by D. R. Perry
"Because you'd do it for any or all of us in a heartbeat, Aliyah." Cadence reached across the table, patting my hand.
"Yeah, and we're your friends." Izzy nodded. "We love you, Aliyah."
The detention was done, along with all the chores at home a week before final exams and the end of the semester. I spent most of my time studying in the lounge with Dylan, Grace, Hal, and Faith. And Logan, of course.
He didn't feel like a third wheel, but sometimes I did. It was hard to stop myself from laughing too loud at Dylan's jokes or watching him from across the room to half the time. But either I managed to keep it at a respectful level, or Grace knew and understood. Maybe a little of both.
I almost felt like my old self again, the Aliyah who’d walked along Essex Street with her family on the way to campus that first day. Except I knew more about myself. I was still afraid of my strength, but not nearly as much because I had backup. That was more important than I could have imagined that first time through the migrating door.
We sat for exams, and this time, I wasn’t the first person done. Alex stood up and stormed out of the room after only twenty minutes. We had three hours. None of us saw him study. There was no way he passed that exam without cheating. I wouldn't put it past him, but probably he didn't. Nobody looked that angry if they thought they’d passed a final in record time.
After lunch, there was no Lab, just another meeting in the homeroom, where Professor Luciano posted our exam scores and then met with each of us for five minutes in private.
I was utterly shocked to find that Alex failed this exam, putting him below the GPA needed to pass first year. Everybody else scored above average or higher, with Hal at the top of our class. Logan surprised everyone by getting the next highest score. He was one point ahead of me, even.
Faith and I got the same grade, an A-. Bailey's was lowest but still in the B- range. She’d bombed two of the labs by refusing to work with Logan. When she complained, Faith told her to check her attitude and try teamwork next year. I was proud of her.
We were all moving up to second year except Alex, who was being held back. At least we could avoid him most of the time in second year, but Faith thought it was bad news.
"There's going to be trouble." She shook her head. "Temperance is coming."
"There's no throne for us to fight at Hawthorn Academy." Dylan snorted. "I don't see how this is a problem. With a name like Temperance, she can't be that bad, right?"
"Does Charity's name have anything to do with her personality?" Grace elbowed him in the ribs. "Except for being opposite, I mean."
"Grace is right." Faith sighed. "We have to watch out. Charity's been telling him about Tempe. They could team up, or worse, become a power couple. If that happens, we're screwed."
"It might be hard next year, but we can handle anything they throw at us." Hal smiled. "Because we'll do it together."
"We have to make through the summer first." Faith frowned, and I didn't blame her. She didn't want to go home, of course.
"I get it." Logan patted her on the shoulder. "Parents should have to take classes and get a license, like professional psychics and magi."
"I'm staying in town again." Dylan shrugged. "I've got a job at Walgreens this time. It pays way more than the Willows, and Brianna hooked me up. There are jobs all over town if you need one."
"I'm way ahead of you there." Grace leaned down, reaching to scratch Lune behind the years. "The Ambersmiths offered me some summer work, textiles stuff. I'll be super busy but in town."
"My parents won't let me stay." Logan shook his head. "Gotta keep learning the family business in what they call my spare time, but I'm going to insist they let me focus on critter calls instead of stunts and dancing."
"Good call." I grinned. "That's a handy skill to know. And more importantly, something you actually like. What about you, Faith?"
"My parents think it's pointless for me to spend even more time in Salem. The only way I can escape for the whole summer is by going abroad, visit the cousins in Geneva." Faith leaned against Hal's chair. "But I don't want to go that far away, not now. At least if I stay in New York, I can take the train up once in a while."
"Why aren't there summer classes or something?" I scratched my head. "That'd give you all the reason you need. Overachieving parents can't argue with trying to better yourself academically."
"There used to be." Hal reached up, taking Faith's hand. "But Dad hasn't got the faculty for that this year, or the time since he'll be with me down in Boston during the week for most of the summer. Dad sat me down with Mom and a lawyer, and she signed off on my medical care. I get to make my own decisions on it from now on."
Everyone smiled at that. It was about time Hal Hawkins, easily the most responsible of our entire group, had the chance to determine how he dealt with his illness.
"You guys, guess what?" It was Kitty. She dashed up to us, dragging Eston behind her as Lee followed along.
"What?" We sounded like a Greek chorus, answering in unison like that.
"It's about next year." She dropped Eston's hand and clapped hers. "It's finally happening. We're finally having intramurals! Can you believe it?"
"You mean we're competing against other schools?" I blinked. "But how?"
"In all the ways, of course." She grinned. "Show them the paper, Eston."
He smiled, cheeks flushing, and handed over the flyer. It had the names of three schools on it. Hawthorn Academy, of course, but also Gallows Hill and Messing Prep.
"This is going to be interesting." Lee nodded. "In all the ways, of course."
Lee Young couldn't see the future, but Izzy pretty much confirmed his sentiment when I visited her the day after school was over. We sat at Engine House with Cadence and Dylan, almost exactly like countless times last summer. Except Grace was there too now, and so was Lee. He got an internship at the museum.
