Overhead, a string of banners waved in the breeze. I did hope they’d been secured better than those in the lobby. No animal heads on any of them. The fact that I wasn’t sitting directly beneath them made me feel optimistic.
Cloven’s gray hair was unchanged, but his long, black beard had been trimmed and only reached a few inches below his chin. His hair was pulled back in a man bun. On some guys, this looked awesome. I was reserving judgment on Cloven.
Justine—our Headmistress—was now rail-thin. Had she been sick? Strands of gray wove through her deep, chestnut hair hanging past her shoulders.
Excited to see things finally beginning, I wiggled in my seat and clapped as loudly as everyone else.
“Welcome to Crystal Wing Academy,” our Headmistress said.
Everyone roared louder, some kids standing and fist-bumping the air.
“Thank you,” Justine said. Lifting both hands, she released a reserved smile.
Her voice was amplified but I saw no microphone. Was I witnessing a spell made with power?
Cloven waved from beside her. “Glad to see you all here,” he boomed out.
“So many happy faces,” Justine added as the applause died and people sat back down. She looked around at all of us as a hush descended. “I love your enthusiasm. It’s as powerful as magic!”
More cheers, mine included.
“Okay, time to settle down,” she finally said with a smile. “It looks like everyone’s here, so we can get started.”
Totally cool. My feet fidgeted on the floor. I couldn’t wait to hear what came next.
Justine continued, “Each year, we graduate a class of Elite students who go on to enrich our world with their magic. And each year, I welcome in a new class of students to Crystal Wing Academy.” Her arms spread wide as if to encompass the room. “Seeing your eager faces and hearing your excitement rejuvenates me.”
“By now, you’ve probably settled into your rooms,” Cloven said. “You’ve made new friends, friends who will be with you for the next two years. You’ll laugh together. Cry together. And support each other as you learn how to use your power.”
Patty released a tiny squeak and grabbed my shoulders, giving me a shake that brought out my laugh. “It’s happening!”
I couldn’t keep the grin off my face.
“I imagine you’re all eagerly awaiting the release of your power,” Cloven said. “And I have to say—” His deep chuckle rang out. “—you’ve come to the right place.”
“As you know, I’ve welcomed many of your parents and older siblings to the Academy,” Justine said. “They’ve gone on to illustrious careers after graduation, taking with them the skills they learned here.”
“I bet they told you what to expect during this week’s orientation,” Cloven said.
A few kids nodded.
“But I’m here to tell you that back then was their time, their experience. Now, it’s your turn. And we’re going to make this the best class ever!”
More shouts and cheers.
“Every one of you is capable of great things,” Justine said. “And we’re going to teach you everything you need to know to achieve your full potential. It’s our job here at Crystal Wing Academy to help you achieve your magical dreams.”
The enthusiasm rising in the room was palpable. I could almost taste it, feel its warmth on my skin.
“I assume you’ve all looked at your orientation packets, correct?” the Headmistress asked. “Particularly the orientation schedule?”
I slunk lower in my seat. So, okay, I hadn’t looked yet. Last night, after dinner, I’d hung out with Patty. I’d kind of forgotten about my packet. But I planned to look at it. Soon.
Donovan caught my eye and grinned while shaking a finger at me. I liked that we shared this, that we had a private joke even if the joke was on me.
But when Alys leaned her head against his shoulder and snuggled into his side, my smile fell. My heart sinking, I dragged my eyes away from his.
Focus on Justine.
“First thing after breakfast tomorrow,” she said. “You’ll have Stone Selection!”
Everyone cheered.
Justine continued, “Then, you’ll be divided into small groups. Trained instructors will work with each of you to lift a tiny edge off your barriers.”
“Oh,” Patty sighed. “I can’t wait!”
“What’s a barrier?” I leaned closer to ask.
“Elites with skapti don’t come into full power until we turn seventeen,” she quickly explained, her gaze focused on the Headmistress.
Seventeen. Bad news for me. I’d felt nothing unexpected on my recent birthday.
