Stranger Series Box Set

by Heather C. Myers

  Professor Depogare flexed his long fingers in order to wrap them around the arms of the chair. Slowly, gracefully, he slid into the seat, his gaze repeatedly darting between dean and student. It was like he didn’t fully believe what Ethan had said over the phone, as though he expected one of them to reveal that he was the butt of some sort of joke. When he reached his seat and neither confessed to such trickery, he swallowed.

  Jane watched as he clenched his jaw, his Adam’s apple bobbing. What an interestingly powerful gesture.

  She blinked once, twice, and forced herself to regard Ethan. What was wrong with her? It couldn’t be her lack of sleep, considering they had gotten home early from the club and she got her usual eight hours. It had to be the stress of beginning her Year Six. And her parents’ development of incessant bickering. Oh, and the fact that she was a quis.

  “I am hosting a detention, Dean Curtis,” Depogare said, interlocking his fingers and placing them in his lap. Since sitting, he hadn’t looked in Jane’s direction once.

  “Yes, yes,” Ethan said. “I understand. This shouldn’t take long anyway. Miss Cabot here,” he jutted his hand out in Jane’s direction, “just demonstrated that she is a very rare specimen. Rarer, even, than a physical. She is a quis.”

  Depogare was silent for a long moment. Then, “Are you certain?”

  Ethan nodded once, slouching in his comfortable chair yet possessing a seriousness about the current predicament that no one would question. “Absolutely.”

  “Before I am to take her under my tutelage, I require that she shows me that she is, indeed, a quis,” he demanded, without an edge to his voice. His eyes snapped to Jane’s profile. “Go on, then. Move something with your mind.”

  “She can’t just do so on command, Daryl,” Ethan admonished, shaking his head slightly. “She’s only encountered this trait at random intervals in her life and when they happened, she didn’t realize she was the one who had caused them until yesterday when her textbook quite literally smacked her in the face.”

  “That would explain the bruise,” came the snarky response. Were Jane’s eyes deceiving her or did the corner of Depogare’s lips tilt upwards for the briefest of seconds? If this was not a trick of the light or her own imagination, it would indicate that he had smiled. Granted, the smile was more of an amused grin and it basically reflected the fact that he was laughing at her, but it didn’t matter. A smile from Depogare would be like finding two snowflakes that looked exactly alike.

  Ethan ignored the derivative comment. “Miss Cabot has yet to possess the ability to actually control her new skill,” he said, giving Depogare an expectant look. “You should know better than anyone else. Since I know your sessions with Mr. Joseph have been successful, especially since he has yet to actually set foot on campus, I expect you to train Miss Cabot just as diligently.” He tilted his head upwards. “Although, he should be here tomorrow. Perhaps even late tonight. Didn’t he get his Ph.D.? And at only sixteen. I don’t think, in my entire life, I’ve ever met a man smarter than our Mr. Joseph, and I’ve met him only once. Age twelve. I remember he had just been pulled out of sixth grade to attend college. College. At twelve. Can you believe it?”

  Jane barely even heard the dean’s tangent. In fact, there was only one thing her mind latched onto and it caused her to lose control of her mouth. “You mean there’s another one besides me?” she blurted out. “Like an actual student?”

  Depogare seemed to be as flustered as Jane but for an entirely different reason. In concurrence with Jane, he said, “With all due respect, sir, you cannot blabber on about something confidential!” His voice had actually risen, surprising Jane.

  Ethan straightened in his seat and narrowed his blue eyes, normally so warm, which were hardened. “With all due respect, professor, I believe that if anyone is qualified to make a decision, it is I, considering I am dean here and I’ve been around longer than you have.”

  Jane felt herself roll her shoulders back. She had never seen Ethan so intimidating before, and, to be honest, she wasn’t sure how she felt about it. At least she knew where the unquestionable respect everyone had for him came from.

