Summoned by Magic (Drexel Academy Book 1)

by Lexie Scott

  “What? How?” That didn’t make any sense.

  “You don’t want to know,” Theo mumbled next to me.

  “She gave detention to Will Sharpe last year, and he got the moon card. She cast an illusion that made him live his deepest fears for two straight hours. When it was over, he couldn’t move or speak for three days.” Daniel shook his head as if he was still trying to comprehend what happened.

  “During our second year, Sara Bowls got the empress card, and Ms. Sheridan locked her in a coffin until she passed out from screaming.” Carter stared down at the table.

  “How is that allowed? Why doesn’t anyone stop her? Does the headmaster know?” I couldn’t believe the administration would tolerate this.

  “He believes each teacher has the right to run their class as they see fit. That includes grading, discipline, and teaching methods. As long as no student is seriously injured, he doesn't intervene.”

  Holy shit. This place was deranged.

  “Will you all shut up so we can focus?” Niall snapped, and everyone fell silent. “Hannah, what did you find out?”

  Hannah swallowed, shrinking in on herself a bit. “She said the test will be a general overview. Nothing too specific, rather a tool to gauge Saige’s knowledge.”

  “How do you know she’s telling the truth? She could be lying to trick Saige into failing.” Malik leaned back in his chair.

  “Because I’m one of the few that she doesn’t despise. I’m a good student and haven’t ever caused trouble,” Hannah countered.

  “Fine, if that’s all we have to go on, then let’s make a list of the key points Saige needs to know and work through them,” Niall muttered under his breath, and a stack of books and a black notebook and pen appeared before him.

  “What the hell! How did you do that?” Malik was on the edge of his seat, leaning toward the new arrivals.

  Niall rolled his eyes, and Hannah replied. “It’s a pocket spell. It’s like carrying around a huge backpack only it’s invisible.”

  My eyes narrowed. “Do you feel it?”

  She shook her head. “No, it’s not really with you. It’s more of a Space ability.” She turned to face Niall. “So how do you know how to do it?”

  Niall ignored her, opening the notebook and uncapping his pen. “We’ll go through her schedule starting with history.”

  The others offered topics they thought would be most relevant and soon the page was full. My hands drifted to my hair, automatically sectioning off a small chunk and braiding as the tension thickened in the room.

  “Next, Math.” Niall’s hand hovered over the paper, but this time Hannah was the only one to add anything, and it was only a few lines. “Science.”

  This one was longer than the history list, and the weight that had settled on my shoulders when Niall first explained why he hunted me down felt heavier and heavier. How could I possibly learn all of this in less than two days? I couldn’t skip classes on Monday. There was no way I could pull this off. Maybe I should pick one or two subjects to dig into. That way I could stay at a year four for those. That was better than going to year one for everything because I failed everything.

  “I’ll work on Water, but I don’t know how to help with Earth,” Niall admitted.

  “Do you know anyone in your class?” Hannah asked.

  I shrugged. “We spent the week testing to find out what our specialties are. I spent each class reading the textbook.”

  “So, it will just be the general Earth powers then. That shouldn’t be too hard to cover,” Hannah said to Niall.

  He nodded and flipped back to the first page. “Let’s get started.”

  Theo took over. “You know some of the main historical points already. I told you about the vampire’s portion.”

  “We need to tell you about the other supernaturals. The lowers,” Hannah shifted. “We can start with the brownies. I told you they do the housekeeping. They lived in the area where the treaty was signed. They were loyal to the non-supes, but after the council was established, they convinced the brownies to start working for the supes. The council allowed them to live with their families, instead of having to stay with the non-supes. They also agreed to pay them well which had never happened. They were basically slaves before, and through the council, they gained their freedom. There are some rules though. They’re generally super happy and prefer to work without being seen, so you probably won’t run into them. But if you do, you must never call them by anything but their given name. If you meet one named Matthew, for example, you can’t call him Matt. You also can’t ever thank them or give them gifts. It’s highly offensive to them, and if one gets mad enough, it can turn into a boggart.”

  “And you do not want to mess with one of those,” Theo warned.

  I looked around for something to write all this down. Niall whispered again, and another black notebook and pen appeared.

  “Thanks.” I tried to offer him a smile, but he didn’t look up from his paper.

  I quickly wrote down the key points of what she said.

  “Then there are the trolls,” Daniel started. “They’re malicious, hideous creatures, but they made the best guards and warriors. The family that guards the school has been here for generations. They live in underground caves near the back boundary of the property. You’ll likely never see them, but if you do, just be respectful.”

  I nodded. “No rules like the brownies?”

  They all shook their heads. That one was easy enough.

  “Some of our teachers are daemons, so you need to know about them.” Theo took over. “They aren’t the same as demons. They’re spirit guides, kind of like guardian angels. They’re immortal and cannot be created or destroyed.”

  “Those that are here volunteered to be assigned here for a few hundred years,” Hannah explained.

  A few hundred years? They were that old? My human––non-supe––brain couldn’t really comprehend what that meant. “Are any of my teachers?”

