“Don’t mind Gabby or the rest of them,” Kala said. “You’ll get used to it.”
“Used to it. Never. I’m not going to put up with their shit.”
Kala blushed and giggled nervously at my use of colorful language.
“Seriously, Kala, you have to stick up for yourself,” I warned. “What the hell kind of names do they have anyway: Lucinda, Serena, Gabriella, Ezzie. I know my name is different, but they sound like a coven of witches. But they’re not, so don’t let them scare you.”
“Oh yes, they most certainly are. You have to be careful around them,” she warned and stopped walking.
“Okay,” I agreed. “They’re mega witchy bitches, but you know what I mean.” I laughed freely at my own joke, hoping she’d join in, but Kala remained silent.
I turned toward her to reassure her, but she stared vacantly at me with a hollow sort of sadness in her eyes.
“I’m sorry I was harsh. Don’t worry about those girls, I got your back,” I offered in an attempt to soothe her raw nerves, but she didn’t respond.
Kala’s eyes glazed over as if she were deep in a daydream.
“Hey.” I shook her shoulders. “Don’t let them get to you. It’ll be okay, I promise.”
Yet she still didn’t respond.
My heart sank at the apparent fear these girls struck in Kala. I shook her shoulders again in an attempt to get her to snap out of her fear, but she stood still as a stone in her catatonic state.
“What’s wrong with her?” I asked Jacob. “Do they bully her that badly?” I fumed.
“She’s having a seizure,” Roar said, matter of fact. His tone almost sounded callous, yet his eyes displayed concern.
Jacob ran his fingers through his mop of curly hair and whispered in Kala’s ear. I strained to hear what he was saying, but it almost sounded like a foreign language.
“I’ll go get Fritz,” I offered.
“No, no,” Jacob said. “She may shift out of it soon.” His gaze darted toward Roar. “Take Adora to get Kala’s sweater, please.”
Roar nodded at Jacob, and we quickly set off in the direction of the motel. As we rounded the corner, I glanced back to make sure Kala was alright and saw a wolf halfway down the hill.
I gasped and clutched Roar’s arm. “Look!” But when he turned around, the wolf were gone.
“What?” he asked innocently.
“Nothing. Nothing,” I said. “I thought I saw a wolf on the hill,” I admitted nervously. “My blood sugar must be low. That’s all.”
I convinced myself that all these changes and drama was getting to me. That idea seemed to ease my mind a little more than potentially getting eaten by wolves.
We ducked in the motel and made our way down the long hallway. “Which room is hers?”
“Yeah, right. If only we had private rooms here.” He sighed. “There’s two dorm rooms. The girls’ is the third door on the left.”
“Oh great! I have to room with the witches of RBA,” I fumed.
“If you only knew,” he said and twisted his lips as he gazed at me.
“Oh, but I already do. They’re an evil lot for sure.” I said in a rush, then thought better of insulting Roar’s girlfriend. “I’m sorry. I know you and Serena are umm, friends.” I tried to make light of my insult.
“Yes, we are friends—and that’s all.” His gaze lifted as he rolled his eyes, as if he might be slightly annoyed with me.
I didn’t care though. A shot of relief and potential raced through my brain. Hmmm single. I twisted the doorknob to the dorm and dizziness wobbled my horizon.
“Whoa, girl,” Roar said, pressing up against me to steady my shaky stance.
I turned to thank him, and my field of vision dimmed as blackness closed in on me.
“Hey. Hey, Adora.” Roar wrapped one arm around my waist and the other under my arm and draped it around my back, grasping my opposite shoulder. “Where do you keep your diabetic medicine? He propped me up against the wall.
The smell of his cologne wafted into my nose, and I nestled into the crook of shoulder and draped my arms loosely around his neck to steady myself. My lips were so close to his skin I could feel the beat of his pulse against my cheek, which seemed to revive me. A sudden ravenous hunger plowed through me and a gnawing drive to devour food gripped me. I brushed my lips over his skin, allowing the salty taste to linger there, before I licked them. My eyes shot wide open as if on high alert. Mesmerized, I studied the thump of his artery. In my delirium, I wanted to bite him, as if that absurd action could quell my hunger and satisfy my low blood sugar pains. “I just need my vitamins,” I managed to say.
