by Kat Adams
“I’ve met him,” was all I said.
“I heard he’s undeclared. Is that true?”
“Yep.”
Clay whistled. “That makes two at this school now. I wonder how many new elementals this will sway to remain undeclared. I hope this isn’t starting a trend.”
I looked at him. Did he just raise concern over the rules? How very un-Clay-like. “Why would having two undeclared elementals start a trend?”
“You’re a quint, the first of our kind, and you fulfilled the prophecy by defeating Alec von Leer. You’re famous, Montana. Your Elepedia page is almost as long as Cressida’s. Then you’ve got Spencer Dalton, who’s already famous for being an epic battler and has an Elepedia page longer than yours and Cressida’s put together. He’s a quad, which makes him the second-most powerful elemental at the academy next to you. That,” he paused to bring my hand to his lips and kiss my knuckles, his beard tickling my fingers, “is why this might start a trend. You two are the ultimate power couple. All the new students coming to Clearwater are going to look up to you, want to be you. That starts with remaining undeclared, if they can get away with it.”
Awesome. Not only did I have this famous battler to deal with, I now had new elementals looking up to me. I was the last person anyone should look up to. I challenged authority every chance I could, broke the rules more often than I followed them, and I had a wicked snark spark.
We entered the dining hall, which was pleasantly close to empty. “Where is everyone?”
“Tribunals. They pretty much take up the rest of the day and will probably bleed into the first day of classes since there are so many new elementals this year.”
“Is it weird having this many new students?” I grabbed a tray and moved it along the counter, adding small plates of food I’d probably end up giving to Clay anyway.
“It’s a large group for sure. That’s why we’ve been so busy. I hate that I haven’t been able to see you much lately. We all hate it.”
I hated it too. I missed my guys. “At least we’re in the same house this year.” Which reminded me… “Did you hear they stuck me with Jess as a roommate?”
He made a face. “Talk about cruel and unusual punishment. You’re the freakin’ prophecy. You should have your own house. Your own room, at the very least.” He paused and stared straight ahead. “I wonder if they’d let us room together. I’m going to ask.”
The job Dean Carter placed on my shoulders came back and slapped me upside the head. I couldn’t babysit Jess and keep her from going dark if I wasn’t rooming with her. Reluctantly, I shook my head. “That’s okay. I’m sure it won’t be as bad as last year.”
Clay snorted. “Yeah, right. Vanessa was bad, I’ll give you that. She loves the spotlight, which is why she made it such a point to do all the shit she did in front of an audience.”
We found a table in the corner away from the few students in the dining hall, some with books open. Overachievers.
“The twins, on the other hand,” he went on once we were settled. “They’re the type to strike as soon as your back is turned. Now that Jules is doing whatever it is she’s doing since she no longer has Alec to do…” He trailed off and took a huge bite of his burger.
I shuddered. That image was going to give me nightmares. Alec was at least twice her age and ten times uglier. I still had no idea how he’d managed to get Julie. I shuddered again and pushed cold fries around on my plate. “You think Jules will find a way to get to Jess, somehow convince her to go dark?”
“I think Jess isn’t that far off.” He let that comment hang between us as we finished our meal in silence. I lost my appetite and pushed my tray toward him, which he happily accepted and ate my food too. “Come on, let’s head out to the field. I want to catch a few of the tribunals.”
It was better than going to my dorm and dealing with the Barbie bitch. We threw out our garbage and stacked the trays near the door before walking out hand in hand. As we crested the rolling hill and the field came into view, I slowed, recalling my tribunal. I’d never been so unsure of myself, and it wasn’t like anyone gave me a heads-up on what to expect. My stomach knotted as my pulse kicked up.
“Relax,” Clay said in a calm voice, squeezing my hand. “I feel your air call charging. There’s no reason for you to be nervous. You already had your tribunal.”
Why, then, couldn’t I shake the feeling something bad was about to happen?
