Oaken (The Underground Series Book 1)

by Melody Robinette

  Luke shrugged. “Avery doesn’t seem the type to hold a grudge for no reason.”

  “Maybe he was jealous of Victor. Before Avery told everyone his secret, they all really liked Victor,” Autumn said.

  “I don’t think that’s it.”

  “I just wish people would give him a chance.”

  “Well, bring him to lunch tomorrow. Avery and Victor can make it through lunch together I’m sure.”

  The following day, Autumn decided to take Luke’s advice.

  “So, uh, would you maybe come to lunch with me and Luke and a few others?”

  Victor fell silent until they reached the Lab Tree. Autumn looked up at him with pleading eyes. Finally he said, “That’s fine. I will meet you outside of the History Tree.”

  He was quieter than usual during Lab, apparently deep in thought. Autumn chose not to bother him and worked in silence. The assignment was identifying different types of leaves and matching them to the trees to which they belonged.

  As Autumn paired a maple leaf with its tree, Victor spoke. “Do you have feelings for Avery Burke?”

  She accidentally knocked her Lab book to the floor. Coach Holt glanced up from his sports magazine as she hastily picked up the fallen book and laid it on the table. Coach Holt’s eyes returned to his reading. She turned back to Victor, who was watching her expectantly.

  “Well?” he repeated, a hint of anger in his voice.

  “No,” Autumn said. “No. We’re just friends, that’s all.”

  Victor looked unconvinced and returned to his work in silence.

  AVERY’s face darkened when he saw Luke, Crystal, and Autumn approaching him with Victor trailing behind them. It took all his energy to make his face impassive and not spit a nasty insult Victor’s way.

  It was Crystal’s turn to choose where they ate, and she decided on her favorite sandwich shop downtown. When everyone had ordered and found their seats, the uncomfortable silence set in. Avery and Victor both sat in the stony quiet, chewing their sandwiches slowly, avoiding each other’s gaze. Avery didn’t think he could keep his sandwich down if he looked at Victor anyway. Autumn kept opening her mouth as if about to speak and then closing it, clearly changing her mind. Luke and Crystal exchanged several uncomfortable glances. Well what did Autumn expect? Avery thought. That we would be best buddies?

  “So, Victor,” Crystal said. “What are your plans for the holidays?”

  Everyone jumped when she broke the crushing silence.

  “I was planning on traveling,” he answered shortly.

  “Oh. That sounds like fun!” Crystal said a little too brightly to be considered genuine.

  “Not visiting the family, Lavigne?” Avery muttered, unable to stop himself.

  Victor narrowed his eyes at him and said, “No.”

  “Pity. I’m sure they miss you. Them and your pet Shadows.”

  “Shut it, Burke,” Victor growled.

  Victor and Avery sat glaring at each other unblinkingly for about a minute, Avery’s blood boiling a bit more as each second passed by, before Autumn spoke.

  “Well, this was fun. I’m going to go,” she said. Everyone began to protest, but she whirled around, her auburn curls swirling about her angry face. “No! I care about both of you and if you can’t even get through lunch without picking a fight then I will just have to eat alone.”

  She threw a couple of silver leaves on the table and stormed out the door. Victor moved to go after her, but Avery was already out of his seat rushing through the door.

  AUTUMN was halfway down the path back to campus when she heard Avery calling after her. Turning on her heel, she watched as he jogged up to her.

  “What do you want, Avery?” she said folding her arms across her chest.

  “I want you to come back.”

  “No. There was no reason for you to act like that in there. Why can’t you two just get along? Just…be nice.”

  Avery frowned and said, “I can’t be nice to him, Autumn. I just can’t. I’m sorry.”

  “Why? Because of something that he can’t help? Because of where he comes from? The blood that runs through someone’s veins has nothing to do with who they are and who they choose to be, Avery.”

  “I don’t care about any of that.”

  “Then why do you hate him so much? Why did you tell everyone what he is?”

  “Because it’s HIS fault she died!” he shouted, catching Autumn off-guard.

