We wandered toward the center of our tiny southern town. Hillside Falls had only around ten thousand people, all-told, and was located on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico. All my life, I had been used to being so close to the glittering turquoise of that perfect water—until around August, September, when the Gulf turned into a centerpiece for hurricanes.
Celeste stopped in front of the little second-hand clothing shop, peering through the window. “It totally sucks that we have to wear uniforms at the academy,” she informed me. “Of course, I’ll need something for the secret parties they always hold, though.”
“Secret parties?” I said, incredulous. Now that got my attention. We held parties too. The kind of things we did at Hillside Falls High School were little parties on the dock, where we drank shitty, cheap beer until someone threw up or the cops were called.
I guess it was just different, when you were like them, living amongst one another—eager to use your newfound powers and probably make out with one another as much as you could.
Of course, the making out was a lot of what we did at Hillside Falls High School, too.
Celeste shrugged. “Yeah. I mean, we’re not technically supposed to party on campus, but what else are we supposed to do? When you live there, you find little secret spaces for parties. Like, this area near the water. God, you’re going to love it—if you make it out there, that is. Last year, I made out with this guy Peter. He’s a—“
She paused for a minute, her hand on top of the doorknob. I gaped at her.
“What? He’s what?”
“Erm. A shapeshifter,” Celeste clarified, a little uneasy at the information. “Sorry. It’s just weird to tell you about all these people, without you knowing them. I know you don’t interact with any of them.”
“Oh.” I cast my eyes to the ground and my cheeks flushed crimson. For whatever reason, I felt really embarrassed that Celeste wanted to hide things about her life from me like I couldn’t handle it.
We were best friends for Christ’s Sake. I knew about this shit. I just didn’t know the details.
“Why are you so grumpy today?” Celeste asked, stealing a glance at me.
I looked at her like she had two heads. Did she not get it? “Um, maybe because there is a ton of shit that no one will tell me about? Everything is so damn, cryptic.”
Finally, Celeste turned toward me and said, “Listen, I get it. I went through this too. If you have anything running through you from your Mom’s side, you will find out soon enough. Regardless of what was said in the past. The fact that you may be going to Origins says everything. They’ve been holding out on you, Ivy. Just be patient. You’ll learn in due time just like we all have to.”
She smiled at me, so I feigned a small smile and nodded, trying to accept her words. I needed to just think about something else for now.
We entered the little second-hand shop. Celeste strutted toward the far end, where a selection of slinky dresses hung on a rack. I hung back, looking at the trinkets near the cash register. When Celeste wanted to shop, she could shop for hours. She had a unique ability to find the best treasure at whatever flea market or vintage shop we entered—but sometimes it took forever. In her eyes, it was worth it.
There was a shuffling near the back of the store, where a rickety staircase shot up to the second floor. I turned quickly to find three wickedly handsome boys—maybe seventeen or eighteen years old, marching down the steps. Their faces looked stoic. The first one had jet-black hair that hung in loose curls, just above his shoulders. He wore a tight-fitting tank top, which showed one-half sleeve of a tattoo across his left bicep. His skin was porcelain white.
The guy behind him had dirty blonde hair, which looked untamable, with thick glasses that made him look strangely mysterious and incredibly intelligent, but just as cruel as the first guy. He was also very muscular, his shoulders wide and thick. His blue eyes pierced mine for a second until he flashed me a powerful, crooked smile.
The guy behind him had brown waves and enormous almond-shaped eyes. He was a bit shorter than the other two—maybe six foot tall, instead of their six foot three statues. But this meant he looked bulkier, more muscular, like the trunk of a tree. His brown hair was cut a bit shorter, trimmed at his ears.
I realized I was staring at them, almost gaping. They were maybe a year or two ahead of me in school, which meant that if they had gone to Hillside Falls Middle School, they would have already left by the time I had gotten there.
I would have known them if they went to Hillside Falls High School.
