With all that in mind, I was excited for my first lessons, to learn everything there was to know about my newfound powers. I couldn’t wait to feel the kiss of them against my palms again.
The chiming persisted and I realised my Atlas was the source of the noise. I squinted at the bright screen as a notification flashed up on it.
Your daily horoscope is waiting for you, Darcy!
I clicked on the message and a night sky spread across the screen, shimmering brightly as words scrawled to life in silver lettering.
Good morning Gemini. The stars have spoken about your day.
You've recently been through a transformative change, but now that the dust has settled you're feeling strangely at home in your new landscape. The clouds are parting and you can almost see the sun shining back at you. But don't be too hasty. Mars is still casting a shadow over your movements this month and it looks like it's here to stay for a while yet. Between a Libra and an Aquarius, your day may become very challenging but if you call upon your Gemini instincts, you'll find a way to rise above the trials thrown your way.
I frowned. My Gemini instincts? I vaguely recalled my star sign described a Gemini as optimistic and today I felt I was lining up with that assumption.
Another message flashed up on the Atlas.
Your Cardinal Magic class starts in thiry minutes, Darcy.
Click here for a map.
I pressed the button and found a route laid out for me leading away from Aer Tower toward The Orb at the centre of the grounds. Ringing it were a group of buildings named after the planets and my lesson was located in Jupiter Hall.
I yawned broadly, getting out of bed and heading into my own private bathroom. The tiles were blue and white and a huge shower unit stood to one side of it. There was even my own toothbrush and a whole basket full of cosmetics for me to use.
I squealed like a kid as I washed in the waterfall-like shower then applied a sweet smelling moisturiser to my skin. Conscious of time, I rushed back into my bedroom and headed to a wardrobe which reached right up to the ceiling. I tugged it open, finding a uniform waiting inside for me. There were a few of them plus a bunch of yoga pants, shirts and sweaters with the Aer logo printed on them.
I pulled on my uniform, eyeing myself in the mirror inside the wardrobe door. The navy and white check skirt was pleated and brushed my knees, the white shirt crisp and figure hugging. I pulled on knee-high socks and some pumps then put my blazer over the top, brushing my fingers over the golden crest of the Academy which was ringed with each symbol of the zodiac.
I tamed my hair which ran loosely over my shoulders, the blue tips almost blending in with the navy blazer.
Today will be a good day, I promised myself then grabbed a leather satchel from the wardrobe and tucked the Atlas inside it alongside a few notebooks and pens.
I headed out of my room, locking the door before following the flow of students who were all descending the stairs. Some of them glanced my way and mutters were exchanged. None of them said hello. But it wasn't going to bother me. I'd proven my worth yesterday and I deserved my place here as much as them. In a few days, they'd probably forget I was a 'Vega Twin' and I could start making some friends.
Outside, the morning air was fresh and the scent of junipers carried to me on the breeze. As the wind washed against my face, my skin tingled as if the weather were bringing the Elements to life inside my veins. Anticipation rolled through me at the idea of using more magic and I wondered what it would be like to wield fire, water and earth too.
“Your majesty!” someone called from behind me and I turned curiously, spotting the burly girl who’d been one of the few students happy to see us in The Orb last night. She rushed toward me up the path, her eyes widening with joy.
Was she talking to me?
She came to a halt before me, bowing her head low. I frowned, taken aback.
“My name is Geraldine Grus and I am at your service. I wanted to let you know that you now have a loyal band of followers around you, the Almighty Sovereign Society. Do not fear the Celestial ruffians who call themselves Heirs. You and your sister are the true queens and they will accept that soon enough.” She bowed again and I sensed eyes on us as students headed by.
“Oh um…” I had no idea what to say. But I didn’t like the attention she was drawing, or the way she referred to Tory and I as queens. “We’re actually not really here for the throne. The Heirs are welcome to it to be honest.”
“Sacrilege!” she gasped, her dark eyes rounding. “How can you say such a thing Princess Gwendalina?”
“Don’t call me that,” I begged. “It’s Darcy.”
“Of course, as you wish,” she said with another flourishing bow.
Oh God make this stop.
“Geraldine!” a girl called. “Is that one of the queens!?”
I sucked in air as I spotted a band of people running up the path to meet us.
Nope. I’m out.
“I’d better get going,” I said quickly. “I don’t wanna be late to class.” I gave her a polite smile then hurried away, relief flowing through me when she didn’t follow.
“Remember the A.S.S love you!” she cried and several people who heard her started laughing.
Really? That was the name she went with? The ass club?
I didn’t want to be ungrateful for her kindness, but I also knew there was a ninety nine percent chance I’d jump into the nearest bush the next time I spotted her coming.
I soon found my way to Jupiter Hall and gazed up at the towering, gothic building in awe. I filed inside with the rest of the students and entered a wide atrium made of white stone. A row of pillars held up a stairway on the opposite wall and I followed a group of freshmen up it toward the classroom on my timetable.
Everyone moved inside and I glanced over my shoulder, hoping to spot Tory at any moment.
The classroom was built of honey-coloured bricks and one side of the room held a long row of arching windows, allowing the sunlight to fall across the space in eight perfect shafts.
