Animage Academy: The Shifter School Down Under Year One

by Qatarina Wanders

  She twirled in front of the mirror, unbelieving. She didn't know the girl looking back at her. Elaine had worked her magic, and now Ava's eyes appeared big and smoky, her fake lashes accentuated her look, and her bright pink lips made her look more like a doll than a sixteen-year-old girl. They'd even applied acrylic glittering nails, and added highlights to her hair.

  "You like?" Elaine queried.

  Like? Ava felt like she was about to die of happiness. Sure, she might not have chosen that much makeup for herself, and she thought the shoes kind of made her look like a “lady of the night,”—as her mom would say—but for the first time, as she looked at herself, she felt…sexy. And she no longer felt self-conscious about her dingy brown hair. It was bright and pretty and full of life, thanks to the highlights and the curling iron.

  "I love it all. Thank you. Thank you so much!" Ava gushed, rushing over to throw her arms around Elaine. She heard one of the others cough uncomfortably, but decided maybe she was wrong. After all, it was hard to tell with the dangling earrings making clinking noises in her eardrums. It felt like they were going to mar her hearing permanently.

  "I'm glad." Elaine clapped. "You're perfect."

  "I am?" Ava whispered, then turned to look at herself in the mirror again. "I am!"

  "Good, now let's get to class!" Lois chimed in, flipping her platinum ponytail.

  Ava couldn't wait for Tarun to see her and fall head over heels in love. But she also wondered if the change was too abrupt and maybe she'd overdone it. "You're sure this isn't too much, right?"

  "You look absolutely fabulous," Elaine crooned. "Right, girls?"

  There was a chorus of, "Yes… Of course…" From the others, although Ava was fairly certain she heard Lorraine stifle a laugh.

  Together, they all lifted their individual purses, each competing in size and designer brand name. Ava reached for her simple black shoulder bag, which, until that morning, she had thought was perfect for her.

  "Oh no, you can't take that." Elaine hopped over to her closet again and retrieved a little gold clutch from her stash. "Here you go. But I’ll be wanting this back after you get your own."

  Reluctantly, Ava transferred some of her stuff to the clutch, even though it wasn't as spacious. She was forced to put the rest in her backpack.

  Elaine looked her over one more time and decided it was time to go.

  When Ava stepped out into the hallway for the first time with the popular girls, she felt on top of the world.

  26

  Winta and JiSoo had wasted no time. Immediately after Ava's decision to ditch them, they had run straight to Tarun to inform him of Ava's temporary madness, as JiSoo termed it.

  Tarun's lips turned down. "Are you sure those were her exact words?"

  JiSoo nodded emphatically. "She was out of her mind! You should've seen her! We couldn't talk sense into her, even a little. I even tried to convince her when she stopped back in our room to grab a few things, but she snubbed me. Me!" JiSoo paced back and forth dramatically, gesturing with her hands as if she were performing in a Shakespearean play. She was so riled up that Tarun could barely decipher her Korean accent.

  Scratching his upper lip, Tarun got moving down the hall again. He had been on his way to evening training, but had stopped to give Winta and JiSoo his full attention when they came bounding at him out of nowhere, freaking out about Ava's behavior. And now he could understand why. "That doesn't sound like Ava at all. Don't worry, I'll talk to her if I can get her alone."

  James, trailing along behind Tarun, waved eagerly at Winta.

  JiSoo shot him a glare, then turned back to Tarun and said, "We understand, but that's not the point. It's bad enough that she's being a total jerk, but we all know someone like Elaine is not just going to forgive Ava easily. Ava is about to get seriously hurt. I just know it."

  Tarun stopped walking again. The little pug shifter was completely right. He tousled his white hair and groaned. "We'll see where it goes. But like I said, don't worry. I'll talk to her."

  "Yeah, don't worry, Winta," James said, removing a nonexistent flake from Winta's shoulder.

  Winta just rolled her eyes.

