by Jarica James
"We have something to discuss with you," Calev said out loud, his tone serious. Both Lilah and Lorcan froze, their bodies tensing under his change in demeanor. Calev had that intense and brooding vibe about him, and it drew attention to him even more when he was commanding.
"Okay..." Lorcan trailed off, but Calev seemed to be fighting with his words. Not wanting to put him on the spot, I uncurled from my safe spot on my bear and stood.
"It's my powers. I'm a siren...but, I'm also something else. I can call Calev's shadows, I can use Tristan's mind speak, and I can use Evander's speed," I admitted in a confident voice. When in doubt, fake it ‘til you make it. Their mouths fell open in shock, neither one speaking for a moment as I shuffled my feet.
Finally finding her words, Lilah looked up, now studying me like I was a puzzle. "Have you been able to do this with others' powers as well, or only your boyfriends'?"
"They're all I've really known since finding out I'm a supernatural. So, I don't know," I admitted, blushing as I let them know how big of an outsider I was. Not only am I some kind of supernatural freak who might be stealing people’s powers, but I’m also the one weirdo who doesn’t know any other supes.
"Well, let's test it!" she squealed excitedly, clapping her hands. "See if you can use mine." She stepped apart from the others at that, holding out her hands as lightning arced from one palm to the other. I jumped back in surprise, not expecting such a show. She gave me an encouraging smile, so I took a deep breath and put my hands out, picturing her magic and trying to make it happen. I watched it arc from one hand to the other before fizzling out, probably because of the gasp that I let out at the sight. I really didn’t expect it to actually happen.
"Holy shit!" Lorcan and Evander shouted, but it was Lilah who caught my eye. I could see a hint of fear in her eyes mixed with shock and awe.
"What do you know?" Calev questioned immediately, moving toward her before I could blink. He stopped inches from her, studying her intensely, until Lorcan cleared his throat and gave him a warning look. I guess I’m not the only one who saw that she looked afraid for a second there. She shook her head for a moment in disbelief, like she couldn't wrap her mind around it all. But it was something more than that, and the fear and awe in her eyes was replaced with tired resignation, like part of her knew what was coming and didn’t much like it.
"Well, it just seems impossible," she argued, starting to pace, which only made me even more nervous. "There was talk of a ridiculously rare species of shifter, called a mimic. But really, they’re talked about as this urban legend- an extraordinarily powerful supe who most geneticists might whisper about, but would never actually find. Essentially, they could mimic any power, sometimes even several at a time as they grew into their powers. They can also mimic mental abilities if they've come into physical contact with the person they're mimicking."
Lorcan stood up at that, holding her steady to pause her pacing as he turned to us. "I remember reading about this before. Like Lilah said, it’s something that people gossip about, but no one thinks they really exist anymore. They were hunted and used in the sixties, The Regency at the time corralling them and running experiments. The fact that someone survived is mind blowing."
"So I'm still a freak," I tried to joke, but the guys all looked worried now. This is it, this is the point I become too much to handle.
"No, you're not. I'm more worried about what this means for your future. You have to go back to school, and you need it now more than ever. The Dean can be trusted, and he'll likely set up some kind of special training program for you," Lilah said, her eyes full of pity... which I hated. Why did everyone trust this Dean so much? This isn’t the first time they’ve relied on him. Why is he the go to guy?
“The Academy is where we all hone our skills, the Dean was part of The Regency but stepped down to look over the school. They’re kind of like your congress and president combined. They control the councils. It’s kind of a tradition of Regency members. It doesn’t mean he was out of their council completely, now he’s an extension of it. So, his knowledge and reach are honestly our best bet,” Tristan explained, scratching the back of his neck as he explained. A chorus of agreement followed his explanation, but I held back my opinion on it until I could meet him. I’m too cynical to trust implicitly, they were the exception.
"The current Regency would protect me, right? Like, if I said no to experiments in the name of science, they would honor that?" I asked, praying that I’d find reassurance in their faces, but of course, it’s never that easy.