“Since we don’t know—yet—how to handle the flow of power,” Patty whispered. “We’re immediately locked down with barriers. Our magical abilities are suppressed.”
“Once lifted,” Justine said. “You’ll begin practicing with your stones immediately. You’ll continue with lessons throughout the day and during those following.” When excited voices burst out from the kids around me, she held up her hand for silence. “Remember. I can’t stress this enough. You can only draw power during classes, while you’re under a teachers’ supervision. We’ll tighten your barriers if you break that rule.”
A few kids groaned, obviously disappointed about that. I imagined they’d been dreaming up pranks already. Had to admit, I had been, too, even if I wasn’t sure I possessed power.
Justine continued, “We operate on an honor system here, but don’t think we won’t know what’s happening outside our classrooms. We see all.”
“Seekers,” Patty whispered. Hugging my arm, she shivered.
I’d yet to meet a Seeker—as far as I knew. Now, I wasn’t sure I wanted to.
“Let me make one other thing completely clear.” Justine’s voice had deepened, heightening how serious her words should be taken. “It’s against Academy policy for a student to use their power on a fellow student. It’s strictly forbidden. Doing so will result in a harsh punishment and, depending on the incident, possible suspension.”
Gnawing on my lower lip, I took in the kids around me, all of them whispering feverishly. A few nodded at Justine’s command.
What would they think of me if they knew I’d already pulled in power and thrown it back at a fellow student? Not an Academy student, but a defenseless human. I hadn’t known what I was doing but was that a valid excuse for my behavior?
“As for the rest of today,” the Headmistress said. “We believe it’s important for you to feel settled and comfortable before Stone Selection. Today is free time unless you’ve been otherwise assigned.”
I swore her gaze traveled to me and settled on my face.
As if a message from her came through, I thought, 7 p.m. sharp tonight. I’ll be there.
She dipped her head at me as if in confirmation. Weird, because I hadn’t spoken and there was no way she would’ve heard me if I had.
“I recommend you go to bed early tonight,” she added to the room in general. “Tomorrow is one of the biggest days of your life. You’ll want to be rested and fresh for Stone Selection. I can’t stress enough how important it is to be prepared for the trial.”
“Some don’t make it through,” Patty said sadly. “The stones…either don’t select them or they don’t find a stone willing to bend to their will.”
“What do you mean?” When I spoke with him, Professor Mealor had said the trial could be tough but he hadn’t indicated kids could fail. “Is it some kind of test?”
“It’s different for each student,” she said. “We enter a—”
She was cut off when the Headmistress said, “A few more rules and you can be dismissed.”
“Try your hardest. There are core requirements you’ll have to pass in order to progress to Second Year,” Cloven said solemnly.
Wait. “If I fail, can I repeat the grade?” I asked Patty.
“If you fail,” she said sadly. “You’re out.”
Out. As in, go home. My heart flounder
ed. Home was a relative term for me because I had no home other than with Ester. Which was dubious at best. While she’d shown unexpected kindness by giving me new things, I had a feeling she wouldn’t welcome me back with wide-open arms.
“I assume I shouldn’t have to say this,” Cloven said. “But respect school property. This means no climbing the buildings.”
Including jumping off the roof? My gaze cut to Donovan because it was his turn to slink low in his chair. He didn’t look back at me, however, though I was ready to shake my finger his way.
“Buildings and the campus are to be kept neat and tidy and that includes your rooms,” Justine said. “While we respect your privacy, your room is also school property. We won’t stand for any damage.”
“I shouldn’t even need to state this but every year…” Cloven shook his head, though his lips twitched upward, making me wonder about the creativity of former students. “Anyone who vandalizes the Academy will make restitution including restoring the item to its former glory. By hand, that is, not with magic.”
Someone groaned.
“This includes our showpiece, the crystal dragon standing in the sacred fountain,” Justine said sternly.
Bummer. While I had no intention of doing anything stupid like climbing the dragon, I had planned to discreetly wade through the water and touch the beast. I wanted to see what would happen.
