Marked: Black Water Academy: Book One

by Murphy, Sloane

  The music stops and he steps back from me, kissing my hand before disappearing into the crowd, leaving me spinning. What on earth was that? I shake my hand, trying to rid it of the feel of his soft lips, but fail.

  “What, was that?!” Ruby exclaims behind me as she follows my eye-line to Ethan’s disappearing back.

  “I have no freaking idea.”

  The music stops, and everyone turns to the staircase. I spin around to see why, and I see Laney descending the stairs with a man in a suit very similar to Creed’s. His hair is peppered with silver, but everything about him screams Vampire. They reach the bottom of the stairs, and walk through the middle of the room, the crowd parting for them. They walk past us to the front of the room, and a quiet rumbling noise begins. People step back as the floor beneath Laney and her friend rises, so they end up standing above us on a stage of sorts.

  “Holy freaking crow!” Ruby utters, absolutely enraptured by the pair before us.

  “Welcome, everyone, to our yearly welcoming ball. I hope you’re all having a good time. Enjoy the rest of your night, as from tomorrow, the real work begins.” Laney says with a smile and everyone applauds. The man to her right then steps forward and the room goes silent.

  “Good evening, one and all. Many of you will know who I am, but for those who don’t, my name is Marc Dubois, and I’m the Deputy Minister of The Council. The Minister sends his apologies for not being able to greet you himself, but he is tending to some very important matters. I am here to greet you all and welcome the new members of the Academy to our way of life. Remember, we are all equal in opportunity in the new order, you just need to reach out and grasp it. If you do not…” he shrugs. “Well, then what a waste that would be. Just remember that while the Uprising was won, the battles are not yet done, and if you come across any information that would be pertinent to The Council regarding the remaining original family members, you must come forward at once. Anyone to be found withholding information will be seen as an enemy of The Council and treated as such.

  Now, enough serious talk, let us enjoy this night, and hope for prosperity in our new world.” The crowd cheers and I clap my hands, wondering what the hell that meant. Was he just here to threaten us? Do they know something they’re not telling us?

  The music starts up again, and their platform sinks back to the floor and everyone just starts partying again as if nothing even happened.

  “I’m going to get another drink,” I tell Ruby, and make my way out of the crowd and to the bar. My stomach rumbles, and I feel my fangs elongate in my mouth. How fucking embarrassing. I dash to the bathroom and lock myself inside a stall, trying to get a hold of myself. I am not some untrained child, but then, I wrack my memory for when I last fed, and realize it’s been about a week. I just haven’t really thought about it. Slowing my breathing, I focus on my slowing heartbeat, until I drown out all other noise. I concentrate on pushing back the feeling of hunger and withdraw my fangs. I open my eyes with a sigh of relief; at least no one noticed.

  I work my way back to the bar, and catch the eye of a guy behind it, who looks like a walking house. He’s freaking huge. He staggers towards me and smiles, softening his entire face, and suddenly he doesn’t seem so intimidating. “How can I help you, darlin’?”

  “Could I have two glasses of O-neg please? A shot of something stronger on the side wouldn’t go amiss either,” I smile, hoping to settle my stomach and my nerves in one fell swoop.

  “Sure thing, coming right up.” He tips his head and turns away from me to fix my drink, and I can’t help but feel more comfortable here at the bar than I was on the dance floor.

  “Fancy seeing you here,” a female voice snarls from behind me, and I turn to see Amberley and what I assume are her minions.

  “Well, I am a first year, Amberley. What is a House Captain doing speaking to a lowly no-one like me?” I don’t even try to keep my disdain from my voice.

  “I just came over to get a drink and found your skanky ass here. I’m more surprised you’re not throwing yourself at the help. You seem to have a thing for the things you can’t have.”

  “Ha, and I’m the skank. That’s almost a compliment coming from you, right? I’m not throwing myself at anyone. I can’t help that I make friends easily.” I smile at her and her minions gasp. Mindless drones, the lot of them.

  “Here’s your drink, miss.” I turn back to the barman and smile sweetly.