He guided me into the room, and I fumbled through my bag looking for the bottle. My hand brushed over the edges of Aunt Marea’s old book. I frowned as a wave of guilt hit me. I’d taken it against her knowledge, but I dismissed the twinge of remorse as I searched for my pills. I quickly dissolved two under my tongue and felt some relief. Roar seemed to glide as he walked over to fetch Kala’s sweater. Of course her bed was on the other side of the room, so that meant I lived in Witchville. Great.
Before I knew it, he was back at my side, sniffing the air. “Those smell good.”
His face appeared to change as his pupils dilated and the blue of his eyes grew darker.
“Geez, hunger doesn’t agree with you either. You look like you’ve aged a hundred years,” I admitted.
“Only a hundred?” He chuckled as if he knew a joke I didn’t.
“Maybe these will help get you through the afternoon.” I dropped two pills in his hand and returned the bottle to my bag, where it made a light thud against the book.
Maybe taking Aunt Marea’s old book wasn’t such a bad idea after all. Those little twits acted like witches, but if I convinced them I was a witch, maybe they’d get scared and leave us alone. It’s worth a shot.
Truth be told, I’d been drawn to the book for reasons I couldn’t explain. Strange things had happened to me in the last two days. Somehow, I felt the old dusty book held the answers to some of the mysteries in my life. And now, I was bound and determined to solve them.
To my relief, as I approached the barn, I saw Kala perched on the edge of her chair, chatting away with Jacob. Her gestures flung wildly through the air, and her head bobbed up and down in newfound animation.
“Does she always recover so quickly?”
“Most times,” Roar said.
The loud engine of a motorcycle caused us both to turn our heads.
“Deb’s here. We better hurry,” Roar warned, picking up his pace.
Once inside the barn, I scanned the room. Fritz had about a half dozen tables, three on either side with easels, paint supplies, cups of water, and two chairs per table. One lone table faced all the student’s tables but had a stool in place instead of a chair.
A thick layer of straw cushioned my feet as I confidently walked into the area. Three guys I’d never seen before eased into two of the tables on the right. They all had jet-black hair and were clearly related. Jacob left Kala’s side and settled into one of the open seats next to one of the new guys. The first table remained open, and Roar slid into one of the seats. He discreetly motioned for me to take a seat on the other side with the girls.
I casually sauntered over to Kala anxious to sit down and blend in, but she whispered “Deb sits here” so I reluctantly moved to the rear. At the next table Serena and Lucinda sat throwing daggers at me with their eyes. I moved to the back of the room, but Ezzie and Gabby already had the last two available seats. I wanted to melt into the floor and fade away. Obnoxious laughter behind me caused my neck to burn. Of course, Serena and Lucinda were loving every minute of my embarrassing situation.
Ezzie tilted her head toward Gabby, raised her eyebrows and flung her head upward in a nod toward my new enemy. Gabby let out a long sigh of protest, flipping her hair and rolling her eyes. Yet, she yielded to Ezzie’s wishes and scooted her butt off the chair. She gave me a dirty look, until a light
bulb, albeit a dim one, went off, lighting up her evil eyes. She set her jaw and snickered before she raced over to sit in the empty chair next to Roar.
Serena reached her arm outward and grabbed Gabby by the wrist, yanking her backward. She raised up and smoothed her black and red plaid skirt and arched her back thrusting her ample chest out. Time seemed to stand still as all the guys watched her sashay over to their side. The tips of her fingers ran across the tabletop before she turned, curtsied and gave me an exaggerated wink. She slithered into the chair next to Roar and leaned in whispering to him, but I couldn’t hear what she said.
“Thank you,” I whispered.
Although, I felt happy Ezzie had taken a liking to me and made me feel welcome, I still wished I had the chance to sit next to Roar and not Serena.
