by Jaymin Eve
The three of them melted into the crowd.
I realized that a lot of eyes were on me now and I fought against an urge to blush. What the hell? Why was my heart pounding in my chest so hard? That had been very … something. It had been something insane, and I couldn’t even remember what I had come down here for.
“You’re in my fucking way,” a chick said, who was clearly trying to get to the couch I was blocking. “Daydream somewhere else, human.”
Apparently word had gotten around that I was “human.”
Shooting her a scowl, I pushed past her, making sure to knock her shoulder as I did. Deciding I’d worry about the time later, I started to head back to my room. At least I was safe in there.
Just near the stairs, I paused and let out a low groan of exasperation. There was a huge clock on the wall that I’d apparently missed on my trip down. It was 6:00 P.M, and I quickly adjusted my watch to its new time zone.
I hurried back to my room, and when I stepped inside I took an extra-long moment to just breathe. That encounter had shaken me more than I’d like to admit. When I pulled myself together, I decided a shower might help to ease some of the tension inside. Water always made me feel better.
Grabbing clean clothes, I searched one of the drawers near the door, relieved to find towels and toiletries. So many toiletries, including makeup. Despite the fact that I’d always been poor, I usually managed to find money for a few pieces of makeup. I was no expert in applying it or anything, but I did okay. I couldn’t wait to experiment with all of these new products, but for now I needed to get cleaned up.
The first bathroom was occupied, but the second was free. Stepping inside, I pressed my hand against the small panel like I’d been shown and it secured the door. After that, I took the longest, hottest shower I’d had in ages. By the time I stepped out, dried, and dressed myself, I almost felt like I had a new lease on life.
As I passed the mirror, my reflection startled me. I had to laugh at how odd it was to have such light hair. The shade of pink had turned out exactly the way I wanted it, and the year had already started out … interestingly.
And it was only day one.
6
I had a great memory, and it was easy to retrace my steps back to the commons. Punctuality was something I appreciated, so I made sure to arrive five minutes early. It would have been even earlier, but I didn’t want to risk being alone out here with supernaturals. There was too much I still didn’t know. Rules about the races. Social etiquette. It was like going to a foreign country for the first time. You learned the rules to stay out of trouble. So I’d be cautious until I knew more.
The common area was clearly a popular place for supes to hang out. There looked to be hundreds of them there, eating and chatting and laughing.
The vibe was happy, with a calming energy in the air.
I lingered on the edge, not quite prepared to step out into their world. Not quite prepared to accept that this was my new life. How was this my new life?
At first I didn’t notice the light thundering sound in the background, and it wasn’t until I looked up that I realized it was pouring rain. What the hell? It was warm and dry here, and yet there was quite the storm raging outside. I marveled at the barrier above our heads, almost like a giant translucent umbrella, repelling the water.
Outside of the step-through, this was one of my first magic in the wild sightings. Like real, honest to fucking life magic!
What else had I missed out on knowing?
How did I end up in the human world in the first place?
Ilia said my mother couldn’t have been my true parent, because she was definitely affected by drugs and alcohol and there was nothing magical about her. My father had apparently been the same—he’d died when I was five. Which meant I had another set of parents out there, ones who had either given me away or had me taken from them.
Maybe they were dead too…
It was the most logical of explanations, but if we were using logic, why was I adopted into the human world? That didn’t make any sense.
“Maddi!” Ilia’s shout drew my attention, and I focused on her as she hurried over, dragging a tall blond guy behind her. He was impressive, with heavily roped muscles and a chiseled jaw, but it was his eyes I liked the best—happy and a deep, rich brown in color.
He smiled at me and I returned that smile, looking between both of them.
“Aren’t you on a date right now?” I said.
Ilia winked at blondie, and I realized they were basically the same height. She wore boots with low heels, shooting her up over six feet. “Yep, we were just about to head out when I noticed you hovering here. Figured I better check you were alright.”
“Where are you heading?” I asked.
She raised an eyebrow at me, and I’m sure it didn’t escape her notice that I hadn’t actually said anything about being alright. “Queensborough … it’s a town nearby. It’s supernatural occupied, and we’re allowed to go back and forth between the Academy and the town as much as we want. There are a ton of awesome restaurants and shops there. I’ll take you soon—I noticed you don’t have a cell phone; we need to get you one of those ASAP.”
The thought of exploring Queensborough gave me a jolt of excitement. It was another piece of this world, and I was desperate to uncover them all.
I shrugged. “My last one broke, and I never bothered to replace it.” I nudged her shoulder. “Enough about me; go and enjoy your date with…?”
“Josh,” he said, smiling at me again.
“Right.” I nodded. “Go and enjoy. I’ll be fine. Larissa is meeting me for dinner.”
As if she’d heard her name, the tiny blonde vamp appeared on the edge of the commons. She caught sight of me and waved before she hurried along the path toward us.
Ilia waved as well before giving me a quick hug.
“You look gorgeous,” I whispered in her ear. She wore a low-cut red dress and dark suede boots. Her hair was glossy and red, and her makeup was on point. She was truly stunning. “Make him work for all that,” I said as she pulled back.