  “Yes, history and literature are both taught by daemons,” Niall answered.

  Ms. Martin, the tiny pixie-looking woman? Huh. I expected them to be something . . . else. Grander. Angelic.

  “Demons also exist, but the academy is protected,” Theo began. “They’re creatures of hell, are innately evil, and have endured long periods of torture and pain. They lure their victims in by changing their appearance and voice to match that of a loved one then trap them and feed on the life force of both non-supes and supes.”

  I gasped. That was horrific. “How do they get to earth?”

  “That’s a part of history we haven't covered yet,” Hannah answered. “It has something to do with a great war several millennia ago.”

  “Focus,” Niall scolded. “You know about the treaty, lower species, vampires, and witches. Right?”

  Hannah leaned over and read through the list they wrote. “Oh, we should cover shifters.”

  I sat up with a jolt, then stretched to play off my sudden interest. Was this my chance to ask about my dad’s side without raising suspicions?

  Chapter 22

  My friends, and Niall, were amazing. I didn’t get any information that would specifically help me figure out more about who I was and my hybrid powers, but I did learn more than I had in my three years of high school.

  None of them complained about the long hours that turned into the entire weekend spent in the library. Niall loosened up a fraction by Sunday afternoon, but he stopped us anytime we laughed or got off track. He was taking my tutoring so seriously, and I wasn’t sure why. What did it matter to him if I got put into first-year classes or if I got kicked out at the end of the term? He didn’t seem to like me, so I couldn't figure out why he was doing it.

  Maybe he just cared about what our teachers and the headmaster thought. He probably didn’t want them blaming him for my failure.

  I sent my parents and Masie a message telling them about this test but tried to downplay how serious it was. I didn’t tell them wha
t was at stake. I didn’t want to let them down, even though I knew they would have been more than understanding if I needed to start from the very beginning.

  “You’ve got this.” Hannah gave me a reassuring smile outside of the lab building.

  Theo draped his arm over my shoulder and pulled me into his side. “Yeah, you know everything you need to. Just stay calm, and you’ll do great.”

  I soaked in his confidence, hoping it would get me through the assessment.

  “He’s right. We covered everything you need to know. If you can’t immediately recall something, skip it and let yourself relax. Your subconscious will bring it back to you.” Niall’s advice was surprisingly helpful.

  “Thanks.” I smiled at him and received a slightly less severe scowl in response. After over two solid days together, I’d hoped we could have gotten past this, but nope. His walls were thicker and taller than anyone else I’d ever met. He wasn’t willing to let anyone slip in without his consent.

  “Yeah, go in there and prove them wrong.” Daniel grinned, and Malik flashed me a thumbs up.

  “Good luck, Saige.” Sai’s reassuring smile made my cheeks warm, especially with Theo still pressed to my side. Once he heard about what we were doing, he joined up on Saturday night and stuck with us through the rest of the weekend. Even Carter stayed, helping me with some of the science I wasn’t grasping.

  My brain was overloaded, and I could barely pay attention during classes today. I couldn’t fit any new information in, but luckily, I had someone in almost all of them that offered to let me copy their notes later. The only class I had to try to focus in was Earth Magic, and we spent it talking mostly about vegetation and soil interaction so nothing groundbreaking.

  Ha. I made a joke.

  “It’s time.” Niall gestured toward the entrance to the building.

  “We’ll be here when you’re done.” Hannah waved me on.

  “No, don’t just stay here. You’ve all helped way more than I could have asked for. Go sleep or eat or relax.”

  The group shared looks, and I knew nothing I said would change their minds.

  “Thanks again.” I waved and started toward the building alone. I’d hoped Mrs. Hedgings would be the one administering the assessment. Unfortunately, Mrs. Sheridan volunteered, and Headmaster Goldstein agreed. I stopped at her classroom door and knocked.

  “Come in,” her shrill voice replied.

  I entered, and she pointed to a desk in the front, which I quickly slid into while keeping my eyes on her.

  “You will have two hours to complete this test. No questions, no getting up.” She glared down at me. “Time starts now.”

  She sat the packet on the desk at the same time an hourglass appeared behind her on the lab table. The sand was already running through the center, so I stared down and got started. The first section was history, and I confidently answered the first ten questions before pausing at the eleventh.

  At what age does a shifter manifest their abilities?

  Crap. We didn’t cover that. How is that even a history question? That’s a species question and should be in science or something.

  I rubbed my temples and tried to remember any conversation I had with the guys. None of them mentioned this, and it was something I was wondering, about myself, that I never brought up. Something I meant to ask Masie.

  Damn it!

  The full moon following their tenth birthday. From birth. Following the first signs of puberty. On their fourteenth birthday.

  The moon one was wrong. Hannah taught me that in the field when the guys shifted for me. Did they show their abilities from birth? That was possible. Their fourteenth birthday seemed like another human––non-supe––story. Puberty made sense too. That was around the age when they started attending the academy. I debated back and forth before remembering Mr. Haddon said about the vampires and shifters starting school at fourteen. I let out a sigh of relief and chose that one before moving on.