Which meant—
I glanced down at Celeste, who stood frozen, gaping at the three guys. Her lips were pressed into a thin line as she watched them. She jutted out one hip and placed her hand on her hip. I could see from her stance that she knew exactly who they were.
They were like her and went to Origins.
And if I had to guess, the guy in front was a vampire. No one that lived in Louisiana was that fucking pale.
I had never seen one of them before, though.
Only one of the boys, the stockier one in back, noticed Celeste. He cut his head around, giving her a crooked, evil grin. “Well, well. Aren’t you that little freshman from last year?”
Celeste arched her brow and shifted her weight. She looked sassier than ever. “You really have to ask? You already know exactly who I am,” she spat back. “Run along now before I decide to something.”
This was exactly Celeste’s way. She never allowed anyone to toss her around or make her feel less-than. The boy stopped walking and stared at her for a second, as though he couldn’t believe she was being snarky with him.
“Watch your mouth, Winters.” He hissed back.
The stockier boy mumbled a little bit like he was mocking her. This caused Celeste’s cheeks to burn an even brighter red. Across the room from her, all the candles that had been lit in the shop suddenly went out, with their smoke billowing up toward the ceiling.
I knew this kind of thing happened when she couldn’t fully control her anger.
The other two continued toward the entrance, which meant they were about to pass directly by me. I swallowed hard. I felt like I was swimming in some sort of anxiety I couldn’t understand. The three guys had this arrogance that filled the room and made it difficult to breathe. There was no way I could look at anything else except them.
They had full power over me.
When the first guy, the vampire with the tattoo and the jet-black hair hit the front, he stopped walking. His gaze slid from my head to my toes, slowly taking in my curves and ample breasts before locking his blue eyes on mine. I felt like his meat. Blood pumped past my ears and I told myself not to move, not to take my eyes away from his. I didn’t want to show him that he had any power over me.
“Who’s your friend, Witchy Winters?” the first guy asked.
Even though Celeste had been straining to have full control over herself in front of them, her voice was weak, now, when she spoke. “That’s Ivy. Ivy Whitestone. She’s human.”
The jet-black haired one clucked his tongue. His hand shot out and poured over my dark blonde locks, drawing a line toward my cheek.
I’d never been handled like this before. He was treating me like a toy and it made my heart beat so fast in my chest. I thought I would have a panic attack right there.
“Ivy Whitestone,” he repeated in a deep sexy voice. “Ivy Whitestone, the human. Well, isn’t she fuckable? Boys? What do you think?”
I refused to take my eyes from his. I felt like I was spinning around and around with rage.
“Absolutely,” the blonde one spat and shot me a hungry grin.
“I would. Even if she’s just a human,” the stockier one said, sidling up next to the other boys. “Actually, I’ve heard humans are even more adventurous in the bedroom. They have to create their own magic if you know what I mean.”
“Hmm. Maybe if I sniff her...” the blonde one said, leaning into me. “Maybe I can get a read on wh
ether or not she’s a virgin.”
I scowled at him. Somewhere in the back of my head, I knew that this one was a werewolf. Only werewolves thought it was important to “sniff out” everything.
They were the dogs of the supernatural world.
“Don’t creep her out, weirdo,” the stockier one said. “You’re always fucking doing that.”
The blonde one drew his hand back like he was going to punch the stockier one in the face. The black-haired one gave him a menacing look, like he wouldn’t get away with that sort of behavior—not on his watch. It was clear the black-haired one was kind-of the leader. He certainly seemed the meanest.
“Fuck it, guys,” he announced. His voice shook with malice. “We’ll deal with her later. See you around, ladies.”
I watched them march from the shop. I finally let out the deep breath that I had been holding and didn’t even realize until then. My heart still thumped hard in my chest as the bell jangled, and the door completely closed.
A moment later, I hustled over to Celeste. “What the hell just happened and who the hell are those guys?” I demanded.
