Izzy jogged out the door with Max and Ashley close on her heels. She nearly ran directly into Aiko, who was leaning against the wall a few yards down the hall with a smile on her face.
“Excellent. Let’s go, it’s not far.”
“Okay, but we can’t let Rebecca see us when we pass. She’s too young and too slow. I don’t want her going and wind up getting hurt, and she won’t let us go without her,” Izzy said as they approached the gymnasium.
“Don’t worry, we won’t even pass the gym, it’s right here,” Aiko said as she pointed to a small room a few doors away. It had an unbarred window in the back that was just large enough for the girls to squeeze through.
The forest was only a short walk from the castle, but it took a long time to reach it because Izzy led them in a curved path around the lit parking lot, just in case there was some kind of guard or camera near it. The mournful howl of a coyote broke the quiet of the dark night, lit only by a tiny sliver of moon.
When they got to the forest, Aiko put her hand out and created a small flame in her palm. “I’ve been practicing this every day. I can keep a fire like this going for a few hours now,” she said with a self-satisfied grin.
Aiko led the way straight ahead, occasionally sending her fire forwards as a ball of light to extend their visibility. It wasn’t long until they caught sight of the abandoned little cabin.
“Okay. Happy?” Izzy asked when they got close enough to see it clearly, itching to head back to the dorm.
“What, do you believe in ghosts or something? We’re here, so we might as well see what it’s like inside,” Aiko said, laughing.
Izzy rolled her eyes and overtook Aiko, leading the way to the dilapidated structure. The walls were made of old logs and the door, which had fallen on the ground, was mostly decomposed and covered in plant life. Izzy jumped as an owl hooted in the distance. She turned back to see Max and Ashley huddled together and shaking.
“Just an owl, guys,” Aiko said with a grin, as if they hadn’t noticed the gasp she’d let out right along with them a moment earlier.
Izzy stepped into the cabin, crinkling her face at the moldy smell that greeted her inside. The walls and floor were rotted and covered in moss. The group stood and waited at the entrance as Aiko’s ball of flame danced around the cabin, revealing a kitchen to their left and the hallway to their right.
“Let’s check out the kitchen, first,” Aiko said, leading the way.
Old, cast iron pots and pans sat in a pile on the floor, having fallen long ago from where they must’ve hung on the wall next to the large hearth that was the centerpiece of the room. There were pieces of rotted wood all around the room, which had likely been chairs and a table. It would’ve been pretty cool in the daytime, but Izzy was too on edge to really appreciate it.
“Sweet. I wonder what the bedroom is like,” Aiko said.
As they made their way past the bathroom to the other side of the house, there was a loud rustle in the trees outside that caused Ashley to let out a loud yelp. Aiko’s flame flickered out and reformed a moment later, revealing her terrified expression.
“Do you think it’s Mr. Abernathy?” Max whispered.
“I’m more worried about a bear. Whatever it was, I’d rather not stay here long enough to find out,” Izzy shot back, wishing she’d never agreed to this ludicrous scheme.
Max and Ashley quickly voiced their approval and even Aiko nodded in reluctant agreement after a brief pause.
Aiko’s flame didn’t reveal anything dangerous in the area around the house, but it didn’t help Izzy to shake the intense feeling of dread as they began the walk back to the school. When they had trekked for a few minutes and their fear had begun to fade, they heard a soft whimpering sound in the woods that came from directly in front of them. Izzy’s blood seemed to freeze in her veins as they all stopped in silent unison.
Whatever it had been wasn’t visible in the glow of Aiko’s fireball.
“Aiko, if anything comes towards us, make as big a fire as you can to try to scare it off, we just need to keep moving forward. For now, I think you should keep the fire small and far ahead of us to keep its attention away,” Izzy whispered.
The others nodded and they continued walking as Aiko pushed the fire to light a few yards ahead of them. When the school was just barely in view, Izzy heard a pained noise over her shoulder that sounded somehow familiar. Judging from the volume, it couldn’t have been very far away.