I held on to his hand, curling my fingers and tightening my grip for good measure. He pushed his control to me, something I still needed every once in a while. Like now, when I fought an anxiety attack and didn’t know why. Since I’d gone off the pills my mom had given me for a made-up disease I didn’t have, all to keep my emotions in check and my powers dormant, I overreacted to everything. Or maybe it was a normal reaction and I’d underreacted to everything up to that point. Whatever the reason, uncertainty swirled inside me. I didn’t like it and was grateful Clay had enough control for us both.
The closer we got, the louder Professor Layden’s voice grew. I still didn’t know how she did that, projecting her voice like she had a microphone, yet there were no speakers, no way to broadcast, and I knew from personal experience she didn’t have a mic.
We stood on the sidelines since the grandstands were full. Seas of yellow, red, blue, and green surrounded the field, students in their house colors, all cheering and whistling as Layden in the one-piece Cat Woman suit she’d worn at my tribunal challenged elemental after elemental to draw out their primary element. Strands of her dark hair had come loose from her bun. She looked tired, as if she’d run a marathon before swimming to Whidbey Island from Seattle, all without sleeping for days. Tribunals clearly drained her, yet I’d never heard her complain about them. Not once. My respect for the tiny teacher jumped up a few pegs.
“We have another fire elemental!” she announced, and the stand with the sea of red blazers went nuts. “Next up, Trevor Carson.”
A skinny little blond with wide brown eyes behind huge owlish glasses shuffled onto the field. He looked as scared as I was when I’d walked onto this field last year to have my primary choose me. When I remained undeclared, the crowd had gasped, like I’d committed the ultimate cardinal sin.
“He’s earth,” I mumbled, feeling his element from clear on the sidelines. After a brief test, Layden declared the same, and the green blazers cheered.
Clay leaned in. “That’s the one Bry had to keep calm, the one we picked up yesterday. Nice enough kid, a little nutty in the head.”
“What do you mean?”
“He kept asking if we’d teach him all the elements. It’s not like I can teach him air. If it’s not in him, he’s never going to get it.”
I wasn’t so sure about that, but said nothing.
Another student, this one a young brunette with a ponytail, walked onto the field after her name was called, wringing her hands and glancing in all directions. Poor thing was terrified.
“Fire,” I said softly, smelling the heat from her call. Clay couldn’t hear me over the roar of the crowd. No one could, which suited me fine. I didn’t need anyone knowing I had the power to sense an elemental’s primary without testing them. In fact, I didn’t even know I had the ability to do that until, oh…five minutes ago.
As student after student took the field, I correctly identified their primary before Layden announced it. It became a game. The last student walked onto the field. Professor Layden looked ready to collapse, yet she pressed on. I had to admit, it impressed the hell out of me.
“Fire,” I declared and waited for Layden to do the same, smiling triumphantly.
“Air,” she announced. I dropped my smile and shook my head. The heat coming off the student’s call was strong enough to warm a room, and a large one at that. With the window open. In the dead of a Montana winter.
“Right on,” Clay exclaimed and punched his fist in the air. “We got another one.”
But… But… But… Professor
Layden got it wrong. Air wasn’t the new elemental’s primary. He had the ability to control it, sure. But it wasn’t his primary. This kid, with his flaming red hair and cocky stance, screamed fire elemental.
I was numb as we left the tribunals, losing ourselves in the sea of students walking back up to the dorms. Two troubling thoughts bounced around in my brain.
First, how many times had Professor Layden declared the wrong primary?
Second, and the one far more concerning, was the bigger question.
Was it by design?
4
I woke early and snuck out of the room before Jess stirred, saving me from having to deal with that level of Barbie bitchiness first thing in the morning. I had a hard time sleeping after what happened at the tribunals, at Professor Layden declaring the wrong primary. Not for the first time, I was pretty damn happy to be undeclared.
