But my head felt black and thick and foreign, just some heavy thing I had to carry around at the top of my shoulders, rather than something I could use to get me out of this bind.
Just after five in the morning, or around then, I guess, sunlight began to glimmer up over toward the east, over the top of the little peninsula. The beginning was light pink, merging with oranges and yellows in a way that was really extraordinary—something I could even enjoy if I wasn’t exhausted, half-drunk, and afraid I would never stand on solid ground again.
Slowly, the day began to bloom. I studied the water, which no longer seemed so inky black and impenetrable. I was still about a half-mile away, and it was difficult to make out how far I would really feel if I attempted to swim it.
I heard a strange splash, then. I lurched to the side of the boat and peered down, looking at the outline of a fin, stretched out at the very top of the water. The fin was strange and eerie, a mix of turquoise and green. Suddenly, the front half of the fin burst up from the water, splashing a long mane of red hair back. It was a girl—attached to a fin— a mermaid.
I had never seen one before.
I gaped at her, completely mesmerized. She wore a little sports bra over her breasts, and her scales rolled up toward her belly button, meaning she didn’t need to wear a bottom. Her eyes were hazy green, matching the scales, and her cheeks were freckled so intensely, you could hardly see the skin.
“What are you doing out here!” the mermaid asked. She tilted her head playfully like she’d caught me in the act of doing something silly.
I opened my lips for a long moment, not sure of how to respond, how to explain, or even how to grapple with my first interaction with a mermaid.
Slowly, the girl’s smile faded. “You’re stuck out here, aren’t you?” She glanced throughout the boat, seeing only the champagne bottle and no paddles. “Jesus. Someone did this to you, didn’t they?”
I nodded. It was obvious that I had lost all ability to speak.
The girl sighed. “Dammit. I was at the party, but I didn’t see anything. I was drunk like everyone else, I guess.”
“You were at the party? You go to Origins?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Of course!” she chirped. She drew her fin out to the side and flipped it around. “I’m starting to learn how to control it. I can walk around most of the day if I focus and take the right potions. There are about ten of us mermaids at Origins.” She paused for a second, then continued. “I think you’re actually in my year—year two. I saw you with Celeste.”
“Yes!” I realized that she had been at the meeting the day before.
“I’m Meghan,” she announced. “And you’re...”
“The new girl, Ivy Whitestone,” I said and smiled.
“Right. Well. That explains it. It was Margot, wasn’t it?”
I chuckled dryly. “How did you know?”
“She always goes after the new girls. She’s fucking ruthless, too. This is nothing. Stuck on the water for a few hours? That’s like, spa time compared to some of the shit she’s pulled.”
“What are you doing out here, anyway?” I asked her.
Meghan shrugged. “I have to be in the water at least part of the day; for medical reasons and also—it just clears my head. Up there, with all those students running around, trying to fuck each other and wrong each other and gossip... It gets old. Down here in the water, none of that shit really happens. Of course, mermaids have their own hijinks.”
I laughed. Meghan draped her hand over the side of the boat and began to flap her fin, drawing us toward the docks. “It was a stupid party, anyway,” she scoffed, deciding to fill the silence. “I mean, you probably don’t know everyone at this school yet, or what goes on. But it already feels like things are a little bit different this year if that makes any sense. Like everyone’s arrogance just went up three ticks. Especially those boys.”
“Raphael, Ezra, and Quintin?” I asked.
Meghan paused for a moment and blinked up at me. “You already know them?”
“Their reputation precedes them. Celeste told me a little bit.” I shrugged. “Plus, I think they had a little hand in helping Margot get me out here on this fucking boat.”