My eyebrows shot up in surprise when Fritz entered the barn holding the hand of the small girl, I’d seen the day before in town. The hippie woman—Deb—followed behind them. I smiled nervously as I hoped she didn’t know I tried to spy on her yesterday.
You could hear a pin drop as Fritz and Deb faced us.
“I’m excited for us to gather for another season at RBA. Each year, as we add new students to the roster, it gives me hope for the future,” Fritz said with pride. “I’m thrilled to introduce Adora Jackson, a new enrollee at our academy. All of you are here for the summer season for various reasons, and many of you took time from your break to take Deb’s class today. I truly appreciate your support of my daughter’s work.” He paused. “I hope you gain the insight you need to grow into your true selves,” he encouraged.
A Native American boy, dressed in all black, crept into the room and stood to the left behind Fritz. Deb smiled at him and patted his back, which caused him to smile too. Once he was sure Fritz had finished his speech he stood in front of Serena. When she didn’t react to her obvious taking of his seat, he turned and glanced at Deb.
“Serena, come take my seat.” Deb gestured toward Kala.
The new guy turned toward the door when Purina didn’t move, then twisted quickly back toward her flaring his black duster coat.
He thrust his hands onto the tabletop with a thud. “Move it,” he said and lurched his head toward her face. “Now,” he demanded.
I swallowed hard. “Who’s that?” I flicked my eyes toward him.
“That’s Arian,” Ezzie said. “He’s trouble. I’d stay away from him if I were you.” She tapped her nails on the table.
Although his actions were a little harsh, I stifled a laugh at his indifference to Serena. And the fact that Roar didn’t stick up for her gave me satisfaction as well.
“And them?” I asked, pointing discreetly at the three other guys.
“The Daga brothers. They’re of good breeding but a little strange,” she offered. “The academy was established by one of their ancestors.”
I inhaled a lung full of air and held it. Meeting all these kids had me on edge. And I certainly hadn’t got off to a good start with the girls in the group.
“I don’t want any trouble,” I blurted out and squeezed Ezzie’s arm. “But those three seem to have it out for me,” I said, gesturing toward the prissy witches.
“Leave it to me,” she instructed. “They won’t bother you anymore.” She smiled. “We have a bonfire planned tonight, why don’t you come, and we can all start over?”
I nodded my head in agreement and frowned. I wanted to believe what Ezzie said and start fresh, but somehow, I knew they wouldn’t let it go. Becoming friends wouldn’t happen. Besides, even if they wanted to be my friend, I couldn’t excuse their harsh treatment of the twins.
The lines had been drawn and now it was simply a matter of who would win. I had to be smarter and more cunning than the witchy bitches, and that was a tall order.
“Thank you for coming today,” Deb said. “Kiki, take a seat.”
The little girl hopped on the stool at the table facing us and waved. A few kids laughed and waved back at her. To my surprise the guy that kicked prissy Purina out of his seat waved at Kiki too.
Deb continued. “Most of you have taken my guided meditation before and know how this works, but for Adora’s sake, I'm going to run through the instructions quickly.”
Lucinda groaned and twirled the end of her hair as if she were bored to be here.
Deb took her leather jacket off and hung it on Kiki’s seat. “So, for starters everyone obviously sees the easel and paint set in front of them. I’m going to guide you through some relaxation techniques to help you free your mind and remove any doubts about your ability to stretch beyond our natural belief system of reality.”
Say what? I stifled a laugh. I didn’t want to come off as disrespectful, but I wondered what did all this mumbo-jumbo have to do with learning to paint?
“We’re going to practice a version of remote viewing. In case you don’t know Adora, remote viewing is using your mind’s eye to visualize another area of the world, hence the term remote viewing.”
My eyebrows raised as I felt the skin on my forehead wrinkle. Okay she’s certifiable, like her dad. I looked around the room for some back up, but all the kids looked relaxed, as if they believed in this idiotic concept. Even the prissy girls sat silent as Deb spoke.
“As you know these lessons are never used to spy on anyone or to garner information for nefarious reasons.” She glanced at Fritz as if it were a cue for him to remind us to be ethical.
