Summoned by Magic (Drexel Academy Book 1)

by Lexie Scott

  “Most classes don’t have assigned seats, but some teachers make us sit alphabetically,” she explained.

  I nodded and glanced forward just as Niall, a.k.a. Mr. Friendly, walked in. He scanned the room, his eyes moving over me as if I didn’t exist before walking to the very back and taking a corner seat.

  When I faced back around, Hannah was watching me with a sly smile. “So, Niall caught your eye?”

  “Mr. Haddon had him show me where to sit before the assembly. He disappeared as soon as he pointed to the row.”

  She chuckled. “Yeah, he’s not really a people person.”

  “Where is he from?” I asked, fighting the urge to look back at him.

  “What do you mean?” She cocked her head.

  “I thought I heard an accent, but I couldn’t place it.”

  “Oh, right, he grew up in Ireland, but his parents moved to the States when he was like ten or something so his brothers and he could go to school here.”

  “Why did they move? Couldn't they just send the boys here?”

  She shrugged. “I’m not sure. Maybe they wanted to be closer so they could come home during the holidays.”

  I wanted to know more, but she didn’t seem to have the answers. The brooding boy scared off our classmates. At least I assumed that explained the two-desk radius around him. He caught me eyeing him, and his face darkened. I jerked my gaze forward.

  “He’s kind of a loner. He used to be friends with a group of guys, but in our second year, he just stopped hanging out with them. I never bothered asking why.” She shrugged. “I’ve been in several classes with him, but he never talks. Just sits in the back and glares.”

  Strange. Now I was really curious. Not that I could explain why. Maybe I had a weakness for the mysterious type as much as athletes.

  “Welcome to Literature IV for witches, class. I’m Ms. Martin, and I hope you are as excited as I am to begin this term.” A short woman with a platinum blond pixie cut strolled into the room and handed out stacks of papers to each person in the first row. They each took one and handed the rest to the person behind them. When the stack made it to me, I took a packet, then glanced back. No one was behind me, but the girl next to me didn’t turn around. She either chose to ignore Niall behind her or was just oblivious.

  I turned out of my seat and walked back, handing him a packet. Mr. Friendly took it from me without glancing up, so I spun around and went back to my desk and passed the extras forward.

  Ms. Martin started reading through the syllabus and I followed along, dread growing in my stomach at how much went over my head. She referenced books we should have already read, and I rushed to write them down.

  “We will not only be reading and breaking down spells to understand how they are constructed, but we will learn how to write our own. By the end of the year, you will have gained the understanding necessary to choose the perfect words to fulfill the purpose of your spells.”

  I couldn't believe this was my life. I was in a literature class with the promise of learning how to not only read and practice spells but come up with my own? How quickly my life had changed left me dizzy.

  Drexel didn’t have a bell system, but Ms. Martin dismissed us at ten till noon, and Hannah stretched as she stood. “Time for lunch.”

  “Does everyone have their lunch break at the same time?” We followed our classmates out of the room and down the stairs. It was like a herd moving together, but it seemed like we were all going to the same place.

  “Years one and two are together, then years three and four. The older students’ courses aren’t on the same schedule, so they just eat when they have time,” she answered. “Have you seen the other buildings yet?”

  “Mr. Haddon pointed them out this morning,” I replied as we merged onto the path that cut in front of the lab building.

  “Good. I was going to take us the long way to show you if you hadn’t.”

  As we walked, I took in the people around us. I still couldn’t tell who was a witch, vampire, or shifter. That was something I wanted to ask her at lunch if no one else was around. I didn’t want to embarrass myself around new people if that wasn’t an appropriate question. Then again, how was I supposed to know unless I asked? I doubted anyone would be offended if I asked the wrong thing. I had ignorance on my side.

  “How’s the food?” That seemed like a good distraction.

  She shrugged. “It’s usually pretty good. There are normally three to four options per meal. Like this morning, there were eggs, French toast, fruit and yogurt, and oatmeal. You’re allowed to take as much as you want, too. They rotate the options, so you can usually find something you like each time.”

  That was reassuring. At least I wouldn’t have to eat gross cafeteria food for the next year. Or longer. I still hadn’t quite accepted that I might be here for a lot longer than I expected. It all depended on how quickly I learned what I needed to know.

  “This way.” She pointed to the line forming near the entrance of the enormous room. A buffet stretched on one side, and lines of long tables filled the length of the space. She handed me a tray before taking one for herself. We shuffled forward as the line moved, and she stood on her toes to look ahead.

  “I think there’s salad, burgers . . .” She pursed her lips in concentration.

  “Chicken tenders and fries,” a voice finished behind us.

  I turned around and smiled at Daniel.

  “Yes!” Hannah did a little happy dance. “The chicken tenders are my favorite.”

  “You’re a child,” Daniel teased.

  “No, they’re delicious.” She looked at me. “Trust me. You’ll want those.”

  I laughed and nodded.

  “The ranch is the best part.” Malik appeared next to Daniel. “The chicken is merely a vessel to get ranch to your mouth.”

  Hannah raised a brow. “And I’m the child?”