  Autumn started and looked up at him in confusion. “Who died?”

  “Avabelle.”

  “Who’s Avabelle?” He shook his head and ran shaking hands through his hair. “Who is she, Avery?” Autumn asked again.

  “Let’s just say if Avabelle was still alive, you and Luke wouldn’t be the only twins around here.”

  “Avabelle was your twin?” Autumn said in shock.

  He nodded. “She was my twin and my best friend. And, for a while, it was always just me, Avabelle…and Victor.”

  “Victor?”

  “We were all three best friends.”

  “You were best friends with Victor?” Autumn said in disbelief.

  Avery nodded. “Victor moved here during 2nd quarter and we were all in the same classes. Avabelle and I were always together and then Victor joined our little group. The three of us were inseparable until—” He broke off.

  “What happened?”

  “We had all three planned on meeting at our usual spot near the falls. There’s a big clearing up there that we’d always go to. I couldn’t go that day because I had guard duty. So, it was just Avabelle and Victor. When Avabelle didn’t show up for dinner, though, I knew something wasn’t right. One of our mother’s rules was to be back to the castle by dinnertime and Avabelle always followed the rules. I ran up to the falls as fast as I could, but I—I was too late.”

  Avery stopped to take a shaky breath before continuing.

  “When I came into the clearing I saw her just…just laying there. Her neck was crushed and her eyes were wide open and staring.” His voice cracked at this. “Victor was wrestling with a Shadow and was in the process of breaking its neck when I walked up. I asked him what had happened and he told me they had both fallen asleep and that he was awakened by Avabelle’s screams. He said he tried to save her, but he was too late. Shadows are known for sneaking up on their prey, as silent as their namesake. That’s what it did to Avabelle, and then it killed her.”

  Avery’s eyes sparkled with tears and Autumn realized her eyes were also wet. She couldn’t imagine how it would feel to see something like that happen to Luke.

  “But,” she said, “Victor did all that he could to save her.”

  “I know that,” he said, “but he is the reason the Shadow came. His blood is like a beacon calling to them. Shadows are attracted to Atrum blood. If there is one nearby they will flock to them. That’s why I told everyone what he is. They needed to know for their own safety.”

  Autumn stood there awkwardly, wondering if she should hug him or give him space. She understood now why the two of them couldn’t stand to be around one another. It was too painful for both of them, and Avery couldn’t help but blame Victor for his sister’s death, which was completely understandable. Of course he would rather blame Victor—an Atrum—than himself, though he probably still did.

  “I’m so sorry, Avery. I didn’t know,” Autumn whispered.

  He shrugged as he turned to wipe his eyes dry. “Now do you see why I can’t be around him?”

  Autumn nodded and said, “Yes. But, maybe you would feel better if, you know, you…let it go.”

  Avery was already shaking his head before she could finish. “I can’t let it go. Not yet at least.”

  “I don’t want to lose you,” Autumn began sadly before adding, “As a friend.”

  “You won’t.” He looked deep into her eyes then, searching. “I won’t let that happen.”

  Unicorns and Snowball Fights

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  After
Autumn’s conversation with Avery, things went back to normal—for the most part. Half of her time was spent with Victor and the other half she spent with Luke, Crystal, and Avery. It was like she was the child of a broken family or something.

  Autumn and Luke continued their daily lessons with Atticus, and every weekend they worked with Crystal and Avery on fighting and archery skills in preparation for the Warrior Test. Autumn discovered that she really loved archery, and she was actually pretty good at it. She relished the feel of a bow in one hand and an arrow in the other. It was exhilarating. Luke, on the other hand, loathed it. He quickly realized that his hand-eye coordination was not what he would like it to be. He spent most of his time grumbling and groaning as he missed each target. Every so often he would end up throwing his bow on the ground or breaking his arrow in half in frustration.

  Victor always seemed to disappear off the face of the Underground when weekends rolled around. When Autumn asked him where it was that he went he said, “Everywhere.”

  “Everywhere?”

