Like, now.
Chapter Four
Halfway through the thirty-minute X-block, I'd heard all about astral projection, channeling, levitation, aura reading, and second sight. Ms. Kelly and the other students spoke of these things as if they were normal. Some of it reminded me of palm-readers at honky-tonk beach towns or like a scene from Dr. Strange, but other parts seemed creepy and disturbing. And these students planned to practice and use their so-called gifts and abilities like it was a competitive sport.
"So, you can see now why we keep our group a secret," Ms. Kelly said.
I nodded, unable to speak a word for fear of sounding condescending.
She added, "After hearing about the other's gifts, have you been able to connect at all with your own?"
"Huh?" I muttered.
"Do you know what your gift is?" she asked.
All eyes stared at me as I froze.
What was wrong with these people? They were out of their minds and didn't even know it.
All I could focus on was how to get out of the conference room and never return to this crazy advisory group.
Blake stared at me, wondering if I was about to run. Courtney looked like she saw flames. I glanced at Shane, and he watched me with a hopeful glance, wishing I would stay. Dom seemed lost within all the chaos, and Poorva held solid confidence in the belief I would accept it all.
My eyes narrowed as I processed every detail and emotion that surrounded me. I could read it all with no trouble.
How did I know so well what they were all thinking and feeling? It was the first time I'd ever actually considered it.
I always knew what people were thinking and feeling.
That was normal. Right?
Ms. Kelly smiled.
"The bell's going to ring in about a minute," she said.
No one moved.
They continued to stare at me, waiting.
My instinct to run coursed through my veins, tweaking my twitch muscles. But for some reason, I refused to follow my typical exit plan. Instead, I looked at each student and Ms. Kelly, and recognized a tribe around me—a group of people with common goals, to support one another, and to explore the unknown.
Maybe this was what I'd always been searching for.
Maybe this was where I belonged.
A lump formed in my throat, making it difficult to swallow.
I put my fist to my mouth and coughed.
"Um, I... I can feel your energy," I mumbled. "I... I know how you are all feeling."
Shane burst out of his seat. "Ah-ha! I knew it," he shouted, pointing at me.
Poorva's eyebrows shot up as she studied me with satisfaction.
"Clairvoyance," Blake stated with a confident nod.
My eyes widened as I allowed myself to absorb the moment.
My statement had opened a new level of honesty I'd never allowed before. I'd exposed myself, not only to these new people but to myself as well.
For years, I'd hid the truth—my true nature. And now, it hung out there in the wide-open, for all to see.
"Thank you, Brynn," Ms. Kelly stated with purpose. "And congratulations. You've just been formally inducted into our secret society."
A slight smile threatened the corners of my mouth as I glanced around the table at my new advisory group of sensitives. It was my first day at Lakefield High, and I'd just chucked my defensive plan to the wind. This could be either really good or terribly bad—there was no way to know for sure, but the twist in my gut sent warning through me. I repositioned myself in my seat to help settle it.
"Next week...," Ms. Kelly's voice broke my concentration. "We'll set our goals for the year, and I'll review the first project objectives with you."
The bell rang over her final words.
Everyone stood and grabbed their backpacks.
"Thanks, Ms. Kelly," Shane called as he jumped toward the door.
Poorva flew to my side. "What do you have now?" she asked.
Her question hovered on my brain as I continued to stare in shock at Ms. Kelly. How had she known? Somehow, they all knew. It was all so strange.
"Brynn?" Poorva poked.
"What?" I snapped my attention to her.
"What class is next?" she repeated.
Oh. Shit. I had no idea where I was going.
I reached into the outer pocket of my pack and pulled out the schedule Ms. Kelly had printed for me earlier. I pushed the folded paper open and scanned the grid.
"Umm..." I struggled to read it.
Poorva reached over, her long black hair falling onto the edge of it. She trailed her finger down the first column. "Okay, you have APUSH with Harrison. She's crazy," she giggled, pushing me toward the door. "It'll be mostly juniors in there, so, yeah."
I turned back to Ms. Kelly and waved to her. "Thank you," I mouthed.
She grinned, and I knew she was proud of me.
The feeling nearly burst my heart open. I don't think anyone ever felt that way about me before. She believed in me from the start and now she was excited for my journey.
And, actually, so was I.
I stumbled through the maze of tables in the guidance suite and followed Poorva out the door.
"What the hell is APUSH? I don't think I signed up for that." I studied my schedule, still lost at how to read it.
"AP US History," she laughed. "Harrison's a huge feminist. Be prepared for your ears to bleed. She has some pretty explicit stories and videos, all for shock value. Female genital mutilation is her favorite topic of discussion."
Poorva's voice faded in and out as I walked through the halls, connecting with a new part of myself with every step.
I couldn't wait until next week's X-block. I wanted to learn more about the other kids and their abilities. I'd only been half-listening at first, dismissing most of it, and now I regretted my closed mind. The group had opened it slightly, and the thrill was all-consuming.
"What did Ms. Kelly mean by 'first project'?" I asked.