“All of you are old enough to know you should never use your abilities for hurtful or invasive reasons,” Fritz warned. “Even Kiki knows that.” He patted the little girl’s head.
“Yep, Grandpa, I do.” Kiki continued to open her paint caps and set up her station.
The three guys in the back laughed.
Mean guy up front snickered. “Kiki knows way more than Lucinda; we all know that.” He tapped his paintbrushes on the table like a drumroll at the end of a joke.
Everyone broke out in laughter, and I joined in as well. Kiki smiled, but didn’t raise her gaze as she switched the tubes of various colors around to precisely set up her area.
“Quiet down class,” Fritz demanded. “That’s enough Arian,” he scolded.
My new hero!
“Were not going to focus our remote viewing on a certain place in present time.” Deb paused and gave a sly smile as her gaze darted around the students. “Now stay with me here…we’re going to sharpen our past skills and through meditation, focus in on the hidden truths of each other.”
The other students broke out into a soft murmur.
Kala bounced up and down in her seat. “How fun,” she squealed.
The three black-haired guys in the back, all turned their gazes toward me. They didn’t smile or snicker. They simply stared.
I squirmed in my seat. “Why are they staring at me like that?” I asked Ezzie as if she had a crystal ball and could read their minds.
“Don’t mind them.” She grasped my hand. “The Daga brothers are strange birds.”
“Indeed.” I laughed. “What are their names?” I asked, as if knowing their names would somehow lessen the mystery of their penetrating coal eyes.
“The one in front is Lonan, he’s the oldest. The other two are Bran and Raban.”
I scrunched my nose. “Does everyone here have a strange name?” I giggled nervously.
“We’re all unique in our own ways. You most of all.” Ezzie said.
“I’m so happy were friends,” I admitted. “To be honest, I worried with all the shenanigans earlier, I’d be miserable here all summer, but thanks to you I’m feeling better.”
“Don’t worry.” She pressed her lips together as if in thought. “Just ignore them,” she said, flicking her head toward the Daga brothers. “Their Uncle Korbin is a teacher here, but he’s normal.”
“Thank God,” I blurted out.
“And a hottie too.” She bit her bottom lip and fanned her face. “You’ll see,” she promised.
We broke out into a fit of the gi
ggles—a little too loud as Deb heard us and stopped talking.
“I apologize, Miss. Deb.” I hung my head. “I giggle sometimes when I’m nervous and I have to admit I’m not sure I understand all of this.”
Once again, my big mouth revealed more than I wanted to. Gabby and Lucinda mocked me as I saw the backs of their heads bobbing around imitating me in ridiculous voices.
“Simmer down,” Deb scolded the girls. “We were all new here once. Let’s show a little grace and help each other.” At the sound of her stern warning, the room fell quiet again.
“Don’t worry honey. I’ll help you through this. Just relax and let yourself open up to the possibilities of the Universe,” she instructed.
“Yes, ma’am,” I said, wondering what the heck she meant.
“So now, I’d like everyone to close their eyes and take a few deep breaths,” She sucked in a deep breath and blew it out harder than necessary to demonstrate what we should do. “I’m going to ask a few questions. Feel free to call out answers, but keep your eyes closed and breathe deeply,” she continued.
I glanced over at the Daga brothers and they were doing as Deb asked, so I sucked in a deep breath and tried to synchronize my breathing pattern with the rest of the class.
Ezzie clasped my hand. “You’ll do great.”
A cold chill ran up my arm, but I chalked it up to the sun going down and relaxed my mind.
“Everyone should have their eyes closed,” Deb said. “Now focus in on your breathing and the sound of your heartbeat. Slow your breathing a little at a time and try to feel the air around you with your senses.”
As much as I thought all of this was hocus-pocus, I steadied my breath and felt the breeze blow over my face.
“What do you smell?” Deb asked.
“Paint,” Kiki said.
“Good. Anyone else?”
My heart raced as I tried to home in on my other senses.
“Cheap cologne,” Arian said causing me to giggle.
“Fear.” One of the Daga brothers interjected.
Ravens' Blood Academy 1: A Vampire Historia Paranormal Fantasy Page 5
