I shivered and squeezed my eyes shut. What had I done to deserve so much determination to snuff me out? The shivers grew into shakes, and then the tears came. I didn't want anybody to hear me bawl like a baby, but I couldn't stop. I’d already taken lives with my powers. Sure, it was self-defense, but what if Sharon died? Would the FBMA carry out their threat and lock me away forever?
Loud sobs tore out of my chest, drenching my pillow and leaving me headachy and weak. Eventually, I’d cried myself out. And just in time. Ms. Farkas opened the door to my room and sat on my bedside. "Amber. Do you care to explain why you put Sharon into a coma?"
42
Gone was the understanding, mother-like head witch. Instead, her eyes were cold as she stared at me. I felt like a misbehaving child under her gaze. Yet my gut told me to not tell her the truth. So I lied.
"We were practicing our powers, Head Witch," I said. "I don't know what happened, but the exercise went out of control. Sharon's water ball entered my nose, and when I threw up my hands to ward it off, I hit her with a lightning bolt. I'm so sorry."
Ms. Farkas nodded. "Yes, it looks like the dampeners failed yet again. I'll send out technicians right away."
But there was suspicion in her eyes, as if she’d her doubts about what had really happened. I didn't care what she thought. As long as she told the government that it wasn’t my fault. The dampeners were supposed to limit our magic until we were fully trained, but it wouldn’t have been the first time they'd acted up.
"You can go home now, Amber. Get a good night's rest. I expect you to be back at class tomorrow."
I nodded. It wouldn’t do that a student skipped class after a near-death experience. Not in Ms. Farkas' Academy. The head witch left the room, and I dragged myself out of bed to get dressed and walk the short distance to my dorm.
That night I lay in bed, staring at the ceiling. I’d survived an attack that should have killed me. When I closed my eyes, I could still imagine tasting the rotten pond water. I drifted off once but woke up straight away, remembering the pain in my air-starved lungs.
Why had Sharon done it? Why had she attacked me while at the same time apologizing to me? I spent until the early morning running through the facts as I knew them.
Sharon had been drained of her nixie energy. She in turn had drained Lance against his will. That thought made me shudder. She must have been so scared, having to go through the procedure again and again.
I rolled over, squeezing my eyes together and trying not to throw up. My roommate had gone through what had killed the girl in the video. I remembered how often Sharon had gone on "special missions" for the head witch. How had she survived? Exactly how strong was she to have gone through this again and again?
I’d seen the aftermath, when it looked like Sharon was dying of some kind of wasting disease. Her hair had come out in big clumps, for God's sake. She probably hadn't had a choice but to drain Lance in order to survive. And now that I thought of it, Lance hadn't been the only boy she'd done that to. After all, we'd all commented on Sharon sleeping her way through the academy. All the time, when I’d thought she was being a slut, she’d been fighting for her life.
My mind went back to her attack on me. What had triggered it? Had she been that afraid I might have gone to Farkas? Sharon had seemed completely freaked out when I’d mentioned the head witch. I couldn't get Sharon's expression out of my mind. The pure determination to extinguish my life, yet underneath had been genuine regret.
Then there were the disappearances. I now knew Matt was dead. Kenzy was still alive, but how long for? Beth cried at night when she thought I was asleep. She obviously loved Kenzy and Luke both. And that love made her vulnerable.
Everything was screwed up. Beth could only go to class with a hat that covered her ears. She didn't have to hide in front of me, and it was obvious the glamor was slipping more by the day. Just yesterday, she’d frightened me because I'd woken up by her sobs, and when I’d checked on her, her eyes had been reflecting the moonlight like silver dollars.
And then there was her dad. His murder was still unsolved, but I knew Beth was afraid of who was coming for her. There was the reference to the Fae ambassador in the report I’d read. That, and the order that Beth shouldn’t be taken by whoever was behind the murders—it all pointed to Beth being a key player in this whole sordid mystery, whether she was aware of it or not.
And why was I mentioned by name? I was nobody. I was just an eighteen-year-old girl who could barely control her magic on the best of days. My stomach lurched again. I felt so small, scared out of my mind.
There was no point trying to get back to sleep. I slipped out of my bed and got dressed. Slug slunk out from underneath his favorite hiding place underneath Beth's bed and waited at the door for me to let him out.
"You’re such a weird cat," I whispered. "What is so interesting outside where it's cold and dark? Wouldn't you rather stay here in the warm room?"
He tilted his head, regarding me with an expression that seemed to say, "Don't be stupid. You're going out, aren't you? Why shouldn't I?"
When I pushed open the door to slip out, he followed me along the hallway. Once we were outside on the campus, he stalked off toward the admin building. I watched him for a moment until he disappeared from view in the dark. There was something determined about his gait, as if he were stalking prey. What was it he was after?
