by John Corwin
"He what?" Max shouted. "I'm going to beat the—"
"Maxwell Tiberius, you will not get into a fight," Ambria said. "Somehow we need to get your real test."
"That explains why he was following me so close when I went to turn in my test," Max said. "I heard him laughing when I left the room."
"Professor Grace didn't see him?" Ambria asked.
Max shook his head. "He was busy handing out tests to other students." A hiss escaped his clenched teeth. "I hate Baxter."
"Do you think he threw away the real test somewhere?" I asked Blue.
She quirked her lips. "Well, I didn't see him showing off anything to the others, so I'd bet he did."
"Oh no." Max's eyes widened. "We have to find the right rubbish bin before the golems empty it."
"Let's start at the classroom and look around," I said.
We dashed inside and found the first rubbish bin next to the examination room. I lifted off the lid and dug through the crumpled papers inside. We sorted through candy wrappers, soda bottles, and other odds and ends, but found no test papers inside.
Ambria looked up and down the hall. "Baxter probably went to eat next like the rest of us."
Max sighed. "Let's go."
The dining hall had two bins outside the door and none inside.
"I hope he didn't leave it on his dinner plate," Max said. "If he did, it's probably gone for good."
Blue sniffed around the containers. "I got Baxter's scent when I was close to him. I don't smell him on these containers."
"How can you tell his smell from the rest?" I said. "Dozens of students have been through here."
"He uses soap that smells like lilacs," she said.
Ambria wrinkled her nose. "Are you certain you didn't smell that on a girl? Boys don't use lilac-scented soap."
Blue nodded. "It's more than just the lavender smell I sense, but it's hard to explain to someone with an ordinary nose."
The other girl sniffed. "Well, I think my nose is just fine."
I heard rustling behind me and saw Max digging through one of the bins. "Nothing but bottles and this." He held up a crude doll with pins protruding from it. "An old voodoo doll."
"What an awful thing," Ambria said. She took it and examined it. "Do these actually work?"
Max nodded. "Sure, if you know what you're doing." His lips curled up. "I'd sure like to make a voodoo doll of Baxter and stick him with needles." He removed one from the doll and jammed in its backside. "How'd you like that, Baxter?"
I peered into the other rubbish container. "This one is almost empty." I shook my head. "No test."
"Told you," Blue said with a smirk. She lifted her nose and sniffed. "He went this way."
We followed our lycan friend down the hallway and through several turns before stopping near an arched doorway.
"This is where I found him before we went through our final test," Ambria said. "When he saw me, he gave me an awfully guilty look."
"Were you with him the rest of the time?" I asked.
She shook her head. "No, I gave him a dirty look and went into this door and up some stairs. A few minutes later I walked out of a door in another hallway and he came out of a room across from me."
"Odd," I said. "It's almost like the building made sure you two ended up taking the last test together."
"Kind of like you and Harris?" Ambria said.
I looked at our surroundings with increased suspicion. "What if this building is alive?"
Blue laughed, but Max nodded seriously. "I've heard some haunted houses are alive."
Ambria tentatively patted a wall. "Nice university."
I snorted. "Making friends?"
She sniffed. "Well, it certainly doesn't hurt. I don't want this building forcing me to see Baxter all the time."
Blue's nose twitched. She stalked down the hall to another arched doorway and peered inside. "There's a bin in here." She lifted the lid and poked around for a moment. "Aha!" She lifted a crumpled test with Max's name on it.
"My test!" Max took it and smoothed it out against the wall. His smile faded. "What if Professor Grace doesn't accept it?"
"He'll have to," I said. "Blue can be our witness."
Ambria clenched her fists. "That no-good little rat. Maybe we can get him expelled."
Max rolled up the test. "I'll just be happy to get a passing grade."
We returned to the main hall and found Gideon Grace still handing out envelopes. He looked down his nose at Max. "What are you doing here, boy? You failed."
Max held up his test. "No, I didn't. Baxter took an extra test and filled it out with wrong answers, then replaced mine with it."
