"All right," she replied.
With that, I hung up and jolted from my place. I pressed the button that connected to me to the others. "Ryuu? Problem."
"What?" he asked.
"Your sister's in danger."
There was a long silence until his voice came back on the speaker. It was colder than I’d ever heard it.
"Where is she?"
"I'm locating her now. I have her scent, but someone clearly kidnapped her. I'm almost there. I need one of you to come to track me. I don't know if I can keep her safe with my ribs still not healed."
"I'm on my way!" Ryuu declared.
"All right," I replied.
It didn't take me long to find the spot, and I immediately knew where she was once I saw the empty cage. Going behind the tower structure, I saw Ryuu's sister curled up in a ball, her pink phone in her hand.
"Hey there, princess," I whispered.
She lifted her head, and those beautiful mixed eyes filled with tears. "Silver!" She opened her arms and I immediately hugged her.
"Let's get you out of here," I whispered. Lifting her up, I was ready to dart forward when I heard a shrill voice.
"Dammit! She's gone!" I recognized the voice immediately and cursed.
Nikko!"
"I'm working on it, Sir. Yes. Yes. I'll locate them. I promise!"
Without waiting to hear what else she had to say, I quickly moved from my place and jumped into the air, my wings piercing out of my back. Racing through the air, I heard Nikko's shriek, and when I looked back, there she was, chasing after me.
Speeding up as much as I could, I felt a weight on my shoulder and looked to see Star. She brushed her head against my cheek in greeting before focusing ahead.
I knew what she was thinking, and as we got closer to the checkpoint was, I thought at her.
"Star. Take her to Guardia!"
"Mewr!" she replied, and her body began to glow. Within seconds, Ryuu's sister was gone from my grasp, but I felt someone approaching me.
Looking back, I screamed and lifted my arms up to try and block the attack, but it was too late. A high-pitched scream left my lips, and my body began to fall quickly toward the ground.
Dammit...
I was losing consciousness fast, the sudden fall making the world spin around me.
I'm sorry everyone. I can't...
My body felt like it was going to give up, but something caught me. I opened my tired eyes, and they grew wide at the realization that my savior was Ryuu.
His dragon wings were spread out and he flapped them hard to increase our speed. "Hang on, Silver. The others are already the checkpoint. Once we pass it, Nikko can't get there." Ryuu spoke over the shrill winds.
"SILVER! RYUU!"
I had enough strength to look over to the side, and I was shocked to see the others waving from within one of the glass buildings. I looked up to Ryuu, unsure how we were about to do this, and a playful grin appeared on his lips.
"Time to make an earth-shattering entry! Brace yourself, Silver," he warned.
"All right!" I replied and used the last bit of magic I had to make a barrier around us.
In seconds we went crashing through the window, and Ryuu spread his wings out to slow us down. He landed with ease, and we turned back to see Nikko pull back.
Her anger was apparent, and she cursed and flew upward. A barrier suddenly formed along the glass wall of the building, and we looked down to our watches.
It flickered a bright green, and just like that, we'd officially passed our third Trial.
16
Year Four
"I'm just checking something real quick," I called out. "I'll be down there in a few,"
Closing the door to my dorm room, I walked over to the vanity and dropped the other letters and junk mail on the table.
Reaching for the envelope opener, I worked on opening the single envelop that had my results. It didn't take me long, and with ease, I pulled the set of papers out from the envelope.
I should have opened the results with the guys around but having a bit of privacy to read them first was always comforting.
With a shaky breath, I unfolded the piece of documents, skipping the basic introduction stuff and going to the last part, where it showed my final results post-final exam.
My eyes began to scan the document, my heart beating rapidly against my chest.
ANALYSIS REPORT- YEAR THREE - SEMESTER 6 FINAL RESULTS:
NAME:
SILVER SPELL SOLANGE
GENDER:
F
MAGIC LEVEL:
SSS
SHIFTER TYPE:
ANGEL
HELLHOUND
ELEMENTAL WOLF - TYPE A (match)
MAGERI DRAGON
* * *
MAGIC ARTIFACT:
RING
CURRENT GRADE:
SSS
OFFICIAL DNA RESULTS:
Shifter Hybrid - Shapeshifter Gene Identified
Patient DNA reveals extreme rare genetic trait known as
SSS - SHAPE. SHIFTER. STRAND.
Trait originality from FATHER gene. Witch qualities from MOTHER gene.
Further investigation and testing needed:
First identified Witch Shifter Hybrid since LIA ANN ARCHANGEL.
Unknown powers, traits, and abilities to follow.
Monitor wisely and ensure shifter traits and magic are balanced accordingly.
I was ready to sigh in relief, but there was an unfamiliar part to the bottom half, and when I read it, my heart dropped.
UPDATE STATUS:
Unidentified pathogen in the client's brain. Needs further investigation and treatment to stop deterioration progress. Pathogen identical to Father's illness.
