Emotionless (The Emotionless Book 1)

by Shaina Anastasi

  “We are mages, Charlie. Mage magic is in our nature.”

  “I know! I get that, Lollie, but for everything? I don’t believe that we should be exploiting our magic to fix a chipped fingernail, or to even tie our own hair! Even to feed us! It’s lazy.”

  Ah, I know why she is vindictive towards St Clarisse Academy and some mages in general. I am surprised I didn’t see it on the first day. She’s barely a Lowborn mage, just touched by our magic. She must have pushed herself to the limits to be able to come here. Charlie thrives in doing her… no, she succeeds in being the best, and a part of me believes it may be because of how she was treated before coming here. Rebecca must have spoken some truths about Charlie when she said she was a loner at her old school, eating in the bathroom, away from the other mages. That’s more than likely why she has such thick skin and talks with attitude, uncaring of what she says to others around her. I can admire that now that I see it.

  “Uh… does anyone want a tea or something?” Lollie asked. “I can get a few cups from the kitchen and…”

  I stood from the chair and brushed down my shirt. When I looked at Lollie and Charlie, I wanted to smile as I said, “It’s growing late. Thank you for sharing your time with me, Lollie and Charlie.” But there was nothing. Not even a hint of happiness reached my words, and that frustrates me more than anything in the world, being so emotionless.

  After our goodbyes, I followed Charlie halfway down the corridor before she ducked into her dorm room that had another mage already inside. I raised my hand in goodbye and then ducked down the flight of stairs.

  I hadn’t realised how dark it was, or how much time had passed until I stepped down and into the cafeteria. No fluorescent lights were on, only the bobbing of the blue and green lanterns, and even then, there were very few. The entire cafeteria was shrouded in darkness.

  I weaved through the awkward arrangements of tables and chairs that must have slammed down in random and odd locations. It honestly reminded me of a maze, with direction, but a maze that I could see clearly out of and know where my destination was located.

  I touched the smooth surface of the table when something shattered from behind me. Veins immediately illuminated, creating a sense of warmth and light around me. Yet, there was a significant drop of temperature from the sound, that tore that sense of warmth away from me and sent chills up my spine immediately instead.

  From behind me, where the cafeteria food court was located, one of the plates that were stacked up at the start of the line had dropped and shattered on the ground. My heart went back to its timid pace, and I started towards the exit of the cafeteria when another sound of a plate breaking was heard from behind me. My heart jumped, pounding against my chest. I looked back, and my stomach suddenly did backflips. Plates floated in the air, coming towards me, in a circular motion. They floated above me, some clinking when they lightly hit into one another at the movement.

  This wasn’t a prank. This was a hostile situation of someone wanting to harm me. I needed to react accordingly.

  I raised my arm, placed my left hand on my right arm, near my shoulder, and pointed up and towards the floating plates that circled around me. I could feel my tattoos burning against my skin, itching for me to use them. Then suddenly, the plates dropped towards me, in a line, like a snake, slithering side to side.

  “Activate, attack rune, shotgun.” My tattoo illuminated, activated, and then an assault of green, bullet sized orbs shot out at a rapid pace.

  Plates shattered, turning into fragments. I kept my arm steady, making sure I hit every one directly. When the plates moved, I assessed, moved in that direction, and pointed with precision, the rune I activated doing the rest until there was nothing left. I went to lower my arm when I heard this slicing noise, like metal dragging on metal.

  How unfortunate, I thought.

  Back at the cafeteria line, where the food goes on the table, a row of fifteen knives, glistening in the sickly green light, hovered, the point of them all directed at me.

  “Deactivate, shotgun. Activate, defence level one.” My defensive rune lit up and wrapped around me like a thick, protective blanket I’d wrap around me on a bitingly cold night.

  The knives sliced through the air; I could hear the sound so clearly. Sparks then flew against my protective shield as knife after knife, they slammed against my shield, wanting to break the core.

  “Activate, jump rune.” My feet felt lightweight like I was standing on a mountain of pillows.

