by Jody Morse
“I see.” I darted my eyes away from his.
This would be about my luck. Now that it felt like there was this spark between us, Brett no longer wanted me to be his girlfriend.
Not that dating was at the absolute top of my to-do list. I was still grieving the loss of Avery. The idea of getting into anything potentially serious right now sounded like a really bad idea. I didn’t want it to be some sort of rebound.
Were rebounds a thing after someone died? I wasn’t sure, but I definitely didn’t want to find out.
No, I should have only been interested in distractions. And even though Brett would have been a really freaking hot distraction, the truth was that we had way too much history for me to even consider going there with him. It wouldn’t have been worth putting our friendship on the line over.
After what felt like forever, I finally said, “Well, I agree. You’re right. We are all wrong for each other.” I rose to my feet then. “Are we done here?”
“Actually, there’s one other thing.” Brett’s dark eyes fell on mine. “I already spoke with Headmaster Crane today, and he told me he said he wants me to continue with being your guard again this semester.”
“Oh. Yay.”
“Don’t sound overly excited or anything,” Brett replied with a laugh.
“Sorry. I just don’t exact love being escorted to and from my classes.” It had sucked from the get-go, but this year? Well, this year, that was going to be fun.
Brett and I now had this completely awkward history with one another.
At least, it was awkward for me. I wasn’t entirely sure if it was awkward for him.
Because now I had this… well, this thing… for him, and apparently, he wanted no part of me. Not as his girlfriend, anyway.
At that moment, I heard the sound of heels clicking their way down the hallway.
I glanced over to find Everly heading back to her dorm room.
When I glanced over at Brett, he was watching her intently.
The realization of what was really going on with Brett hit me then. I was pretty sure this had nothing to do with me and him, but everything to do with him and her.
Everly and Brett had broken up last year. But judging from the way he was looking at her right now, I was pretty sure the two of them were about to get back together… if they weren’t already back together.
I wasn’t sure why Everly hadn’t bothered to mention it all summer, but the look in his eyes was crystal clear. He wanted her and bad. I was sure of it.
Ondraia might have said it was my intuition kicking in, but that couldn’t have been further from the truth.
No, I didn’t call this my intuition.
My luck. That was what I called it.
***
The next morning, I woke to the sound of wings flapping in the air above me.
As my eyes fluttered open, I saw the glitter-like dust streaming down over my chest as the pink-winged pixie dropped my schedule off on my chest. She let out a giggle and then flew towards the door, slipping out the crack. She was followed by two other pixies, who had delivered Ambur and Draia’s schedules.
Groggily, I rubbed my eyes and sat up in bed. Then, my eyes poured over my schedule.
9:00am - Elemental Magic II in Room 4 with Professor Ryan
10:00am – Magical Weaponry in Room 12, Enchanted Forest with Professor Frye
11:00am – Paranormal Societies in Room 15 with Professor Vanderbilt
12:00pm – Lunch (Dining Hall)
1:00pm – Shifter Studies in Room 12 with Professor Lockwood
2:00pm – Fae 101 in Room 14 with Professor Periwinkle
7:45pm (M, W, F) – Water Magic in Saltwater Pool #3, House of Water with Professor Hart
** Be sure to wear a bathing suit of your choosing to your Water Magic classes.
Holy crap. I hadn’t been expecting to have such a full course load. I had one more class than I’d had last year. I was going to have to focus on my schoolwork a lot this year. And that wasn’t even to mention making time for my Vixen meetings and preparing for the war that was brewing. I was going to have zero time for a social life.
“Let’s compare our schedules,” Ambur said, taking Draia’s schedule from her and then moving across the room to compare them both to mine. “Wow, whoever makes these schedules really hates you. You have six classes and one of them is at night!”
“What class do you have at night?” Draia asked. “I didn’t think Paranormal Academy even offered night classes, considering we have that dang curfew.”
“It looks like this class will give her just enough time to get back to our dorm room before curfew,” Ambur explained. “It’s Water Magic.”
“Girl, you got into Water Magic?” Draia’s jaw dropped.
“Yeah, apparently.”
“You realize that’s, like, highly selective. Seriously. Pretty much every magic user wants to take that class. The waiting list to take it as an elective is two or three years long. Did you tell them you wanted to take it?” she questioned.
I shook my head. “No. I’m guessing they must have given it to me because of my ability to control the elements.”
“I wonder if being around the water will help unlock your water race,” Ambur commented.
“I highly doubt that,” I replied with a sigh. I’d spent so much time at the lake and beach with my friend this summer. Every single time I had dipped my toes into the water, I had been hoping that there would be some sort of change in me—like a mermaid tail or something would appear—but it hadn’t happened yet.
“Maybe being around other water races will help spark the gene to come out,” Draia said with a shrug.
“I really hope so.” The truth was that I was dying to figure out the last of my paranormal races. I already knew that I was a magic user (probably a witch), a dragon shifter, and a vampire. All I was waiting on now was to find out my water race.
“So, we all have Magical Weaponry, Paranormal Societies, and Lunch together this year,” Ambur said with a grin. “Draia, you and I also have Spells of Enchantment together.”
