Second Chance Hope: a paranormal reverse harem academy adventure (Second Chance Academy Book 3)

by Ella J. Smyth

  The teacher, Mr. Whitehall, was lecturing on a new subject. I barely paid any attention. I forced myself to listen for a few seconds, but then my mind drifted off again.

  “… you can augment speakers to act like microphones. Imagine the possibilities.”

  No, thank you. I was already exhausted “imagining the possibilities” of downloading data from any PC just by walking past it. Or turning a hard drive into a remote control bomb through the power of our minds. And there I went again. Off down another mental rabbit hole, remembering Lillian, remembering Sibelius’s broken body, remembering…

  Hold on.

  My mind latched on to something I hadn’t considered before. I kept my eyes trained on my notebook with my pen resting on the paper, but I wasn’t taking notes as my thought processes sped up.

  The USB stick I’d found had been augmented to a massive degree. No matter how much I practiced, I’d never managed to enlarge the memory capacity of any hard or flash drive to more than triple or quadruple the amount. If I pushed any harder, my lightning power frizzled the inside of whatever equipment I was working with. Lillian had been the only to succeed with any challenge posed to us.

  But it only now struck me as strange that the list had been on a USB drive with a capacity of a hundred times what it should have been. There were literally only a few people at the Academy who could do that.

  I slowly lifted my head and blinked as clues fell into place. I’d had my suspicions about Mr. Whitehall before. Was he involved in more shit than just training us to be wannabe spies?

  The girl behind me poked my back. “Stop staring at the teacher. He’s gonna call you up.”

  Oh, crap. She was right. I relaxed my face, but it was too late.

  Whitehall smirked and said, “Amber Whitman. Please come up front and show us what I just explained.”

  “I’m sorry, Mr. Whitehall. Could you repeat what you said? I was having trouble with my pen and got distracted.”

  The teacher’s smirk turned into a scowl. “You think you’re better than us, Amber? You think, because you’re interning for the head witch, I’ll let you off? No. I’ll report to Ms. Farkas you were late today, and you didn’t pay attention. Let’s see how many permanent marks it takes for you to never leave this place.”

  The blood drained from my face. I felt dizzy. This was exactly what I’d wanted to avoid. But there was nothing I could do. I was stuck here, without any means to get help from the outside.

  I slipped deeper into my seat as Whitehall called up another student. Soon, my thoughts were off again. Despite pretending to take copious notes, I honestly wouldn’t have been able to recollect what I was writing down. Some part of my brain ran on autopilot, while the other part was back in the dark room, with the incubus dying in my arms.

  Something else Sibelius had said flashed through my mind. He’d mentioned Kiernan. Not by name, but I’d known immediately who he’d meant. Julian had told me what Kiernan was. I just hadn’t known he and Sibelius had been related.

  There was no way Kiernan would have been aware. After all, he’d only just found out about his biological father himself. I doubted he’d had anything to do with the shit show at the Academy.

  But what if his sexual powers were the reason my protection bags hadn’t worked? What if it had been his fault Julian nearly died?

  I was still pondering the implications when everybody got up and filed out of the room. I looked around frantically. Lance and Beth had already disappeared in the hallway.

  I jumped up, grabbed my stuff, and rushed after them. Ignoring the students’ irritated glances, I pushed through them until I was within eyesight of Lance.

  I put on an extra spurt of speed, when time slowed down like a nightmarish déjà vu. Once again, Lawson blocked my path.

  26

  I came to a sudden stop and watched helplessly over the man’s shoulder as Lance entered the sports hall. Lawson’s face showed no emotion. His eyes were cold, staring at me with as much feeling as a hunting dog would show a fox.

  I briefly considered making a run for it, but the Head of Security grabbed my arm. “Come on. You know the drill. Farkas wants to see you.”