She smiled brightly. “You got it, babe. I always make them work.”
“She does,” Josh added, clearly having heard our convo. “And Leah is well worth it.”
My heart went all mushy then, especially at his use of a shortened version of her name. I realized that this wasn’t a first date for them, as I’d thought initially. They were pretty comfortable with each other, and I wondered how long she’d been seeing the shifter. I also wondered what animal he was, but that was something to ask another time.
They were off then, waving at Larissa as they passed by. She stopped at my side, and I noticed how nice she looked. She’d changed into a dress and tights, short black boots finishing the look. I wore jeans and a plain white shirt, one of the seven sets of clothing I owned. I wasn’t here to impress anyone, thankfully, and I’d learned long ago not to sweat that sort of stuff.
“Are you ready to eat?” she asked, somewhat breathless.
Examining her closely, I thought she was looking a little pale, despite the creamy brown of her skin tone. “Is everything okay?” I asked, wondering if she’d been running from something.
Larissa nodded. “Yeah. Yeah, I’m fine. It’s just almost time for me to feed again. I can only go so long.”
It took me a second to realize what she meant by feed. Blood. Larissa needed blood.
That should have grossed me out, because, honestly, it was so far removed from the world I had existed in. But … part of me had already started to accept this crazy new existence.
“As long as you’re not gonna munch on me,” I joked, because I already knew she didn’t drink from the vein, “then I can wait for you to get your blood.”
Larissa snort-laughed before reaching out and snagging my hand and dragging me through the tables. We were drawing attention again, and I was hoping that this “curiosity about the new chick” would end soon. It was already getting old.
When we finally reached an unoccupied seat, Larissa let me go and I sank onto the wooden bench. She sat across from me and leaned forward. “If you don’t mind, I’ll have some blood with dinner tonight.” She was watching me closely, waiting for my reaction. “It’s in a carton. You won’t even see anything.”
I waved my hand. “I don’t mind. I’m actually pretty curious about how all of it works.”
“Hold on to your panties, then,” she said, as she placed her hand on a small symbol carved into the center of the table. I hadn’t really noticed it at first, but looking closer I recognized it from the front entrance. It was the crest, with the M V F S on it. That had to be the school crest, and each letter represented one of the races.
A light burst up from the symbol, and Larissa reached out to stroke her hand along it. “Vampire,” she said.
Images appeared, and she brushed her hand across it again, rotating through them like she was scrolling through a menu selection. Paying closer attention to the light, I read the descriptions below each image. B+ infused with apple … AB- with a hint of spring.
“Whoa,” I gasped, my hands pressing hard into the wood table. “This is how you order blood?”
Larissa grinned before a grimace took over. “Yes, unfortunately. I still eat food, it’s my main source of energy, but once every three or four weeks I have to feed as well. If I don’t, I get weak and angry, and my friends start to look really delicious.”
I snorted at that, and then realized I was one of those friends now. “I taste terrible,” I said, trying to keep my expression serious. “Really bad. Watery, weak blood.”
Larissa shook her head. “Lies. You should smell your blood.”
I narrowed my eyes on her, and she winked at me.
Her hand stopped moving then on one of the blood selections. “This one,” she said softly, and a moment later it appeared right in front of her. The blood was hidden inside of what looked like a large square juice box, so I couldn’t even tell.
“So this is how we order dinner as well?” I asked.
Larissa nodded, before she lifted her beverage and started to drink through a straw. “Yep, just tap the Academy crest and say dinner.”
I was a little excited that she was letting me try it. There was no hesitation as I reached out and slapped my hand on the symbol. Warmth immediately filled my palm. “Dinner,” I said.
The heat increased and I pulled my hand away, waiting for the images to appear. The first was spaghetti bolognaise. Drool filled my mouth as I stared at the enticing food before me.
“Flick through,” Larissa suggested. “The menu changes daily, and there’s always so much to choose from. The food takes a little longer to arrive, because it’s actually prepared by hand—with a touch of magical help, of course. But it’s worth the wait.”
“Do we only get to pick one?” I asked, my eyes not moving an inch from the rich, red sauce of that spaghetti.
Larissa laughed, and my stomach rolled at a flash of red on her teeth. Maybe I wasn’t as “cool” with it as I thought. Still, it didn’t make me want to run screaming from the table, so I was doing okay. “Choose as many as you can eat,” Larissa said, thankfully not noticing my reaction. “Some of the shifters eat like seven meals at every single sitting.”
Yep. It was decided. I didn’t give a fuck if the Clovers tortured me every day; I would put up with a lot for regular, delicious food.
After a few clumsy attempts, I got the hang of swishing my hand across the air and moving the images. It was some Matrix shit for sure, all advanced technology and out-of-this-world experiences. Only this was advanced magic, and I was starting to see just how much my life was about to change.
“This one,” I said, pointing the same way Larissa had. The image kind of shimmered in the light, and my smile widened. This was going to be fun.
We ended up ordering about six different dishes, and I managed to eat more food than I probably did in a normal week. I was naturally curvy and loved to eat, even though I’d definitely had my share of starvation over the past ten years. Luckily I worked in restaurants and diners most of the time, which meant there were always leftovers and discount food for me to grab at the end of a shift.
