by Jody Morse
I felt everyone’s eyes on me, obviously curious about what he wanted to talk to me about. Even I was curious—not to mention nervous—about whatever it was.
“I’ll see you later, girl,” Draia said. “Good luck with whatever he’s about to say to you.”
“Thanks.” I had a feeling I needed all of the luck I could get.
As all of the other students began to filter out of the auditorium, I headed towards where Professor Tate was standing.
“Are you going to charge me for the fire damages?” I asked him.
“The fire damages?” He just stared back at me blankly.
“To the curtain,” I explained.
“Oh. No, of course not. The curtain can use a little magic to look like its old self again, but it will be just fine.”
“Oh.” I breathed a slight sigh of relief. I definitely didn’t have the money to pay for a new curtain.
“The reason I wanted to talk to you is because what you did today was… well, it was absolutely incredible.”
“It was?” For me, it had been scary. Panic-inducing. Nerve-wracking. Abso-freaking-lutely terrifying. Those words all definitely described what I had just done. But incredible? I wasn’t so sure about that.
“Usually, those who are new to magic can only make the fire ball grow a little bit in size. Usually an inch or two, at best. Someone with an affinity for fire may be able to turn it into a flame. But no one who I have ever encountered has been able to do what you just did in here on their first attempt, Juliana.” He paused. “So, I wanted to ask you: have you ever been able to manipulate fire—or any of the other elements—on your own?”
“No,” I said quickly, but then I thought about it for a moment. “Actually, there was this one time when I nearly caught the house on fire while trying to perform a séance. At the time, I thought it was something that could happen to any clumsy human, but now I’m not so sure,” I admitted.
“That only further confirms what I’m thinking,” Professor Tate murmured, his golden eyes piercing through mine.
Every time he looked at me, I couldn’t help but feel something stir inside of me. I quickly shook the thought away, though, assuming it was only natural. He was very attractive—inhumanly attractive. But there was just something behind his gaze that made my heart speed up a little.
“Which is what, exactly?” I asked with raised eyebrows.
“I believe that you might have an affinity for fire and, possibly, the other elements,” he replied. “Knowing how effortlessly that fire seemed to happen for you today, I can’t seem to shake the feeling that there might be something there.”
Wow. That definitely wasn’t what I had been expecting him to say. I wasn’t sure what I had been expecting, but it definitely hadn’t been that.
“I think it’s worth further evaluation and some one-on-one instruction,” Professor Tate went on. “What do you think about working with me privately after classes a couple of times a week?”
“Okay,” I agreed with a nod.
“Perfect. I have a faculty meeting this afternoon, but how does tomorrow sound?” I could have sworn that there was a hopeful look behind his eyes.
“Tomorrow works,” I replied.
“Great.” A smile hit his lips. “I really look forward to exploring this with you, Juli.”
My heart sped up again. He had called me Juli. No one, except for close friends, had ever called me Juli before.
And yet, him calling me that felt so… right.
“I’m looking forward to it, too.” And that was an understatement. I actually couldn’t wait—and not just because of how attracted I was to him.
I was also curious to learn more about this affinity… and how to prevent myself from ever using it again.
Chapter 8
Spells and Charms class was held in a tower at the very top of the House of Mage. The walls were all lined with long windows. When I arrived, I was the first and only one in the classroom.
Realizing that I hadn’t even seen the front of the school yet, I moved to stand in front of the windows and stared outside.
There was a moat—yes, an actual freaking moat, just like castles had. Beyond the moat, there were fields, which stretched out for miles and miles upon end. The grass was so green and the fields spanned out endlessly. It made me feel like we were in Ireland or Scotland or something.
My eyes fell on the gate in front of the school then. I wasn’t sure what it was about the gate that left me with an almost haunted feeling. It was similar to the feeling I had gotten when I had seen the House of Darkness for the very first time.
“We’re not allowed to go beyond that gate,” a voice said quietly from behind me.
I jumped and then glanced over to find Kaden standing next to me, staring out the windows, too.
His steel blue eyes moved to meet mine. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you.”
“It’s okay. So, we’re never allowed to leave?” I questioned. The idea of being stuck at this school for the next two years sounded… well, intense. I was pretty sure I would get sick of looking at the stone-gray walls in the classrooms or the dorm room. Even the talking flowers in the garden would probably grow old. It almost made me feel sort of claustrophobic.
“Well, you can leave, but you have to get special permission if you want to leave, depending on the circumstances. There is a town not too far from here where there are places to shop, eat, catch a movie, go bowling, and things like that. They arrange for buses to take us there on weekends. You have to get special permission if you want to go anywhere else in this realm outside of the perimeters of the school campus.” He paused for a moment and glanced around to make sure we were still the only ones in the room. “Students also get to go on Missions sometimes.”
“Missions?” I asked with raised eyebrows.
“It doesn’t happen often, I guess, but every once in a while, Headmaster Crane sends a group of students to go do his dirty work.”
I frowned. “What type of dirty work?”
