Academy of Magic Collection

by Angelique S Anderson et al.

  She watched him enter the office and kept her eyes through the open door. They talked for a few minutes. Ben seemed remorseful, it even looked like he said sorry.

  Mason walked back to Sage. She tried to hold herself together, but his casual demeanor didn’t make any sense to her. She blurted, “I don’t get it.”

  “What?”

  “How can you forgive him for how he’s treated you?”

  Mason shrugged, trying to avoid her eye contact. “He’s my brother.”

  It wasn’t that simple. Sage knew that blood didn’t always mean family. Heck, Aunt Blair hadn’t ever laid a finger on her, but missed meals and lack of affection was enough to teach her that lesson.

  “So, what?” Sage argued. “He says sorry and everything is suddenly fine?”

  Mason squared his shoulders. With a glint in his eyes he asked, “You care about me, don’t you?”

  Sage gaped at his unexpected response. “What? No.”

  “What are you here for, Sage?”

  It was a loaded question. She was there because the knot in her stomach pulled her there. She was there because she turned him. She was there because she accidentally told Makoto about learning damn boxing.

  The creases between Mason’s brows deepened as his eyes flitted between hers. She said nothing in reply, but he seemed amused regardless. He licked his lips. “Are we here to talk or trade lessons?”

  He was right, in his own exhausting way. Mason and his brother may have issues. But she wasn’t there to teach Ben a lesson, she was there for Mason. To make sure he became a True.

  So, she gave a nervous smile and said, “Boxing. I’m here to box.”

  After Mason taught Sage the basics, he led her into the ring. They stood toe-to-toe, hands up, elbows bent. Sage stared into his sparkling eyes. Mason was obviously a much more forgiving person that she was. The moment she stopped talking about his brother, he was a different person. He seemed to be enjoying teaching her, too. For a brief moment, Sage admired him.

  A cocky smile grew across his face as though he knew what she was thinking. Confidence oozed out of him more than sweat. All at once, he reverted to his arrogant and annoying self.

  “Now, your opponent may be bigger and more skillful but all you need to do is find their weakness. It could be that they are big but also slow. It could be that they are fast but pack a weak punch. You find their weakness and you’ve got your win.”

  “Yeah? What’s your weakness?” Sage teased.

  “I’m reckless,” Mason stated. “Now, punch me.”

  Sage dropped her hands. “What?”

  He tapped at her hands. “Keep ‘em up. Hit me.”

  She raised her hands, wincing at the thought. He was irritating but nothing felt right about hitting him. She was meant to guide him, not hurt him.

  Throwing a fist at his chest, Sage squeezed her eyes shut. Her knuckles landed onto something soft. She peeled her eyes open to see her hand cradled inside Mason’s glove.

  “Try again,” he said. “This time, put some oomph into it… and keep your eyes open.”

  Sage nodded. She rolled her body, just like he taught her, aiming for his chest. When she saw his hand move to stop her, she quickly swung her other arm and jabbed him in the gut.

  Mason stumbled back, hunching over. He lifted his head, groaning and staring at her in shock. Between breaths, he said, “Ugh… I did not… expect that.”

  Rushing forward, Sage grabbed his shoulders to steady him. She whispered, “I’m a Guardian remember, I’m strong.”

  “Mhmm.” Mason threw his hand onto hers that held him. Catching his breath, he straightened. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

  “You wanna take a break?”

  Mason stretched his arms across his chest. “Actually, no. I’m fine.”

  Sage smiled. “You feel better already, huh? Just another perk, speedy healing.”

  “You know, Dad always talked about feeling invincible. I guess I never really understood that, until now.” A childlike grin lit up his face. He ripped the velcro off his gloves and wriggled his hands out. “Can we go practice the shift now?”

  “You’ve sure changed your tune from this morning. What made you change your mind? Why didn’t you want to be Guardian then, but you do now?” Sage said, mirroring his cheekiness. She’d never tell him, but she was actually enjoying herself.

  Mason glanced over his shoulder at Ben, who was lifting weights in the corner, headphones over his ears. He turned back to Sage and mouthed, “Him.”

