by Cheree Alsop
The bell rang.
“Off to Creature Languages,” Lyris said. She rose. “I have such a hard time with the pixie tongue and Professor Mellon hinted about a pop quiz.”
“Just remember the r’s,” Amryn said as she followed us to the door where we dumped our trays.
“What do you mean?” Lyris asked.
“In Pixie, if the r rolls, you know the word ends in c instead of s.”
Lyris’ eyes widened. “Is that true?” she said as she handed her tray to a boy with yellow tentacles.
“Yep,” Amryn confirmed. “My father has a pixie advisor among his staff. He’s the one who told me that tip.”
Lyris gave her a grateful smile. “I think you just helped me ace my quiz.”
“I hope so,” Amryn replied.
We paused near the stairs.
“I wish you had a tip for Human Interactions,” Alden said. “For some reason, I just can’t figure that class out.”
“Kind-of ironic for a Grim, don’t you think?” Amryn asked.
Lyris laughed. “I never thought of it like that. I usually go with the ‘avoid humans at all costs’ route.”
Alden looked embarrassed. “I wish I could, but it sort-of comes with the job.”
“Humans aren’t that bad,” I said. I felt their interested gazes and studied the notebook I held instead of looking at them. “My dad’s a human.”
Lyris touched my arm. “I’ll bet he’s a good one, Finn.” When I looked at her, she said, “Some of us have spent a lot of our lives hiding because we’re different.” She shook her head and her black hair waved around her face. “It would be good to know the good ones.”
“Maybe you can introduce us sometime,” Amryn suggested.
The thought of introducing my dad to a vampire was an interesting one. It also brought a pang of guilt. I had checked the phone in secret when I found my belongings in our room, but the battery was dead. I plugged it in, but had yet to check and see if my family tried to contact me. I wasn’t sure what I wanted them to say, or what I would say back.
“I think he’d like that,” I replied distractedly.
The next two classes went by in a blur. My thoughts stayed on the small cellphone I had hidden beneath my mattress. Had they called? Maybe service wasn’t good at the Academy. I hadn’t seen any of the other students with phones. Would I be thrown out if I got caught?
I ran to the room I shared with Alden between sixth and seventh period. Professor Briggs was already frustrated with me. I didn’t see how it would hurt more if I was late; besides, the last thing I wanted to do was have him question me again about the bruises. If any of the other students had heard about the coven’s attack, they might rat me out.
I pulled the cellphone from beneath the mattress and pressed the power button. It took ten long seconds for the phone to turn on. When it did, I stared at the little screen. Fifteen missed calls and twenty-one texts. I let out a slow breath and felt the corners of my mouth turn up. At least someone cared that I was gone.
I didn’t have time to check the voicemails, but flipped quickly through the texts.
MISS YOU, FINN. IT’S NOT THE SAME AROUND HERE.- DAD
By the date, he had sent that before he had even arrived home after dropping me off at the Academy.
DAD SAID I COULD TEXT YOU AT THIS NUMBER, BUT TO KEEP IT SHORT. I DON’T WANT TO GET YOU IN TROUBLE. BUT IT’S WEIRD NOT HAVING YOU AT HOME. I MISS YOU.- DRAKE
I chewed on my lip as I continued down.
TELL ME WHEN YOU GET TO COME HOME TO VISIT. I’LL MAKE YOUR FAVORITE DINNER. LOVE YOU TONS.- JULI
That brought a smile to my face. My stepmother made the best stroganoff in the world. The thought of it made my mouth water despite the hamburger I had eaten for lunch. I flipped further down.
WEIRD NOT HEARING FROM YOU. MAYBE RECEPTION ISN’T GOOD. HOPE THEY DIDN’T TAKE THE PHONE. CALL WHEN YOU CAN.- DAD
THE FUNERAL WAS SAD. BAST’S PARENTS LOOKED LOST. I DIDN’T KNOW WHAT TO SAY TO THEM. I FEEL SO GUILTY.- DRAKE
I BOUGHT NOODLES. JUST LET ME KNOW WHEN YOU’RE COMING HOME AND I’LL MAKE FRESH BREAD, TOO.- JULI
STARTED ON THE DECK. THOUGHT I WOULD FINISH IT SO WE COULD HAVE A BBQ WHEN YOU GET HOME.- DAD
YOUR DAD INSISTS BBQ IS BETTER. YOU DECIDE.- JULI
She always followed her texts with either a smiley face or a flower. It reminded me so much of her that homesickness washed over me. The bell rang, but I continued reading.
