Dacia Wolf & the Prophecy

by Mandi Oyster

  Moments later, Samantha came in. “I’m sorry about Mom. She’s a people person and doesn’t understand some people are shy.”

  “You don’t have to apologize. Your parents are great.”

  She laughed. “Yeah, maybe, but my poor dad can’t get a word in edgewise when she’s around.” She plopped down in Big Bird.

  “I noticed.” Silence grew between us, filling the room like a third person. Unable to stand it, I asked, “So, are any of your friends going here?”

  “I have some acquaintances here but no close friends. How about you?”

  “My best friend will be here tomorrow.”

  “Oh.” Her eyes pulled down, and she rubbed the fuzzy, yellow fabric of the chair. “Why aren’t you sharing a room?”

  “Cody’s a guy.” My lips crept up in a smile. “There are no co-ed dorms here, and it would be kind of weird anyway.” I hesitated a moment before asking, “So, uh, do you know somebody here named Cassandra?”

  “No. Why?”

  “I accidentally bumped into her. No big deal, right?” I flicked my palms up. “The halls are crowded, but she warned me to stay away from her.”

  “Sounds like a psycho.”

  Chapter 3

  Never Judge A Book By Its Cover

  I walk through thick fog, heading toward a diffused light. As I near it, the silence is broken by a shrill, terrified scream.

  I don’t think; I run toward the commotion. My feet thud against the pavement. I slow, wondering what I am running to. Movement in the bushes makes my heart race. I glance over my shoulder, but fog obscures my vision and distorts my surroundings. I strain, listening for anything to help me find the source of the scream.

  Footsteps.

  “Who’s there?” My voice shakes. I stop. My breath is shallow, ragged. I turn in circles. Then I see them. Cold, hard, reptilian eyes. Evil permeates the air.

  Fear tickles my neck, and my flesh shudders. Dread clutches my heart, and my breath is torn from my lungs.

  I woke up with a jolt, sitting upright in bed. My heart raced, and I gasped for breath. I glanced at Samantha’s bed to find her sound asleep. At least I didn’t scream.

  For the rest of the night, I tossed and turned. Sleep eluded me. I got up, dressed in blue jeans and a hunter green hoodie, pulled on my tennis shoes and went for a walk. I strolled across campus. Breathing in the crisp mountain air, tension released from my body.

  The sun rose above the Snowfire Mountains. Pine trees covered the hillsides, growing sparser toward the tree line. The rugged cliffs were topped with snow from winters gone by. At the base, deciduous trees wore their stunning autumn dresses. They covered the campus and surrounded nearby Falcon Lake. As I took in the scenery, I felt more like myself.

  I sat on a bench between the parking lot and the dorms. Several students came and went, but I only cared about one. Cody’s blue Camaro pulled into the parking lot, and my heart danced. I jumped to my feet and jogged over to him.

  Cody stepped out of his car and pulled on a purple and gold Bittersweet Lions hoodie. He stuffed his hands in his jeans pockets and waited for me. The wind tousled his blond hair. We had been friends since second grade, but I couldn’t help admiring him.

  I came to a stop in front of him, and he greeted me with a broad grin.

  “Hey, where are your parents?” I asked.

  “Britny’s not feeling good, so I told them to stay and take care of her.”

  Standing this close to Cody, I had to look up to see his blue eyes. I could tell it bothered him to have to come on his own, but I knew he wouldn’t want me to dwell on it. I rested my hand on his arm and said, “You’re such a good brother.”

  Cody just stood there looking at me, one side of his mouth turned up in a mischievous grin.

  “What?” I asked. “Do I have something on my face?”

  “Besides the freckles?” He laughed, and it was contagious. “No, your eyes are really green today.”

  Heat rose up my neck and onto my face and ears. “Thanks.” I twirled a red curl around my finger.

  “Help me carry my stuff?” he asked.

  “Sure.”

  We grabbed boxes and lugged them to Dracaena Hall, the men’s dorm.