“That makes sense. Ezra and Margot used to have a thing last year. I know she’s trying everything she can to get him back. She talks a big game about all the French boys she sleeps with over summer vacation and shit, but she only has eyes for Ezra. And he dumped her royally at the end of last year to sleep with this other girl, Daniela. Daniela was from Germany. Daniela from Deutschland. That’s what everyone always sang. But yeah, Daniela was hot—maybe even hotter than Margot. And Margot framed Daniela for some pretty hefty vandalism last year. She used her powers to completely destroy one of the libraries, and she marked it like Daniela had done it. Daniela was, or should I say, a shapeshifter— a werewolf. And she didn’t have much control over it yet. They kicked her out immediately.”
“Jesus,” I muttered, realizing fully what kind of monster I was up against.
We reached the dock. When we did, I grabbed the rope and tied it around the boat before leaping out, so grateful to have my feet on the semi-solid ground. I watched as Meghan gripped the side of the dock and she clenched her eyes and then grimaced. Slowly, her fin morphed—the scales falling away, giving over to skin coloring. Two legs swept out behind her, flowing easily as she kicked against the waves. She pushed herself up from the water and landed on the dock. With a flourish, she reached for a towel she had waiting for her and wrapped it around her waist. She stood a few inches taller than me, on long shapely legs. I was frankly shocked at the view of it but didn’t say anything.
Hell, this girl was more or less my savior.
“Come on. It’s almost six-thirty. I think we should make sure you’re back in your bedroom before seven,” she shot me a sly grin, her green eyes flashing.
“Okay.”
Meghan and I marched down the dock and then linked up with the little path that stretched between the trees toward the academy. She chatted a bit as we walked, sensing that I wasn’t much in the mood to say much. I learned that she was from Maine, that she was really homesick but always really loved Louisiana. She said that she wanted to use her powers to help strengthen the wildlife outside of Australia since so many of the coral reefs were dying. She asked me what I wanted to do with my powers, but I just gave a lackluster response—saying that I hadn’t given much thought, but that I really did want to do good with it. This seemed enough for her. She wasn’t the kind of person to really push the conversation where you didn’t want it to go.
I was so grateful to her.
Upstairs, I shoved my key into the lock and entered the living area. A few girls were already awake, standing in the kitchen area, making smoothies and gossiping about the party. Several of them gave me wide-eyed looks when I entered like they couldn’t believe I had actually made it back.
So, it seemed like other people knew what had happened to me—but they hadn’t been willing to tell. Fear of Margot was pretty fucking powerful, obviously.
“Thanks again, Meg,” I told her, before rushing off to my bedroom. Once I latched the door behind me, I tore off my dress and found my coziest clothes: an old t-shirt, and a pair of sweat pants. I was more exhausted than I had ever been in my life. I eyed my bed, wanting nothing more than to climb into it and never get out. Hell, I’d never even slept in it before!
But I wanted to find Celeste first.
I wandered back into the living area and padded toward Celeste’s bedroom. I rapped at the door and after a moment, there was a wild rustling and some hushed words. I rolled my eyes, realizing that Celeste had probably drawn Peter back into her bedroom—completely breaking the rules on her first night. This was typical Celeste.
“Just a minute!” Celeste called.
“It’s just me, Celeste.”
“Still just...”
The door sprung open partway, maybe by way of Celeste’s h
alf-decent magic. As it opened, I caught sight of Peter transforming: his body drawing itself into bird-form—a black crow—and flapping its wings. He surged out of the open window, flying wildly toward the boys’ wing. Celeste watched him go with enormous, soulful eyes.
“That’s right. He’s a shapeshifter,” I said from the door.
Celeste turned around quickly, as though she’d completely forgotten I was there already. She gave me an enormous, playful smile, and then collapsed back on the bed with her feet over the edge.
“He’s so wonderful, Ivy,” she murmured. “God, he’s wonderful. The night we had? It was like we’ve never been apart.”
I tapped into her bedroom and closed the door slowly. Celeste rubbed at her temples, moaning, “But I have the fucking worst headache in the world. I think we both drank an entire bottle of wine each, maybe more. Fuck, I don’t know.”
