by A. P. Jensen
“Figures,” Cherry said sourly. “Yale King’s niece.”
Gima shrugged. “I wouldn’t want to go to The Academy anyway. It’s so small and everyone expects you to do something with your life. What if you don’t want to?”
“Want to what?” Cherry said blankly.
“What if you didn’t want to be in the public eye? What if you wanted to be in the background and make floral arrangements?”
“Going to The Academy means you’re going to be somebody,” Cherry explained to Gima as if she were stupid. “That means money, fame and social immortality.”
“It also means responsibility, no privacy and pressure,” Gima tossed back.
“I don’t know what to do about you,” Cherry said, shaking her head. “You’re a lost cause. Who wouldn’t want those things?”
Missy Krauss was accepted into Mimi’s Marine Academy. And on it went. Some of the Academy’s sounded like college courses and others like Bridget’s Weather Academy, Thornbird’s Business Academy and Frank’s Freezing Academy totally threw her off. Surely, with so many different schools, she would be accepted to one, right? Even if it was Fonda’s Fishing Academy, which Barbara Lam would start on August first.
The Asian girl that bumped into Levi stood serene and ramrod straight on one of the discs, hands clasped in front of her as she waited for those ahead of her to be Declared.
“Ivy Mo!” Bertrand said and stepped on stage.
“She’s pretty,” Giles said, leaning over Cherry to get a better look.
Glancing down at the TV in front of her, Jordan saw a close up of Ivy. Her black eyes were focused on the Gem like a soccer ball she was gearing herself up to kick. She took a deep breath and slapped her hand down on the Gem. Her eyes flared wide with shock and her hair streamed behind her as the wind kicked up. Ivy closed her eyes and hunched over the Gem before she staggered back. The shock was instantly replaced by her serene face once more but Jordan saw her hands shaking. Bertrand raised his brows and brushed his hand over the Gem’s surface.
“The Academy.”
“What?” Cherry bounced to her feet, face set in a snarl.
Gima rolled her eyes and bounced to a tune in her head. As Bertrand went through N and then O way too quickly Jordan began to panic. She kept watching the disc zoom closer and closer. At one point, she half rose from her seat but happened to look at the stage and froze. Mr. Parker scooted to the front of his seat, eyes fixed on her, and ready to haul her back if need be.
She mouthed, I can’t.
Mr. Parker shook his head and mouthed back, Too late.
Beside her, Gima and Cherry continued to bicker while Jordan wanted to run and hide. Running away from cops wasn’t too bad, was it? She was so scared her chest hurt and she leaned forward to catch her breath. Those that had been chatting and lounging around her slowly quieted while those already Declared talked and occasionally looked at their screens for an acquaintance or cheer for someone going to their Academy.
Mr. Parker’s gaze was fixed on her, willing her to control herself. Jordan gripped the circle pendant like a lifeline as her power responded to her panic by bubbling to the surface, clawing to get free. Jordan’s mind sunk into a stupor of nightmares, uncertainty and panic. What if the Gem didn’t react to her at all? What if it killed her?
A disc zoomed right for her and she ducked. Beside her, Gima and Cherry clambered over her to get on their circles. When Jordan sat rigid in her chair, both girls climbed down and shoved her onto her circle. Jordan held out her arms as the circles zoomed towards the stage and center of attention.
“Jordan Parker,” Bertrand said.
It sounded as if everyone’s necks cracked as they all turned their heads to look at the stage or the screen in front of them. She didn’t move off her circle. Whispers filled the air like angry bees and she saw Mr. Parker half rise from his throne, eyes flashing angrily but Seth Tolly stopped him.
Just do it, Jordan, Levi snapped.
Numbly, she stepped off the ice circle. All she could hear was her heartbeat as she walked across the stage to William’s brother. Mr. Parker’s eyes followed her every move as if she was going to take off running. Jordan clutched the pendant in her jacket and felt strangely disconnected from her body as she faced Bertrand. For a moment, they stared at each other before Jordan extended a trembling hand over the Gem.
Just put your hand on it and it’ll all be over, Levi said.