  When Tarun saw Ava with the flock for the first time the next morning, he nearly stumbled on his own two feet. She looked gorgeous, that was certain, but also extremely overdone and not at all like herself. However, one thing could be said: Elaine had brought out something in Ava that she’d been lacking previously.

  Confidence.

  And that confidence was extremely becoming. Unfortunately, she'd also strolled past him like he wasn't there. And he would be blind not to notice pretty much every guy at the school, and even a few girls, looking her over. Some even whistled, and he wanted to beat them up. All these jerks who had been so mean to her just days before shouldn't be allowed to gawk now.

  He knew he had to find a solution. He'd initially thought it would be easy to talk sense into her, but now that he saw her with her nose in the air like that, he knew it would be harder than he expected. In some ways, perhaps it would be better for him to just back off and let her make her own mistakes. She’d learn from them, for sure.

  He'd just made it to his morning class. All the first-years were in this one together. Winta and JiSoo sat together in the back, glaring at Ava. Tarun sat only a few seats away from them, next to James. Ava followed Elaine and the others to the other side of the room, joining them toward the front alongside Deacon and the other predators.

  Suddenly, a voice very close to his ear startled him. "Elaine told me to give this to you." It was Colin, and he passed a note to him before returning to his seat near Ava and the other birds of prey.

  Tarun unfolded the note and looked it over. Elaine's signature perfume wafted to his nostrils.

  Tarun,

  I'm sorry about everything. You were right, I was blinded by jealousy. Let me make it up to you.

  E

  "What’s it say?" James squinted over his shoulder.

  Tarun handed him the note.

  "Geez. What's gotten into her?" James said after reading it.

  "No idea," Tarun muttered.

  "Sounds like she actually feels bad."

  "Ava's friends think Elaine is using her."

  "I guess, but she seems pretty harmless now. You could hear her out at least…" James shrugged one shoulder.

  Tarun shrugged right back. "Anyway, I guess I can talk to her after class. Maybe I can talk to Ava, too."

  Class went by way too slowly for Tarun's liking, but after the instructor dismissed them, he waited for Winta and JiSoo to leave the room before he approached any of the predators. Luckily, Winta and JiSoo were on the side closest to the door, so they exited way before. Instead of leaving with them, he waved them along and waited with James until Elaine came closer to them.

  But before he had a chance to say anything to Elaine, Deacon walked up to them. "Are you trying to bang that African elephant?" he asked James with a sneer.

  Out of the corner of his eye, Tarun could see Elaine disappearing out the door with Ava right next to her.

  Crap.

  "What?" James looked taken aback. "It's nothing. She's just really nice, and funny…and smart…"

  "And huge," one of Deacon's bear friends quipped by his side.

  "And ugly," another said.

  "And filthy." They were on a roll.

  "I heard she trashed her room once, just trying to roll over in her sleep…"

  "Imagine her taking a dump… Whoa!"

  "Enough!" James smacked his fist on the little fold-out desk next to him. Luckily, the teacher was no longer in the room to see his outburst.

  James's face was red, his breathing erratic. But still, he defended her. "She is more human and definitely more beautiful than any of you!"

  None of them had the grace to look ashamed at all. Rather, one of the bear shifters beside Deacon snorted, "A hummingbird and an elephant… Damn! You better hope she never shifts by accident while you guys are gett
ing in on. She'll crush you to death before she even realizes what happened." And then they all burst out laughing.

  That was it. Tarun pressed back, ready to knock someone's teeth out. He couldn't let James take this, and he didn't like the horrible things they were saying about his new friends. Winta was awesome. And besides, Tarun could handle getting beaten up, but James couldn't. Sure, Tarun might get kicked out of the academy, but he highly doubted it because he held a pretty prestigious position—ya know, white tiger and all….