It surprised me that I felt a laugh bubble up from my belly. I fell back on the bed next to her, wishing I could pretend that we were far, far away from the academy, that everything was the same as it always was.
Celeste spun her head to look at me and then she frowned. “Something’s wrong.”
I shrugged. “No. Why do you say that? You aren’t the oracle here.”
Celeste rolled her eyes. “No. I’m not an oracle, Ivy. But I am your best friend, and I know that something’s wrong. What happened? How was the rest of the party?”
I shivered, wondering if I really wanted to tell Celeste just how shitty everything had gotten. Would it help her to know that Margot had pegged me as her plaything?
“Erm. I think it’s safe to say that Margot and the three kings fucking hate me,” I said and leaned against the wall.
Celeste giggled. “They hate everyone that isn’t themselves, silly. Actually, I think they also hate each other, but they put each other above everyone else.”
I let out another sigh. “They put me on a boat in the middle of the Gulf without a paddle,” I said, hating how pathetic it sounded. “The only reason I’m back right now is that Meghan, the mermaid found me on her morning swim. I feel like a fucking idiot.”
Celeste sprung up from bed, glaring at me. Slowly, delicately, she shook her head. “What the hell.”
“I know. It’s so stupid,” I stammered.
“Yeah. I mean. Fuck.” Celeste’s eyes grew cloudy. “Why did she peg you so quickly?”
“I have no clue.”
“She normally waits a little bit longer before choosing who she’s going to destroy for the year,” Celeste offered. “At least, that’s how it was last year with...”
“Daniela from Deutschland. Yeah. I heard.”
“Fuck,” Celeste repeated.
She sat back down and stared straight ahead. I expected her to say something to make me feel better, but she didn’t. Instead, she said, “We’re going to have to be really careful from now on. If only they knew who you really were. Maybe we could just tell them? I mean, you being so on the fence about your powers, which is making them uneasy. It’s like, labeling yourself as weak.”
“You know I don’t have a choice in the matter. No one has properly prepped me on how to deal with the students,” I shot out in frustration. “I promised Aunt Maria that I wouldn’t say a word. And it’s only eight weeks until my birthday. I want to use every single minute of that time to understand what is going to happen.”
The thing I was going to say—“when they come after me”—felt weird and dramatic. I swallowed hard and stared down at my knees. I wished I had a better fucking conclusion to all of this. Instead, I felt trapped by my future, caught in a weird teenage drama without any way to fight my way out.
“Maybe things will calm down when classes start,” Celeste tried and gave me a small smile.
“Yeah. Maybe.”
We sat for a minute. Celeste flicked her finger toward her stereo and turned on our favorite band, a group called The Spinners, from New York City. The summer before last one, Celeste and I had been so obsessed with them that we’d talked non-stop about forming our own band and trying to tour with them.
Celeste started to give me the gritty details of her night with Peter. This forced my mind away from my unending drama, at least for a second. She told me about Peter and about what he’d whispered to her when they’d first started making out. “He told me that he’d been thinking about me all summer!” she cooed.
“And what about...” I started.
But Celeste just rolled her eyes. “Yes. I know. I had your voice in my head and I made sure to be careful.” She gave me a funny smile, then jabbed me in the side. “I’ll go on the pill if you do.”
I looked at her, shocked. “I don’t think I’ll have any time to be interested in anyone.”
“Yeah, right. Everyone at that party was talking about how fucking hot you are. It’s probably why Margot put you out on the water. She knows that you’re a threat. Just saying, if you want to have someone here, you can. Think about it. We can always arrange it with the nurse’s office. She’s usually pretty good about keeping her mouth shut. They can’t have a bunch of teenage pregnancies around the academy. We’re all supposed to be the best and the brightest in the supernatural world—not the sluttiest.” She winked. “But sometimes, I think that goes hand-in-hand.”