There were nearly a hundred students and the wooden desks were filling up fast. I jogged toward the nearest one, planting my bag on the one beside it for Tory when she showed up.
I was a few rows back from the front where a crescent-shaped oaken desk sat before a large electronic screen.
I pulled my Atlas out of my bag, finding a message glowing on it.
Welcome to Cardinal Magic, Darcy!
Click here to begin.
I tapped on it and a blank page appeared. I took the pen attached to the Atlas and scribbled on the screen to try it out.
“Hey!”
I glanced up, finding Tory beside me in her own Academy uniform, her eyes hooded with lack of sleep. She was much less of a morning person than I was but even I was feeling the pain of missed sleep today.
Sofia was a step behind her, smiling brightly as she took in the classroom.
“Did you manage to avoid the Fire Asshole this morning?” I asked Tory, tugging my bag off of the desk beside mine.
She dropped into the seat I'd saved with a laugh and Sofia took the one beyond that. “Yeah, not on purpose though. I'm not gonna hide from that jerk.”
“We might have someone else we need to hide from,” I said, filling her in on my encounter with Geraldine.
“She called you your majesty?” Tory asked in disbelief and I nodded.
“There’s a fair few royal supporters in the school from what I heard,” Sofia chipped in and I quietly hoped they weren’t all as enthusiastic as Geraldine.
“Que pasa amigas?”
I turned at the male voice, finding one of the Aer pledges dropping down to sit at the desk on my other side. I vaguely remembered him from last night. He wore a black beanie hat with a white cross on it, his dark hair curling out from beneath it. He had a kind face, his skin deeply tanned but his eyes unusually blue.
He raised a dark brow at me as I gave him a blank look. “Oh sorry, I thought you
guys spoke Spanish.” He gestured at us in general. Our Latino looks had served us more than one occasion like this, but I was surprised to find it happening in a completely different world to ours.
“Are you from the er...mortal world?” I asked, feeling strange referring to earth as that.
He stared at me for a second then burst out laughing. “No, Solaria is a mirror world. The same but different, claro? So you’ve never learned our beautiful language?”
I smiled warmly, shaking my head. “Nope, we kinda missed out on learning since we were never in a foster home with anyone who spoke it.”
“Although there was that one maid who always called Mr Harrison an hijo de puta,” Tory chipped in.
The guy burst out laughing. “So the only phrase you know in Spanish is son of a bitch?”
“That's what that means?” Tory laughed.
“Yeah.” He took out his Atlas and dropped his satchel on the floor. “I'm Diego.”
“Darcy and that's-”
“Tory, I know,” he finished for me with a sideways smile. “You're Los Gemelas Vega -sorry, the Vega Twins. Everyone's talking about you on FaeBook since what happened at The Orb last night.”
“On...what?” I frowned.
“It's a social media site for the school. Here, look.” Diego took my Atlas, tapping on a purple app with a circle connecting each of the star signs. A social media page came up.
FaeBook? He's got to be kidding right?
I pressed my profile and found it had already been filled in for me. Star signs took the place of profile pictures and the Gemini symbol shone in pink on mine. I tapped onto the newsfeed and my mouth dried up as I spotted the most popular post at the top of the screen.
Max Rigel: A big welcome to Darcy and Tory (let's call 'em Dory to make it easier). I'm so glad the Vega Twins showed up just in time to try and challenge us for the throne of Solaria because I've been dying to try out my latest elemental combo attacks on someone. #waterguns #wetterisbetter
Comments:
Marguerite Helebor: PMSL
Milton Hubert: Hahaha yeah get them wet!
Gary Jones: BRUTAL BRO! Catch ya at Pitball practice later!
Milly Badgerville: You’re soooo funny Max!
Tory read it over my shoulder and blew out a breath of irritation. “Great, we're the butt of a joke on a social media site I didn't realise existed until three seconds ago.”
I scowled, closing down the app. “Just ignore it.”
“I'm not like those idiotas,” Diego said gently. “I don't know anyone here, my family live way out in the sticks of Solaria. Most of the Fae here already have ties with each other. It's muy cliquey. So...if you wanna hang out sometime...”
The door opened and Orion strode in, kicking it shut behind him as he sipped on a mug of coffee. I glanced at the clock on the wall noticing he was ten minutes late.
He strode behind his desk and the class continued to chatter with one another. I spotted Kylie cross-legged on a desk as she spoke with a couple of boys in the back row, twirling a lock of sunshine hair between her fingers.
I chewed on the end of my digital pen as I waited for Orion to start the lesson, wondering what we were going to be learning about today. I couldn't deny I was curious. Our whole lives had been tipped upside down in the space of twenty four hours. And now I was sitting in a classroom in front of the hottest teacher I'd ever seen.
I'd always had a thing for older guys and that coupled with the fact that Orion had the sort of face that made me forget to blink, meant I was definitely distracted. What kind of teacher looked like that? In my last school the male staff all had various combos of handle-bar moustaches and shiny bald patches.
