by Luna Pierce
“We’re going to have to go back to the basics with you, Willow, so your supernatural classes will more than likely be one-on-one for the time being, and because of the sensitivity overload, they’ll be slow until you can build a tolerance. I’m not sure how much you’ve heard, but those classes take place in the shadow realm.” He pauses, almost like he’s waiting for me to confirm.
“They didn’t explain much, just that it exists. I can see it.”
“That’s great actually. Usually it takes several tries to properly visualize the realm. You have a natural inclination to it which should make accessing it easier on you.” He then looks to Abigail. “Go ahead and note astral abilities, too, we can confirm or decline that in the future.”
“Got it,” she verifies.
Walker focuses back on me. “Now, the shadow realm’s time passes a bit differently than ours. What is a few minutes in our world, is much longer there, therefore, you’ll be able to spend more time during shadow lessons and not be missing from this world for too long. It’s one of the perks that help the supernaturals blend in with the human faction.”
With each word, my energy stifles, the new knowledge like a pull to my core, settling itself deeply within. I reposition in my seat to allow it to support me a bit more in my attempt to listen fully.
“I see this is already beginning to drain your resources, which is not at all unexpected. That will conclude our discussion for today, but before you go, you’ll have to sign the oath if you wish to remain.”
The oath? That’s the thing Sydney had mentioned, right?
I furrow my brows and tilt my head. “Oath?”
“Yes, of course we don’t want the human faction to find out about our existence among them, so the supernatural students must sign an oath to keep their secret from the humans. You will not be permitted to discuss your abilities with human students.”
“How will I know who I can or cannot talk to?” I ask, the secret I only just found out about feeling heavier and heavier by the minute.
“With time, you’ll realize who you can and cannot discuss such matters with. If you were to dorm in the west wing with the other supernatural girls, you’d get familiar quicker.” He hesitates. “I would provide you with the full list but I’m afraid that sudden burst of knowledge would threaten your system.”
Because there seems to be no other option, I do what I’m instructed and sign the oath to not share my secret, and the one hidden within Harper Academy.
Harper Shadow Academy.
Chapter Sixteen
I’m not really sure what to expect when I leave the headmaster’s office, but being basically freed and left to go on my own merry way was not what I had imagined. I was sworn to secrecy, so I guess they weren’t really worried I’d do anything drastic, and given I have no idea how to use my magic, I’m not a threat.
I was told to report to first period on Monday ten minutes early, and at that point, I’ll be instructed with what to do next. In the meantime, I was encouraged to go about my normal life, or whatever shred of normalcy I could find. My first stop, the dining hall, to scrounge for food. Perhaps that is the cause of my depleted energy levels—the fact that I haven’t eaten all day, and here it is, dinnertime.
I enter the large opening and a boisterous Remi waves me over.
“Where have you been? Did you find what you were looking for?” she asks.
I steal a fry off her plate. “Yes, and much more.” A hidden string tugs at my insides, like a sudden reminder to keep my mouth shut about what I’ve been up to. “Be right back.” I head toward the food selections, grabbing way more than I’m capable of eating. Who cares, though, I’m starving.
Kyra wide-eyes my tray, scanning the massive sandwich, steaming fries, cup of mixed fruit, brownie, and large glass of tea. “When was the last time you ate, girl?”
“Too damn long ago,” I reply, taking a bite of the BLT.
“Are you still wearing your PJs?” Lillian asks.
“Mmhmm,” I mumble with a mouth full.
“Well, you need to get showered and changed, like ASAP, because we’re going out,” Remi commands.
I wipe my mouth, not wanting to pause between bites but wanting to ask, “Out?”
“Yeah, another party. Last night was perfect. We’re all ready for round two, including Little Miss Lily.”
I’ve been gone too long, they’ve corrupted Lillian.
“Again?” I say, napkin covering my sandwich-crammed face.
“Yes, get with the program, Willow,” Remi teases.
