Oaken (The Underground Series Book 1)

by Melody Robinette

  “You’d be surprised how much you can learn in a few months. Especially with Atticus as your Magister.”

  “Who’s Atticus?” Autumn asked.

  “He’s the leader of the Initiates and the Quinns. He also teaches Powers class, which helps young elves learn how to control their Powers and, more importantly, how to use them effectively against an enemy.”

  They left the archery shop with arms full of their new sheaths, arrows, and bows. They had a couple of hours until dinner so they stopped by Autumn and Luke’s branches to drop off their purchases before leaving again for Arbor Lake. Autumn could practically see the excitement radiating from Luke like heat waves. He was so focused on the girls he would soon meet that he managed to walk all the way to the lake without complaining once.

  When they arrived, it wasn’t thirty seconds before a group of adoring elf girls surrounded Luke.

  “Do you think he’ll be okay if we leave him alone with them?” Crystal asked.

  “Are you kidding?” Autumn laughed. “He’s in heaven right now. He won’t even notice.”

  Crystal and Autumn attempted to move closer to the shore, trying to dodge all of the elves that had suddenly surrounded them, staring at Autumn with looks of interest and admiration.

  “Princess Autumn?” a particularly scrawny and, by the looks of him, very young elf said. “Could you sign my book bag?”

  “Uh—” is all Autumn could get out before she noticed a commotion coming up the middle of the crowd. It was Avery clearing a path through the swarming elves.

  “Okay, guys, clear out,” Avery commanded. “I know you’ve never seen a princess before, but I’m sure she’s seen plenty of desperate guys in her lifetime.”

  He placed his hand on Autumn’s back and gently moved her towards the shore, Crystal trailing behind.

  “I’ve been looking for you everywhere,” Avery said.

  Autumn gazed up at him with wide eyes and said, “R-really?”

  “Yeah, the king gave me a different work assignment. I’m going to be you and your brother’s bodyguard from now on.”

  “Our bodyguard? Why would we need a bodyguard?”

  “To keep you safe.”

  “We haven’t had a bodyguard for 17 years and we’ve been safe enough.”

  “You were living in the Outside. And you weren’t royalty, or at least no one knew you were. In case you didn’t notice, you two have quite a few fans down here.”

  “How are we supposed to make the Warriors if it looks like we can’t even protect ourselves sufficiently?” Autumn asked, becoming frustrated.

  “I’m sure if you make the Warriors your grandfather will no longer see the need for the extra protection.” His politeness seemed forced.

  “Good, another reason to try out then,” Autumn said with a hint of malice. She wasn’t sure where this sudden resentment was coming from.

  “I didn’t exactly beg for this job, Autumn,” he snapped, bringing her up short. She was surprised that he actually called her by her first name and in such a harsh tone. “I apologize,” he said, looking guilty. “I shouldn’t have spoken to you that way, Miss Oaken. I—”

  “No,” Autumn said. “I’m glad you did, and please, call me Autumn. I’m already tired of being treated like a princess all of the time. And you’re right. You didn’t sign on for this either. I was just unhappy about being assigned a permanent babysitter is all.”

  Avery looked at her as if he was trying to figure something out. Apparently this was not how he had expected her to respond.

  Crystal cut in then, having been silently watching their interaction. “I don’t know if this is a situation that needs your attention,” she said, “but one of your royal elves seems to be unable to breathe properly what with that girl smothering him with her lips and all.”

  Autumn and Avery turned to see what Crystal was talking about and found Luke surrounded by three elf girls, one in particular was enthusiastically kissing him all over his face. Autumn shook her head wearily at her brother and Avery burst out laughing.

  “I think he’ll be okay without my services for now.”

  At dinner that night, a castle worker delivered the class schedules to all of the school age elves. Autumn opened hers and scanned the page.

