by Avery Cross
“Oh no, don’t do that. Trisha would kill me.”
“She’d only know if you told her. She doesn’t go here, remember?”
Trisha was a year older than us, but she’d been a friend of ours since we were all younger. I said a long time ago those two would wind up together and I was pretty sure as soon as Hunter finished his two years of service, he was going to ask her to marry him. Poor girl. I smirked, sipping my coffee.
“What are you going to do?” Hunter asked, and my moment of peace was gone.
“I’ll think of something.” I stood to get to my first class and maybe get my head where it needed to be.
My senior year was meant to be hard, but not like this. Briar was fighting tooth and nail, and though in the beginning, I thought it was against me just because she hated me. Now, I sensed it had to do with herself. She had yet to find her center, and I hardly knew anything about her except she had a relative here at some point, and she had more insight than I did on the disappearances still. Though I told myself repeatedly there was nothing to worry about, I couldn’t stop myself from still doing some digging. If nothing else, it got my mind off my troubles with Briar for a while.
Today, things were going to change. She’d walked out on most of her lessons with me, but not this time. I never thought I’d have to use this trick against her, but she was leaving me no choice. If she wanted to play rough, then we were going to play rough.
I made sure the stone circle was prepared long before Briar joined me. She dumped her bag on the bench and came over without my having to ask. I was going to try and be polite, ask her how her Monday was, but the bags under her eyes and the strain on her face was enough to tell me something was eating away at her.
“Ready for another try?” I cut right to the lesson.
“Sure,” she murmured and stepped into the stone circle, sat down, and waited for me.
She would either thank me or hate me forever for what I was about to do. I had no other option. She was running around with two of the most unstable elements in her with no understanding of how to control them, and if she wasn’t careful, they were going to start manifesting badly. She would either hurt herself or hurt someone else. Possibly me, possibly today.
“We’re going to do this a little differently this time.” I reached out to touch the nearest stone, felt it warm under my hand, then I sat down across from her.
“How?”
One-word sentences. My favorite.
“You’re going to talk through this problem aloud until you figure out what your center is, and we finally have a starting point.”
She stared at me for a full minute without saying a word before she stood up.
“You’re not walking away, not this time,” I said lightly as she neared the stones.
“Did it ever occur to you that maybe this was all a mistake?” she asked sharply.
“That what was? The choosing?” I shook my head. “They don’t make mistakes. The elements have always been a part of you. It’s just that moment they finally have the chance to show themselves.”
She laughed, but it was far from happy. “No, this, all of it. That I’m not meant to be here.”
“You wouldn’t have been sent a letter if you weren’t. Is that what this is all about?”
Her laughter died, and she crossed her arms, looking so unlike the girl I met that first day. She seemed lost all of a sudden and alone. “No, it’s not.”
“Then what is wrong? Just talk to me, damn it.”
“It’s none of your damned business.”
She turned to leave again, but when she reached the stones, she ran right into the invisible barrier of magic I’d erected. She pressed again, cursing as she banged her fists on it, but nothing happened.
“What did you do?”
“You’re not leaving, not until we get this sorted out.”
She didn’t turn around, instead she kept bashing her fists on the barrier.
“Shroud, it’s not going to break so just stop.”
“No,” she snapped, hitting it over and over again. “I don’t belong here. I just need to leave and… go—go somewhere else. Just let me out.”
Her voice cracked, and I hated myself for pushing her this hard. I didn’t move, didn’t say a word, just watched as she beat at the wall as if it was her greatest enemy.
Eventually, her hits slowed, and her shoulders sagged.
“The key to magic, to everything that makes up your world, is to know yourself,” I said gently. “We all have to go through it, facing who we really are.”
She sniffed as she spun around, those fists stiff at her side and looking like she was ready to deck me. It was the one time I might’ve let her.
“Face who I really am.”
“Yes,” I stated firmly, hoping we were getting somewhere. “I did it. We all have to.”
“Right, and can you tell me what the hardest part of your life has been so far?”
I leaned back, not sure where she was going with this. “I told you when you arrived, it’s better to not let your past hold you back.”
“You say that like it’s easy,” she yelled, furious. “But it’s not, alright. Not even close.”
“Shroud—”
“No. You meet me, and all you do is give me lecture after lecture, telling me how to do this or that, and thinking that you know everything about me. Well, you don’t.” She paced away from the barrier, walking around the circle.
I kept a wary watch on her in case she lashed out at me.
“You didn’t grow up with a mom who only ever cared about her next fix, not caring what or who she had to do to get it. You didn’t live your life wondering if it was safe to go to sleep at night because of who your mom brought home, or the place she brought you to wasn’t even your own home. You’ve never slept on the streets or been tossed around from one family to another. I don’t know any other family except the mom that’s incarcerated, again.”
I half-expected her to break down in tears, but there were no tears in her eyes as she ranted, just years of pent-up anger that finally had an outlet. I watched her closely, living flames appearing in those pupils. And her hands… her hands were shimmering in and out, but she wasn’t even paying attention.
“Shroud, take a breath,” I tried to say, but she threw her hands up in the air and kept on yelling.