  That wasn’t an answer. So, Sage probed, “Why? Does he know I turned you and is excited to have you move up to middle-weight?”

  “Huh?” Mason gawked. “No, I didn’t tell him. Heck no. Why would I? Of course not. Anyway, you didn’t answer, can we practice the shift now?”

  Sage watched his face fold in on itself, contorting into at least five different expressions within a few seconds. She tried not to laugh. “What? Am I a pro already? I thought it was my lesson time.”

  Motioning to the large clock near the front door, Mason said, “Actually, your lesson ended over half an hour ago. But, I dunno, you’re okay company, so…” He shrugged, emerald irises twinkling.

  She turned to face the clock. It was already half past six—they’d missed dinner. Somewhere along the way, she’d forgotten that she had wanted to get this all over and done with as soon as possible.

  The afternoon hadn’t exactly turned out the way she thought it would, and she wasn’t sure whether it was a good thing or a bad thing that she had liked it a little. But his cocky smirk and confident words—they weren’t what she needed. She needed him to be responsible, to be serious, to be inconspicuous. But instead, he took things way too light-hearted, acting as though nothing mattered. As though he could act however he wanted and it wouldn’t lead to complications. They weren’t meant to become friends.

  Sage ran a finger over her choker. It always seemed to calm her in moments of uncertainty. The rough yet soft leather against her skin, a second of clarity. She always saw her mother’s face in that second, too. A warm smile. The last words she ever said to her: “I love you, Bright Eyes. Stay out of trouble.”

  Out of the corner of her eye she saw Mason move. He stepped through the ropes, then held them apart for her to follow. She bent down and took the hand he held out. As she stepped through the ropes and jumped out of the ring, she could sense his shining smile bearing down on her.

  It mattered. She couldn’t explain why. The way Mason smiled at her mattered. Spending time with him mattered. Liking both those things mattered. And the whole thing felt like a slippery slope.

  “Okay, bye,” Sage snapped, heading for the door.

  Mason chased after her, his footsteps echoing on the floorboards. He ducked around her as she reached for the handle. Standing in front of her, he pushed his back against the door to open it.

  “You wanna ride back?”

  Sage cast her eyes on the bike in the parking lot. She let out a guffaw. Lifting her gaze to the darkening sky, she muttered, “I’d rather fly, thanks.”

  “Have I upset you?” he asked.

  “No. Maybe.” Sage met his gaze. “No. I’m just hungry, if I leave now I might find some dinner scraps before they chuck it out.”

  It was a lie. She wasn’t hungry. She just needed some space.

  “All right. I guess I’ll see you tomorrow.” He gave a soft smile. As she ran toward the forest, she heard him add, “Remember, Floss, no talking to me at school.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  Sage laid on her bed. Exhausted yet oddly exhilarated. Her phone dinged twice.

  Two messages from Mason lit up the screen. The first one said: You did good today. My turn tomorrow? Teach me all you know oh wise one. It was followed by: open your door.

  Sage sprung up and stared at her door. She gently pressed her feet to the floorboards and tip-toed across the room. As she reached for the door, it swung open.

  Camila stood in the d
oorway, holding a wrapped burger from a local fast food place. She unfolded a note and pranced past Sage, reading, “Sorry for making you miss dinner. Who’s this from?”

  In one fell swoop, Sage closed the door and snatched the note from Camila. Mason’s handwriting was messy but legible and had small round letters with long ends on the f and the k. Smiling she took the burger.

  Camila collapsed onto Sage’s bed. “Where the hell have you been—and what’s with the creepy grin?” Her eyes darted to Sage’s phone. She lunged across the bed and swiped the phone. “You’re texting this dude now? And he bought you dinner? Oh girl, you are in so much trouble.”

  “It’s not like that.” Sage said, taking her phone back. “I’m teaching him how to be a Guardian and he’s teaching me how to fight.”

  Camila rolled her eyes and pointed at the burger. “I told you. Trouble.”

  The way she said trouble, accentuating the “l” sound, reminded her of her mother.

  “What have you been doing?” Sage said, changing the subject. She sat down on her chair and bit into the burger.