* * *
Life expectancy:
TEN MONTHS.
“Ten months…” I whispered, but quickly put the papers on the table, right underneath the vanity. The door opened a second later, and I looked back to see Yuriel.
“Dinner’s ready.” He smiled sweetly at me.
“Right! Coming.” I smiled back. He nodded and closed the door, and I looked back at the vanity and took a deep inhale.
“Ten months. Ten…more months.” Looking into the mirror, I took another deep breath and let it out.
“All right, Year Four. Let’s hope I can make it to graduation day.”
TO BE CONTINUED.
COMING SOON- Oct 4th, 2019:
PreOrder Now: books2read.com/SSS4
Here’s a sneak peek of BLAZING ACADEMY, coming out this October 6th, 2019!
https://books2read.com/BLAZINGACADEMY
BLURB:
* * *
When the element of fire burns within your veins, the academy for all things scorching is the best place to learn how to make that flame burn even hotter.
* * *
Alice Blaze is my name, and I'm not exactly your typical sixteen-year-old. My mom disappeared after my birth and my dad was an alcoholic maniac, so I was raised by my protective grandparents in the single house up the hill. The one people only come to visit on Halloween.
* * *
Because, yeah, apparently, our house is haunted. Naturally.
* * *
As an orphan living in a spooky house, it’s no surprise that my life has been…eventful. I’ve been inadvertently causing trouble since I was little and it always ends up with something combusting into flames. You know, lighting up the curtains, exploding vials in lab class. And don't get me started with the accidental school fire. Need I say more?
* * *
The flames really hit the fan when I'm accused of shattering all the windows in the entire school. Of course, that doesn't make sense because it has nothing to do with my burning nemesis. But it doesn’t matter. Expulsion is imminent and my grandparents are fed up with my constant transfers.
* * *
But then something amazing happens: a letter of invitation lands right onto our doorstep. Or window.
I'm invited to Blazing Academy, the school for all things — and people — that are scorching hot. Shifters, demons, and blazing hot witches...oh, right. I almost left that part out. According to the school, that’s what I am. A blazing hot witch.
* * *
Let's hope that's all I am, and that this first semester goes a whole lot smoother than I'm imagining. Otherwise my whole life might just go up in smoke.
CHAPTER ONE: Sweet Sixteen
"Alice! You're going to be late for school!"
I turned over to hug one of my multiple pillows that crowded around the head of my bed. Even with two fans on and my window half open, I was still far too hot.
It simply wasn't bothering me because I was half asleep, but I was glad I only wore underwear to sleep because clothes were a no-no in this weather.
It was September, and I was baffled that it was still so hot. I always ran a little warm, even in the most chill days in winter, but it always left me wishing my grandparents would invest in an air conditioner.
Yes, our old, "haunted" building of a house needed a few renovations, but we were living in the time and age where we could afford a portable AC.
My grandma always gave the excuse that my room was in the attic and the hose connector to release the air pressure and water or whatever wouldn't reach the ground. It was all excuses to me.
Fans did barely anything up here. It did a bloody good job circulating the hot air, but to actually cool me off? I might as well eat ice cream every hour of the day.
Today was the third day of me going to another school that was forced to accept me. I always got a few brow raises when I'd acknowledge that I'd transferred from school twenty-something. I'd lost count, but from what I remembered, I was at school twenty-five before I made my lab vial combust.
Seriously, it was an accident.
People thought I was a witch. Or a red-haired, possessed female who looked like she was a part of a cult instead of a student trying to get her high school diploma.
My name was Alice Blaze, and I had a running streak of getting kicked out of every school I'd been allowed entry in.
It started in daycare and lead to grade school, and now, high school. It wasn't my fault, or at least, that's what I was told to say each time I "fucked up." See, there was something about the element of fire that hated me.
It had to be a past life vendetta or curse I had to my name because when fire was involved, I was signing off another transfer form and moving to the next school a few days later.
Lighters, fireplaces, even plain olden day matches. The spark of a flame matched with how I was currently feeling that day and either ended up with something burning to crisp or catching on fire and summoning the entire fire department to our school grounds.
Sometimes, I could be in the happiest mood, and the flames will be all playful and try and burn the classroom down for fun.
Due to constant fire mishaps, whenever I enrolled in a new school, the fire department was on speed dial. That was one fact that the students always found out about before the common 'Blazing Alice' nickname came to be.
How I wished to just be homeschooled. At least no one would have to deal with the fire mishaps I apparently created or stalk me all the way home to see the tall castle on the top of the hill.
Our house was literally the only one on the hill, and it gave you haunted house vibes. Totally spooky, painted in all black, and our garden and front lot were covered in thick trees and a few vines.
I wished they were nice and tall, the perfect wall of nature to shield us from the city’s ridicule. The school that was thirty minutes from my house by bike was the only one that was willing to accept and tolerate all the trouble I caused.
