by Lexie Scott
My entire life had been turned upside down within hours. I’d been taken from my home and dropped off in a strange place, expected to adapt to this new world alone, and I wasn’t bitter or shooting daggers at people. That option appealed to me, but what would it accomplish in the end?
I hadn’t exactly been given a choice, but I could have refused or at least fought to stay with my family. That wasn’t what was best for them, though. I needed to be here so one day I could safely return to them.
“Well, he’s sure interested in you for some reason,” Daniel said, not sounding pleased about that. “Don’t worry. We’ll make sure he stays away.”
Malik nodded in agreement.
“Thanks, guys, but I’m sure it’s fine. He’s probably just curious about why I’m here.” I forced a smile to show them it wasn’t bothering me.
“I’ve already been asked like a dozen times what I knew about you,” Hannah admitted.
“Me too,” Malik chuckled.
“Same, everyone wants to know about the new girl, but none are brave enough to just come up to you,” Daniel scoffed. “Cowards.”
“Well, it’s already gotten around that she has two affinities. No one knows what to think of that,” Hannah said, showing her phone and the notification for thirteen unread messages.
“These are just from while we’ve been sitting here.”
“Really?” I looked around. “Why don’t they just come over?”
Malik shifted uncomfortably. “We’re not exactly the norm.”
I looked at each of them. “What does that mean?”
Hannah sighed. “I didn’t want to tell you because it’s a stupid and antiquated way of thinking, but most students stick to their species.”
I scowled, “Really?”
“We’re obviously allowed and encouraged to be friends with each other, but the supernatural community is incredibly slow to change. For most families, it’s a struggle to even send their kids here because all three species are here together. They prefer for vampires, shifters, and witches to stay with their own kind.”
Just like Robert and Susan. I couldn’t believe Masie had been right. Things at the school hadn’t changed. They were still choosing to segregate themselves.
But not these three. “Then why are you guys––”
“Our families are more progressive,” Hannah answered before I could finish my question. “We’ve known each other our whole lives, and when we got here, we became friends with others who didn’t want to follow the social norms.”
“Like Sai?” I asked.
“Yeah,” Daniel said. “We’re not the only group of friends from all three, but we’re definitely in the minority.”
“Yeah, some of our friends are even hybrids,” Malik said proudly.
“Hybrids?” I asked.
“The kids of mixed species parents,” he explained.
My heart hammered. I was a hybrid? There was a name for it?
“It’s pretty rare for people of different species to have relationships, let alone bond, but it’s becoming more common. I think our generation is the first that’s ever been open about it. The more progressives in our society want to normalize inter-species relationships and hybrids.” Hannah grinned.
“So do people hide it if they’re hybrids?” I asked.
Daniel shrugged. “Probably. Not everyone does though. Theo’s open about it.”
“Theo? The guy I met?” I checked with Hannah, and she nodded. “What mix is he?” I cringed. “That’s not how I should ask, is it?”
Malik laughed. “Probably not, but Theo isn’t easily offended. He would tell you if you asked.”
“Are you saying I should ask him? Are you not going to tell me?” I waited for one of them to answer.
Hannah grinned. “Maybe you should. He seemed to like you.”
“What?” Daniel scowled. “What do you mean?”
“Don’t worry! I warned him to stay away from her. She’s not going to be his next conquest, but he is our friend. It could be good for her to meet other people.” She shot me a wicked smile.
It felt like a challenge. Like she didn’t think I would have the guts to go up and talk to him. “Fine,” I grinned. “Next time I see him, I’ll ask.”
“He’s right over there.” She pointed past me, and I turned to see him laughing with a bunch of guys at the table next to ours.
“Don’t.” Daniel reached out and caught my hand. “Wait until he’s at least away from his rugby friends. You don’t need all of their attention on you.”
Hannah shifted next to me, sending him a questioning look, but he widened his eyes at her before turning back to me. “Just do it later.”
I wasn’t sure why he was warning me away from those guys, but I decided to listen to him. “Okay.”
“Good. It’s almost time for our next class anyway.” Malik stood, and we all got up and gathered our trays. On the way out, I glanced back and locked eyes with Niall. He didn’t even bother pretending not to watch me.
I arched a brow in question, and he just blinked, making my gut clench.
Chapter 13
We were finally going into the tower. I’d been anticipating this all day. Something about the imposing building pulled at me, like a strange sense of belonging. I could only hope that was a good sign, and soon enough, I’d be caught up with my peers.
“Water is in the basement. There’s an underground stream that feeds into the class so you have access without needing plumbing. Also, it limits the potential for damage so if someone causes a flood, it doesn’t affect the entire building.” Hannah chuckled like it was something that had actually happened. “Earth is on the second story, but sometimes you’ll meet outside. I’m sure today will be in the classroom. I probably won’t see you until tonight, but you can text me if you want to meet up and go to the library before dinner.”
“Thanks, I will.” Yesterday, I worried she was only being nice because she was the student assigned to show me around, but it seemed like she genuinely liked me. I hoped so. I liked her and Daniel and Malik, but it felt a little too good to be true that I would make friends so easily.