  “Now, you usually have sessions with Mr.—I should say Doctor now, shouldn’t I?—Joseph every night, yes? Starting tomorrow, I want Miss Cabot to join in. She should get to know the one other person, besides you of course, who is also a quis. The fact that he is close to her in age also helps. Perhaps he can assist her when you cannot.”

  Professor Depogare’s eyebrows pushed up and he regarded Ethan almost warily. “I suppose I have no choice?” he asked.

  “You suppose correctly,” Ethan said, relaxing his muscles and melting into his chair once again.

  “Fine.” The word sounded pained. For the first time since sitting down, he turned to face Jane fully. “You are to report to my office tomorrow night at eight o’clock sharp. I do not tolerate lateness.”

  Jane refrained from rolling her eyes. I suppose I have no choice? she thought bitterly.

  13

  For the first time in her life, Sophie was excited to go to school. She was up early, and by the time Jane and Elle woke up, had already showered and changed into the mandated uniform. It wasn’t as bad as she thought it would be. Because the summer weather was still prevalent despite the September month, she opted for the white blouse rather than the long-sleeved shirt. The left breast pocket had the Ignis emblem—a red flame surrounded by a golden circle—embroided in it. Her tie—even girls had to wear a tie, which took Sophie twenty minutes to actually tie—matched the red and gold plaid skirt that rested a couple of inches above her knee. Afterward, she pulled on white, knee-length nylon socks and completed the outfit by sliding on her Mary Janes. She pulled her red hair into casual pigtails and dabbed on lip gloss she managed to get without Will saying that she didn’t need it.

  When she finally finished, she walked out of the bathroom and into the closet in order to look at herself in the full-length mirror. Sophie couldn’t stop a brilliant smile from eclipsing her face. This uniform further signified that she really and truly belonged here.

  “Well, don’t you look like a schoolgirl,” Jane said in a sleepy voice as she grabbed her own uniform. “You excited?”

  “Actually,” Sophie said, spinning on the heel of her new shoes and nearly slipping. They would take a while to get used to. “I am.”

  Breakfast was much more crowded, considering it was a Monday morning. Ignis was allowed to get food first, but even if they weren’t, the buffet never seemed to run out of anything.

  Sophie could barely eat due to the flip-flops her stomach continued to administer. To pass the time, her eyes flitted over to the professors’ table. Their attire was much more formal than it had been over the weekend. The only two people who looked exactly the same was Will, who was not wearing a suit of any kind, and Depogare, whose suit somehow became dressier than she thought was possible with the addition of cufflinks. Sophie also noticed Dianna, dressed in a fitted t-shirt and dark skinny jeans, talking to Will about something. Before she could stop herself, Sophie frowned. When she was aware of the action, she immediately looked away and focused on something else.

  Once breakfast concluded, Sophie followed Jane, already fully awake without coffee despite the early seven o’clock hour, and Elle, who seemed to have the ability to fall asleep on her feet. They led Sophie out of the Dining Hall and to the far side of the first floor of the Ack Building. The Year Six Ignis students trudged into the classroom and slid into seats of their choice.

  Jane led the two to the center of the third row. Sophie sat on the other side of Elle, wishing she had asked for the middle seat. She might be excited, but she was still nervous. She watched as Jane pulled out a slew of writing utensils—three different colored pens, to be exact—and a notebook, and decided to follow her lead. Of course, Sophie only had one pen. Elle had yet to pull out anything and already seemed to be nodding off.

  “Good morning, class.”

 
From the corner of Sophie’s eye, she watched as Elle snapped her eyes open. Hiding a grin, Sophie shifted her focus to the front of the room and to the professor. Currently, the young woman had her back to the class, writing the words Anatomy and Physiology in black letters on a white board. She was average height, perhaps five foot seven, with dark brown hair pulled into a high bun and blunt bangs that fell into her just as dark eyes. She was a wearing a grey dress with a small black belt wrapped around her waist and black heels on her feet. Sophie wondered if the woman was simply used to being on her feet the entire day in heels or if they were the only shoes that matched the dress.