Orion planted his coffee cup on the table and grabbed a digital marker pen, writing across the board in large letters:
YOU DO NOT HAVE A PLACE AT ZODIAC ACADEMY.
Tory and I shared a look as Professor Orion swung around. I noticed his tie was undone as he took hold of it, taking his time as he fixed it.
“Do you always get dressed on your way to work, sir?” asked a boy in the front row, his words a clear jibe.
Orion gave him a sweeping glance, tightening the knot at his throat. “Name?” he demanded of him.
“Tyler Corbin.”
“Well Corbin, you're not here to cast judgment on a single thing I do. In fact it's entirely the other way around. So if I want to show up naked five minutes before the lesson ends, I will.”
A few of the girls giggled, Kylie included and a ball of heat grew in my stomach.
Orion pointed at Kylie. “Sit in your seat or you can stand on your desk for the rest of the lesson, Miss..?”
“Kylie Major,” she sighed then fell into her chair, tossing her hair over one shoulder.
“Read this out, Major,” he directed, pointing at the board.
She cleared her throat a few times and the pretty brunette beside her suppressed another giggle. “You do not have a place at Zodiac Academy.”
Chatter broke out again and Orion folded his arms, his stare demanding silence. He got his wish, the cold look in his gaze daring anyone to disobey it.
When the silence was so keen it rang in my ears, he spoke. “You all have a mid-term assessment which will decide whether or not you continue here at Zodiac. We call it The Reckoning because it will decide the fate of your entire lives. Zodiac Academy is the most prestigious school in Solaria and we won’t waste time on anyone who can’t prove their worth. If you fail it, you're out. Back to whatever crevice of this world – or any other world -” he gave Tory and I a hard look, “-you came from. Is that clear?”
“Yes,” we all said in unison and my gut tied into a tight knot.
“Yes what?” he demanded.
“Yes, sir,” everyone corrected.
Orion pressed a button at the base of the board and the words vanished. “This is Cardinal Magic where I will attempt to give you a basic understanding of all practical magic, simple divination and astrology. Today, I'll be introducing you to the Orders of Fae. None of you will be casting a single spell in my classroom until you have a basic foundation of knowledge to work from, so pay attention.”
A groan sounded from several of my classmates in response. I wasn’t too bothered, more than happy to learn the basics as I had absolutely no grasp on anything in this world.
“Everyone will need to be at the same level of understanding by the end of term. Whatever you think you know, you will soon learn there is much more that you do not.” He shed his blazer and my mouth dried up at the press of his muscles against his pale blue shirt. He tapped the board and a diagram appeared on it, giving me an excuse to look at something else. My Atlas flashed and I found the same image there with space around it for taking notes.
ORDERS OF FAE
TAENIA
(Parasitic Orders)
Vampire
Siren
MUTATIO
(Mutating Orders)
Dragon
Manticore
Griffin
Cerberus
Pegasus
Werewolf
Nemean Lion
Hydra
Caucasian Eagle
Chimera
DIVISUS
(Spliced Orders)
Minotaur
Medusa
Centaur
Cyclops
Sphinx
Harpy
I stared across the names in fascination, unable to believe all of these strange creatures really existed.
Orion turned to face us again. “You each have an Order, most of which will have been apparent since childhood. Let me have a show of hands who does not yet know their Order.”
Tory and I slowly raised our hands and Diego did the same. I glanced around, finding a handful more joining us and I was glad we weren’t singled out in something else.
Orion nodded stiffly. “Email me after class.” He turned back to the board without further explanation. “The Taenia have just two div
isions whereas if I were to write every Mutatio on this board we would be here until next week.”
I gazed down the list, my mind boggling at the words Werewolf, Dragon, Medusa, Cyclops and all the rest.
Orion pointed to the middle column. “The easiest way to distinguish a Mutatio Order is that they will shift fully into a creature without humanoid characteristics. The Divisus Order can get confused with the Mutatio, but the easiest way to distinguish them is that the Divisus Orders maintain human-like characteristics when they have mutated into their magical form. The Taenia differ from the other two Orders in that they maintain human form at all times, except for one feature. Can anyone name the feature of a Siren which changes when they embrace their powers?” He looked to the class and I glanced around, finding many of the students with their hands raised.
Orion picked a girl at the back with long braided hair. “Sirens get scales.” She twisted her hand in the air and a shimmer of blue and gold rippled across her skin. “They're tough as hell and perfect for swimming.”
“Correct,” Orion said and I jotted down the note on my Atlas under Sirens. “And what feature changes for Vampires?”
“Teeth,” Tory offered in a sharp tone.
Some of the students snickered and the hairs on the back of my neck rose to attention.
“Correct, Miss Vega.” Orion rested his hands flat on his desk and peeled his upper lip back.
My heart took a freedive into my stomach as his canines extended into sharp points. He grinned darkly, then ran his tongue across them as they retracted once more.
My heart pounded unhappily in my chest. He was a Vampire? Like Caleb?
My nose wrinkled as I stared at Orion, seeing him in a wholly different light. And not a good one.
Zodiac Academy: The Awakening: An Academy Bullymance (Supernatural Bullies and Beasts Book 1) Page 9