  Monday/Wednesday:

  8:15 - 9:30 Numbers (Monroe)

  9:45 - 11:15 Literature (Hart)

  11:15 - 1:35 Lunch

  1:45 - 3:30 Powers (Attribold)

  Tuesday/Thursday:

  8:15 - 9:30 Laboratory (Holt)

  9:45 - 11:15 Underground History (Parkey)

  11:15 - 1:35 Lunch

  1:45 - 3:30 Healing (Ginger)

  Friday:

  8:15 - 10:15 Melodies/Art/Sports

  10:15 - 11:15 Break

  11:15 - 1:35 Lunch

  1:45 - 3:30 Powers (Attribold)

  They passed around each other’s schedules, comparing them. Autumn had Healing with Luke, Literature with Avery, Numbers with Crystal, and Powers with all of them. This made her feel better. At least she would have one friendly face in most of her new classes. She was going to need that since she would to be the new kid, the new royal kid. With the amount of stares she knew she would be receiving from the other students…she might as well be going to school in her underwear.

  New Kids on Campus

  CHAPTER NINE

  Autumn awoke from a restless sleep to the sound of her grandfather clock chiming a tranquil melody. Her stomach was already turning with nerves. She didn’t know what to expect from her first day at a new elf school, but more importantly—she didn’t know what to wear.

  Sliding out of bed, she pulled open the double glass doors leading out to her balcony, taking a deep breath of the fresh air. A cluster of aromas washed over her: flowers, the sweet smell of grass, the musky scent of trees, and a smell she didn’t quite recognize. Maybe it was magic, or perhaps it was actually the absence of certain smells. There were no factories in the Underground—no cars, no buildings, no piles of rotting garbage. Just nature.

  Somehow this new, magical world seemed more real to Autumn than the real world. Or maybe this was the real world. The Underground. It sure felt more real. Since her arrival, Autumn had been more acutely aware of every one of her senses and feelings. She had appreciated the way things tasted, the sound of a breeze blowing the leaves on a branch, the electric way Avery made her feel. In the Outside, the cars and technology and gadgets all seemed to deaden those senses. People had half-hearted conversations with each other while texting away on their phones. Here, when Autumn spoke to people, she could tell they were actually listening. For the first time since she had lost her parents, Autumn felt alive. Really alive.

  Walking back into her room, Autumn passed by the full-length mirror, catching a brief glimpse of herself. She stopped in her tracks and took a few steps backwards. Turning to face the mirror, Autumn’s mouth dropped at what she saw. Her reflection had changed drastically since the previous morning. Her ears were now pointed so that the tips peeked out through her auburn hair, which was now silky and smooth—a feat no anti-frizz product had ever accomplished in the Outside. She still looked like herself, but her features were naturally enhanced in a way no makeup ever could. Her eyelashes were thicker and longer, her cheeks were ever so slightly pink, her lips fuller and redder; even every blemish had disappeared. An ethereal glow shone through her skin as if there was a dim light shining from within her.

  After a minute or two of staring at her new reflection, Autumn finally shook her head in disbelief and moved to her dresser, throwing open the doors in search of an outfit suitable for a princess. She searched through the entirety of her wardrobe twice and finally decided on a casual emerald-green dress that brought out the deep red in her hair. The bodice of the dress resembled a corset and the skirt was made of an airy material that swayed softly with each movement.

  Stepping out of her branch, Autumn found Luke already waiting for her on the landing. He seemed to have change
d as much—physically at least—as she had.

  “You look different,” he noted.

  “So do you.”

  “I guess there’s no more denying that we really are elves, huh?” he said, touching the top of one of his pointed ears.

  Autumn laughed. “It’s taken this long to convince you?”

  They entered the dining room and moved to what had become their usual table where Avery and Crystal were already situated. Avery scanned Autumn’s outfit and she thought she saw him blush slightly.

  “Well, look at you two,” Crystal said, grinning widely. “You look like actual elves now.”

  “I know,” Autumn said, tucking her hair behind her pointed ear. “I’m trying to get used to it.”

  “It suits you,” Avery said, looking up at her with a crooked smile.

  Luke shot him a warning look and Avery lowered his gaze to his plate of scrambled dragon eggs. Autumn hardly touched any of her porridge, though what little she tasted was delectable, full of butter, brown sugar, and fall spices.