  I crouched low and then jumped, higher than a human, and raised up high in the air. The knives followed after, zipping towards me, wanting to taste my mage blood, but I wouldn’t allow it. I raised my arm again and shot out blue light to try and keep the knives away until I got to the exit of the cafeteria, in the hopes that someone would stumble upon such noise.

  Where was everyone at this hour? Surely a teacher would have heard such loud noises right now… unless.

  I darted a look back towards the exit of the cafeteria when I noticed a swirling yellow layer that covered the entrance. They were silencing summoning runes that prevent any sort of noise being heard outside of the cafeteria. This mage is astonishingly smart, and that frightens me.

  I landed back on my feet, deactivated my jump rune and raised my hands forward when the onslaught of knives slammed back into my protective shield. But that wasn’t all. More clinking noises were heard from behind, back at the long table. I looked back momentarily when I noticed a knife in the corner of my sight. Slowly, I looked up at the knife pointed down, above my barrier, finding my weak spot.

  Like I said earlier, this mage is brilliant… or they have been studying me so well that they knew all along and was playing with their food.

  “Heh.” Warmth brushed against my ear. “Foolish little girl,” she breathed.

  “Eileen!” He screamed.

  Warmth vanished as soon as it came, and the presence that suffocated and pressed against my back disappeared.

  I blinked, and the knife darted down towards me. I went to raise my arm to use my stone knight when my body jolted to the right, torn out of my own protective shield, and then against the table. Caged against table and Lawliet, his arms prevented me from leaving, trapping me on either side while he glared up at the knives that hovered above the both of us. They didn’t seem to care that he was here this time and drove down towards us.

  Bright, intense, white light illuminated right before my eyes. His veins twisted and turned, joining together, seeping up across his arms and the nape of his neck. Then, they palpitated. Magic seeped out of him without him ushering a word. A true master of mages right before me.

  The blades of the knives melted before they could reach us, turning into cold, sloshing water, splashing against the stone ground and shattered plates.

  “Eileen, you stupid…” His hands touched the sides of my face. A look of worry and fear shimmering in those golden eyes of his. They were beautiful. It was hard to look away. I am utterly enchanted by him.

  “Why?” He then asked, but I was unsure as to what he meant. “Why did you go out at night and alone after everything you have learned?”

  “I was giving a friend a book,” I answered.

  “And you couldn’t have given the book to them tomorrow?” He asked.

  “Oh… I didn’t think of that,” I admitted. “Sorry.”

  “Idiot,” he breathed right before his lips found mine.

  Amusing.

  He tends to leave me breathless, but I wasn’t expecting a kiss at this moment, at this time, surrounded by broken glass, but… I also didn’t care about that really as I kissed Lawliet. That charcoal, smoky breath kept me from remembering what I was so worried about, as his kisses swept me off into that rose-coloured world I desperately wanted to reach. Fingertips away before he ended the kiss and ripped me apart from the world.

  Lawliet then looked around and grimaced. “We should get out of here before someone –”

  “What is this?” D
emanded a voice.

  Lawliet quickly released his hold on my face and took a step away from me. I pushed myself up and away from the table and then done the same. Headmage and flight attendant lady stood at the entrance to the cafeteria, horrified at the scene exposed right in front of their eyes.

  “The two of you, in my office at once!”

  “Crap,” Lawliet breathed.

  Lowborn Mutts.

  In his office, Headmage paced back and forth before his desk. There were anger and frustration I could see on his face, but he tried to mask it with uncertainty and worry as well. It was like he was unsure about how he should be handling this. Yes, he saw the cafeteria an utter mess, and that must anger him, but Lawliet and I have still not told him the other side to the story. I could sympathise with Headmage at this moment. He didn’t want to yell at us… yet.

  Lawliet and I sat in silence, patiently waiting for him to make the first move. The worst thing that we could both do right now is initiate while Headmage was tormented and in his own mind. Even Flight Attendant Lady inched her way to the door, wanting to escape before the wrath. I have heard that when Headmage is angry, it is explosive, but I didn’t believe Nixon and Donte, because he has been kind all the times we have spoken. Yet again I haven’t necessarily been in trouble until in this moment. Donte and Nixon get in trouble all the time. They should know how Headmage works by now, I am just getting the full grunt of it for the first time.

