Winter Term

by J. J. Krzemien

  I’d been ingrained since birth that family was most important, that it always came first no matter what. Going against that, revealing my parents as a traitors, would ruin me and May. After watching what happened to Jaxon’s life after his father lost the rebellion and was sentenced to a traitor’s death, I didn’t want that to happen to us. We were already looked down on as it was, thanks to the Stewarts despising us. And now May had been caught with a human lover.

  Maybe our family was already a lost cause. But my father wouldn’t go down without a fight.

  Walking across the crowded field to my first class of the night, I felt Angel’s emotions before I saw him coming my way. The waves of guilt and hopelessness nearly bowled me over. I paused, watching him approach. He wore athletic attire, having just taught a PE class. His brow creased as he came to stand next to me.

  He leaned it, so as not to be overheard by the passing students. “She’s angry with me.”

  “Why?” I didn’t need to ask who she was.

  Angel sighed. “I told her about the wolf mate-bond. But I also told her that I felt like I was being forced into this with her.”

  I inwardly flinched. “Not so smooth there, Angel.”

  “You fucking think? You’re the emotional one, what should I do? How can I make this right?”

  “Hey, just because I can feel everyone’s emotions doesn’t make me especially emotional.”

  Angel glared at me. “You don’t know yourself very well. Anyway, whatever. What should I do? I want to be honest, so I can’t tell her it was all a misunderstanding. But, I also want her not to be upset.”

  “Walk with me,” I said, heading toward Aeras Hall. “You said before that your wolf claimed her, so it’s your human part that feels forced? Is that what’s going on?”

  Angel nodded, the dim light shadowing his features.

  “Is that less primal part of you attracted to her?”

  He thought for a moment before answering. “Honestly, I’ve been so obsessed with my primal responses that I haven’t thought much about it. I mean, of course she’s gorgeous. She seems to really care about the people close to her. I think she’s smart, definitely stubborn and impulsive—”

  “You’re listing off her qualities,” I said. “That’s not telling me how you feel about her.”

  “I’m attracted to her. I like her.” Angel rubbed the back of his neck. “I don’t know her very well. Which is my fault, of course, for keeping a distance between us.”

  We arrived at Aeras Hall, one of the large wooden doors was propped open. Students zipped in and out carrying books, a wand here, and a music case there.

  I turned to Angel. “Maybe you should take the time to get to know her.”

  “I don’t even know if she’ll talk to me right now.”

  Placing a hand on his arm, I sent soothing magic into him. “Angel, I know you have a lot going on right now—with your family and everything else—but give Caprice a chance to hear you out. Find her after classes are over. Or wait for her to come to dinner tonight. Just don’t let it linger too long. Okay?” I glanced at the big clock at the end of the hall. “I need to go.”

  “Yeah. Thanks, man.” Angel turned and walked back out the door. His emotions were still sullen, but I hoped he’d take my advice.

  I jogged up the steps to my classroom. This was so weird. I was giving Angel advice on how to win over the same girl I was after, yet I didn’t feel jealous. The past few weeks, with the four of us hanging out almost nightly, had settled us into a sense of our own little family. Having Angel and Caprice at odds with each other gave me more reason to worry than them working it out.

  I stepped into the stone classroom where I taught mythology to second year students. They were my favorite, mostly because they weren’t in danger of getting Culled. I didn’t have to hold back and distance myself. I could give them my all.

  Neither Angel nor Caprice were at dinner that night. May joined Jaxon and me, which was a first in some time. I couldn’t believe that she’d kept her boyfriend secret from me. Naively, I’d believed that we didn’t have secrets between us. It was the only way we managed to survive our parents’ manipulations.

  I was a little pissed off about it. The last thing I wanted to do was make May feel even worse, so I kept my mouth shut—for now.

  “Any idea where everyone else is?” Jaxon asked, spooning up the thick stew.

  “Hopefully making up,” I said.

  Jaxon’s brows rose, he sent a quick glance at May. “Oh,” was all he said.