“Yessss!” Draia began to dance around the room.
“I have a feeling that this is going to be a really fun year,” Ambur said with a grin.
I hoped she was right. Because, when it came down to it, I really needed some fun after the hell my life had been lately.
Chapter 4
In the Dining Hall, I grabbed an egg, bacon, and cheese breakfast burrito and some hash browns. As we sat down to eat, I glanced around the room in hopes that I would see Kaden somewhere… anywhere. He was usually here by now, but he was nowhere to be seen.
It crossed my mind that maybe he hadn’t even enrolled in the Academy this semester, but I highly doubted that was the case. A more likely theory was that he was avoiding me. I wasn’t really sure why, but he had seemed to be avoiding me ever since that day we had gone to the castle together and nearly died. I honestly wasn’t sure what had happened between then and now, but whatever it was, it almost seemed like he hated me.
I sighed. I wondered if we would end up having any classes together. Even though a part of me sort of hoped we would because it would force him to have to interact with me, I also knew that it could end up being really awkward, too.
“I didn’t know that they were back together,” Ambur commented then, pointing her chin somewhere behind me.
I glanced over my shoulder and saw Brett and Everly holding hands as they walked across the cafeteria.
Of freaking course. I called it on that one.
“Apparently,” I replied with a shrug.
“Didn’t he ask you to be his girlfriend?” Draia asked.
“Yeah. That’s actually why he wanted to talk to me last night. To take the offer back,” I explained as I took a sip of orange juice.
“You’re kidding me. How rude.”
I shrugged. “It’s all good. I always have Taylor.”
“I need me a Taylor,” Ambur commented.
She glanced across the room. “Oh, there’s Gavin. Don’t let him know I said that.”
“I won’t,” I replied with a chuckle. Ambur had this fascination with falling for a hot vampire guy—which was exactly what Taylor was. He was also my meal when I was at Paranormal Academy.
Taylor and I liked to make out before drinking each other’s blood. We actually had scheduled a make out and blood sesh for the following afternoon, since we hadn’t been able to drink from one another over the summer break. Instead, he had stolen us a bunch of human blood from the refrigerators at school, which I had stored in the freezer at Ambur’s family’s cottage. I wasn’t really sure why, but I actually preferred drinking from Taylor. As vampires, we were supposed to prefer human blood. It could sustain us for long, and it was supposed to taste better. I was pretty sure the only reason I liked Taylor’s blood more was because I actually liked to drink from someone, rather than a plastic bag. Though vampires were naturally cold-blooded, his blood was also slightly warmer than the frozen blood I’d been drinking all summer.
To say I was excited to drink from him later today would have been an understatement. I was pretty much craving it—and his kisses. It would be a nice distraction from the whole Avery Thing, the Kaden Thing, and, now, from the Breverly Thing (Brett + Everly, see what I did there?).
It was crazy to think that I’d had so many romantic prospects when I’d first came to Paranormal Academy, and now I was down to none.
***
It was only day one, and already I was tired of Brett escorting me to my classes. Seriously, it was probably the absolute worst arrangement ever.
What annoyed me about it the most was that I had survived an entire summer without him. If anyone wanted to get me—or whatever it was that Headmaster Crane was even afraid of at this point—I was pretty sure that they probably would have tried already. But besides that, I was pretty sure that I had stronger abilities and more powers than Brett did. He was muscular and strong, don’t get me wrong. But muscles and strength could only get you so far when it came to some of the deadliest paranormal beings in our world. I trusted him to try to keep me safe, but I was pretty sure that no one could take care of me better than… well, me.
As Professor Ryan entered the classroom for Elemental Magic, she looked in my direction and shot me a small, obviously forced smile. I returned the smile, even though the truth was that I didn’t actually know how to feel about her.
The two of us had spent a lot of one-on-one time with each other when she had given me private sessions to help me control the elements while Avery was gone looking for answers about what I was. I was pretty sure we had come to some sort of unspoken agreement to get along… or at least to try to. But from the very beginning, Professor Ryan had never liked me. I wasn’t really sure why she didn’t like me, but I was pretty sure that nothing had changed.
“Welcome, everyone, to Elemental Magic. This is an advanced course, designed specifically for those of you who have demonstrated that you have a knack for elemental magic. The level of instruction you receive is very much dependent on your own abilities. The majority of you in this classroom are only able to control one element, but at least one of you is capable of controlling all four elements.” Her gray eyes flitted over to meet mine, and I shrank back in my seat.
I knew that people had talked about my abilities in the past. I had made them sort of well-known at the Halloween carnival when I had saved Kaden from a raven shifter by using my affinity for wind.
But still. Especially now that I knew I was The Chosen One, I wanted to do anything I could to just blend in with the other students and not make a big deal about my magical abilities. The less people figured out about me, the better.
“Although I will try my best to guide each of you to harness the elements, I personally only have an affinity for two elements: fire and water. However, controlling any of the elements is very much the same. Whether you are trying to control wind or fire, for example, you still need to be in the same headspace. And this is going to be one of the things that I am going to help you with. I am going to teach you how to get into the right headspace. We are also going to learn how to cause natural disasters.