The guys were meeting me for breakfast before our first day of classes, and I hurried to the smaller dining hall across campus, excited to see them. As I passed the statue of Cressida Clearwater, I slowed and changed direction. I had time, so I decided to pay her a visit. It was early enough so the only ones out were those students insane enough to run without a wild animal chasing them.
“Good morning,” I greeted and watched a jogger bounce by. He had in his AirPods and didn’t seem to notice me talking to a statue. “I have a question for you. Can a student challenge the decision on their primary if they’re a jumper? How does Professor Layden know which element is your primary if you can jump to more than one?”
I thought about that question and blurted out, “Does she even know? Or is she just guessing based on what she’s sensing? I mean, she didn’t know mine and even told me I got to choose which one I wanted as my primary. But yesterday, I felt the fire inside this student. I felt it, yet she declared him air. Did she really get it wrong?”
A jogger passed, her shoes pounding the pavement the only noise as I kept the next question to myself until she was out of earshot. When I brought my attention back to Cressida, the statue had moved a click, signaling the top of the hour. That still freaked me out a little, a giant stationary statue not stationary at all, her presence watching over the students at Clearwater Academy by becoming the academy. Only those inside the ruins that night I battled Alec knew the truth about Cressida Clearwater and why I’d protect the school to the death if it came to that. Protecting the school protected Cressida.
I grabbed my bag and hiked it over my shoulder. Now that it was the top of the hour, I was officially late meeting the guys for breakfast. I guess I didn’t have as much time as I thought. Resting my hand on the statue, I sighed, centering myself. She always had the power to do that. After a few more seconds, I stepped back and craned my neck to look up at her face. “Thanks. I know you hear me. I know there’s more to you than a statue. You’ve proved that more than once. Things are definitely not what they seem around here.”
Holy hell. When it clicked, I smiled wide and nodded in thanks. Talk about an epiphany. Things weren’t always as they appeared, which meant I couldn’t simply assume Layden made a mistake. She probably had a very good reason to place that kid in Ventus instead of Ignis. “You’re pretty incredible, you know that?”
I swore I caught the statue smiling.
When I got to the dining hall, the guys weren’t there. Frowning, I texted them. Where is everyone?
Rob answered. Extraction.
That was it? No sorry for missing breakfast or sorry we didn’t tell you? Now annoyed, I grabbed coffee and left the hall in search of something to do to kill time before classes started. My annoyance grew to irritation when I caught my new partner walking toward me, sporting the ugly yellow blazer that he somehow made look good. I spun and hurried off in the opposite direction, but my stubby little legs were no match for his long legs and impressive stride.
“Katy, may I have a moment?” He caught up, falling into step with me. My neck hairs stood at attention, as did my arm hairs. And, dammit, other parts of me definitely noticed him. I cursed my lady bits for thinking they had any right to tingle at the sight of this man. I already had four guys to tingle over. My dance card was full enough. “I have a critical question where the answer is of utmost importance.”
I hated how he made anything sound proper with that buttery accent. “What’s that?”
“Is that coffee? Or tea?”
Tea? Who drank tea under the age of thirty? “Coffee. It’s in the dining hall.” With the breakfast I never did get to eat.
“Brilliant. I assume, since it’s a dining hall, it has food.”
“You assume correctly.”
“Care to join me? I hate to eat alone.”
And I hated to eat with pretentious underwear models, yet here I was, contemplating my answer. Before I had the chance to respond, my stomach growled so loud, two students passing by turned and stared. Well, shit. I couldn’t make an excuse that I wasn’t hungry now. I couldn’t just turn him down and make it awkward for us every time we partnered up on whatever it was the Council wanted us partnering up on.
Looked like I was having breakfast with the new shiny coin. “Yeah, sure.”
I ignored the stares and murmurs as we walked to the main dining hall. Everyone stopped as we grabbed trays to gather food along the line. Spencer smiled and greeted every person he caught eyeing him, earning longing sighs from the girls and cautious looks from the boys.
