Fae Rose Academy: Year One (For The Purely Divine Book 1)

by Quinn Ashwood

  "Oh, no, no, no. You're not going anywhere!" Camilla declared.

  I sniffed for what could have been the one-thousandth time in an effort to stop the ongoing flow of snot that came from my running nose. I could barely keep my eyes open, let alone stand, but here I was, attempting to go to school.

  After returning back to the dorms after the death spell madness, Alicia, along with two professors and two guards, were in the living room with a crying Ella and a trembling group of friends.

  Instead of Ella taking the blame like she should have, it totally went in the complete opposite direction.

  * * *

  "Monica did it!"

  The other three gals gasped, looking at Ella, who was pointing to Monica. "She told me that she hated Rosadette for acting like some type of savior and trying to steal Prince Xavier and Prince Rainer and said she wished the death spell could be placed on her so she'd disappear."

  Prince Rainer was standing next to me, but the ramble of a confession had him move to stand in front of me protectively, while Camilla looked like she was going to punch the life out of Monica now.

  "I-I-" Monica fought to speak. "I wasn't saying it literally. I was complaining that Rosadette is taking all the fame and glory and hogging the princes for herself! I was merely joking about the death spell thing. I didn't tell Ella to do it!"

  "Enough!" One of the guards slammed their spear weapon to the floor to silence the girls from even muttering another word.

  Alicia sighed.

  "The four of you shouldn't be in the training hall if you were not registered for one of the training rooms. Ella, even with some truth to your explanation, you still had the intention of hurting Rosadette, didn't you?"

  "I..." She bit her lip nervously, and it was obvious she couldn't continue because she could only speak the truth to the queen.

  "The four of you are on leave for two weeks. Ella and Monica, you'll both receive penalties that will remain on your records. The only reason why I'm not expelling both of you is due to Rosadette's kindness. She has forgiven you all for your misbehaviors, but I will say this."

  She paused, and the room grew colder and the lights began to flicker on and off.

  "I will not tolerate such behaviors any longer. This immature foul play ends today. If I must waste another breath of air on this again, I will not hesitate to expel all four of you. Remember what a privilege it is to attend Fae Rose Academy, let alone be in the presence of royalty on a daily basis with both princes attending. Do not test my patience again. Understood?"

  "Y-Yes, Your Majesty!" They quickly went on their knees, bowing their heads to the floor as they shook uncontrollably.

  "Out of my sight," Alicia commanded. "Rosadette and Prince Rainer. A word."

  We both exchanged looks before glancing at Camilla, who nodded in encouragement for us to go ahead.

  We followed the queen to the library, the guards awaiting outside and the professors dismissing themselves to ensure the girls went straight to their rooms.

  Once the doors closed, Alicia sighed and turned to look at us.

  "Are you okay, Rosadette?"

  "I'm fine." I bowed slightly in acknowledgment as did Prince Rainer, the two of us relieved that we wouldn't have further problems with my bully roommates. "Um. I think I need to apologize to Xavier."

  "For?" It was Rain who interrupted. "He's been treating you horribly the last month. He should be apologizing to you."

  "What has my son done now?" Alicia sounded exhausted by the mere mention of Xavier.

  "He's treating Rose like a slave. We're being taught to reserve our energies, and he's been constantly training Rose after class and setting her up for failure with spells that are designated for second- and third-year students. I have a hunch as to why he may be acting the way he is, but if Rose continues pushing herself, she's going to get sick," he stressed. "You can tell her fae vibrations are far higher at this moment for Mother Nature reasons."

  I gave him a side look but I guess it didn't matter what he called our periods at this point.

  At least he even knows about the cycle of all things annoying.

  Alicia looked my way, taking a good look at me before she sighed.

  "Can you last being Xavier's partner till the end of the semester?" she inquired. "As much as I'd love to switch you, it would be a little complicated as everyone is properly matched this semester. Partners will switch next year depending on how many students pass and move onwards."