"We'll all be visiting your campus several times next year." Izzy took a sip from her soda. "All the competitions will take place at Hawthorn because you guys are hosting."
"What are those again?" Cadence scratched her head. "The different categories, I mean. I can hardly keep track of them."
"Bishop's Row for one." Dylan chuckled. "And we’ll win that one if I have anything to do with it."
"Oh, yeah, Mister Star Athlete." Grace waved her hand dismissively. "As if I won't be up there stopping orbs from hitting you. There's no I in team, you know."
"There's a crafting competition, too." Izzy chewed her lip. "But that'll probably be a tossup between Gallows Hill and us."
"Not if I have anything to do with it." Grace shook her head. "Ugh. Now I sound like Dylan."
We all laughed at that, Grace included.
"Isn't there something cooperative? You know, so we get to try working together?" Cadence batted her eyes at someone out the window. By the time I looked in that direction, whoever it was had passed by. But there was a jet-black tuft of down settling to the cobblestones outside.
"Yes." Lee nodded. "It's a collaborative lab. Students from each school team up to build magicpsychic devices, and they get judged by a panel of professors."
"What else?"
"A talent show." Cadence smiled, her teeth shining like pearls. "That one, I definitely remember."
It certainly seemed like next year would be complicated. That was probably an understatement. I thought we could handle it, though. Friendship had a way of making just about anything possible, and I had some of the best folks in the world on my side.
The End
Thanks for reading Aliyah’s adventures during her first year at Hawthorn Academy! Don’t worry, her story continues with year two coming soon. Did you know there was another series set in the same world? Check out Providence Paranormal College to learn more about extrahumans on a whole different campus. You can find them, along with my other books, here: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00O6851HO
Providence Paranormal College
Available now at Amazon and t
hrough Kindle Unlimited
At Providence Paranormal College, class is about to start.
Who’s enrolled? Students who are a bit different: vampires, werewolves, changelings, shifters, psychics, and magi.
For one-hundred years, the college has taught and trained only psychics or magi, and for the first time, it’s opening the doors to those not different: regular humans.
At this Ivy-League school, the students are expected to learn their powers and keep high grades.
Unfortunately, grades are slipping, but that’s what happens when a mysterious villain is hunting you down…
Because someone is angry about this new admissions policy and they'll kill to stop integration. To defeat this rising evil, the students must band together and master their strange powers – because if they don’t..
Well, it’s pretty hard to graduate when you’re dead.
Includes the first five books plus four brand new short stories inside the college.
“I spent more than a couple of late nights reading through these stories to find out what was going to happen to my new friends!” – Michael Anderle, Best-Selling Author of The Kurtherian Gambit
This series is for fans of Harry Potter, Jaymin Eve, and all academy books.
Get it today at Amazon and through Kindle Unlimited
Author Notes
February 3, 2020
Hello, readers!
I'm so excited to bring you this series, Hawthorn Academy. It's been a couple of years since finishing the last book in Providence Paranormal College, but I knew there were still plenty of stories left to tell in that world. This is one of them.
Hawthorn takes place in Salem, Massachusetts, where I lived for a number of years. Writing in the PPC version of that locale has been a fun and engaging experience. Lots of little details come straight out of my time there.
I actually lived at 10 1/2 Hawthorne Street. The real-life building doesn't have an Extraveterinary office on the first floor, but otherwise, many of the details about it are based in reality. You can walk by the driveway and look up at the building, on the side of the street across from the Boys and Girls Club. But please don't disturb the residents.
The Witch's Brew isn't a real place in downtown Salem, although I designed it to look and feel a lot like the Front Street Cafe with more magic. I've spent many an afternoon there, writing poems and drinking coffee or tea. The biscotti and sandwiches there are delicious, so stop in if you're ever in Salem.
Aliyah Morgenstern is Jewish, like me. Part of the reason I wrote her that way comes from having read the All of a Kind Family series by Sydney Taylor when I was young. Finding representation like that is part of what inspired me to be an author. I'm paying it forward. While I only detail Yom Kippur and Passover in Year One, expect to see Hanukkah, Purim, and Sukkot in the next two volumes.
Finally, Hawthorn Academy is a school for magi only. I mention Messing Prep and Gallows Hill, schools for other types of extrahumans. Perhaps I'll write about those in the future if that's something readers express interest in.
You can contact me via my website, drperryauthor.com. From there, you can also find more information about the Providence Paranormal world, other series and books I've written, and links to my social media and Patreon.
I hope you have as much fun reading about Aliyah's adventures as I had writing them. Who am I kidding? I hope you enjoy them even more!
Thanks so much,
D.R. Perry
Thank you!
Thank you for reading! If you loved this book, please leave a review. You can find my other work by clicking the links below, going to my website or visiting my Author Central page.
Providence Paranormal College Volume 1
Providence Paranormal College Volume 2
A Change In Crime
Wiser Guys
The Longest Night Watch
Stardust, Always
Supernatural Vigilante Society
Challenge of Vircon
Poetry Collections
Connect with the Author
Website: https://www.drperryauthor.com/
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