“I think I’ve got a good idea.” In fact, I was training myself and getting more acquainted with my powers on my own, with the process of trial and error.
“And you know what you will do with them after graduation?” She clasped her hands together.
“Isn’t that something to decide after this school year?” Hazel asked.
Glorian didn’t break her stare on me. I knew what she was trying to do. This attempt to dictate that I couldn’t belong in the real world, that my place was at and my duties were to Olde Earth.
She was wrong. Unless there was another power I had yet to unearth, I had the basics of my powers down. I doubted there was much more to learn at the Academy that I wouldn’t grasp on my own. She merely wanted the control over me, over my powers. Glorian needed to have a hand over Pures.
Not for the first time, I could sympathize with why Nevis left.
“I’m coming back. To graduate. And I’ll do what I need to do afterward.”
She didn’t deserve any more of my time, and so I left them there. The three adults stood there awkwardly silent while I went to my room to check the backpack I’d already packed two days before.
Fuming, I showered and then dressed. Spikes grew and faded as I cleaned up—a sure sign of my distress and weak handle of my energy and emotions. Before I returned to Glorian waiting in the other room, I sat on my bed and unplugged my phone. I’d downloaded a few of Austen’s novels in audiobooks. I chewed on my cheek and eyed the opposite wall. Sabine might not forgive me, but maybe she’d never know.
I stood up and rooted around on her shelf until I found a pair of noise-canceling headphones Dad had gotten her for Christmas sophomore year. I’d bet she’d forgotten them here when we visited last summer. I could bring them back to her, like a nice sister…and use them on the trip back to avoid Glorian.
“Ready?” I asked Knightley.
He jumped up and wagged his tail. I’d learned to trim his spikes so they weren’t such a hazard. Despite Glorian ruining my mood, I was excited to go. Or, I was looking forward to bringing Knightley to meet other grogs. He’d fit right in with Arthur, no matter the difference in size.
“Let’s go.”
In the living room again, I faced Dad and Hazel. I gave him a hug goodbye first, and then Hazel. She held me in her arm’s reach and winked. “Don’t stop practicing.”
I grinned. I didn’t plan to. “Thank you.”
She nodded and then let me go.
Chapter Seven
The return trip to Olde Earth was probably the most relaxing hours of my life. I didn’t even need to use Sabine’s headphones and lose myself to Austen’s old words. Glorian might have wanted to bother me but I wouldn’t know.
As soon as I settled into the backseat of the car, seated across from the headmistress, I pulled my sunglasses on, slipped the headphones over my ears, and hit play on my phone. I fell asleep before the first page was read.
Again, on the plane, I slept. Probably, I was catching up for the past seventy-two hours of working with Susan and those abused pitties. For the first time in a long while, I felt comfortable enough to just pass out. I’d told Knightley to watch over me and I knew I could trust that grog with my life.
When we arrived at campus, I couldn’t use unconsciousness as a buffer to Glorian. She probed me with questions. About the shelter. If I plan to apply to colleges—I didn’t want to admit I already had. She asked about how my recovery from the mold has gone. On the subject of the calamity I ended my junior year on, she launched into scolding me.
Paige, Flynn, Sabine, Lorcan, and I should’ve gone to our superiors for help when we’d learned that Stu was back and collaborating with Griswold on an experiment targeting humans. But they’d all been gone. Glorian hadn’t been aware of why they’d left, that they’d needed to assist Nevis. At the realization she was in the dark about Olde Earth faculty still having ties with her ex-husband, I understood that they, likely Suthering, hadn’t wanted Glorian to know.
What I found interesting was indifference to Aura.
In reply to her scathing criticism of risking myself to stop the experiment, I said, “Don’t just look at me. I—we—did the right thing trying to keep those people safe.”
“Their livelihoods and safety are not your concern.”
I gaped at her. “Why are you so closedminded about elves?” I threw my hands up and Knightley cuddled closer to me. “You’d rather us just turn away and pretend we didn’t know they were in danger?”
