Dark Is Her Nature

by Judith Berens

  “We heard you tried to blow up the channeling room.” Scarlett smirked.

  Alison rolled her eyes and turned back around, grabbing a pencil and sticking the end between her teeth. She knew it wouldn’t be the end of it, but she really hoped Scarlett would take a hint. It was obviously too much to hope for; Scarlett leaned toward their table.

  “I mean, we’re fine with that, it’s a stupid class anyway, but shit, those are your friends. Are you psycho?”

  Ethan put his arm between the girls, resting it nonchalantly on the back of Alison’s chair, then slowly turned his head and stared at Scarlett. She looked him up and down and chuckled for a moment.

  “Leave her alone.”

  “Oh, big scary street urchin.” Scarlett and her friends laughed nastily.

  Alison touched his chest to get his attention. “Don’t. They aren’t worth it.”

  Ethan nodded, understanding that fighting fire with fire never really worked. He turned back and looked at Peter, who was fiddling with the pencil. Ethan could tell he needed to calm down, so he leaned forward.

  “You should do one of those orb spells and hit these girls right in the foreheads.”

  “Ha!” Peter laughed. “Not if I want to keep my thumbs. The librarian here will kick my ass. It’s all quiet all the time for him.”

  “All right, then help me with my homework.”

  “That I can do.”

  Peter scooted closer to Ethan and looked down at the paper, pointing to different sections in his book. Alison smiled and nodded at Ethan, knowing he was taking Peter’s mind off what had just happened. It had freaked everyone out, there was no doubt about that, but they still wanted to be Alison’s friend. She just wanted to get back to her regular agenda. Starting her first day by flipping a classroom hadn’t been on her agenda.

  When the group was done with study hall, they headed down to get some dinner. As they walked in the whole place got quiet and everyone’s eyes followed Alison to her seat. Slowly the whispers and talking picked up again and Alison was glad to see they were nice enough to move on and not harass her like the upperclassman were doing. Ms. Berens looked at Alison from the front of the dining hall and nodded, having already heard of the trouble she’d had in channeling class. The girl needed some major training, major control, and major guidance, and she needed it as soon as possible.

  Alison just hoped that she would get a good night’s sleep and that her friends wouldn’t force her to talk about it. She had tapped into magical energy—a magic she didn’t know she had—but she had to figure out how to use it before something happened that was worse than a reversed classroom.

  13

  Time went by, and the further Alison got into the teachings the more she could feel the desire of her magic. It was like having another person inside her body and her mind. She tossed and turned at night from nightmares of the night her mother died, and by day her energy burst at the seams. By the time the alarm went off—which was before the sun came up—she was already awake.

  The girls had all started getting up earlier, wanting to make it to breakfast to have enough time to eat before their plates disappeared and the bell tolled. That morning Izzie woke up to Kathleen slapping the alarm clock and mumbling something about omelets. She climbed out of bed, grabbed her things, and headed off to the showers. When she came back the other girls were doing the same. Alison, who was completely ready, was sitting on the edge of her bed and staring at the floor. Izzie walked over and sat down next to her.

  “Nightmares again?”

  “Yeah.” Alison rubbed her face and looked at her quickly. “I didn’t wake you up, did I?”

  “Nah, you were quiet all night. I guess I’m a morning person.”

  “I’ve never been a morning person.” Alison cracked a smile, which relieved Izzie.

  “Hey, you want to head down to breakfast? The slowpokes can catch up.”

  “Sounds perfect.”

  Alison and Izzie walked out of the room, saying hi to some of the other girls before leaving the dorms behind them and heading down to the dining hall. It had been a while since everything had happened with Alison, and everyone had all but forgotten about it. When they got to the hall they headed straight to their table, sitting down and staring down at the plates that appeared in front of them. Izzie had a cheese omelet like normal, but Alison had a stack of pancakes—something different for a change.