Gideon snorted. "A likely story."
"We can prove it," I said. "Show us the failing test and compare it with Max's handwriting."
"Baxter Troy is a good lad, unlike Maxwell Tiberius," Grace said. "He would never do such a lowly thing."
"Then let us prove it," I said.
"Who do you think you are, talking to a professor that way?" Grace looked down his nose at me. "Despite your high mark, I could have you expelled before classes even begin."
"What's going on here?" Professor Trask stepped beside Grace. Her eyes flared when she saw me. "Ah, Mr. Edwards. Congratulations on your high mark. Quite an achievement, indeed."
"Young Tiberius claims another student switched his test with a fake," Grace scoffed.
"It's true, Professor Trask." Max held up his test. "Baxter Troy replaced this one with a fake and threw the real one away."
"A serious accusation," Trask said. She took Max's test and looked it over. "Come with me."
"This boy is desperate," Grace said. "The Tiberius family is well known for lying and scheming to get what they want."
"Yes, well, a simple handwriting examination should clear this right up," Trask said. She headed down the hallway.
Max hurried after her, and we followed. The professor took us inside an office with a wide oak desk. She sorted through a stack of tests on her desk and reached one with Max's name sloppily scrawled across the top. She laid Max's original test and the fake side-by-side then handed Max a quill.
"Write your name, please," she said and handed him a sheet of parchment.
Max obliged. His handwriting looked nothing like Baxter's forged version.
Professor Trask studied the two, then said, "Copy the answer to the first question."
Once again, my friend did as instructed.
The professor made a thoughtful sound. "Wait outside, please."
We stepped into the hallway.
"Do you think she believed me?" Max whispered.
Ambria nodded. "I hope you passed the test, Max, or I'm going to be vexed with you."
He held up his hands. "I'm sure I did."
Blue snickered. "It would be kind of funny if he failed again."
Max's eyes hardened. "No, it wouldn't."
"Maxwell, come inside," the professor commanded.
He gulped and stepped into the office. I peered around the corner as the professor studied a separate sheet of parchment. She looked up and stared at Max. "I've taught your brothers and your sisters, Mr. Tiberius. I certainly hope you're nothing like them."
He shook his head. "No, Professor. I don't like them much."
Professor Trask raised an eyebrow, then wrote something on a card and stuffed it into an envelope. Max watched as she sealed the envelope with wax and stamped it, then blew on it. She stood and handed him the envelope. "Good day, Maxwell."
Max stepped outside the door, holding the envelope in trembling hands.
"Well, are you going to open it?" Ambria said impatiently.
"I can't bear to look." He held it out to her. "You open it."
Ambria sighed and took the envelope. Blue snickered and watched with bright eyes. Max and I held our breaths as Ambria broke the seal and looked at the card inside. She frowned and gave Max a disappointed look. "How could you?"
Max's shoulders slumped. "I
failed?" he asked in a miserable voice.
Ambria snorted and grinned then flipped the card toward us. Passed.
"I'm going to kill you, Ambria!" Instead of attacking, Max burst into laughter and jumped up and down. "I did it! I passed!"
"Quiet yourselves, children, and clear the hall," Professor Trask said in a stern voice.
Giggling, we dashed away and back to the front entrance.
"Do you think she'll take action against Baxter?" I asked.
Max stopped laughing and shook his head. "I doubt it."
"Just be glad you're in," Ambria said. "I'm sure Baxter will get what he deserves eventually."
"When do classes start?" I asked.
Ambria pointed to a large schedule posted on the wall. "We start in two weeks." She ran a finger down the calendar. "We have to come back tomorrow to get our school uniforms."
"Um, there's one thing I didn't think of," I said.
The others looked at me.
I felt a little dumb asking at this point, but I hadn't given it much thought. "How much does it cost to go to school here?"
Max laughed. "It's free."
Blue hugged me. "You're so cute when you're confused, Conrad."
Ambria gave her a sharp look. "Did you pass your entrance exam, Blue?"