  “Oh, yeah.” Camila sat up again. “AJ? Our little nerd assignment? He’s been marked.”

  Mouth full of bread, Sage blurted, “Say what?”

  “Well, we will know for sure in a few days, but he’s got the sickness. Sweats, sleeping, rash on his arm.” Camila explained with a pout.

  “And it wasn’t Makoto?” Sage asked before taking another bite.

  “Don’t know, we haven’t told him.” Camila grimaced. “But I doubt it. AJ has no idea what’s going on. He thinks he’s dying. If it was a True that marked him, he would’ve been asked, you know?”

  That was truth. Just like Mason didn’t know who marked him. A shiver ran down Sage’s spine. “Do you think there’s a Fallen in this school?”

  Camila clapped her hands together, her brown eyes widening. “Oh. Em. Gee. Wouldn’t that be amazing?”

  Sage opened her mouth to speak but shoved the rest of her burger in instead. She frowned at Camila and shook her head.

  “Think about it.” Camila slid to the edge of Sage’s bed. “No more stupid piddly missions. Here’s something of substance right in front of us. This will test us. Finally, something. Right?”

  Sage swallowed. “I don’t know. I’d rather know all I can first. Be all I can. Before I come face-to-face with a Fallen.”

  “Maybe you already have?” Camila gave a wild grin before standing up. Walking across the room, she mused, “Sometimes, we can only show our true colors when we are tested to our limits.” She stopped at Sage’s vanity and rested her hands on the dresser. As she stared at herself in the mirror, her eyes brightened. She glared at Sage’s reflection. “Do you think we should turn him? Like you did with Mason, to make sure he’s a True?”

  Camila’s enthusiasm was a little disconcerting. Sage offered, “Isn’t there a cure, though?”

  Turning around and leaning on the dresser Camila glowered. “That’s all right for you to say. You’ve already got the opportunity to turn someone. What’s it like?”

  “What’s it like?” Sage repeated, almost insulted at the question. The sight of Mason flashed through her mind. Blood streaming from his mouth as he struggled to breathe. “Camila, this isn’t a game. It was scary. I had no other choice.”

  Camila nodded and turned to face the mirror again. “I get that and I’m sorry if I offended you. I just hope that if AJ needs to be turned, I get to be the one to do it.”

  Things were unraveling too fast. Just when Sage felt like she had the Mason situation under control, this whole AJ thing pops up. Not to mention Camila getting all obsessed about the Fallen.

  Her voice cracked as she said, “If AJ needs to be turned, I feel like we have bigger problems ahead of us.”

  Camila pushed herself away from the vanity and sat on the bed opposite Sage. “This whole thing is changing you. I mean, you love to obey rules, but it’s tearing you apart that you broke one isn’t it?”

  Sage exhaled through her nose, long and loud, as though she was expelling part of the burden. That was why she loved Camila, she was always there, ready to share the load.

  “It freaking sucks.”

  Camila placed a hand on Sage’s knee. “Tell me everything, don’t leave a drop out.”

  The gesture transported her back to the moment Camila asked about Sage’s past, why she was so desperate for somewhere to belong. It was hard for her, to talk about things. Reliving it all brought too much pain. Sage brought her feet up and crossed her legs, then put her face in her hands all but ready to cry.

  “Don’t do that,” Camila scolded, whipping Sage’s hands away. “That’s not what friends do. You don’t need to hide from me. Tell me.”

  Sage lifted her face and stared Camila square in the eyes. In that moment, she knew she was safe, that her best friend would carry some of the weight. In between tears and laughter, Sage told Camila the whole story, from Mason’s drop-kick brother to him leaving the burger.

  And when she was done, Camila had many things to say but Sage’s favorite response was: “I’m so proud of you.”

  Camila wrapped Sage up in her arms and squeezed her tight for a quick moment. When she let go, she held Sage at arm’s length, and shaking her shoulders every few words, she said, “There is nothing you can’t deal with. You are stronger than you could ever imagine. I see it in you. Girl, you saved a boy’s life! You’re such a bad-ass—”

  “Camila,” Sage moaned.