  “You guys don’t have to walk on egg shells around me,” May said. “I’m sorry for overreacting about your…relationship with Caprice. If it weren’t for the Tromara, I’d be totally supportive—I am totally supportive.”

  She still felt guilty. My first impulse was to down-play it and try to make her feel better, but I held back. I wasn’t trying to be petty, but keeping that kind of secret from me was huge. What had she been thinking? If I’d known about them, I may have been able to do more to shield her from our parents. Though, maybe I was kidding myself.

  “It’s okay,” Jaxon said. “You had a lot you were dealing with.”

  May frowned. “Yeah.”

  A wave of absolute despair drifted across the table and stabbed me in the heart. Damn, she really loved that guy.

  I changed the subject. “So, do we have any plans for spring break?”

  “I’d like to get out of this shithole for a few days,” Jaxon said. “Maybe we should go to the coast. I don’t think Caprice has seen the west coast yet.”

  I cocked my head at Jaxon. “The beach sounds great, but you know they won’t let any of the first years out, right?”

  Jaxon grinned. “We’ll see.”

  “I’m going to stay here and get a jump on spring term, and…all that goes with it,” May said, finishing her bowl.

  A dread-filled silence fell over us. Spring term, the last before the Culling took place, was when the competition really started. Fates were decided and sealed in the Trials.

  11

  Caprice

  I was about to enter Freeman Dorm, and drop off my backpack so I could go to dinner, when Lana bounded up to me.

  “Hey, Caprice.”

  “Hey,” I answered, wondering why she was speaking to me outside of class. “What’s up?”

  “Mr. Freeman wants to see you in his office.” She made a sympathetic face.

  What I’d said to him in class this morning was fresh in my memory. Crap. Shit. Fuck.

  “And he sent you to tell me this?” I asked.

  Lana nodded. “Yeah, I’m doing extra credit this term as his office assistant. You’re my first chore.”

  “Okay.” I sighed. There was no getting out of this. Besides, what was the worst he could do?

  Lana turned toward Academy Hall with a swish of her long black ponytail. I walked beside her, studying the pavement.

  “Did you really tell him to fuck off?” she asked.

  I glanced up. “How did you find out?”

  “It’s all over the school. You can’t say something like that in front of thirty witnesses and not have it instantly spread on campus. Duh.” Lana grinned, looking mischievous. “It’s true, isn’t it?”

  I reluctantly nodded. “Yeah.”

  “I so want to be your friend.”

  My brow knit. “What? Why?”

  “You’ve got guts.” She pulled the door open. “I’ll admit, at first I thought you were just another spoiled royal like Regina Chang, but I like you. Do you have any idea how many people would love to tell Mr. Freeman off?”

  “I can only guess.” It was good to know that he wasn’t a jerk only to me. Maybe his picking on me wasn’t as personal as I’d originally thought.

  “And you did it!” She sounded way too excited. “Let’s meet up for lunch tomorrow.”

  “Ah, okay, sure.” I didn’t have any friends here my own age, making at least one could be a good thing.

  We h
alted in front of Montrell Freeman’s office. Lana knocked, receiving a brusk reply to enter.

  “Good luck,” she said, opening the door.

  Her hard-soled shoes clicked down the hall as she left. I faced forward, entering Montrell’s office. The space had the same layout as the other offices, but in his, every horizontal surface was stacked with books.

  My gaze landed on him, behind his desk, and he stared back with intense hazel eyes. He leaned back in the leather chair and crossed his burly arms. The fabric of his shirt strained over his shoulders.

  I swallowed hard, not daring to look away.

  “I’ve been hard on you for a reason, Sorrentino. And I’ll keep being hard on you,” he said. “The Council Queen that takes Isabella’s place needs to be strong. I watched you for a while when you first arrived here. You’re not strong. I’m not at all impressed by you.”

  I gaped at him. How dare he judge me.

