by Nikki Landis
- Five Realms Academy -
Copyright © 2019 Nikki Landis
All Rights Reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.
This is a work of fiction. Names, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Edited by Kathy Denver, iPublishGlobal
Cover by Kristina Art
Table of Contents:
Chapter 1 – Cora
Chapter 2 – Cora
Chapter 3 – Cora
Chapter 4 – Cora
Chapter 5 – Colin
Chapter 6 – Cora
Chapter 7 – Casey
Chapter 8 – Cora
Chapter 9 – Colin
Chapter 10 – Cora
Chapter 11 – Rex
Chapter 12 – Casey
Chapter 13 – Cora
Chapter 14 – Rex
Chapter 15 – Colin
Chapter 16 – Cora
The Order:
GLOSSARY
Also by Nikki Landis
About the Author
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Magic draws magical beings . . .
Coraline Blackbyrne grew up in the system, bouncing from one foster home to the next. She's never been a stranger to hardship which only fuels her drive to keep learning, keep moving on, and keep practicing magic. When a set of unfortunate circumstances sends her into the unknown territory of a new Coven, she's shocked to find three handsome young men who intrigue and challenge her in ways she never imagined.
The past doesn't always stay buried . . .
Ghosts from Cora's childhood surface just as her heart starts to become attached to the trio of male witches willing to protect her from every threat. Deep in the underground of Xavier Academy, she's confronted by the same Maleficum who tore her family apart. Cora's magical abilities are tested when she confronts an evil so vile, her soul begs for retribution.
Some intentions are just plain wicked . . .
* First in the FIVE REALMS ACADEMY and the origin of the Coraline Blackbyrne novels *
Chapter 1 – Cora
“Coraline!”
My chin rose in arrogance, my jaw locked in a bitter display of long overdue defiance. Hearing my name yelled with such venom did nothing but spur on my bad attitude. And I wasn’t sorry. Nothing I would say mattered. Not now, not fifteen minutes ago when I was dragged in here and the interrogation began, and not anytime in the future.
“How did the fire start, Coraline?”
My eyes met the sneer of the man I had known as a father, at least for the last three years. “My name is Cora.”
He launched forward and slapped the side of my mouth as if I had disrespected him. Blood spattered the pristine surface of his office carpet once a bright white, now sullied and blackened by the charred remains of a fire and the crimson droplets.
I laughed, almost cackling at his show of bravado. In continuing defiance, knowing it would only anger him further, I spat the remaining blood out of my mouth onto the floor. “You’re going to need a carpet cleaner.”
He ignored the jibe. “Just wait until your mother gets home, Coraline.”
That particular threat had been issued so many times it stopped meaning anything to me anymore. “I said my name is Cora.” How many times did I have to repeat it?
He slapped my mouth again.
In fury I stood, my hands clenching into fists at my sides as the whole room started to tremble. The bookcases rattled, books tumbling and falling off the shelves only to scatter onto the ruined carpet. The lights began to flicker as if some poltergeist had entered the room. Ha. Wouldn’t he just love that? The large bay window splintered and cracked in several places behind his slouching overweight frame, facing the front yard and the long circular driveway.
Uh oh.
Rage was always the catalyst. I could hold in my abilities, but only when I was in full control of my emotions and thoughts. Once I was pushed beyond that threshold my powers manifested, and I was a ticking time bomb. Literally.
Mr. Fisher, my fifth father figure in the last ten years, was staring at me with a mixture of fear and disgust. “I’m calling the social worker. I’ve had enough. Go pack your things, Coraline, I doubt you’ll remain here for the night.”
I sighed, my anger dissolving as the room stilled. “Fine by me. Tell Sarah I said hello.”
By the time I finished packing what little belongings were actually mine, I filled a large suitcase with wheels – one broken as it tilted at an odd angle – and a duffle bag in addition to my purse, it was late. Every possession I had could be condensed into these meager pieces of mismatched luggage.
Pathetic.
A knock broke the silence. I peeked out my second story window with a hint of chagrin. Sarah wasn’t going to be happy. In fact, I was certain she would have plenty to say once we were alone in the car together.
I waited for over an hour before the soft knock on my bedroom door interrupted my sullen thoughts. “Come in.”
“Cora,” Sarah exhaled, sitting next to me on the bed. “Are you alright?”
I wanted to laugh, not because she asked but because the only person to give a shit about me in ten years was a social worker. “I’m fine.” I was always fine.
She tilted my chin in her direction and gasped. “What happened to your face?”
Lifting my shoulders in a shrug, I gave the only answer that would matter. “Self-inflicted. Didn’t you know? I’m into that now.”
She bit her bottom lip and peered into my eyes, her own a soft dark brown that saw into my soul a little deeper than I would have desired. “Let’s get you cleaned up.”