Chapter Twelve
On Monday morning, all the girls were awake early, preparing for the first hours of class. As Professor Springer had described very clearly, everyone would still be taking regular classes as we all had to integrate within human society. Therefore we must still understand the basics to adjust within the human way of life.
Secondary schooling was learning about the supernatural side of our world, our heritage and powers, which consisted of four races; shifters, vampires, fey and magic. All races were mixed within classes as we all had to understand each one as much as possible.
“Come on,” I muttered. “I don’t want to be late for first class.”
Unfortunately, with the races outlined, I felt, even more, the fact that I was completely alone in my situation. There weren’t any other oracles waiting in the wings for me, that was clear.
I still bounded down the steps with the other girls, joining in the courtyard with all the other students. There, all the teachers met with their assigned groups for the morning.
While I was looking around, someone smashed their shoulder into me. I almost tumbled to the ground, but regrouped quickly, turning to see Ezra, Raphael, and Quintin. Quintin had been the one to nearly topple me over. Ezra beamed down at me, and his blue eyes were absolutely delicious and evil.
“There she is. She made it back from her expedition across the Gulf.”
I swallowed. “Thanks a lot for your help out there.” I hated the way my voice wavered.
“Where are you off to, then, Human?” Raphael said, arching his brow.
I clenched my fists. “I told you. I’m not a human.”
“Sure. But you don’t have your powers, either,” Quintin scoffed. “That’s pretty fucking clear. Otherwise, you could have done something about Margot.”
I shivered, despite the thickness of the Louisiana air. I really didn’t know what to say. Even though I felt my birthday approaching like a storm, I still really did feel just like a fucking normal person.
Ezra snaked his hand over my hair, then brought his thumb to my cheek. “It’s okay. You shouldn’t be embarrassed. In fact, you should know that humans are a delicacy. Human blood is what I thrive on.”
“Perfect,” I smirked.
Ezra chuckled. “I could turn you. Just say the word, human. And you can become one of us vampires. I just have to warn you. I like to sleep with the humans first. It’s kind of... hmm, just a thing I’m into.”
Quintin and Raphael cackled. I didn’t say anything.
“I saw you out dancing with Raphael the other night,” Ezra continued. “I know exactly how much you want it. One of those horny humans, trying desperately to keep their line going—one fuck
and then one little screaming baby at a time.”
I wanted to tell him that the way I had been made—because of the love between an oracle and a human—was way more fucking pure than the way he had been created. Hell, a vampire? That had to be one of the worst ways to become supernatural. I wondered for the first time what Ezra’s life might have been like before he changed. Had he had interests? A life? Had he liked being a human?
Before I could ask him, I heard my name and whirled around to find Professor Chesterton glaring at me from the back steps of the main school building.
“Uh oh,” Raphael said. “It looks like he’s found out your secret. You don’t have any powers at all. Guess it’s time to send you home.”
Ezra swept his lips toward my ear, whispering, “But remember—just say the word, and I’ll have you for breakfast. That bright human blood. It’s what I ache for.” He inhaled slowly, drawing his eyes closed. “And there’s something else about this blood...” he continued. His brows furrowed. “Something absolutely delicious. Boys, you must smell it. Don’t you? This isn’t ordinary blood.”
I remembered what Aunt Maria had told me that the closer I got to my birthday, the strong my scent and blood would become to other races making me easier to find.
I hadn’t even considered the fact that Ezra could probably smell it on me, too.
“Yes... something else,” Raphael muttered, looking at me curiously. “What is that? You’re hiding something, aren’t you?”
“Ivy! Ivy Whitestone!” Professor Chesterton called again, looking through the groups of teenagers.
Without answering, I shot back toward the main building and the three boys moved to their groups. With a brief glance back, I noticed that Quintin’s group was a bit larger than the others—considering there were so many shifters at Origins Supernatural.
I had yet to see his power or understand what it meant to live as a dragon in the supernatural world. The thought both thrilled me and terrified me.
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