  He pulled me towards the main building, and like before, his grip hurt. I wanted to dig my heels in, to offer some kind of resistance, but it wouldn’t be of any use. He was too strong. My knees shook as he dragged me along. I was terrified. Maybe he’d killed Sibelius, maybe he hadn’t. But if he wasn’t the murderer, he knew Strickland had done it, and he was okay with it. That made him just as guilty in my book.

  As we walked up the stairs, Lawson didn’t utter a word. I kept stealing glimpses at him, trying to find some clue as to what awaited me. Lawson’s face stayed immobile. Digging deep for some courage, I asked, “So did she say why she wanted to see me?”

  That got me a side glance, but no response. Something was up. The stillness of his expression was wigging me out. I gulped and kept quiet until we arrived at Farkas’s office.

  Lawson shoved me into the room, but this time, he followed me inside and closed the door behind him. I looked over my shoulder. He leaned against the frame, his arms crossed, not meeting my gaze.

  “Amber.”

  My attention snapped to Farkas. Shaking her head, she repeated, “Amber. I really thought you were working on rehabilitating yourself while you’re here. Instead, you stole a memory device. It was recovered from your room, so don’t even try denying it.”

  What? Was that where the USB stick disappeared to? Maybe if I play innocent?

  I made my eyes round and said, “I found a stick, that’s true. I thought Sharon had lost it, so I picked it up to give it back to her. But she wasn’t there, so I left it in my pants. I assumed I must have dropped it, and then with all that happened with Sharon, I forgot about it.”

  Farkas’s expression grew even more glacial, if that were possible. There was something in her eyes that scared the crap out of me.

  She approached me with the menace of a rattlesnake, poised to strike. When she was right in front of me, she said so quietly I had to strain my ears to hear her.

  “A little birdy tells me you found my plaything in the cellar underneath the academy. I’m so sorry it was broken. But I believe you got some use out of it.”

  My eyes widened, and I literally stopped breathing. She had to have been referring to Sibelius. All the while, I’d thought nobody had noticed I’d been down there. I kept forgetting I now lived in a magical world. My normal human experiences didn’t apply anymore. Mages and witches apparently didn’t need cameras to find out what was happening underneath their noses.

  My voice sounded squeaky. “What are you going to do with me?”

  “Oh, my dear. I won’t be doing anything to you. But you know too much. It’s not safe to have you around. I would have preferred to wait a little longer, but you are now strong enough to fetch a good price.”

  What did she mean? A noise behind me made me turn my head. Lawson had pulled something out of his jacket and was pointing it at me. I gasped as I recognized the taser he’d used on Matt and Lance. My gaze flew to his hard eyes, already knowing I’d find no mercy there.

  Lawson said flatly, “It’s up to you. You can come quietly, or I’ll make you. Your choice.”

  I gulped. I didn’t want to be hit by that horrible machine. I was about to say, “I’ll come with you,” when Lawson shrugged. “Actually, I don’t care.”

  The next moment, a pain like none other lit me up. Where the taser had hit my skin, a flare of burning pain spread across my entire body. My muscles cramped. I’ve had charley horses before, but this was much, much worse. More like one hundred charley horses all at once.

  I tried to scream, but I couldn’t get my mouth to work. My eyes rolled backwards, and I was sure every single hair on my body stood up.

  It might be electricity, but this was different from being hit by lightning. I was immune to my own power, yet I had nothing to counter the agony pulsating through
me. Shaking and spasming, I lost balance and toppled. By the time the floor approached me, my vision turned black. I didn’t even feel the impact.

  The first thing I noticed was a male aftershave. Something woodsy. Not as sexy as Kiernan’s scent, but pleasant nonetheless. I was upright, supported under my arm and around my body. My head rested on a strong shoulder.

  It took me a while to figure out I was being carried across the campus. My arm was draped over Lawson’s neck, and next to me walked a tall man, holding onto my waist. It all came back to me.

  Ugh, how could I ever think I liked Lawson’s aftershave? I knew I’d never be able to smell that particular scent again without being thrown right into this moment.

  Suspended between the two men, my toes were dragging along the ground. My muscles didn’t work. No matter how much I tried to move, I could barely turn my head.