  The girls sat quietly, enjoying their breakfast and drinking coffee as their classmates started to trickle in. Izzie looked around the large room, realizing it was the first time she had taken a moment to appreciate the grandiose nature of the place. They were always so busy. When they weren’t jetting off to class or trying to cram in homework, they were interacting with the group. It was nice to have a little bit of quiet for a change.

  The large and ornate room was beautiful. It had been Turner Underwood’s ballroom many years before when he lived there. The ceiling curved up into a dome, its panels etched with the different magical creatures from Oriceran. In the center hung the massive crystal chandelier with hundreds of candles in black steel holders. All the oval tables were made of a rich dark mahogany and the chairs were high-backed, their upholstery stitched with shining brown, maroon, and golden thread. Every person who ate in the dining hall felt like a king or a queen.

  The enchanted sky in the dome changed depending on the time of day and the weather outside. On rainy days it would show a sunny day inside, running the rain late at night to let the students enjoy a relaxing evening. It rarely ever stormed from the ceiling, which kept the mood light and upbeat regardless of what was going on in the outside world. Everything in the dining hall was elegant and rich, right down to the appearing and disappearing dishes on the tables.

  Izzie couldn’t ever remember seeing anything like this mansion before. Even though her mind was always fuzzy, she did have bits and pieces of memories from the orphanage. That place, from what she could remember, was dank and dirty, its funds low but its expectations high. She didn’t fully understand why she didn’t have more memories of her childhood, but she figured they probably wouldn’t have mattered anyway.

  “You guys went off without us.” Kathleen pulled out her chair and a plate full of fruit appeared before her.

  “Yeah, we were hungry and ready, so we bolted over here.” Alison took another bite of pancakes and Kathleen looked at her banana and then back at Alison’s pancakes, then changed her order mid-meal.

  As the crowds began to pour into the dining hall, the normal excited chatter filled the air. Izzie smiled to herself, then sighed. She had really enjoyed the quiet time, but she was glad to know she had friends on her side. It was the last thing she had expected when she had woken up at the school, and to know that she was creating a family for herself made her feel really positive about her future. She was living in a beautiful mansion, had people around her who never hounded her for her secrets, and was learning magic for the first time. Still, somewhere in the pit of her stomach was something unsaid; something missing that churned and scraped to get out. She didn’t know what it was, but eventually she would have to give in.

  As if the headmistress could read her mind, she walked over and put her hand on Izzie’s shoulder. Izzie looked up at her, wondering what she had come over there for. Kathleen swallowed a bite of her pancakes, rolling her eyes in pleasure before she noticed Ms. Berens standing there staring at her.

  “Oh. Sorry.” Kathleen covered her full mouth and giggled.

  “Carbs are good for you sometimes.” The headmistress smiled. “How are you girls this morning?”

  They all nodded. Izzie looked up and smiled. She wanted to ask questions about the orphanage, but she didn’t want the other girls to know. She would just have to wait, and hopefully the blanks would start to fill in.

  Elias Hodges stood in his perfectly-fitted tailor-made suit and white button-up shirt, writing on the chalkboard. His hair was dark brown and slicked back, his beard perfectly tri
mmed and maintained, and his eyes were chestnut with hints of gold. The girls thought he was dreamy and the guys got the creeps, seeing the wolf that hid under the surface.

  Elias taught the Transfiguration class, and that day’s lesson was about shifters. This was a subject Elias knew more about than he was willing to teach the students. He himself was a shifter, coming from a long line of wolves. His great-grandfather had been an Alpha. Elias didn’t want to lead a pack. He wanted to teach others about the shifters, and he hoped that one day they could all live in harmony with one another. He was pragmatic, though. He knew that it took a lot more than classroom chat to make the students trust him.

