“I can’t have her attacking students,” Forrest retorted. “I want her gone from the school. She is a threat to everyone here.”
“Just give her until the end of the term to prove she can control her powers. The poor kid is grieving for Christ’s sake.” Zoe glowered at him. “Have some compassion for once, Thornwood.”
“Ha, faelings are incapable of emotions. You have a month to prove to me she deserves a place here and the next time she loses control she’s out. No question about it.” Forrest let out a low growl. “But if she harms anyone, I will have her locked up. If you ask me, that’s the only place for someone like her.”
“Fine, but no one is locking her up.”
One month? How could I learn to control my powers that fast? It had taken me weeks to learn even basic magic before. How was I supposed to do without Freya?
One way or another, I had to find a way to get a handle on my powers before it was too late. Or else I would have to kiss my place at the academy goodbye.
Chapter 8
I followed Zoe out of Forrest’s office. “Maybe I should leave,” I mused. I couldn’t believe I had said that. I had never been the type of person to give up on anything. But I was so damn tired. Living among the humans had been a struggle. Living among the fae was a daily battle. One I didn’t know if I wanted to fight anymore.
My chest ached. I missed Freya so much. Besides, she’d been the only one who understood me and my powers. Who else could help me get them under control? Not Zoe. Although she meant well.
“You are not going anywhere. Freya thought you deserved to be here, and you need to believe that truth. Come on.” Zoe took my arm. “There is someone we need to talk to — someone who I think can help with your powers.”
I followed Zoe to an empty potions’ lab. It was usually one of my favourite classes. Not so much since the strange Mr. Melrose showed up and had started teaching there. I still didn’t believe him coming here as soon as Freya had died was a coincidence. It seemed our usual teacher now shared classes with him. Mr. Melrose only worked a couple of days a week, much to my relief.
Rows of wooden tables lined the room and charts with herbs and different potion ingredients covered the walls.
Mr. Melrose had several cauldrons bubbling away. I still found it strange how the fae used them — similar to how witches did. Other than the cauldrons, the room reminded me a little bit of the science rooms back at my old school. Science had never been a strong subject line for me, but I did okay with potions and found the class enjoyable. For one thing, it didn’t involve me using my magic outright. Which meant I rarely lost control in this class.
I frowned at Zoe. Why were we here? I thought I’d be headed back to class. Or maybe PE was over after my outburst. Zoe had told me Aveline hadn’t been hurt — much to my relief.
Mr. Melrose gawked when he saw Zoe and me. “Miss Finn, what are you doing here?” he asked.
“Lucas, please call me Zoe.” The guy seemed so awkward, like he didn’t know how to interact with people. Why had they hired him? Weren’t teachers supposed to be good with kids? “And I need your help with something important.”
I hadn’t got around to confronting him yet. Every time I tried, he somehow evaded me. Alec hadn’t come up with any footage of that night, and all the teachers had an alibi. Thanks to Alec’s hacking skills, he’d got up all the teachers on camera for the time of Freya’s death. Alec had even run it through a fancy program to check it all. He insisted the program was as good as the government stuff. I had no reason not to believe him. The guy had mad skills.
“What can I do for you?” Lucas asked.
It chilled me to think he might be Freya’s killer.
“Silvy here needs someone to help her get her powers under control.” Zoe put her hand on my shoulder. “We have to do it in a month. Forrest is threatening to expel her if she is unable to do so by then.”
Lucas’s eyes widened. “How do you think I can help?”
“What?” I gaped at Zoe. “You want him to mentor me? Are you mad?”
Lucas winced at my outburst. “I —”
“He brews potions. How the hell can he help?” I cut him off before he could speak again. “He’s not Freya, and he doesn’t have any of her knowledge. Freya was the only one who could help me.” I blinked back tears and looked away. Something fluttered around the back of my spine and I knew my wings ached to get out again.
“Silvy, Lucas was a student here years ago. He is one of the few fae who knows things like Freya did.” Zoe put a hand on my shoulder. “I know how much you miss Freya, but she is gone. You need someone who can help you, so you won’t lose your place at the academy.”
“I’m sure I can help,” Lucas spoke up. “I know it’s what Freya would have wanted.”
I gritted my teeth. How the hell did he know what Freya would have wanted? Had he even known her?
Zoe grinned. “Good, thanks, you have no idea how much you will be helping.” She turned to me. “You can spend the next few hours here. Tristen and Melanie are getting the notes you need so you won’t miss anything.” Then she turned and walked out.
I ran after her and shut the classroom door so Melrose wouldn’t overhear us. “Zoe, you can’t leave me alone with him.”
“Nonsense, he is here to help.”
“He was the guy I saw coming out of Freya’s room the night she died,” I hissed. “He might have… Poisoned her. Why won’t you believe he’s a threat?”
“Nick and I already looked into that, and we didn’t find anything amiss. Silvy, you need to get your powers under control.” She put her hands on my shoulders. “I’ll help when I can, but I’m not skilled — not the way he is. And he’s right. This is what Freya would have wanted. He might be the only person left capable of helping you.”
“But he’s… There’s something not right about him.” I crossed my arms.
