Academy Obscura

by J. J. Krzemien

  “Unfortunately.”

  “Well, watch out for everyone at that table. They’ve been plotting to get the council crown since the beginning. To take it from the Italians. Aimes’ dad is in the only elected position, so they’re really trying to maneuver their family into a better long-term position. At least that’s what Mama says.”

  I glanced over at the other table. Aimes was obviously the leader, he held everyone’s attention captive. When he finished speaking, they all laughed. One of his cronies, either MacTavish or Bennett, noticed me watching them. He elbowed Aimes in the side to get his attention.

  Aimes turned toward me with a sneer twisting his lips. “Like what you see, Sorrentino?” he called out. “Come here and sit on my lap.” Everyone at his table snickered.

  I turned away. “Ew! What a creep.” Standing up with my tray in hand, I said to Madison, “I’m going back to the room.”

  After depositing the tray in the bin, I headed across campus to my room. This night could go to hell and burn.

  Unfortunately, the first night of school only set the tone for the rest of the week. On Friday we got our first test scores. I was passing History and Mythology, but failing Magic and Potions. No big surprises there.

  When I arrived at my room after dinner that night, a note was posted on the door:

  Attn: Sorrentino. Meet your advisor in staff office 09 immediately.

  As soon as I finished reading it, it vanished in a sparkling blue fire. Magic notes. I should have guessed.

  The staff offices were diagonally across campus from my dorm. I cut across the lawn for a more direct route. The early morning dew glistened in the lamplight, soaking into the fabric of my tennis shoes.

  I didn’t even know I had an advisor, much less who it was. A witch most likely.

  This building was just called Academy Hall. Like the others it was made of stone blocks and had three floors. Knocking on the door to office number 09, I waited several seconds for a response. The hallway was empty and quiet. It was a couple of hours before dawn, and most people were still at dinner.

  The door swung open. I came face to face with Jaxon. A groan escaped my throat before I could stop it.

  Jaxon lifted a brow. He stepped to the side, waving me in.

  I hesitated on the threshold. His words in the magic shop, and the week he’d spent ignoring me in his classroom, sent a rush of anger through me. He thought he could summon me whenever he wanted. Jerk me around as he liked.

  I folded my arms over my chest, still standing in the doorway. “What do you want?”

  “Get in here. Now.” His voice as steely as his eyes.

  “No.” I lifted my chin. He wasn’t the boss of me.

  Jaxon grabbed my upper arm, dragging me into his office, as he slammed the door shut. He stood with his back to it, giving me no escape. Then he hauled me closer so that we were face to face. “May says you’re failing Potions.”

  “Get your hands off me.” I returned his glare.

  He released me, folding his arms to mirror my stance. “What’s going on, Caprice? Why are you failing?”

  “Because I’m not a witch!” I yelled up at him. I wasn’t going to let him intimidate me or jerk me around any more.

  “The hell you’re not!” He raked a hand through his blond hair. “Do you know what happens if you fail?”

  Now he wanted to talk about this, to clue me in? Anger boiled in my chest. I took a deep breath, biting down on my lip to gain control of myself. “Yes, I know. No thanks to you. You and Isabella kept me in the dark to get me here. So you could enroll me in this savage school.” I poked him in his hard abs. “You’re a manipulative asshole!”

  “And you’re a defiant little bitch!” His jaw muscles worked. “You know you’re a witch, I know you’re a witch. What are you playing at by failing? This is not a game—”

  “I’m not going to stand here while you insult me and call me names.”

  “You started it,” he growled.

  “What are you, a child? I have nothing to say to you. Get out of my way.”

  He shook his head. “Why are you failing?”

  “I already told you.” I clenched my teeth. “I can’t do magic.”

  “That’s impossible. You’re being lazy or not trying hard enough.” He leaned toward me. “I won’t let you fail this year. I won’t let you be culled. Now you either try harder on your own, or I’ll figure out a way to motivate you.”

