“I’m not sure exactly. It’s almost like my magic takes a nibble out of the other magic so it knows what it tastes like for next time.”
I cocked my head to the side and took a step back.
“Dude, you need a better explanation.” Gray joined our circle. “That one freaks people out.”
I hurriedly tried to smooth out my expression. “How do you become familiar with s-someone’s magic?”
“Being around people helps me learn their Magical imprint, but interacting with their magic helps the most. For example, now that I’ve fought Ivy, it would be fairly easy to locate her. Even now that I shook your hand, my magic was able to lock on to yours.”
“But I don’t have magic.”
Oliver chuckled. “Sure you do. Why else would you be here?”
“Then why can’t I use it?” My face flushed. Oliver wasn’t the person I needed to ask.
“You can’t use it?” He examined my gray tie. “Ah, I see. That explains it.”
I shifted my gaze to the ground.
Neil came to my rescue. “I actually wanted to ask you about your magic, Oliver. What if someone’s far away? Can you still find them?”
“The farther away they are, the more magic it takes. So if they’re too far, then I’ll only know their general direction. But if I followed after their trail personally, I could theoretically find the person without exhausting my magic.”
Neil’s eyes widened. “That’s really cool.”
Ivy left Gray behind and came and stood on my other side. She glanced back at Gray before turning to Oliver. “I’d enjoy a rematch sometime,” she suggested with a hair toss that made me do a double-take.
Wait a minute. Was Miss-don’t-pee-in-the-pool-Ivy actually flirting with a fellow student?
She walked back toward campus. Oliver and I followed her, leaving Neil behind with Gray.
“Whenever you want me, I’m yours.” Oliver winked at her.
I immediately regretted leaving the boys behind. “My shoe’s untied. Go ahead without me.” I bent down and fiddled with my laces, waiting for Gray and Neil to catch up. Could I be any worse at excuses?
From that vantage point, I could still clearly see Ivy laughing and touching Oliver’s arm, but at least I wasn’t trapped in the middle of it. Was that what I should do to flirt—laugh and touch arms?
“You all right?” Neil asked.
“Uh-huh,” I mumbled.
Ivy glanced back at Gray, then turned another brilliant smile on Oliver.
“What was the deal with Oliver yesterday?” I grinned at Ivy as we walked to Literature the next morning.
She glanced at me. “What do you mean?”
“Admit it, you like him.”
She frowned. “No, I’m not interested in him.”
I titled my head to the side. “Then why were you flirting with him?”
She shrugged. “Because he was flirting with me.”
“Do you think that’s a good idea? If he likes you, you might be leading him on.”
Her grip tightened on the strap of her bag. “I don’t want to be lectured about that, especially from you.”
My mouth fell open. “What?”
Ivy stormed past me into the class and took her seat without looking at me.
What was wrong with her?
As Mr. Harper droned on about his lecture on poetry, Ivy’s shoulder’s slowly relaxed.
Halfway through morning classes, the headmistress announced an immediate assembly.
“Spontaneous assemblies stress me out.” I bit my lip. “I always feel like I’m about to get in trouble for something.”
“Maybe a new student?” Ivy guessed.
“I doubt it. We rarely ever get transfers.”
“Best not to worry about it until you know for sure.” Gray held open the door for us.
Lukas shouldered past me. “Maybe they finally decided to kick out the Mediocre from school, and they’ve gathered us to announce the good news.”
“If anyone needs to get kicked out, it’s you!” Gray shook his fist.
I lifted my chin. “Ignore him.”
“But he’s so infuriating.” Gray took a breath and unclenched his hands.
“How do you always stay so cool?” Ivy asked.
“He only says stuff like that to get a reaction, so if not reacting is what bothers him most, then it’s easier to stay calm.”
After we found seats, I searched for Neil in the Grade Ten section.
I gasped and put a hand on Ivy’s arm. “Look.” I pointed toward the other end of the auditorium. “Do you see him?” Granted, I’d only seen him once when Celia pointed him out after History, but it had to be him.
“Who?” Ivy asked.
I didn’t even bother answering.
Gray squinted, then gasped. “Is that Josh?”
“Celia’s dorm room was still empty this morning. If Josh is back without her, this can’t be good,” Ivy murmured.
Just to be safe, I did a quick survey of our own section of benches. Nope. Celia wasn’t there. Why would Josh be back but not her?
“Good morning, students.” Headmistress Elsie’s voice cut through the buzz of chatter. “It is with a heavy heart that I gathered you here today. I must apologize to the teachers for interrupting their lessons, but this announcement couldn’t wait. From this point on, new school rules will be enforced.”
A collective groan went around.
My breath caught. A new rule? Something must have happened.
“More rules,” Gray whined under his breath.
“As of this moment, no one will be allowed to go home for the Term One break. Each of your parents have been notified and agreed with this decision.”
A roar of outrage swept through the students.
Ivy’s eyes widened. “Uh-oh. What happened?”
Headmistress Elsie raised her hands. “In order to protect you, we have been forced to take extreme measures to ensure your safety. It is easier to protect one place, like Ackley, than all of your homes individually.”