  “I like to travel,” he said simply.

  “So, you just walk everywhere or what?”

  Victor laughed. “No. I have a unicorn.”

  “A unicorn?” Autumn asked, trying to hide her five-year-old girl excitement bubbling up within her. She used to have a small obsession with the 80s television show My Little Pony.

  “Yes.”

  “Can I see it?”

  “I’m not sure that’s such a good idea. He doesn’t really like strangers.”

  Autumn’s face fell and she said, “Oh, okay.”

  Victor sighed. “Well, if you really want to…”

  The next day, after her private lesson with Atticus, Autumn ran to meet with Victor in a small clearing near campus, stopping dead in her tracks when she spotted the breathtaking beast standing beside him. Autumn had always thought of unicorns as sweet little creatures with delicate horns protruding from their heads, but this unicorn was not at all like that. His onyx fur shone in the dull sunlight leaking through the leaves above. The unicorn was twice the size of an average horse and sported a horn that was long, thin, and extremely sharp looking. His beetle-black eyes watched Autumn warily.

  She started to approach him.

  “Be careful,” Victor warned just as Autumn stumbled on a tree root.

  The colossal unicorn reared back on his hind legs and charged toward her, his horn aiming for her chest. Victor knocked her out of the way, but not before the unicorn’s horn sliced a gash in her shoulder. Victor bellowed at the animal, kicking it hard in the gut.

  “No!” Autumn exclaimed. “It was my fault! Don’t hurt him!” Victor ignored her pleas and aimed another strike at the unicorn, which had collapsed to the ground. “Victor!”

  He whipped around, his pupils dilated and his face contorted in rage. Autumn gasped at the sight of him. He looked deranged.

  “Please, stop,” she said, half sobbing.

  He shook his head violently back and forth, closing his eyes tight, and falling to his knees. When he opened his eyes they were back to normal, his pupils retracting to reveal his green irises again.

  “What happened?” he gasped. Autumn stared at him in bewilderment. “WHAT HAPPENED?” he repeated.

  “The—the unicorn charged at me because I startled him. You knocked me to the ground and started kicking him and…” She stopped because she was about to comment on how demented he looked, but decided against it.

  Victor turned towards his injured unicorn lying on the ground, whose chest was rising and falling quickly, his breathing shallow.

  Autumn looked sadly down at the unicorn and said, “He might have internal bleeding. Maybe we should—”

  “I’ll take care of it,” Victor snapped.

  “Do you want me to help?”

  “No. Just go,” he said through clenched teeth.

  She didn’t need telling twice. Autumn climbed painfully to her feet and hurried up the path back towards campus, pressing a hand to her bleeding shoulder. She hoped the campus healer was still there.

  When Autumn ran up to the Healer Tree, she found the door to be locked. Cursing, she looked around in desperation. There was a healer at the castle, but she didn’t want to risk being seen by anyone. Autumn tried to think back to all of her Healing lessons and remembered one in particular regarding a certain plant that stopped bleeding. The cauterweed plant. What did those look like again?

  She moved towards the Healing Tree, squinting at the bountiful vegetation in search of something familiar while keeping steady pressure on her shoulder. She was beginning to feel slightly lightheaded. As she passed by a bush with black and red leaves, she screeched to a halt. That was it. Autumn grabbed a handful of the leaves, soaked them in the pond near the Healing Tree, and pressed them against her shoulder. The bleeding stopped almost instantly. However, it did nothing for the three-inch long gash in her arm. A wave of nausea washed over her and she had to look away.

  Magistra Ginger taught them about a substance that closed wounds, but Autumn couldn’t remember the name. It was white and could be found within the roots of a red cactus-like plant. She walked all the way around the Healing Tree and finally spotted the plant, which she remembered now was called a suturous plant.

  Using her hands, she dug up the roots of the suturous plant, ripping them out, and squeezing the white substance onto her throbbing shoulder. Autumn breathed in sharply when it came into contact with her wound because it felt like someone was poking her with thousands of sharp needles. After a minute of biting her hand to keep from screaming, she looked down at her shoulder in amazement. Though the skin was an angry red, the wound had completely closed.