“You have no idea how strong I’ve had to be all this time. Watching others around me live happy lives, see their dreams coming true, be with the person I care about.” She shook her head, and her hair spilled out of her braid over her shoulders. “That’s all my life’s been, and I will not have you stand there and give me one more lecture about how I should be. I’m a failure, just like my mom, alright? That’s all I am.”
There were tears now, but she was still standing tall and proud as they streaked down her face. Her hands were shimmering even more, and as I blinked, flames burst to life in her palms.
“Briar, look down.”
She looked ready to snap at me again, but then she did as I said and flinched. “Holy crap.”
“That’s one way to describe it,” I agreed , stepping closer.
“I’m sorry, I have no idea how I’m doing this.”
“Your anger isn’t anger, Briar.”
She arched a brow at me.
“It is, but there’s so much more buried beneath it. You’ve let it be your guiding force when you should’ve let it be what your center is.”
“I told you I don’t know what that is, except failure.”
I sighed, annoyed, and reached for her hand, making the flame rise a few inches higher. “You are not a failure. Do you see this, right here? You’re using both elements at once because you are strong.”
“I don’t think that’s it,” she mumbled, uncertain.
“Yes, it is. That’s who you are, that’s who’ve always been. Unyielding strength. You said it yourself all the shit you’ve been through, and you’ve never broken down once, have you
? You didn’t even break down here, as much as you acted like you wanted to—you stayed. You tried,” I pointed out. “This is who you are, right here.”
The flames grew larger, and as she narrowed her eyes, they shrank back down. The shimmering of her hands dissipated, until they were solid once again. Carefully, she closed her hands, and the flames disappeared. She gave me a funny look then to my surprise, burst out laughing.
“What’s so funny now?”
“You. You’re the only one brave enough to push me this hard.” She held out her hand for mine. “Thanks.”
I took hers, dramatically placing my hand to my chest and letting my jaw drop in shock. “My word, did you just tell me thanks? The hardheaded, rebellious Briar Shroud? Never thought I’d live to see this day.”
“Keep it up, and I’ll set you on fire,” she warned.
She smiled as she said it and the tension between us ebbed. I reached out and touched one of the stones, releasing the barrier that held her back.
“Neat trick. Something else I get to learn?”
“Depends on your career choice,” I said. “Now then, are you ready to really get started and see what you’re capable of?”
“Think I’ll astral project today?”
“Why don’t we take it slow? Spirit isn’t like the other elements,” I explained as we returned to our seats in the grass.
She was much more relaxed now and still smiling as she listened.
Damned if that smile wasn’t something I could get used to seeing. “This element allows a summoner to… manipulate the world around them.”
“That sounds like fun,” she mused.
“It is. And it can be dangerous.”
She rolled her eyes. “Does everything you tell me have to come with fine print?”
“Don’t blame me the elements chose you.” I grinned.
I didn’t tell her I was still concerned about her red aura being mixed with fire and spirit, but now that we’d busted down a few of her walls, fingers crossed, her aura would start to shift a bit toward a less disastrous color. I walked her through meditation practices to really get in touch with her center, now that we knew what it was, and by the end of the two hours, I was happy we’d finally gotten somewhere.
“In a few weeks, maybe longer,” I told her as we left the stone circle, “we’ll start trying to have you astral project, but we have to take it slow. It’s not the easiest skill to use.”
“Can I lose a limb or something?”
I said nothing, and her eyes widened in panic until I laughed, and she punched my shoulder.
“No, but you can become trapped outside of your body.”
“Yeah, don’t think I want to do that.”
I hadn’t said much after her rant about her life, but as she picked up her tote, making ready to head back to her quarters, I reached out and gently touched her arm. “Just so you know, I’m meant to be your mentor for more than just classes. If you ever need to talk… I just want you to know that you can talk to me. My life might’ve been easier than yours, but I’ve had my fair share of hardships,” I added, thinking about how I’d lost my dad.
She nodded and smiled, but this time there was something more behind it I couldn’t quite read. “And what if I want a friend to talk to instead of a mentor?”
“Then you just have to say the word.”
“I’ll keep that in mind. See you at dinner?”
“Yeah, yeah. I’ll be there.”
She walked away, and I could’ve smacked myself in the head.
I’ll be there? That’s what you’re going with?
It was true I’d been out of the dating thing for a long time, but I didn’t think I was that rusty. If only Hunter could hear me now, trying to flirt, I’d never hear the end of it. Was I trying to flirt though? Now that I knew more about Briar, I felt we would have a chance at getting somewhere, with her lessons and with each other, but I was meant to be her mentor. Guide her, not find ways to get her to date me. I grunted all the way back to my quarters, dropped off my stuff, and took a quick shower before I headed downstairs to join Hunter for dinner.
He sat in our usual spot, and I plopped down beside him.
“I’m confused by your face.” He shoved a roll in his mouth.
“One of these days you’re going to choke,” I mumbled, picking at a bit of steak.
“Possibly, but don’t change the subject.” He swallowed and took a large gulp of water. “Did today go as planned or not?”