Celeste looked oddly shaken like she had just gotten off a rollercoaster. She pressed her lips together for a second, before murmuring, “Um. That was Ezra Rollins. Raphael Thompkins and Quintin Maverick. They, um. They kind of rule Origins Supernatural Academy.”
“They rule it?” I asked, arching my brow. This wasn’t the sort of thing anyone ever said about Hillside Falls High School. Sure, there was kind of a hierarchy. Like, the football players were the “kings,” their girlfriends were the cheerleaders, and everyone else kind of lingered beneath them, like the urchins at the bottom of the sea.
I guess everything was a little different at the Academy.
“It’s difficult to explain, I guess,” Celeste said. Her fingers glossed over the selection of dresses again, but her heart no longer seemed in it.
“Come on. Let’s get out of here,” I said.
We rushed out of the second-hand shop and ambled down the street. Celeste still didn’t seem keen to talk, even though I had enough questions to fill up an hour or two of her time. The way those boys had looked at us like they owned us was going to stick with me for a while.
“Celeste?” I said as we wandered toward the docks.
“Hmm?”
“I don’t get it. I don’t get how I’ll be let into Origins Supernatural Academy if I’m just... this. There’s no fucking way I can compete with the likes of you, or keep up with those arrogant assholes back there. There is obviously a lot that my aunt isn’t telling me. You must have heard something. Anything from your Mom about... Something? I’ve been having these horrible dreams. Nightmares that I can’t explain.”
Celeste stopped walking again. Finally, her green eyes burned toward me and she looked sympathetic.
“Goddammit, Celeste. I feel like everyone has all these secrets. I feel like I’m going crazy.” A bead of sweat darted down the side of my face, so I quickly swiped it away.
Celeste’s bit her bottom lip. “You’re getting visions. But don’t you remember? You’ve always had them.”
I shoved my eyebrows together, trying to figure out exactly what she meant.
Celeste shrugged. “We used to talk about it when we were kids. Don’t you remember? We would always have those weird dreams. And all the time, we had the same dreams. Like, we would appear as characters in each other’s world. Like we could hop between our unconscious minds and go on adventures together.”
I hadn’t thought about this for a long, long time. Back when we were kids, I had thought it was pretty fucking cool that we could do that. “You’re a witch. You must be helping me,” is what I had told her, over and over again.
But was it actually possible that I’d had anything to do with it?
Was it possible that Celeste’s magic powers and whatever I am had worked in unison?
“Are you sure it wasn’t just you? You probably didn’t know how to use your powers exactly, back then.”
“I don’t know. Listen. I’ve been in this world for too long to think I know anything.” Celeste began. She tried to dart away from me, yanking her shoulder around.
But as she did it, I reached out and gripped her wrist, almost exactly like I had with Mom the night before. A shock rang out through both of us.
Celeste ripped her hand away, rubbing at her wrist.
What the hell?
“Did I... did I hurt you?” I asked, genuinely shocked.
“No, no. It’s okay.” But still, she rubbed at her wrist, looking contemplative.
I wanted to scream. Celeste padded away from me, closer to the docks. Her black hair whipped around in the wind. Without opening my mouth, the inside of my brain screamed out, TURN AROUND, CELESTE! DON’T WALK AWAY FROM ME. DON’T YOU SEE THIS IS KILLING ME?
To my complete shock, Celeste did turn around. Her face had completely fallen. It was like she had never smiled before. She blinked at me several times.
Had she actually heard my thoughts? Had I somehow transmitted them into her head?
Celeste shrugged. “I’m sorry, Ivy. I know it’s killing you.”
What? Had she really heard me? I shivered at the thought.
Unsure of what else to do, I walked after her, sidling up beside her. Without speaking, and careful not to “scream” anymore inside my head, I kept going toward the dock. With every step we took, I grew more and more conscious that we were reaching the area near where my parents had died, just a few yards to the right that stretched along the edge of the docks. My heart grew heavy with the thought. But I didn’t want to give in to this fear.