"Not The Regency, they'd encourage it. Tradition is key here, and anything outside the norm is seen as a challenge to that, deviant even. Sure they pretend it’s fine, and they’d make sure you were safe, but I don’t know if I’d trust them with this," Tristan mumbled angrily. "My parents even threatened to send me to them when they found out I was with Aeson."
My mouth dropped open as I tried to form the words fueled by my anger. "You mean to tell me they don't accept people from the LGBTQ community here?"
Aeson scoffed,"It's actually worse. Shifters want their people to breed, as do most other species, so being in your prime and not taking part in that is seen as a huge insult to the pack, and a problem that needs to be “fixed.” Some are exiled from their packs, some are forced into pairings, and some are brutalized."
"Wow, I guess I thought things would be better over here," I said quietly, the news a harsh slap in the face with reality.
"In some ways, yes. But in other ways, it's worse," Lorcan answered honestly.
"Well, if she's going to be under scrutiny, and we have to go back to school, she should at least master our powers. Then we won't have to hover over her and smother her," Aeson teased, blowing me a kiss.
"That sounds wonderful. Who's up first?" I asked, looking around. The guys all looked around at each other, seemingly having a mental conversation without including me this time. Without speaking, they turned their focus to Calev. I guess he’s being offered up as the test subject.
"Whoa there, Little Psycho. Why don't we wait until morning?" Calev said, pulling me with him upstairs. I tried to protest, but I just didn't have it in me, sagging into him as we walked into our room. He pulled me down into a bed, not even bothering with changing clothes, before he covered me up and snuggled around me. I wanted to sink into the warmth and comfort he was offering, but my mind wouldn't stop going as he fell asleep behind me. I tried to calm my mind, letting the soft sound of Tristan and Aeson snoring on the other bed fade into the background, but nothing worked. After what felt like hours, I slipped out of the room and headed for the kitchen. I felt bad for moving around the house at night like a creeper, but I couldn't lay there for another minute, or I'd go crazy.
"Couldn't sleep, either?" Lilah's voice asked as I rounded the corner. I yelped in a completely undignified way, clutching my chest and heaving out deep breaths. "Sorry," she cackled, clearly not sorry at all.
"At least I didn't scream?" I attempted to joke, but my voice was still shaking. I had been so lost in my thoughts, that I wasn't prepared for her to be right there.
"True, though those boys could sleep through the apocalypse. Hungry?" she asked, going back to mixing whatever was in the bowl.
"I could always eat," I said, taking a seat at the breakfast bar. "Want help?"
"No, thank you. And good, I bake when I can't sleep, so we should have some fresh scones here in a minute. Dark chocolate raspberry or white chocolate cranberry?" she asked, not even skipping a beat. She plopped a huge ball of dough on the counter and looked up, waiting for my answer.
"I mean, we can't go wrong either way, but I vote dark. Or, go big and throw it all in. Why choose?" I said with a shrug. She smirked for a moment, looking pointedly upstairs, before shrugging and throwing some of each in a smaller bowl and mixing them together. She poured the mixture over the dough, before folding it in until they were fully mixed.
"So, how are you handling the news?" she asked quietly,
not looking at me as she worked, but I could tell she was listening. I appreciated how perceptive she was, how she seemed to know I didn't want to be put on the spot.
I thought over my answer, trying to figure out how to word it all. "I'm kind of numb, but my mind is also going a hundred miles an hour. Questions keep popping up, like what will happen, who are my real parents, why did they abandon me, why did my adoptive parents move away?" I finished speaking and flopped my head down on my folded arms, my hair fanning around me and hiding me from view.
"Now none of that," she chided softly. "The boys will help you find those answers. The school will help with that too. As for your earlier worries, we won't let anyone experiment on you, and neither will Obsidian Cove's Regency." There was a fire in her voice that helped calm my nerves.
“How could they stop the main Regency from anything, though?” I worried my lip as I waited for her answer. My mind was a jumbled mess of thoughts and worries, and I just needed someone to show some confidence that I could use to settle it.
