Academy of Magic Collection

by Angelique S Anderson et al.

  “She left and came back. She saw Leonardo all over some new chick.” Frank leaned against the back of the bar.

  “What new girl? How old was she? You know all the females in this city, Frank.” Leonardo loved Ashley. He could’ve gotten tired of her, but he hasn’t in all these years so what would be so different about tonight. He turned down all the girls at the academy for Ashley and she doesn’t pay any attention to him. I don’t get it.

  “Pretty boy you need me. I told you there would come a day when you’d need me, and I wouldn’t help you.” Frank poured himself a shot of bourbon. He closed his eyes as he swallowed it then smiled.

  “Man, what’s your problem? Every time I come in here you have something stuck up your butt.” Frank’s been begging for a fight and I’ve been avoiding it. Leonardo could be in danger and if he doesn’t tell me what I want to know I’m going to tear this place down.

  I cracked my neck and shook my fingers. My left leg was already shaking. It was hard for me to contain my anger. The two men on either side of me were gripping their bottles waiting for Frank’s cue. Stepping back slightly I kept my eyes on Frank.

  “People like you guys, look down on people like Ashley and me. He didn’t deserve her, and I hope that new girl burns him so bad he can’t pee for a week,” said Frank. He lifted the heavy wood and walked toward me.

  “Let’s do this.” I lunged at Frank and punched him in the gut. He fell to his knees and I kicked him in the face. Blood squirted from his nose and he held it screaming.

  “You broke my nose. I’m going to kill you.” Frank had blood pouring down his face, and stood up, cupping his nose. “Don’t just sit there get him you idiots!”

  Marcus picked up his chair and threw it at me. Ducking I grabbed two empty beer bottles off the table. When Marcus rushed me, I cracked the bottle over his head. The glass shattered in pieces. I punched him between his legs and he fell to the floor.

  Don grabbed me from behind. Swinging my head back I head butted him in the face. He didn’t let go, so I threw us against the barred window. The glass shattered and pieces of it struck me in the back.

  Ripping the piece out of my shoulder blade I grabbed the nearest table and threw it at Don. He fell with the table on top of him and three the piece of glass in his shoulder. I felt my blood boil as anger flowed through me. I didn’t have time for this petty nonsense. I’m done being nice. I’ll kill all of them and hide their bodies at the bottom of the lake.

  “Stay down or die. Your choice.” I pointed at Don and stalked toward Frank. Hopping over Marcus, I grabbed Frank and threw him against the bar. “Who was the girl and where are they now?”

  Frank shook his head. “I don’t know who the girl was. This was the first time I had ever seen her. I don’t know where they are. He left with her over two hours ago.”

  Storming to the bathroom. I quickly open the window. Ben must have been on a smoke break or gone getting more liquor, but if he comes back, I’m in trouble. I heard the front door of the bar swing open. Shoving the window up I jumped out and ran around the back of the building.

  Glancing behind me I saw Ben running toward me. Damn. I either need to outrun him or risk using my powers in the open. If I don’t get away from Ben, I won’t be alive to use my powers. I leaped to the stairs on the side of the next building climbing to the top. The stairs shook under Ben’s weight as he climbed faster. My feet had barely touched the concrete before he was behind me.

  The clothesline hanging from one end to the other dangles in the wind. I dodge in it hoping to outrun Ben or hide. There was an open window with a light on and I jumped inside closing and locking it. Creeping through the bedroom I saw a girl sleeping in the bed. Her red curls hung over her pillow as she tossed in the bed. Heavy footstep approached the window.

  I slid underneath the bed. The door was too far. Fighting Ben in the presence of a witness was reckless. Hiding under the bed would be the first place that I would look. Scooting back toward the wall I heard the latches on the window squeak as it was pushed up. Ben’s black muddy boots came closer to the bed.

  If I don’t want to die hiding underneath some girl’s bed, I’ve got to use my powers. My fist balled at my side. Pressing my leg against the wall, I get ready to spring from under the bed. The bed moved. She let out an ear-piercing scream.