  “All right, guys, so today we are going to tackle the taboo and have an uncomfortable conversation about shifters. Shifters are interesting creatures. I know, because I am one. Some shifters are first-generation, meaning they were changed by dark magic. Others come from a long line of shifters, some even dating back to the first ones to set foot on Earth from Oriceran. Who here can tell me something about shifters?” Elias looked around the room at the one or two hands up. “Yes, Peter?”

  “Shifters don’t need a full moon to change like the human legends tell us.”

  “Very good. And that is true, we can change at any time, but most of us stick to dark nights so we don’t cause a panic. Anyone else? Yes, Kathleen?”

  “Shifters are extremely loyal creatures. They not only bond with their pack like a family, they will be there for those they care about no matter what.”

  “Yes, another great example. Shifters don’t think of family the same way humans do. To shifters, a brother or sister may be someone they have never met until they get together with their pack. As far as helping others, we bond with people and vow to keep those people safe from harm, no matter what. Right, Luke?”

  Several people shifted in their seats, glancing at Luke then back at the professor. Luke sank down in his chair, slightly uncomfortable with getting called out even if it was by another shifter. He had enough problems finding his place here, the last thing he needed was for people to think he and the teacher had some sort of strange bond. He just wanted to play sports and go on to college.

  A few of the kids snickered and made fun of shifters, acting as if no one were paying attention. Ethan hated fake people like that. In his mind you either accepted or you let your fear turn you into an asshat, and that was what was happening to those kids. He pulled his wand out, swishing it underneath the table and sending jolts of lightning up their legs and into their stomach. The kids began to cough, rubbing their legs and moving up to their stomachs. They looked at Ethan angrily, but he didn’t care. He was tired of assholes, and tired of magical creatures always being at war.

  When the class was over Ethan headed out and the three boys he had jolted stopped him in the courtyard. The largest one and speaker for the group raised his dark hood over his head and pulled out his wand, poking Ethan in the chest with it.

  “You think you are so smooth and cool, but you didn’t think about the repercussions. You can be a wolf-lover all you want, but they don’t belong with us.”

  “That’s unfortunate.”

  The kid growled and lifted his wand as black sparks shot from the end. Before he could release the magic Aya and Alison ran out to the courtyard. Alison started to pull energy while Aya lifted her wand and shot a small fireball, which knocked the boy to the side. He hit the ground hard and his wand bounced across the grass. She was pissed, and no longer able to sit back and watch as bullies picked on kids over and over again. Ethan and Alison glanced at each other and then looked at Aya in surprise.

  “I’m not always a wimp.”

  Alison could feel her energy trying to get out, but after the stunt in class a week before she had made it a point to stay back from any kind of magic. Her mother had taught her some pretty badass fight moves though, and she was ready to take on the three fools in front of them. Alison ran forward with her fists up, then swept her leg and knocked one of the boys off his feet. She leaned over him and stared, blinking her eyes.

  “You stay away from the shifters, get it? Otherwise, you will answer to me.”

  The boy nodded wildly as Alison stood up and backed away. The leader helped the boy up, and he spat blood onto the ground and growled. He nodded, turning the boys away and pushed them back into the school. Aya lowered her wand and Alison walked over.

  “That was pretty sweet there.”

  Aya blushed and smiled. “Thanks. I hate bullies.”

  “Me too, girl. Me too.”

  They both slapped Ethan on the shoulder and walked back into the school. Ethan stood there for a second, unsure whether to be flattered, thankful, or pissed that someone else had fought his fight. In the end, though, he was just happy a point had been made.

  14

  “Did you see that guy’s face?” Aya giggled quietly. “I think he might have shit himself.”

  “What happened?” Izzie leaned in, interested.

  “Oh, nothing, just Aya kicking some magical ass.” Alison laughed, although they were trying to stay quiet as they waited for their next teacher.

  “And you kicking some literal tail.” Aya put up her fists.

  “Sorry I missed that!” Izzie chuckled, knowing there was probably nothing she could have done to help. No shoestrings to tie.