DERRICK AND KAR ARE ASKING WHEN YOU’RE COMING BACK. I DON’T KNOW WHAT TO TELL THEM. DO YOU KNOW?- DRAKE
SMASHED MY THUMB. DECK’S GOING TO WAIT A FEW DAYS.- DAD
DAD TELLS ME ABOUT THE WEREWOLF STUFF ONLY IF I ASK. I DON’T KNOW WHY YOU HAD TO LEAVE. NONE OF IT MAKES SENSE.- DRAKE
FINN?- DRAKE
MISS YOU- JULI
A heaviness settled over me. After all I had been going through, I had completely put them to the back of my mind. I thought maybe they wouldn’t want to talk to me. I had been sent away so quickly, I thought it was so they wouldn’t be reminded of what I had become. Yet these texts told me how wrong I was. Life continued for them and I had been a part of that. I still was.
I pulled up Julianne’s number and wrote, SORRY, PHONED DIED. TELL DAD YOUR STROGANOFF ALWAYS WINS, BUT WE CAN HAVE IT ON THE DECK. THANK YOU FOR THINKING OF ME. LOVE, FINN
I entered Dad’s cell number and typed, RECEPTION WILL BE BETTER IF I REMEMBER TO KEEP THE PHONE CHARGED. SORRY ABOUT THAT. THE DECK SOUNDS AWESOME. I HOPE YOUR THUMB FEELS BETTER. DON’T WORK TOO HARD. LOVE, FINN
It took me a minute to reply to Drake. I had always been close to him. The fact that I had ditched him to survive the aftermath of the accident didn’t feel fair to me, and by the sound of things, my leaving had really put him in a bad place. I wrote slowly, DRAKE, I’M SORRY ABOUT THE WAY THINGS HAPPENED. I FEEL BAD LEAVING YOU TO DEAL WITH IT. I PROMISE I WILL COME HOME AS SOON AS I CAN. I WILL EXPLAIN WHAT I KNOW ABOUT WEREWOLVES WHEN I DO; THIS IS ALL NEW TO ME, TOO. I let out a breath and wrote, I WISH MOM HAD TOLD US. I HAD NO IDEA WHAT SHE WENT THROUGH. THIS PLACE IS CRAZY. I MET A GHOST. TELL YOU ABOUT THAT LATER. TAKE CARE- FINN.
I slid the phone back under the mattress and grabbed my notebook. I ran down the flight of stairs to the second floor and shoved open the door for Black Cat Philosophies.
“Mr. Briscoe, I’m glad you decided to join us,” Professor Briggs said in a dry tone. “You have a question to answer.”
I slid into my seat and said, “What question?”
A few snickers ran around the room.
“Did you forget already?” The professor took a limping step closer. “Perhaps someone hit that noggin of yours a bit too hard.”
I gritted my teeth.
Professor Briggs gave a semblance of a smile as though he knew he had gotten under my skin. He nodded at Dara. “Ms. Jade, would you like to remind Mr. Briscoe of his question?”
Dara sighed and turned to me. “Why do cats always land on their feet?” she asked in an exasperated tone.
“I don’t know,” I replied. “Because it’s better than a concussion?”
Laughter followed my words.
Professor Briggs shook his head and said, “I will ask again tomorrow. In the meantime, look at the paper on your desk and give me an answer at the end of class.”
“Another quiz?” I asked.
“Yes,” he replied. “You have some catching up to do. I’m guessing most of your evenings will be spent on assignments unless you want to be held back.” He limped to the board and said, “Now, who did the reading in ‘Where the Dark Things Dwell’?”
Several hands went up.
I turned the paper over. The professor had written three lines in surprisingly beautiful penmanship that said, “Mercer asked that you bring several students with you to the basement through the corridor you used earlier. I will also recommend a few of my own. Don’t be late.”
Chapter Twelve
“I thought we weren’
t supposed to use the passage again,” Alden said.
Lyris and Dara peered into the dark tunnel entrance. The flashlights they carried illuminated the spider webs and dust along the narrow walls.