  “Where are you taking me?” I slurred.

  Lawson ignored me and looked straight ahead. I repeated the question. This time, he answered. “I’m taking you where abominations like you belong. I’ve been wanting to do this since you got here, you murderous bitch.”

  Whoa, tell me how you really feel. If I could have, I’d have said something pithy in response. But the weird whammy I was under made it hard to be think.

  “Shunts like you shouldn’t be allowed to live. If it were up to me, I’d round you all up and make sure you never take another breath.”

  The strange paralysis had begun to dissolve from my head down. I could twitch my fingertips and speaking became easier. “What have I done to you?”

  I really wanted to know. I couldn’t understand where his hostility came from. After all, I’d been an innocent victim of the magical reactor explosion. If anything, it was magical people like him who’d put this burden on innocent humans.

  “It’s your own fault,” he snarled. “There’s gotta be something rotten in your character ‘cause good folks don’t get corrupted. But you know what? We’ve got a plan to take care of you. When we’re done, there’ll only be Duds and Magic-Borns. The new world order doesn’t have a place for abominations like you.”

  I’d watched men like him on TV when my dad turned on the latest debates. He was a magical supremacist, believing humans who acquired magical powers deserved to die.

  “I saw your parents. They’re happy to be rid of you. Already have a new kid adopted. Somebody who isn’t a degenerate.”

  Now he’s done it. I’m gonna burn the fucker. I was so angry, my lightning power flared underneath my solar plexus. It was hot and familiar, a never-ending source of deadly electricity. But when I tried to pull it up into my arms to strike the asshole, nothing happened.

  Lawson laughed. “You’re trying to hurt me? Don’t bother. The spell Farkas used will keep you immobilized and helpless until we get you to the other side.”

  The other side? Was that a euphemism for killing me? A wave of fear threatened to break over my head, but I fought for control until it subsided. I couldn’t help the sweat on my palms. Serves them right if it gets all over their clothes.

  We were nearly across the square in the center of the U-shaped academy building, when I heard familiar voices. Lance’s deep timbre was unmistakable, and so was Beth’s quick response. But then a third person said something with an Irish brogue. Kiernan? What the hell is he doing here?

  The two men had already dragged me past them. My boyfriends and roommate were so engrossed in their conversation, they hadn’t seen me.

  It was now or never.

  27

  This might be my only chance. With all my strength, I flung myself backwards, surprising both Lawson and his goon. The tall man’s arm tightened around my waist, but I managed to twist as I fell. My jacket was made of smooth microfiber, and the goon couldn’t get a good grip on me before I fell down. Shit, that hurt.

  The sound of my body colliding with the ground was loud enough that people turned their heads. My vocal cords were nearly free of Farkas’s malignant influence, and I managed to croak out, “Lance.”

  I was afraid he mightn’t hear me, but his head flew up, and he caught sight of me. I put all my fear and desperation into my facial expression because I still couldn’t scream for help.

  It was enough. Lance yelled something at Kiernan and Beth, and the three of them rushed toward me.

  Lawson shouted, “Pick her up.”

  The tall man complied. He bent his knees and flung me over his shoulder with ease. Then he ran, with Lawson following behind. I couldn’t see my friends from this position, but I could hear them scream behind me.

  My abductors turned sharply, and I knew we’d rounded the bottom of the west wing. The path we were on was leading into the forest. But before we got any further, Farkas’s voice shouted ahead of us, “Quickly. Through the portal.”

  The man carried me another few steps, then he slipped me from his shoulder and stood me on my feet.

  In the middle of the trail was an upright circle of blue light. It was strongest on the outside and weaker towards the center. Where it faded away, the path continued, but things looked different.

  I stood on a gravel track, but through the portal, I saw packed dirt. There were trees, but they were larger and denser than the edges of the woods surrounding the school.

  Somehow, Farkas had opened a doorway into a different world. Why am I not more shocked? My perception of reality had clearly changed since I’d arrived at the Academy.

