Animage Academy: Year Three ~ The Shifter Academy Down Under (The Shifter School Down Under Book 3)

by Qatarina Wanders

  He was on the edge of the lane, facing a long line of Bills-dummies and the kids beside them. When Tortellini blew her whistle, he took off, fire at his heels. He faded out from Tortellini talking about the importance of speed and precision.

  Stealthily, he attacked the first one head-on and knocked it sideways—the kid was still standing. Next one, he ducked as an arrow came flying at him. Their task was harder as far as he was concerned, but he heard at the real skill tournaments—it was worse.

  There they had healers on the grounds--the arrows were tipped with real flames. If you didn’t train right, you were putting yourself in danger.

  He flung the dummy to the curb and pressed on, third one, fourth one, all the onlookers were standing. Fifth one...his teammate was struck down with an arrow.

  Tarun didn’t look back to see—he couldn’t afford to lose out. His feet propelled him to go faster, to push past the rising panic. Just as he reached the sixth dummy, images from that night rose….

  He could smell the tar….

  The burning sun felt like ice on his skin….

  He shivered with the cold of that night.

  Tarun tried his best to shut it out, but it wouldn’t stop. He could hear him yelling, “STOP, SON!”

  He could see his father’s panicked eyes, hear the desperation in his voice, as he begged him to slow down.

  He hadn’t listened. No, he was a selfish son. All he wanted was to--he heard it again, the car pounding into the tree...it had sprung from nowhere.

  Tarun struggled against the onslaught of bloody images. His hands stained with the blood of the man that had loved him even with his dying breath.

  Seventh, eighth, ninth, and tenth dummy.

  As he collapsed in an exhausted heap at the finish line, Tarun could only think about the failure that he was.

  “Tarun, that was awesome! You were great out there!”

  He heard someone laying it on too thick, but he didn’t even care who.

  “Tarun, are you okay?”

  He was fine. He jumped to his feet to show them. Off to the side, Ava stood watching him. Tarun tried to push through his friends to get to her, but his pride swallowed him up. He stopped pushing and took their admiration, shame at the core of his soul.

  She blamed herself for this. He’d looked fine when he came out that morning, but it obviously wasn’t.

  “James is going on now,” Winta announced, clapping enthusiastically, unlike Tarun who’d clearly received what could only be termed a standing ovation despite his flops at the end.

  Elaine and her flock managed to push Ava out before she could get to him. When he began the tryout, he was fine, he was enjoying himself. Then that shadow had crossed his face and that was it. She’d seen him struggling with the demons inside, had seen it in the way he knocked those dummies down in a fight only he could explain.

  Ava had seen Tortellini tsk, shake her head, and make a note. All she wanted was the real Tarun back, she knew it was too much for her to handle alone. She could only heal his outer wounds, but those rips in his soul...another should mend.

  Now, the trouble was convincing him to go, she thought as she watched Elaine simper at something he said and laugh boisterously.

  The girl just never learned her lesson, tossing her blonde hair in his face and clutching his arm as if she was drowning.

  Okay, time to rescue her man, Ava concluded, taking a deep breath.

  The sun hot on her skin, she strode to where he was surrounded with people. One would think this was the real competition with the treatment he received.

  “Excuse me.” She pushed the first person out of the way, second, and third.

  On getting close enough to touch, Tortellini blew her—super annoying—whistle. It was time to wrap it up.

  Crap on toast! She had completely missed James’s performance. Hopefully Winta could fill her in.

  “You all have done well—some better than others. The list of successful students will be posted at the end of today. Pack it up!”

  Whatever was going on with Tarun, it would have to keep waiting.

  9

  From her seat on the plush red leather seats, Elaine lifted the magazine she was reading to cover her face. Not that she was particularly reading. Still sweaty and sticky from the tryouts, she was supposed to soak in a bath for a long time, but there she was, waiting.

  As soon as Tortellini called it, she morphed, flew to the common room, and waited. Soon enough, Tarun and Ava arrived, looking cozy and unconcerned. That was just a face they put on. Elaine had it on good authority that things weren’t that rosy between the two.