  “Miss me?” he asked.

  I bumped my hip into him playfully. “Of course.”

  Lines of tension branched from his eyes. “Seriously, though. Did anything happen?”

  I shook my head.

  “Good.”

  Over the years, Cody had taken a lot of crap for befriending me. His looks and athletic ability had always made him very popular, but the rest of his friends couldn’t figure out why he spent time with me. When we were juniors in high school, I had asked him, “Why do you act like I’m special when everybody else treats me like the plague?”

  “I feel drawn to you, Dacia. Like there’s a connection between us.” His blue eyes sparkled with sincerity. “Besides, somebody needs to watch your back.”

  “Hey, anybody in there?” Cody asked.

  “Sorry, I was just reminiscing. Did you say something?”

  He nodded his head at the door. “My room.”

  Cody turned the doorknob, but it was locked. “Crap.” He knocked. “I hope he’s in there.”

  A groggy guy wearing only boxers answered the door. “What?” He pushed his auburn hair off his forehead. He looked at the boxes, then at our faces. “You must be Cody Hawks. I’m Drew Crocus.” He stood to the side to let us in. “And, you are?”

  “Dacia Wolf.”

  “Your girlfriend’s hot, dude.” Drew held his hand up for a fist bump.

  Cody hit it. “Yeah—” he let his gaze trail over me “—she is.”

  Warmth flooded my face. “And, right now, I think I could fill in for a stoplight.”

  “Sorry.” Drew shrugged. “It’s early. No filter.”

  I expected Cody to tell Drew our relationship was platonic, but he didn’t. Weird.

  We sat our boxes down on his side of the room and went to get more.

  “Well, that was awkward,” I said.

  Cody dragged his hand down his face. “You realize you have to get my approval before dating anyone, right?”

  I expected his eyes to be light or a grin to spread across his face. His seriousness came as a surprise. “Nobody’s gonna want to date me.” I looked away from him. “I’m sure most people will avoid me by the end of the week.”

  “This isn’t Bittersweet.” He put his arm around my shoulders. “You get a second chance.”

  I stopped walking and stared off into the distance. The trees shivered in the light breeze. “I hope I can fit in.” I pulled my fingers through my hair. “But, realistically, something will happen. I’ll get angry or scared, and something will spontaneously combust or fly across the room. People will figure out it’s me.” My voice wasn’t as strong as I hoped it would be. “You should separate yourself from me.”

  Cody lifted my chin, forcing me to look into his eyes. “I don’t care what people think. You need me.”

  I couldn’t deny that. His presence grounded me.

  Cody was handing me boxes when I asked, “Do you really think I’m hot?”

  His face turned bright red. He stared at me for a moment. “Haven’t you ever looked in a mirror?”

  I turned away from him to hide my embarrassment. “You’re so sweet.”

  

  My heart pounded, trying to free itself from my chest. I lay back on my pillow and closed my eyes. The yellow snake-like eyes from my nightmare stared back at me. They felt so real. I wiped sweat from my forehead and took a deep breath. It’s just a dream, I told myself. But it’s been the same one for nine nights now.

  Chapter 4

  Phlox
University

  Being a small, private college, Phlox University had an average class size of sixteen students. After the first two days, I realized this semester might be a little rough. Of the four classes I was taking, Cassandra was in three of them. Apparently, she was also undecided on her major.

  Fortunately, Cody was in two of my classes, and Samantha was also in one of them. The class I looked forward to the most, though, was painting. Nobody I knew was in that class with me.

  I don’t know what I did to offend Cassandra, but she made sure I knew she didn’t like me. She glared at me. She pointed at me while talking to the two guys and girls who were with her most frequently.

  I did my best to avoid her, to sit as far from her and her friends as possible. With the small classes, I couldn’t get far enough away.

  “What does she have against you anyway?” Samantha asked after we left advanced algebra. The only place we could find three seats together was right across the aisle from Cassandra and her friends.

  “I have no idea,” I said.

