by Jody Morse
“So, are you saying that I’m here because I’m a witch, too?” I pressed. Though, if I was a witch, I must have been the least powerful witch from our bloodline, considering none of my attempts at magic had ever actually worked.
“Well… perhaps.” Headmaster Crane paused for a moment. “As it turns out, we’re not entirely sure what type of paranormal being you are, Juliana.”
“Wait, let me get this straight. You dragged me all the way to Paranormal Academy and you don’t even know what I am?” I let out a little laugh. “How do you even know for sure then that I’m anything at all?”
“We do know, with absolute certainty, that you are a paranormal being,” he replied matter-of-factly.
“How? Because I’m not going to lie. I’ve never suspected that anything about me could actually be paranormal.”
The headmaster pulled out something that looked like a tablet then. Turning on the screen, he handed it to me. There were hundreds of gray dots moving around on the screen. For about every nine or ten gray dots, there was one red dot.
I glanced up at him, confused. “What is this?”
“You see those dots on the screen?”
I nodded.
“Those are people. This is just one section of the town you’ve been residing in. See those gray dots? Those are humans. The red dots, however, are paranormal beings.” His eyes locked on mine. “This device is able to detect paranormal or magical energy. This is what turns the dots red. Your dot appears as red, so we can see that you are most definitely a paranormal being, Juliana. What we can’t tell from those red dots is your paranormal race. It’s going to take some time for us to pinpoint that, exactly.”
I stared back at him, feeling skeptical about all of this. “Well, if my grandmother was a witch, wouldn’t it make the most sense that I’m a witch, too?”
“It might. However, we can’t be certain.” His lips formed a flat line. “Your genetic makeup is…” He trailed off. It seemed as though he was searching for the right word.
“Is what?” I pressed.
“Well… it’s complicated. You come from not just one but several powerful bloodlines,” he explained. “There is no way you are only human.”
“Several powerful bloodlines?” I questioned with raised eyebrows.
“Yes. On your father’s side you have Emily Montgomery. You also have your father’s father, Harrison Montgomery. He was a werewolf, a direct descendant of the Montgomery werewolves. That may not mean much to you right now, but you’ll learn more about them during your time here. It means that your grandfather was one of the most powerful werewolves in the world,” Headmaster Crane explained.
“Grandma married a werewolf?” I just stared back at him, in total shock. I had never met my grandmother’s late husband. He had died long before I was born. My grandmother had mentioned werewolves over the years, but she had apparently left out the fact that my grandfather had been one.
“She did, indeed. Emily and Harrison met during their time here at Paranormal Academy. They actually held their wedding ceremony on this very campus.”
“So, if my grandmother was a witch and her husband was a werewolf, then what was my father?” I asked.
“The paranormal gene skipped your father, I’m afraid,” Headmaster Crane replied. “I know your father died when you were very young. My condolences.”
“Thanks.” I barely remembered my father, but I wasn’t about to tell him that. I didn’t talk about my father much, not to anyone.
The headmaster paused for a moment. “Your paranormal genes don’t end with your paternal grandparents, Juliana. They run on your mother’s side as well.”
“They do?” I just stared back at him, wide-eyed. My mother had been in prison for nearly my entire life. I had lived with my grandmother until she had passed away four years ago, which was when I had entered the foster care system.
He nodded. “Yes. On your mother’s side, you have your grandmother Louise Randall. Louise came from a line of powerful fairies.”
“Fairies? Fairies are real?” I wasn’t sure why that knowledge surprised me when I was so willing to accept that both witches and werewolves were real. Then again, that was probably because my grandmother had only ever mentioned witches and werewolves to me. For some reason, she had never mentioned fairies.
In hindsight, I wished Grandma had told me everything. I wished had better prepared me for this.
“Indeed, they are. Your grandmother was a very powerful fairy.” He paused for a moment. “Your grandfather on your mother’s side, George Kelly, was a vampire.”
“Am I… a vampire?” I whispered. That was the one thing I didn’t want to be—the one thing I couldn’t stomach the idea of being. Blood made me so squeamish. The last thing I ever wanted was to have to drink blood in order to survive. The idea sounded completely horrifying.
“I think it’s fairly safe to say that you are not a vampire,” Headmaster Crane said. “I could be wrong about that. However, most people who are born vampires begin to develop their bloodlust by the age of sixteen, so it’s likely that you would already know if you were a vampire. You would probably already have a thirst for blood.”
“Oh.” I let out a slight sigh of relief. I really, really hoped he wasn’t wrong about that.
He leaned forward. “Usually, it’s not challenging to place most people into a House, but you, Juliana, are different. I have given much thought to what House I’m going to place you in.”
“I’m not sure what you mean by House,” I replied with a frown.
“We have five Houses here. You can choose to think of them as individual schools within the Academy. Each student is assigned to a House that’s determined by his or her paranormal race. Each House is home to the students’ dormitories, and it’s also where the majority of their classes are held. Sometimes, students do go to separate houses to attend classes. We offer individualized programs, which are based on your paranormal race and what your strengths are,” he explained. “There’s the House of Crimson. The vampires live and study there. Then there’s the House of Water. It’s where the mermaids, sirens, sea witches, and other aquatic paranormal beings live. Then there’s the House of Were. It’s home to the werewolves, cat shifters, bear shifters, and all other animal shifters. There’s also the House of Mage. That’s where you’ll find the witches, fairies, and other practitioners of magic.” He paused for a moment and then continued. “Then, finally, there’s the House of Darkness.”