  I still have a shot. She’d convinced herself that, this time, it was going to work because she had good tools at her disposal.

  After her horrendous breakup with Colin—that cheating fool—she set her sights right back on the gorgeous tiger shifter.

  Elaine’s teeth flashed for a nanosecond—they had no idea what she had in store for them. And even though she botched the tryouts when she twisted her ankle, when Levine had put it up to a vote earlier, she’d been declared the head planner for the centennials.

  She was free to select anyone she wanted, free to delegate (most importantly), decide on the colors and theme of the day…yes, she was prepared.

  It was only a matter of how long it would take.

  They were talking. Why the hell were Tarun and Elaine talking like that? Ava pulled the paper closer to her face and listened. She started when she felt a hand on her wrist.

  “Babe, I’ve been looking for you.”

  “Where, in Elaine’s shirt?” Ava retorted, in spite of herself.

  “Ava.”

  “Sorry, I—” she traced a finger on his cheeks. “We need to talk.”

  A shadow flicked across his eyes--he broke the connection and looked away. Attendants and some dutiful students were packing up. “I can’t get it out of my head, Ava. I’ve tried. I keep seeing his face...the crash. I can smell his blood on my skin. I look at my hands, and I see his blood. I’m going crazy…”

  “No, no, you’re not. That’s what I wanted to talk to you about. There is someone who can help us.”

  “Help me forget?”

  “Yes, she can help you analyze everything you’re feeling, what happened that night. She will sort through your memories and figure out a treatment plan.”

  “You mean a shrink.”

  “Yes,” Ava agreed firmly as they walked from the field. JiSoo was several steps behind, and Winta was with James.

  “I don’t think I need therapy.”

  “Tarun, you are the king of people that need therapists. I’m out of my depth here. I’m afraid if we don’t do something fast, I’m gonna lose you.”

  “I—that’s not what I was—”

  “You’re stubborn, Tarun, but I won’t sit back and watch you destroy yourself. You are going to a therapist, dammit!”

  “Easy, Babe. I’ll think about it.”

  “No, you don’t get to stop and think about it. You’re going today.”

  “If the school finds out what happened last night, I might be sent home. The counselor is obligated to report such cases, you know.”

  Neither of them had been able to say the word suicide and still avoided each other’s eyes when it came up.

  Ava inserted her hand through his elbows as they entered the main hall. First-years had just finished the first training of the day and were streaming into the lunchroom and dorms for those who weren’t interested.

  “Wait,” Ava stopped, “I gotta tell them about Levine’s invite. We should go and see her now.”

  “You haven’t told them? That’s unlike you.”

  “Yeah, I feel like I’ll be giving her concluding evidence to fire Waters.”

  “What happens to the wife if he goes though?”

  “Hey, that’s a headache for Levine, not us. All we gotta do is answer her call and we’re done,” she replied nonchalantly. He knew better—when she began to
knot her hair, she was definitely concerned.

  “Coulda fooled me. C’mon what do you think we should do for her?”

  “I don’t know, Tarun, it’s too much, okay? We have to study, practice for the skills tournament, prepare for the centennial celebration...I don’t know where we can fit in a crazy hydra dragon.”

  “I’ll figure something out. We can’t just let the woman spend the rest of her days locked up. She could be any of us, if we were stuck in our animal forms for that long…that’s why we have to do something. As for me, I’ll be fine, I think a therapist will be a great help, too.”

  “Do you see it now? Blood. On your hands.” Ava asked, holding her breath.

  Tarun turned his palms over. “Not now...” he said, perplexed.

  “That’s a good thing. Don’t look so confused. We could go and see the therapist later. Okay?”

  He was blocking her view of the entrance, but as she stepped out, the rest of their friends approached.

  “Guys, Levine wants us in her office, now,” JiSoo told them.

  “What? Why?” Tarun looked nervous.

  “But we haven’t done anything...this semester,” James defended.