“They’re independent parts of a whole, so they won’t necessarily report you to the main Regency until you’re ready. Not to mention, the Dean is truly a good guy. If he tells them, then it would be only because he thinks it’s for the best.” I thought over her words, still not quite sure why they trusted him so much, but I was going to keep hoping that it was well placed. “Don’t worry, you will have people behind you. They can’t do anything without your permission, or they’d have a lot of backlash.”
"That's probably my biggest fear. I'm used to being ostracized, and I don't do well with the idea of needles and tests and experiments. That shit’s out of those human horror films," I said, peeking up at her. Her mouth curved into a happy smile, completely not fitting the topic. "What?"
"You said ‘human horror films’. You aren't as disconnected as you think, not anymore," she said happily, popping the scones in the oven. That thought actually did brighten my spirits, knowing I'm finally accepting my life here. Now if I can just come to terms with my apparent mimic abilities.
May 2nd
Afternoon
Lennox
"Again," Calev called, getting a glare from me while sweat poured down my face. We'd been at this for hours, and I had yet to be able to mimic any of their abilities for longer than a minute. No matter how hard I concentrated, nothing was working. It also didn’t help that they were all watching me, despite knowing that I hated being the center of attention. I felt like one of those monkeys at the zoo being given fruit to perform, except I was getting unhelpful comments instead of fruit. Now I'm just hot, sweaty, frustrated, and miserable. It didn't help that I didn't actually go to bed until the sun was up.
"It's not working, we need to try something else," Lachlan pointed out again as he switched back to his human form, giving me a shot of his perfect ass. Which of course, only distracted me more.
"Your bare ass is clearly helping her concentration," Evander called out, cracking up as I guiltily pulled my eyes away.
"I can appreciate the goods, too," I said with a shrug. "Don't act like you wouldn't look if my bare ass was out!"
"She's got a point," Lachlan said, cracking up. "Should I turn and give her the frontal view?"
"Yes!" I said, laughing with him and waving off the glares from the other guys.
"You guys are wasting your time. You've got her working way too hard," Lilah said as she stepped into the courtyard we were using as our practice grounds.
"I agree," I said emphatically, dropping to the ground dramatically and wiping my forehead off.
"Oh, come on. You're stronger than this," Aeson teased, dropping down next to me.
"No, I'm not. I'm a weak, pampered, rich, only child who went to a preparatory school so her parents didn't have to bother with her. I didn't train, or run, or any of this," I whined dramatically.
Tristan snorted at my dramatics, dropping to the ground next to us. "Don't act like you were some pampered queen, you were clearly a runner. Not to mention, you had no qualms about running out to your spot on the bridge," he challenged, nudging me with his foot.
"How are you gonna call me out like that?" I pouted, sitting up and waiting for Calev to stop chatting with Lilah and tell us why we were still doing this. "What's the academy like?" I asked, switching the subject up. It was a question I'd meant to ask over and over, but never found the right time.
"It's a bit different than the prep school, even though the names aren’t that different. It's more modern looking, the teachers are laid back, and there's a lot of mentoring involved," Lachlan explained, joining our group. "It's less catty than that school of yours," his voice became bitter, apparently remembering all the bullying involved.
"If you’ve got any hidden artistic talents, we also have the best arts programs of the American territories," Evander added, sitting on the ground and scooting forward, forcing me to put my head in his lap.
"I can draw a bit," I said casually, my cheeks heating at our closeness. We’d known each other a while now, and they still got me giddy as a schoolgirl. "Are any of you in any of the arts programs... music, theater, art?"
"Aeson can paint, and Calev can sing," Tristan said in a rush, ducking out of the way of Aeson's shove.
"I can't wait to see some of it," I said, giving him a smile. I pictured Aeson as the type of painter who did intricate fantasy scenes. He had a sweet side, but he was way too imaginative for casual landscapes and still life. And the thought of Calev singing in his smokey, slightly raspy voice had me fangirling already.