  “As you know, I’m Professor Murdoch,” she said as she turned around to address her students. “Just because I know most of you from the last two years doesn’t mean I’m not going to call roll; I notice a few unfamiliar faces so let’s get this over with, shall we?”

  While Professor Murdoch read the names off her sheet, Sophie studied the woman more. She wore red lipstick, contrasting against her alabaster skin. In terms of age, she looked no more than twenty-seven tops.

  “Now, is anyone in this class whose name I didn’t call?” the professor asked once she finished.

  Sophie’s hand tentatively went in the air. She noticed that everyone in the room was staring at her, something she had managed to block out thanks to her first day excitement. Now, however, she was aware that she was still being thoroughly scrutinized even though she had been at AckPec since Saturday.

  “What’s your name?” Professor Murdoch asked.

  Sophie hesitated for a moment. “Sophie Harper,” she replied.

  She watched as the woman’s dark eyes widened in recognition and Sophie felt herself blush. Thanks to her pigtails, she couldn’t hide behind her hair either.

  “Oh, yes,” Murdoch said, scribbling the name down on the sheet. She placed the clipboard on the wooden podium off to the side before turning back to the whiteboard. “Miss Harper, you’re actually the perfect segway into our first lesson.” She proceeded to write underneath her previous words and students immediately began to take notes. “Let’s review a little. What is anatomy? What is physiology? And why do we study them together?”

  Sophie glanced around. Nobody was raising their hands; everyone was writing. The questions must be rhetorical.

  “Anatomy,” Murdoch continued, “is the structure of living things. What our bodies are composed of. Physiology, on the other hand, is the function of our bodies. The way our bodies work. The reason we study them together is because the two affect each other. How the structure of the body interacts with its function and vice versa is essential to understanding who we are not only as humans but as peculiars.

  “Now, Miss Harper.” The professor focused her dark eyes on Sophie. She had the kind of eyes that could turn someone to stone. “You are a physical. Your anatomy might be similar to mine as a woman but our physiology is quite different. I, as a shifter, have to literally change the components of my body in order to transform into my other self. Your physiology is geared more toward your strength while a mental’s physiology is geared more toward the power they possess in their mind. I am actually quite glad that you are here. There is so little known about physicals. We can learn so much about you.”

  But Sophie wasn’t listening. The minute Professor Murdoch told the class that she was a physical, that it wasn’t a rumor but actual fact, the class erupted with excited whispers. Elle muttered something about how it wasn’t right that a professor outed a student while Jane had her lips pressed so tightly together they were merely a white line. She looked furious. Murdoch didn’t seem to notice what she had done. Her unwavering gaze never left Sophie’s face, paralyzing the girl in her seat.

  It was only when Murdoch began her lecture and the whispers finally quieted that Sophie felt her own feelings reflect the mindset of her friends. Something was wrong with what the professor had done, but since she was still new to this world, she couldn’t say what that was. Was outing even allowed? Her lips tugged downwards into a frown as she mindlessly began to take notes. She knew the truth about her would come out eventually; it was silly to presume that people wouldn’t find out she was a physical. Still, there was a small tug in her mind that said Sophie should have been the one to decide when to let everyone know.

  By the time Sophie met back up with Elle and Jane during break, Professor Murdoch’s outing had been pushed to the back of her mind. A lot of that had to do with Professor Neal, her Tarot professor. She was effortlessly beautiful and wore a loose skirts in bright colors. Instead of shoes or even sandals, she walked around the carpeted classroom barefoot with handmade beaded anklets and toe rings.

  “The relationship you build with your deck will be one of the truest ones you have in your lifetime,” she had said. “Ask them anything and they will give you the best advice they can at the time you ask it. It’s your job to figure out what they are trying to tell you.”

  Because Sophie was new to the school, Professor Neal—who insisted that her students address her simply as Angelina—taught Sophie a relatively simple yes-no spread that consisted of only three cards to decipher.