  “Apparently this is a spillover from last semester. Remember Madame Waters? She wants to know everything that happened when we went down there.”

  “Yeah, I was planning to mention that to you.” Ava frowned. “One person is missing for that though: Azar. I’ve seen her around today.”

  “So you want to go?” Winta asked widened her eyes,

  “Do we have a choice?”

  “Not unless we want a livid griffin on our asses,” Tarun pointed out.

  “Are you sure we’re not in trouble?” James wheedled.

  “James, I told you, she just wants to know what went on down there. We’re not the ones in trouble, Waters is. He made students go down to the holding lair knowing all the risks involved. She knows you guys were just trying to save Azar and me. But…” she looked at Tarun, “we were talking.”

  “About?”

  “Madame Waters. We don’t even know her name, we have to do something about her. No one stays sane in that dungeon, I’m sure. She’s locked up and probably fed peanuts. If we don’t help her, the school is in danger of an attack from her. She broke out once, and she’ll do it again.”

  James groaned. “I’ll go find Azar.” He shifted into his hummingbird and zipped off.

  After about thirty minutes, James returned to his friends with no Azar.

  “I couldn’t find her.” He shrugged when he shifted back. “I don’t really know her, so I don’t know where to look.”

  “I guess it’s up to me then,” Ava grumbled. She had many mixed feelings about that little phoenix shifter.

  Ava dragged Tarun with her, leaving JiSoo, Winta, and James at the main hall. Ava found that lunch was the most chaotic time in the school—no one seemed to be where they were expected. It was either in the lunchroom, outside, dorms, or mixed up with friends, which made it a tad difficult to locate the shy phoenix.

  She was already tiny, smaller than JiSoo. With her alluring long dark hair, she was an instant hit for the bigger guys. It was worse that she was a mythical, a rare breed.

  Actually the only phoenix in Animage and possibly the entire continent. Ava remembered her room so they headed there first, knowing that classes were off for third-year students because of the tryouts.

  “You were looking good out there,” Tarun praised her as they walked briskly through the halls. “You left Elaine far behind.”

  “Really? I thought I was a bit sloppy. Almost got hit that one time.”

  “Nah, you did great.”

  “Think I beat James? I didn’t get to see him.” She poked a finger into his arm. “And don’t even dream of lying or defending him.”

  “And risk you gouging out my eyes? He was pretty good too, but you were definitely better.”

  “Are you just saying that because you’re my boyfriend? You’re biased.”

  Tarun laughed and threw his right arm over her shoulders—the movement was so natural it brought tears to Ava’s eyes. She blinked fast to hide it before he saw. She’s been so close to losing him.

  He leaned closer—this was just for her ears alone—his voice was hushed. “This evening, we could sneak out to our cave. I brought something back this semester. A little DVD player.”

  Her head whipped up, her eyes shining. “No, you didn’t.” she cooed, dimpling prettily.

  “I did. I’ve been waiting for the perfect day to bring it out, and I think, after all we’ve been through, today qualifies.”

  She squealed, bouncing up and down. Only Tarun’s arm kept her from running off. “Tarun, you brought Friends DVDs? What took so long for you to tell me?”

  “I was too busy feeling sorry for myself,” he muttered. Ava waved it aside.

  “So tonight? We could take our dinner out, too.”

  “Like a date?”

  “Yeah.”

  She clapped her hands together, then paused. “This is her room. Wait here. I’ll get her.”

  “Sure, we don’t wanna spook her with the big bad tiger.” He flexed both his biceps and winked.

  Ava grinned—the ease with which she was navigating the day made her happy. She hadn’t felt that since the semester started; it was like regaining a long-lost purpose. Now that she knew he wasn’t avoiding her, it was like a weight had lifted from her chest.

  She knocked on the door and waited. There was movement inside but no one came to the door. She knocked again, softer this time.

  The door opened to a small crack and Azar peeked out. “Yes?”

  “Azar, Levine wants to meet with us.” Ava chose not to beat around the bush.

