My brow knit together as I pondered the implications of that. I stiffened as the necks of several of them turned to me, and quickly averted my eyes.
Trackers. The gargoyles were a connected surveillance system. I’d bet my left arm on it. Interesting. Considering the school could only be accessed via a key I’d seen around Mrs. Valois’ neck, what the heck were they so concerned about guarding?
I was careful to keep my eyes away from the concealed gargoyles. The absolute last thing I wanted to do was to arouse suspicion about the type of magic I carried.
Mrs. Valois kept walking down the massive hallway until she came to a large wooden door off of a side alcove. Above the curve of the archway a word was written:
Acolytes
She pushed open the door and gestured for me to go in. Noise assaulted my senses as soon as I walked in. Students milled around - hundreds of them. Girls, guys, teachers, and even animals wandered the halls, some of the students deep in conversation and some of them stopping what they were doing to stare at me. The wolves roaming the area wasn’t the weirdest thing I’d ever seen, but it was up there.
Mrs. Valois didn’t acknowledge anyone, merely murmured for me to keep walking. I kept my head high, not wanting anyone to think I was weak, but winced as quiet fell and the rattle of my chains was the only thing anyone could hear.
Whispers started immediately after I passed them by. I sighed and trudged after Mrs. Valois, hoping against all hope I’d figure a way out of this before night fell.
She turned again and stopped in an area loaded with multiple rooms. The doors were all dark, simple wood, but above the doors, the words were all different.
Shifters, Witches, Warlocks, Prophets, Techs, Undead
I chewed on my lip as I tried to figure out what that was about. She looked at all the doors, shook her head and walked a little bit further down until she stopped in front of a door that said: The Undiscovered.
She nodded to herself in satisfaction and pushed open the door. Once I was inside, she locked us inside and I pretended not to be nervous about that. I was in chains. Why did we have to be locked in?
“Sit down,” she commanded in a deeper than expected voice.
I headed over to one of the numerous oversized chairs scattered across what appeared to be the common area and sat down. She reached inside of her blouse and extracted a necklace containing both the key to the academy and what I hoped was also a key to my shackles.
Mrs. Valois bent over, unshackled my ankles then took care of my wrists. I sighed in relief, rubbing them to try to get the numbness out. I jerked a thumb back to the door.
“What does the undiscovered mean?”
She flinched. “I was unable to get a sense of your magic. When we have people whose powers are more difficult to pin down, we place them in here.”
I looked around at what appeared to be a totally empty area. “Uh-huh. And how often does that happen?”
She saw my glance and an unbidden smile peeked at the corner of my mouth. Ah Ha! So the ice queen did have a sense of humor deep down in her frozen heart. “Not often,” she acknowledged. “But once you touch the desk, it will all become clear.”
That desk. How in the world was I going to avoid the desk?
“What if the desk can’t figure it out?”
Her gaze shuttered as she stood. “It will.”
“But if it doesn’t?”
Mrs. Valois sped back to the entrance. She pointed over in the left-hand area. “Your bunk is over there. Try to get some rest before dinner.” The woman gestured to the backpack on the bed. “Mannix took the liberty of getting some clothes for you.” Her eyes flashed with disapproval. “Put those on before you wander around, please. The Wonder Woman costume is doing you much good.”
She left before answering any of my questions. I suspected she did it on purpose.
7
The Undiscovered Dorm wasn’t terrible. It wasn’t great either, but considering the threadbare furniture back home, I wasn’t going to complain. There was a semi-comfortable twin bed, two nightstands, a lamp, a dresser with a mirror, and a small walk-in closet. In the common area, a fireplace crackled cheerily at the front of the room. There were windows behind it, but none anywhere else in the rooms, not even in my bedroom. The wall color was a dreary ivory and there wasn’t a single painting or decoration anywhere to be found. I wondered when the last time an undiscovered came in. What happened to them and why were they no longer here? I wanted to believe they were off with their own people happily learning, but Mr. Mago’s warning kept ringing in my ears.