She took a deep breath, her lips thinning as her expression became even grimmer. “As we all know, there have been a string of disappearances around Andar recently. The Koban have given us reason to believe each disappearance is connected. These girls haven’t just disappeared. They’re being kidnapped.
“In times of danger, it is critical that we act cautiously, but we also need to stand tall and refuse to give in to fear. Now, more than ever before, you must study.” Her gaze swept across the stadium. “You must learn.” Around me, the students leaned forward in their seats, hanging on her every word. “And you must grow so you can defend yourself and those you love.”
My hand shook as I reached for Ivy’s.
Headmistress Elsie frowned and clasped her hands behind her back. “I regret to inform you that this precaution came too late for one of our students.”
My heart thumped painfully, and the rest of the audience fell away as I focused on Headmistress Elsie.
Please don’t say it. I glanced at Josh, and everything fell into place. His slumped shoulders. The dejected look on his face. His messy appearance.
“Celia Naverly has been kidnapped.”
Chapter 9
I clutched Ivy’s hand, searching for Neil until his blue gaze met mine. Could we have prevented Celia’s abduction if we’d gone to someone with our suspicions?
“One of the groundskeepers spotted a man in his early forties with brown hair and a silver scar on his chin, lurking outside her house. The man left when the groundskeeper approached, only to come back later that night. If you see someone matching this description, please alert the Koban or teachers immediately.”
Whispers ran afresh through the rows of students, and Headmistress Elsie raised her voice to speak over the students’ voices.
“We have reason to believe this man may be linked to a string of disappearances around Andar these last few cycles. His motives are still unclear, and until this man is caught, n
o one is allowed off-campus for any reason. You are safe if you stay on-campus.” She announced a few more things, but I stopped listening.
We should’ve done something. Celia’s face flashed through my mind.
Next to me, Ivy and Gray discussed something in hushed whispers. I followed them down the steps, shoving my trembling hands into my pockets and taking shallow breaths.
I shook my head, but Celia’s smile as she told me about Josh hugging her stayed firmly lodged in my mind.
Neil found us in the mess of bodies and put a hand on my shoulder. “Stop it.”
I pulled a strand of hair tighter around my finger, cutting off circulation. “Stop what?”
“Blaming yourself. I can see the guilt written on your face, but you didn’t do anything wrong.” His gruff manner belied the grief in his eyes.
“But if we told someone...”
Neil lifted my chin with his finger until our gazes met. “Emmie, stop.” His voice came more gently. “We had a theory, but we didn’t truly know anything more than anyone else. The authorities already knew the victims were fifteen-year-old girls, and your idea about it being related to the princess doesn’t change a thing.”
“He’s right, Em,” Ivy said.
Gray nodded.
I gave them a watery smile and tried to control my tears. “Thanks.” I took a deep breath and scanned the crowds leaving the auditorium. “But you’re comforting the wrong person. We need to talk to Josh.”
Noah walked over and caught the end of our conversation. “Josh?”
“He should know what happened to Celia.” Neil craned his neck and searched.
“I saw him walk back toward our dorm earlier.” Noah stood on tiptoe and glanced over the crowd.
What happened to Celia? Was she even still alive?
“I’ll see if I can convince him to come talk to us.” Neil spun around and walked off.
Gray caught his arm. “Meet you at the tree.”
Neil grimly nodded and marched off.
How could I face Josh, knowing I hadn’t done anything to stop this from happening?
“Mind if I join you?” Noah stepped forward. “I'm worried, too.”
Gray shrugged, and the four of us took off across the courtyard.
Students stood in clusters talking about the news of Celia.
I sucked in a breath. “Neil t-told me you’re an Exceptional Magical, but he didn’t mention what your magic is.”
Noah looked at me from the corner of his eye.
I clenched my fists. So what if I needed to talk about something random to distract myself?
His expression softened. “It’s like a sixth sense that helps me read people’s emotions,” he explained. “I can also influence their emotions, especially if I touch them: calm down someone who’s angry or help cheer someone up, that sort of stuff.”
“C-can you read my mind?” What a nightmare.
“No, nothing like that.” He glanced around campus before his gaze settled on me. “More like I can tell you’re feeling flustered and embarrassed.”
“Oh. So, just general impressions?” I ignored his unspoken question.
“Yup. You seem pretty relieved right now. Got some dark secrets?”
I blushed and changed the subject. “So are you using your magic all the time? You must know a lot about everyone here.”
“It can be a bit overwhelming, but I learned to block most of it out. When I was younger, it tired me out because it was like being surrounded by people shouting their emotions at me. Now that I’ve learned more control, it’s more like a room full of whispers. Still distracting, but not as bad. Only if I touch someone, or if they’re feeling a particularly strong emotion, does it stand out from the crowd now.”
My mouth fell open slightly. “You mean you use your magic all the t-time?”
He glanced at my expression and chuckled. “More like my magic uses me. I can’t shut it off.”
I suddenly realized why Headmistress Elsie would want to recruit Noah. “That’s why you had a meeting with the Headmistress. You could help improve the relationship between the regions.”
