by Demi Dumond
“Because if you try to transform a chair into a wall for example, and you fail. What you end up with is an abomination. Something that was never meant to exist. Other than matter, what other things are we forbidden to alter?”
She paced all the way up and down the rows of students, looking into their faces. For a moment, the frown lines on her forehead scrunched up so far, I thought they were going to merge together. Her face held a similar, puckered-up expression that was beginning to alarm me greatly.
Then she paused for a moment, as if to think, before seeming to come to a conclusion. She went back to the front of her room to stand in front of her desk.
Then she cleared her throat an utterly unnecessary act, since we students were already hanging on every word.
“Before we go any further, I’d like to introduce you to one of the most common spells in the magical community. It has to do with trust. I am going to invoke a pact, right now.”
She turned and brought her hand down on her wooden desk with a hard smack that made us all jump. Since when had Professor Kiln turned into a drama queen?
“Here’s the deal,” she continued. “Before I say another word, every single one of you will learn how to participate in a secret pact spell. You will not speak to any other students or administrators about what we talk about here today, or I will know it. As soon as you invoke the pact, there will be a faintly visible symbol on your forehead whenever you are in this room. If you talked to anybody, I will know. And so will the rest of the students here, because if you talk, the symbol on your forehead with change colors.”
A startled murmur spread throughout the class. She couldn’t be serious, could she?
Professor Kiln started pacing again, still eyeing us. “Anybody not willing to invoke the pact can be excused for the rest of class.”
The students all looked at each other like she was crazy. It was one thing to talk about things that were forbidden, that was exciting, but invoking a pact? That sounded serious.
I had never invoked any kind of a pact before, but clearly neither had they. Everybody looked spooked, but nobody was beating a path to the door to leave either.
“Anybody?” she asked, raising her eyebrow. “Okay, then.” She stood up and wrote a few words on the blackboard. As she did, the chalk squeaked out the cryptic words as we all watched.
“In order to invoke the pact, all you have to do is say these words after a simple secrecy spell. First, we’re all going to perform the first form secrecy spell. Ready? Go.”
Professor Kiln stopped talking and put the chalk down. She stared all of us down with those squinty eyes.
After looking at each other, all of the students, including me, had cast the spell. I said the words and felt a tingle on my forehead.
Other than that, nothing else changed that I noticed. Nothing physical, anyway.
“Okay,” she announced, “now it’s time to say the words. Say them exactly as they’re written on the board or the pact won’t work.”
We had all gone too far to stop now. I recited the words on the chalkboard with the rest of the class. Despite the somber mood and over-the-top dramatics, the sentence we spoke was so straightforward and simple it could have been laughable. “Don’t breathe a word said today in confidence outside the group.”
I said the words feeling foolish, but as soon as I was finished speaking them, I felt a whoosh and a tingle on my forehead as the magic clicked into place.
A feeling of dread washed over me. What had I just done? I let peer pressure get to me and took on some sort of freaky secrecy pact. This place was getting weirder by the day.
Once again, Professor Kiln got up and walked down the aisle, checking each one of us. It’s like she was too restless to sit.
I wondered why was this so important to her, and what was she so worried about? She finally got all the way down to my aisle.
She put her face right up next to mine, and I could see that her expression was even more intense than usual, and the normal contemptuous stare was neutral. She was probably distracted with whatever the hell this was. And then she was gone, moving on to the next student.
“Okay,” she said after making sure everyone had complied, “do you see the symbol on everybody’s forehead?”
I turned to the girl across from me and we looked in wonder at the bluish half circle that was faintly visible on each of our faces. It looked so odd. It wasn’t as visible or as bright as a tattoo, but it was clearly there.
Professor Kiln cleared her throat to get all of our attention again. “The color is the thing with secrecy pacts. Bluish hue means true, red fire means liar. So, you see class, we take trust very seriously in the magic community. If you come in here and your face glows red, it won’t be just me that knows. It will be everybody in the class.”
I marveled. After what Malachai pulled the night I was taken by the dragon, I totally understood why this sort of thing would be both popular and necessary in the magical community.
“Ok, where were we?” Professor Kiln asked. For the first time since entering the class, her posture visibly relaxed and she returned to her seat.
“Where were we? Oh yes, what other kinds of alterations are forbidden? There are three main ones. We already talked about matter.”
“Living tissue,” someone shouted out.
“Yes!” Professor Kiln said, clearly excited. “Sure, we have beauty potions and glamour, etc. But those spells don’t alter your actual matter or the matter of other living people. It simply alters the perception of the people around you. Transforming living tissue is dangerous, but doable under the right circumstances. But only if the transformation is done to the creature or object’s true form. Moving on, there’s one more type of forbidden magic.”
There was a long silence in the room. I thought about the transformation thing. What if the dragon’s true form was a human? In that case, if I wanted to help, I wouldn’t be really mucking around with anything bad. In fact, I’d be setting things right.