“Arrive at your classes on time. Once a door is closed, it’s bespelled and you won’t be able to open it. Three times tardy, and you’ll have detention.”
What would detention at a magical school entail? Practicing spells to scrub floors?
“If you’re too sick to attend class, please notify a healer. We’re here to help you and that includes getting you better quickly so you can return to class.”
I could only imagine what it would be like to be cured of sickness with a wave of someone’s hand.
“Bullying won’t be tolerated,” Cloven said.
Did that include Alys? Not that she’d been truly mean, but she could be gearing up for a feature performance.
“If you have issues with your fellow students,” Justine said. “We ask you to report them to a professor or one of us. Please don’t take matters into your own hands.”
More of that do not use magic against your fellow students. Got it.
“And lastly, we ask you to remain within Crystal Wing Academy’s boundaries at all times. After you’ve learned flitting, you will be permitted to go to an Elite shopping mall in the city on one Saturday a month.”
I shrugged off the term flitting, knowing I’d learn its meaning soon. Professor Mealor had mentioned he taught flitting, among other magical skills. But cool about being able to go to a magical mall. Now that I had money, shopping sounded fun.
“Academy boundaries means from the entrance gate to the end of the back pastures. On both sides, our property extends all the way to the forest.”
“Do not enter the forest,” Cloven intoned. “We mean it.”
Chills wracked my body. They were warding the entire property to keep us safe.
What dangers waited for us in the forest?
Chapter 12
Dismissed, we left the auditorium.
“Hey.” Patty paused when we reached the lobby. Her eyes scrunched partway closed. “I’ve got to go take this call from my parents.”
Funny. She wasn’t holding a phone. I hadn’t seen a single electronic device at the Academy. Or at Ester’s house, for that matter, but she’d told me soon after I’d arrived she didn’t like electronics. They messed with her magic.
No TV. No computer. No cell phone. For seven. Long. Years.
Not that I’d had anyone to email or call or even a show I was dying to watch on TV, but still. It would’ve been nice to check in on social media once or twice over the years or to watch a movie. Instead, I’d lived in an electronics-free wasteland. Our only outside news was obtained from newspapers and they were sporadic.
“You have a phone somewhere?” None I could see. How did she know her parents were calling?
“They’re calling me in my head, silly.” She rolled her eyes. “You know how distracting it can be when your parents want…Oh. I guess maybe you don’t. Sorry.” Her hand rubbed my arm to show sympathy. “Well, no worries. You’ll learn all this soon, in class. Among Elites, kids learn how to use mindspeak by the time we hit first grade but I imagine they’ll make time in class to teach you as well. We also learn the necessary walls needed to block out everything but the mindtap.”
“Wait, wait. What’s mindspeak? And mindtap?”
“A mindtap tells you someone wants to speak with you in your head. Most call it a ping. It’s pretty much the same as the ring of a cell phone only without cell towers or devices. No batteries to charge, either.”
Lots of possibilities here. Too bad it would be beyond my capabilities. Welcome to my life. Bound to electronic devices if I lived in the human world, yet living in utter silence if I was able to remain with the Elites. Was seventeen too late to learn the skill?
“And mindspeak is just like what it sounds like. Talking in our minds,” Patty said.
“Wait. Back up here. You said I’d be taught how to do this?” Ashton had said outlings were incapable of most tasks requiring power, other than using it to enhance our skapti.
“Yes. In class. They won’t leave you floundering without the basics of elemental magic.”
I scowled and planned to kick Ashton the next time I saw him. Liar.
“You’re so freakin’ cute!” Patty spontaneously hugged me. “The wonder on your face as you learn about our world! But no worries. With mindspeak, you don’t hear everything, just what the other person wants to say. You can’t read each other’s minds while you’re there.”
“I hope not. That would be creepy.” Well, creepier than the idea of mindtap and mindspeak.