Curious, I decided to follow him. As I walked into the same direction, I saw him crouched next to the main door of the building. There was a light shining from Ms. Farkas' room. As I watched, the light went off. Her bedroom was in another part of the academy, and I had no intention of being caught out here by the head witch.
So I slipped into the alcove of a door next to the main entrance. I was confident I would be able to melt into the shadows. The moon provided some light, but there was no way she'd see me unless she was looking for me. Slug hadn't moved while I took my position.
Then the door opened. Ms. Farkas stepped out, shut the heavy door, and carefully locked it. As I watched, Slug seemed to pull himself into a tight ball. He still hadn't moved, but even in the darkness, his body language spoke of stress and fear. Then he hissed.
I had never heard him like that before. He might have grumbled at me, but he’d never sounded as if he would gladly disembowel the woman who’d stopped in front of him.
Ms. Farkas smiled, her teeth reflecting the moonlight. “Oh, dear. You’re still trying to figure out how to get out of your predicament, aren’t you? Let me tell you, Macha”—my eyebrows rose. Who the hell is Macha? Why is she talking to my cat like that?—”you will die a cat. Better get used to it. I’m only keeping you around because you amuse me. Enjoy your short life. Go find a nice kitty before I decide to have you neutered.”
Slug shrunk back at her final words as if the air had gone out of him. He seemed to understand every word she’d said to him. Another mystery on top of all the others. I’d suspected my cat was different. Now I had the proof. When I looked up again, Slug had disappeared, and the head witch was walking leisurely toward her sleeping quarters.
43
After I’d gotten back, I’d fallen into a deep sleep. Only a few hours later, Beth shook me awake. “Come on, Amber. You’ve got to get up. You know what happens if you miss this morning. Whitehall will report you.”
My head felt like cotton wool, and my throat was so sore, I could barely speak. I tried to clear it but winced at the sharp pain. Beth handed me a mint. “Try this. It’s the only thing I have.”
I took it gratefully. Damn the healer. Why hadn’t he given me something against the throat ache? I thought back to how he’d assessed my injuries. He’d been efficient and courteous, but not overly friendly. The nurse hadn’t been, either. Were they taking their cue from the head witch?
Could it be they knew what I’d found out? And then I remembered the USB stick. Shit. I’d forgotten all about it. Where was it? I jumped out of bed and grabbed my jeans. I’d put it into
the pocket yesterday. Just to be sure, I stuck my hand into the two back and front pockets. It was gone. The stick had disappeared.
The room spun around me as the implication hit. Unless it had fallen out of my pants, somebody had found the stick on my person. Whoever had hidden the information had gone to great lengths to do so. They wouldn’t want me to know about what was on it. And now they know I know.
My belly lurched, and I ran to the bathroom, emptying my meager stomach contents into the toilet. Beth followed me and held out a glass of water when I was done. “Drink this. You’ll feel better. Are you still feeling sick from yesterday?”
I looked at her concerned face. I needed a friend, somebody who knew what I’d discovered. Sitting side-by-side on the bathroom floor, I filled her in. When I told her about Kenzy, she gasped, and her hand flew to her mouth. Her eyes brimmed with tears, but she didn’t say anything until I was finished.
Finally, I dropped my head back, staring at the ceiling with dry, burning eyes. “And now the stick is missing. I don’t know what to do. Sharon tried to kill me, but she’s just as much a victim as Matt and Lillian—”
“And Kenzy,” Beth finished my sentence. She’d stopped crying, and her shocked expression was replaced by a look of pure determination. “We have to find out what the fuck is going on at the academy.”
I remembered what I hadn’t told her yet. “At the end of the report, it said something about the Fae ambassador and that you weren’t to be taken, Beth. Do you know what that means?”
Her eyes widened and a haunted expression passed over her face. “I don’t. But I know the Fae have preyed on humans for millennia. The assassin who killed my Dad was Fae. I’m half-Fae. There is only one reason why I should be named in that document you saw. Somehow this is all connected to who I am.”
She closed her eyes, her voice sounding scared and lost. “I thought I could hide here. But it looks like they knew all along, whoever they are.”
“My name was mentioned as well, though.”
She took my hand. “Yes, but in context of your superpower. They probably want to wait until you’ve developed it all the way before they pounce.”
I winced at the image. I didn’t want to be attacked the way Matt or Lillian had been.
“Sorry,” Beth added belatedly, squeezing my fingers. “Let’s go to class and pretend everything is normal. That might be our best protection for the moment, making them believe we know nothing.”
“But wouldn’t they know we saw the info on the stick?”
Beth shrugged. “There’s a chance you might have dropped the stick somewhere along the way when Kiernan carried you. If they’d wanted to attack us, they could at any time. Plausible deniability, and all that. If we act like we’re innocent, they don’t have to strike just yet.”