“I don’t know. It’s always top secret, and the students who are sent on these missions aren’t ever allowed to share what they were sent to do with anyone else,” Kaden explained, his eyes locking on mine. “My brother Corbin was sent on a Mission once, and he wasn’t even allowed to tell me or our parents what he was sent to do.”
A knot tightened in my stomach. I wondered what Headmaster Crane could have possibly wanted Kaden’s brother to do for him, considering he was a warlock. I didn’t have a good feeling about whatever it could’ve been.
“So, I assume that you’re either a witch or a fairy, considering we have two classes together,” Kaden swiftly changed the subject and interrupted my thoughts.
“Actually, I don’t kn—” I started to say, but then I heard the sound of high heels clicking against the stone floor as someone entered the room.
I glanced over my shoulder to find a woman with long blonde hair that fell over her shoulders in loose waves. She appeared to be in her early twenties, at most.
She was, by far, one of the most beautiful women who I had ever seen before in my life. Her light gray eyes popped against her slightly sun-kissed skin.
“You two are early,” she said. “I’m Professor Ryan. You must be Kaden Connor. You bear a striking resemblance to your brother.”
Kaden’s eyes clouded over with a look that I couldn’t quite identify. “No one’s ever said that before.”
I couldn’t help but wonder how she even knew what Corbin Connor looked like, considering he was a warlock and, therefore, she had probably never taught him before.
“And you must be Juliana Montgomery,” Professor Ryan said, her eyes falling on me, scanning me up and down. Something about the way she looked at me made me feel completely uncomfortable.
“How did you know?” I questioned.
“I know all of the students around here,” she replied quietly. “And I’ve never seen you before.” Her eyes fell on mine then, and her red-painted lips
curved upwards into a small smile. “I’ve heard that you are very special.”
“I don’t know about that,” I replied, shifting in my shoes uncomfortably.
“Of course you are. You are a Montgomery, after all,” she replied matter-of-factly. “Please forgive me for my bluntness, but I have to admit that I’m very intrigued by you.”
Before I had the chance to respond, Kaden said, “You’re not the only one.”
A blush rose to my cheeks at his words.
“You’ve only been here for a day, and I hear that you’ve already caused quite the stir around here,” Professor Ryan said, her eyes flitting over to meet mine again. “I’ll be curious to see how your first semester at the Academy turns out.”
At that moment, a bunch of students came into the classroom, taking seats towards the front of the classroom.
“Wanna sit in the back with me?” Kaden asked.
“Sure.” I nodded and followed him to the back of the room. The further away I could get from Professor Ryan, the better…
I took a seat alongside him at the end of the row, next to the window. I loved that I would have a bird’s eye view of the school’s grounds from where I was sitting.
Once all of the seats were filled, Professor Ryan closed the door and took the center of the room. “Welcome to Spells and Charms. I am Katarina Ryan. I’m a witch, and I will be your instructor for this class. This class is usually for beginning magic practitioners, so most of you are first year students. We have a nice mix of witches, fairies, mermaids, and more this semester.”
Could Kaden have been a merman? Draia had said the mermen were really pretty, and there was no doubt that Kaden did fit that description…
“I am honored to get to teach you,” Professor Ryan went on, “as we also have quite an interesting mix of bloodlines this year.” Her gaze moved over to me for a moment before she glanced around the room. “I know that right now, this class probably seems pretty boring to you, but I will assure you that it will be anything but boring. We will take little field trips outside of the classroom to help you better learn how to use the spells and charms we learn in this course. And boring or not, this course is your new reality. The information you learn here will be vital to both your education at Paranormal Academy, as well as your future as a magic user.”
She began to walk around the classroom, her heels clicking as she moved. “Spells and charms are some of the most critical things you can learn as a magic practitioner. You might use them as a part of your day-to-day activities, such as when you’re getting ready for your classes and you can’t find your hair brush.”
Oh, good. I wouldn’t have to forever rely on Ambur to do my hair and makeup for me forever. Even if I learned nothing else in this class or at this school, that alone would be worth it.
“And you might also use spells and charms in some of the gravest, most dire situations you will encounter over the course of your lifetime,” Professor Ryan continued. “Spells and charms can be used to ward off illness and prevent tragic accidents from occurring. With the right amount of practice, magic can be used to save lives. But while they can be used for the greater good, they can also be used to create harm and wreak havoc when they’re used incorrectly or by the wrong magic user.” She glanced around the room. “You’re all at varying levels when it comes to magic. Some of you might know a few charms or spells that your family has taught you. Some of you know no magic at all. That’s okay. In this classroom, we’re going to pretend we’re all on the same playing field, learning spells and charms for the very first time. It’s important for all magic users to receive the best training possible to become better in tune with our powers. In the end, however, what we will find is that some of you will be stronger than others. Some of you”—Her eyes flitted over to meet mine then— “will be more naturally powerful than others, no matter how much instruction they receive.”
I shrank back in my seat. It wasn’t even just her implication that made me feel weird. No, it was the way she looked at me, too.
There was this strange look in her gray eyes as they lingered on mine—a look that gave me a bad vibe.
I wasn’t sure why, but I got this sense that Professor Ryan didn’t like me.