“He may seem a little strange, but Freya asked him to come here. She trusted him.”
Yeah, but Freya’s not here, I wanted to say.
“Why would Freya have asked him to come here?” I crossed my arms. “Did she know something bad was going to happen to her?”
Zoe shook ahead. “No, but I know she wanted the best for you. At least give Lucas a chance.” She turned and then left.
I groaned. Thanks a lot, Zoe! Stomping back into the classroom, I re-joined Mr. Melrose.
Lucas didn’t look the least bit flustered by my earlier outbursts.
“So, do you really think you can get my powers under control within the next month?” I hopped up onto a stool and crossed my arms.
He nodded. “Of course. The question is are you willing to work hard to get it under control?”
I snorted. “I spent all of last term trying to do just that. It wasn’t easy given how my powers were blocked.”
“Blocked how?” Lucas frowned.
I shrugged. “My birth mum put a block on them to keep me safe. From what, I don’t know. She never bothered mentioning that when she abandoned me in the woods.”
Lucas’s dark eyes widened. “Interesting. Is the block still in place?”
“No, Freya and I removed it the night she —” I blinked back tears. “How can you help me? You are the potions master. You’re not… Like Freya.” Freya had been a walking library of knowledge. Lucas looked like he would run off at the sight of a spider. God only knew what he’d be like when my freaky powers flared up.
Lucas waved his hands and all the bubbling cauldrons vanished in a flash of blue light.
I almost fell off the stool in shock.
“Come, we can’t practice magic in here.” He motioned for me to follow him.
We headed out of the classroom and into a part of the castle I’d never been into before. Lucas led me into a large room with a gleaming wooden floor. Aside from a couple of overhead lights that cast a warm glow, it was empty.
“This room is warded so you ca
n practice in here,” Lucas said. “Tell me about your magic.”
I furrowed my brow. What was there to tell? “It’s out of control. No matter what I do, it keeps getting worse.”
“Magic is only uncontrollable unless you learn to control your emotions. If you learn to focus your emotions and concentrate, you will have no problem with your magic.”
Great. Now he sounded like Forrest. I hoped he didn’t end up despising me as the headmaster did. I had made enough enemies at the academy already. Although I thought most of the teachers liked me.
“What do you feel when you lose control?” Lucas wanted to know. “Do your powers react to certain emotions more than others?”
“Anger, I guess. Or fear.” My magic freaked out when I felt those emotions.
“What is your element?”
I hesitated. All fae had an infinity for an element, two at most. So, it was rare to have more than that, and four was impossible. Yet I had tested possible for all four – something the council also feared. Freya had always told me never to tell anyone that. I would never trust this man to tell him my secret.
“Air, I guess.” I shrugged and wondered how much I should tell him. Zoe had told me to trust him, yet I couldn’t do that. Instead, I focused on his aura. One thing I had noticed about him was his colours remained hidden from me. I’d never encountered that with anyone before except Tristen, who kept his energy under tight wraps. Somehow, I suspected Lucas hid his true emotions and aura from me somehow. Although I didn’t know how such a thing was possible.
“You guess? You must be certain, Silvana.”
“Silvy,” I corrected. “And air is the only element I’ve conjured so far.”
“Yet according to Freya’s journals, you tested positive for all four elements.”
He read Freya’s journal? Holy crackers, wasn’t that private? Why the hell had he even read them? That had to be against the rules somehow. How could he just go through Freya’s personal items like that? Why had this guy come to the academy? Why did he have such an interest in Freya? That made him look even more likely to be the killer in my eyes.
“Freya said I probably just showed traces of the other elements. It doesn’t mean I can access them.”
“Conjure a breeze,” Lucas instructed.
I gritted my teeth. Freya had always been firm but fair with me.
Raising my hand, a cool breeze drifted around me.
“That’s it?” Lucas shook his head. “Come now, I’ve seen and heard some of the things you’ve done. I expected something more impressive.”
I couldn’t conjure the air on command.
My mind drifted back to my lessons with Freya.
“Magic is like air. It’s around you and within you,” she had said. “Reach for it, feel the air moving through you.”
I took a deep breath and closed my eyes.
Nothing.
What had I done wrong?
Since Freya had left, my magic had become more unpredictable than ever. Sometimes I wondered if I was ever going to get the hang of my powers.
“You’re not trying hard enough, Silvana. Concentrate. You’re never going control unless —”
Anger boiled through me and I closed my eyes. Power flooded through me like a tidal wave. When I opened my eyes again, I found myself hovering several feet off the ground and wind roared wildly through the room.
Lucas stumbled over to me and caught hold of me as I fell. “Better. That was good.”
“Good? I don’t know how I did that.” I pulled out of his grasp. “How can that be good?”
“You have a lot of repressed anger in you. That’s what’s affecting your powers,” Lucas said. “What are you angry at?”
Was he joking? Of course, I was angry at everything. Especially whoever had taken Freya away from me.
“That would be obvious,” I growled.
“You’re angry at Freya for leaving.”
My mouth fell open. “You don’t get to talk about her,” I snapped. “And no, I’m not angry at her. I’m angry at the bastard who took her away from me.