“I know what you’re probably thinking. Why would we want to teach you how to cause a natural disaster? No one wants to be responsible for causing a natural disaster. Except for a warlock. You see, many warlocks do cause hurricanes, wildfires, tsunamis, tornadoes, and a number of other natural disasters. This is why it’s important for anyone who has an affinity for the elements to learn how to cause natural disasters. Knowing how to cause them is the only way to stop them. If a natural disaster is caused by another magic user, it is your responsibility as a magic user to shut it off. And there is a way to tell the difference between a natural disaster caused by magic and a natural disaster that’s caused by nature. It’s an ability that develops on your eighteenth birthday, if you have an affinity for the elements. A natural disaster that’s caused by magic will develop a lime green hue. So, for example, a tornado will have a lime green halo that travels above it. If you see this hue and if you are able to stop it, then you could save numerous lives and other forms of mass destruction. We’ll talk about this later in the semester, but today I want you to make snow out of the water bowls that are about to appear in front of you.”
She closed her eyes as she magically made bowls of water appear before us.
I had never turned water into snow before, so I was a little nervous about how hard this task would be.
I stared down at the water in my bowl. I thought about how I wanted it to form into snow and, just like that, the water disappeared from the bowl and began snowing down from above me.
“That was fast, Juliana,” Professor Ryan said, walking over to me. “Have you turned water into snow many times before?”
I shook my head. “No.”
Her eyes met mine. “Your magic never ceases to amaze me.”
***
When the bell rang, I gathered my books to head out of the classroom. Professor Ryan pulled me aside.
“Juliana, I always knew your powers were pretty extraordinary, and Professor Tate told me he thought you really had something special. But today truly impressed me. Has anyone ever figured out why you have such a strong affinity for the elements?”
“Actually, yes.” I swallowed hard. Even though I didn’t want to tell her too much about myself because the last thing I wanted was for her to figure out I was the Chosen One, I also wondered if there was a chance that she might be able to help me out. “Before Aver—I mean, Professor Tate—died, he told me I have something called elemental blood.”
Her eyes widened. “Do you know anything about what that means?”
“All Professor Tate was able to tell me before his death was that I come from a specific bloodline and that it has something to do with why I’m able to control the elements. Do you know anything else about it?”
Her lips formed a flat line, and she glanced around as if to make sure no one was listening in on our conversation. The coast was clear.
“Come to my office around four o’clock today. I want to talk to you in private. And Juliana? Don’t tell anyone what you just told me, okay? It would be better if no one else knew. I wouldn’t even tell Headmaster Crane this information if you haven’t already.”
“I won’t. Thank you.” A knot in my stomach tightened as I left the room.
Whatever this elemental blood thing was, it was apparently so bad that Professor Ryan, who didn’t even like me, was afraid it would put me in some sort of danger if anyone found out about it.
Chapter 5
“Ambur and Draia are here. I really don’t need you to walk me to class,” I told Brett.
“Headmaster Crane said I have to,” he insisted.
“But I really don’t need guarding,” I argued.
“Until the Headmaster says otherwise, you’re kind of stuck with me,” he said with a shrug.
I rolled my eyes. It
was bad enough having him follow me everywhere, but having him tag along with me and my friends kind of made it worse.
“We won’t tell the Headmaster if you don’t,” Draia said.
“Yeah. We can take this from here.” Ambur shot Brett a threatening look.
“Okay, fine.” He turned to me. “Stay safe, and a word of this never gets back to the Headmaster, understand?”
“Your secret is safe with me.” I ran an imaginary zipper over my lips.
He walked away from us just as we reached Professor Frye’s classroom. There was a sign hanging on the door. It read:
Students,
The first day of Magical Weaponry will be held in the Enchanted Forest. Meet you there!
- Brandon
Professor Frye was pretty much everyone’s favorite instructor. He let his students call him by his first name. He was like more of a friend than a professor, at times.
“It’s such a nice day to be outdoors, too!” Ambur squealed, an extra perk in her step as she, Draia, and I headed in the direction of the forest.
Once we reached the clearing where Professor Frye always held his classes, I stopped dead in my tracks when I saw him standing there.
Kaden.
His black hair was a little bit longer than usual, and his skin was just as fair as always. I had forgotten how completely gorgeous he was.
As if on cue, he glanced over at me and his steel blue eyes locked on mine from across the clearing.
My heart felt like it was going to beat right out of my chest.
It felt like everything moved in slow motion then. I moved towards him and him towards me, without ever breaking our gaze.
Once we reached each other, we continued to stare.
“Hey,” I finally said, breaking the ice.
“Hey.” A smile hit his lips. “I like your hair.”
“Oh. Thanks.” I touched the bottom of my hair where we’d placed the light pink peekaboo highlights last night.
“I’ve missed you,” Kaden said.
“I’ve missed you, too,” I replied. “But why didn’t you get in touch with me?”