“No. But what is your solution? Try to run off and save everybody? Be some superhero for the rest of the world?”
Is that what she thinks of Nevis? Man, did she have issues. “And before you carry on pointing out that what my friends and I did was irresponsible, what about Aura?”
She looked out the window. No other reaction.
“She did this. She set up the mold. She intended to harm them with her powers—”
“I don’t blame her.”
Again, my arms flung up in a show of are you freaking kidding me?
“I blame Griswold. And Stuart Wright. Both of whom cannot be held accountable because they aren’t present. You, however, are.”
I, however, did. Nothing. Wrong! Screw her holding me accountable.
She opened her mouth to rant on and I tuned her out. If I tried to voice reason, she’d bounce it right back and away. Vague answers and shrugs were my staples for the rest of that conversation.
I was more than ready to be out of the car and finally, finally, we arrived at the Green House. I didn’t bother with a goodbye to the woman before dashing up the stairs.
Paige and Ethel had returned to campus a week ago, and my roomie helped arrange for my room to be set up. Well, my former roomie. Paige was now an assistant dorm supervisor for the sophomores.
Marcy, as Flynn had texted, returned to the greenhouse but she’d resigned from continuing her role as a dorm supervisor. I was sad at the news, that I wouldn’t have the familiar comfort of seeing Marcy in the hallways. I was happy for Paige’s new experience, and she seemed so excited about the job. Plus, it meant I now had a single room to myself. My very own dorm! Since this was my last year here, I viewed the upgrade as a means of preparing for the real deal. In short weeks, I’d be an adult. And after this school year, I’d be free and college-bound. Being roommate-less now was like a trial run of real independence.
No one was in the dorms, as it was the middle of the day.
They’d emailed class agendas a few days ago—before the breeding crisis in Coltin—and I’d taken a moment to check it out then. Much like last year, there were two days of actual classroom and lecture time, and the rest of the week was hands-on learning. I’d already completed a bulk of the other curriculum-required coursework. In fact, since it was self-paced and online, I bet I’d test out of all those other topics within a couple of months. The only difference I could determine from the school year calendar was that this time, we’d have monthlies, rather than quarterlies. Seemed like an awful lot of testing, but I wasn’t worried.
I changed into my uniform and watched as Knightley sniffed around the room. “You’ll stay here and be good, okay?”
A wag was my reply.
“I’ll take you to the Menagerie after class.”
Another wag and then he curled up to nap on my bed.
I grinned, blew him a kiss, and darted out the door.
My messenger bag flapped against my thigh as I ran for the Main Hall. When I pushed open the huge wooden slabs, darkness replaced the bright sunshine and I let myself get reacquainted with the drone of too many conversations at once. Students strolled and lingered in the hallways, a sea of Olde Earth uniform-clad classmates heading to or from classes.
I checked my tablet. I’d just gotten here as the bell for sixth period should be ringing.
Sixth is… I thought back to the schedule I’d memorized. “Bio.” Wonder if Chan still has that nasty coffee breath. Lorcan had given the guy a huge
bulk pack of breath mints as a present at Christmas last year, but I bet the teacher viewed it as a gag gift.
I clutched my bag closer to my side to merge through the crowd. Raising my hand to my chest, I felt for the Anessa’s alexandrite. It was large, but still small as far as jewelry went. Sensing the little bulk on my necklace, I sighed and then lowered my hand.
Several students were already in the room when I got there. Flynn and Lorcan sat in the back corner. As soon as I saw my guy, I grinned. He lifted a hand in a wave, matching my expression. Then he shifted to a frown, like he was looking past me.
“Finally decide to come back?” Ren jeered.
He walked in behind me, bumping into my shoulder hard enough that I tilted to the side.
“You shouldn’t have bothered. No one would have missed you,” Aura said then, coming up on the other side.
They faced me together, Aura slinging her arm around Ren’s shoulders.