“Does anyone have any ideas?” Professor Kiln asked as she made eye contact with me during this silence, but I honestly had no idea. Her eyes moved on until they landed on Malachai. He squirmed. It only deepened her interest in him. Finally, he cracked.
“Time,” he spat.
A triumphant smile crawled across Professor Kiln’s face. It made my insides squirm. “Yes, exactly. It is forbidden to alter time. And those who do so pay a terrible price. These alterations are not subjects to dabble in, lest you lose both your body and soul.”
I did not like the sound of that at all. I also didn’t understand why Kiln had found it necessary to take crazy oaths of silence to talk about it. Or how Malachai knew the right answer, it was the only time I could remember that he had spoken in class.
I felt like I was in the twilight zone instead of in the one class that had made life here at Blood Moon Academy feel normal-ish.
The bell rang. I sat in my seat processing what just happened. All the students started filing out. From my seat, I could see Malachai stand and grab his things.
Unless I was crazy, he and Professor Kiln gave each other a long, knowing stare. What the hell was that all about? And then he filed out with the rest of them. I realized if I didn’t leave soon, I would be alone with the Professor and that was all the motivation I needed to get my ass moving.
5
Keira
I came out of Professor Kiln’s class very suspicious. What the hell was going on?
All of a sudden, Kiln is throwing weird, forbidden magic and crazy secrecy pacts at us? And Malachai interacting with Professor Kiln was very odd.
My brain chewed at the situation as I read and re-read the sticky note until I remembered that night in the administrative records room.
He hadn’t gone there to help me at all, he had left with his own stack of books. With Malachai’s history, it wouldn’t surprise me at all.
Whatever he and Kiln were up to, the answers were probably going to be
in his room. And I was guessing his room was the one written here on this sticky note.
I smiled, betting that the books he had taken were probably still in his room as well. Along with answers to this whole forbidden magic thing. Maybe. If I was lucky.
I hated to miss a class, but what other opportunity would I have to get into his room and find the books without him knowing?
And who was I kidding? There was no way I was going to let a mystery this juicy get away, even if it made me miss a class. I had pretty good grades right now anyway.
I broke out of my inner monologue as I made my way down the hallway just in time to see Bree passing by on her way to fourth period.
“Hey, Bree,” I said, grabbing her arm.
“What’s up, Keira?” she asked.
I flashed her my best mischievous grin. “How do you feel about snooping on Malachai?” I raised an eyebrow at her. If there was one thing I had learned over the years, it was that snooping was always more fun with a friend.
And less dangerous.
“Oh, I thought you’d never ask,” she answered. Her face lit up at the suggestion. “Is he in the shower for gym or something? Are you hot for him too?”
“Un, no,” I said. Even as I said it, though, I felt my cheeks get flushed. There goes my stupid body again, always reacting to him and giving me away. I hoped Bree wouldn’t catch that last part.
But then Bree’s lips curled into a smile. “Your mouth says no, but your face says yes, yes, yes. Brooding golden fallen angel, take me in your arms.” She laughed.
I couldn’t help but laugh too. At least she was being cool about it. “Okay, does that mean you’re in?”
“For what?” Bree asked.
“Snooping. I was serious. Not while he’s in the shower though, although kudos for that idea. We’re going to go through his dorm while he’s in class.”
“That sounds like a lot less fun,” she said. Her face dropped. “Why would we want to do that?”
I held up the dirty yellow sticky note to her in triumph. She was very much not impressed.
“You don’t understand,” I said. “This sticky note was on the bottom of Professor Kiln’s very sensible one-inch heel shoe when she walked into class this morning.”
“Ugh,” Bree said. “The old black pair of block heels? Honestly, either she’s completely given up on her look or the headmaster is underpaying her.”
“Look, though,” I said, pointing at the writing on the note, trying to get her back on the topic of snooping on Malachai, not worrying about Professor Kiln’s choice of fashion. “Why would Kiln have a sticky note with Malachai’s name and what I think is his dorm room number?”
“Oh,” Bree’s face brightened, then it scrunched up in horror. “You think they’re sleeping together?”
“No!” I said it a little too loud and fast. Bree raised an eyebrow at me.
“I don’t think they’re sleeping together but I do think they’re up to something. Remember him ranting and raving after he came back? I think the answers are in his room. Are you in or not?”
“Yup, let’s go,” she said.
A few minutes later, the two of us stood in front of what I hoped was Malachai’s dorm room door. Breaking in was going to be even more exciting than skipping class. This was a good decision. Besides, with everything he had pulled he had it coming.
This part of the Academy building looked older that where the other dorms were. Or at least not updated in a long time.
I had never been to this area of the academy before. Bree said she hadn’t either. It was farther from the classrooms in the opposite direction of the other dorms and had fewer windows.
Plus, all of the hallways were an ugly faded green color.
I sucked in a breath. It was now or never. “Hair pin,” I said to Bree.
“Huh?” she asked.
“I need a hair pin.” I said, pointing at my ponytail. “I use scrunchies. And you can’t pick a door lock with a scrunchie.”