  Cody stood back with his arms crossed, looking me up and down. “Jealousy.”

  I snorted, then covered my mouth. “Sorry. I don’t think so. She’s gorgeous.”

  Pushing my shoulder, Cody said, “But you’re hot.”

  Samantha looked at us like we were nuts.

  “According to Cody’s roommate, I’m hot.” I shrugged.

  Tilting her head to the side, Samantha asked, “He just came out and said that?”

  “His filter wasn’t working,” Cody said.

  The walk from Kalmia Hall to Sedum Student Center only took a couple minutes. We went to the dining hall for lunch.

  Just as I went to take a bite of my taco, a guy said, “Mind if I join you?”

  Cody kicked a chair out. “Hey, Dan. Sit.” Cody introduced us, and when Dan smiled, angels sighed.

  “What are you lovely ladies doing with this guy anyway?” He hooked his thumb at Cody.

  I pointed at my mouth to let him know I’d answer when my mouth wasn’t full. “Sorry. He’s my best friend.” I pointed at Samantha. “She’s my roommate. How do you know each other?”

  “We shot some hoops yesterday,” Dan said.

  We talked longer than I expected. Finally, Samantha stood up and said, “I’ve got to go to class. See you later.”

  Dan looked at the clock. “Aw, crap. What class?”

  “Accounting.”

  “Me, too.” Dan picked up his tray. “I’ll walk with you, if you don’t mind.”

  Smiling, she said, “That’d be nice.”

  

  “Well, I met your buddy, Cassandra, today.” Samantha plopped down in the desk chair. “She wanted to know if we knew each other before.”

  “Why would she care?” I asked.

  Samantha rocked from side to side, not looking at me. “She warned me that you’re dangerous.”

  “What?” I grasped the arms of the chair and planted my feet on the floor. “I bumped her. I said sorry. It was an accident.” Heat rose inside me. I turned my chair so Samantha couldn’t see my face. How does she know? What does she know?

  “Dacia, I don’t believe her.” Her voice was soothing. “I’ve only known you a couple of days, but I … I think we could be great friends.”

  I spun the chair and smiled at her. “I think so, too. Thank God I didn’t get stuck with her.”

  Samantha smiled back. “Just so you know, this means I’m trusting you not to kill me in my sleep.”

  I tilted my head to the side and lifted my other shoulder. “I can’t make any promises.” I sighed. “But, I’ll try.”

  Chapter 5

  Burning Books

  Standing in front of people talking had to be one of the worst forms of torture ever devised. In high school and college, they called it education. Maybe it wasn’t as bad for other people as for me. However, when I stood in front of that many people, I got nervous. When I got nervous, things caught on fire or flew through the air.

  If I’d ever met or heard of anybody else spontaneously combusting their peers’ homework, maybe it wouldn’t be such a big deal but, knowing what a freak I am, made things a little worse.

  One week after classes had started, Professor Mantis scanned the room, searching for her first victim of the semester. Her long brown hair bounced against her shoulders as she strode across the floor. Her hazel eyes met mine. I looked away and willed her not to call my name. “Dacia, why don’t you go first.” It wasn’t a question. I couldn’t tell her no.

  I ran my hand through my hair, grabbed my supplies and made my way down to her. I turned to face the class. “How to Paint an Apple.”

  “Louder, please,” Professor Mantis said.

  Resting my canvas on my shoulder, I began to paint the outline of an apple while explaining how to blend colors to make the painting come alive. Between brush strokes, I tried to make eye contact with Professor Mantis and each student. When my eyes met Cassandra Nightshade’s, I swear I felt her hatred for me.

  “Uh,” I stammered. A slow burn made its way up my neck and onto my face. I pulled my eyes away from her glower. “You need to blend the colors together to keep the highlights and shadows from having hard edges.”

  My skin burned as if I had a high fever. I squeezed my paintbrush until it cracked. The sound of it snapping made me even more furious. So I bumped into her. Did that give her the right to treat me like a pariah?