  I swallowed hard. Now the asshole was threatening me? “You don’t listen, do you?” I moved to his side, trying to shove him away from the door. Since I was about half his size, it wasn’t very effective.

  He glared down at me, not budging an inch. “You’re not leaving here until you explain yourself.”

  “I already have! You’re not listening.” I shoved at him again, inhaling his unique scent of oatmeal soap and spice. The warmth of his body seeped through my clothes.

  He widened his stance to further cement himself in place.

  “You can’t keep me here like this,” I said. “You’re a teacher, there are rules…laws against this sort of thing.”

  His laugh was short and unamused. “This is Academy Obscura. The only rules here are don’t go beyond the walls, and try not to get culled.” He pushed off from the door. “I can do anything I want to you.”

  I turned the knob and bolted into the hallway. My heart beating so fast and hard, it was all I could hear as I sprinted back to my dorm.

  Madison ended up not having time that weekend to fill me in on supernatural current events. She’d gotten a lower score than she wanted in Potions, so she spent all weekend studying. I decided to do the same. I had to get this wand to work, or there’d be no hope for me. But first, I had a phone call or two to make.

  I trudged down the well-lit pathway to the administration building in search of Dean Wright. She was in her office on the second floor, a long line of students trailed down the hallway waiting to get their cell phones from her. I joined the end of the line. Luckily, they had an efficient system in place and in ten minutes I’d passed through the receptionists outer office and into the dean’s.

  The room was brightly lit, reflecting off the huge glass desk near the far wall. Dean Wright sat behind it with her assistants handing out cell phones.

  My phone was still in its labeled plastic bag. I had to sign for it before she’d give it to me.

  “There should be reception in either of the turrets.” Dean Wright waved me off. “Next!”

  I followed several other students down the hall, then up a winding flight of stairs that opened into a circular room. Turning the cell on, the screen brightened, showing three bars. I tapped the buttons to call Isabella.

  “Caprice, it’s so good to hear from you. How are you?” It was one in the morning but she sounded wide awake.

  A flurry of emotions whirled in me. I was happy to hear her voice. I wanted to scream at her for dropping me off in this hellhole. And I had so, so many questions.

  I drew in a deep breath. “Why didn’t you tell me what this place was?”

  “I’m so sorry. I couldn’t.” She sighed. “I was afraid that you’d run if I told you everything. The Tromara would have hunted you down, but they also would have killed me, and there would be far-reaching consequences to that for the supernatural community—”

  “I know you’re the Council Queen. Why didn’t you tell me that?” I leaned against the cool stone wall, trying not to be overheard by everyone else in the room.

  “I wanted to tell you. Again, I was afraid that it would overwhelm you. That you’d feel burdened by this potential responsibility. I’m sorry,” she said again.

  “Right. Instead I show up here where there’s a building with my name on it. Everyone knows who I am except for me.” I let out a frustrated grunt. “I’m flying blind here!”

  “I know. I’m sorry—”

  “Stop saying that!”

  A long moment of silence followed.

  �
��I was wrong, Caprice. I know that now. I had a decision to make about how to handle this and I made the wrong one. Let me try to make it right. Ask me anything.”

  “What happens to those who are culled?” I asked over the din in the echoey room. “Is that even for real?”

  “It is. The Truce is designed to remind us of who we owe our lives to. The Tromara let the majority of us live as long as we don’t break any of the rules and make the yearly sacrifice. I don’t know exactly what the Tromara do with the culled. No one does.”

  “You really let them do this? You’re the leader. Can’t you stop this?”

  “No. You don’t know how bad it was before the Truce. As hard as it is, sacrificing twenty or so of our young people is worth the heartache.” She didn’t sound convinced of her own words.

  Nothing she said would make me understand this. “Okay, what else do I need to know about this place, or myself, or our family?”