“Anyway.” Patty tapped her forehead and scrunched her brow. “I imagine Mom and Dad want to make sure I’m settled in. Grill me about my new roommate.” Grinning, she nudged my side. “I’ll tell them you’re emo with black hair and black lipstick, that you wear combat boots, that you talk about doom all the time.” At my grimace, her laughter pealed out. “Just kidding. Other than the blue hair, you wouldn’t fit emo. Which is okay. You’re awesome as you are. I’ll tell them that.”
Me, awesome? That lifted my mood.
“I’ll see you later?” she said, her feet dancing on the floor as if she was halfway out of the lobby already.
“Sure. I’ll go take a walk outside.”
“Don’t go to the forest.”
Never the forest. “I’ll stay on the grounds.”
“Okay.” She frowned and rolled her eyes. “They’re pinging me again. I’ll catch up with you later. Gotta go!” She sped toward one of the parlors.
I headed outside because I did want to check out that dragon. Exiting the front door, I strode across the bridge spanning the moat, my shoes going clunk, clunk, clunk on the wooden surface. Something beneath me croaked, making me pause and listen.
Another croak. A frog?
Don’t look. Keep going.
For all I knew, the sound had come from a goat. Not a troll, because I had a decent idea trolls did not live underneath bridges. They brewed herbs on woodstoves and nestled their homes deep inside forests.
A goat might ask me to pay a toll. That’s what happened in fairytales, anyway.
Down the stairs, I crossed the drive and took a central path that meandered through the lush gardens making up much of the huge front lawn. It led to the fountain, where I stopped. A few wooden benches had been placed nearby, and I sat, stretching my legs out. Kicking my shoes back and forth, I fiddled with the folds of my plaid skirt and stared at the fountain.
A large circular stone structure had been built around the enormous dragon, and they’d filled it with water that looked Caribbean blue in the light. As if choreographed to an unheard tune, the water danced, squirting up and then si
deways in synchronized rhythm.
In the center stood the dragon. At least two-stories high, its neck strained upward with its mouth opened to roar. It perched on its haunches with its front legs stretching forward. Like it was made up of a thousand diamonds or billions of ice crystals, it glistened in the late-day sunlight. Frozen in time and place forever, it still appeared poised to come to life and leap into the sky if challenged.
Deep in its chest, something…flickered. Red. Like a heart beating so slowly you’d miss it if you blinked.
Movement beyond the fountain caught my attention. Moira and Alys, walking this way. This part of the path led only in my direction. It split at the fountain then reformed on my side. They’d end up in front of me.
Moira, I’d welcome.
Alys, not so much.
Ugh. Figures they’d decide to come to the exact same place as me. They’d interrupt my moment of peace, and I couldn’t have that. Rising, I sought an escape before they saw me. I slunk behind the bench, looking around.
A path! Narrow, it led into one of the slightly wooded areas on the front lawn. This wasn’t part of the forest, though the forest didn’t seem quite as scary to me, for some reason. Maybe because I’d grown up in one, collecting berries and mushrooms with Ester on a regular basis.
I scampered along the path and soon turned a corner, hiding me from their view. Arriving at a small courtyard surrounded by tall willows, I sank onto another convenient bench, this one made from two slabs of granite—one for the base, one for the backrest—mounted on sturdy pedestals. The bench had been placed on the edge of the courtyard so someone could relax and check out the statues. If relaxing was possible when you sat with your butt perched on rock.
Stone satyrs cavorted around. Mounted on slabs, they remained frozen in place. Hopefully. Their curved horns jutted off their heads, and they stood upright on their cloven back legs. Loincloths covered the vital bits, thankfully. No need to get up close and personal.
I could only pray they didn’t come to life and ask me to dance. Or attack me.
A few dragonflies zipped around, snatching up mosquitoes. I’d always loved the little beasties and used to pretend they were real dragons. In my fantasies, they’d speak to me, ask to be my friend. It had been a long time since I’d indulged in daydreams, but I’d been lonely even before I went to live with Ester.
Crystal Wing Academy- The Complete Series Page 11