  The blood flowing through my veins burned like lava. Sweat dotted my forehead and the back of my neck. I needed to get out of the room, to get fresh air, but I was stuck on stage, the center of attention. I grabbed a new paintbrush and continued my speech. I glanced up. Cassandra’s eyes narrowed on me, her lips curled in contempt.

  A tiny, glowing ember dropped onto Cassandra’s notebook. In the next breath, blue flames leapt from her desk. She jumped up, knocking her chair over with a loud crash. The canvas slipped from my fingers. For a moment, I saw fire dancing along my bedroom ceiling and walls, relentless in its approach.

  “What is going on?” Professor Mantis turned to face my classmates. “Oh, dear.” She pointed at a boy in the front row. “Mark, grab the fire extinguisher.” She darted over to him, taking it from his hands. “Get out of here.”

  While she battled the fire, students scurried like rats from the room, knocking into each other in their panic. Cassandra stood in the hallway surrounded by friends. I tried not to look at her as I walked by, but her hand shot out, latching onto my arm. She stepped closer to me. Her eyes burned with hatred. “I’ll get even with you for that, Freak.”

  “I-I don’t know—”

  “You can’t blame her, Cassi,” said a boy with white-blond hair. “She was in front of us all, giving her speech. It would’ve been impossible for her to do it.”

  She turned to face him, letting go of my arm as she did. “Bryce.” Her voice was venomous. “Believe me. It. Was. Her.”

  His pale green eyes met mine, and he shrugged. I scurried away while he held her attention. I made my way to the library and sat down in a cubicle in the far corner.

  Why her books? Resting my head in my hands, I tried to calm down. My shoulders hunched forward, the weight of my curse dragging them down. Most people hated being considered normal, but I’d give almost anything to feel that way. When I felt a hand on my shoulder, I nearly jumped out of my skin.

  “Oops. Sorry to scare you,” Cody said with a chuckle. “Guess you didn’t hear me.”

  His blue eyes glimmered, and my heart skipped a beat. Just friends, I reminded myself.

  “So … the fire.” He knelt down beside me and rested his hands on my knees. “Yours?”

  I lowered my head, not wanting to see his reaction. “Yep.”

  “No biggie. No
body knows but me, and I won’t tell.”

  A tear escaped from the corner of my eye. It raced down my cheek and dripped off my chin. “Cassandra knew. She told me she’d get even with me.” Another tear followed.

  His mouth opened, but nothing came out.

  “I thought things would be better when I got out of Bittersweet. I thought I would be able to blend in here. Now, I’m not so sure.” With my elbows on the desk and head in my hands, I whispered, “Samantha will find out. What will she think of me?”

  “Hey, don’t start feeling sorry for yourself,” Cody said, his voice unexpectedly stern.

  I felt like Cody’d sucker-punched me. He was supposed to be on my side. It was where he belonged, where he’d always been. “Why shouldn’t I?”

  “I like sunshine, and it’d be nice not to walk in rain.”

  I lifted my eyes to the ceiling and let out a long breath. “You’re just jealous.”

  He raised his eyebrows. “Jealous?”

  “Yeah, you wish your moods could change the weather.”

  “Darn right, I do.” He pulled me to my feet and slung my backpack over his shoulder.

  With every step we took toward class, I fought the urge to turn and flee. I didn’t want to face Cassandra. I couldn’t believe she, of all people, knew it was me. How did she figure it out? How could she even guess? I was giving my speech, painting an apple when her books ignited. Why does she believe I did it? Does she know someone else like me?

  If not for Cody by my side, I never would have made it to the classroom, never would have climbed the stairs and sat in my seat, wouldn’t have watched the door, waiting for Cassandra to stride in.

  “Dacia, breathe.” Cody threw his arm over the back of my chair. “Relax.”

  I shook my head. “Can’t.”

  He pulled his arm away and ripped a piece of paper from his notebook. “Tic-Tac-Toe?”