  “Miss, Ja –”

  “Yes, Headmage.” Flight Attendant Lady stepped forward, taking the steps she has made to leave in vain, as she went back to where she had started.

  “Could you perhaps give us some privacy, please,” Headmage said.

  I know what privacy means. I am used to those simple words since I was a child. Whenever I had done things that I wasn’t supposed to be doing – like playing games with my brothers – my mother would ask Donte, Nixon and Silas to leave and give us some privacy before she scolded me for being a child and not a protégé – in her eyes. Now, it was Headmage throwing out the ‘privacy,’ statement, more than likely so that he could scold, or yell at us, without being judged by Flight Attendant Lady.

  “Of course, Headmage.” Flight Attendant Lady gave me a sympathetic look, which basically says it all before she left Headmage’s office.

  Headmage stopped pacing – finally – and straightened up his back and glared down at us. If I were in trouble and knew the reason as to why I was in trouble, breaking plates deliberately, I would cower. His presence is too strong to ignore.

  “Eileen Frost and –” he darted a look to the side of me. His lips curled the slightest in disdain before he looked away and back to me. “Please, explain yourself.”

  “I walked through the cafeteria when plates and knives floated in the air and attacked me…” I trailed off when Headmage’s eyes narrowed further, in disbelief. I am not too sure he believes me at all.

  “You were attacked by the plates and knives?” he questioned.

  “Not the plates and knives themselves, but someone.”

  “Someone as in a mage?” Still, he sounded like what I was saying is a load of crap.

  “Yes,” Lawliet snapped. Headmage glared at Lawliet as soon as he spoke. “Someone has been after Eileen… probably since she arrived at Mage Academy.”

  Sudden concern plastered over Headmage’s face. “What do you mean by “someone has been after you,” Eileen?”

  I shrugged and averted my gaze down to my lit veins that haven’t dulled since the incident. “I don’t know… I feel watched and lately… a mage has been abusing their powers to hurt me. The wind is… vengeful.”

  “Wind? Wind element?” Headmage questioned. I nodded. “Come to think of it, I have seen such wind intensities and bursts since the beginning of the Academy year. But I thought that perhaps it was a mage practising. A lot of mages in year twelve and advance students in your year, Eileen, have to channel harsh elements and try to control them.”

  “I wouldn’t expect you to believe someone would be using mage magic out of malice, Headmage,” I stated. “However, they are, and I think… I think it is because I am back after being exiled.”

  “You were never exiled, but I can see how some may think that and be angry upon your arrival.”

  “Angry is an understatement,” Lawliet growled. “They want to kill Eileen. The wind is too fierce and that incident in the cafeteria, with the knives, they really want her dead.”

  “No… I do not believe a student at this Academy would have such malice and fury on another student, even one that is Eileen,” Headmage denied.

  “What about a teacher?” Lawliet persisted. Silence. Lawliet leaned back in his chair and looked smug. “You can’t have eyes on every student or teacher, Headmage.”

  “Perhaps you are right. It is hard figuring out your location, with your regular outings and such.”

  “Didn’t think you cared where I went.”

  “You are a student, Lawliet Clarintine, I care for all of my students,” Headmage said, earnestly.

  Lawliet scoffed. I doubt he believed his words. I doubt Headmage’s words about caring for Lawliet like any other student as well. The set look in his dark eyes screams his dislike towards Lawliet. To him and almost all of the other students and teachers at this school, Lawliet was a Guardian that was waiting to become a proper Guardian. He isn’t a mage, and he isn’t one of us, is what they more than likely think. I doubt Lawliet’s words would change their views.

  Headmage sighed and pressed his fingers to the temple and closed his eyes. “You two should rest, there are classes tomorrow. Eileen, make a buddy system and make sure you are around fellow students during school hours. If you want to go someplace after school hours or on weekends, go in a group. The more mages, the less likely this angered mage would want to attack you.”

  “What are you going to do about it?” Lawliet said as he stood. There was a hint of an edge to his voice as he spoke.