She closed her eyes and put her hand on the Gem. Her mind emptied and everything faded into a soothing shade of blue. She felt as if she were on a beach with warm air blowing her hair back. Comforting, soothing. The frantic beat of her heart slowed and she took a deep breath as warmth seeped through her taut, cold body. Emotions cascaded through her: fear, anxiety, dread, hope, happiness and then peace. Her heart felt full, as if it was close to bursting but she didn’t care.
Jordan’s power connected with the Gem and meshed. Jordan let out a slow exhale of breath and put her complete trust in something she didn’t understand. Power wafted through her, unthreatening and almost maternal. Images rushed through her mind. Her mother Star, the Master of Haven, William Stan, Levi, Mr. Parker, Heath, Cibrian…
Bright light filtered through her closed eyelids. For the first time in her life, she felt loved and completely safe. Jordan was dimly aware that Bertrand set his hand against the sphere and Jordan’s eyes flew open when her connection to the Gem was abruptly cut off. She stared into Bertrand’s disapproving violet eyes.
A muscle jumped in his jaw. “The Academy.”
Sound returned in a rush and Jordan winced as her ears were assaulted with noise. Jordan swayed on her feet for a second before she stiffened her quaking legs. She looked at the Gem which still swirled with glittery light. Her heart wrenched. She wanted to reach out, place her hand on its cool surface once more but she didn’t dare. Jordan turned and walked towards Cherry who had her arms crossed and Gima who looked sympathetic.
How was it? Levi asked.
In a daze, Jordan walked onto her circle and let it take her back to her seat. The circle moved onto the next person in her row and Jordan melted into her seat. Wonderful.
Wonderful? He sounded skeptical.
Gima went into Regina’s Whistling Academy and passed a horrified Cherry who composed herself and winked at Bertrand before placing her hands on the Gem.
“Greg’s History Academy.”
Cherry stared openmouthed at Bertrand. For the last time, her gum fell out of her mouth. She shook her head and Jordan saw her say, “Winby’s Art Academy” and “dancing star.” Cherry’s face was red with anger when Bertrand shrugged and called the next person on stage. When Cherry returned to her seat, Jordan didn’t feel so cold anymore. The heat coming off of Cherry was scorching.
Jordan stared straight ahead with glazed eyes. She’d been picked to go to The Academy… The Gem thought she had a great destiny. That meant she belonged here, right? Jordan watched several teenagers touch the Gem, at the fear apparent on their face. What had she looked like when she touched the Gem? She closed her eyes and tried to recapture how it felt touching something so wise and powerful.
“Levi Sawyer,” Bertrand called.
Jordan’s eyes popped open as Levi and Bertrand looked at each other for a long moment. Without looking away, Levi reached out and placed his hand on the Gem. Levi didn’t flinch, jerk or make a face. Jordan bit her lip and tasted blood. A surprised look passed over Bertrand’s face. As if he had some internal alarm, barely thirty seconds after Levi touched the Gem, Bertrand reached out. His eyes narrowed on Levi who let his hand drop.
“The Academy,” Bertrand said and there was a shocked silence.
Levi glanced at Mr. Parker who nodded at him. Levi zoomed back to his seat. He hopped down in the aisle and his eyes were glowing as he squeezed Jordan’s shoulder as he passed.
There’s no going back. We belong here, Levi said.
Jordan could feel the mixed emotions traveling through h
im, as if he felt what she had when he touched the Gem.
I guess so, Jordan replied and felt her lips curve in a smile. Maybe, just maybe this could work. Maybe The Academy could change her fate. Maybe they could teach her how to be normal, how to manage her power.
“Princess Stan,” Bertrand boomed and a curious silence fell.
Jordan snapped out of her reverie. She half rose from her seat as she focused on the stage. A tall girl with porcelain skin, waist length red hair and her father’s eyes walked up to the Gem. Jordan’s mind was blank with horror. There was a cheer of support from the stands that was quickly taken up by everyone as William Stan’s daughter approached her uncle. Jordan saw Princess’s lip tremble. Tears filled her eyes but she kept her head held high. Bertrand and Princess looked at one another for a long moment before she put her hands on the Gem.
Jordan’s insides roiled. Why hadn’t anyone mentioned that William had a daughter? Jordan looked beyond Princess and saw Mr. Parker staring at her. He’d known and hadn’t told her deliberately. Why? The shock was so great it brought tears to Jordan’s eyes. William had a daughter.