His shoulders slumped. “Or I could ruin them. She wanted me to give the delegates insights on each other that would allow negotiations to flow more easily, but if I say one wrong thing, who knows what could happen? She overestimates my abilities.”
It looked like I wasn’t the only one who was unsure about the future. I changed the subject. “How did you and Neil end up rooming t-together?”
“Originally, it was because we could both appreciate wanting to be treated normally. Now, though, it’d feel weird to live with anyone else.”
“I c-can understand that.” Life without Ivy was unimaginable. “I wonder how Neil feels about his feelings c-constantly being scrutinized.”
“He’s pretty chill with it, actually.”
“No way.”
Noah laughed. “Well, of course, he wishes I couldn’t sense his feelings, but he knows I’d never talk about him. Plus, I think he secretly likes that I know when to stay out of his way when he’s in one of his perfectionist moods or working on an invention late at night. And, of course, I’m much better now than I was when we were younger. ”
“How did you learn to control your magic?”
“A big part of it was practice,” he admitted. “But I also started meditating each morning and night, and I found that when my mind is more focused, I have more control.”
“You meditate?” I didn’t know why I was so surprised. I guess I’d grown used to the things happening in my class with Henry being exclusively ours.
“Is there a problem with that?” he teased.
“No, I… I didn’t realize anyone else did it. I’ve been learning, t-too. I think you must be better at it than I am. I’d gladly give it up.”
He grinned at me. “It’s an acquired taste, but a really useful skill for all Magicals to have. I think they should teach it in the afternoon classes.”
It was ironic that I was the only one not in those same afternoon classes, and yet I was the only one learning to meditate.
We arrived at our tree and Ivy’s discussion with Gray got louder.
“We should’ve talked to Oliver. Maybe he’d be able to find Celia.” Ivy bit her lip and glanced back toward campus.
Gray put a hand on her shoulder. “I’ll ask him tonight, but I don’t think they’ve really interacted much.”
That’s right. Maybe Josh could track Celia! I turned to Gray. “It’s worth asking.”
A few minutes passed in silence, and I paced around the tree, stomping my feet to keep warm. At least it wasn’t snowing anymore.
“Over there.” Ivy gestured across the field to Neil and Josh.
I didn’t need Noah’s magic to read the misery on Josh’s face. There were lines around his eyes that didn’t belong on the face of a seventeen-year-old, and his gaze rarely left the ground.
My heart went out to him. I had no idea what it was like to be bound to someone, but I could imagine his pain from missing his other half.
“Hey,” Noah called softly once they arrived.
“Hey,” Neil returned.
Josh watched us with a haunted expression, large bags under his bloodshot eyes and shoulders slumped.
He looked like we were addressing a wounded animal; no loud voices or sudden moves, lest he fall apart
“Everyone, this is Josh. Josh,” Neil put a hand on his shoulder, “this is Ivy, Emmie, and my brother, Gray.” He gestured toward Noah last. “And you know Noah, of course.”
“Can you tell us what happened?” Ivy asked gently.
“I don’t know,” Josh whispered.
“Josh.” Gray rested his hand on his arm. “We’re here for you. We want to help piece together what happened and why. We’re willing to listen and try to help.”
I whipped my head to face Gray. His kindness was often overshadowed by his goofy nature.
Josh regarded Gray for a long time
without speaking. “Celia and I were forced to go back to our families' homes after we completed the Binding here at school. They weren’t sure what to do with us, since neither of us are eighteen yet. We didn't have a place of our own to go, and neither of our parents were willing to let us stay at the other family's place.” His words were laced with bitterness and his hands clenched into fists.
I didn’t blame him. Being separated would be terrible, even if they were too young to Bind.
With relations between the east and west so tense, it wasn’t surprising.
“We received permission,” he spat out the word, “to meet on the weekends, but the time in between was miserable.” He sucked in a breath. “Being bound is the most wonderful feeling in the world. It’s like this other half of you that you didn’t even know was missing is found, and it fits more perfectly than you could’ve ever imagined.”
His face took on a dreamy look. “Not only do your magics become one, but your emotions are linked. There was nothing I wouldn’t have done to ensure Celia was safe and happy. It's not possible for me to be happy without her happiness.” His voice trembled, and he looked at the ground. “And when they separated us, it was so lonely. Our parents bought us communication crystals, but it wasn’t enough. Celia’s loneliness amplified my own.” He shuddered and scuffed his foot on the ground, back and forth.
“I’ve read that every sensation is amplified in the beginning,” Neil said.
“I’d never felt so miserable in my whole life.” His shoulders slumped. “Until she was taken.”
“What happened?” Noah asked carefully.
Josh winced.
Were we doing the right thing by making him talk about this? His hands were shaking like a toadberry addict cut off from his supply. One wrong word from any of us might shatter him.
Noah walked over and laid a hand on his shoulder.
“Something woke me from my sleep, but I wasn’t sure what it was at first.” His breathing quickened. “But then, I felt Celia’s terror. Her emotions had woken me through the bond.” His hands curled into fists. “I rushed out of my room, but it disappeared before I could even make it outside.”
“The bond disappeared?” I whispered.
Unleashed Magic (The Chronicles of Andar Book 1) Page 11