  “Uh-uh. Don’t Camila me. I’m not leaving till you believe it. Say it, say I’m a bad-ass.”

  “You’re a bad-ass.”

  “Pff, I know that.” Camila poked Sage’s knee. “But you gotta say it about yourself. Go on.”

  Sage sighed. She knew Camila well enough to know that she wasn’t going to let it go until she gave in. With a tone that rivaled the drip of a leaky tap, she mumbled, “I’m a bad-ass.”

  The face Camila pulled was a mix between disgust and disbelief. Rolling her eyes to the ceiling, she said, “You can do better than that.”

  “I’m a bad-ass,” Sage said it loud, and as Mason would say, with a little oomph.

  Camila smiled and nodded. “That’s it. One more time, so the people in South Africa can hear it.”

  Sage felt a fire ignite in her belly. She clenched her fists, resting in her lap and yelled, “I’m a bad-ass!”

  “Yes, you are!” Camila yelled back, jumping to her feet on the bed. “What are you?”

  Sage stood on her seat and jumped onto her mattress. “I’m a bad-ass!”

  On the other side of the wall, Sage heard a muffled, “Shut up.”

  Giggling, she collapsed onto her bed. Camila fell beside her. There was nothing a good self-motivating shouting fest couldn’t fix.

  “Man, I love you,” Camila said, rolling to her side. “And am so completely jealous.”

  Sage rolled to face her. “You’ll turn someone soon. Even if it isn’t till you graduate.”

  Camila curled her lip, then smiled. “I know. But sooner would be better.” She dragged herself off the bed and headed for the door. “Good night, killer. I’ll see your bad self in the morning.”

  “Oh, Cami,” Sage said as Camila opened the door. “Just a head’s up. You should probably stop saying things like that around our innocent Arielle, it might get you into trouble.”

  “Meh.” Camila shrugged and faced Sage, leaning her head on the door frame. “It seems that trouble finds us anyway.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  Sage woke with a newfound confidence. After her chat with Camila, she felt much better about the whole situation and her ability to deal with it. She was even quietly optimistic that Mason would be easier to handle than she thought.

  However, one minute into the Shadow Society class, that all changed. The other recruits were visibly uncomfortable, shifting restlessly in their seats under the dubious stares of Makoto. He sat behind his desk and looked around room, brow lowered. It
was obvious that not everything was under control.

  Makoto’s eyes rested on Arielle. “Mission report?”

  Arielle smiled nervously. “Oh, it’s going great, sir. Yes. Perfect. Everyone is doing their job brilliantly. Couldn’t ask for better team.” For heavens knows what reason, she gave an extra cheesy grin and added, “It’s been an easy task, really.”

  “Is that so?” Makoto raised his brow. He took a moment to stare down the other four. Tapping his pen on the edge of the desk, he asked, “And how does everyone find Arielle as a leader? Camila?”

  “I’m loving it!” Camila replied. Sage believed her.

  Makoto cleared his throat and turned his attention to Sage. “What do you think?”

  “She’s great,” Sage blurted. “Great. Just…”

  “Great?” Nadya answered for her.

  Makoto leaned forward. “And what are your thoughts Nadya? Last time you were the mission leader and we closed the assignment within two hours. How do you think Arielle and the team are stacking up in comparison to last time?”

  Nadya licked her lips and tilted her head thoughtfully. “You know I don’t like to compare missions as they are different people in different circumstances. But all in all, I think we are doing the best we can.” To end her statement, she gave two thumbs up accompanied by an uncharacteristic grin.

  Makoto stared at her for a beat before looking at Caspar. “Would you agree?”

  Caspar nodded quickly. “Yes, sir.”

  Makoto stood up, his chair legs scraping on the floor. After meeting the eyes of all five recruits he said, “All right. If you’re happy with how its progressing, I’ll leave it in your capable hands. Now, onto today’s theoretical lesson: the cure for the mark.”

  Camila moaned.

  After a long morning listening to Makoto, Sage sat in the courtyard with her lunch tray. The day’s special was chicken Caesar salad. Ravenous, she chowed down.