She waved as she headed up the stairs to the Air classroom.
Only a few clusters of students headed down to the basement, but I followed along and entered the chilly, damp room. I took a seat toward the back, hoping to blend in. My plan for my classes was to go unnoticed for as long as possible. I didn’t want to draw the attention of my classmates or teacher. All I needed to do was pass these courses so I could stay long enough to learn what I needed to control myself. I wasn’t looking to be top of the class or impress anyone.
School wasn’t my thing. I got average grades, high enough to stay out of trouble with my parents, but nothing that was going to get me into a fancy university. It wasn’t that I didn’t try. I just didn’t push myself. I never felt the need to. Why stress about my GPA when I knew I would end up going to the closest community college? I didn’t think my parents would be okay with me moving too far away, and I didn’t want to. I wanted to be close so I could be there while Aiden and Brielle grew up.
A plump woman with soft blonde curls framing her face greeted us from the front of the room. “Welcome to Advanced Water Magic, students. I’m Mrs. Brooks, and it is my responsibility to ensure that each of you leaves my class at the end of the year with a mastery of the following . . .” she paused, turning toward the whiteboard with her uncapped blue marker, and wrote in flowy handwriting as she continued, “summoning water, controlling water flow, and using water in defensive magic.”
I jotted down the list on the back of a page from the folder Mr. Haddon gave me and waited for her to continue. Several of the other students groaned or rolled their eyes. I glanced around, wondering what their problem was and my eyes met up with a very displeased Niall. Again.
Was he following me? Of course not. He must be a Water witch as well.
“This might not seem exciting, but each skill build
s on what you already know and true mastery takes time and practice.”
Now I wanted to groan. I didn’t have the other skills yet. I was building from nothing.
Mrs. Brooks eyes landed on me, and her lips twitched into an almost smile. “I understand we have a new student joining us. Ms. Williams, how is your training coming along?”
Everyone turned my direction. I wanted to sink into my seat, but I had no reason to cower. It wasn’t my fault I was so far behind.
“I haven’t had any, Mrs. Brooks,” I answered.
Her brows pushed together. “None?”
A few snickers tittered through the class, but I ignored them. “No, ma’am.”
Was I supposed to tell her the only time I’ve ever done anything with water was Saturday? Just two days ago?
Her eyes skimmed over the class and landed in the opposite corner. “Mr. Kelly, you will tutor Ms. Williams twice a week until she is caught up to the rest of the class.”
My stomach dropped to the ground. Great. More Mr. Friendly.
I turned toward him, but he glared straight ahead, giving no indication he’d even heard the teacher. She didn’t wait for a confirmation before passing out the class syllabus and reading over the key points on the first page.
It wasn’t even the end of my first day of classes, and I was feeling buried up to my nose in work. How was I supposed to fit in tutoring with Mrs. Hedgings, Hannah’s group she was putting together just for me, and now Niall? When would I sleep? Or eat?
I had a vague idea this was how it was going to be. I was several years behind everyone else, especially those who grew up in witch families and had been around magic since birth. My late start was worse than I expected.
I wrote dates and notes as Mrs. Brooks continued for the rest of the period, focusing on her and trying not to garner any more attention than I already had. When she dismissed us, she called me and Niall forward.
“I trust you two can coordinate times for tutoring?” She looked between us, and I nodded while Niall remained silent. Was he mad about this? I probably would be. He hadn’t asked for this added responsibility.
“Mr. Kelly, I expect a weekly update on Ms. Williams’ progress. The faster you can get her caught up, the better.”
He finally acknowledged his new assignment with a lift of his chin and turned to leave the class while she looked at me like she was wondering why I was still standing in front of her. I smiled and hurried out, trying to remember if Hannah said the second or third floor or my Earth class.
“I’ll review my schedule and get a list of my available times to you tomorrow,” Niall said, his slight accent more prominent this time.
“Okay, thank you. I appreciate you helping me.”
He eyed me up and down before turning and stomping out of the tower. He sure was friendly. At least he hadn’t told me he refused to tutor me. It might not be very fun to study with him, but that wasn’t what mattered. I’d be caught up soon.
I headed up the stairs, weaving between the students coming down. I glanced into the classroom on the second floor. I was in the right place. I couldn’t see Air, Space, or Fire needing the spotted pots of dirt, pictures of mountains, and plants along the windows.
An empty desk sat in the second to last row, so I slid in just before a girl wearing a long flowing skirt and a blouse with equally flowy sleeves took the open desk next to me. She pushed her wild, golden-brown curls over her shoulder and smiled at me. “You’re the new girl I heard about.”
It wasn’t a question, Hannah was right. Word already spread. “I’m Saige.”
She smiled. “I’m Saffron.”
I almost laughed. That name fit, given her tanned skin and hair color. Even her eyes had an unusual orangish tint to match.
“I know. I live up to the name. Trust me, I’ve heard all the jokes.” She didn’t seem upset about it at least. “I’m sure you know all the spice jokes too.”
“Yup.” My hands went to my hair, finding three small sections and braiding before I could stop myself.
“Really, don’t worry. If it bugged me, I’d go by my middle name or something.” She sighed contently. “I heard you haven’t had any training.”