I took a moment to study Ren, looking for the similarities between father and son. Oh, there was no doubt they were related. But they were so opposite, too. Where Nevis smiled with pride and frowned with concern, Ren simply showed hatred in every expression.
“What?” Ren demanded, probably not pleased with my scrutiny and silence.
I shrugged.
“In fact, there’s plenty of people who’d love to see you gone,” Aura said.
“Is that a threat?” I asked. How I laughed out the last word was beyond me. Hazel had taught me mostly self-defense and simple offensive moves. Not how to be cocky.
“Some of us around here are getting a little sick of this so-called Pure who thinks she’s better than everyone else.”
I squinted at Aura. Then wrinkled my brow. Me? She was talking about me? I thought I was better than everyone else? How? When?
“Are you just…mad that I foiled your disgusting experiment Griswold set you up with?”
Aura rolled her eyes. “Oh, don’t make it a bigger deal than it was. That was just my final exercise. I didn’t know any of that stuff was actually dangerous.”
“Bull.”
Ren stepped forward, getting in my face. “Are you calling her a liar?”
Oh, my God. Ren and Aura. Together. Just what I need.
“Are you trying to be her bodyguard?” I leaned around him and said to her, directly, “That’s bull. You knew what you were doing. And I’ve got my eye on you.”
She raised her hands and wriggled her fingers, all the while saying, “Ooooooh. I’m scared.”
“You better watch what you say,” Ren said as he reached out to shove my shoulder.
I blocked his push and whipped his arm around and behind him. He grunted at the locked hold and I craned my neck to the side to tell him, “You better watch what you do.”
“Okay, okay,” Mr. Chan said. “Layla gets the award as the most memorable return, posing as a…ninja. Take your seats, everyone. Bell’s about to”—the bell rang. He chuckled. “Called it. Come on, let’s get started.”
I released Ren with a push and he stumbled a couple of feet forward. They claimed seats to the side of the room and I went back to where my friends were. Paige and Sabine had joined them as well.
“What the heck did you do back home?” Sabine whispered. “You buy some kind of Shaun T video or something?”
“That was badass,” Lorcan agreed, smiling at me.
“I just said it was badass,” Sabine retorted.
Lorcan sighed and faced Mr. Chan. “No, you asked where she’d picked up some fighting skills. I said it was badass she had.”
“Why are you so—”
“Sabine?” Mr. Chan cut off her whisper. “You have something to say?”
She forced a smile and shook her head. “Sorry. Mumbling to myself.”
I glanced at Flynn, who deadpanned at me. “All. Summer. Long,” he mouthed, gesturing to Lorcan and Sabine seated in front of him.
I smiled and held back a laugh. With my tablet on the desk in front of me, I appeared ready for the lecture. But with my notebook open to a blank page next to it, I was ready to catch up with Flynn.
You didn’t tell them?
I’d texted Flynn that Hazel was teaching me some self-defense moves. It wasn’t like he was supposed to keep it a secret.
He read it and then shrugged. Then he pulled the paper over and wrote.
I figured you’d surprise them somehow.
I smiled. Indeed, I did. I chanced a glance at Ren and Aura at the side of the room. Ren suddenly glared at me, as though my attention on him alerted him. Aura scowled at something Chan announced.
What do you think of that?
I reread the question Flynn just jotted down.
Crap. Had Chan just mentioned something about an assignment? I’d missed it? Well, no matter. He always emailed us everything three times over.
Monthly exams instead of quarterlies. Partners.
Oh, right. I’d noticed. Not the partner thing but the timing.
Wanna be mine?
He huffed a laugh.
I frowned. Why was that so funny? He didn’t want to be mine?
You’re not listening at all.
Well, I wasn’t. But what did that have to do with him not wanting to be with me for exams?
He said partnered up, against each other. You test against someone else.
Ah. So, no, he wouldn’t want to compete against me.
Seems like a weird way of testing.
Flynn sighed as he pulled my notebook closer and wrote again. And dangerous. How much you want to bet she’s going to ask to partner with you? He tipped his pencil eraser toward Aura.