Chapter 9
When the class ended, Kaden followed me out of the room. “That was a bit of a snooze,” he said.
“I’m sure it’s probably just because it’s the first day,” I replied with a shrug. “First days are usually kind of boring, at least in the human world.”
“Maybe,” he agreed. “But it makes me glad we’re in this class together, so I don’t have to face it alone.”
I couldn’t suppress the smile that hit my lips. “I’m glad we have it together, too.”
“Do you have anything to do this afternoon?” Kaden asked.
“No, I don’t,” I replied.
“I keep hearing cool things about this garden. I thought that maybe you might want to go check it out with me.” His eyes darted over to meet mine, and I couldn’t help but think that there was a look of hopefulness in them.
I was curious about the garden, too, but I was even more curious about spending more time with Kaden.
Ambur’s warning from earlier that day echoed through my mind. “You should probably stay away from him.”
Except, I just couldn’t help but think that she was wrong about him. Just because Kaden’s brother was a warlock, it didn’t mean he was, too. In fact, it seemed pretty unlikely that he was a warlock. The warlocks weren’t integrated into classrooms with the rest of us, meaning there was just about no way Kaden could have been one. Regardless of what his brother was, Kaden must have been some other type of magic user. In fact, I was pretty sure that he must have been a witch, since he had seemed to think I was one, too.
So, choosing to follow my heart on this, I nodded. “Sure.”
“Cool.” He shot me a smile and then led me down the stairs to the ground floor of the House of Mage.
Once we were outside, we headed through the stream of students that were just leaving their classes and towers.
Kaden led us over to an empty bench, and we both sat down on it.
“Well, I’ve never seen these two before,” a voice said from behind me, and I turned to find a violet talking. The flowers here didn’t even look like flowers from the human world. They had an almost human look to them, similar to the talking flowers in Alice in Wonderland.
“I haven’t seen them either, but she’s cute,” a pink gerbera daisy said with a giggle.
“He is, too,” a yellow one agreed. “They make a cute couple.”
“We’re not a couple,” I informed the flowers, almost finding it hard to believe that I was having an actual conversation with some flowers.
“Maybe you should be,” the pink one responded. “What are your names?”
“This is Kaden, and I’m Juliana.”
“So, you’re Juliana Montgomery,” the yellow flower piped up.
You had to be kidding me. Even the flowers had heard of me? This was getting ridiculous. Even though Paranormal Academy was turning out to be so much more fun than school in the human world had ever been, I sort of missed how easy it had been to just blend in without anyone caring about me or my name. Here, even the garden knew about me.
Kaden glanced over at me then. “Ignore the flowers. Talk to me.”
One of the flowers huffed loudly.
“Sorry. They’re very distracting,” I replied, shooting the flower a glare and then turning my attention back to Kaden.
“How do you like it here so far?” he asked.
“It’s taking some adjustment,” I replied with a shrug. “But I guess you can say this is my best first day of school ever, and I’ve had a lot of first days of school. How about you?”
“I’m pleasantly surprised,” Kaden replied. “There was always so much pressure for me to come here, since everyone in my family has been. I never wanted to come, but I’m really glad I did. Coming h
ere meant meeting you, after all.”
A blush rose to my cheeks. There was no way I was only imagining it. There was definitely something going on here between us. It was obvious that I wasn’t the only one who felt it.
“I feel like I don’t normally connect with a lot of paranormal beings,” Kaden went on. “But there’s just something about you…” He trailed off.
“Something about me?” I pressed.
“You just seem different from anyone I’ve ever met before.”
“Different how?” I asked.
He opened his mouth to answer me, but at that moment, there was a shriek from across the courtyard.
Glancing in the direction I’d heard it coming from, I saw a large, black feathery bird carrying a brunette girl. The girl screamed as the bird lifted her into the sky.
A group of people, who I assumed must have been her friends, just watched as the bird carried her away.
“Holy crap.” I turned to Kaden. “What is that bird thing?”
“That would be a raven shifter,” he explained. “They’re one of the most dangerous animal shifters there is. Some even compare them to demons.”
“What does it want with her?” I glanced back over at the girl who was dangling from the bird’s talons.
“Probably to feed. They live off the flesh of humans and paranormal beings.”
“And no one’s going to even try to stop it?” I questioned. “They’re going to just let it fly off with her like that?”
“It could be incredibly dangerous—even deadly—for someone to try to stop it,” he explained. “Stopping it would mean putting your own life on the line.”
I swallowed hard. I wanted to do something to help, but I felt so helpless. I also didn’t know enough about this magical realm to try to get involved. All I knew was that this shouldn’t have been happening.
And here, I thought it was supposed to be safe at Paranormal Academy. But Ashleigh had been murdered here two weeks ago, and that girl who had just been carried off by the raven was clearly a goner, so how safe was it, really?
That also wasn’t even to mention that I thought someone could at least try to do something… but everyone seemed to mostly be unfazed by it. It made me wonder how often raven shifters came to the school and just snatched innocent students for no one to really seem to care. Meanwhile, my arms were completely covered in goosebumps.
