I bit my lip and shrugged. “Sorry it’s been so long. It’s just—”
“I know. I know. You always go to Ender to visit Delegate Mastiff and the boys during the breaks.” Her voice dropped slightly at the end. Was she sad about it?
We’d made it to the quad in the middle of the buildings. During yellow season in the second term, it was a big, open green rectangle of grass where everyone socialized and hung out, but right then, it was barren and brown. Paved trails wound from each corner of the quad to different buildings, and a lonely fountain sat surrounded by empty benches.
Campus was emptying fast as the final stragglers took shelter inside the indoor arena for the morning assembly.
I pulled on Ivy’s hand. “Come on, let’s hurry. I don’t want to walk in late.” That’d be asking for even more people to stare at us.
We hurried past the benches and Ivy trailed her fingers across the surface of the water as we walked past the fountain.
The flow of water stopped, and Ivy slowed her steps. “What the...?”
She examined the fountain, the water dancing around her fingers as she used her magic.
I stepped up next to her, tugging on her sleeve. “Come on, Ivy. We’re really going to be late if we don’t move.”
Light burst from the fountain, shooting toward our faces.
Ivy screamed, and I pulled her behind me, covering my head with my other hand.
Chapter 2
The light twirled around our heads playfully, and I dropped my arm.
Gray and Neil walked out from behind the corner of the arena. Gray was laughing so hard that he held a hand to his stomach, and Neil chuckled.
As they headed our way with huge matching smiles on their faces, anyone could easily tell they were brothers. They shared the same spiky, dark hair, sharp jawline, and almond-shaped eyes. Their main difference was their eye colors; Gray’s matched his name and Neil’s were blue. But, somehow, Gray’s face came together in a way that made him look devastatingly handsome, whereas Neil looked only slightly above average.
Ivy flipped her hair over her shoulder. “I suppose you two think you’re so funny.”
Gray wiped imaginary dust off his white tie before glancing at her. “Even if we aren’t, your expressions were. It was something like this.” He held his mouth in an exaggerated ‘o’ with his eyes wide and hands up.
Neil nodded. “He’s right. That was priceless.”
Gray held his hand up to fist-bump Neil. “That was perfect how you stopped the flow with the air. I wasn’t sure how we could pull it off without Water Magic, but it couldn’t have gone any better.” Although Neil was from Ender and technically part of the Fire Academy, he also had Air and Earth Magic. Even though there were a few dual magic kids sprinkled throughout the grades, people called him a prodigy for having three magics.
Neil bumped his fist. “Your Light Magic really pulled it together, though.”
I fought back a grin. It was always good to see Neil more relaxed. With the term starting again, it probably wouldn’t last long.
The four of us merged with the sea of bodies flowing into the stadium, and I took a deep breath, ignoring the whispers that followed us while we scouted for seats. While it wasn’t unusual to see a lot of students from the same academy grouped together, it also wasn’t unusual for the groups to be mixed, Ackley was big on encouraging socialization between the regions.
My tie worked like a beacon, catching everyone’s gaze, along with their curiosity and wagging tongues. Despite the fact that my uniform looked like every other students’, my gray tie made it stand out.
I accidentally made eye contact with an Earth Magical girl sitting a little ways away. Almost immediately, her attention dropped to my tie, and she leaned over and whispered into the ear of the Air Magical girl sitting next to her.
As if they hadn’t seen my tie a hundred times. I hunched my shoulders and followed Ivy up the rows of benches.
We found empty seats, and I rested my head against Ivy’s shoulder for a minute. “Is it too late to go back to our room?” It was only Luxday, the beginning of the week, and I was already exhausted being around everyone.
The headmistress’s voice cut through the surrounding buzz of chatter. “Good morning, students, and welcome back to Ackley Institute for another wonderful school year. We are pleased to announce the arrival of seventy-five new Grade Ones.”