The principal was best friends with my grandparents and was doing us this favor. It was nice of her, but I wasn't interested in the pity acceptance.
If I could be homeschooled, life would have been far easier. No more problems, no students bothering me, and it would be easier to study because no one would interrupt me.
The one problem with all of my schools was that I was an easy target to pick on. I was the tallest out of the females, standing at 5'9". I loved wearing heels or anything to bring me up to 6'0", but that merely got more attention.
Adding my small waist, wider hips, tanned skin, and extremely red hair, I was the sore spot in a bland hallway, and among my peers, I was the "weird" one.
I never asked to be this way, but I embraced it. My grandparents taught me early to love myself for who I was, and I'd thrived with that.
Would have been nice to have contact lenses strong enough to last a day of school, but beggars can't be choosers.
The most distinct attribute regarding my appearance was my red eyes. People thought they were contacts and that I wore them to grab attention. No one ever believed me when I said they were real and that I wasn't the Devil's daughter.
I'd gotten used to it by now, and even with knowing they were real, I lied and said they were contacts to avoid being called a trouble maker AND a liar.
A girl could carry only so many labels.
"Alice! Don't make me come up there!" Grandma called from the second floor.
Snuggling my pillow tightly, I wondered if I ignored her long enough, she'd let me skip school today.
Today was my birthday after all. Did I really need to go to school?
My sweet sixteen was here, but I didn't feel any different. No one was going to treat me a little nicer because it was the day I was born, and I surely wasn't expecting a happy birthday either.
Blazing Alice didn't have friends, because she was too dangerous to be around. That's what people liked to spread around the school, no matter how long I lasted before being kicked out.
If only I could be one of those girls who had a group of friends who cared about these milestones. To have someone sing happy birthday and present me with a cupcake with a candle on top.
With my fire problem, we weren't allowed to have candles in the classroom, but just for once, it would have been nice to experience it with good company.
"Woof?"
Something nudged my nose, and I poked an eye open to see the tiny black wolf. I hoped it was a wolf, but it very well could have been a husky breed puppy.
This little guy had been wandering through our thick trees when I came home from my first day of school. It was stuck in a patch of vines, and though I wasn't one to feel sympathy for wildlife, this mini wolf was far too adorable to ignore.
The plan was to get her out and let her be free to find her pack, but she ended up following me into my haunted house, and I basically couldn't get rid of her.
My grandparents tried and failed miserably. Thus, the reason why this cute puppy wolf thing was now chilling in my bed in a last attempt to wake me up.
"Woof!"
"I should call you Wolfie," I mumbled, and closed my eyes.
"Woof!" The light nudge to my nose, followed by the little licks, made me grin.
"Be lucky you're cute," I muttered but lifted my hand to ruffle her fur. She kept licking my face and it wasn't until her tail smacked my cheek, then I sat up.
"'Nope. Not being wolf farted on today. Your farts can kill," I groaned.
Hearing the creaky ladder steps, I groaned and lifted my blanket to cover my breasts. Soon enough, my grandma was at the entrance of the attic.
"Aren't you too old to be climbing ladders?" I whined.
She rolled her eyes. "I'm fifty-four, Alice. That's not old."
"Old to you guys is when you need a knee replacement, which I researched was seventy-five from the new statistics. However, I think it's when you have grey hair, which you do," I acknowledged.
She gave me a scowl and I merely shrugged. "You said you always want me to say the truth. I'm stating facts."
"Go get ready for school."
"Do I have to?" I whined. "Can't I skip today? Pretty please?"
"Even if it's your birthday, you need an educ
ation. I promised the principal that unless you were super sick, you wouldn't skip school. What I will do is drive you to school," she offered.
"That makes me sad. No thanks." I frowned and looked at wolf pup who crawled onto my lap.
"Woof!"
"Did you give her a name?"
"No." I sighed. "Call her Cyrus. Reminds me of a girl version of Cerberus," I suggested.
"Woof Woof!"
"Really?" My grandma gave me one of her common 'I can't believe your logic' looks. I gave her a nod. "She likes it! Plus, she could be a demon from hell here to make sure I'm not lonely."
Grandma shook her head. "I'm making breakfast. Get in the shower," she stated, and before I could protest, headed back down the ladder.
With a pout of my lips, I mumbled, "Not fair. She didn't even say Happy Birthday."
Deciding to get up, I petted Cyrus and picked her up from the bed. Lowering her to the floor, she ran around by my feet as I sat up and stretched.
After a minute of sitting almost naked on my bed, I got up and walked over to my desk chair that my uniform was resting on. I would have been worried about how wrinkled it was, but I couldn't care less.
I already hated this school and couldn't wait for something to go awry. It would be the best gift a girl like me could ask for. Maybe that would convince my grandparents to let me be homeschooled.
If Dad wasn't a recovering alcoholic getting rehab, he could have given permission for me to be homeschooled.
SSS: Year Three (Supernatural Spy School Book 3) Page 20