After I’ve stuffed my belly, taken an extra-long and relaxing shower, I sit on my bed, covered in a towel, hair dripping wet, while I wait for the girls to torture me with yet another dress-up party.
“Nothing fancy,” I remind them. “And something comfortable, please.”
“You really need to get rid of that whole comfort mentality.” Kyra laughs.
“You really need to get rid of that whole thinking Willow cares what she wears mentality.” I secretly loved my makeover last night but, I’d rather only do it on occasion; I still want people to be able to recognize me outside of going to parties.
The girls settle on another tight tank, this time a deep shade of purple, and dark skinny jeans. Ultimately, if it’s not an oversized tee, and it’s showing some cleavage, it gets the girls’ stamp of approval.
“It’s all about the curves, Willow… you were blessed with those. Don’t be afraid to show them off.” Kyra motions an outline of a voluptuous body with her hands.
I roll my eyes and finish brushing out my hair. I’m going with a semi-natural look tonight—that’s what Kyra told me, at least. A little bit of body and bounce. Whatever, as long as it doesn’t involve me sitting under her while she curls my hair for an hour.
“I still can’t believe this is natural. Even the shine is flawless. You have like metallic silver hair, girl.” Remi wraps a strand of my hair around her finger, toying with it and then releasing it to fall in line with the rest.
I take a deep breath. I’m a bit apprehensive about going to yet another party, especially considering all that I found out today. My mind is still reeling over all the knowns and unknowns. But this is exactly what they advised me to do, continue on with normal life. And parties look like they might be part of my new normal.
Sydney will be, too.
But what about the rest of the guys?
Cameron, Deghan, and Silas.
The thought of Silas brings me back to all the things I didn’t say today. Our encounter in the woods. His depth and despair… his pain that spills out like an overflowing bucket of water. Sydney told me to stay away from him, that Silas is dangerous. There’s a portion of me that believes that, that Silas is dangerous. But aren’t we all dangerous in a way? I’m a freakin’ witch, for crying out loud. I have no idea the extent to my powers. What if I turn out to be the worst of us all?
Then there’s Deghan, who was clearly hiding something last night. But again, I’m hiding something, too. Maybe what he’s hiding isn’t so bad at all? And there’s the possibility that he could be like me, too. The realization hits that I won’t see him tonight because of the thing he has planned. Whatever it may be, I hope I get to see him prior to classes on Monday.
Cameron will more than likely be in attendance tonight, which does wonders for my mood. He’s so bright and cheerful, and his mere existence is wonderfully contagious. He did mention something about stories involving the woods under a full moon, which now that I know supernatural stuff is a real thing, I should really try to pry and see what I can get him to tell me before he drinks too much. That will be my goal for the night, have fun and dig for some dirt.
“Are you readyyyy?” Remi calls through our dorm, the high vaulted ceilings dragging her voice within its depths.
We step into the hallway and Allie and Paige pause to glare at us, then enter their room. I really don’t understand their strange hatred toward us, you would think that kind of pe
tty behavior would end in high school. Must not be true for those two.
Two by two, we lock arms and head downstairs. Lillian and me, Remi and Kyra. The invisible bonds attract us together in pairs like this. Once we’re in the main foyer, Cameron and a few of his friends join us. Ethan included—Lillian’s crush.
I note the blush that crosses her cheeks when he waves to her shyly.
Cameron nudges my shoulder, and I smile up at him.
“Hey, you,” he says.
“Long time no see,” I answer.
Our rapidly growing group stalks through the dining room, chatting with one another and gaining more people on the journey to the clearing in the woods. Once there, everyone settles into their respective places around the fire that took the guys five minutes to get started. A few people haul in coolers, no keg this time, probably because of the lesser number of people who showed up tonight versus last night. This party is much more low-key than the previous one.
