To avoid thinking about my impending doom, I tried to play on my phone, but the connection was horrible. I couldn’t get more than a bar or two. I ended up spending my time gazing out the window at the miles of prairie grasslands. The sun had begun to set by the time we reached the Badlands National Park. The academy’s location was a centuries-old secret. Non-magical humans had no idea the hidden facility existed within a powerful magical veil.
No one knew except the Oglala Lakota Nation.
I’d heard the story a thousand times. My great, great-grandfather struck a deal with the tribal council. Their leaders understood the need to keep the supernaturals secluded and contained. The mountains supplied the perfect location. For a considerable sum each year, the tribes permitted them to build and run the academy. The two hundred miles of land surrounding the site remains protected by the tribes. They were free to roam and hunt wherever they chose.
Our vehicle came to a stop in front of the chain-link fence blocking the park's entryway. My parents helped me unload all of my belongings from the trunk, which wasn’t much. I packed two luggage bags. Once our driver rode away, a dark-skinned man in a cowboy hat approached. He smiled, tipping his hat to me before he spoke to my parents. I pulled a brochure from the back pocket of my jeans.
According to the pamphlet my mother gave me, the park featured dramatic rock formations, steep canyons, and towering spires. Lots of animals roamed the land. It wasn’t uncommon to see a buffalo, bighorn sheep, or prairie dogs. When I was a kid, my father would take me on fossil hunts through the trail. We found all kinds of interesting items. He’d bend down on one knee and explain everything to me in a way a child could understand.
Those treasure hunts were some of my favorite memories.
“Come on, Mina,” my father called out.
The cowboy hat guy sat in the driver’s seat of an old Ford pickup truck and started the engine. The passenger door was left open for me. I came to stand in front of my parents. “Are you coming with us?” I asked.
“Parents are only allowed on academy grounds during approved visitation days,” Dad replied, taking a glance at the night sky. “We can come back tomorrow morning if you’d like.”
“That’s okay. I’ll be fine. You don’t have to worry about me.” I wasn’t sure I meant that, but I wanted to give the illusion that I could handle what was about to happen. They were already worried enough. “I’m sure this nightmare will be over soon.”
Mom reached out for my hand and squeezed. “Find the evidence we need to clear your name, but be careful. Someone went to a lot of trouble to hide the rest of the video footage. Until we know the who and why you can’t trust anyone.”
“I understand,” I replied, trying to assure her.
“Remember your training, and remember who you are and what you represent.” Dad bent down, leveling our eyes. “Many people within the factions would like to see you fail. Keep your eyes open. Never forget that the most dangerous creatures in the world will be all around you.”
It was impossible to forget. I’d be in dorms with a mix of vampires, shifters, and witches that would probably be happy to see me die a tragic death. There might be a small percentage of reapers, but they couldn’t be trusted, either. Unlike me, these reapers deserved to be there. They committed their crimes.
“I’ll be fine, Dad.”
“You’re a Van Helsing,” he added. “We are never fine. We’re extraordinary.”
After the trial and conviction, I wasn’t feeling extraordinary. Humiliated and disgraced was a better description, but I didn’t argue. Dad, in his way, was trying to show support. “Yes, we are. Go us.”
Dad rolled his eyes. “Get over here,” he said, pulling me into a hug. “We’ll talk again soon.”
When he released me from his hold, my mother latched onto me. She squeezed hard enough that I couldn’t breathe. “It’s going to be fine, Mom. I promise.”
We stayed like that for a long moment until she sniffled and let me go. I was about to turn and leave when she slipped something small into my hand. I glanced at the square, fabric-covered box. “What is this?”
She managed a tight-lipped smile. “Don’t open it until you get into your dorm room.”
“Okay.” I didn’t open it, even though I wanted to see what was inside. It was so light it felt empty. Beyond my birthday, I couldn’t remember the last time I got a surprise gift. “I love you both.”
Dad held her tightly around the shoulders while I made my way toward the truck. The door creaked when I tugged on the handle. As we began to drive away, the engine rumbled. I watched my parents through the rearview mirror until I couldn’t see them anymore. Nerves bundled in my belly, wondering what this place was going to be like for me. Would I be able to find the evidence I needed? Did it exist? I held the box in my lap, rubbing my thumb over the silk fabric on top.
After a long silence, I turned to the cowboy. “Do you work at the academy?”
“Only when they need something,” he replied in a gravelly tone.
The cowboy turned on the radio, signaling he wasn’t in the mood to talk. The station he played spoke in a language I didn’t recognize. I leaned my elbow against the window trim with my fist on my cheek. We rode for more than an hour on bumpy, dirt roads through rough terrain. It was too dark to see much more than what the headlights illuminated, but from memory, I knew we had traveled deep into the mountains.
When he slowed to a stop, I tensed.
A non-magical human with no access to potions would see nothing more than a long stretch of road, but there was something much more than the road ahead of us. I saw a vibrating aquamarine-colored veil that shot up into the sky. If an average human tried to pass through, they unknowingly got magically transported to the other side of the park. The whole process was pretty incredible. The power it took to do something like this was unimaginable to me.