  "You mean...I'm not stuck with him for all four years?" I gawked at the possibility of being switched.

  "If two individuals partner well, we tend to let them stay together if they both agree to it. Regardless of Xavier's desire to keep you as a partner, if you're not fond of the idea or his treatment of you, you can request a change. I already noticed he'd booked off the next four months in the training room for afterschool training, but it didn't occur to me that this wasn't a mutual agreement."

  "It's not like the training itself is bad." I wanted to be honest with what needed to be said. "I love to learn, and training is a part of learning. However, Xavier just makes it seem impossible for me. Like the spell he wanted me to do today was to pull vines from the ground with rosebuds. I guess the purpose is to try and make a rose vine wall of some sort for protection, but he simply kept on screaming over and over again when I couldn't do it immediately. It's the shouting, exaggerated sighs, and side comments that make me want to just give up entirely."

  Alicia nodded, crossing her arms under her breasts and tilting her head to one side in observant behavior. "Can you do the spell he asked of you?"

  Rain looked at me, and I thought about it.

  "Maybe?"

  Alicia smirked. "Let's see you try. Concentrate. Your senses are higher than normal, which means you don't need to use a lot of magic to cast the spell. Envision what you want to create. Let go of whatever doesn't serve you."

  I swallowed down my nerves before taking a deep inhale and letting it out slowly. Closing my eyes, I pushed away from the past failures dwelling in my mind, allowing nothing but the vision of beautiful, strong vines pushing out from the floor and rosebuds blooming to their full capacity with an array of yellow, blue, pink, and purple in each rose.

  The image grew, blossomed, and was so vibrant within my mind, I could even smell the rich aroma of fresh roses wrapping around me in greeting. I felt the joy of accomplishment beat through me, proving to myself that I could indeed complete a spell that was far more advanced than my level of experience.

  "Rosadette."

  I hesitated in opening my eyes, staring at the masterpiece I'd built with my imagination a little longer - to admire its profound beauty and grace. When I finally opened my eyes, my smile that had already cloaked my lips widened as my eyes lit up with joy at the sight between Alicia and me.

  There were the very vines I'd envisioned with their brilliant roses of yellow, pink, purple, and blue petals. The vines were tall enough to reach my neck, and the aroma only grew to tease my nostrils when I acknowledged their presence.

  "I did it." My voice was but a whisper, proving my disbelief at what I previously thought was impossible for me to complete.

  "Magic isn't about what limits us. Magic is about defying the impossible. Negative reassurance is not going to bring what is desired to fruition, and that's exactly why I'll change your partner at the end of the school year."

  She met my happy gaze, a small smile forming on her red lips.

  "Take the rest of the week off, Rosadette. I do know we have a test in my class tomorrow. If you're up for it, you may attend and be excused for the rest of the day. See to it that you get lots of rest this week since I can only stall my son's afterschool havoc for so long."

  "Thank you, Alicia." I bowed my head in gratefulness. The relief and satisfaction of completing today's spell were making it hard not to burst into tears.

  "Thank you, Your Majesty," Rain greeted, purposely using formalities. It was something he di
d to emphasize his gratefulness about a situation, which only made me happier to have him by my side.

  He's always on my side.

  * * *

  It felt amazing to enjoy a peaceful dinner without the four bullies gossiping or attempting to spread false information, and after a quiet moment with Rain, he went home as I showered and went to bed.

  I didn't think I'd wake up feeling like I got slapped, punched, and hit right in the nose with this bloody cold.

  "I'm fine...Cam- ACHOO!" I couldn't finish as I sneezed and reached for the box of tissues that was now empty.

  My lips frowned at the sight, while Camilla groaned. "I'll get you another tissue box. Don't even bother trying to go down the stairs! You already fell out of bed and that's why you have that bump on the left side of your forehead," she reminded.

  "Can't I just blame Xavier for that too?"

  All of this was his fault. I wouldn't have gotten sick if he didn't push me every damn training session. It felt even more worthless now that I realized I could do the spells with positive reinforcement.