I grab two bottles of water, hand one to Lills, and open one for myself. I rip a slit into the label so I don’t confuse the two. We appear to be the only ones drinking water, though, so it shouldn’t be too much of a challenge to keep them straight. Music blares from someone’s wireless speaker, and most of the horde moves to the beat.
Remi takes hold of Kyra, who in turn grabs Lillian, who latches on to me and drags us to the dance area. I pout for a tiny second and then let the beat flow through my body, losing myself to the music. A song or two or three passes—I can’t really tell how many—and I’m dying of thirst, so I leave the girls and take a long healthy swig of my water. It’s cool and refreshing and goes down smooth. I gulp too quickly, and water manages to go down the wrong pipe, coughs sputtering out to clear my airway. I rebound and catch my breath, hoping that no one saw me choke on my own water. The coast is clear, so I wiggle my way back between the girls and dance my little heart out.
Another song plays, and my head gets a bit dizzy, a mental fog settling weirdly over me. I move from the group again, getting away from the haze of the fire and loudness of the music. I need a breath of cleaner air, not the sweaty, smoky, cigarette-filled area that is the party, but that of the forest around me. I take a few steps into the bushes, blinking to clear the fuzziness. I even rub them, thinking some strange film is covering my line of sight.
My feet move a bit farther; I’m desperate to rid my ears of the sound of the blasting music. If I can simply clear my senses, I’ll feel right. Just a little farther. But the rightness doesn’t come, and the only thing I find is a growing distance between me and the party. Acid coats my mouth, and the buzzing in my head becomes heavy like a swarm of bees.
What the fuck is happening? What’s wrong with me?
Something flashes across my vision. Maybe it’s an animal in the distance. It happens again, this time a bit closer. Fear laces its way through every cell in my body, but I find myself unable to access the whole fight-or-flight thing, noting my feet as they stay planted to the ground. I should retreat, get the hell away from here, but my brain can’t seem to get the rest of my body to move.
A snarl comes next. A howling in the distance. A flutter of leaves, crunching, crumbling, being swept back and forth with every trip the blur takes to and from. It’s trying to disorient me, and it’s working. I’ve never felt more similar to prey being stalked by a predator in my life. Why can’t I move?
My knees buckle, and my body fails, settling me into a heap of a woman on the ground. A pathetic waste of a human—err, witch. Where’re my witchy abilities when I need them most? I close my eyes and will the powers to come to life like I have in the past, but when I peek through my lids, I’m left defenseless and alone. I’m supposed to be some powerful witch, but all I am in this moment is a weak, magicless being.
I scoot myself to a tree, inches from where I fell, and curl into a ball, because that is the only thing my brain and body seem to know how to do.
Low, inhumane snarling edges closer, accompanied by footsteps… more than I can make out in this feeble state.
I open my eyes, my heartbeat quadrupling when my gaze meets a large creature—lips curled over bared teeth, four gigantic paws attached to dark-brown, thick, muscular appendages. Its golden eyes melting into mine. It’s resembles a dog… but much greater in size, not cute at all but massively terrifying. The size of a wolf. Then it dawns on me, the stories of the full moon. This isn’t a wild dog, it’s a fucking werewolf.
The wolf creeps toward me, stalking slowly like I might have a chance to get away, like it’s testing to see if I’ll run, and maybe that’s what it wants me to do, so it can have the thrill of chasing after its dinner. But I don’t move, I can’t, my body won’t let me. Something holds its power over me, and even though I fight it, I find myself crippled. The beast pauses, its ears perking up like it’s listening intently, and I think for a second that I might actually make it out of this alive.
I take in a breath, and the creature pulls its attention back onto me. It takes one more pursuing step forward, and out of nowhere, another similar being crashes into it and sends it flying into a surrounding tree. The newest addition turns toward me, and I realize this is it, he’s about to consume me whole, but I’m met with these pleadingly familiar eyes—gold and honey mixed with chocolate brown. Instead of snarling, like I expect, this wolf offers me no exposed fangs, but a whip of the head, like a get out of here type nod. But I can’t move, I’m paralyzed.