Sarah’s slim figure crossed the room as I followed her into the bathroom where she found a washcloth and cleaned my split lip. Tears filled my eyes at how gentle her touch was and how her eyes hardened as she saw the extent of the injury. Sarah’s hand trembled as she lowered the rag to the sink when she finished. Before I could say another word, she pulled me in for a hug, tightening her embrace while the shock of it made me stiffen.
No one ever touched me. At least, not with affection. Not since I was a small child. No one even wanted to try. Sarah was always full of surprises.
“I’m fine,” I whispered as the tears threatened to overflow and I blinked them back. “I promise.”
She squeezed and let go, wiping her flushed cheeks and blowing her nose with toilet paper she snatched off the nearby roll. “You don’t have to be with me.”
“I know,” I acknowledged, “but this is easier.”
She nodded. This wasn’t a new conversation. I never had to explain. Sarah understood me like no one else ever had, from the moment we met. She saw through the angry and withdrawn little girl and connected to the lost soul whom everyone else discarded.
I would never forget how she saved me that day so long ago.
Ten years.
My shoulders slumped as I shook my head. Ten years ago, today. Now that I thought about it.
Wasn’t fate a cruel little bitch?
Time had certainly not changed the collision course and disaster filled monotony that my life had become. Here I was again. Another disaster. Another rescue.
Another home.
“Time to go, Cora.”
I hopped off the sink and grabbed my purse, slinging the long strap across my torso. Before I reached for my bags, she took them both as we exited my room – correction, the Fisher spare bedroom – and descended the stairs. The lady that was my recent mother stood next to her husband and opened their front door. I never heard her come home.
Chancing a glance in their direction, I immediately noticed Mr. and Mrs. Fisher’s expression of intense relief. Relief. Like I was the one with the problems who caused three years of misery. Like I was the monster, instead of them.
Good thing I didn’t experience any regret.
Mischief had always been my forte. I grinned and flicked my fingers, letting a little of my power release. The lamp next to the couple flickered eerily a few times before the bulb exploded, causing them both to jump and grab each other in fright. I rolled my eyes. So dramatic.
Later losers.
Not one second of my thoughts would ever be spent on their cruelty again.
“I’M SORRY BUT THERE’S no place else tonight,” Sarah apologized. She shut the door to the hotel room, sinking into a chair with faded green upholstery by my bedside. “This is the best I could do on short notice. I’ll be back in the morning.”
She wasn’t moving which meant she had something else to say. Any other adult and I wouldn’t have cared, but Sarah, I would listen. Maybe.
“I’ve had a recent request by a wealthy family in Harwood Estates. They’re looking for a teenager.”
Well, that was suspicious. “Why? Who wants a teenager anymore? Sounds weird,” I blurted.
Sarah flashed a small measured smile. “I know the family actually, otherwise I might have thought it was an odd request.”
“Oh.”
“They have several children already, two raised and one more at home that’s your age, another girl.”
“So why do they want one more teenager?” I arched a brow in curiosity, playing with the empty ashtray in the room. Huh, you never saw these much anymore. All those ‘don’t smoke by the doorway and public places’ rules.
“Their daughter has special needs. She gets picked on sometimes and has difficulty making friends. I think their reasoning is that a companion her age would be good for her.” She met my gaze with a wide grin. “It would be good for you, too.”
All I was picturing was some dorky kid with a helmet and braces and wiry hair with a limp. Man, I was mean. The urge to laugh was cut off, but only barely. Sinking back on the multi-colored comforter, I expressed my concern. “What’s the matter with her?”
Sarah shrugged, making no attempt to hide her devious grin. “I guess you can find out, if you want.”
I made a face. “What are my options?”
“Well, you know how this works by now.”
I did. “No homes. I just can’t, Sarah.”
She nodded as the smile faded. “I know.”
“No one else is going to take on a troublesome teenager, are they?”
For that remark I got her trademark smirk. “I never said you were.”
I laughed, a real laugh, for the first time in months. “You never do, even if we both know that it’s true.”
She stood, walking over and leaning down to engulf me in a hug. “I’ll be back in the morning for your decision.” A light kiss was pressed to the top of my head. “Goodnight, Cora.”
Those darn tears wanted to fill my eyes again, but I managed to hold myself in check. “Night, Sarah. Thanks.”
She winked from the doorway. “Keep this locked and call me if you need anything. I mean anything.”
“I will,” I assured her.
Once I heard her car pull away, I locked every lock and bolt on the door. Then I checked the mattress to make sure there were no bugs or anything scary, including the entire perimeter of the room. Standard hotel from the looks of it but not too cheap. Good job, Sarah.
I slipped out of my clothes, plugged in my cell phone to charge, and headed into the bathroom. The hot water began to ease the tension in my shoulders almost immediately, which was good because I was definitely over my pathetic and boring life. I stayed under the spray much longer than needed but the cascading warmth felt amazing and soothed my frazzled nerves. The heat chased the constant chill away. I loved the water but only when I showered.
I never went swimming.
Correction, I never really had a chance since I was a little girl. No one ever took me anywhere.
No matter. I didn’t really care.