  "Sure, why not? At this point, you're a sick puppy thanks to him."

  "Aren't you going to be late?" I reasoned, suddenly remembering that she had a test during first period.

  "It's not a big deal."

  "Camilla." I gave her a sad look, unable to hide my worry. "Please. Don't make me feel like more of a burden than I already am."

  "You're not a burden," she huffed. "You're my best friend. Now go change into your pajamas, use those new pads I got you, and put on that fae Vicks stuff to stop your nose from running. I'll get you another pack of tissues and let the queen know you're not attending at all."

  "What about Rain?" I pouted at my best friend, wishing my boyfriend could skip school and be here.

  "I'll text him," she assured me. "Seriously, we need to get you a phone."

  "I'll work for it," I cheered, which sounded like an animal cry to the gods.

  "Ugh. You sound horrible. Go change and head back to bed." She shooed me away before closing the door. I pouted my lips, looking at the floor and debating what to do first.

  My mind felt fuzzy, and even what Camilla said was beginning to drift away.

  "Hmm. Magical pads."

  Apparently fae had magical pads - not tampons - but I wasn't complaining! No need to changing it unless you had to shower and such.

  The whole explanation that Camilla gave was a little TMI, but the gist of it was that once the pad was deemed "full," poof! It's brand new again. Where the junk went was beyond me, but I confirmed that no vampires or whatever else that needed blood to survive would get it.

  Weird worry? Maybe, but no bloodsucker was feeding on my monthly lalala.

  After changing and putting on pajamas, I looked at my bed and frowned at the many wrinkles in it.

  "Have to fix the bed," I mumbled, my eyes growing heavy at the thought. "Or sleep on the floor."

  I looked around, wondering what else I could do while I waited for Camilla. I wasn't even sure if she'd come back, and again, I didn't want her being late for her test.

  Glancing at the wall, I smirked at the idea of going into the study hideout Rain created for me. I walked towards it, pressing my hand against it to reveal the wooden door.

  Once inside, I giggled for no reason. It almost felt like I was on this hidden adventure and was now impossible to find.

  "Let's go on an adventure! To find the mysteries of this world," I sang, not caring that it was out of tune or whatever. I looked around the little study room, remembering how Rain had created it to fit all my needs.

  "I miss Rain..." I voiced before frowning. "I want my boyfriend. Where do I go to get to him?"

  It was getting uncomfortably warm in here - or it could have been me - but my desire to be around Rain was enough to motivate me to leave my safe haven and find him.

  I twirled on my left foot and reached for the knob. "To Prince Rainer, I go!"

  The door opened, and I skipped right, closing the door with a hint of wind. I blinked and looked around before tapping my finger against my lip in bewilderment.

  "How did I get into the forest?" I inquired in confusion. Glancing back over my shoulder, I noticed the door was gone.

  Should I panic?

  "Nah!" I put my hands on my hips, standing proudly in the forest. "I will find Rain and he'll help me home! He always helps me."

  Walking forward, I started my adventure. The forest was vast with thick trees and plants. The different shades of green seemed extra fascinating to peer at as I slowly made my way through the forest.

  I was walking barefoot, but the soft soil on the ground didn't phase me in the slightest.

  It felt good to be outdoors.

  The sun was shining brightly, peaking through the thick branches and leaves. The scent was interesting, a mix of pine, moss, and fresh rain. There wasn't a droplet of water in sight, but the slight hint of mist in the distance was rather magical when it was so sunny.

  It wasn't long before I came to a stop, feeling even more tired than before.

  Why am I here again?

  I questioned my original purpose, but I really wished to go to sleep now that I'd enjoyed the little bit of scenery of this mysterious place.

  Searching around, I noticed a slight twinkle, and it was enough to draw me closer to it. Squinting my eyes, I ended up lifting my hand up to give myself some shade from how intense the sun's rays were - the intensity beginning to bother my eyes.