  The bell rang to signal the beginning of class and everyone got quiet, looking around the room and wondering where the teacher was. The classroom was huge and there were large maps hung haphazardly all over the walls. Artifacts sat in big glass cases. Some moved and twitched behind their magical shields, while others looked completely innocuous. The whole place was a bit of a mess.

  Which made Miss Grant’s late entrance not all that unusual.

  The doors slammed open and a woman with long brown hair, dress pants, flats, a white t-shirt, and a thick cardigan came tumbling through the doors. Papers slipped from the stack she was carrying and Peter jumped up, picked them up from the ground, and set them back on the stack in her arms. She sighed and nodded at Peter, taking off down the rows of chairs and setting the stack down on the desk at the front. She put her hand on top of the stack and looked up at the ceiling for a moment, mumbling something to herself. Alison could see the wild energy around her. She was a scatterbrained witch, and seemed to have a million emotions and thoughts whizzing around her.

  Finally she looked back down, grabbed her wand, and swished it. A cabinet to the right, which was filled to the brim with textbooks, opened. Miss Grant looked down at the sheet of paper in front of her and slid her finger down the names.

  “Peter and Ethan,” she called. “Pass out textbooks, please. Kathleen, take these packets and pass them out. Thank you.”

  Kathleen shined, loving being called on for anything that let her display herself. She walked to the front of the class and took the pile of papers before following behind the boys. Everyone got a textbook and a packet, which looked more like a hodgepodge than school information.

  “The words in my textbook are changing.” One of the students held the book in the air.

  “Yes. This is your Hidden Earth class, and since the revelation of magic to the humans there have been constant changes to the rules and regulations sections. Just ignore it. We will fight through that section together when we get there. For now, focus on the history. No one can change that, not even us.”

  Miss Grant walked up and down the aisles as she waited for all the textbooks to be delivered. As she walked past Alison she tapped her book nonchalantly with her wand, giving her a wink. The book came to life in Alison’s eyes, the spells working together to form text on the pages. It seemed all the teachers were on the same page when it came to her inability to see the world normally.

  “Why do the teachers keep tapping your textbooks?” Emma whispered.

  Alison shrugged, playing it off, but Izzie could tell there was more to it than she was saying. She didn’t press the issue though, seeing as how she had her own
suitcase full of secrets and lies. When everyone had a textbook Miss Grant took in a deep breath and slowly let it out, then headed back to the front. She swirled her wand on the chalkboard, scribbling her name almost illegibly.

  “I am Miss Annabelle Grant, and I am a witch and your Hidden Earth instructor. In this class we will discuss the kemanas—the underground worlds—and the railway system—the magical one. Some of you are very familiar with these things and others not so much, so let’s be patient with each other and really delve in. The final will be based on what is going on at that time, so learn the basics of hidden earth and memorize it, but don’t let any one event stick too tightly in your mind.”

  Aya leaned toward Alison to grumble, “Great a class, where you aren’t sure what you are supposed to learn.”

  Alison smiled and glanced at Izzie, who was completely enthralled by her text. She had forgotten that not everyone had been through magic like she had. Some of them were almost brand-new to the idea. The wonder they must be feeling, learning all about this magical world that no one had ever told them about; to realize all your childhood stories were true in some way or another. Alison was almost jealous of them and somewhere in the back of her mind she wished she could start over and feel that excitement and wonder again. To feel the mystical energy that surrounded the world of magic without it being tainted by darkness and death.

  “We will start with kemanas.” Miss Grant swished her wand and an orb of light glided over the students and hung in the center of the room, pulsing. A magical trail drew in the school above it. “A kemana is a power source, something that holds a massive amount of energy and slowly leaks it out on Earth. Usually it is some sort of stone or rock, but there have been times where a strong-enough magical being has put it in an artifact. Now, these kemanas are our recharging stations, if you will. Our magic wanes here on Earth and there are only three ways to renew that energy: artifacts, kemanas, or a trip to Oriceran.”