Nightmares flooded Jordan’s mind. William clutched her face, staring into her eyes with a mixture of misery and determination. “I need to do this for her, for my princess.” “I love her. I’ll do anything for her. She needs me.” All this time, Jordan thought William had been fighting for his wife, the one he killed by breaking his soul tie with her. Jordan came to hate the “princess” William tortured her for and now to be faced with Princess Stan who was now an orphan because of Jordan caused a tumult of emotion to crash through her.
Jordan? Levi’s voice was cautious.
Mr. Parker knew and didn’t tell me. Jordan buried her face in her hands as tears spilled down her face. How could he keep this from me? He knew I would have to sit here and watch her be Declared. Does he hate me so much?
Maybe he thought it would be better this way.
Jordan turned and glared up at Levi who shrugged apologetically. She faced forward again and examined every inch of Princess’s face. She had the same nose, eyes and mouth as her father. Princess didn’t look evil. She looked like an ordinary girl. Reserved, scared and wanting this to be over. William mentioned his princess but I didn’t know it was his daughter. Oh my God.
A trickle of sweat dripped from Princess’s temple. The Gem flared with bright and then dark light. A murmur passed through the crowd as they waited for the verdict. Jordan couldn’t take her eyes from Princess. So many questions passed through her mind. Did Princess know William was responsible for her mom’s death? Did she know what William had done to Jordan? Did Princess know about Haven and her father’s loss of control or was she oblivious of everything?
Bertrand finally reached out and cleared his throat. “The Academy.”
The small flare of happiness and hope died within Jordan. She would be going to school with Princess Stan, daughter of a man who had stolen half of her soul. Jordan sat in a daze of horror. It took half an hour of name’s to pass by before Jordan got a hold of herself. She couldn’t go to The Academy with Princess Stan. She couldn’t.
“Cibrian Tolly,” Bertrand said and there was a whisper of interest through the crowd.
Jordan watched numbly as Cibrian kept his head held high. On stage, Seth Tolly looked totally at ease. He beamed and whispered something to Mr. Parker as Cibrian approached.
Here we go, Levi said.
Cibrian braced himself before placing his hand flat on the Gem. He grit his teeth and closed his eyes. Jordan clenched her hands in her lap and waited. And waited. Ten minutes later, Cibrian, who looked exhausted, limped slightly. Bertrand put a hand to the Gem.
“The Academy,” Bertrand said.
Cibrian stared at Bertrand for several blank seconds and then looked at his dad who had a broad smile on his face. Cibrian pumped his fist into the air and there was a ripple of laughter and clapping as he walked off stage.
Jordan didn’t know how to feel, what to think. As she watched the stage with glassy eyes she suddenly felt a pull so strong her thoughts cleared instantly. It was a strange, disorienting feeling of need and desperation. It was a compulsion she’d felt before, with William.
Chapter Twenty Six
Jordan searched the stands of the audience but they were so high up all she could see was a mass of dots. She searched the bottom of the stands, looking for a man with blonde hair and eyes of relentless black. She saw him last night in the Gardens and he was here. She could feel it.
Jordan looked over the stage at the Halloween colored stands. Nothing. She looked at the sea of Undala. Nothing out of the ordinary. She twisted around in her seat, ignoring the teenagers shooting her irritated looks. She ran frantic eyes over the Thishe and Eliten but couldn’t pinpoint the man throwing out so much power her temples pounded.
Jordan was dimly aware that Gima and Cherry were staring at her. She ignored them as the premonition of danger grew. It was the same feeling she had in Wal-Mart right before William murdered everyone. Jordan closed her eyes to focus. It was almost as if she had a compass within her, shrieking at her to run in the direction it pointed. She didn’t understand her power, feared it but at this moment when she felt the caress of tainted power in the air she would bargain with the devil to have her instincts confirmed. Cold, ghostly hands filled with cruel power stroked her face, her hair, telling her without words that she wasn’t safe even in the midst of thousands.
After several moments of her internal needle spinning like a windmill, she stilled. She turned her head to stare at the Eliten stands just as blood curdling screams echoed over Bertrand’s announcement for Barbara Urmin.