  “Thank you… Cam,” I read his name badge and he smiles back at me. “No worries, darlin’, you need anything else, you just flag me down, ya hear?”

  “Aren’t you going to help us, Cameron?” Amberley shrieks from behind me. Her voice is like nails on a chalkboard and makes my ears ring.

  “I don’t know, Amberley. Are you going to be a total bitch all night or speak to me like an actual human being?” he snaps at her.

  “You know, for a fellow Captain, you’re not very nice to me.” She snaps back, pretending to check her nails.

  “I don’t have to be nice to you just because you’re a Captain, Amberley. Maybe if you were a decent person I would, but until then, no.” he slams his huge paw like hands on the bar making me jump as I sip down the second glass of blood.

  “Sorry, darlin’. That one sure knows how to piss me off,” he says as Amberley and her drones teeter down the bar to find someone else to serve them.

  “No need to apologize; she pushes my buttons too. Nice to meet you. I’m Eden.” I extend my hand and his eyebrows raise.

  “You’re Eden? Well, I might’ve heard a thing or two about you, little missy. I’m Cam, House Captain of the Bears. I missed the ceremony earlier, because I was dealing with some other shit, but I hear you caused quite the stir.” I shrug, and study him, trying to work out what he is without being too obvious.

  “Wait,” I say, breathing deeply. “You’re a Bear, and an actual freaking bear?!”

  “That’s right. Funny, huh? Everyone else seems to think so, but I just embrace that its where I was meant to be. What about you, little Dragon? It’s typically the Fae or the Mer who end up in the Dragons these days. Since the decimation of the royal families, the Vampires don’t typically end up over there.”

  “Just lucky, I guess,” I shrug and take another sip of my drink. “Hey, so like, how early is too early to ditch this party?” I ask, the amount of people in here is starting to make my skin itch.

  “Any time now, I guess. But what’s a girl like you want to run away from a party for? Especially in that dress! You look good enough to eat.”

  “Thanks… I think, but this girl is not this girl. Fake it ‘til you make it, right? I am just so ready for there not to be so many people in my vicinity.”

  “Hmmm, stranger and stranger. Well then, Eden, I bid you a good night. You should probably try to escape like now, because I see a bouncy, dark-haired girl searching for you, and a certain Scorpion won’t be gone for long.” I breathe a sigh of relief.

  “Thank you, Cam. It was really nice meeting you.” I say, and I actually mean it. He’s literally a giant teddy bear. I jump down from the stool and reach down to free my feet from these torture chambers called shoes and make a run for the stairs.

  I am so nearly free when I hear a voice calling my name.

  “Miss DeMontford, leaving so soon?” I look up to find Laney, with Mr. Dubois stood at the top of the stairs, looking out over the ball.

  “Yes, indeedy. Parties never really were my thing, and I’d like to get a decent night’s sleep before I start classes tomorrow.” I smile sweetly, trying to hide my frustration at being caught.

  “How very studious of you.” Mr. Dubois says, and I can’t help but wonder if he’s related to the Dubois man who took me to the group home. I shake away the thoughts; it doesn’t matter anyway.

  “Thank you, sir.” I nod my head to him.

  “Well then, off you go, Miss DeMontford. Be careful crossing the grounds. You never know what’s lurking out there.” Laney says, looking at me str
angely. I try not to read much into it as I take my leave and finally make my escape. Once I’m free of the hall, I lift the skirt of my dress and run as fast as my bare feet will take me back to the main building, through the maze of halls and back up to my dorm. I reach the door and bend over to catch my breath. It’s been a while since I ran that far, I obviously need to start my daily runs again. God only knows I know better than to let myself slip. I reach into the bag attached to my dress at the hip and withdraw my key to open the room to my newfound sanctuary.

  I lock the door behind me and fall face first onto the bed. What a freaking night.