What kind of animal made a sound like that, especially if it was going to attack? What if it was just an injured creature in need of help?
She motioned to Aiko to send her fire in the direction that the sound had come from. A huge, dark shape briefly appeared before dashing away with the loud crack of a tree branch and a frantic rustling of leaves.
“Bear! Run, you guys!” Ashley screamed, standing her ground and gesturing wildly for them to hurry.
Izzy stayed for a moment longer, straining to see deeper into the woods. When she saw nothing, she began to jog toward her terrified friends, still trying to determine where the sound had come from. She had her speed to bail her out if it got too close…
She stopped in her tracks when she saw pale green eyes staring at her from no more than ten feet away. Her terror grew as she noticed where its eyes were positioned in relation to her own. This bear must’ve been huge. Her mind raced as the pair of eyes moved slowly towards her.
“Hurry, Iz!” Ashley called, spurring Izzy into action. If Ashley wouldn’t go on without her, she had to move. Her friend wasn’t nearly as fleet of foot, and Izzy didn’t want to be responsible for something happening to her, no matter how much she wanted to check on the massive animal.
She sprinted toward where her friend waited, but couldn’t resist one last glance behind her. She was stunned at how close the creature was still, given her speed. She could just about make out its massive silhouette just a few strides behind her, and her stomach heaved with dread.
Suddenly, she stumbled and the creature let out a low, terrible snarl.
“No!”
Suddenly, a loud thump echoed through the forest, followed by a whimper and then the shouting of an infuriated, male voice.
“Run, Izzy, run!”
Chapter 12
Izzy ran, glancing over to find a super-pissed-looking Jake keeping pace beside her.
"Don't look at me, go, go, go!" Jake shouted, gripping Izzy's arm and dragging her back toward the castle.
"Wh-what was that?" she demanded, heart in her throat as they sprinted to catch up to the others. She may not be a zoologist or anything, but she was pretty sure that whatever had been in those woods was no bear.
"Not now, Izzy, just go," Jake shot back, crashing through the brush. The branches slapped sharply at their faces, but she didn't care. She'd happily have skewered every limb to get away from whatever had been back there.
They caught up with Aiko, Max and Ashley quickly, and then slowed their pace as they reached the school grounds and rushed to the small window.
"Um, he's definitely not going to fit," Aiko hissed, jerking a thumb at Jake's broad shoulders.
He shot her a dead-eyed stare and gestured for them to follow him toward one of the side doors. They all crept behind him as Izzy glanced over her shoulder, straining to hear if whatever had been in the woods was still following them, but all was still and quiet, except for the sounds of frogs and insects chirping.
When Jake reached the door, he rapped on it lightly twice. A second later, it swung open and Trent stood there grinning.
"So you found the little runaways, did you?" he asked with a low chuckle.
"Yup. And just in time, too."
They all filed inside behind him and when the door closed, they let out a collective sigh of relief.
Rebecca poked her head out from behind Trent's massive frame, her face pinched with worry. "Is everyone all right?"
"Yeah, fine," Max murmured, looking as shell-shocked as Izzy felt.
>
Ashley nodded, her cheeks leached of all color as she surveyed the rest of them. "We're okay, I think."
"Well, that was a good idea," Aiko said, raking a shaking hand through her inky hair. "Tell me that wasn't fun, you guys?"
Izzy gaped at her, and then realized she was kidding.
"That wasn't fun, Aiko," Izzy, Ashley and Max replied in stereo, making Trent's grin grow even wider.
"I'm sorry I told Jake, but when I got back to the room, you guys were all gone. I waited for a while and then woke Jessica up, and when she told me where you'd gone, I got so scared." Her eyes were full of worry as she stepped forward and reached for Izzy's hand. "I kept thinking, what if I don't tell anyone and something happened to one of you. Are you mad at me?"
Izzy shook her head and sucked in a steadying breath. "No, I'm not mad. It was wrong of us to put you in that position. We were being reckless and silly. We're the ones who are sorry, right, guys?"
The others murmured apologies, except Aiko, who let out a noncommittal grunt.