At nine, I switched on the television, but nothing was on and I wouldn’t spend Sarah’s money on a rental. At ten, I paced the room, counting each and every single crack in the walls. Four hundred and fifty-nine crackly splatters that were supposed to make the room feel less commercial and more relaxing. Major fail. At eleven, I cleaned the room and blew my hair dry completely with the blow dryer I found under the sink. Bonus: there were extra little bottles of halfway decent body wash. I stashed them in my bag.
Midnight.
Plopping down on the mattress, I pulled my purse into my lap. Reaching inside, I picked up the double package of chocolate cupcakes hidden in the bottom drawer of Mr. Fisher’s office before I swiped them and torched the room. I hadn’t had anything sweet in months. Mrs. Fisher didn’t allow sweets in her home. Obviously, Mr. Fisher did not care.
Score one for me.
I unwrapped the package and set the cupcakes side by side on the wrapper. Leaning down and inhaling, the sweet aroma of chocolate, icing, and sugar filled my senses. I smiled. Sweets were my favorite. Any kind of sweets. Really, I had no preference.
I was about to take a bite when the phone rang.
“Hello?” I answered after it rang five times.
“Hi, Cora. I forgot to tell you something before I left.”
“Oh?”
“Well, that’s a lie. I actually wanted to wait until midnight.”
I didn’t say anything with the sudden lump rising in my throat. I think I knew what she meant.
“Happy eighteenth birthday, Cora.”
“Thank you,” I choked and hung up the phone as fast as I could before I embarrassed myself any further. The phone rang again but I couldn’t pick it up and it stopped ringing.
For long minutes I sat there, breathing hard, my chest rising and falling rapidly while my emotions boiled and churned under the surface. I wanted to run. Scream. Cry. Hide. Throw something.
Why? Why did those four words cause such chaos inside my head? Why did that social worker always get to me?
I stuffed my face with the chocolate cupcakes and brushed my teeth, settling into bed twenty minutes later. Curling up into a ball as small and tiny as I could, I finally fell asleep to the ticking of the second hand on the plastic clock hung crookedly on the far wall. My arms hugged around my slender body holding the meager and lonely pieces of my heart and soul together as if they were all taped up and could fall apart at any moment. I lived and survived another day because I always took care of myself.
One hour at a time.
That was how I, Coraline Blackbyrne, always saw the sunrise.
I never allowed the previous day to darken the new one. I never allowed the light to be consumed by the darkness of my past or the hurt and anguish to overcome the present. If I did, the darkness would swallow me whole and I would suffocate under its ebony shroud and slip into despair and depression.
That wasn’t who I was. Nor who I would ever be. Not again.
I was stronger and braver than that. I endured more than anyone could ever know, even Sarah. No one knew all the details – all the horrors, the lies, and the heartache.
And no one ever would.
Chapter 2 – Cora
“Cora?”
A knock sounded on my door.
Bolting upright, I threw the door open after fiddling with the locks, rubbing sleep from my eyes. “Sorry,” I mumbled.
Sarah grinned. “You sure sleep deep. I calle
d you twice.”
I never heard a sound once my overactive mind settled down around one a.m. “I must have been tired.”
“Well, I have something for you before you give me your decision.” She sat down on the bed and patted it, inviting me with her signature look that was somewhere between humor, patience, and hidden secret.
Sinking onto the mattress, I was a little apprehensive. “You do?”
Two presents landed in my lap. “I’d like you to open them in front of me but if you would rather wait, I’ll understand.”
My fingers drifted across the smooth pretty floral pattern on the paper. A mature wrap. Not some little kid design, not that I would have minded, at least from Sarah. A present was a present. They were pretty rare.
“This one first.”
I carefully opened the package, taking my time. Two whole gifts, I would make them last. Gasping, my fingers gently brushed the shiny metal. “Sarah?”
Her smile widened. “I couldn’t pass it up. The moment I saw it, I knew it was meant to be yours.”
The silver and black charm bracelet was gorgeous. The first charm was a heart with my name Cora, engraved on it. She knew all of the things I liked, and Sarah hadn’t forgotten. A piece of chocolate. A book. A candle. An ice cream cone. A fairy. A little flame. A rose. A magical wand. So many charms.
“It’s beautiful,” I whispered as she slipped it over my wrist. It was the most exquisite and thoughtful gift I’d ever received.
“Now, this one is more practical.”
The next box contained an iTunes gift card. “Awesome. Thanks.” My jaw dropped when I saw the amount. “Holy shit, Sarah. This is a hundred dollars!”
She laughed. “Yes, for books, movies, music, and anything you want.” She really let me get away with too much. No mention of my foul mouth at all.
I hugged her so tight I thought it might hurt but she simply hugged me back and laughed. Both of us were shocked by my spontaneous affection but we didn’t dwell on it. “Thank you.”
“Your cell is all paid, too. Your new guardians Mr. and Mrs. Bradford have graciously agreed to pay off the phone and take care of the monthly bill.”