  “Well, we are the ruling royal family. Before I found you, and with your father gone, I was worried about the crown. About who it would go to next. Even though there is a line of succession, I knew there would be fighting, maybe even war if a Sorrentino wasn’t there to take the crown. I need you to survive—because I love you, and because you need to rule after I’m gone.”

  She continued, “I’ve made Jaxon promise to help you and keep you safe.”

  “What?” I said it too loud, getting annoyed glances from those closest to me. “Are you crazy? He doesn’t even like me.”

  “Regardless of his feelings toward you, he’s there to help. Let him.”

  I groaned.

  “Try, Caprice. You’re on your own without him. I can’t even begin to convey how dangerous a position that puts you in. The Tromara and the Culling are the least of your worries right now. The politics, power-plays, and long-held grudges are what you need to watch out for. Many of your classmates are related to the other ruling families and others have chosen which side they’re loyal to. If you don’t have any allies, they’ll tear you apart.”

  I gulped. This place really was a hellhole. “I don't have any experience with this kind of stuff. What will they try to do to me?”

  “I don’t know. Just be on your guard. Make friends where you can, but be careful. Trust Jaxon to guide you. Okay?”

  “All right.” I looked around at my fellow classmates on their phones. Which of them was out to get me? Which held a grudge against my family name? I was so out of my depths.

  “I have to get to a meeting. Call me next weekend?” Isabella asked.

  “I will. Bye.”

  For several seconds I stared at the blank screen. I thought my life had gotten so much better now that I’d found my family. Instead it had become complicated beyond my wildest imaginings. I was supernatural royalty. Shit.

  With a few thumb strokes, I sent a text to Antonio telling him that I was fine and settling into my new school. And that I missed all of them.

  A million text messages had piled up from Elena. Instead of sifting through them, I called her. But it was really late back east and the call went to voicemail. I hung up, texting her back instead.

  So, this school sucks and we don’t have cell coverage except on weekends. I’m doing okay. Jaxon is one of my teachers this term, blah. How are your classes? Any hot guys? Fun parties? I hope you’re being careful.

  After sending the text, I reluctantly turned my phone back into the dean. Tomorrow I’d get it back and respond to whatever Elena wrote. There was so much I wanted to tell her that I couldn’t. It was driving me crazy. I pushed my frustration aside. Right now, I needed to find a place to get in touch with my magic.

  I decided to wander the forest behind my dorm, it seemed secluded. The last thing I wanted was for someone to stumble upon me while I was trying to get a handle on my wand. Failing in class was embarrassing enough.

  I walked deeper into the spice-scented evergreens. Instead of thinking of magic, I tried to wrap my brain around Isabella and the Council Queen role. My whole life, I’d thought I was a normal person. Unfortunate circumstances had placed me in the foster system, but when I got out, I had plans for a normal life. I craved stability and to blend in with everyone else for a change.

  It seemed that fate had other plans.

  Council Queen. Did I even want that responsibility? I wasn’t sure. Hopefully, Isabella lived a long life. Another twenty or thirty years didn’t seem unreasonable at her age. That might be enough time for me to figure out who I was and what I was doing with my life.

  I chewed on the inside of my cheek. If I made it through this year at Academy Obscura, of course. Which was not a given. Especially surrounded by my grandma’s political enemies.

  And what was Jaxon’s problem? As my advisor, I figured he was supposed to help me. Isabella had made him promise. That interaction in his office had not been helpful at all. A shiver ran through me. I wished I could stop being attracted to him.

  The woods pressed in around me, making me feel isolated yet safe. Away from all the people, and all the problems that came with them. I inhaled deeply to center myself. My grandmother was a witch, my father had been a witch, and I was a witch. Magic had to be in me somewhere.

  Ms. Duinn said that magic casting came from concentration and intent. There were no words to cast spells, only intention that was focused through the stone wand. Or, in the case of more advanced and powerful witches, through their hands. Like when Jaxon produced flames with his fingers.

  I shook my head. Any thought about Jaxon was a distraction.