"The cabin was kind of cool," she mumbled under her breath.
Trent shoved her playfully on the arm and shook his head. "You're a bad ass and all, but they told us it's dangerous out there. Don't make me put you in a headlock, Aiko."
One brow shot high on her forehead as she conjured up a tiny flame. "Try it, muscle-head."
Their banter lightened the mood a little, and just when the knot of terror and dread in Izzy's chest began to unfurl, she remembered.
"You guys, about what was in the woods back there--"
"I, for one, am not about to stand here yammering with you idiots so we all get caught and I have to take the fall for this along with you," Jake interjected, his tone icy. "So why don't you all head back to your dorm and talk about this later, amongst yourselves, yeah?"
Trent's grin dimmed and he nodded briskly. "You heard the man, let's head back before we get in trouble."
They skulked through the halls until they reached the dorm, and wordlessly broke off toward their respective rooms.
"Man, he's pissed, huh? You'd think he was one of the Professors the way he acts sometimes," Aiko said with an indignant sniff.
"He is super cute, though," Max said, shrugging. "Sometimes you gotta take the good with the bad."
"Seriously, you guys," Rebecca murmured, slowing to a halt just outside their door. "I know I seem like a tattletale, but I was so worried. Please don't do that again...or, at least, wait for me next time. I'd be less scared out there with you than in here imagining you all getting eviscerated by a bear."
"The words you come up with sometimes," Aiko said, shaking her head.
"Eviscerated?" Rebecca asked, drawing back with a frown. "That's an everyday word. People use it all the time."
"Oh yeah, when?" Aiko demanded, cocking her hands on her hips.
"Like, 'Oh, be careful playing with those knives, Timmy. You might get eviscerated’."
Aiko crossed her arms over her chest. "Try again."
Izzy blew out a sigh and pushed through the door, leaving them to bicker. When she stepped into the room, she was surprised to find all the lights on and Jessica's bunk empty.
"Rebecca," she called softly over her shoulder. "Didn't you say Jessica was in the room sleeping before you went and got Jake?"
Rebecca broke off her debate mid-sentence to turn toward Izzy. "Yeah, why?"
"I don't know. She's gone."
Rebecca shouldered past her to step into the room and stare at the empty bed.
"Huh. Weird...maybe she got worried and went to look for you guys, too?"
Aiko snorted. "Hardly. She'd be more likely to start pawing through our clothes for what she wanted to take if we didn't make it back."
The others chuckled, but Izzy stepped closer to Jessica's area, gaze narrowed.
"Where are all her pictures and stuff?" she asked, moving toward the dresser. Jessica had displayed a few framed images of herself and her cheer friends, and both were now gone. Izzy reached out and opened up her dresser, peering inside.
"Empty. What the..."
Suddenly, a loud bell began to peal and the girls all stared at each other in shock.
"Are we busted?" Ashley asked, eyes wide.
"Little late for an alarm now," Rebecca said, her tone matter of fact.
Suddenly, the screen above their door blazed to life. Across it, ran a ticker-like message.
We regret to inform you that we've had our first tap out. We at Nightgrove Academy wish Jessica Montgomery all the best in her future endeavors.
They all stared in silence for a long moment until the tolling of the bell ceased and Aiko let out a low whistle. "Ding dong the witch is dead, guys. I never saw that one coming."
Izzy hadn't, either. Of all the people she'd have thought would tap, Jessica wasn't even on the top fifty of her list.
Lists…
"Do you think she was humiliated because of her placement on the testing ranks? Especially once Izzy called her out on the mind tricks she was trying to play," Max said, tucking a strand of now-purple hair behind one ear.
She'd been right. Now that the scabs were gone, she did look a lot better, but Max and her "do" were the least of Izzy's concerns right now. Just when she'd thought she'd settled into a routine and things were looking up, it was starting to get weird around here again.
"Why do you look like you were just sucking on a candy-coated cockroach, Izzy?" Aiko asked, plopping down on Jessica's mussed but empty bed. "You couldn't stand the girl and the feeling was mutual."