  “I am going to be assessing the school portfolios and their backgrounds, as well as teachers again,” Headmage announced.

  “Why?” Lawliet and I asked at the same time. Heat burned my ears and cheeks. I gave Lawliet a cursory look before I looked away and back at Headmage.

  “Perhaps the culprit is from a close family to Timothy, or had a close family member dear to them die that night, five years ago.”

  Lawliet nodded once, firmly. “That’s actually a good idea. Thank you, Headmage.”

  “Leave everything to me, Eileen Frost, just make sure that you have a buddy system.”

  I nodded in agreement and left with Lawliet.

  We were silent as we walked, both nervous about speaking until we got to the safety of our tower, where we could talk freely without being disturbed.

  As we walked in silence, my eyes roamed around the darkness. Only green and blue blobs of light bobbed and danced in the air, rotating clockwise, in a strange sort of motion. Knights marched towards the cafeteria, the metal clanked and clattered in a rhythmic movement as they walked. Headmage more than likely ordered them to do a thorough search of the cafeteria to see if they notice anything odd.

  I stopped at my door and turned towards Lawliet. He had his arms folded across his chest, golden eyes glaring down at me, intimidatingly. I knew already how frustrated and upset he must be, considering I too am frustrated with myself. Instead of wait, perhaps tomorrow, I left without thinking of consequences, placing myself in prime danger from the one that wants to hurt me most. I wanted to say sorry, but my words always come off as fake and stand-offish, in a way, and rather dull.

  “I will come by in the morning and pick you up,” Lawliet declared.

  “I have an appointment tomorrow before school. I will be leaving at seven, not eight.”

  “An appointment?” I nodded once. Golden eyes then narrowed. “What appointment?”

  “Therapy,” I murmured. Golden eyes narrowed further. “Not actual therapy, sorry. I speak to the ps
ychiatrist/counsellor at Mage Academy.”

  “Why?” Lawliet asked curiously. That hostility and suspicion subsided, and he tilted his head like a puppy. A wave of white hair swayed to the side, and golden eyes widened. He looked… adorable.

  “I have therapy because it is healthy to talk to someone about everything, I guess,” I admitted. “It relieves stress because I can’t talk to my family.”

  Lawliet straightened. His lip curled up the slightest and eyes curled when he smiled. “You can talk to me.”

  I took a step back, in the direction of my door. My ears burned, and heat flushed my cheeks and neck. All I wanted to do was hide away in my home now and burry my face into fresh, soft pillows and away from this dragon that loomed over me with this sheer dominance I am not used to seeing.

  “Thank you for your kindness, Lawliet, but I do not want my words to be a burden.”

  “They will never be a burden to me, Eileen.” He placed his hands on my cheeks and kissed my forehead. It pained me, feeling his lips on my curse, trying to kiss away what plagues me. “I will see you early tomorrow morning. I will take you to your appointment, but I will more than likely leave you there. You should be fine to go to the cafeteria from there.” I nodded in agreement. “Goodnight, Eileen.”

  “Goodnight, Lawliet.”

  Early the next morning, I woke to the tweet bird screeching again. I ignored the bird, not having time to read the pile-up of magazines, newspapers and letters that spat out of the bird’s birdbox.

  I showered – as quickly as I could – and when I brushed my hair, I noticed that it has grown since I cut my hair. Long, golden brown hair, silky straight, grew a few inches underneath my shoulders now. After I admired my hair, I dressed in my uniform and then dragged winter gloves over my hands to conceal the gem on my palm when that voice came back to me. “Heh. A foolish little girl.”

  That voice, most certainly a girl. Does that mean that mage is female? Is the one that really wants to hurt me a girl? So many possibilities sprung to mind, of when Lollie told me that she is practising elements, to Charlie suddenly befriending me on the first day, which was unnatural, to Rebecca, the one that has despised me since day one. I seem to have a lot more mage girls that hate me more than boys – or it could possibly be that they hide the hate and anger easier than girls. Either way, a voice is a step forward, bringing the wall up more around the ones that claim they are my friends until this all gets sorted out.