Above the fireplace rested a small television, but I could tell it was ancient so I didn’t have high hopes for it. I dug around for the remote and finally figured out how to turn it on.
Mr. Mago’s voice droned through the room espousing the virtues of the Merlin Academy. Pictures of happy teenagers abounded on the screen and personal interviews from the students sounded all the same. Merlin was great. Merlin was amazing. Never had they had an educational experience like this!
I felt like I’d accidentally wandered into a cult and I was the only one who hadn’t drunk the Kool-aid. When I flipped the channel, the same thing came on and I tried again until I realized the only thing I could watch was the Merlin video.
I shook my head and flipped the television off. Why bother having a television if you couldn’t watch anything interesting?
Bells chimed through the room, startling me. I jumped up from the couch and peeked out the door. The bells were sounding through the hallways, too, and dozens of students were making their way to the exit. I shrugged, adjusted my messy bun, and stepped out of my room to conceal myself in the throng of people.
It turned out to be a stupid idea because I was the only one not wearing a robe and I had bright pink hair. I looked like a piece of pink trash being swept away in a tide of black sea. Several startled glances came my way, but not a single person’s curiosity overrode their desire to get wherever the bell told them to go.
As we got closer, I realized why.
It was lunchtime, and if I knew anything about myself it was that I’d ignore everyone else too if food happened to be involved. I stepped out of the mass of black-robed students and found a place where I could lean against the wall and check out my surroundings. It looked like an elementary school cafeteria. Long rectangular tables sat about thirty students, but each of those tables was labeled the same way the dorms were labeled.
I could only assume the different areas couldn’t mingle with each other. It seemed both unfair and like segregation of the most egregious kind. I chuckled to myself when I realized there was no section for the Undiscovered. Maybe I could just sidle in and make myself at home with the shifters and hope their lunch kept their attention long enough for me to get through the day.
I sighed and pushed off the wall only for someone to grab my elbow and whisper, “if you want to live, follow me.” Despite their mixed up, terrible movie quote, I let the person lead me. Only when we were standing at the food line did I twist to see who had me.
“This isn’t very inconspicuous,” I said in greeting.
“Starvation is a real problem in every country in this world.”
The speaker, a short female with hair the color of caramel, wore the same robes as everyone else, but she had decorated them with multi-colored puff paint and glitter. With that, her spiked out hairstyle, and a pair of green glitter glasses, she looked like she’d escaped the loony bin. But as I looked closer, my eyebrows rose a little bit. The puff paint wasn’t merely child’s play. Spells were interwoven on her robe - ones for protection, energy, and heightened mental awareness.
“Wow,” I murmured to myself.
The girl studied me curiously and I realized my mistake. Crap. Craaaaap.
The spells were hidden under an illusion spell and I’d just inadvertently let her know I knew they were there.
“Wow what?” she asked, suspicion lacing her tone.
�
�I - uh - really like your glasses,” I said, trying not to wince at my lame attempt to cover up my gaffe.
Her gaze narrowed as she pushed said glasses higher up on her nose. “You’re new here.”
I nodded because I didn’t want to say anything sarcastic.
“Which division?”
I blinked. “What?”
She tilted her head and it reminded me of a bird. Sharp, gray intelligent eyes stared back at me. “Division. Howlers, screechers, techies, etc.” She flapped a hand around. “Which one?”
We edged forward with the line. I didn’t want to tell her which one but I didn’t think this was one I could cover up. “Umm, Undiscovered.”
She choked out a cough. “Holy crap, man! Undiscovered?” she hissed in a loud whisper. “That’s awesome!” She shoved out a hand. “Trixie Voyant. We haven’t had an Undiscovered here in -” She paused. “I don’t remember.” Trixie took in my pink hair, my white t-shirt, army jacket, ripped jeans and my high top tennis shoes. I noticed her gaze slow and hitch on the tattoo on my wrist peeking out from underneath the jacket sleeve. Normally I tried to keep them hidden, but I was too anxious today and had my mind on other things. I tugged down on the jacket and relaxed as she tucked the information away and didn’t ask any questions. I was awfully young to have body art, but it was a Rook trait, and one we cherished. Our tattoos held both extra stores of magic and the bulk of our power. My most powerful ones were hidden on my back, covered by the fabric of my t-shirt.