  Autumn returned to Arbor Castle, dashing up the stairs, hoping to avoid being seen so as not to raise any unwanted questions about her blood-soaked blouse. Miraculously, she made it to her branch without being seen by anyone after a series of close encounters. Autumn quickly threw on another white blouse similar to the one she had been wearing. No one would know the difference.

  She wasn’t sure why she was going to such great lengths to hide what had happened. It had been an accident, after all. Maybe she didn’t want to give Avery any more reasons to dislike Victor. She was still hoping that, by some miracle, they could stand to be around each other eventually, maybe even become friends again. Not a likely event, but still.

  The atmosphere of the dining room was ebullient when Autumn arrived, plopping down in a chair next to Crystal. Luke was leaning back in his chair, talking to an attractive blonde woman at the table beside theirs.

  Autumn had just sat down with her plate of food when Avery said absently, “You’re wearing a different shirt.”

  Her eyes widened. “What? Oh. I, um, spilled something on it. I’m surprised you even noticed.”

  “The other one had flowers on the sleeves…” He trailed off, clearly embarrassed that he noticed such a minute detail when he was supposed to be acting indifferent.

  Still leaning back in his chair, Luke raised an amused eyebrow in Avery’s direction. Then suddenly, Luke’s chair toppled backwards. He scrambled to his feet, his face a deep red. Most of the diners looked his way and stifled chuckles echoed around the room. Autumn, Crystal, and Avery howled with laughter.

  Luke’s face didn’t return to its original color the rest of the night.

  That weekend, nearly everyone from Aspen Academy went to Arbor Lake. The Warrior Test loomed over them like a storm cloud—only two weeks away. Autumn could feel the nervous tension emanating from the other 4th quarter elves.

  They all practiced their Power any chance they could and the Healer Tree on campus had been overflowing for the last few weeks as a result. The Head of Aspen Academy eventually sent out a notice declaring that practicing Powers in between classes was forbidden.

  Victor left for the weekend once again. He and Autumn hadn’t spoken about the unicorn incident, both acting as though it hadn’t happened.

  When they arrived at
Arbor Lake, Autumn sat with Luke, Avery, and Crystal near the still, sparkling water. The sweet smell of honeysuckles and roses wafted through the air. Of course, Luke soon left the group when he noticed a petite brunette batting her eyelashes suggestively at him.

  Autumn shook her head in distaste. “I hope he’s not doing anything stupid.”

  “What do you mean?” Crystal asked.

  “You know. With girls.”

  Avery and Crystal stared at her, clearly nonplussed.

  “I’m talking about sex, guys,” Autumn stated bluntly. Crystal gasped and Avery’s face turned scarlet as he looked down at his hands. “What?” Autumn said, laughing at their reactions.

  “Elves don’t, I mean—it’s not something that we…” Crystal stammered.

  “You mean elves don’t have—” Autumn began, her mouth falling open.

  “Of course they do,” Crystal whispered. “But only within the bounds of true love. Well, there are some who, er— Even so, it’s not really something we talk about.”

  “Oh, sorry,” Autumn muttered.

  Avery was silent, busying himself by pulling at the grass. Crystal’s face was flushed. Clearly the Underground was much more conservative than anywhere Autumn had lived in the Outside—including Texas—which surprised her, judging by the amount of elves that were willing to make out with her brother.

  “Hey, Crys!” Forrest called from the edge of the lake, “Can you help?”

  “’Yes! Be right there.” Crystal jumped up and practically ran to freeze a patch of ice for Drake, Bryan, and Forrest, clearly glad to be granted an easy out from the sex conversation, leaving Autumn alone with Avery.

  She had to repress a smile at his embarrassment. It was a little refreshing if she was being honest. That particular subject was all guys could talk about at both of her old high schools.

  “Sorry,” she said again.

  “For what?” Avery looked up, his cheeks still flushed.