“We shall see,” drawled Professor Vickers, then waved his hand towards a table covered in vials of blood.
Naya almost puked. Did they expect them to drink human blood? The thought was revolting. The inhibitor shot should have made her crave it, but she felt nothing. Other students were wrinkling their noses, as if they could smell the blood, and Leah licked her lips.
“Deer blood,” whispered Vickers. “Drink.” One word, and they all obeyed. Naya felt her stomach roil as she swallowed down the raw blood, and she could barely keep it down. She knew if she threw up she would be thrown out of the class—and part of her wanted to be thrown out so she didn’t ever have to deal with Leah again.
What am I doing here? I don’t belong!
The thought kept curdling in her mind as the blood sloshed in her stomach. When it was finally time to leave, she hurried off with her head low. The onslaught of classes had drained her, but there was more to come: Next up was Strength Control 1 with Miss Andrea Zove, a British vampire with a posh accent.
“I used to work for the intelligence service department. What we learn is that strength without control is useless.”
Naya could barely pay attention, feeling overwhelmed and tired, and suddenly it was Vampirism Theory with Mr. Albert Whitby, who had been a presidential advisor in the ’20s. Naya wondered if she was truly a vampire, and if so, would she live for hundreds of years? The old vampire explained in a droning voice that seemed designed to put her to sleep all of the things a vampire must know if they are working in the government.
Feeling as if someone drained her energy away, and having to deal with a dry theory class, were the most difficult things she had to overcome that day. As a good old vampire, Mr. Albert Whitby fell into every stereotype people had for them—looking like he came from another time.
Mr. Whitby had the look of a well-dressed rich man in the 19th Century. Despite being old, he had vigor. His gaze made you feel intimidated. He was tall, with Nordic features. Every vampire has a gorgeous flair to them, an ancient spark that made them seem more powerful than humans.
As Naya fought to keep her eyes open, she saw all her classmates fill with excitement. Mr. Whitby was explaining how the government had been working with vampires for centuries to keep their status in place. Mr. Whitby’s ego shone through his words.
“If the US government didn’t have us for World War II…” A sense of pride ran through his voice with every explanation he made.
“During the Cold War, do you believe Grounders would’ve won without us?” He scoffed. “Please! They were completely lost without our tenacity and intelligence.”
Every student felt pride to be part of the vampire race, and they all stared rapt with attention—every student except for Naya. She had a more difficult fight with her sleepy mind. Naya thought vampires had big enough egos without a history lesson that confirmed everything they thought.
It was almost the end of the class. The clock marked five minutes left when Mr. Whitby darted to the doors with incredible speed, closing them. It felt like he had closed the lid on a coffin. You could see by his face that all the ego and pride was gone.
This was something serious.
“Fellow vampires, I need your full attention.” Naya snapped out of her daze immediately. It was as if she had three shots of espresso.
“I know what I’m about to say is not on your curricular program.” He paused to take a deep breath. “And neither I nor any teacher is allowed to talk about it.” He got everyone’s attention.
“Nevertheless, I consider this topic to be of paramount importance. I have told you all the great that vampires have done. There is a darker side, one that threatens each and every one of you. This is sensitive information, so I expect nothing but well-behaved and discreet students.” He stared at the class clown who was sitting at the back of the room.
“Many of you are aware of the wild-lifers.” Everybody nodded. Except Naya. “You may have heard some are good and some are evil.” The class was silent, like if no soul was breathing.
“Don’t be fooled. All are evil, they don’t want to share their abilities for the greater good and rather life like wild animals with no boundaries.” He laughed. “Vampires know better than that.
“However, a few of them are highly dangerous for every kind. Mostly for us.” He turned around and saw the clock. He had only two more minutes to go. “Sadly, I won’t be able to answer any questions and I won’t be speaking of this again, but you should know something about the K Brothers.”
An atmosphere of terror formed in the room. Again, for all except Naya. She didn’t know what was happening. Little more than a few weeks ago she found out about all this paranormal stuff and there was no way she could have imagined something like she was hearing.
“They are two brothers. Equally smart, equally bloodthirsty.” Mr. Whitby didn’t take his eyes from the clock. “They will try to get to you. In one way or another, but I beg of you, don’t believe them. The only well-being they want is theirs. Their words will sound like blood candy to you, but don’t be fooled. There will be a time when they won’t need you anymore and you’ll be no more on this earth.”
He looked directly to the students. “Listen to me. No one can be part of the K Brothers clan and leave alive.”
The bell rang. As the students were still in shock, Mr. Whitby opened the doors, and with a cold “dismissed,” he ended the class. Faithful to his word, he didn’t speak about it again.
When the class was done, she could barely get out of her desk. She knew she’d have to study twice as hard as everyone else for her double schedule. She was always a good student, but her first day was an abject failure, and waves of disappointment flowed over her.
The first evaluation kept hanging over her head. She had heard students talking about it, most in excited tones, and the thing that stung the most? Leah had snottily talked about how the first evaluation was made to make the students “feel good” rather than test them.
