she had food placed nearby all of her workstations so she could grab it and eat it even when deep in thought about her latest experiment. Same with water to ensure she stayed hydrated.
“Is it just me, or does this place get spookier every year?” Tsukiko asked.
Monster Academy Page 2