I shrugged. “You could say that.”
“Then why do you look so confused?”
I wasn’t sure what to tell him and settled with the truth. “I pissed her off.”
Hunter sniggered. “And was that what you were going for?”
“It got her to finally tell me what was holding her back and we had a breakthrough.”
Now Hunter was the one looking confused. “Am I missing something? You should be celebrating, right? This is good. You can finally start teaching her.”
“Yeah, fantastic.”
I was about to finally start eating when a familiar laugh met my ears. My head shot up to search for her, I considered joining her for dinner, but then I saw who was already chatting it up with her and stabbed my fork into my steak. Hunter glanced at me, then around before he let out a whistle.
“What?” I snapped.
“Nothing, just interesting. Never thought you to be the jealous type. I’m assuming this is the part you’re not sure about.”
“I’m not jealous.”
“Tell that to your poor steak. What did it ever do you?”
I shook my head and shoved my plate aside, no longer hungry as I tried to figure out what the hell was going on with me. Nothing distracted me, ever, and then Briar came along, and it’s like I was a first-year all over again, without a care as to what my grades looked like. She’d been on my mind from day one, and it was starting to annoy me as much as drive me crazy that I wouldn’t let myself do anything about it.
“Why don’t you just ask her out?”
“I’m her mentor.”
“And there is no strict rule anywhere stating you can’t date her,” he reminded me. “It’s more of a moral guidance, but it’s not enforced.”
Carter was grinning as he reached out and played with a strand of Briar’s hair.
My gut clenched, and I rose from my seat, telling Hunter I’d see him later. He asked if he should bring me some food, but I didn’t answer and stalked out of the hall. I passed by them on my way out, and when Carter met my gaze, he winked at me, arrogant bastard.
I walked faster to get away from him before I did something I’d regret.
I was going to head straight back to my quarters when I spotted Ivan exiting the main building. He glanced around suddenly, and I ducked out of sight, not sure why I didn’t want to be spotted by him. I waited a few beats then glanced around the corner to find him gone. Curious what he was up to this late in the evening, I followed, keeping my distance, exiting and creeping into the shadows of the nearby trees.
A car was parked on the drive as the magic that lit the cave dimmed to that of a sunset. When Ivan was at the car, the back door opened, and a tall man emerged, dressed in a black robe. He threw the hood back, his bald head covered in tattoos. He stretched out an arm for Ivan’s, and when the sleeve pulled back, there were more tattoos there, too.
Who the hell is this guy?
They were talking too quietly for me to hear. I should’ve just gone back inside, but Ivan kept looking around as if worried he’d be spotted. Of course, that made me curious. More curious. I chanced casting a simple spell to amplify my hearing for just a few minutes, and their words became clear.
“—be careful. I heard him mention the disappearances.”
“Which ones?” the man asked.
“Years ago, none more recent. You said no one would know.”
“And they shouldn’t. I suggest you keep an eye on your student population. There are no r
ecords of those students, yes?”
“As far as I know, they’ve been removed.”
“Perhaps you should check again to be sure.”
“I said, they’ve been taken care of, all of them” Ivan snapped. “Are the rest of the plans set in motion?”
“For the moment our plan is still a go, providing there are no distractions.”
The man’s gaze suddenly shifted, and I cursed, removing the spell the same time I ducked down below the bushes, hoping he hadn’t caught sight of me. Pulse hammering, my mind raced with everything I just overheard. Student records, they’d been removed. What the hell for? And what recent ones? Had more students disappeared?
A few moments later, I heard a car door slam, and drive away. I counted a full minute before I stood. Ivan was nowhere in sight. I started to hurry out of the shadow of the trees toward the dorms, knowing other students would be leaving the dining hall soon enough, when a heavy hand landed on my shoulder.
I froze, swallowing back the foreboding in my gut as I turned.
“Zachary, what are you doing out here skulking about,” Ivan asked, the same stoic look on his face as always.
I threw him a charming smile and shrugged. “Thought I’d enjoy an evening stroll.”
“Is that all?”
“Yes. First week of classes. A lot of pressure.”
His hand tightened for a second before he removed it. “The evening air can do wonders to clear a muddied head,” he agreed. “And how is Miss Shroud coming along with her training?”
My cheeks hurt from the effort of keeping my grin in place. “She’s doing well, still adapting to magic, but she’s going to be an excellent summoner once we really get into what she’s capable of.”
“Good, I shall let Headmaster Hooke know of her progress.”
I wanted to ask him why, but let it go. “Yeah, thanks, that’d be… that’d be great.”
“Very well then.”
He stared at me a few more seconds.
I took that as my cue to leave. Had he seen me pop out of the shadows or not? I walked faster, feeling his eyes on me the whole time.
I had convinced myself over the last week that Briar had really been mistaken about the missing students, but now that bit of conversation all but confirmed what she told me. And they were talking about new cases. I tried to recall any students just vanishing, but none came to mind. Something happened at Academy; Ivan and that robed man seemed to be trying to cover it up. And those tattoos, they had a meaning, one I swore I knew, but couldn’t think of it with Ivan’s glare still boring into my back.