  I wished for the loud sounds that seemed to grow in volume to pause in their new mission to torture me.

  It was like I was sensitive to the universe or something. Maybe allergic, for all I knew, for my body ached, it felt super hot, and I was feeling even more sluggish.

  The tiny body of water that I approached with every step I took was what encouraged me to move forward.

  When I reached it, I looked down at the glistening body of fluid, only to blink at the image reflecting back at me.

  What the fae?

  Instead of seeing my usual curly platinum blonde hair, purple eyes, and rosy lips, there I was with straight, long, blonde hair that shifted into a shocking red that reminded me of roses.

  My striking purple eyes seemed more intense, the silver in them glowing vibrantly, like I'd summoned the color itself. From my pale complexion, blushed red cheeks, and glossy cherry lips, the difference was extremely obvious.

  Even in my ditzy state.

  I turned my head to one side, noticing my ears were pointier, and I wasn't wearing pajamas anymore, but a lavish lavender nightgown that hugged every curve of my body.

  The image of myself was far too stunning for me to believe. A little saddening when I thought about it, but it was the truth. To see myself at such a level of perfection and grace made me wonder if this was truly a dream or reality.

  With a frown, I looked away and down at myself.

  I was in my pajamas. My skin looked the same with its slightly tanned complexion, and after reaching for bits of my hair, I could feel their curly texture against my fingers.

  "I think I'm hallucinating," I mumbled and swiftly turned away. "Must. Go. Home."

  Repeating those words over and over again, I headed away from the mystical pool that made me crave to look just like that.

  I never asked to see it, but now that I had, would I be able to forget it?

  Would Rain like me as I am?

  The thought reminded me of the main objective I'd forgotten, but I hesitated.

  "Should I find him?"

  Looking around, the wind suddenly blew to the west.

  The high-pitch whistle that graced my ears motivated me to move in that direction. With a few steps, I was in a completely different world yet again.

  I had to be inside a castle, one of onyx with sparkling purple engraved into the stone's properties. A wave of illumination shone as I shifted my gaze upward, taking in the fine details of the castle hall and the decor that was placed on the walls
with perfect intention.

  As much as I wanted to admire this new scenery, I knew if I didn't find Rain, I'd forget once again.

  Or end up in a completely different world yet again.

  Walking forward, I followed my instincts, trying to be as quiet as I could. Wherever I was, it felt like a royal palace, or somewhere Xavier and his family would live. This could have been the castle for all I knew, but it didn't give me those vibes, nor did it have the various golds and purples and other colors that radiated from Xavier's home.

  I hadn't gone their often, so what would I know about that massive palace? But just the atmosphere alone gave off a completely different vibe, one that was far more foreign to me than my few times at Xavier's.

  Passing by a door, my body halted - a tugging like a magnetic force made me walk backward until that purple door was in front of me.

  I could hear quiet mumbling and I took caution as I slowly opened the door enough for me to slip through. My eyes locked onto a tall, buff figure.

  Long platinum hair that shifted to a plum purple. Gold and silver tinsel flickered with magic in those lovely, perfect strands. His hair that was catching a good chunk of my attention didn't hide his accented biceps and broad shoulders.

  The man wore dark purple boxers with a black waistband, and I was tempted to summon a bit of wind to see what I knew was a perfectly shaped ass.

  Do girls even check out guy's butts? Who cares. I'm going to be one of those girls.

  I'd never seen someone as handsome - or seductive - as this, and I'd only seen his back.

  Imagine the front. His face. His abs. Down under! Oh, he probably has a lovely arrow to emphasize just how divine his thunder rod is. He's probably a model. No, surpass model status. Porn star? Do they have those in fae lands? Well, he's hotter than many of the fae men I've seen. He's hotter than even Xavier and Rainer. I hope Rain doesn't break up with me for having a crush on a random stranger.

  The man turned around then, and I must have either looked like a creep or deer in headlights. I don't think it really mattered because my imagination had failed me.

  This man has to be a fae god.