My talkative cowboy got out of the truck first and tugged my bags out of his truck bed. He set them on the side of the dirt road. With his arms crossed, he asked, “Do you know what to do next?”
I reached for the handles of my bags, grateful they both had wheels. “You’re not going inside?”
His eyes widened as if I spooked him. “Never.”
Once I reached the veil, I turned around to wave goodbye, but he had already driven off. He was afraid of something. I guessed that he came from one of the local tribes, and had probably heard stories. I didn’t know much about the people that lived on the surrounding reservations, but I think they preferred it that way. They had good reason to be skeptical of outsiders, especially the supernatural variety.
I reached my hand out and touched the veil. It had been years since I stood on the property my family built. My grandfather used to say that this place was where our family legacy began. He believed any creature, regardless of their crime, could be rehabilitated. After what I’d seen, I wasn’t sure he was right. I closed my eyes and stepped inside. I trudged up a steep hill, surrounded by thick forest until I reached the top.
After a short hike, the academy came into view. The sprawling, medieval-style facility didn’t fit with the modern detention centers in the human world. This place resembled a castle. Weathered grey rocks covered the exterior; each one pitted and scarred. Five rounded, stone towers gave the site a pentagon shape. My grandfather had said a powerful witch coven used the pentagram to create a security spell that kept unwanted guests out.
A grassy, over-grown courtyard provided a much-needed splash of color. Everything else around me was tree-covered mountains. The nearest reservation more than fifty miles away. This place was peak isolation. I lumbered toward a flat rock pathway leading to a sealed wooden door. I didn’t see any other entrance, but that didn’t mean they weren’t there. This place was practically bubbling with magic.
The academy went to a lot of trouble to remain hidden.
Before I could knock, I heard some commotion that sounded like a rusty gear shifting, and a moment later,
the front door creaked open. A man with an earpiece stood in the entryway. He wore an all-black shirt, except for the academy’s emblem on his right chest pocket. I recognized the insignia immediately; it was my family crest.
“Mina Van Helsing,” he asked in a direct, military-like tone.
I cleared my throat. “Yes.”
“Follow me.” He pivoted out of the way, making room for me to step through the doorway.
Chapter Seven
I took in the great room in all its gothic splendor. Trailing behind my guide, I admired every last detail. My father loved the impressive hammer-beam ceiling, but my favorite decor was the dark, exotic wood with carved oak arches that covered every wall. Opulent red carpets led to a grand staircase with balconies on either side, while mounted stone and glass lanterns illuminated our way.
The library was on the main floor in the first tower to my left. Inside, books filled shelves on five levels. The bookshelves were so tall they had to install ladders. Otherwise, no one could get to them. The books covered the histories of each of the supernatural factions. Some of the oldest books contained dangerous spells deemed forbidden. They kept those locked away with a guard stationed in front of the door.
A library may seem out of place for a rehab facility, but our family believed education was the key to keeping peace between the factions. The more we learned about one another, the easier it would be to get along. We had come a long way since our hunting days. Now we were all about tolerance and compassion. That’s why my arrest and conviction shocked our supernatural community. They held my family to a higher standard.
We climbed the staircase, which wasn’t easy to do while carrying two heavy suitcases. Earpiece didn’t offer any assistance. Once I lugged my way to the top, we headed down an empty hallway and stopped in front of a line of closed doors. He knocked once. Sweat pearled at the back of my neck as I waited to meet the headmaster. I wondered if he was annoyed that we arrived so late. It had to be close to midnight.
The door opened, and a forty-ish-year-old man in an expensive-looking suit peered down at me with an apathetic expression on his face. He had perfectly combed brown hair and glasses that sat on the tip of his prominent nose. Once he’d taken a good look at me, he turned his attention to my tour guide. “You can leave her with me.”
Earpiece nodded and left the way we came.
“Please come inside, Ms. Van Helsing,” the headmaster shifted out of the way. “I’ve been anticipating your arrival.”
His office had the same color furnishings as the rest of the academy. Books lined every wall, and a red rug covered most of the dark wood flooring. A long desk and leather chair sat near the only window with two wooden chairs in front. Behind his desk was a wall of framed certifications and awards. Piles of yellow files filled the desktop; each folder had a truck-load of papers inside. I’d guess he had a record for each of his most troublesome students.
I plopped down in one of the chairs. That’s when I saw the file sitting on top of the headmaster’s desk calendar. It had my name on it. He sat down and sighed as he opened the file. Inside, I saw clippings from various newspapers, pictures from the crime scene, and court documents stamped classified in red. Perfect. I pulled the fabric-covered box from my pocket and rubbed my thumb over the silk.
Once he finished rummaging through my file, his eyes met mine. “I have to admit I never imagined the first time I’d meet a Van Helsing, it would be under these circumstances.”
The hits just kept coming. “Sorry to disappoint you, Headmaster.”
“The good news is that you’re in the right place. Here at the academy, you will have an opportunity to turn this all around.” A brief smile flickered on his face. “We have a dedicated staff that will work diligently to help you achieve your goals.”