"Of course I did." The lycan girl smirked. "It was easy."
"Well," Max said, "I don't know about you guys, but I'm hungry."
"I was invited to eat with another pack," Blue gave me a sad look. "I'll see you all later."
"Why do you look sad?" I asked. "Isn't the invitation a good thing?"
"Oh, yes," she said. "But it would be nice eating with you."
I shrugged. "I'm sure we'll have plenty of chances."
She leaned uncomfortably close and nudged my nose with hers, then giggled and sprinted away.
"She's a bit odd," Max said after she was gone. "I guess being alone without a pack must make a lycan mental."
"I suppose." I touched my nose and wondered if her nudge was a lycan thing, kind of like dogs sniffing each other's bums.
Ambria took my arm. "Let's go get some food so we don't have to listen to Max's belly grumble."
We retrieved our brooms and flew back into town. I felt light and happy. I was going to university!
The power will soon be yours, Vic declared.
His words darkened my mood and my thoughts turned to my parents' mysterious plot. School might not be a pleasant place if they succeeded in their quest.
Chapter 10
We went to the university the next day for the school uniform fitting and joined a long line wending around the corner of the hall. When I finally reached the room at the end, a woman with droopy eyes and a tired expression flicked her wand at me. I felt something invisible tighten around my waist, arms, and legs.
A moment later, she reached behind her and handed me a ribbon-wrapped parcel. "Good day," she said in a bored voice and turned her attention to Ambria behind me.
I stepped into the crowded hallway and waited for my friends.
Blue strolled up to me. "How does the uniform look?"
I shrugged. "I haven't looked at it yet. Don't you have to get one?"
She shook her head. "We don't need them for shifter studies." She glanced back at the fitting room. "What are you doing after this?"
"We hadn't really planned anything," I said.
Blue clapped her hands together. "Good. I'd like to show you something."
My curiosity tingled. "Oh? What's that?"
"It's a secret."
"The others should be out in a minute and we can go."
She shook her head. "This is just for you to see."
I couldn't imagine what it was, but I wanted to find out. "Okay. I'll tell Ambria."
"Tell me what?" Ambria said, emerging from the fitting room with her parcel.
"I'm going to borrow Conrad for a little while," Blue said and took my hand. "We'll be back." She pulled me away, leaving Ambria with a concerned look on her face.
"I'll meet you soon," I said as I lost her face in the crowd.
"I hope you like this," Blue said. She let go of my hand and skipped down the hallway and out of the back door.
I followed her down the paths leading through the Unicorn Garden and onto to a grassy field. Beyond, the Dark Forest spread into the distance. I slowed. "Where are we going?"
She walked behind a hedge. "Right here."
I couldn't imagine what hidden secrets lay on the other side of the hedge and hesitantly walked around it. Blue sat on a blanket with sandwiches and fruit spread out before her.
She grinned. "Surprise!"
I blinked. "This is the secret?"
Blue nodded. "I made a picnic for you."
"Oh."
Her bright eyes dimmed a little. "You don't like it?"
Where are my manners? "Yes, it's thoughtful, Blue." I sat cross-legged on the opposite side of the blanket and forced a smile. "Thank you for lunch."
The light returned to her eyes. "You're welcome, Conrad." She picked up a sandwich and handed it to me. "I hope you like ham."
"Yes, of course." I unwrapped the paper and took a bite. It tasted as pleasant as any ham sandwich I'd eaten. "It's tasty."
Blue giggled. "I hoped you'd like it." She took a sandwich and devoured it. "Roast beef is my favorite, but we only had ham at the house."
"I enjoy roast beef as well." I wasn't really sure what to talk about, so I moved to what I hoped was a safe topic. "How did your supper go with the other lycans?"
"It was great." Blue nibbled on another sandwich. "One boy is the son of the alpha, so he's real bossy." She shrugged. "I don't like him all that much, but the others are nice."
I imagined the expectations on the son of a pack leader could be stressful. "How do you become part of another pack?"