I made it to class. Barely. Whitehall threw me a dirty glance, but I was used to those. He hated me, but where before I’d thought it was just a clash of personality, now I wondered if he was in on it. Was he involved in Lillian’s murder? Did he watch her die and then went off to plan the same horrible fate for others in his class? My stomach clenched at the thought, and I took some deep breaths before it settled down.
While the teacher’s back was turned to the class as he prepped today’s experiment, I whispered to Kiernan, “Will you come with me and visit Sharon?”
He looked surprised, but nodded. I’d ignored Julian, who’d greeted me when I’d sat down between them. He kept glancing over, his face utterly miserable. I wasn’t going to make it easy for him, although I knew if he apologized, I’d forgive him. As it was, I had to fight not to banter with him as usual. But no. He was the one who’d wanted to break it off. No take-backs unless he asked for it.
Whitehall might as well have spoken Chinese for the attention I paid his lesson today. I couldn’t make myself care, knowing what was going on in the academy. My shock had given way to anger and fear. Fear for myself, but also for my friends and the boys I cared about. Even Julian.
After the class, Kiernan and I walked to the infirmary. The nurse was busy with another kid, so we went straight to Sharon’s room. I opened the door and stopped dead. The bed was freshly made, and there was no sign of anybody being a patient here.
Kiernan paled. “Do you think she…?”
“No way. We would have heard. Wouldn’t we?”
My boyfriend turned and went to the nurse’s station. She’d returned from her patient and was filling out a form.
“Nurse, where is Sharon?”
The woman looked up and frowned. “Please adopt a different tone of voice with me.”
Kiernan took a deep breath and tried again. “I’m sorry. We’re worried. Has she been released?”
The nurse gave him another sharp glance, then busied herself with a handwritten list. “Let me see. Miss Tremblay. Here you go. Yes, she was released today into the custody of…”
She frowned. “That’s odd. Miss Tremblay left with Mrs. Palmer. And according to this, the follow-on care physician’s address is in Canada. That’s highly unusual. But Miss Tremblay’s burns were severe, so maybe Ms. Farkas felt she needed specialist care. Well, it’s not for me to question.”
On the way out, Kiernan took my arm. “I have a feeling you know more than you let on.”
I responded simply. “I do.”
We walked for a while without saying another word. Lance joined us halfway across campus. Kiernan quickly told him about Sharon. Lance nodded and took my other arm. “Mrs. Palmer’s class is canceled until further notice, so we’ve got the afternoon off.”
Sandwiched by the two boys, my fear eased. I wasn’t alone. Neither was Beth. We’d figure this out. We weren’t helpless teenagers. Between us, we had some formidable elemental powers. Our enemies had been able to pick us off one by one because we didn’t know what was happening. Now we knew. And that knowledge would help us prepare for what was stacked against us.
Want to find out who’s behind the disappearances? And what’s the deal with the damn cat? Find out in Book Three, Second Chance Hope.
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Note from the Author
Thanks so much for reading Second Chance Soul. I wrote large parts of the story while vacationing in Denmark right after the lockdown was lifted in Europe in the summer of 2020.
What a year… Although to be honest, I might have never written three books in 2020, had it not been for the enforced quarantine most of us went through.
Second Chance Hope, the next book, will be released in January 2021, and the last book will likely be out in March 2021.
The story will take twists and turns, some of which may be darker than book one and two. But I promise you, no matter how dark it turns, I will deliver a very happy ending.
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xo, Ella J. Smyth
Also by Ella J. Smyth
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In the Second Chance Academy Series:
Second Chance Hope, #3
C
oming soon in January 2021!
Book three of the Second Chance Academy series, a reverse harem, medium-burn novel with a HFN.
Ella is also the author of the renowned Spirit Walker series.
This is an exciting, fast-paced love story between two reluctant spirit walkers, forced into working together to save the worlds from certain destruction.
Find out more on Ella’s website: https://www.ellajsmyth.com/books
About the Author
Ella J. Smyth is a paranormal and urban fantasy romance writer. She makes her online home at www.ellajsmyth.com.
You can connect with her on Facebook at www.facebook.com/EllaJSmythsReverseHaremSisterhood, and you should send her an email at [email protected] if the mood strikes you.
You can follow her convoluted and fantastical flights of fancy on Pinterest at www.pinterest.com/ellajsmyth where she casts her heroes and heroines in the most amazing places on earth.
www.ellajsmyth.com
ella@ellajsmyth
Yep. I’m still dedicating this to the Coronitas: to Chris, Sine, Las, Chelle, Susan, Patricia, Robyn, Elaine, Kasia, and all the other fantastic ladies who held my hand, beta-read, and cheered me all the way over the finish line.
You are AWESOME!
Copyright © 2020 Ella J. Smyth
All rights reserved.
SECOND CHANCE SOUL - BOOK TWO OF THE SECOND CHANCE ACADEMY SERIES
Second Chance Soul: a paranormal reverse harem steamy slow burn academy adventure (Second Chance Academy Book 2) Page 21