  Covering my ears with my hands, I close my eyes.

  “Get out.” She leaped from the bed, grabbed Ben by his throat and threw him out the window.

  What? The girl wasn’t as tall as my pecs and she tossed Ben, a six-foot ten inches man through her window. I could hear the wind and the breeze swept through the small room. Her door flew open and a guy came running in.

  “Are you alright? What happened in here?” He moved her away from the window. Covering his mouth with his hand he paced back and forth.

  “Some guy was in here standing over me when I woke up.”

  “They have found us. We need to get moving,” he said. He grabbed her hand and rushed to the door. He bumped into the dresser and limped forward trying to reach the door as fast as he could.

  “It wasn’t demons. I don’t know who he was, but he wasn’t a demon. He may just be a pervert.”

  “We can’t stay here with the window broken. We should leave this town. I’ll take care of us.” He backed away from her and looked at the door.

  “This is my home. I’m not allowing him to bully me. I’d rather die than leave my home. I can protect you from him too. Trust me.” She ran her hand down his chest and leaned on her toes to kiss him.

  “You can’t be stubborn about this. You don’t know what he’s capable of.” Clearing his throat, he wiped the sleep from his eyes. Clenching his jaw as he turned away from her to run his fingers through his hair. When he looked at her again, he stepped toward her grabbing her hand and placing it on his heart.

  “If he wants a war then I’ll go to war with him. He doesn’t scare me.” She shrugged and stepped aside. She looked at the posters hanging on her walls, before picking up a gold framed photo of a woman she resembled.

  “You can’t win.” He slammed his hand down on her dresser.

  Crawling to the edge of the bed, I saw a clearer view of them. I couldn’t have heard them right. She said demons were here in Atlanta. How does he know the demons and why are they after him? Taking out my phone, I snapped several pictures of him and her.

  Tonight, or should I say this morning, was getting crazier by the minute. The clock on her wall pointed to twenty-five minutes past two in the morning. If I don’t make it back to the academy before four a.m. I will be stuck outside the gates until nightfall.

  Something outside the window caught my attention. The girl had her back to the window but the guy moved her out of the way, as Ben jumped back inside the window flinging him against the bedroom door. She turned and looked at him before screaming. Her neck folded back and she turned into a dragon. She blew fire on Ben and he screamed as he rolled on the ground. The more he rolled the more she breathed fire on him.

  The room heated as she breathed fire on Ben until there was nothing left of him but ashes. What was she? We have the vampire virus killing us and now this. What is going on? Valcrum didn’t create these humans that transform into creatures. How the heck are the demons here?

  “Baby let’s find another place to crash. We can’t stay here with half of the wall burnt and busted out,” he said. He grabbed her hands but she stepped away from him.

  “What’s the matter with you?” He brushed off the pieces of the broken door. He frowned and reached for her again, but she stepped back.

  “Fred, what are you?” She fiddled with the necklace around her neck. “You lied to me. I can’t believe I trusted you.” Her nostrils flared as she pointed a finger at him.

  “I haven’t lied to you.” He passed by the mirror and saw himself and hung his head. “This is the real me. I look like this. I have to make blood sacrifices to take human form but that doesn’t change how I feel a
bout you.”

  She drew in a breath and released it before speaking. Her cheeks were pink and she rubbed her temples with her fingers. “Don’t you think you should’ve told me you were a demon? How could you leave something important like that out? Fred, you’re a demon just like Trevor.”

  “Trinity, does it matter what I am? I care for you and I will never hurt you.” His arms hung loosely at his side.

  “You sacrifice people to look like a human. You kill people. I should kill you now.” She jerked back as if he slapped her. Closing her eyes, she opened her mouth then closed it. When he stepped closer to her and grabbed her chin forcing her to look him in the eyes she didn’t turn away.

  “I’m not like him at all. He tried to kill me. He is the reason all forty of us are demons stuck here on earth. He ruined my life and I am reduced to this.” Scowling he grabbed the two pointy horns on his head.