  Azar’s eyes instantly grew wide and frightened. “Why?” she asked in a tiny voice. Ava explained again, watching the girl’s eyes become rounder.

  “So, you see, it’s important. We’ve already delayed enough. The others are waiting downstairs.”

  “I should get dressed. Be out in a minute.” She slammed the door in Ava’s face.

  That went well, Ava thought and returned to Tarun. He was leaning against the railing, looking down at the students strolling downstairs. His exposed muscles clenched tautly. Yum.

  “Tarun?”

  He swung around, his eyes roving everywhere but where she stood. His expression was now filled with raw pain, his breathing labored. Ava rushed to hold him.

  She palmed the sides of his face. “It’s okay, Tarun. I’m here. Hey, look at me. You’re okay—you’re not there anymore.”

  He growled, his head lolled to the side, eyes dilating. Ava fought the wave of fear that hit her—this was beyond therapy. “Babe!” She shook him desperately. People were starting to take notice.

  Fast as it began, his eyes rolled forward again, and he was smiling down at her. When he saw her panicked expression, he looked confused. “What is it? Did something happen to Azar? Is she okay?”

  Ava collapsed against him, shaking uncontrollably. Good god. He really was losing his mind.

  “Ava! Babe, what’s wrong?”

  “We—we ha—have to do something for you.”

  “Me? What? How?”

  “Ava, I’m ready to go,” Azar said, just outside the door, interrupting them.

  Ava hurriedly wiped her eyes and turned to her. She’d managed to brush her bushy black hair and make it somewhat presentable.

  Seeing Ava’s reddened face, Azar’s eyebrows puckered, but she said nothing, her long lashes swept down as she concentrated on the important task of twisting her fingers.

  “Let’s go.”

  With Azar leading the way, the three of them made their way down to the reception where others were waiting. Together, they made their way to the headmistress’s office. Winta giggled with James while JiSoo walked alongside Ava.

  Ava knocked softly on the office door—she knew the headmistress would be waiting, the griffin had a way of knowing wha
t her students needed.

  “Come in.”

  “Guys, remember: we can’t let her take Waters away.” Ava looked each of them in the eyes.

  They nodded as the door flew open. Levine was perched on the edge of her desk, in her dark brown pantsuit and iron-gray hair, it was like it was carved and created for the job.

  “So, you finally made it.” Levine had a soft voice with an underlying steel.

  They greeted her.

  “Tarun.” The headmistress stared him down.

  He flinched.

  “What did you see down there?” Levine asked, cutting straight to the chase.

  He glanced at Ava—she was sniffling and he was yet to know why. “We were searching for Ava and Azar. We went through a doorway in Waters's office…”

  “How did you know where to find the holding lair?”

  James raised his hand. Levine nodded at him, and he spoke. “I kinda guided them. I’d read about it.”

  Levine’s thin lips flattened further. “Continue.”

  “We heard sounds coming from Ava and Azar and rushed to them.”

  “That’s it? you saw nothing on your way?”

  “We—uh, no…nothing.” James shook his head.

  “Think carefully. It has come to my attention that one of the prisoners we have in the tunnels escaped that day, and you may have come in contact with it.”

  They stared blankly at each other, except Azar who was studying her sneakers.

  Levine sighed. “I’ll make it easier.” She went to one of the two shelves behind her and extracted a large book. It was peeling at the back and the corners were dogeared. Levine's thin fingers flipped the pages until she came nearly to the end.

  She then tapped on the page and looked at them, “Did any of you come in contact with this?” they crowded her to see. It was a dark creature—black as night, almost like a shadow. Mouth yawning, a black robe covered its skin and parts of the face. It was the eyes that told one to run. The eyeballs and even the sockets were missing, leaving chasms in its place.

  Before any of them could string a sentence together, Tarun’s face went ashen. That was the thing he’d seen at the tunnels, that’d made him burst into the room without thinking. He’d somehow blocked it from his memory, but looking at it now...he remembered!