"Anyway, little Miss Redirection, Lilah thinks you're thinking too hard about it all. You've used the others powers when you were in danger or upset, so it was instinctual," Calev said, sitting down and passing me a platter of snacks. I was glad we weren't staying here long, because Lilah would have me gaining ten pounds in less than a week. I grabbed a brownie and passed it back, thinking over their conclusion. He had a point, I’m a reactive person in general, so it made sense that my powers would come out if I tried them on pure instinct, without my head getting in the way.
"So what's the solution?" I asked hesitantly, hoping Calev and Lilah didn't cook up something ridiculous for me to do. From what little I already knew of them, I feel like they'd stage something intense just so I'd have to react.
"Nothing. She said you should be able to use indefinite powers if you just do it. No thoughts or distractions, just react. So, until you are relaxed and ready to let go, we can't do much,” he explained, before furrowing his brows in thought. “When should we set up a meeting with the Dean?" Calev finally asked with a sigh.
"Is it wrong that I'm almost hesitant to go there?" I asked, sitting up and bringing my knees to my chest before wrapping my arms around them.
Van scoffed at my words, scooting up behind me to wrap himself around me, his knees on either side of mine as he snuggled into my shoulder. "Of course not, your last experience was hardly a good one. I can't say that none of the other students will give you a hard time, but I can promise that the whole school won't turn on you like that."
Calev rolled his eyes at the short description, taking it upon himself to explain better. "There's more of a hierarchy among supernaturals, even in the school. So you've got your Vamps and Shifters vying for power at the top, both thinking they're the best of the best. Under that are the Mages. They try to keep at the top, but there's just too much variety involved. Then under that, you have your rare breeds and low power types."
"Why would the rare ones be lower on the hierarchy? I thought rare usually meant powerful?" My words were partially out of curiosity, but part of me wanted to know where I'd actually be on that list. It's better to be prepared.
"Not always. There are rare species of the lower ranks too, but it's more of a lack of backup. They're alone and hard to train for the most part. You'll be the exception because you have us, and your magic comes from ours. Don't worry, I think you'll really love it there," Tristan said excitedly. Their excitement
made me excited to go, but I also worried where I’d fit in when they settled into the school they’d been attending for a while.
"What about the dorms? Will I get a super weird roommate?" I asked, wincing at the reminder of what living with someone else was like. Though, I hoped my future supe roommate would be nothing like Cierra. But honestly, who could be weirder than a creature only known in urban legends?
"Some dorms have them, and some are single rooms. It depends on your powers, honestly. They pair mages with mages and so on. It gives them built in study and training partners. I'm sure they'll move you to the singles dorm, though," Calev explained with a shrug. "It's kind of all unknown. We were only second years, and you’re still a bit of a mystery, so it's going to be slightly different for you."
"Is it like a college, or does this side do things differently?" I asked, looking at Aeson who seemed to be the one best equipped to answer questions about society in general.
He looked proud at being the one I turned to, puffing his chest out before launching into his explanation. I smirked at how adorable he was, but listened to his words, needing to sort some of my questions out still. "I guess you could call it a college, it's for anyone over eighteen, but you’re not the one who chooses your path. We have our core classes to keep our minds sharp, but each student's schedule is tailored to their magic and needs. So, where a human college teaches a trade, ours teaches our specific magic. Trade skills are taught through apprenticing and mentoring at the job itself. A mage has to master his healing magic at the Academy before he can get “on the job” experience where lives are truly on the line, if that makes sense.”
The answer only sparked more questions, my mind going a million miles a minute with the questions popping up constantly. "So, what are you guys going to do after the academy?"
"I'm actually planning to stick around the academy. I wouldn't mind teaching history or something," Aeson said, not surprising me at all. He’s so calm and clear when he talks that I can perfectly imagine him in front of a class, leading the next generation in learning about their history and who they are. Tristan took his hand before answering, making me think that this might not be the easiest subject between them.