  Inhaling again, I took out my wand. I needed to try something easy. Glowing. I’d start with that.

  The obsidian in my hand was shiny and dark. I held it firmly but with a relaxed grip, thinking about making the wand glow. I stared at it, focusing my intention.

  After a moment my hand started to feel warmer, but that was all. The wand remained stubbornly dark.

  I pushed harder, closing my eyes to shut out the world. My hand grew warmer still. Sweat made my grip slippery. This had to be working.

  I glanced at the obsidian. Not glowing. Then I looked at my hand, and shrieked, dropping the wand into the fern at my feet.

  My skin was covered in black scales. I turned my hand over, watching in horror as the scales glowed with a reddish hue, as if coals burned under them.

  What the hell was going on? This was all wrong.

  A chill swept over my scalp, and I shivered. In the next moment, the scales started to fade from my hand, until it was back to normal. I pinched the skin on my fingers. No trace of the black scaly texture was left.

  I stared at my hand for many jolting heartbeats. Was I infected with some kind of disease? Had the magic I was trying to pour into the wand backfired? I rubbed my now cool-temperatured extremity as terror clawed at my chest. What was happening to me?

  11

  Angel

  For some reason we always hung out in Jaxon’s campus apartment during the school year. When the three of us were growing up together, Jaxon’s house had been our base camp. I guessed old habits didn’t die.

  The campus rooms were okay. They all had a sitting room, kitchen, and a separate bedroom, like a real apartment. Liam and I sat on a sofa, watching Jaxon pace and rant.

  “She’s so goddamn stubborn!” Jaxon was saying. “Do you think she’s failing because she really can’t do magic? That’s impossible. She has power in her, I can feel it. That damn Tromara vampire felt it too…”

  Normally, I’d tell him to chill the fuck out. But I was feeling much edgier these past couple of weeks too. I’d been able to avoid Caprice, although I wasn’t sure how much that was easing the panic that crept up in my gut several times a day.

  I’d meant to use my charm, something both Jaxon and Liam lacked, to get closer to Caprice. Protecting someone was easier if you were friends with them. She was easy on the eyes too, which had me looking forward to spending some time around her.

  Then I’d come across her that first
night of classes, and I had flirted because that was what I always did. I was good at it. I’d gotten close to her, inhaled that floral scent of her hair, and my wolf had stirred. Mate. The word, more of a feeling, had flooded my chest.

  My wolf had wanted to take her, right there under that lamp post. I’d growled at her, for God’s sake! Thankfully, I was able to control myself enough to walk away, even though my cock had been so hard I thought I was going to burst.

  Even thinking about it made me adjust my seat on the couch.

  Liam said, “You’re not helping any of us, Jaxon. Back off with her. She’s not the type to be bullied into anything. Let me try my approach. I know it will work better.”

  “What’s your approach? The soft one?” Jaxon asked. “Why don’t you try some of that mind control on her and compel her to get her shit together.”

  Liam bristled next to me. “I won’t use compulsion…”

  Half of my mind tracked their conversation, I’d heard this same argument before. Jaxon argued that his way was best, while Liam countered with other ideas. They never came to a resolution.

  Mate. My shoulders tensed. I’d slept with lots of women. I enjoyed it and so did they. Not once had my wolf had an opinion on any of them. This couldn’t be happening now, not with the Sorrentino girl.

  That she was a student, didn’t matter. Teachers and students had relations all the time at Academy Obscura. It was taboo in the human world, but here, when you could have only a few more months to live, it was common to make the most of that time. I’d had sex with my fair share of fellow students and then pupils so far. But mating was different.

  All wolves knew that if they were lucky they’d find a mate at some point in their life. My dad had told me all about it, how it had happened with him and my mom. Once your inner wolf responds to someone, the next step is to bond. And of course, be chosen in return by that other person. I figured if I stayed clear of Caprice, then the bonding and her choosing me were unlikely to happen.