“It looks a bit scary,” Lyris admitted.
Dara rolled her eyes at me. “She doesn’t like spiders.”
“Who does?” Lyris asked.
“They don’t bother me,” Brack replied from behind her.
“After the things I’ve seen here, spiders seem pretty harmless,” I agreed. “But you don’t have to come.”
“And miss being a part of some secret defense team?” Dara said with a hint of skepticism in her voice, “No way. Things just got interesting.”
I followed her into the passage. A glance back showed the others trailing behind. Alden closed the door after Lyris passed. Brack had to duck his head to avoid hitting it on the low ceiling.
“They don’t make this for me,” he said, following me.
“Are you part giant?” I asked jokingly.
“A quarter,” he replied. I couldn’t tell by his expression whether he was serious or not.
The further down we walked, the danker the tunnel became. I found myself picturing a dungeon at the end of the passage because it would fit in with the chilly rock walls, the foreboding atmosphere, and the shrieks Lyris gave whenever she spotted a spider sitting in its carefully crafted home.
“You didn’t tell me about this part,” Alden said when we reached the low-ceilinged room full of skeletons, old armor, and discarded statues.
His flashlight paused on a particularly spider web-covered animal skeleton with thick bones.
“I figured it was easier if you didn’t know what waited in the darkness,” I replied.
“Good idea,” he said; he tripped on something and bumped one of the skeletons. The head fell off and rolled away. Alden hurried after me. We passed the room Alden and I had been to and continued down.
Dara let out a quiet breath when I stopped at a door at the bottom of the stairs. “Finally,” I heard her whisper. It was the only sign she gave that the small tunnel had finally gotten to her as well.
“Why did we stop?” Lyris asked from behind Brack. Her voice quavered slightly.
“There’s a door,” Dara replied.
“Why aren’t you opening it?” Alden asked; his voice sounded small from the back of the group.
Dara met my gaze. I could read a hint of trepidation in hers. I couldn’t blame her. I didn’t have much information to give them about what to expect, and following Professor Briggs’ instructions to go all the way to the basement through the tight passage felt a little like entering a dungeon of doom on purpose. I was a bit nervous myself.
“I’ve got it,” I told her.
I stepped around Dara and my arm brushed hers before I put a hand to the door.
“You should have Lyris put more salve on your ribs,” she said.
I looked back at her. I couldn’t decide how I felt about the fact that she could feel my pain.
“They’re healing,” I told her. “I just need to remember to go out in the moonlight after this. Thanks to all of you, I’m this good.”
“So you repay us by inviting us into danger?” she replied dryly.
I opened my mouth to deny it, but she gestured to the door. “Lead the way, oh fearless leader.”
I rolled my eyes and pushed the door open.
“You’re late.”
I sighed inwardly at the sight of Professor Briggs waiting next to Mercer. Both men sat at a square, thick wooden table and appeared to have been in deep discussion before we appeared. A long candlestick made out of what looked like black wood was the only item on the table.
“You didn’t give me a time,” I told him. “So how am I late?”
“Time was implied,” he replied. “Take a seat. Our other guests should be here shortly.”
Mercer nodded at each of us as we chose places around the table. His stony expression didn’t show how he felt about my choice of individuals. I was grateful for that because they were the only students I knew and felt I could trust.
“The chair’s heavy,” Alden said from across the table.
Brack pulled a chair out for both of them and took a seat.
Alden sat with a pleased expression.
Lyris and Dara took the chairs on either side of me. Silence filled the stone room. A quick glance around showed that the table was the only furnishing. Light flickered in the fireplace while shadows occupied the far end of the deceptively long room. I wondered what Professor Briggs had against electric lighting. My gaze fell on objects leaning against the wall on the other side of the fireplace.
“Are those swords?” I asked in surprise.
“All will be explained,” Briggs replied. “But I prefer not to repeat myself. We’ll wait for the others.”
“So they’re late,” I pointed out cheekily.
The professor didn’t answer, but the scar down his face tightened when he gritted his teeth hard enough that I could hear it.
Footsteps down the passage made me turn my head. The others followed. The door opened inward and four students appeared. A knot tightened in my stomach.