Naya knew whatever results were in the folder, they wouldn’t be good.
“I better go study,” she whispered to herself, longing to go into bed but knowing that if she had any chance of passing her courses, she would have to put in long hours at the library. She had almost made it to the library when she remembered her appointment with Elizabeth in her office. Maybe a familiar face could help her, or tell her some strategies for dealing with her horrible schedule.
Maybe a nice chat with Elizabeth could help her. Yes, she could feel herself calming down at the thought. She went back into the main building, but turned the wrong corner and felt herself quite lost down a hallway with high pillars.
“It’s her! I saw it today at class!”
Naya felt a strange chill that someone was talking about her, and she slipped behind a column to see Verbin Kears walking with Mrs. Belour. “Hush your voice. What are you talking about?” Mrs. Belour lowered her voice to a whisper, but Naya could pick up traces of the words.
“It’s who you thought. The one who can save or destroy Arumrose. Naya Colt.”
Her world stopped.
Everything spun and she felt dizzy, tripping and hitting her backpack against the column. She pushed herself back to her feet and pressed herself hard against the stone as the footsteps stopped. “Did you hear something?”
“Come into the office,” replied Mrs. Belour, and the sound of a door shutting cut off the hushed conversation.
It couldn’t be true.
They were talking so softly. There was no way she heard it correctly, right?
How could she possibly save…or destroy the academy when she couldn’t get a single class right?
She refocused, telling herself she was hearing things, and walked down the corridors, checking her map and finding the correct office. When she got into Elizabeth’s office, everything felt real again. She smiled and they gave each other a huge hug, then she closed the door behind her, and everything spilled out of Naya. She had been holdi
ng in so much that she spoke quickly, words tumbling over each other as she covered everything, from the blood test to the conversation she thought she’d heard just seconds ago.
“I have…I have so many questions. How come you never told me what I was? Did you know? Did I hear it right that Mrs. Belour was looking for me? How can they possibly think I’m so powerful if I’m failing all my classes?”
She finished the sentence, breathless, and took a huge breath in.
This was just like high school, where Naya would talk with a quick, high-pitched, anxious voice, and Elizabeth was used to it, sitting back and sipping tea. She poured Naya a cup when she was finally done, and Naya took a sip, feeling the familiar brew warming her up. She remembered how she always felt less anxious after the tea, and now she looked over it suspiciously.
“No, it’s not a potion. Just good old chamomile and a good friend to make you feel better. Listen, honey,” Elizabeth said, standing up and caressing her hair. A tear fell from Naya’s eye as the emotions welled up. “It’s going to be okay. Don’t pay attention to them. Everyone at this damn place gets so dramatic about everything. You’re just new to them.”
“New like what? An experiment?” Her voice cracked and she couldn’t hold back a sob. “I want to be normal! Even here, I can’t be normal! I’m a two-kind, but instead of being doubly powerful, I can’t do a single thing right!”
“Take time, my sweet Naya.” Elizabeth sat on the chair across from her. The office was small, filled with books and flowers, tidy and cozy and feeling like a warm burrow. A bright red flower sat in a crystal vase on her desk. “See this rose? It wasn’t always a rose. It was a seed, and with constant care, it became this wonderful, gorgeous flower.”
Naya blinked.
“It’s the one you had on your desk in high school… How were you in my high school? How are you here?”
Elizabeth smiled. “I’m a witch, Naya, and I’ve always been one. I had the pleasure to meet your parents several years ago, and they assigned me a job: to protect you.”
“What? Did you know my parents outside of parent-teacher day? And what do you mean, protect me? Is something bad going to happen?”
She shifted nervously in her seat. Even the comfort of Elizabeth’s office wasn’t enough to calm her.
“The world is not as big as you think, Naya. There are things you don’t know. It’s your first day, and yes, you are different. You can’t fight it. You need to get used to it because that’s who. You. Are. But don’t be fooled, my sweet Naya. Not everyone is as charming as they appear, and outside the Academy…that’s where the trouble lies.”
Not everyone is as charming as they appear? What does that mean?
Before Naya could ask, the door opened, and Mrs. Rodriguez waltzed in without knocking. “Elizabeth. Sorry to barge in, but Antoinette has called an urgent faculty meeting. We have to go. Now.”
Carmela narrowed her eyes as she saw Naya in her office, and Naya just wanted to shrink into her chair.
“I’m sorry, Naya,” said Elizabeth calmly. “Shall we continue this another time?”
There was nothing left to say: she couldn’t just demand answers in front of Carmela, that was for sure.
It was too much of a coincidence that the Headmistress called for an emergency meeting right after the conversation she wasn’t sure she had overheard. It must have triggered it. What would happen now? Would she be viewed like an experiment, taken by the government, poked and prodded and studied?
The only thing that calmed her was that if she was such a failure at her classes, there was no way that she could be this powerful one that could destroy or save the academy.