  I wake to the shrill of the alarm clock and slam my hand down on it to make it stop. Fuck me that was awful. I slept like a baby, but now I groan as I look at the clock. I must’ve not set the alarm right, because now I’m running behind. I grab a quick shower and throw on my uniform, comprised of a shirt, skirt, knee-high socks, blazer, and more freaking heels. I skim read my classes on the timetable pinned to the back of my door and throw some books from the chest in the small cloakroom into the satchel that’s hanging in there and rush down to the cafeteria to grab some food before my first class. History of the Supernatural. Freaking awesome.

  “In a rush, First Year?” I skid to a stop and come face to chest with Kane. Did I mention this morning was off to a super start?

  “Something like that. I think I set my alarm wrong, and Ruby didn’t knock on the door, so now I’m running late.”

  “Well, no need to rush, you’re about two hours early. I think you really messed up your alarm clock.”

  “Are you freaking kidding me?” I squeak, dropping my bag to the floor. “Of course, that sounds about right. Jesus Christ, Eden.” I smack my forehead and cringe when Kane starts laughing.

  “It happens to us all at some point, First Year. Don’t stress yourself too much. Since you’re up, want to walk down with me?”

  “I don’t see why not, since I’m never going back to sleep after this.” He laughs a throaty laugh and heads down the stairs. I follow, grumbling at myself for being such an idiot.

  “So, tell me a little about yourself. Our house is getting smaller and smaller, and as our only intake this year, you have my intrigue peaked.” He tucks his long icy-blond hair behind his ear, revealing his pointed ears signaling his Fae status.

  “Well, there’s nothing special really. It was just me and my mom until a few years ago when she died. Since then, I’ve been living in a group home, and now I’m here. What about you?”

  “She died? I’m sorry, I know how hard that loss can be. I lost my mother when I was younger. The Uprising wasn’t kind to any of our species.”

  “You could say that, though considering it was started by the Fae and the Mer people, you could say that the Vampires had it somewhat worse, considering ten different family lines were eradicated. All those people, families, children, just wiped from the earth because people didn’t agree with how our kind were being governed.”

  “Touché. But still, it wasn’t all of us that had a problem with the old ways. The loud few tend to herd the silent masses, and because they shout the loudest, change follows. My family were close to several original families. I lost a lot of friends back then.” He says softly.

  “I’m sorry for your losses too. And sorry again, the Uprising BS just really winds me up. So many Fae and Mer treat Vampires and Shifters like second-class citizens. The fact that The Council’s minister is a Vampire is highly ironic, considering everything. I’m just hoping that crap doesn’t filter down into the Academies.”

  “Ah, well, I’m afraid then, you are going to be sorely disappointed. Each Academy is run by a Fae, for magic purposes of course, but it’s more than that. The higher Fae and Mer think themselves of higher status, since we are born of old magic, rather than a curse which plagues your kind and the Shifters.”

  “Some might call that curse a gift,” I counter.

  “Yes, some do, but rarely is that the older generations of Fae or Mer. Not to speak out against my kind, but tolerance is lacking. More so since the Uprising. It filters down, which is why Amberley is such a bitch to almost everyone who isn’t Mer except Augustine. I’ve no doubt you’ve noticed.”

  “She’s Mer? Huh, I hadn’t noticed that. Though I haven’t exactly been playing spot the species. It explains a lot though,” I laugh.

  “Well, now you know. So, drowning her in Black Water lake isn’t an option if she pisses you off too much.” He smirks.

  “Thank you for the tip, I’ll bank that. So, what other pearls of wisdom do you have for me, oh mighty House Captain?” I wonder whether or not to ask him about what Ruby said, about Creed and the drowned girl, but decide better of it. It doesn’t sound possible; who drowns themselves because of some guy?

  “Let’s see. Don’t annoy Professor Arrowwood. He’s defense, and he’ll make you run extra suicide laps, even after you vomit. Professor Coggins is a softy, and if you remember her birthday, she’ll love you forever. Her favorite cookies are ginger and dark chocolate, just FYI. Avoid the special meatloaf, it’s really not that special. And whatever you do, don’t go into the forest alone, and never enter on a full moon week. The Academy is pretty good at letting the Shifters do their thing that week, but it means the rest of us need to be careful. Especially at the start of a new year with newbies who have their first transformation. I don’t need to explain to you about blood lust; though you’re not eighteen yet, so even you have a lot to learn.”