It took forever for him to get through the line since he had to stop and flirt with every single girl that paid him any attention—which was all of them. I was halfway through my frittata by the time he joined me at the table.
“I can’t get over how pleasant all the students are here at Clearwater.”
“Oh, yeah. They’re just peachy.” I shoveled in a huge bite so I didn’t have to talk to him. I didn’t know why I had my bitch switch on with this guy, only that something about him rubbed me the wrong way.
“I’m thinking we’ll begin your training by—”
I dropped my fork, the clank against the plate startling him into silence. “Training?” I choked on my mouthful of frittata and swallowed before continuing. “Did you say training?” I didn’t wait for him to answer. He opened his mouth, but I jumped in and kept going. “This isn’t a training, buddy. This isn’t even a partnership, regardless of what the Council is calling it. This is someone who’s famous for being this amazing opponent in controlled settings like competitions—that would be you—wanting to piggyback on someone who’s gone through an actual life-or-death battle—that would be me. You seem to like the spotlight. I, however, don’t. So if this is some attempt to elevate your status or improve your likes on social media, you made the trip for nothing.”
“But the Council said—”
“I don’t care what the Council said,” I snapped a little louder than I wanted, earning several head swivels. Lowering my voice, I went on. “I’m not doing this for fame and glory. I’m doing this because I’m powerful enough to take on the dark side and win. I didn’t seek out to be the prophecy. It chose me.”
As soon as I said it, I stilled and blinked. Holy shit on a cheeseball. Cressida hinted at it last year, but it wasn’t until this exact moment it finally sank in. Cressida Clearwater, the original prophecy, chose me to protect our world, just as she protected our school. Which meant I didn’t need this flawless perfection of a man following me around, learning from me.
Spencer stood with his tray full of food he’d barely touched. His expression now dejected, his shoulders down, he offered a single nod. “I understand completely.”
With that, he walked away, making me feel like a giant pile of steaming cow dung for lecturing him when all he wanted was to learn from someone who’d actually gone through a life-or-death battle and came out on the not-dead end.
Another go fucking me.
I dumped my tray and headed to 3C early. I was the TA, after all, so I should probably keep instructor hours, whatever those were. When
I walked into the 3C building arranged like a giant amphitheater classroom, I was surprised to find it empty. Apparently, not all professors kept instructor hours.
“This is where the magic happens, ladies and gents.” I called air and danced it around the room, picking up chair desks and spinning them in a cyclone. A chairnado, I could handle. It was far better than the corpsenado I’d created last year that destroyed a college cadaver lab.
I broke into a terrible, off-key rendition of Eye of the Tiger, pretending to be Rocky after he reached the top of the stairs—my dad watched a lot of fighter movies—sending the chair desks bouncing to the famous guitar opening and having them dance around me.
“I. Make chairs dance. In the air. Just for funnnnnn.” I spun the chair desks in place as I held the last note. “I. Will take this. Over the. Corpsenadooooo.”
“What’s a corpsenado?” A bright voice sounded behind me. Startled, I dropped my call, and the chair desks came crashing down. When I spun around, I spotted the kid with the huge owlish glasses standing in the doorway, his eyes as wide as they were when he’d taken the field at his tribunal. He sported a green blazer, the color of his house and the brand of the earth elementals.
“Uh, nothing.” I rushed around the room and righted all the chair desks.
“Can I help?” He didn’t wait for an answer and eagerly reset all the chair desks in the front row. “I know who you are. You’re Katy Reed. You’re a quint, the first of our kind. I read all about you on Elepedia. Is it true you’re the one who does The Elements webcomic? That’s my favorite comic. I’ve been reading it since episode one, before Amethyst knew she had powers. I can’t believe it’s you. I love that Amethyst is like this elemental sleuth now. What’s her next case? Is she going to get together with Detective Nigel Brandt? What you did with the chairs was so cool! Can you teach me to do that?”
Oh my God. There was not enough caffeine in my system to deal with this kid and his hyperactive inquisition. “How about you land on one question?”