  “You’re impulsive and bullheaded, but that only makes you stupid. I think it’s best that you’re Culled.” His deep baritone was even, matter-of-fact.

  “You can’t decide what happens to me!” I hugged myself against his cruel words. “You don’t have the authority to—”

  His chuckle held no humor. “I’m your advisor now that you’re a shifter. I have all the authority I need to determine what happens to you at the end of this year.” Montrell studied me for a long moment. “Prove me wrong. I dare you. Impress me, and show me that you deserve to rule the supernatural community.”

  “But I—”

  “You may go now.”

  The witch magic that I’d absorbed thrummed in my chest, as a familiar vibration ran over my skin. I wanted to shift and burn this motherfucker, but I couldn’t let my temper get the best of me. Instead, I turned on my heel.

  “Oh, and, Sorrentino,” Montrell said behind me, “don’t ever humiliate me in my classroom again.”

  I stormed out of his office, slamming the door. The wood vibrated with a satisfying thud. There had to be at least some rules, boundaries, that couldn’t be crossed at this school. I left Academy Hall in search of the dean. Surely, she’d see that Montrell was being unfair and intervene. This had gone on long enough. Too long.

  Dean Wright’s office was on the second floor in the administrative building. I approached the receptionist as she glanced up. She was a thin woman with wispy blond hair and frameless glasses. Not for the first time, I wondered if she wore the glasses because she needed them or because she thought they fit her role.

  “How can I help you, Miss Sorrentino?” she asked, setting down her pen.

  “I need to see the dean.”

  “Hmm.” She glanced at her large cherry desk top. “She’s about to head to dinner, but I can give you five minutes right now. Does that work?”

  “Yeah, that’s fine. Thanks.”

  “Follow me.” The receptionist knocked on the double doors and poked her head in. “Miss Sorrentino to see you for five.” She stepped aside, allowing me to enter.

  Dean Wright stood behind her desk tidying papers. She glanced up. “What are you so upset about?”

  I was used to having Liam point out my feelings, but having the dean do it gave me pause. Although, maybe if she felt how angry I was, then she’d understand how unfair Montrell was being.

  “My advisor, Mr. Freeman, is taking points from me unfairly,” I said. “He threatened to fail me, because he doesn’t like me. He wants me to get Culled.”

  Dean Wright studied me for a few seconds. “He said all of this to you?”

  “Yes! Just now. I came straight here from his office.”

  “As he is your advisor, all of that is within his right to decide. However, I doubt he truly meant that he wants you sacrificed.” She continued tidying papers into stacks.

  “He seemed plenty serious. Can’t you do anything about how he’s treating me?” I folded my arms, partly to brace myself for her reply.

  “Do anything? No. I suggest that you work harder and find approval with Mr. Freeman. He’s not an unfair teacher. I trust his judgement implicitly.”

  I gritted my teeth. “But he is unfair. He’s been mean to me all term and I’ve never done anything to him!”

  The dean sighed. “You’re new to us, Miss Sorrentino, and new to our way of doing things. I know that this is difficult and that you don’t fully understand, but everything the teachers do is for a reason. I believe there is a reason Mr. Freeman is being harder on you than others. You need to figure out what that is.” Her gaze held steady and serious.

  “He already told me. He thinks I’m stupid and too weak to be on the Council.” My skin flushed with anger. How did she think this was all okay?

  “Then you have your answer.” She slipped pens and a stray of paperclip into a drawer. “Prove him wrong. Change his mind. There are no hand-outs here, no matter what your last name is.”

  “What?” I sputtered. “The teachers are always showing favoritisms. Not that I’m asking for favoritism—just fairness.”

  The dean walked around to the front of her desk, gazing down at me. “Fairness…that’s a vague concept around here. The thing you need to understand is that this is a political game. The main players are this Academy, the Council, and the Tromara. By chance, you were born into one of those roles, but you won’t keep it if you fail the game. When you look at this all for what it is, and understand it, then it becomes easier. I suggest you study up and figure out your part in all of this.”