I leaned closer to Ivy. “Wow, that’s quite a large group for a new class.”
Ackley Institute usually only allowed fifty new Grade Ones. Delegates’ kids were guaranteed a spot, but for all other Magicals, it worked like a lottery. Families had to put their kids on a waiting list as soon as they were born if they wished for them to attend Ackley.
There were other schools around Andar, but Ackley was the most prestigious with the highest volume of specialized classes to help students succeed in finding jobs after graduation and extremely skilled teachers. Along with that, it was in Komen, the capital, which was a neutral zone for Andar.
Ivy nodded, scanning the faces of the new kids.
“From the northwest region of Ender, we have nineteen new Grade Ones.”
Nineteen of the kids stood, clicked their heels together, and did a sharp salute with two fingers before flicking them out. I joined the audience and clapped for the new Grade Ones, and Gray whistled. They took their seats with a militaristic precision that was astounding for eight-year-olds. How many of them would end up with a red tie after the day’s Inquiry?
“From the southeast region of Dahning, we have eighteen new Grade Ones.”
In a fluid line, eighteen kids stood and gracefully inclined their heads before sitting again. The audience continued its roar of approval. Ivy clapped a little harder for them. My hands stung from clapping, but it was a welcome distraction from my own memories of my first day.
“From the northeast region of Ra, we have twenty-two new Grade Ones.”
Twenty-two kids stood and put their right fist against their left palm, fingers extended. In unison, they bowed their heads.
“From the southwest region of Beltan, we have sixteen new Grade Ones.”
Sixteen kids stood and pressed both palms together in front of their chest before bowing slowly. I clapped a little harder for the kids from my region.
Most of them probably already knew their specialty, since it manifested at eight, but they’d still be tested with the Inquiry for records purposes before officially joining one of the five academies: Water, Fire, Earth, Wind, or Light. It wasn’t a matter of if they had magic but what kind.
Until me. Would any of those kids from my region end up with a gray tie like me? Or would I always be the odd girl out?
“—And so I hope you’ll all be especially careful this new school year. Ackley Institute has an excellent reputation for keeping its students safe, and this year shall be no different. I can assure you the school has spared no expense to guarantee we have the best security available.”
Behind me someone muttered, “Wonder how much was bought with Lyland’s money.” A few kids snickered. I shook my head and ignored their barbs. People like them generally gave up if they didn’t get the desired reaction.
Gray turned around and made a rude gesture at the group, but Neil put a hand on his shoulder.
I turned to Ivy. “What’s she talking about?”
Gray snorted. “Were you spacing out again?”
“Like you’re one to talk,” I muttered to him.
Ivy gave me an exasperated look.
They knew me so well there wasn’t really any point in denying it. “Fine, all right. I was. Now will someone tell me?”
Neil leaned toward me, blue eyes grave. “Apparently, kids are going missing around Andar. The school has upped the security to keep us safe.”
I shivered. It had to be drastic for the school to allow so many more students.
Neil frowned and leaned back. “This isn’t the first I’ve heard of these disappear
ances, either.”
“That explains why there are so many Grade One kids this year. If families are worried about their kids’ safety, they’d want to send them somewhere with extra protection,” Ivy said.
Gray put his chin in his hand. “I’m impressed the school changed the admissions quota. Elsie’s such a stickler for the rules.” He grimaced.
He would say that. He was constantly getting in trouble for breaking them.
“When you say kids, do you mean kids?” I gestured toward the new Grade Ones with my chin. “Or kids like us?”
Neil shrugged. “I don’t know. The headmistress just said ‘kids.’”
We stopped whispering to catch the end of Headmistress Elsie’s speech. “With the new school year, I encourage all of you to do your best to reach your full academic potential. While you’re here, you don't need to worry about anything happening outside the school walls. Our top priority is to ensure you're all safe and able to learn in the most secure environment we can provide. Likewise, your priority is to focus on your studies and become the best Magicals you can be. Especially our Grade Ten students, who are preparing to graduate and join those of us working outside these walls.