Fortunately, not many people my age knew of the Rook’s. It was the older generation, prior to my parents, who learned to rightfully fear us, but once my entire family was sentenced, those whispers faded away until the only time you heard of the Rooks was when you picked up a history book. The magic users in RavensCliffe thought they were safe from the Rooks. They had no idea that some of us still walked silently among them.
“What’s your poison today?” Trixie asked as we finally made it to the food line. I stared in awe at the massive spread of food before me. I never lacked for the creature comforts when I was at home, but I was rarely there long enough to enjoy any of it. My mouth watered as I took in the burgers, chicken tenders, pizza, and salad bar laid out in front of me.
Trixie snorted and I blinked.
“Food coma much?” she asked as she pointed to the lady standing in front of me wearing a barely veiled look of annoyance. “Tell her what you want.”
I asked for a cheeseburger and the woman lumbered away for a few moments before she returned with a massive burger on top of a brioche bun. “Awesome,” I whispered as I took it from her and allowed Trixie to lead me to the next manna from heaven station.
At this one, I asked for curly fries and ranch dressing and it was only when we got to the register that I realized I had no money. Trixie shrugged off my apologies and allowed the woman checking us out to scan her bracelet twice. “People forget their bracelets all the time. We can settle up later when you get your robes and initiation gear.”
I thanked her with a nod though I couldn’t control the embarrassed blush spreading across my cheeks.
I let Trixie lead me across the cafeteria to a table with three other students. The first was a guy whose face was obscured by a thick sheet of ebony hair. He didn’t move from his slumped position when we sat our trays down even after one of the other students elbowed him. He grunted and stayed in the exact same position.
The second was a girl who looked way too sweet and adorable to be a magical delinquent. This made me think maybe she was the worst of us. Call it the cynic in me. Blonde hair, blue-eyed, pert and petite, she had a quick smile and a permanent look of mischief in her eyes. She shoved her hand out, announced her name was Honey and winked at me as if we’d shared a joke. To tell you the truth, she did look a bit like a Honey. She was gorgeous and blonde, but it seemed like she had a good personality on top of it. Not a typical Honey. Maybe just in looks. Her hair was tied up in a ponytail, secured with an enormous silver bow. As I studied her a little bit closer, my lips twitched. The Merlin Academy had cheerleaders.
Of course, it did.
Honey’s outfit was typical of most cheerleading attire except for the silver moon and stars stitched across the collar. As I sat, I gestured to it. “Do all the outfits have that on them?”
She looked down and frowned. “Depends on your house, newbie. I’m a shifter.” Honey shrugged. “Wolves get the crescent moon. Cats get the sunshine. Prophets get tarot cards…” She trailed off. “You get it.”
I nodded. “Kind of weird, though.”
She picked up her cheeseburger, took an enormous bite and grunted. Apparently, our conversation was over for now.
A shadow fell over the table and a power signature so enormous loomed that it sent shivers over me. I looked up only to see Mannix standing there. My mouth dropped open, but when I felt Trixie’s curious stare on me, I closed it. Mannix stared at me silently as he sat down, begging me with his eyes to keep quiet. He was dressed in all black and the clothes matched the color of his eyes. I nodded at him, but he did nothing to acknowledge my presence.
The other person at the table sat like a stone statue. I stared at him curiously before lifting my gaze to Trixie.
She snorted in amusement. “He’s in a trance. You could march a New Orleans jazz band in front of him and he wouldn’t blink.”
I stared. “How long does he stay like that?”
Trixie snagged her pizza and took a large bite. “Longest I’ve seen is three hours,” she said after she chewed.