The days passed with a feeling of looming doom in Naya’s heart, but the teachers treated her the same as before the meeting. The students seemed the same, too, although occasionally she wondered if she heard a whispered “two-kind” that hushed before she got near. She shrugged that off, hoping it was just her anxious paranoia. It was anxiety-inducing to imagine the rest of her class year all talking about her behind her back. Alice Vanderlog, a mermaid that was the social butterfly of the shifter classes, hadn’t mentioned a word about the meeting or about her, which was a great sign, because she somehow seemed to know everything about the Academy, even before it happened.
Struggling in class was almost a welcome distraction from the idea of being this…thing that could hurt or save the Academy.
Almost.
She felt foolish every vampire class when others would demonstrate their new powers, and she felt like the same old her. Spells class went the same, and she wondered if her true essence was a grounder. What if that one spark of magic when she was bullied was a fluke?
She kept waiting for Mrs. Belour to pull her into her office and speak with her about what she overheard, but perhaps they realized it was a false vision. She had learned in Seer class that no one could see the future perfectly. If she wasn’t being pulled in, it meant that everything was normal…
That didn’t feel right, but it calmed her. After all, even if she couldn’t see anything in the future, she knew that Seercraft was an imprecise art at best.
How would she have a good initial evaluation if she couldn’t do anything? The initial evaluation had stressed her out constantly—it wasn’t like high school, where you only got a few report cards. Here, they monitored your progress.
The problem?
Naya didn’t feel any more magical than when she started.
As much as she hated it, it was time for the evaluation. She snuck out of dorms, not going with Amy, needing to face the music alone.
9
And music there was.
The thick folders were all on the main banquet hall table, except for the top ten percent. They floated, the heavy folders dancing in the air with boisterous trumpet sounds. Midterm exams would materialize directly in your room: but the Academy wanted everyone to see who were the top students in the first weeks.
Naya watched with envy as Leah Brotenlin catwalked proudly to one of the floating folders, taking it and pausing with her hand around it so everyone could see she was part of the top ten percent of students. Naya stayed on the outside of the banquet hall as student after student grabbed folders from the pile, trying to keep away from their eyes.
Finally, only a few sad folders remained on the table, except for one particularly annoying thick folder that was trumpeting incessantly above the rest.
These were not the 10%, and the last few students who slunk in all had the same sneaky look on their faces.
Naya was just glad the bottom ten percent didn’t have their folders on the floor.
Naya was just about to grab her folder, when Ryan strode through the hallway, almost jogging to grab the last flying folder and rushing out like he was embarrassed about the result. It was strange. The old Ryan might have lorded it up, standing in front of his floating folder and laughing at the students who couldn’t compete. This time, he was in and out in a second.
Naya swallowed and grabbed one of the last few folders, the one with her name on it.
She walked back to dorms after she grabbed the folder in thick bound paper, not wanting to be near Amy. If she was going to fail, she didn’t want her best friend’s pity—especially when Amy seemed to have a natural gift for every kind of magic under the sun.
Even potions eluded Naya. When she was working on her own, her vial bubbled and fizzed. There was a flash of light, but Elizabeth muttered a spell under her breath in the nick of time, averting an explosion, and patiently but firmly explaining that she used Wormroot when she needed to use Wormwood. The intense schedule left her so tired she could barely think. Even in the simplest of classes her palm was wet with nervous sweat, making notetaking a chore.
Naya never failed a class in her life. She was used to straight A’s. Despite it, she felt at home in Arumrose. The school was so different than the Grounder high school from her old life—especially her new friend group and the cherished connection betwe
en her and Amy. She felt free at Arumrose. Sure, she missed her parents and looked at the picture of the three of them at the seashore occasionally, but nothing could change the fact that she felt like herself for the first time in her life.
Screwing up in class could change that. Fast.
Her hands trembled. She couldn’t wait until she got to her room, and she ripped open the envelope, trying to open it neatly and failing.
F.
Not just one.
Every class.
The world dropped under her, and she knew there was no one to blame but herself. All of her anxiety welled up inside her. What if she was nothing? What if she was a regular human, a Grounder? Then she’d be kicked out of the Academy and have to start school again. The students would probably think she had a horrible infectious disease and maybe for once no one would bully her.
The previous month, with all the pain of struggling in class, would have been like a dream. It would have disappeared into nothingness. The seer was wrong. She wasn’t special, and she certainly wasn’t powerful.
She stood in the hallways near her room, frozen. All she needed was to be alone. She couldn’t face Amy. Amy would be smiling, triumphant and pleased with her results, and she couldn’t show her the failures.
“Ms. Colt?” There was a voice from behind her. She knew that voice. It was the voice of the woman who was going to expel her.
Maybe she wouldn’t get a chance to even see Amy again before she was thrown out.
Oh my gosh. Not now.
She tried to put her chin up as she turned to face Mrs. Belour. It wasn’t normal for the Headmistress to pay a visit to the student dormitories, and she knew it could only mean one thing.
Her time at Arumrose was over.
“Mrs. Belour, good morning,” she replied, trying not to make it obvious she wanted to cry and run back to her parents.
The Mage-Blood Test: A YA Paranormal Romance (Arumrose Academy Book 1) Page 11