“With that in mind, we’ve initiated something new this year. Ackley Institute has created a dueling club under the supervision of Mr. Allen and myself, which will be open to all Magicals Grade Seven and up.”
My stomach fell to my toes. A dueling club? As if I needed another reason to stand out.
“Yes!” Gray pumped his fist. “Best news all day.”
Henry stood and waved to the students, then returned to his seat.
An excited hum of voices broke out at this, and Headmistress Elsie waited patiently for it to die down before continuing.
“Normally, it is forbidden to use your magic to harm other students, and those rules still apply outside the club. But, for the sake of experience, we’ve decided it would be beneficial for all interested students to have the opportunity to learn to attack and defend with their magic. Mr. Allen, with the most combat experience, will be the main instructor, but each Academy Head will take turns teaching a lesson on their specialty.” She gestured toward the school nurse. “And, of course, no lessons will be allowed without my, or Nurse McKay’s, presence in case of injuries. The club will be held each Aerisday after your final class of the week.”
I sighed. Knowing Henry, he’d want me to participate, too. As if the others would ever let me consider not joining.
“I don’t even care that it’s taking part of my weekend. It’s going to be awesome.” Gray’s knee bounced up and down.
Neil nodded. “This’ll be great practical experience for all of us. We need more hands-on experience with our education.” He smirked at Gray. “Plus, whipping on you each week will be a great chance for brotherly bonding—it’ll be just like the old days.”
Gray muttered a reply, and Headmistress Elsie drifted back into the familiar territory of her customary welcome-back speech. Would they let me participate even if I couldn’t wield magic?
Ivy shouldered her bag and jerked her head toward the bottom of the benches. “It’s time to pick up our schedules. Shall we brave the crowds?”
I glanced at the hordes of students swarming the tables, and my mouth fell open. Was she serious? We’d never make it out alive.
She laughed at my horrified expression.
Gray pulled me into a fake huddle. “Come on, Emmie. It won’t be that bad. We’ll get in and get out.”
I bit my bottom lip. “What if we wait for everyone to leave first?”
Neil stood and eyed the crowds. “You’ll probably be late for your first class if you do.”
My shoulders tightened.
“Come on.” Ivy pulled on my hand. “I want to know what period we have Literature this year.”
I stood. “You know our schedule won’t change depending on how quickly we get to it.”
No amount of grumbling would change Ivy’s mind. We made it down the steps, and I took a deep breath before we plunged into the sea of bodies.
The boys went in front, using their broad shoulders to clear the way to the tables, bypassing the A-G one to go straight to the H-N. A boy bumped me from behind as I scanned for my schedule. I caught myself on the edge of the table and straightened without looking behind me for the culprit. There were more important matters at hand.
Finally! I snatched my schedule from the table.
Ivy grabbed my hand and pulled me along, weaving between students until we were free of the chaos.
The boys emerged a minute later, clutching their schedules.
I scanned mine. Then, without a word, we flipped our papers around in front of us so everyone else could see. It was the same thing we did every year to compare. With fifty kids in our grade, we were broken into two groups for classes.
“Three out of four,” Ivy noted. “Not bad.”
“Me too.” Gray frowned. “But my lunch is different.”
Neil scanned our schedules. “Looks like I’ll see you two at lunch.” As a graduating Grade Ten, all of his classes were different from ours. The only possibility of overlap was lunch, which was split amongst all the grades to encourage socializing.
My heart skipped a beat, and I shot him a grin. I’d take any time with Neil I could get.
Gray folded his arms. “Great, so I’m the only one who has a separate lunch.”
I ignored Gray’s grumblings and scanned my schedule again.
Like every other year, my afternoon classes were different from theirs—a downside of being the only student in a Magical school who couldn’t actually use magic. That was why my tie was gray. While everyone went off to learn more about their magic and how to use it, I was stuck in a variety of self-defense, history, politics, and language classes.