Celeste drew her hand down my back, rubbing at the fabric. It seemed like she was careful not to touch my skin, although I couldn’t be sure.
Out just beyond the docks, an enormous fishing boat crept past in the distance. One of the fishermen on the top deck drew his hand into the air and waved at us. I lifted a hand in response.
“We better be getting back,” Celeste said. “Mom said something about doing some gardening this afternoon. She wants me to do as much labor as possible before she sends me back to the academy.”
“Right,” I said. I tried to force my rushing thoughts to slow the fuck down. “Let’s go.”
Celeste and I didn’t talk much on the walk back to my house. When we appeared in the driveway, Aunt Maria and Zoey were on the front porch, seemingly in the middle of yet another secret conversation. Zoey popped up from the porch swing and ambled toward us, giving me a strange, yet warm smile.
I went in to give her a hug, and Zoey pulled me into her embrace, patting me on the back. “I hope you get some sleep tonight,” she said, releasing me just before she and Celeste cut across the yard, back toward their house on the other side of the neighborhood.
“See you soon.”
Chapter Three
It was a few days since the incident outback when I had found Aunt Maria between the trees. Since then, I could feel the tension in the room. Every time I thought to start asking her questions, it seemed like she knew what I was about to ask because she would slip out or totally change the subject altogether. I don’t know if she was trying to prepare herself for what needed to be discussed or if she just wasn’t ready to reveal the truth that we all knew need to be explained. All I knew was that my patience was slowly running out.
On Friday night in late July, Aunt Maria announced she was going out with Zoey for a bit. I was perched out back with my feet up on the edge of the rickety porch, reading a book. I turned back to take a look at her. We made eye contact just for a moment when a strange, throttling realization rolled through me.
She’s lying to me.
There’s something going on.
But I couldn’t fully name why I knew this.
And it was like she knew I was sensing it, too. Immediately, she cast her eyes to the wooden planks between us and muttered, “Stop that.”
“What?” I demanded and looked at
her, confused. A moment later, I snapped my book closed, waiting for a response.
“You know what you were doing,” she returned.
I was absolutely incredulous. I dropped my feet to the porch floor and stood. A somber wind erupted through my dress, making it billow around me. Aunt Maria was wearing a pretty sundress that fluttered around in the light wind. Even at 50-something, she was still absolutely stunning. And I knew she had been out maybe five times since my parents had passed. It had already been over four years since then.
“I really don’t know what you mean,” I told her.
Aunt Maria let out a sigh and then swept a piece of her long hair behind her ear. “I’m sorry. I think I may just be overthinking things a bit too much.” She replied, finally meeting my eyes and giving me a gentle smile. She took a step toward me and swept her hand down my cheek in a loving gesture before taking a step closer toward the door. She turned then and said, “Anyway. Celeste is coming over if that’s all right. Zoey and I thought you guys could just hang out. Keep each other company while we go out.”
I didn’t know if she was using this as a distraction or if she was being genuine. I just knew that something was off and couldn’t put my damn figure on it. I blinked at her and smiled. “Of course. We’ll see you later.”
Aunt Maria slipped into her heels inside and rapped across the floorboards. My eyes followed her. Something told me to chase after her to corner her. I wanted her to tell me exactly what was going on. Why I was having all these—flashing images, why I felt like I could read her thoughts.
I was human with no abilities. I knew this in my heart and soul. I played soccer for Hillside Falls High School. I was best friends with Celeste—a witch, sure but also a normal teenager, up to no good, usually.
But my mom and aunt—they were supernaturals. They’d grown up as shapeshifters. But I knew very little about it all, since they had kept everything to themselves and now that Mom was dead, Aunt Maria clammed up even more. It was like pulling teeth for information and my aunt would always get so emotional.
I had always assumed that my mother’s powers were pretty lackluster. I’d thought that was why she had ended up with my dad in the first place — a not-so-talented supernatural, paired up with a super-handsome mortal.
The Forbidden Oracle Page 3