  “What do you mean stuck on earth? Where are you from?” She tilted her head and grabbed his shirt, pulling him toward her. He turned his face away, but she forced him to look at her and placed a kiss on each of his horns. “The horns can be kind of sexy.”

  A flush crept across his cheeks as he kissed her lips. “We are all from Xundar, and we weren’t hideous creatures with horns. We had power beyond your imagination given to us by Valcrum. When Trevor talked us into helping him go against Valcrum, all of us were stripped of our power and cast down to here. This is what we look like now.”

  “We’re in this together so don’t leave me in the dark. No more secrets.” She caressed his horn and looked him in the eyes.

  “I love you Trinity. Together we stand or together we fall.”

  “Good. Let’s go. I know a place where we can crash and be safe.” She grabbed some clothes and stuffed them in a black bag. Taking his hand, she walked out of the bedroom.

  I need to know where we can find them. Once I tell Liam, he’ll want us to be able to get to them. He’ll probably want to question them or kill them. Either way, I’m running out of time to find Leonardo. Dang. Too many lives at stake, I’ve got to know their hideout. They can lead us to this Trevor guy. Forty demons here in Atlanta is a disaster and we don’t have enough angels trained to fight them. The vampires could help, but we have our own war waged against us.

  Sliding from under the bed I hopped out the gaping hole in the wall. Running over Ben’s ashes I saw Trinity and Fred. They were almost two blocks away. Wow, she’s fast. Running fast I leaped to the next building keeping them in my sights as I gained ground on them. She stopped and looked behind them. Ducking near the chimney, I waited until I heard footsteps. Five minutes passed and I still hadn’t heard anything, so I looked out. Trinity had transformed into a dragon and was flying Fred on her back. They were so far away from me that I had no choice but to use my powers or lose them.

  I transformed into a bat and flapped my wings fast moving toward them. I slowed down when we left Atlanta and was southbound in a small town called Macon. When she stopped outside a closed rundown air force base called Rocky Mound Air Force Base, I perched myself in the tower. Transforming back into man, I watched then as they picked the lock to the closed commissary and went inside.

  Looking at my watch, it was seven in the morning. It was bright outside and too late to head back to the academy. Like it or not, I was stuck here in the city of Macon. Pulling out my phone, I still didn’t have any messages from Leonardo. Maybe he got lucky, had a one-night stand with a stranger and didn’t see my millions of texts. If that was the case, how long does it take to have sex? I’ve never begrudged my friends the carnal pleasures of the flesh, but now, I wish I knew the answer. Many surprises were revealed tonight, and I don’t think I can handle anything happening to Leonardo.

  I called him again. There was no way I could talk, but if he answered then he wasn’t in danger and I could focus on getting out of here safely, but if he didn’t …. I couldn’t think like that. Holding the phone close to my ear, I huddled in the corner waiting for him to answer. His phone rang eight times then went to voicemail. A drop of rain fell on my nose.

  Texting Liam was the smart thing to do. I couldn’t risk the information I just found out being discovered, so I just had to live long enough to tell him. He at least needed to know I was alright. For now.

  Went to find Leonardo but ran into complications. Things are worse than we thought. I’m in Macon and will come home as soon as it’s safe to do so. Did Leonardo show up?

  It started to pour down. I’d catch my death out here. Sliding my phone in my pocket, I lifted my head to look at the base. There had to be a place I could crash where they wouldn’t notice I had broken into and I’d be safe. I’m not trying to fight them alone. Fighting a demon and a lab experiment? Nope, not happening. There was an armory next door to the commissary. I needed to stay close to them in case they left early to find their next spot to lay low.

  Picking the lock, I went inside. The walls looked thick but they must be paper-thin, because I could hear Trinity and Fred having sex. It sounded like an earthquake with this building shaking. The building shaking wasn’t what got to me. It was her screams of passion that made me want to vomit. There was no way I could oversleep them leaving because I could hear everything clearly. This was one moment I hated that my hearing was so advanced. Some things should remain a mystery.