  “Right. Well, that’s a lot to take in, but I’m pretty sure I’ve got it.” I can’t help but feel awkward now we’ve reached the cafeteria.

  “You head on in. I need to speak to Mrs. Hale. I’ll see you around, Eden.”

  “Sure thing, and thank you for walking me down here. Laters.”

  I enter the room and its eerily quiet, just the sound of the kitchen staff working from the food hall. I enter the hall and grab a tray before heading to the cooked section. I load up my plate with eggs, bacon, sausage, and toast, before grabbing two bottles of blood and heading to check out. Pulling out my student ID, I swipe it, smiling at the woman in front of me before heading to the empty hall. I sit in a far corner, where I hope no-one will bother me and take out my books. While I’ve had an informal education at home, the same as us all, our only formal education comes from the academies.

  My background has focused more on physical education than a mental one, so classes like History of the Supernatural, Runes, or Astrology all intimidate me, but Strategies, and Basic Defense I’m looking forward to. The others listed on my timetable: Basic Spell Casting, and Healing for Beginners don’t exactly thrill me, but at least they’re mainly practical. The only thing I’m anxious about is my ‘buddy’. Each first year is ‘buddied’ with a third year of the same species to help them learn the complexities that come with each species. We’re meant to stay buddied until the end of the year, so that we’ve gone through coming into our full powers and have had a chance to gain some sort of control over ourselves before the year is out.

  I hear voices coming toward the room, so I throw myself into studying the books in front of me. I figure if I don’t pay attention to them, people won’t pay attention to me, right? How much I wish that was true. I manage to read for about an hour, feeling more like I have a grip on what to expect of my first day when I feel someone looking at me. I look up through the sea of people now in here and see Ethan staring at me across the room, with a sad looking Ruby next to him, also staring in my direction. What the hell? I huff and gather up my books before rushing to the exit. I don’t need this pressure right now, and I definitely don’t need them.

  I rush forward and crash into someone, falling straight down on my ass, my books flying.

  “Some Vampire you are, you’ve got as much grace as mud. Or maybe you just belong down there, at the bottom of the food chain. Stupid little first year.” Amberley sniggers next to Creed, who I managed to crash into. What a fucking morning.

  Creed
crouches and helps me gather my books before extending a hand to me.

  “Maybe you shouldn’t be such a bitch, Amberley. You’ve put that pedestal you sit on awfully high, I’m not sure you’d like that fall too much.” He snaps at her, and I hear gasps from the people around us. I take his hand hesitantly, very aware of the fact that every single person in here is waiting to see how this plays out. When our hands touch, my skin sparks again, so I pull it back quickly, trying not to be too obvious, since Creed doesn’t look like it affected him.

  “Thanks, I need… to go.” I take my books back from him and practically run from the room. Becoming the center of attention was definitely not my plan, but I keep finding myself standing out. I need to blend. Dannika always said to become part of the crowd, but how am I meant to do that here, while hiding, keeping everyone at arm’s length, and learning how to control my powers. I dart into the bathroom and lock myself in a stall. Putting down the lid on the toilet, I sit, placing my head between my knees and breathing deeply, trying to keep a hold on my sanity as my anxiety rips at my insides. I can do this; I just need to focus. I need to avoid people like Creed and Ethan. Avoid getting too friendly with anyone full stop. Above it all, I must stop drawing attention to myself. Shouldn’t be too hard… right?

  I pull out the map from in between my books to help me work out exactly how to get to my class. I blow my fringe out of my eyes while I juggle my books and everything falls to the floor.

  “You know, you have a bag. If you’d just use it, you’d probably have less accidents.” I look up to find a very sarcastic Ruby looking down at me shaking her head.

  “Yeah, yeah, but where’s the fun in that? Can’t you tell, I’m a damsel in distress type?” I kneel down and pull my books to me and shove them into the satchel she’s talking to.