"Oh, every advisory group does a few projects throughout the year, like community service stuff or fundraisers," she said. "Ours are different, though."
"Of course they are," I interrupted.
She huffed.
"Yeah, well, we make them look like community-based projects, because, in actuality, they are. But if the principal had any idea of the danger we put ourselves in, she'd flip. Ms. Kelly would probably be fired."
"Wait. Danger?" I stopped short.
"Sort of." She shrugged. "I mean, our projects typically have to do with using our psychic abilities, you know, for solving... problems."
"What kind of problems?"
"Mysteries, basically. Situations the police can't solve or reports of paranormal activity. It could be anything, really. We never know until Ms. Kelly reveals the project." She hitched her pack higher on her shoulder. "I gotta go this way." She angled to the left. "You're down there." She pointed to the history hallway. "Maybe see you at lunch," she called as she headed in the other direction.
I stared at her back as she moved away from me. I had so many more questions, it was ridiculous.
Police matters? Paranormal activity? Danger?
What the fuck?
I shuffled into APUSH like a distracted zombie. My mind scrambled through every detail of the past few hours. It was more information in three hours than I'd had in the previous three years of high school.
Grabbing a seat near the back, I kept my head down—finally finding a moment to return to my normal introverted behavior.
"Uh, yo, Violet," a voice nudged at me from behind. "You gonna just ignore me?"
I turned to the last row behind me and stared right into Shane's face.
"Hey," I whispered. "You're in here?"
"Duh."
I huffed. "Right. It's mostly juniors. Makes sense."
My shoulders relaxed from the perk of knowing someone in there.
"What, did you fail this class last year?" he snarked.
I t
urned to face front again, ignoring his jab.
"Oh, too soon?" he poked again.
"Hang on a sec," I shot back to him. "I'm having a look around for somewhere else to sit."
I wasn't really, but hell, he deserved it.
"Ooh, wounded. You got me. I'll be good now." He folded his hands nicely on his desk.
Turning again, I whispered, "Kinda funny, I had Dom in my first class, then Poorva, now you." I tipped my head.
"Yup. Ms. Kelly makes the schedules. Remember?" He wiggled his eyebrows.
Right. She probably tried to put as many of us together as possible. Made sense.
And it was perfect because I had so much I wanted to ask him. It was impossible to filter it all into one coherent question. I needed to know how each one of them got recruited, what their individual gifts were, how much control they had, but it all channeled into one point: what we would be doing together.
"So, what do you think our first project will be?" I asked under my breath.
All eyes in the room burned into my back, but it didn't bother me. I was used to being the new kid, but this time, it was actually okay. I felt like I had a squad already, and it was only day one. I didn't care if it was a motley crew of varying grade levels, styles, and basically everything else. We were different in the school, and together, we had strength. I felt the connection growing between us all now, even when we were apart.
"Don't know." He shrugged. "The new project’s always a secret until the last second."
I narrowed my eyes, searching him for more information. He was a tough read.
"Well, what was the last one?" I pressed.
"No can tell. We're sworn to secrecy with anyone who wasn't a part of it." He gave an eavesdropper the stink-eye. "I can tell you it was a doozy, though. Nearly lost my shit more than once."
My eyes widened.
What the hell was Ms. Kelly sending these kids to do? And why was she willing to put her job on the line for it?
"Eyes on me, please," a sharp voice cut through the room.
I twisted front immediately and watched Ms. Harrison survey the room. She pegged a couple guys with her glare, making assumptions that they would be the challenging ones and that she would put them in their places, likely by humiliation.
Oof. She was a tough one. It was like she’d had a rough life and this was her opportunity to right the wrongs of the past. Payback, really.
She nodded slightly when she glanced at me. She liked my hair. Thought it was a powerful statement and wondered if I was psychologically damaged.
Whoah. I was doing it.
I understood everything that was going through her mind and everything she felt.
I'd always done it. But now, I realized it wasn't something everyone could do. It was my gift. And apparently, I still had a lot to learn about how to use it.
But it could be dangerous.
Shane made that clear.
And so did Poorva.
Did I really want to tap into this further and open the potential for getting hurt? The concept was directly against my principles of self-preservation.
Don't make bonds with anyone, or you get hurt.
Don't get involved in something that matters, or you get hurt.
Don't rely on anyone but yourself, or you get hurt.
I was sick of getting hurt.
I'd had a lifetime of instability and broken friendships. Remaining detached was my best defense.
But now, I was being offered something enormous. Something that I'd been dreaming of my entire life but hadn’t even realized it.
Should I take it or should I turn my back on it?
I had really just wanted to lay low here for a quiet senior year. But now, with all of this, I would become more than a shadow in the hallways.
My inner debate grated my teeth together, like two sides of me duking it out—the good angel of one shoulder and the evil devil on the other.
But the winner was clear.
I'd decided a long time ago, and now, I was at the point of no return.
I'd been initiated into the secret academy, and I vowed to give it everything I had.
The devil had won.
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