  Daniel laughed and elbowed his friend. “How was your first class, Saige?”

  I let out a small sigh. “It was fine, but I’m already feeling overwhelmed. I have no idea how I’m going to catch up.”

  “Hey! No freaking out. You have us,” Hannah reminded me. “We won’t let you fail.”

  The guys agreed, but I didn’t think I would feel any better until I started doing something.

  We made it through the line, and Daniel led us to an empty area of the furthest table. We sat, and I took a bite of the chicken and groaned. “This is so good.”

  Hannah laughed. “I told you!”

  Daniel rolled his eyes and took a huge bite of the massive bacon cheeseburger he assembled.

  Malik was sitting across from me, and after finishing off a tender, he looked up. “So, are you going to tell us about yourself, or do you want us to go first?”

  Hannah tossed a balled-up napkin at him. “Don’t pressure her.”

  I watched them and laughed. “It’s okay. I’m from a town just outside of Pittsburgh. I have a little sister and brother. I don’t play any sports, but I like watching them. I––”

  “She has two affinities,” Hannah cut me off with a mock whisper.

  “Hot damn!” Daniel shouted, and several people turned to look at us. He ignored them and leaned forward. “That’s crazy, new girl.”

  I narrowed my eyes at the nickname.

  “What are they?” Malik asked.

  “Earth and Water,” I answered. He asked me directly, so maybe that was okay. I seized the chance to redirect their attention off me and ask the question that had been on my mind. “How can you tell what someone is?”

  Daniel and Malik shared a look, and Hannah tilted her head. “What?”

  “Is there a way to tell if someone’s a shifter or vampire or witch or do you have to ask?”

  All three of them went silent, and I knew I said something wrong.

  Chapter 12

  My stomach dropped. I offended them. Made a major mistake. Showed how oblivious I was.

  Then, the three of them
burst out laughing.

  I glared them down and crossed my arms, waiting for them to finish.

  “You mean you haven’t noticed the mark?” Daniel asked.

  I shot him an incredulous look. “There’s no mark.”

  Malik punched his arm. “No, but there’s an aura.”

  I turned to Hannah, and she was still giggling, shaking her head. “Guys, stop. She’s completely new to this world. She knows next to nothing. We can’t laugh at her, or she’ll never ask us anything.”

  Thank you, Hannah!

  They composed themselves, and she continued. “There’s no outward sign or way to distinguish between the races.”

  “Races isn’t a biological term,” Malik interrupted. “It’s been proven.”

  Hannah rolled her eyes. “I feel like I’m describing animals when I say species.”

  Daniel growled and wagged his brows. “Some of us are.”

  I chuckled, but she ignored him. “As I was saying, there’s no way to tell based just on appearance, but there are some general trends that can help.” She looked down the table and called out, “Hey, Savvy?”

  A girl sitting in the group next to us looked our way. “Yeah?”

  “Can you show us your ring?”

  She scrunched her nose in confusion but lifted her hand in the air and waved it around before dropping it and turning back to her friends.

  “Vampires have to wear amulets created by witches to be able to walk in the sun without getting seriously burned.” Hannah explained.

  “Like to ashes?” I asked.

  Daniel looked like he was fighting a laugh and shook his head. “No, like the worst sunburn ever.”

  “So, they wear rings?” I tried to understand.

  “Some have rings. Some have bracelets or necklaces. Just look for really old-looking jewelry,” Hannah said.

  “Not always old,” Malik countered. “The really old or rich vampire families have plenty of amulets to pass down to each generation, but some don’t.”

  “So, they’re stuck inside during the day?” That sounded awful.

  “Unless they’re covered head to toe. The school has underground tunnels for the vampires who don’t have them, so they can get to their classes,” Daniel said, before taking another huge bite.

  “Really?” I wasn’t sure if that was another joke.

  “Yeah, but usually by the end of their freshmen year, they’ve made friends with a witch who can create one for them,” Hannah added.

  “So, we can make them?” Something so powerful sounded like it should be too hard for teenagers.

  “Yup.” She picked up her last chicken tender. “We learn that pretty young since it’s one of the things that creates a balance in our world.”

  I leaned my elbow on the table, food forgotten. “What does that mean?”

  The three of them shared a look like they were deciding who would tell me. Malik blinked and seemed to have lost. “The three species exist in a mutualistic relationship, each needing something from the other. It’s been that way since recorded time. It keeps any one species from overpowering the others. Nature’s justice.”

  “That’s interesting, so vampires need witches for the sun amulets. How does the rest work?”

  “Witches need vampires for their potions. A vampires’ venom, hair, fingernails, even their eyelashes make spells stronger,” Hannah explained, and I tried to hide my disgust.

  Daniel and Malik laughed. I hadn’t pulled it off.

  “It’s gross but true,” the mountain lion confirmed.

  “What about shifters?” I asked.

  Malik reached over and stole a handful of fries off my plate. “We need witches for their magic too. You guys can provide us with amulets that make it so our clothes stay on when we shift back into our human forms. And in exchange, shifters often work for witches providing protection or are used for information gathering depending on what kind of animal form they take.”