  Unfortunately, he wasn't fast enough. James tried to take the first swing already. Tarun didn't even know if James had been aiming for Deacon, or one of the others, but he missed completely and toppled forward. That didn't stop him though. In seconds, James was back up on his feet, swinging violently again. Tarun shot forward and held him back before he got James teeth knocked out.

  "Let me go!" James flailed. "These assholes have to learn not to talk about people that way!”

  Instead, Tarun pressed him down into the closest seat and stood over him. Moving his hands to James's shoulders, he stared him in the eyes. "Forget it, James. They're not worth the trouble."

  "So cute," Colin chuckled. "Couple of fags."

  Tarun pressed his lips together and just kept staring at James. It was clear they both had the same thought: Kill.

  Then, taking a deep breath, Tarun remembered what was more important. Attending this school was a huge deal, even for him. There was no guarantee he would get to stay if he hurt another student badly enough. Even if it was justified. His entire future would be down the toilet just like that.

  James seemed to come to the same conclusion right when he did because his shoulders softened.

  Tarun stepped back and extended his hand to James, helping him up.

  "Let's get out of here," Tarun suggested. "These guys aren't worth our time."

  Sitting in the next period, waiting for the bell to ring, Ava found herself between the twins. Lois, Breanna, and Lorraine sat to her right. Elaine stood in front of them, shifting her hips back and forth.

  "It's appalling!" Elaine complained.

  "I know, it's like she's blind," Lorraine agreed.

  "Do you think she got dressed in the dark this morning?" Daniella's large lips flattened in disgust.

  The girls were talking about a nearby wolf shifter.

  Frankly, Ava didn't understand what the problem was. They had to wear uniforms anyway, so what didn't they like? Aside from the uniform dress, the girl was wearing knee-high boots and a black sweater. Maybe it was her hair? She was wearing it in kind of a messy bun… Maybe messy buns weren't in style anymore?

  Ava, unlike her new friends, didn't care at all about looks or shoes or purses or piles and piles of makeup. Ava actually thought the wolf girl was beautiful, and she said as much.

  The twins gasped in horror at Ava's revelation, then all the girls started talking at once.

  Finally, Elaine raised her perfectly manicured hand and pressed the side of her hot pink fingernail to her lips and shushed them. "Ava is right."

  Once again, the girls gasped collectively. But Lorraine didn't buy it and opened her mouth to object.

  But Elaine cut her off. "She does have a certain aura about her, right, Ava?"

  Ava nodded enthusiastically. Life was so much better without enemies. Just look at her and Elaine now. After everything they'd been through, Elaine now defended her against the rumors and even against her own flock.

  The only dent in her new shining armor was that Tarun had pulled away from her completely, it seemed. Maybe it was because now Elaine was stuck to her like glue at all times, and he didn't want to go near her. It made sense. Ava knew how much Tarun despised Elaine's clinginess. She would have to have a talk with him the first chance she got. Explain everything. He'd understand.

  Until then, Ava had to focus on changing the way she walked, talked, just carried herself overall.

  And so far, there were already several new boys trying to get her attention. It felt good...she had to admit.

  Ava thought back to the previous class. Tarun had looked gorgeous, as always. And she noticed James and Winta sneaking looks at each other. She smiled at the thought. She was going to have to tease Winta about that—

  Her breath caught in her throat. That's right. Winta was avoiding her now, as was JiSoo. At breakfast, they wouldn't even look at her and they'd sat far away. And the night before, Elaine had insisted she sleep in her room with her—ironic because they used to be roommates—but that also meant she hadn't even seen JiSoo.

  "Mr. Meadowlark is here!" Lois announced next to her. They all got quiet. Ava readjusted in her seat.

  The man approached the podium ahead of them via a rounded set of stairs. Like Sir Waters, he walked with a cane, his cane hitting the floor with a resounding clack every step he took. Dressed in a gray suit, shoulders slumping, and his eyes distorted by big, round, coke-bottle glasses.

  Ava had heard he was a dragon shifter, magnificent in his days.

  But anyone looking at him now would mistake him for weak and hapless.