  Niall’s advice proved incredibly helpful. When I read a question that seemed vaguely familiar or something I knew I learned but couldn’t recall, I’d skip it, and minutes later the answer would come to me.

  The science section was the hardest, but luckily, we also spent the most time on that during our studies. When I finished, a mix of relief and anticipation washed over me. It wasn’t an easy test, but I was pretty sure I’d done well. I felt confident like there should have been more. I expected Mrs. Sheridan to hand me another packet and tell me I also had to complete it with the remaining fifteen minutes.

  I checked my answers, making sure I didn’t leave anything blank before standing. “I’ve finished.”

  She looked up at me from the book she read behind her desk and met me at the lab table at the front of the room. I handed her my packet, and she waved me off. “I’ll let you know when I’ve graded it.”

  I nodded and went back to my seat. I wanted to pull out my phone and text the group that I survived, but Mrs. Sheridan had a strict no-phone policy in her class. Even though this wasn’t our normal time, I assumed the rule still applied. Also, I didn't want them to get too excited if I didn’t pass.

  Her eyes flicked back and forth from my test to the key she had with the answers. She dragged her pen down the page, but I couldn't tell if she was marking anything. When her wrist didn’t move after the second page, I gave up. She probably didn’t want to tip me off, so she wasn’t crossing them out the way my old teachers had. Maybe she was using magic to mark them or something.

  I rolled my head side to side, loosening the tension in my shoulders. There wasn’t anything I could do now.

  It only took her a few minutes to go through the ten pages, and she called me back up.

  “Well, Ms. Williams, I’m pleased with the progress you made. Not only did you pass at a year-four level, but you managed to learn everything you needed within just two days. You’ve proven how serious you are about being a student here and that you are up to the challenge. The rest of the semester will continue to push you, but I believe if you keep this up, you will do well here.”

  She didn’t smile, but I could see the pride shining in her eyes. The others said she was cruel, especially with her punishments, but maybe they were wrong. She seemed like she genuinely wanted me to succeed.

  “Thank you, Mrs. Sheridan. I’m grateful for the opportunity to be here and continue to learn.”

  “I’ll pass these results along to the headmaster and your other teachers. You’re free to go.”

  I gathered my things before heading down the hall and rushing down the stairs. When I pushed the doors open, my friends jumped up from where they were sitting.

  “I passed!” I shouted as I ran to them.

  “We knew you could!” Hannah reached me first and gave me a hug before passing me around to each of them, who pulled me in and congratulated me.

  Niall was last, and I didn’t give him the opportunity to reject me. I threw my arms around his neck. “Thank you so much. I don’t know how I’ll ever repay you.”

  His body tensed against mine, but after a moment, he patted my back. “It’s no problem.”

  I released him and smiled up at his brooding expression. “You saved me from having to repeat three years of high school. That’s a huge deal. I really appreciate it.”

  His lips twitched, and I held my breath, waiting to see if a smile could appear, but he regained his composure and just nodded. “Right, well, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  With that, he turned and walked away. I watched him, wanting to call out and ask if he wanted to get dessert or something to celebrate, but I’d already taken up enough of his time. I just thought, or maybe hoped, this weekend had changed something between us. That we could go from classmates and forced tutor to something closer to friends.

  Not yet.

  I wouldn’t give up though. He was moody and cold and gave no indication he wanted anything more from me. If I was smart, even a little bit, I’d read the signs he was clearly
giving me and leave him alone, but I wasn’t. Not in this case. It was like the more he blocked me out, the more I wanted to break in.

  Something in his darkness called to me. Loneliness, loss, and uncertainty reflected back to me in his eyes. Was it instinct or something else that made me feel like if I told him what happened to my parents, he could relate?

  Not that I would ever be able to ask. Masie’s reminder was fresh in my mind. I couldn’t risk anyone finding out who or what I was.

  Malik poked my side. “Come on. Drake texted me earlier and said they have the ten-layer cake tonight.”

  Everyone instantly perked up.

  Sai led the way toward the dining hall. “I hope there’s some left. It’s the best dessert they make.”

  I fell into step between Hannah and Theo. I had too much adrenaline still coursing through me to join in the conversation. My mind raced, and Niall’s quick departure nagged at me. His sadness made me spiral into my own. I missed my family and wanted to know exactly what would happen if people found out about me and my parents.

  Theo was out and proud about being a hybrid, but his parents hadn’t been murdered because of him.

  And why not?

  That bothered me, even keeping me up the night before.

  Why was it my parents and their friends? How were they targeted? If they left and started a new life, how were they found? Did someone betray them? Had someone outside of their group found out and told the council?

  I needed these answers. It wasn’t just simple curiosity. The more time I had to obsess over the few facts I knew, the more dread pooled in my stomach. There was more to this than my parents and Masie admitted.

  My grandparents said they stayed away from me to not draw attention from anyone watching them.

  Who would do that? They believed they were important in the supe society, but was that all? Were they involved? What if it was them that turned in my parents into the council? They didn’t approve of my mom being with my dad. I’m sure they weren’t thrilled about having a hybrid grandchild. Would they have done that?