Somehow, I just already knew it was located in the tower that gave me the creeps.
“That’s where the practitioners of dark magic live,” he explained.
“There are students who practice dark magic here?” I stared back at him dumbfoundedly. I thought that Paranormal Academy was supposed to be a safe school, even if it was for paranormal beings. Why were they letting practitioners of dark magic go here, too? Grandma had told me enough about dark magic for me to know just how dangerous this was.
“Yes. The reason they’re here is to gain control of their dark magic and learn ways to use it for the greater good,” he explained. “They don’t have much interaction with any of the other students and students from other houses never attend their classes, for obvious reasons.”
“Oh.” I supposed that all made sense and at least there were protections in place, but it still unnerved me a little.
“What I can’t figure out is which House to place you in, Juliana.” Headmaster Crane sighed. “But I think I have made my decision.”
“Which house?” Don’t let it be the House of Crimson, don’t let it be the House of Crimson…
His blue eyes locked on mine. “I am going to place you in the House of Mage. I’m not one-hundred percent sure, but I do believe your paranormal race is going to turn out to be a witch or fairy.”
“How do you know?” I questioned.
“I don’t know for sure,” he admitted. “But you do have a fifty percent chance of being one of those two things. Tho
se odds are pretty good—good enough to place you into that house, anyway,” he explained. “But in addition to that, clairvoyance is one of my own abilities.”
“What type of paranormal being are you?” As soon as the words had slipped out of my mouth, I instantly regretted them. “Sorry. I hope it’s not rude of me to ask that.”
“No, it isn’t rude at all.” His bright blue eyes locked on mine. “What type of paranormal being do you think I am? I’ll give you five guesses.”
“I’m not sure.” Part of me thought that he must have been something magical, especially since he was a clairvoyant. “A warlock?”
“You think I practice dark magic?”
“No…”
“There’s an age-old myth in the human world. Most humans are under the impression that warlocks are male witches. This is incorrect, I’m afraid. Warlocks can be both male and female. They’re simply bad witches—users of dark magic. That’s why you’ll find them at the House of Darkness. Good witches—both male and female—are simply known as witches.”
Another thing Grandma had never explained to me. “Well, are you a witch then?”
The headmaster shook his head. “I’m afraid not.”
“A werewolf?” He was pretty tall, just like Brett, though he was built very different. He wasn’t as muscular as Brett, and he wasn’t nearly as broad-shouldered.
“No.” He grinned. “Save the rest of your guesses for later. This is a fun little game I like to play with all of the new arrivals. It keeps them on their toes. I’ll let you know if you figure out the correct answer, but chances are you won’t figure it out. Only one student has ever guessed it correctly. That being said, give yourself some time to think about it. Right now, we should get you settled into your dorm room. Your classes will start first thing in the morning, so it’s important for you to get a good night’s rest.”
“There are classes on Sundays here?” I asked with raised eyebrows.
“We don’t generally have classes on weekends, unless it’s for extra credit. Tomorrow, however, isn’t Sunday. It will be Monday in our realm. Tomorrow is the first day of class for everyone, so you won’t be the only new student—though you are the only new junior, I’m afraid. Most of our students start out when they’re freshmen.”
“Why didn’t I start out as a freshman?” I couldn’t help but worry that I would be so much more behind than the students who actually had gotten to start out as freshman.
“There was a little bit of a mix-up regarding getting you here,” he murmured. I waited for him to elaborate on the mix-up, but he didn’t. Instead, he reached into his desk drawer and handed me a thin booklet. “Here’s a pamphlet about the academy that you’ll probably want to take a look at. Now, go to my front desk. You’ll find my secretary Kelsea there. She’ll lead you to the dormitories.” Pausing for a moment, he glanced over at me. “And Juliana? Good luck.”
“Thanks,” I muttered under my breath as I rose to my feet. I wasn’t sure why, but I just had this feeling that I was going to need all of the luck I could get.
Walking out of his room, I headed down the hallway and over to the front desk. There was a young-looking girl with short platinum blonde hair sitting there, typing something into the computer.
She glanced up at me. “Are you ready for me to take you to your dorm now, Juliana?”
“Are you Kelsea?” I asked as she rose from her chair. It was hard for me to not take notice of her height. I was only five foot three, and she felt incredibly short next to me. She must have been about four foot eight or nine, if I had to guess.
“The one and only.” She paused. “Well, there are other Kelsea’s out there in the world somewhere, but I’m the only one at Paranormal Academy. The only one that I know of anyway, and I know pretty much everyone around here.”
“You’re Headmaster Crane’s secretary?” I just eyed her curiously.
“The last time I checked, I was.” She paused for a moment and then glanced up at me nervously. “Why? Did you hear that someone else might be replacing me?”