A man at the top right corner of the Eliten stands was on fire. He jumped up in his seat and everyone near him dove out of the way. Fire spread as the coats of everyone near him blazed to life as he flailed. In seconds, a quarter of the stands crackled with flaming people. Eliten poured from the stands to avoid the fire.
The Lafita holding the perimeter around the students leapt into action, running or flying into the air towards the Eliten stands. From the Undala stands water cascaded over the burning Eliten, putting out most of the flames but the damage was already done. Eliten that escaped the flames hoarded over to the Darsana stands to retaliate. The Darsana met their furious faces with hands filled with flames and proud tilts of their heads. Thishe and Undala pounded down from their stands to help divide the fighting races.
The ground trembled and the smell of burning flesh filled the air. Teenagers leapt up from their chairs despite Bertrand’s voice commanding everyone to stay put. Future students ran towards the stands, looking for loved ones. Shouts of anger and rage reverberated through the cold air. Fire crackled. Jordan stared up at the mass of people fighting in midair above her.
People threw bolts of lightning, ice blocks knocked people from the air, and cold wind spread the fire. Everyone was drenched in icy water. Several Undala spewed hissing water and their opponent’s skin melted. There was a splintering sound and Jordan looked down as the ice beneath her began to crack and splinter.
There was a loud ripping sound. Snow began to fall in thick, big flakes as if someone pierced the invisible shield that usually kept it at bay. Jordan looked towards the stage but none of the Council members were there. Jordan braced her feet as the ground trembled from the force of the running crowd. Jordan put her hood up and let the crowd carry her. She tried to connect with Levi but she couldn’t focus. Jordan tripped over something and went down hard. She stared down at the burnt body beneath her. Horrible memories flooded her mind and she fled, shoving her way through the mob. Several times she dodged people fighting blindly, caught in a battle not assuaged by anything but blood. Some clawed out blindly, terrified and reacting instinctively.
Just staying upright was a challenge and she was afraid of being trampled underfoot. Jordan found herself herded out past the stands and Ice Tunnels to the city beyond. People fled into empty streets, children in t
heir arms.
A hand reached out through the flakes and snatched onto the sleeve of her jacket. She wrenched away and rushed headlong into the city. People ran screaming in every direction. She ran with them and then away. She just needed to get away from everyone. She ran down streets that had seemed so lovely and welcoming yesterday. The snow fall was so thick she couldn’t see ten feet in front of her. Her boots sank three inches deep into soft snow. She ran until she could no longer hear screaming. Jordan stopped in an open alley between two buildings. She drew in painful gasps of air as snow fell, muffling any sound. She bent over as her breath came in ragged gasps. This couldn’t be happening. Not again. Another massacre. Snow fell around her, covering her tracks. Gradually, her breathing slowed.
“I’ve never met anyone so sensitive to my power,” a voice crooned.
Jordan slowly straightened and squinted to focus on the man in the green trench coat that stood at the entrance to the alley. A shock of recognition went through her. It was the same man she’d seen yesterday in the Gardens after her power returned. She didn’t believe in coincidence.
“What did you do?” she whispered.
He shrugged. “Used the animosity already there. I just set the match to the flame.”
“You’re a sorcerer.”
He bowed. “I am. And you… you are most definitely a Grounder.”
Another sorcerer claiming she was a Grounder, another sorcerer causing riots and deaths. Jordan’s hands clenched into shaking fists.
“I don’t have all the elements!” she screamed.
He smiled, amused by her outburst. “Sorcerers can sense Grounders… We can’t help but be drawn to our antithesis. You fascinate us. Sorcerers can’t exist without the cure for madness.”
“I’m not-”
“You are. And you’re one of the strongest I’ve ever met and you’re so young.” He cocked his head again and smiled as if hearing sweet music. “There’s something ancient about your power… something abnormal.”
Jordan’s eyes flickered between sapphire and black. William and her power fought for dominance within her. Was it William in disguise? The sorcerer took a step forward and she knew without a doubt it wasn’t William. This man wasn’t as tall and the way he moved wasn’t as refined as William. His voice… it was light, not deep and resonant.