"If they like me, the alpha would officially adopt me." She seemed to forget the sandwich in her hand and stared into the distance. "But if Castor, the alpha of my old pack challenges the adoption, the other alpha might have to fight him to set me free."
I grimaced. "A fight to the death?"
Blue flinched, as if reliving an unpleasant memory. "Sometimes. The Overworld Conclave doesn't like that sort of thing, but can't outlaw it."
I'd read enough about the conclave to know the different factions had their own rules for internal conflicts. "Do you have to tell them Castor was your former pack leader?"
Her forehead creased. "If I lied, the alpha would find out and probably not adopt me."
"I certainly hope Castor doesn't challenge the adoption."
Blue's lips pressed tight. "A part of me hopes he does and the new alpha kills him." She remained silent for a long moment then flashed a grin. "Enough about that." She leaned forward. "I like spending time with you, Conrad."
I fumbled for the right response as my face grew warm. "I like seeing you as well, Blue."
Lithe as a cat, she hopped over the food and knelt next to me. "How much do you like seeing me?"
My throat tightened. "Um, a lot, I guess?" I couldn't help but notice how intently her lively eyes gazed at me, as if I were a rabbit hunted by a wolf. I didn't know if I should remain still, or get up and run.
Blue pecked a kiss on my nose and giggled.
Evadora leapt from behind the hedge, threw her arms in the air and declared, "Play time!"
Blue yelped, leapt straight up, and spun in one fluid motion. Teeth bared, she crouched and stared down the other girl. "Who are you?"
I stood and positioned myself between them. "Blue, I'd like you to meet Evadora."
"Play time," the odd girl whispered. "Time to play." She ran in place, toes plucking blades of grass.
"What do you want to play?" I asked.
"Tear maker." Evadora produced her glass bottle and tapped it with a sharp fingernail. "It is empty. I heard the voices of the little ones here. They make lots of tears."
Blue wrapped her arm around mine. "Is she mental
?"
"No, silly." Evadora reached out a finger and touched Blue's hand. A warm peach hue flowed up her silvery skin, making her look less alien, though her large eyes and pointed ears would still attract attention. A sense of familiarity tingled in the back of my mind as looked at the girl. Have I seen her somewhere before? Something about her face reminded me of someone.
Blue stared wide-eyed at the transformation and belatedly jerked her hand away. "What are you?"
"I am what I am," Evadora sang. "What I am, I am."
"What's this about tears?" I asked.
Instead of answering, she skipped toward the school. I chased her around the hedge and grabbed her arm before she could go further. "Evadora, I saw people going into the rift after you. Did they enter your land?"
Her eyes fixed on my hand then slowly drifted up to my face. "The people came, but they don't know what to do."
"What are they supposed to do?" Blue asked.
"They don't know, they don't know," Evadora sang. She pirouetted out of my grasp and continued toward the hedge sculpted in the shape of a rearing unicorn. The laughter of little children echoed from within the hedgerow. A delighted smile flashed across Evadora's face. She ducked around the corner.
Blue and I ran after her.
Two little boys chased each other around the unicorn while their parents sat on nearby benches and talked.
"Ron, slow down," his presumed father shouted.
"No!" the boy yelled back.
"Oh, let him be, Harry," the mother said.
"Boys do love to run," said the other father.
The first father scowled. "The shouting gives me a bleeding headache."
Evadora watched the kids intently. "Round and round they go. Where they stop"—she thumped her other hand with a finger and the first boy tripped, plowing headfirst into a thorny rosebush—"only I know."
Cries and screams of pain rose from within the bush. Evadora raced over, bottle at the ready, before the startled parents could react. She dragged the boy from the bush and held the bottle to his cheek. The harvested tears sent a bright red glow into the bottle.
"What happened?" the mother asked. She saw the bleeding wounds on the boy's face and burst into tears.
"He fell," Evadora said.
"I knew it!" the boy's father said. "It's all fun and games until someone falls into a rosebush."