“No. You just look really… young.”
“Oh, sweetheart! I’m one hundred and three years old,” she said, waving her hand at me.
“You are?” She looked like she couldn’t have been more than thirteen—maybe fourteen, if I was being generous. And aside from her child-like appearance, there wasn’t even the slightest sign of aging on her face.
“I’m an elf. See.” She pushed her short blonde hair back, revealing her pointed ears.
“Oh.” Of course she was an elf. Why hadn’t I figured that out on my own?
Because I wasn’t used to living in a world where there were paranormal beings, clearly.
“You’re in for a real treat. The House of Mage has really, really nice dorm rooms,” Kelsea told me as she led me out of the building and began to walk in the direction of the tower to the left. “The building was recently restored, so it’s much nicer than all of the others. The dorms are separated by gender, with the girls’ dorms being located in the right wing and the boys’ dorms being located in the left wing. You’ll have two roommates. Everyone here gets two roommates—except for the shifters, of course, because, well, obviously that would be dangerous. We can’t have them shifting in the middle of the night and attacking one another, you know? So, they all get their own dorm room.” She shot an apologetic look in my direction. “It’s too bad Headmaster Crane didn’t decide to place you with the shifters. I know it was something he considered. But that’s okay. I’m pretty sure you’re going to love your roommates. They’ve been here since they were freshman and they’re both really nice.” She lowered her voice a little. “Go easy on them, though. Their last roommate recently died on campus.”
My eyes widened. “She died? I thought this place was supposed to be safe.”
“It is as safe as it can possibly be, but even here, things happen that are out of our control sometimes,” Kelsea replied quietly.
“How did she die? I thought the students who went here were practically immortals.”
“Well, actually, you’re all mostly immortal. Some of you—including witches and shifters—age at a much slower rate than humans, but almost every paranormal being can be killed somehow.”
“How was she killed?” I pressed.
Kelsea turned to me, a sad look in her light eyes. “Ashleigh was murdered.”
Chapter 3
A knot in my stomach twisted. “Who murdered her?”
“There are no suspects in the investigation yet, I’m afraid,” Kelsea replied as she led me into the House of Mage.
“How long ago did this happen?” Truthfully, I wasn’t entirely sure I wanted to know.
“About two weeks ago.”
I frowned. “I thought classes start today.”
“They do, but students sometimes get here early or they stay during our spring and winter breaks,” she explained. “Ashleigh and her roommates—your new roommates—always stayed during the breaks.”
I allowed everything she was saying to sink in—and realized exactly what it meant. I was going to be sleeping in the bed of a dead girl.
A thought occurred to me then. What if one of my new roommates was the killer?
I glanced over at Kelsea. “Ashleigh wasn’t killed in her dorm room, was she?”
“No, she wasn’t. Her body was found in the water fountain after curfew.”
“There’s a curfew here?” I asked with raised eyebrows.
Kelsea nodded. “Yes, you all need to be in your House by nine p.m. on school nights and eleven p.m. on weekends.” She glanced over at me. “The curfew is in place for a reason, Juliana, so you’ll want to abide by it. Ashleigh might not have died if she hadn’t been out after hours.”
I wondered what happened after curfew hours that could have been so dangerous. We were paranormal beings, after all. Shouldn’t that have made it so we could defend ourselves better than humans could?
Well, for those who were actuall
y in tune with their powers. I still wasn’t even convinced that I had any, personally.
Kelsea led me up a flight of stairs then. I didn’t ask any more questions about Ashleigh. I couldn’t help but think the less I knew, the better. Ignorance is bliss, right?
We came to a large living area. There were sofas and a large flat screen TV that hung from the wall. It looked completely… well, human.
“This is the girls’ lounge,” Kelsea explained, “People hang out here after their classes or study here together. It’s probably empty because people are just getting back or are still at the Dining Hall for dinner. Your lunch time will vary according to your class schedule, but breakfast is always served at seven a.m. and dinner is served at six p.m.” She led me past the girls’ lounge. “These are the dorm rooms. Your room is number three. Here’s a key.” She handed it to me. “Keep it safe. It’s magical. It will only work for you.” She handed it to me. “The room is right at the end of that hallway.”
“Okay, great. Thank you, Kelsea.”
“Of course. If you need anything at any time, please don’t hesitate to let me know. It was nice to finally meet you, Juliana.”
There it was again. Everyone kept saying it was nice to finally meet me. It was as though everyone had known for so long that I would be coming to Paranormal Academy when I hadn’t even known until, literally, yesterday. I wasn’t sure why this bothered me so much, but it did.
When I reached my dorm room, I knocked. No one answered. I wondered if my roommates were still at the dining hall for dinner.
Unlocking the door with the key Kelsea had given me, I stepped foot inside the room.
The room was very spacious—far bigger than most of the rooms I’d ever had at the foster homes I’d been in. It looked more like a regular bedroom than any college dorm room I had ever seen or envisioned.
There were three queen-sized beds in the room, two against the wall closest to the hallway and the other adjacent to them.
The one bed had a sparkly purple comforter. There was lettering on the wall that read: Ondraia.