  Lance, Kiernan, and Beth had nearly reached us. Lawson’s man kept me upright and dragged me closer to the portal. Even though I dug my feet in, my muscles still wouldn’t cooperate, and I was no match for him.

  Lawson stepped up to me and said, “Good riddance, bitch. At least you’ll be of some use on the other side.”

  A hard push in my back shoved me through the gate. I barely managed to break my fall, clumsy from whatever Farkas had whacked me with. My head bounced off the path's surface, and I stayed down for a moment, too dizzy to get up.

  Then I rolled myself to my back and looked on in despair as the blue circle contracted. Soon I’d be alone, cut off from my friends. In a hostile world where some awful fate was waiting for me.

  Kiernan threw himself against the closing doorway. I couldn't see him clearly, but the silhouette of his broad shoulders was unmistakable. He screamed my name in utter despair. It was no use.

  Staring at the diminishing tear between the worlds, I didn’t dare look away as I tried to burn my boyfriends’ faces into my memory. Just as the doorway was about to blink out of existence, an arm wrenched its way through.

  I held my breath. The portal grew again. A second arm appeared, followed by Beth’s grim face. She’d turned completely Fae, her glamor disappeared. Her silver eyes were determined, and she grimaced as she fought to widen the opening. Soon, it was big enough for her to slip through. Kiernan and Lance were right behind her.

  So were Lawson and his henchman. My boyfriends rushed to my side and dropped into a defensive crouch the way we’d learned in P.E. I sent a mental “thank you” to Castle for teaching us how to avert a magical attack. I had no clue why he’d done that, but it was going to come in useful very soon.

  Beth joined us, although she wouldn’t be much use in hand-to-hand battle. But I appreciated the effort. She helped me to a seated position. I tentatively pulled on my magic, and this time, I felt a weak response. My power was coming back. I pulled harder and harder until my lightning was ready to burst out. Already, sparks were dancing on my fingertips.

  Lance and Kiernan were facing off against Lawson and his man. Why hadn’t they attacked yet? I got my answer right away. The portal pulsed, and Farkas appeared. Lawson’s face broke into a vicious grin.

  That’s when Lance wiped the smirk off Lawson’s ugly mug with a well-aimed flame burst. One moment, the man was on his feet, ready to attack, the next, he was writhing on the ground, his jacket on fire.

  Just as quickly, Kiernan raised lumps of soil from behind Lawson’s henc
hman and cracked him over the skull. The tall man collapsed without being able to manage a single hit against us.

  Only Farkas was left standing. Her face was contorted with anger as she raised both hands.

  My vision contracted until all I could see was her traitorous visage. There was no fear left inside of me as I held her gaze. Only burning anger, fueled by her betrayal. Betrayal of her stepson Julian. Betrayal of all the students who relied on the Academy for guidance. I wouldn’t hesitate to torch the bitch.

  28

  The sparks on my fingertips had turned into a crackling web of millions of volts. I pulled my power into my arms, feeding it my fury.

  When I sent a massive electricity bolt her way, she only had time to make a quick gesture with both hands. The strike hit the ground with an almighty crash, blackening the soil in a giant radius. I was blinded by the radiance of the lightning. When my eyes adjusted, I was looking for her smoking corpse.

  Instead, she was gone. Kiernan shouted, “There she is.”

  A black figure ran, already several hundred yards away. As we watched, she moved again, impossibly fast, until I could barely make her out on the horizon. There was no way we could catch up with her. Whatever magic she used, we had nothing to match her.

  As we stared at each other, our situation sank in. We were screwed, stuck in this strange world without any means of returning to our own.

  I wanted to rub my eyes. Farkas’s sudden disappearance had thrown me off kilter. Like, one moment, she’d stood in front of us, her long black hair falling untidily from her bun. The next, she’d moved to a distance so far away, we wouldn’t catch up with her if we tried. Either she was able to work magic to move great distances in a heartbeat, or she knew how to navigate this strange world in another way.