Vicken glared at me with a look of such hatred I was surprised I didn’t burst into flames. Professor Briggs would have liked that; the less electric lighting needed, the better.
“I’m glad you could join us,” the professor said flatly.
“It took me some time to find the switch for the door upstairs. You gave horrible directions,” Vicken shot back. “If it wasn’t for Amryn, we wouldn’t have found it.”
“I gave the right directions or you wouldn’t be here,” Professor Briggs replied mildly.
“Don’t waste our time arguing all night,” Mercer growled.
“Take a seat,” the professor told them.
The four vampires sat on the opposite side of the table from the professor and Mercer, which put Dara and Amryn next to each other at the corner.
“Hi,” Amryn said.
Dara muttered something that could have been hello before turning back to face the professor. I could feel Vicken’s heated glower; my stomach roiled as I fought down the urge to phase and teach him a lesson he deserved. If Headmistress Wrengold was right about me being an Alpha, having Vicken be part of the team was definitely going to put a strain on my impulsive tendencies.
“We have a lot to cover in a short amount of time,” Briggs said. “You have the length of my lecture to decide whether or not you want to be a part of this. Staying gives us your full commitment. Leaving means you won’t talk about this to anyone at the risk of being ejected from the Academy.”
That caught everyone’s attention. I hadn’t heard any of the professors threaten expulsion up to that point, at least in regards to any student other than myself.
“Let’s begin,” Briggs said. He gestured. “Mercer?”
At his word, the man brought out a small box from beneath the table. It appeared to be made out of the same black wood as the candlestick. He set it carefully on the table in front of him and slowly drew back the lid. Green light filled the room.
“Demon fire,” I said before I could stop myself.
“Imitation demon fire,” Briggs corrected. “The real stuff is nothing to play around with.”
“Play?” Vicken repeated. “We’re going to play with fire? Seems like a bad idea.”
Everyone watched Mercer use tongs to carefully pick up the tallow candle on which the flame flickered. He lowered it gingerly onto the black candlestick and let out a breath when the flame was safely settled. His caution concerned me; he didn’t come across as a man who feared anything. His respect for the green fire put me on edge.
“Trace,” Mercer said.
Professor Briggs slid back the long sleeve of his robe. To my dismay, the professor then leaned over and placed his hand directly in the flame.
“Professor!” Lyris protested.
Everyone watched with
wide eyes as Briggs continued to hold his hand in direct contact with the fire. It was too bright to see if the flames were melting his skin. Sweat broke out across his forehead and his hand shook slightly, but still he held it there.
“Don’t keep it in there all night,” Mercer finally growled.
Briggs pulled his hand quickly back and wiped it on the front of his robe. The skin appeared undamaged, but it was obvious by the strain on the professor’s face that the flames had hurt.
“I don’t understand,” Alden said. “Why do that?”
Briggs looked at me instead of the Grim. “Everything about a demon is geared toward causing fear. This flame, while painful, did nothing to my skin. Instead, in my mind I saw my flesh melting away from my bones, I smelled the charred muscles and felt my blood boil, and it took a great deal of strength to hold it there for that long.”
“But it did nothing?” I repeated. I thought about the green flames racing along the ceiling of the top floor and how the walls had appeared charred and burning. “That’s why everything was back to normal. It didn’t do anything, really.”
“Exactly,” Briggs said with a nod. “There weren’t any repairs because there wasn’t any damage.”
“Except for the window.” I felt immediately foolish. Diving through the window to rescue the students hadn’t been necessary. Instead of rescuing them, I was just giving in to the fear that the top floor was burning.
“Except the window,” Briggs agreed. There was a ghost of a smile on his scarred face.
“What are you talking about?” Vicken demanded. He glared at me. “And why is he even here? He’s a loose cannon.”
Professor Briggs cut off the choice words I wanted to say in response. “I invited him just like I invited you. You are welcome to leave if you’d like, but everyone here is necessary if the threat to the Academy we feel is coming actually reaches us.”
Vicken sat back in his chair with a scowl. “I’ll stay, but it’s because I don’t trust the weremutt to save anyone but himself.”
Briggs ignored the comment. He turned back to the flame. “Demon fire is a demon fear tactic, but it is also one of the most powerful because it affects your mind more than your body. I want each of you to try it.”