Larissa watched me with humor. “I’m not sure I’ve ever seen someone enjoy the dinner menu quite like you are,” she said with a chuckle.
Dragging some more pasta to my mouth, I let out a low, breathy sound. “This is … amazing. I can’t believe that I can just choose anything I want. That’s a first for me.”
Larissa’s face creased in sympathy; her face was an open book. “Well, all of that is about to chang—”
She was cut off by a bag slamming onto the table right between us, almost spilling my fruit salad everywhere. I jerked my head toward whoever was rude enough to do that and found myself face-to-face with the gorgeous redheaded witch I’d seen at the Clover table earlier.
Kate.
“New girl,” she said, staring down at me.
Her eyes were hazel, with a dark green ring right around the pupil. She had heavy makeup on—a winged eyeliner I was ultra-impressed with, and shimmery gold eye shadow. Her lips were full, but in a fake way, like she’d done something to enhance their plumpness.
“Head bitch,” I shot right back. I’d been on the streets for most of my life. I didn’t take shit from anyone. Including the mean girl of the school.
Kate’s eyes narrowed on me, and she leaned down in what she probably thought was an intimidating way. My hands itched for my switchblade, simply because it was a good backup. At least I knew they weren’t allowed to use magic on other students, and surely out here in the open like this she’d obey that law.
“I’m here to lay the ground rules for you,” she breathed out in a hiss. “I wouldn’t want you to make a costly mistake your first visit to the Academy.”
I exchanged a glance with Larissa, unhappy to see how pale and frightened she looked. I recognized the signs of someone who had suffered abuse at the hands of those stronger than her, and I resisted the urge to get into a fight right here.
Standing, I was taller than Kate, which allowed me to be the one looking down. “I don’t need you to explain anything to me,” I said softly, my voice vibrating with annoyance. “In fact, I’d appreciate it if you didn’t speak to me again. I don’t like you. Or your magically botoxed face.”
The three chicks who stood just behind her gasped, and Kate’s cheeks stained a dark red. “You just made a dangerous enemy,” she told me softly. “You’re about to learn why I’m head bitch of this school.”
She swung around then, and her lesser bitches followed. Larissa’s eyes were wide and shiny and she shook her head, breaths coming in and out in gasps. “You shouldn’t have done that, Maddi. Seriously, she’s not stable. I’m not sure she has a limit on what she might do.”
I waved her off, even though unease settled in my gut, leaving a heavy weight there. “It’ll be fine. If I know anything about bullies, it’s that you can’t cave in to them. I mean … why would she even approach us like that in the first place?”
Larissa sighed. “You’re new. You’re pretty. You’re competition. And,” she cleared her throat, “I heard a rumor on the way over here that you had a little run-in with some of the Atlantean-five.”
I gaped at her, and she nodded. “Yeah, the rumor mill works fast around here. Kate no doubt wants to stop that before it starts. The Clovers think they own those guys.”
I shook my head. “Shit. It was like an eight-second conversation.”
“Eight seconds was more than enough time,” Larissa assured me. “And now you’re on both the Clovers’ and the Atlanteans’ radar. Nice work.”
I groaned and dropped my head in my hands. “Shit. This could only happen to me.”
Something told me I’d better figure out what my powers were and soon. I was going to need them.
7
When we finished our food, there were still hundreds of students
sitting around. The sky above was awash with storm clouds that continued to rain down on the land. It remained warm and dry where we were though, and it was relaxing as some live music started up on the far side of the commons.
“Pixies,” Larissa said. “They come across from the demi-fey school. They’re nasty little assholes, but they have the sweetest voices.”
It was true, they sounded like a choir of angels. From this distance I couldn’t see more than a little flutter of glitter—they were tiny, but their voices easily projected across the area.
“You’ll learn a lot more about the supe races in your classes,” Larissa said. “Don’t try and learn everything at once. You’ll drive yourself crazy.”
“When do I find out what classes I’ll be in?” I asked. At some point I’d gone from “wait and see how I felt about this insane world tomorrow” to “I’m going to school and I need to choose classes.”
She opened her mouth to answer, then something behind me caught her attention. “Uh, tomorrow,” she said faintly, “when you meet with my dad.”
I turned to see what was causing her distraction. The first person I saw was Calen, moving through a small crowd near the entrance to the dorm rooms. Everyone shifted out of his way like he was royalty. Actually, on second glance, it wasn’t Calen; it was the guy in the middle of them.
And … sweet mother of all that was holy.
“Do they have gods here?” I asked Larissa breathlessly. I couldn’t stop staring at him—looking away was a feat requiring more strength than I had.
“If there was any such thing as a god on Earth, Asher Locke is as close as you’ll get,” she replied, her voice as breathless as mine.
Asher Locke. Fuck. Me.
He was the one who’d had his head down when I first walked through. The one who’d captured my attention. Thoroughly.
Just like the other Atlantean-five, he was tall; his hair was black, but I could still see the shimmer of silver-blond dusted through it. It wasn’t streaks … more like an actual shimmer in the strands.