Truth.
And still... "It just seems super strange that she would pass up an opportunity to learn more about how to mess with people's heads and master her power so she could go back to life in Wyoming."
"More likely, she felt like she was too smart for us and wanted to go use her magic in the real world. Find some orphans to rob or puppies to torture," Max said.
"Maybe." And, now that Izzy thought about it, she had seemed really tired lately. Really, since the first day of classes. Her one on one's with the Dean lasted at least an hour, if not longer, than everyone else's classes, and she'd been looking drawn and pale for a while now. Maybe that, on top of not doing well in testing, had been point break for her. She was number seventy-five here at Nightgrove, but back home in Wyoming she was numero uno. Big fish, small pond.
Izzy nodded slowly. "I guess this place isn't for everyone," she concluded as she shut the dresser with a click.
She was going to stop looking this gift horse in the mouth and get on with business, which currently consisted of trying to figure out what the heck they'd seen in the woods.
She padded over to her own dresser and tugged out her night clothes. "So, which one of you guys got a look at the creature out there?" she asked, carefully schooling her tone to sound super casual.
"The bear?" Ashley asked, dropping onto the bean bag chair in the corner. "I did. Like, sort of, anyway. That thing was huge."
"I'm not gonna lie," Max said with a wince. "I closed my eyes and just started running. I'm not proud of it, but that's the truth."
"And you're sure you saw a bear, Ash?" Izzy said.
Ashley's golden brows knitted together. "I mean, yeah. I think so. What else would it be? Too big to be a wolf."
Aiko let out a bark of laughter. "Tell me you're thinking Sasquatch, Izzy."
"I don't know what I'm thinking, to be honest, Aiko," Izzy said, rubbing at the bridge of her nose as she walked into the bathroom to change. "Maybe I'm just overtired, is all."
She stepped into the bathroom and closed the door before slumping against it with a groan. This was all good. No one got hurt, Jessica had tapped out, and she was top of her class. She had to stop looking for problems where there weren't any.
She changed into her night clothes and made quick work of washing her face and brushing her teeth. With one last look in the mirror, and a resolute nod of encouragement to her reflection, she flicked off the light and headed i
nto the bedroom.
Max was reading as Aiko and Ashley talked about their excursion in hushed, giggling tones. It really had been so silly. Thinking back on it in the brightly lit room, safe behind these stones walls, it seemed like any old camp story told around a fire.
Izzy made her way toward her bed and pulled out a sheet of paper and a pen before climbing in, balancing a book in her lap to write on.
Dear Sam,
When this letter finds you, you'll obviously already know the good news. Jessica--
She paused, pen hovering over paper, as she thought how to word it. No one outside of Nightgrove, and maybe cage fighting, thought of it as "tapping out"...
Jessica dropped out of the Academy today, so you'll have her back in Stockridge soon. I'm sure it will be nice to have a friend in town again, even if that friend isn't me. Anyway, just wanted to tell you that I love you and miss you and can't wait until I can come home to visit.
P.S. Send me back a picture of us together! I forgot to pack some and I sure would love to see your face.
XOXO Izzy
She folded the letter into thirds and slipped it inside an envelope before laying it on the little desk beside her bed, making a mental note to mail it the next day.
Aiko and Ashley were still up talking when she flipped off her bedside lamp and rolled onto her side.
Like most days, her body was tired. There was no way a person could use up as much energy as they did each day and not feel fatigued by the time they climbed into bed. If only her brain was as sleepy. Instead, it was flipping and dipping around like mad, jumping from thought to thought. Jake’s fury as he dragged her crashing through the woods. Rebbeca’s worried gaze as she stood waiting at the door. Tom’s bushy-bearded face sharing the story of poor old Cecil.
But no matter how chaotic and frenetic her thoughts were, they kept landing back in one spot.
Those eyes. Those preternatural, green eyes reflected back at her in the woods. That massive form, with a shape that resembled no bear she'd ever seen.
Nightgrove Academy Book One Page 10