  He cleared his throat—in the room’s silence, it was like rumbling thunder. "Pop quiz!"

  "Noooooo!" Everyone groaned.

  After he handed out the tests, Ava scanned the questions. They were pretty easy. Mostly about the biogenetic makeup of the shifter race—a subject she had found relatively engaging.

  Three minutes in, the class was interrupted.

  Headmistress Levine marched in with five attendants behind her. Her lips were thinner than usual. Mr. Meadowlark stepped back from the podium to let the headmistress speak. And speak she did! The color of her face was almost the same as the red pant suit she wore.

  "Maybe we have been too lenient—lax even—this semester. That is about to change." She paused, her glare sweeping the class.

  "This morning, someone stole a very important artifact from my office. I am utterly disappointed and, honestly, downright disgusted."

  There was a collective gasp from almost every student in the room. Even Mr. Meadowlark looked horrified.

  "The crown, that has been in my family for generations, is now missing. There will be a school-wide search until we find it. And believe me, we will find it. And also believe me, whoever has it should prepare to go home… After being sent to the authorities."

  When the headmistress left the classroom, the whole class erupted in chatter, the test forgotten.

  Ava tapped Elaine on the shoulder. Elaine was excitedly talking to Daniella, gesticulating widely. Ava ducked to avoid the flailing hand.

  "What's so special about this crown?"

  "You don't even know?" Elaine's lips formed a shocked, extremely red O.

  Ava shook her head. No longer worrying about finishing her quiz because Mr. Meadowlark had left with the headmistress.

  "But you do know the griffin family legend, right?"

  "They create the glamour for the school, yes." Ava tried not to think about the moment that followed with Tarun right after he told her about that.

  Elaine flipped her blonde hair. "That crown was gifted to the original griffin by a sorcerer. Sure, they learned to control their powers without it, but it's still a core part of who they are. And it's essential that it remains here at the academy for all of our protection. Whoever stole it has some serious nerve."

  Ava wondered who would do such a thing and for what reason. None of them, as far as she knew, were sorcerers, so any magic that crown held would be completely lost to them.

  All she could do was hope the person would return it though, then hopefully things could go right back to normal, just with one less shifter at the school.

  "I guess we can go then?" Diana observed. "It looks like class is over."

  They all agreed she was right and collected their belongings to leave.

  "You know what this means for the thief, right?" Elaine said as they exited the classroom.

  "Immediate expulsion?" Ava guessed.

&nbs
p; "Try immediate arrest," Lois sneered.

  Ava's chin jerked back. "Don't you think that's a little harsh? I mean, whoever did it is obviously just a kid, seeing as this is a school.”

  Elaine's head whipped back, and she stared incredulously at Ava for a few seconds.

  Ava tried not to roll her eyes at all the theatrics.

  "What? Harsh? You should see this crown. In fact, Levine's great-great grandmother wore it every day when she was headmistress of the school. It's everything a girl could dream about." Elaine's voice became a little breathy as she spoke about it. "I think there's a picture in the library, actually. C’mon, I'll show you. Then you tell me if you think she should be lenient."

  Elaine took a sharp right turn, now headed for the library, and Ava almost crashed into her.

  For a few seconds, Ava felt a hole burning in the back of her head, and just before they got to the library entrance, she swung around to see who was watching her.

  Tarun.

  His white hair had fallen over his dark eyes, and he made no move to shove it out of the way. As he stared at her, she felt like he silently begged her to come back and talk to him.

  Inwardly, she promised him she would. But for now, she was focused on staying on Elaine's good side. So with a small smile, she swallowed her disappointment, and continued through the halls with Elaine. Everything would be fine. She was sure of it.

  “Do they have any suspects?” someone, a boy, asked from behind her. It looked like all training was officially done for the day for everyone.

  Discreetly, she tilted her head to hear the answer.

  “I heard it has to be a first-year—that’s why Levine came to our hall.”