  I stared at her, speechless. She was fucking insane. I backed down, suddenly my skin itched with the need to be out of her office—far away from her.

  “Thank you for your time,” I said, backing away.

  I quickly exited the Dean’s Hall, and sped back to my dorm. This place was creepy as fuck, the people here were all crazy, and I had no idea how to survive. Even if I did live long enough to graduate from the Academy, did I want the life that waited for me? Would that life be with the Tromara king or as the Council Queen? Was one actually better than the other?

  The next night, Montrell acted like his usual self, but didn’t take any of my points. The tension of the other students was palpable. Were they worried I’d go off on him again? More likely, they were worried I’d pissed him off and he’d take it out on them.

  Lana was true to her word, though. She hollered and waved to me as I approached the cafeteria in Sorrentino Hall.

  “You’re late,” she said, tugging on my sweater sleeve. “I’m hungry.”

  “Sorry.” I was pulled along through the lunch line and to a table on the far side of the room. I didn’t usually eat in here, preferring to take my meals in my room, but this must be the shifter section. Everyone looked so normal. Unlike other supernaturals, shifters didn’t have any telltale signs in their appearance, until they morphed forms.

  As we approached, several of them watched us with wary expressions. I smiled and they abruptly turned to face away. What was I doing wrong?

  We settled at one end of a long wooden table, and set our trays in front of us. I dipped a fry in ketchup and munched on it.

  “Tell me everything about you,” Lana said, taking a bite of the burger.

  “Uh…” Where did I begin? “I was raised in the foster system with humans. I didn’t find out about my grandma, and all of this,” I waved an all encompassing hand, “until five months ago.”

  “That’s a pretty exciting story, though I’m sure you’re not telling me the best parts of it.” Lana chewed on another bite. “I’m technically an orphan. My grandpa raised me.”

  “Oh, I’m sorry.”

  She shrugged. “I don’t remember my parents. They both died when I was a baby. Horrible yacht wreck in the South Pacific. How about you? I mean I know how your dad died. What about your mom?”

  I swallowed another french fry. “She was mugged and shot. I don’t remember her much either. I was two.”

  Lana nodded, knowingly. “Where are you from? I’m assuming not from around here
.”

  “Back East. Baltimore. That’s in Maryland.” I picked up my cheeseburger.

  “Oh, cool! I’m from New York. The city.”

  “Which part?”

  “Staten Island.”

  We dove into a conversation comparing winter weather on both coasts, and missing the sunrise over the ocean. Missing the sun in general. It felt so good to talk with someone about home. I hadn’t realized how much I’d missed it.

  After lunch, Lana and I parted ways. I felt a bit lighter, happier about having made a friend.

  I arrived a little early to English class with a mission in mind.

  “Mr. Sharpe,” I said, approaching his desk, “I’ve heard there are ways to get extra credit around here. What can I do?” I was determined to not let Montrell get to me. If I had to work harder, then I would.

  Mr. Sharpe glanced up through thick, black rimmed glasses. “There are many ways to gain extra credit. I have an opening for an office aid before class sessions begin each evening. Would that suit you? You can start tomorrow.”

  That meant getting up early, really early. I nodded. “That’s perfect. Thank you.”

  “You’re a good student, Miss Sorrentino, I’m sure you’ll be a good aid, too.” He smiled warmly. Why couldn’t all the Academy teachers be like him?

  I mentally reorganized my schedule as Mr. Sharpe lectured. Taking on the office aid job might mean that I couldn’t spend so much time with the guys, but if it got me out of the Culling then it’d be worth it.

  In shifter class, I stood next to Lana as we timed each other while practicing rapid shifting techniques. She was achieving half-form fine in five seconds or less, but her full-form was problematic. Once again, I wondered if dragon-shifters had a full-form and, if so, how to morph into it.

  I gazed in the mirror at my scaly skin. There had to be another level from here, but no matter how hard I concentrated no further shifting occurred. At least my morph time was down to four seconds or less.