“That’s right.” Again, she wasn’t asking.
“Well, from what I’ve seen with other affinities, Earth comes the most naturally, so you should be able to learn what you need quickly.”
That was a relief. I smiled at her as the teacher strolled in.
“Good afternoon, for those of you that don’t know me, I’m Mr. Beckerman.” He instantly reminded me of Indiana Jones with his tan pants, a beige button-up, and brown hat he took off to reveal thinning brown hair. “This year will be different from your previous Earth studies because we will divide into groups based on your innate talents and the skills you gravitate toward.”
Excited chatter started up among most of the students, but his announcement only made me more nervous.
“As you know, Earth is a rather broad affinity with several specialties. Most of you don’t have the capacity for all of them, which is normal. Some of you may have two, and very few of you will have three, and I can almost guarantee none of you will have all four.”
He handed a stack of papers to the closest student, who immediately stood and began passing them out. I read over the syllabus. Mr. Beckerman would test us this week and sort us into groups to work together on projects and examinations, only passing if everyone did. He would help, but we would learn mostly on our own.
“You should all know this from your previous courses, so who can tell me what the four specialties are?” He scanned the room. His eyes paused on me for a second, and I froze before he stopped on Saffron. “Ms. Abrams, if you will?”
She sat up straight. “Controlling and manipulating vegetation, healing, changing the seasons, and controlling and manipulating earth itself.”
“Correct,” Mr. Beckerman affirmed. “And most of you already know what your strengths are, but throughout the week, I will be testing each of you to assign you to your group or groups. If you have more than one, it will be up to you to balance your time and make sure you are doing your share. Come up with an arrangement that your entire group agrees to. Those of you with vegetation will be in the greenhouse this year, so plan for that.”
He stepped around behind his podium and looked down. “We’ll start now with Ms. Abrams.”
She gave me a small smile and headed to the front of the class. The teacher didn’t give any other instructions, so I watched along with the rest of the class as he directed her to the corner and told her to place her hand on an orb. Was that a crystal ball? Was he telling her future?
“Vegetation and healing,” he said while writing down her results.
She seemed pleased as she walked back toward me.
“Mr. Anderson,” he bellowed from the front, and a short, brown-haired guy stood from the front row and went to the corner. He put his hand on the orb and returned to his seat moments later after Mr. Beckerman announced, “Seasons.”
Small groups formed as he worked his way through the roll, but since I had to wait until the end, I opened my notebook and wrote the four strengths. I was certain I had Earth manipulation since I caused a few earthquakes, but I wasn’t sure if there was anything else. Healing would be cool. How did it differ from what vampires could do? I wanted to ask, but Saffron moved to the other side of the room with the other vegetation specialists, so I decided to wait it out. Once I got my textbooks, I’d look it up.
We only made it through the H’s before Mr. Beckerman dismissed us. Once I was outside, I sent a text to Hannah asking if she wanted to meet at the library before following the path in that direction.
I checked my phone to see if she responded when someone slammed into me from the front, then the back. I tripped, but strong hands grasped my arms, keeping me upright.
“I’m so sorry,” a silky-smooth voice said close to my ear. “Aston, be more careful!”
I turne
d and recognized Sai, a friend of Daniel and Malik. Another guy was running away from us, not bothering to apologize.
“Hey, Saige.” Sai’s grin widened, and I had a flash of a memory of the two of us. Wait no. That wasn’t possible. How could it be a memory if we’d just met?
We were walking down a sidewalk with buildings surrounding us. Like a big city, maybe New York, and we were holding hands and laughing. Looking utterly happy and maybe even . . . in love? No. It couldn’t be.
“Hi, Sai.” I stepped away from him, and he dropped his hands. The image disappeared.
I shook my head. What was that? A daydream? It didn’t feel like it though.
He watched me for a second. “Are you okay?”
I nodded. “Yeah, just a little overwhelmed from today.”
He ran his hands through the front of his hair, making it stand up in a messy way that looked far too attractive to be an accident. Did he practice that move in the mirror?
“Yeah, the first day of term always feels like that.” He looked behind me. “I’ve got to run. We’ve got rugby practice.”
He jogged away from me, waving before taking off toward his teammates. I watched him go, wondering what just happened and what it meant.
Chapter 14
“Saige?”
“Saige!”
I looked around and found Hannah hurrying toward me. “Are you okay? I’ve been calling your name.”
I wasn’t sure. Should I tell her about what happened? Maybe it was normal. Maybe it was nothing. I wouldn’t have been so shaken up if it hadn’t felt so damned real.
She cocked her head. “What’s wrong?”
I looked around the crowded stairs that lead up to the library’s entrance. “Let’s talk inside.”
She followed me without argument. The main lobby was set up with dozens of rolling carts filled with textbooks. That made it a lot easier to find everything we needed rather than having to hunt them down in the stacks.
Hannah double-checked my pile before we went to the checkout counter. Once we finished, she led me toward empty study rooms along the back wall. She pulled open the door of one and waved me in before shutting it and dropping her books on the large table, and I sat mine next to it.