  The weapons and ammunition maintained at this place had all been removed. When the government banned guns, I knew the world was in trouble. It’s funny how trusting the wrong person will get you killed. Empty silver racks were everywhere and there wasn’t much of anything in here. This wasn’t the best place to hide either but why would they come in here? There was huge black and silver vault in the back. Why was there a vault in here?

  Thirty minutes later, I got it open. There was just a black envelope. Opening the envelope, there was a series of chemical formulas. The last one had a red skull on it. Putting everything back in the envelope, I slid it inside my pants flush against my chest. I never was good at organic chemistry, so I needed someone smarter than me to read it. Why was the vault used to hide this envelope?

  Closing the vault, I walked back to the door on the left. I’m assuming this was the guard’s quarters. The office was smaller than Trinity’s bedroom. The heavy oak desk had been cleaned out. A platinum mini fridge had not. It was still stocked. The food was fresh and had to have been bought this month. Why stock a fridge on a closed air force base? What is so important about this envelope?

  Trinity’s screams had slowed down. I’m surprised she still had a voice left. If I had to hear her screams or Fred’s proclamations of love again, I think I might be willing to die. Is sex really that serious? Shaking my head, I opened the small door in the corner. As I suspected it was a bathroom. The white sink and toilet made it appear to be new. I’m surprised to see a small tub in here. A small circular window was near the toilet. I’m not sure why, since you don’t want people to see you on toilet yet here it is. It wasn’t big enough to escape from either. This was the worse building to hiding in. There was only one way in and one way out.

  Laying in the tub I pull my phone out. I needed to check my battery life since my phone battery tended to always die on me. I have twenty percent battery life left. My heart raced as a message popped on the screen from Liam. My fingers trembled as I tapped the message.

  Leonardo is here. We’ll talk more about him when you get home. Be safe. Don’t take any chances. Don’t wait until dark, come now if you can. Liam.

  I’m too risky to travel now. I’d have to explain why I’m out and produce paperwork giving me permission to be out outside curfew and I don’t have it. I’m not trying to be incarcerated again. At least Leonardo was home safe. I’ll also be prepared to convince Liam that Leonardo won’t sneak off school grounds again. Cutting off my phone I relaxed a bit.

  Something woke me up. My ears twitched. That was a man’s deep voice. There was a phone in the office. Who was he talking to? How many men were there? Cre
eping out of the tub I knelt and looked underneath the door.

  “Greg don’t be stupid. You need to call him.” He smoked a cigarette while he pulled out his cellphone.

  “Peter stop being a coward. It’s probably kids. You heard them having sex. Let them finish and then we’ll go over there and scare them away.” He shoved the phone back at the guy smoking.

  “What if it’s not kids Greg?” Peter tossed his cigarette on the ground and put the flame out with the black boot.

  “If they refuse to leave then we kill them, call him, and look like heroes and maybe get a bonus and raise.” Greg spit the dip he had in his mouth out in the trashcan and opened the office door. Peter followed him out.

  “I hope you’re right Greg. Samantha will have my head if I lose my job, and she’s pregnant. We’re barely paying the bills now on this crappy salary he’s giving us.”

  “Just pull your gun when I do, and these kids will piss in their pants and go home. You’ll see.”

  This is the worst situation. Just my luck, two idiots would show up trying to be heroes. Opening the bathroom door, I strolled out. Walking into the main room I paused when I saw a shadow near the vault. Leaning against the wall, I stepped into the shadows.

  “I wish we could break into this stupid vault.” Peter kicked an empty plastic bag across the floor.

  “Peter, I thought you were trying to keep your job?” Greg rolled his eyes and looked at the ceiling.

  “I need more money. If we could steal what’s in the vault, then they would be forced to give us more money. We can split the money down the middle.” Peter scratched his head then emptied his pockets. “You’re always talking about buying Catherine a house and hating that crappy cramped apartment you live in. Don’t you need money too?”

  “Let’s scare the kids then we’ll come back and get it open.” Greg tapped his fingers on his gun holster then nodded at Peter.