  She couldn’t stop thinking about how crazy everyone had been acting toward Luke and her, like they were celebrities or something. She guessed they kind of were in a way, which made her even more nervous because she had a feeling everyone was going to be paying attention to her during class instead of the teacher.

  What if she was horrible at being an elf? She didn’t even have a Power yet. On top of all that, royals were supposed to be the most talented and powerful of all the elves. She was sure her teachers would already have high expectations.

  “Did you finish your Numbers project, Avery?” Crystal asked.

  “Yeah, but I’m not sure how great it is. I hear Magister Monroe is pretty brutal, grading-wise.”

  “Magister?” Luke asked.

  “Oh, right,” Crystal said. “I think in the Outside they call them teachers or professors.”

  “We didn’t do a Numbers project,” Autumn said.

  “You just found out you were elves!” Crystal said. “We’ve known about this all summer.”

  “Which is about how long it took,” Avery added.

  “Speaking of Numbers,” Crystal said, glancing at a small wooden instrument strapped to her wrist that Autumn assumed was an elf version of a watch. “We better go soon. We have Monroe first. Better to be safe. He hates tardiness.”

  Autumn swallowed, feeling a new rush of anxiety.

  “Don’t be nervous, you’ll do fine today,” Crystal said.

  “I’m not nervous,” Autumn lied.

  Luke bounced along the winding path leading toward campus. Clearly he wasn’t nervous in the least. In fact, he was practically giddy. Autumn wondered if the constant adoration would ever get old for him like it already had for her. She assumed not.

  Up ahead she could see students converging in clusters around the campus, talking and laughing in excitement. She tried to ignore the stares and whispers coming from the groups as they passed by. The campus was split into four sections, all meeting in the middle at a marble fountain similar to the one in City Center. Each section contained a number of trees where each class was held. The 4th quarter elves’ section was located in the top left corner of campus.

  Autumn and Crystal parted from Luke and Avery, traveling in the direction of the Numbers Tree.

  “We better hurry,” Crystal said, opening the heavy wooden door of the Numbers Tree and stepping inside.

  Autumn followed, closing the door behind her. The roar of laughter and talking ceased when she turned to face the classroom. She followed Crystal to the back of the room and sat hunched over in her seat, ignoring all of the interested eyes now focused on her.

  “Hey, Fall! How’s it going?”

  Autumn looked up to see Forrest sitting in the desk before her, swiveled around in his seat. “Fall?” she said.

  “You know. Autumn and fall—same thing.”

  “Ha. Good one, Forrest,” Autumn said as she began pulling paper out of the new satchel she bought in town the day before. “Oh, shoot, I don’t have a pen.”

  “A what?” Crystal asked with a quirked eyebrow.

  “A pen. Or a pencil, maybe?” Forrest and Crystal continued to look at her blankly. “Something to write with?” Autumn clarified.

  “Oh! We write with leaf quills,” Crystal said, pulling out a long black leaf with a sharp point at the base and handing it over to Autumn.

  “Is this an actual leaf?”

  Forrest nodded. “It comes from an ink tree. There’s ink in the veins of the leaf and it comes out here when you write,” he said, pointing to the tip of the leaf quill.

  Autumn wrote her name with a flourish across the top of her paper, looking at the leaf quill in wonder.

  A dark shadow entered her periphery then and her eyes were drawn upward, landing on a tall raven-haired boy entering the classroom. Autumn had to choke back a gasp because he was quite possibly the most attractive being she had ever laid eyes on. He would have made any Outsider male model look like a scrawny, prepubescent child.

  He didn’t make eye contact with anyone, just stared straight ahead and made his way to the back of the classroom. He took the open seat to Autumn’s left and sat down with his eyes on his desk. She noticed that the elves seated near him leaned away as if afraid of him. She had expected every girl in here to flock to him like they did with Luke, to fight over who would get to sit next to this beautiful creature. She felt she might be missing something—a common feeling as of late.