“You can pick a lock?” she asked, eyes wide.
“Not if you only have a scrunchie.”
“Well I don’t have a hair pin,” she said.
I turned around and looked at her. “Hair pin, safety pin, paperclip, anything like that will do, really.”
“Oh,” Bree said excitedly, “I have paperclips.” She dug through a zippered pocket in her backpack before proudly handing me a small, gold paperclip.
“Perfect,” I said, getting to work. “You’re the lookout.”
“Oh,” she said. “That sounds very exciting.”
She didn’t have to act as a lookout for very long. A minute later we were in the door.
The locks in this place were ancient and uncomplicated. It was about time something about this academy was easy. And with that thought, I pushed open the door to Malachai’s dorm room.
Inside was a common room, like the one that Ivy and I shared, only this one was much larger with a tiny box window at the far end that gave the place a dusty old cruise-ship feel. Also, it was filthy.
Clothes, old papers, and soft drink containers were everywhere. A video game console sat in front of the television. Malachai had to have a roommate, this was definitely too much of a mess for one person.
Bree and I looked around the room, then we decided it was best not to touch anything in here. Not because we would get in trouble or found out, but because it was gross, and we didn’t want to.
“Which room do you think is Malachai’s?” I asked.
“Oh, it’s this one, the one on the right,” Bree said.
I looked over where she was pointing, and the door was open. “How do you know?”
She pointed to a tee shirt on his bed. “He wears that black shirt with the halo on it all the time. It’s his favorite.”
“Somebody’s a stalker,” I said, raising an eyebrow at her.
Bree wheeled on me. “It’s not like that. I’d never have a shot with him anyway.”
“Okay,” I said, raising my hands. “Why would you want a shot with him?” I asked, unable to help myself. “Sure, he’s super-hot, but he’s also a moody, passive aggressive asshole.”
“Yeah,” Bree panted, “and your point would be?”
“Alright,” I said, “just asking.” I followed her into Malachai’s room.
“What are we here for?” Bree asked.
“Books,” I said.
She shot me a look. “You’ve gotta be kidding. Nerd. Maybe you’re looking for books, I’m going to look through his underwear.”
“Suit yourself,” I told her, “good luck finding anything in this mess.”
At least I knew exactly what I was looking for, even if I had to dig through stacks of clothes to find them. As it turned out, I didn’t need to dig through anything at all. The books were stacked neatly in his closet. About a dozen of them.
“That dirty liar.” I said. “He said that time with me in the administrative records room was his first.”
Bree tutted at me mockingly. “Sure, that’s what they all say.”
Switching on the closet light, I knelt down to read the titles. There were several books I found very interesting and I decided to take them.
As I suspected, it was a bunch of books on forbidden magic and Demented Species. Really crazy stuff. I wondered if Malachai would miss a few specific books with the state of this room.
It didn’t matter if he missed them or not. I was here to figure out what he was up to and I was convinced these books he stole would give me the clue that I needed.
Anyway, the one on the top had to do with forbidden magic, he must have been reading that one last. Well, it was mine now. I grabbed it, and as soon as I touched it, I felt a pull toward it. A tingling feeling. Weird. “Alright,” I said to the book, “come on, precious.”
Then I grabbed the other books that I was interested in.
“And you too, Bree. Let’s go.” I didn’t want to miss more than one class.
“Shit,” Bree sai
d from the bedroom. The tone of her voice was no longer playful.
“What is it?” I asked, crossing from the closet to join her. Bree was looking at a newspaper, and all the previous mirth was gone from her face.
She didn’t answer me, she just handed me the folded-up newspaper that was open to the obituaries.
Oh boy, that’s not going to be good. I glanced down at it. It wasn’t just any obituary either, it was mine. And it was dated a week ago. Except according to the date on that newspaper, I had been gone from the real world for a year. Not the few months I had really been here at the academy.
What the fuck was going on? Whatever it was, the obituary did prove one thing. Whatever he was raving about when he came back to the academy, he was probably right.
6
Headmaster Crowe
I had to admit that graduation advising day around here was my favorite. And it had been far too long since we had one of them here at the academy.
I walked the hallway to my next appointment with a spring in my step, tipping my top hat toward students as I passed.
This year’s graduating class was very small, but soon I’d be able to ramp everything up. New students were coming in droves.
I wound around the building past the classes and hallways full of students. And then I kept going. I turned down one hallway after another, making my way farther and farther from the classes and the dorms and my office.
This was the oldest and most seldom used part of the building. In order for the students to find it I had to send them each a special flyer with a map. I made a game of it.
You can’t graduate unless you find my advising office. Ha-ha. And tell no one. After all, you don’t want to ruin the surprise for the others.
And they all played along.
One more turn and I’m strolling down the correct hallway. It was impossible to miss because it was the only super intense, bright orange hallway in the building. I wrinkled up my nose with distaste while also covering my eyes from the glare.