I wasn’t a fool to gamble. But my gut instinct told me he was right.
As the day went on, it became more and more apparent that all the instructors felt the need to emphasize the change in exams for the senior year. In all of our classes, we’d be partnered with others to see who could perform better.
I sat there in Bateson’s Zoology course at the end of the day and really pondered this setup. Challenging students versus each other? Weren’t we already competing as a whole, to see who’d get the top grade of the class? Without a doubt, they wanted to test elves’ powers over each other. And on that note, why? The council already knew I was a Pure. Pair me up against Diluted elf and I’d win. Simple as that.
Unless…
Unease settled in my stomach, sending tension spiraling through my body.
Of course, they’d pair a Pure against a Pure. Which meant I’d be facing Aura or Flynn. I’d heard there was another semi-Pure kid in Marine Biology. Since I’d shown no affinity or any bloodline ties to the Aquine sects of power, none of my studies had even gone there. If it involved water, I didn’t want to go there.
Why, though? Why pinpoint us and set us up against each other? What would that serve? What would that teach us? I had strong misgivings we weren’t supposed to gain any education or lesson from being challenged by another classmate, but I wouldn’t put it past Glorian for wanting to know who was better than who.
She already valued elves as superiors, so did she need to know which elves were the best?
I rubbed at my forehead, tired already. I’d slept so much on the way here, but this was a mental exhaustion. Not even one day I was back and already the drama was too thick for my liking.
Chapter Eight
The first day back at Olde Earth flew by with catching the last of the classes and then trying to catch up with my friends. Sabine, Paige, and I had dinner in Sabine’s dorm room.
It was the first time I’d gone to her dorm house, and except for the lack of green bordering the walls and trimming the curtains, I wouldn’t have been able to know I wasn’t in my own place. They must have had the same architect design and build the houses.
She’d asked me all about home. Not so much about the trailer or Dad. She was very surprised that Hazel—not Hazelnut—had taught me how to defend myself. Paige asked more about my shelter work and the emergency crisis
with the breeders.
We’d all stayed in touch over the summer, but it was still nice to actually get caught up in person. And to see them and know they were okay after the hellish end to the last year.
Sabine explained more about how she, Wolf, Lorcan, and Flynn had gone after Stu, but the man was still at large.
“He’s gone.” Paige nodded, chiming in about how Griswold wasn’t at the Academy. “Like, gone gone.”
I leaned forward to whisper with a wince. “Like dead gone?”
Paige shrugged, a serious expression on her face. “Maybe. Mom mentioned it’s a possibility. Suthering had PIs going through his stuff. His lab, his residence suite. It seems he,” she said and held up a finger, “left in a hurry. Didn’t pack much.” Another finger. “He was working for or with some dangerous people.”
“So, like the mafia?” Sabine asked.
Paige shook her head. “I mean, like, terrorists.”
I reared back in surprise. Whoa.
Paige nodded. “Uh-huh. Three, he didn’t set up anything for school this year.”
“Like his class schedules?” I asked.
She pointed her three fingers at me. “Yup. Mom and Glorian usually get all the department head instructors’ general agendas three weeks before classes start. So Glorian can check them and then Mom can get them in the computer. Like a hashing out of the year. Griswold didn’t do that.”
“So…maybe he wasn’t planning on being here,” Sabine said.
“Maybe. And what’s more, Bateson only gave half of the year’s worth of a schedule. Mom says Glorian’s been on her butt about that.”
“Then there’s a chance she doesn’t want to be here that long, either,” I said. Which made sense. Bateson had spoken to me about disliking the seclusion and secrecy of Olde Earth. Perhaps she planned to take off.
That was a lot of leaving and absentees. No wonder Glorian was so mad about me missing the first couple of days of school. She must take it personally when anyone dared to leave the Academy before they were due to.
“I feel kind of weird about all of this,” I admitted after we collected all of our food wrappers and piled them on one of the trays.
Victory: Year Four Page 6