  When Magister Monroe entered the classroom everyone fell silent. A deep scowl was plastered on his face and his nose was wrinkled as if he smelled something unpleasant. His dull black hair was tied tightly back, and his sallow skin was sunken in places, giving him the appearance of a walking skeleton. If his ears hadn’t been pointed Autumn would’ve thought he was a vampire. Apparently not all elves were attractive.

  Magister Monroe moved slowly to his desk and sank into his chair, steepling his fingers as he surveyed the class. It was silent until he spoke.

  “Welcome to Numbers class,” he said in a monotonous voice. “I am Magister Monroe. I expect by the end of this year you will have learned the immense importance of numbers and the use of them in your daily lives. Numbers are at the base of all things. You eat, sleep, drink, and breathe numbers. So, if I hear any one of you question the relevance of this class, I will assign a ten-thousand-word essay in which you will answer that very question. Do I make myself clear?”

  Everyone nodded with wide eyes.

  “Now, I will call roll and then we can get started on our incalculably fascinating lesson over binomials. After which you will turn in the Numbers Project I assigned at the beginning of the summer.”

  Autumn saw a few people’s faces go white. Clearly the summer had wiped the project from some of their minds completely. Magister Monroe called out the class list in a bored voice…until he reached the surnames ending in “O.”

  “Autumn O—” His eyes narrowed, leaving the paper he was reading, and scanned the classroom. “Oaken.”

  Whispers swept like wind through the room. Out of the corner of her eye, Autumn saw the beautiful boy next to her lift his head slightly, turning his eyes on her.

  Slumping down in her seat, she muttered, “Here.”

  Magister Monroe’s gaze fixed on Autumn. “Thank you, Miss Oaken, for speaking up. Or do you prefer to be called Your Highness?”

  His tone was mocking and Autumn swallowed all of the insults she wanted to throw at him. Gritting her teeth she said, “That won’t be necessary.”

  A couple of chuckles echoed around the classroom.

  “Ah. How very humble of you.” He ran through the rest of the roll quickly before announcing, “Turn to page 247 in your books and we will begin our lesson.”

  After one of the most boring lectures Autumn had ever been forced to sit through, Magister Monroe separated the class into pairs to work on binomial problems out of their book. Her heart sank as Crystal was paired with Fo
rrest. Autumn figured he would purposefully pair her with some brainless girl who could barely count to ten. Then he called her name along with Victor Lavigne, the elf-model sitting to her left.

  Some of the students smirked at this pairing as if it were some sort of punishment to her. Autumn smiled tentatively at Victor as she moved her desk closer to his. He studied her with an interested look on his face, not like she was some celebrity but as if she was a puzzling problem in their Numbers book that he couldn’t quite figure out.

  She studied him too, but in a way that an art connoisseur would study a particularly exquisite piece of artwork. His face was perfectly symmetrical, perfectly smooth, perfectly perfect. Thick lashes framed his eyes, which were a deep green, like the color of an emerald stone. His full lips smiled at her, revealing his spectacularly white teeth.

  He wore an intense look on his face and Autumn felt as if his eyes were somehow piercing into her soul. She began to feel a little exposed, so she turned her eyes to her book.

  “How long have you been in the Underground?” he asked her then.

  Autumn glanced up and found that he was no longer looking at her in a puzzled way but, rather, wore a friendly smile on his face.

  “Um…about three days,” she said.

  “How do you like it so far?”

  “I love it here, but it’s a little overwhelming sometimes.”

  “I can imagine.” They were quiet for a few minutes as they worked on their Numbers problems before Victor spoke again. “Have you discovered your Power yet?”

  Autumn shook her head and said, “Not yet. I’m hoping it happens soon, though. I don’t know what I’ll be able to do in Powers class without one.” He chuckled. “What’s your Power?” she asked.

  “Light.”

  Autumn’s eyebrows rose in surprise. She had been thinking it would be something a bit more threatening like Lightning, or Fire, or even Darkness—but Light?

  “I know it doesn’t sound all that impressive, but it’s very useful. I can light a path or a room, but I can also produce a beam strong enough to blind an enemy, even burn them with the heat of it.”