“Silvana, you’ll never get control over your powers unless you confront your anger.”
His words only infuriated me more. Light burst in my hand and slammed him against the wall. I should have been shocked. I should have been horrified I’d use magic on a teacher. Instead, I didn’t feel anything.
Lucas grunted from the blow. “I can’t help you unless you can help yourself first.”
“Then don’t. I don’t need your help.” I clenched my fists. “Why don’t you tell me why you used magic on me and made me forget how I saw you leave Freya’s room the night she died?”
All colour drained from his face. So, it had been him after all.
“I –” he began. “I didn’t do anything to you.”
I narrowed my eyes, but his aura remained hidden. Damn it, I wanted to see his colours. I wanted to know what he was thinking and feeling.
“Rubbish. I know you were there that night and I want to know why. If you want me to confirm my anger then here, I’m doing just that.” I put my hands on my hips.
“As I said before, I wasn’t there.” His jaw tightened and his aura remained locked down just like the rest of him.
I shook my head. “How am I supposed to learn anything from someone I don’t trust?” I demanded. “If you really want me to control my powers, then you sure as hell better start telling me the truth.”
“You are using your anger to hide your grief over Freya’s death. I can’t help you unless you are willing to confront all those emotions.”
I growled at him. “I can’t work with someone I don’t trust. Don’t think you can hide your secrets from me forever, Mr. Melrose,” I snapped. “I know someone killed Freya and took her away from me. I assure you I won’t ever give up until I find out who it was.”
I stormed out of there. If I didn’t get the hell out of there, I would lose complete control of my magic and I had no idea what it would do to him.
Chapter 9
After that week, the day of Freya’s memorial arrived, and everyone was given a day off from classes. I had been dreading this day and longing for it to be over with. I had had a few more lessons with Melrose, and we still had done zero progress to show for it.
I had no idea how fae memorials worked either, so I put on a long-sleeved black dress.
Mel frowned when I came out of the bathroom. She had a pale pink dress on. “Why are you wearing black? No one wears black to a memorial — not unless they hated the deceased person. I don’t think that’s the message you’re going for.”
“But I…” Argh, I gave up on fae customs. “Humans wear black.”
“It’s okay. Just put something else on.”
“Like what? What colours or clothing is suitable for a fae memorial?” The last thing I wanted to do was for people to think I hadn’t cared about Freya. Why didn’t someone teach all these customs here in a class? Not everyone in the academy had grown up among the fae. Mel hadn’t either, and I often wondered who taught her this stuff. She had told me her grandmother raised her as a human.
“Something smart and bright. The fae love colours — especially anything bold and cheerful. They believe in celebrating someone’s life, not mourning their death.”
I pulled out two dresses, one was black and the other white. “None of the stuff Freya gave me is brightly coloured. I don’t really like bright colours, anyway.”
Mel shook her head. “I need to take you shopping.”
I scowled at that. So, I rummaged through the numerous items of clothing Freya had sent me. I hadn’t been able to bring myself to look at most of the stuff, so most of it just remained piled up in boxes or in bags that I had shoved into my wardrobe. Mel had been more than happy to open the stuff and kept hanging clothes up. She had been more excited by all the stuff than I had been.
I had never had many clothes, but I did hav
e cash stashed away. I’d been saving it for when I turned eighteen and could leave school and finally get a job. That had changed when Freya had brought me to the academy.
“I don’t have time to find another dress.” I changed into the white dress. It might not be brightly coloured, but at least it wouldn’t be as offensive as wearing black.
“Just do a spell to change the colour,” Mel suggested.
“A spell?” I wracked my brain for one. Sure, I’d learnt the spell somewhere. Nothing came to mind, though. “I don’t know how.”
“It’s easy. Just say the colour and focus on what you want to happen.”
I recited the words, and the colour drained from my dress, and turned a morbid shade of grey. “Holy crackers! This is a nightmare.”
“Here.” Mel chanted the spell instead and pink flooded over my dress. “Much better. Let’s go. It’s offensive to be late too.”
“I thought you and Tristen were supposed to be teaching me fae customs?” I yanked open our door and jumped when I found a woman standing there.
She looked almost the spitting image of Freya with long fair hair. She wore a long purple skirt and a matching blouse. My heart lurched, and it took me a few seconds to realise it wasn’t Freya.
“Hello, are you…Silvana?” She gave me a smile. Yet, there was sadness in her eyes.
“I’m Silvy.” I forced myself to speak. “Who are you?”
“Forgive me, I’m Elsa Goodwin, Freya’s sister.”
“Oh, come in.” I stood there, feeling stupid. I should have known she and Freya were related since they looked so much alike. Why had she come to see me?
“I’ll be outside,” Mel said and closed the door behind her.
I averted my gaze to the floor. It hurt to see how much she looked like Freya. She had the same blue eyes and same Elven features.
“Freya was so fond of you and spoke about you all the time.” Elsa must have sensed my confusion. “I wanted to meet you for myself.”
I frowned. Freya had told her sisters about me? That was news. But I guessed she must have told them about the custodian agreement. Too bad she hadn’t bothered telling me.
Everlight Academy Book 2 Page 7