My head whipped to her. “Three hours?” I echoed in disbelief.
She shrugged. “You get used to it.”
“Huh. What’s his name?”
“Rory. He’s cool. When he’s awake.”
I shook my head and took an enormous bite of my burger. Silence fell while we ate and continued until Mannix lifted his gaze to me.
Everything felt different in the daylight now that my secrets were laid bare to him. He knew me. Knew my secrets and was holding them close for reasons I didn’t know.
I felt like I’d been stung. Eyes the color of a bottomless chasm speared me with intellect, rage, confusion and...interest. My heartbeat picked up, thumping out a steady and painful beat in my chest. Danger. This boy was dangerous. All of my senses screamed for me to leave the table.
He’d rip my heart out, caress it lovingly, then smash it on the ground, all while wearing a smile.
My cheeseburger hung suspended from my limp hand until it slowly plopped onto the edge of my plate, shocking me out of my revelry. Ketchup squished out between the buns and landed in my lap.
I bit out a curse and broke eye contact with him. I never wanted to feel that raw and exposed again.
“Mannix!” Trixie crowed with delight. “Nice to see you move an inch or two now or then.” She jerked a thumb toward me. “Harmony LeCharme,” she drawled out making my name sound super posh. “She’s charmed, I’m sure.”
He rolled his eyes. “Mannix,” he bit out but didn’t extend a hand. Good thing. I wasn’t sure how I’d react if he touched me.
I knew how tall he was thanks to our interaction at the bar, but from his sitting position, I also knew he was rangy and roped with muscle. His skin was the color of fresh clover honey and his eyes were so dark they made me think of being locked in a windowless room. He unnerved me and considering he had yet to drop his gaze from me, I could tell he knew it.
When a smirk crept onto his generous lips, I dropped my gaze and focused on trying to salvage my cheeseburger. “Nice to meet you,” I mumbled even as I cringed. For the second time. I hated that I’d been taught to always be polite when meeting new people. Mannix didn’t seem like the kind of person who was ever polite, so why did I have to be nice?
I could blame my foster parents for instilling southern manners in me. I chewed on my bottom lip as I painstakingly stacked my patties back onto the ruined bread.
Trixie’s stare lingered on me, but I refused to lo
ok up.
“Oookay,” she drawled. “Anyway, Harmony is brand new here. Not sure for how long.” I looked up at her only to see her wiggling her eyebrows. “I have no idea what she did yet, but I can’t wait to find out!”
I swallowed hard. That wasn’t something I really wanted to talk about, but I knew I wouldn’t be able to escape it forever.
I shrugged and pasted a chagrined smile on my face. “Stupid stuff.” I waved a hand. “I’ll tell you later.” As soon as I pinned Mannix down and asked him what he’d told everyone.
Mannix’s gaze lingered on me for longer than I was comfortable with, but Trixie grinned and went right into another subject.
I concentrated on my hamburger and rapidly cooling fries. The food was surprisingly good here. Mom was a decent cook, but this was better than decent. As I sat there picking at my food, I came to the conclusion it was probably destined in the stars for me to wind up here. I’d never been able to stay out of trouble even knowing I should do my best to stay out of the spotlight. I tried to tune Trixie back in, but when she said the word prom, my eyebrows lurched up.
“This place has a prom?” I blurted.
Silence fell around the table. Even Mannix looked surprised by my outburst. I ducked my head hoping no one could see the bloom of color on my cheeks. I’d never been to prom. The one time I had the chance, my foster mom busted me sneaking out the window the night before the dance and grounded me. I ended up burning my expensive dress in the backyard with a match and too much gasoline.
You’d think that would have been the end of my overdramatic statement, but it also caught one of the garden arbors on fire, so the prom night grounding was extended for a few weeks longer than I was comfortable with. Not going to prom was one of my biggest regrets so to know I had a second chance… Well. It made things seem not so bad. Today at least.
Prom Fright Page 4