Could I even call them classes if I was the only student? It was more like a private afternoon tutoring.
First block was Literature, Ivy's favorite class. No wonder she was wearing such a big grin. Second was Arithmetic; third Anatomy, fourth History, and fifth through eighth, I’d spend with Henry. That was how I’d spend my life for the next twelve cycles unless my magic miraculously appeared that year. I sighed.
Ivy glanced at me over her schedule. “Stop being so dramatic.”
I held up my palms. “I didn’t even say anything.”
“Your face said it all.” She poked me in the cheek.
“Whatever.”
We let ourselves get carried along in the mass of people until we made it into the hallway.
I stuffed my schedule into my bag. “So, which of your afternoon classes are you most excited about?”
“Hmm.” Ivy considered her schedule. “Well, the really specialized classes don't start until next year. We’re still covering general basics this year, and I don’t imagine Elements 102 will be too exciting, since it’s a continuation from 101 last year.”
Next to her, Gray let out a fake snore.
I traced my finger along her schedule. “It looks like it’s only the first two days of the week, though.”
“As if Luxday and Aquaday weren’t hard enough, they cram the monotonous classes in, too.” She returned her attention to the paper in her hand. “But Water Application 101 sounds hands-on, so that’s promising.” According to her schedule, she had Water Application the last three days of the week: Ignisday, Terraday, and Aerisday.
Gray shoved his schedule in his pocket. “I’m looking forward to Noxday.”
Neil shook his head. “That’s because we don’t have classes on Noxdays.
Gray grinned. “I’m also excited about the dueling club. Everything else is boring and full of theory.”
“I think we should all do it together.” Ivy cast a meaningful glance my way. “And don’t even try to give me any excuses, Emmie. I know you spar with Mr. Allen all the time.”
I ignored her comment. “I am excited to see Henry again. Our discussions are so interesting.”
Neil folded his schedule in half and slipped it into his bag. “I’m jealous that you get so much one-on-one time with a teacher.”
Gray sighed. “Neil, could you avoid saying such nerdy things when we’re together? As your brother, you’re giving me a bad reputation.”
Neil smirked. “Yeah, I’ll cut out my nerdy comments when you quit getting sent to Headmistress Elsie’s office.”
Ivy ignored the boys’ banter. “I can’t believe you look forward to that.”
I tilted my head to the side. “Where else would I get to discuss the latest policies or the struggles the different regions are going through?”
Gray wrinkled his nose. “Why would you want to?”
I put a hand on my hip. “Because other people are fascinating.”
Ivy giggled and looped her arm through mine. “As long as you don’t have to talk to them yourself, you mean.”
I grimaced. “You wouldn’t think talking to people was fun either if you always stuttered.”
Gray slung an arm around my shoulders. “We need to break you out of your shell. You don’t stutter with us.”
His proximity didn’t even faze me, though many girls would kill to be in my position. Since we were kids, Gray always treated me like part of the family. “I’m comfortable with you.”
“Great, so we just need to help you get comfortable with everyone else.” Ivy unlooped her arm and threw it wide, gesturing to the rest of the school.
I rolled my eyes. “Glad we’re making realistic goals here.”
At the intersection, Neil split off for his classes, and the three of us continued to Literature.
I waved at his retreating figure. “See you at lunch.”
He grinned over his shoulder and disappeared out the door.
The three of us hustled through the door and dropped into our seats as the last chime went off.
Mr. Harper cleared his throat at the front of the room and handed out the syllabus. He lectured us about the importance of good literature and its effects on society. Next to me, Ivy leaned back and high-fived Gray.
My paper landed on my desk, and I groaned. I knew it. We were studying the works of Rewis Dene. Ivy and Gray devoured poetry like it was honey berries.
Unleashed Magic (The Chronicles of Andar Book 1) Page 2