  “As you shuffle, concentrate on your question,” Angelina continued in her naturally husky voice, “and only stop when it feels right. From there, cut the deck using your left hand and place them in three different piles. Pick the pile that draws you the most, then do the same for the next pile, and then the last. But Sophie,” here, her green eyes flashed seriously, “I must caution you: do not ask a question you do not wish to know the answer to.”

  Sophie nodded and for the remainder of the period, practiced yes or no questions with her deck. The only problem was the fact that the cards didn’t exactly spell out yes or no. It was the querent’s—in this case, Sophie’s—interpretation that consisted of the answer.

  That, and there was an annoying guy in class that constantly talked about how pointless reading cards was. At least he didn’t stare at her like everyone else did.

  “You’ll get the hang of it,” Angelina said before she dismissed the class. “Trust yourself and practice.”

  Not once did she mention Sophie was a physical, despite the staring and continued whispering.

  At the end of the break, the bell rang and the trio had to separate. Sophie was grateful that for the next two hours she’d be training with Will. She was certain he was going to work her hard, but at least no one would be staring at her.

  Sophie had just enough time to change into a pair of sweatpants and a wife beater, her hair now pulled into a simple ponytail. Without the rush of a new class, Professor Murdoch’s statements caught up with her once again, and by the time she reached Will, her brow was furrowed and she was gnawing on her bottom lip.

  Will took one look at her and asked—rather flatly, in Sophie’s opinion—“What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing,” she said. He gave her a look that said he didn’t believe her, and she rushed to say something in order to prevent him from questioning her further. “So what are we doing today?”

  Except, as he proceeded to explain what today’s training would consist of, Sophie didn’t pay attention. She couldn’t even hear him as her mind replayed that moment in her first class over again.

  “Snap out of it, kid,” a decidedly humorless voice said, coming from much closer than Sophie had anticipated. Will was standing directly in front of her, the usual impatient look that consisted of a V-shaped brow, flared nostrils, and bared canines staining his face. He was less than a foot from her; if she reached out to place a hand on his chest, her elbow would still be bent. His proximity also allowed her to smell him, a musky smell mixed with clovers and pine trees.

  When had he gotten so close? How had she not noticed it before? And why did she feel as though she was blushing?

  As he continued to scrutinize her, Sophie noticed Will’s burning eyes soften. “What is it?” The growl was still there, but the longer Sophie hung around him, the more she realized it was jus
t the way he spoke. “What’s the matter?”

  Sophie looked away, down at her new pair of sneakers. She didn’t know why she was having difficulty speaking to him since she hadn’t done anything wrong. She also knew that she could trust Will with anything, and while she tried his patience on a fairly consistent basis, he wouldn’t judge her.

  She blinked.

  Wow.

  She didn’t even trust Elle and Jane that much. Not yet, anyway.

  “It’s probably nothing,” she said, wishing her hair was down in order to protect her, “but this morning, in my anatomy class, Professor Murdoch outed me.”

  The wrinkles in Will’s brow only deepened. “Outed you?” he asked.

  “She used me as an example,” Sophie said. The more she spoke, the more she felt herself relax. She even managed to look Will in the eyes. “Basically, she told everyone that I was a physical without my permission.” Eyes back down at her shoes. “I know it’s not a big secret or anything, but I feel weird about it.” She risked a glance up at Will and was surprised to see him not frustrated, but mad. Maybe even furious. She should probably fix this as fast as she could. “It’s really not a big deal—”

  “Yes, it is,” he said in a tight voice. “Sophie, just because we are all peculiars here—most of us, anyway—doesn’t give anyone the right to out you. That’s your decision to make when and if you’re ready, no one else’s.” Then, more to himself, “I’ll have to speak to her.”

  “Oh, that isn’t necessary,” she said, waving a dismissive hand.

  “I didn’t ask you your opinion.” The frustration was back, the fire in his eyes making his hazel orbs bronze. He gave her a look. “Since it was obvious you weren’t paying attention to me before, I’ll tell you again. We’re going to stretch and then go for a long run. Depending on when we get back, we’ll start on learning the basics of self-defense.”