He nudges his head two more times, his gray-and-brown pelt waving wildly. Panic courses through me as the other wolf regains his composure, getting back on all furry fours, and coming back toward us. I desperately want to take the opportunity the new wolf gave me, but I have no strength left in me to move.
The wolf’s eyes betray a kind of sadness, huffing and shuffling between me and the other wolf, preparing himself to fight his kind to protect me.
Chapter Seventeen
Like a coward, I close my eyes in anticipation of what is to come.
A loud crash, another thud… tree bark crumbling and limbs snapping. A fierce growl met with an opposing roar. Then hands. Hands that are cold and warm all at the same time. A deep comfort settles over me, despite me knowing damn well I might be seeing my end.
“Willow…” His voice is pure and kind and nothing like the serious and intimidating one from last night. “Willow, please, please wake up.”
I squint into the night, vision blurring and making everything so damn difficult to see clearly. A shape is beside me with calming hands and a soothing voice.
Hands wrap around my torso, lifting me, lifting me, lifting me.
The person winces at my touch, and a stabbing sadness fills me. I don’t want to hurt you, sweet person.
I settle my head into a nook under the person’s chin. I breathe deeply, one of the remaining functions I can control, and savor the fresh scent with a hint of gasoline. What a strange combination.
“Deghan, get that out-of-control mutt out of here,” he commands loudly.
He repositions my frail body in his arms and he moves—walks away from the death match between the wolves and away from the party, and it seems like only seconds go by and I notice the buzzing energy of the school.
I blink my eyes open for a moment, confirming my thought, letting them fall back shut. A few steps later, the energy shifts, and when I look again, we’re upstairs, walking through the threshold of the north wing. The boys’ dorms. A new terror rolls in this time, and I’m unsure of his intentions. Maybe his façade led me to believe he was saving me from my definite death, but he has something else in mind.
A loud thud, like a knock on a door. The creak of the door opening, then being pulled rapidly open.
“What the hell did you do, you vile being?” Animosity rules the space.
“Can you help her or not?” my possible savior pleads.
“Yes, of course. Bring her in. What happened?” He urges, “Set her here.” He shoves something aside.
M
y body is placed on top of a warm blanket, and someone wipes a wisp of my hair out of my face.
“I… I found her like this in the forest. In the wolf’s territory.”
A gasp.
“Deghan and one of his mutt friends we’re tearing each other apart. I think he attacked Willow, and Deghan was trying to protect her.”
“In wolf form?” His tone is surprised.
“Yes.”
“That’s impressive.” He turns in my direction. “Hey, Willow, can you open your eyes?” His words are soft, and so are the hands that follow. One on my forehead and another along my wrist. “Give me a second.” A light breeze hits my exposed skin.
“Is she okay? Is she going to be okay?” my liberator asks.
“Oh, this makes sense. It’s her glitch.”
“Her glitch? What does that mean? Is she going to be okay or not? Should I take her to someone else?” His patience seems to be wearing thin.
“Can you back up for a second? Damn, Silas, you’re making it impossible to work here.”
Silas? He’s the one who rescued me from the wolves? The wolves who happen to be Deghan and his friend? Did I die? Am I dreaming or something? How are they both not freaking out about all of this right now?
I feel his energy pull away, like he actually listens and takes a step back to give the other mystery person some room.
“I have to do a cleansing spell to rid whatever it was from her system.” His hands graze my body, trailing up and down. He places something small but solid on my chest, muttering something I can’t quite make out.
A few moments pass, and an edgy Silas speaks. “Is it working?”
“Shh.”
A light flickering progresses through my toes, leading slowly up my calves, through my thighs, across my belly, into my chest, my arms, my neck, until suddenly, the fog that was consuming my head dissipates.