  “And sometimes their fur, feathers, whiskers, or whatever can be used for spells. Especially if you’re trying to track something or someone.” Hannah said.

  As weird as this all was, I wasn’t freaking out or overwhelmed. They explained it so matter-of-factly, I just listened and stored away the information for later. This was my new world, and I was happy to learn more about it.

  “And vampires need us for our blood,” Malik said with a wicked grin.

  I froze. No. He was joking.

  “Did you see that?” Daniel chuckled. “She went pale in like one second! I’ve never seen blood drain that fast.”

  “Then you haven’t been bitten by a very good vamp,” Malik teased him.

  I was going to be sick.

  “Drink this,” Hannah held my water out to me. “They’re just trying to freak you out.”

  I glared at them. “It’s working.”

  “Vampires are forbidden from drinking the blood of witches. It’s a crime punishable by death, so don’t worry.” Daniel composed himself. “Shifters, too, but only in our human form.”

  “Yeah, it’s not technically against the rules for them to feed off our animal forms, and it gives them a crazy power boost so sometimes we trade.” Malik shrugged, like letting someone drink from your veins was completely normal.

  “Trade for what?” I barely got the words out.

  “Usually healing,” a guy stopped behind the shifters and smiled across the table at me.

  “Sai, there you are!” Daniel and Malik scooted to make room for him on the bench, and Sai sat down. He had thick black hair, dark eyes, and skin a similar shade to Malik. I almost asked if they were related, but Daniel interrupted my perusal. “This is Saige, the new girl we told you about.”

  “Nice to meet you, Saige. It’s not every day a year-four student appears out of nowhere.” His full lips quirked into a smile, and my cheeks heated. His voice was deep and smooth. I could listen to him forever. Plus, he was ridiculously gorgeous. Where were all of these guys coming from? Were supernaturals just super attractive as well?

  “Oh, good. Your color’s coming back.” Malik winked at me, and I nearly threw a cold fry at him.

  “Nice to meet you too,” I croaked out, then cleared my throat. This was humiliating.

  “Right, so vampires will heal shifters in exchange for their animal’s blood.” Hannah continued quickly to save me. “They can go to the health center, of course, but the school keeps track. It raises too many questions if they go in too often.”

  “Why are they getting hurt so often?” I asked.

  The three guys shared a look, and Daniel sighed. “There are some activities that take place that aren’t necessarily school-sanctioned.”

  “There’s a fight club,” Hannah clarified.

  I smirked. “I thought the first rule was that you don’t talk about fight club.”

  Sai whooped. “Saige, my love. Where did you come from?”

  I giggled while Hannah shook her head.

  “Pittsburgh,” Daniel answered for me.

  “Well, I’m glad you’re here now.” Sai stood and slid across the table to wrap me in a tight hug. A familiar zap of energy filled me at his touch, and I stiffened. He pulled away from me, beaming, and waved to his friends. “I’ll see you guys later.” He winked at me. “And you.”

  I smiled, too stunned to wave or say goodbye before he turned and headed out of the hall.

  “So that’s Sai,” Malik said, watching me. “He’s a shifter, too.”

  “What kind?” I blurted the words without thinking.

  “A tiger,” he replied.

  I let out a relieved sigh.

  “A fan of terrifying beasts?” Daniel teased.

  I shook my head. “No, I just didn’t know if it was okay to ask about that, but the words kind of slipped out.”

  “It’s completely fine to ask what kind of witch or shifter someone is. If you don’t know what species they are, you can ask that too. No one will take offense,” Malik promised.

>   “Yeah, it’s perfectly normal to us,” Hannah confirmed.

  “Is it perfectly normal for you to be glared at?” Daniel leaned forward and whispered the words.

  “Me?” I gasped.

  He nodded. “Niall Kelly has been staring at you like you murdered his puppy for the last ten minutes. How did you manage to piss him off already?”

  I fought the urge to turn and look for those crystal blue eyes. “Nothing. Mr. Haddon had him show me where to sit before the assembly, and we’re in lit together. I don’t know why he hates me.”

  Hannah waved me off. “He hates everyone. Just give it a few days, and he’ll forget all about you.”

  Why didn’t I like the sound of that? Ugh. I didn't want the mysteriously dark, angry, and annoyingly sexy guy hating me, but that didn’t mean I wanted him to forget about me.

  Which was stupid.

  Of course, I did.

  Making an enemy on my first day was not ideal.

  “What’s his deal?” I asked, pushing my hair behind my ear and trying to glance discreetly over my shoulder. I didn’t see him. Maybe he was on my other side.

  “I don’t really know,” Daniel admitted. “He was fine freshman year. Normal, even. He hung out with some witches and shifters. Then something happened during summer break, and he came back all grumpy and quiet. He doesn’t talk to anyone, and everyone gives him space.”

  Huh. “Did anyone ask his friends?”

  Malik shook his head. “They said they didn’t know what happened. He just stopped answering their calls and texts and showed up for the next term like a completely different person.”

  What happened to him? What would make a person close themselves off completely and turn so angry? Had he lost someone? Had someone hurt him? It was hard to imagine what could have been bad enough to create someone that looked so mad at the world.