I planned to find the evidence I needed to clear my name and save Cassius, but I couldn’t trust the headmaster with that information. “My goal is to stay as lowkey as possible and ride this out. That’s my entire plan.”
“I wish that was possible. I do, but you’re a Van Helsing.” He made a tsking sound. “Your story has been all over the front page of every newspaper and gossip blog. I don’t see that dying out anytime soon.”
Unfortunately, I had to agree with him. It’s been so bad they had to smuggle me into the academy in the middle of the night. No telling how the supernaturals would react when we finally meet in person. I cringed just thinking about it. “I’m choosing to remain optimistic. There will eventually be another story,” I shrugged. “Besides, no one can get into the academy without permission. It sucks, but this place is the safest choice.”
“That’s true,” he agreed. “However, we’ve created new safety procedures just in case.”
Safer than a magical veil? “Like what?”
He retrieved a key from his pocket and unlocked a side desk drawer. Reaching inside, he pulled out a metal bangle bracelet and slid it across his desk. “This is a high tech monitoring device. As long as you’re wearing this, we’ll know exactly where you are. There’s also a panic button you can push.”
Now I understood. He wasn’t worried about the press. He feared that I’d get into trouble with some of the supes. A part of me held out hope they didn’t know what had happened. Cell phones and most electronic devices weren’t allowed inside the academy, so the possibility was real. But now that I had a bracelet tracker with a built-in panic button, my future was crystal clear. I was in the deepest deep shit possible, and I might not make it out of here alive.
“Do you have any other cool gadgets in that drawer?” I asked. “Perhaps a rifle or compound bow?”
He chuckled. “The only weapons we have are kept in the training facility.”
“You train supernaturals with actual weapons?” My eyes widened with shock. “What? Their natural superpowers weren’t enough?”
“We train them to use weapons so that they can defend themselves without using their power.” He rose from his seat, came toward me, and sat on the edge of his desk. “What would you do with a shifter who can’t control themselves in their animal form? The answer is you train them to defend themselves without the need to transform.”
His theory made sense, but there was a possibility that supernaturals could take advantage of the situation and turn this place into a blood bath. “How do you guarantee the safety of your staff when you’re handing convicted criminals a weapon capable of mass destruction?”
As I spoke, he moved around the room.
“We have the solution for that, as well.” He settled himself behind my chair. When I was about to shift in my seat, I felt something cold against my neck. I glanced to the side and saw the handheld instrument just as he pushed the button, injecting something beneath my skin. It burned, and I held my hand over the entry-point.
“What the hell was that?” I yelled.
“It’s a failsafe. Each of our residents has one implanted in them.” He held up a small silver ball, half the size of a standard pearl. “If anyone of you decides to get unruly, this device will inject a powerful toxin into your bloodstream. You will be unable to move for hours, and in some rare cases, it can kill you.”
My stomach churned. “And who decides if we’re unruly?”
“Each of our guards, trainers, and instructors can access your device by entering a keycode into one of the wall units.” The headmaster grinned, seemingly proud of his little torture mechanism. “I promise you; it’s highly effective.”
“Will I get handcuffs and a pair of leg shackles too?”
“Oh, no. You’re able to move freely throughout the campus.” He tapped his index finger on his neck. “We have all the security we need, right here.”
The headmaster was insane. I’d never heard of these devices or the fact that they were training supernaturals with actual weapons. It had been years since I’d visited the academy. This place used to be all about therapy; lots of courses with trained professionals using non-violent means to reach supes on a p
sychological level. The goal was always to rehabilitate them into human society.
These changes the new headmaster made were something else altogether.
“You can’t just go around injecting monitoring devices into people,” I stated as I massaged the stinging muscle in my neck. “We may have committed a crime, but we still have rights.”
He returned to his desk and chair. After he sat, he leaned toward me, resting his forearms on top of my file. “What I just gave you could end up saving your life. You, of all people, should be grateful that this academy goes so far to protect you.”
I didn’t say another word. It would be a waste of my breath and time. The headmaster was convinced that what he was doing was for the best, which meant he wouldn’t budge. Once I got my situation resolved, and I snooped around to see what else they’d changed around here, I planned to have an emergency meeting with my family. I’d take my concerns to the high court, if necessary.
This place was not a prison.
After a few silent, uncomfortable moments, he slid a sealed manilla folder across his desk. “Inside, you will find your dorm room assignment, general rules of conduct, and schedule. Tomorrow morning you’ll need to stop by the library to get your books and supplies. Oh, and there’s also a map of the academy, but I doubt you’ll need it. I’m sure you know this place better than I do.”
I held the folder in my hand. With furrowed eyebrows, I asked, “This doesn’t seem like much. I figured there would be more.”
He let out an exaggerated breath, ignoring my question. “You will be required to wear a uniform while attending your courses. The uniforms are non-negotiable. Before you arrived, I had them sent to your dorm room.”
“Which courses?”
“You will participate in a mix of group training, exercise, and therapy sessions.” He glared at me, giving off a get-out-of-my-office-already vibe. “Each one will help you evolve into the person you want to be. Your ideal self.”
I shot him my best fake smile. “Thank you, Headmaster.”
Van Helsing Academy Page 4
