Obviously, beautiful boy was theirs and how dare I even consider bumping into him like a moron.
Sticking to my rule-number-one, I kept my eyes down, averting all possible interaction and therefore, altercation. I needed a re-set to help me fade back into oblivion.
Picking at the dark eggplant color under my nails, I wished for the seconds to move faster. Without looking up, it was clear all eyes were on me.
Come on, teacher. Can't you see we are ready for learning?
Oh my god. My guidance counselor was right.
I put a lot of focus on my academics. Clearly, it was my shield. My escape.
Finally, the teacher came in, and all eyes turned forward, off me.
Thankfully, his bad suit and shiny bald head were distraction enough. Judging by every student's straightened spine and eyes forward, I had to assume he was a strict, no BS teacher.
"Good morning class," he stated. "I'm Mr. Benson. Welcome to AP English Literature. I’m sure you are all here on recommendation from last year's teachers." His eyes fell on me as if I didn't belong, and then he started again. "We have a lot to cover in a short amount of time and..."
Blah, blah, blah.
My mind turned to more exciting topics. All I needed from him was direction and what pages to study. I'd take care of the rest.
I was more intrigued by the protective body language of the mean girls and their eyes plastered on beautiful boy.
Okay, I had to stop calling him that. It was just wrong. But at the moment, it seemed so right.
My eyes moved around the room. In an instant, I cataloged the social standing of every student, their aspirations, and their apparent attempts at gaining favor from the it-girls and anyone else who would pay attention. Even though it was senior year, the same pathetic maneuvers were happening all around me.
The students were much like every teenager in every high school across the country—a broad mix of cultures and attitudes, skin tones and nationalities. It was very real-world here, and I liked the natural feel of it. The only difference from my previous experiences, though, was that these kids were more entitled. They flaunted all the name brands and shiny new kicks, brand new cell phones and techno-watches galore. Underneath all the privilege, though, were the same insecure, frightened adolescents. Only, with all the gadgets and glam, they had a lot to hide behind to disguise their true fears.
Then Mr. Benson's voice broke through my multiple layers of processing as he called attendance.
"Benjamin Drake."
"Here."
"Sam Frye."
"Here."
More names and I zoned out again.
Then my eyes shot wide as he called the next name.
"Dominic Murphy."
Beautiful boy lifted his hand.
"Yeah, here. Dom," he replied.
My breath stopped as I heard his name. Finally. A name.
"Elaine Rosco," Mr. Benson continued.
"Laney," pretty-girl-number-one said, flipping her perfectly straightened hair behind her shoulder and smirking.
Mr. Benson hesitated from the display, then said, "Okay. Seth Tilman."
"Here."
Mr. Benson was reaching the end of the alphabet and hadn't called my name yet. Damn it. I didn't want to have to draw any unnecessary attention to myself. What if my name wasn't on his list? What if I was in the wrong room? My heart rate accelerated, causing my face to burn. Humiliation approached and hovered just around the corner.
Mr. Benson's voice punched me in the face as he added, "And a late addition to my roster, new student, Douglas Brynn." His eyes searched the room.
I snapped to attention in horror.
No, he did not. He did not just call my last name first.
I shrank in my chair. Jesus Christ, Mr. Benson. Really?
I lifted my hand slightly, noting the shake in my fingers.
"Um, it's Brynn. Brynn Douglas," I choked.
He checked his roster once again.
"Oh, right. Sorry," he replied. "Welcome, Brynn."
His voice faded out as I caught the snickers of the pretties. I was fairly sure my new nickname was going stick, probably behind my back at first. I supposed there could be worse names than Douglas, but it was just the sheer fact that they had ammunition already. Shit. They made no attempt at hiding their chastising, and somehow, this time, it actually mattered.
Because of Dom.
Fuck.
My cardinal rule. Broken.
Everything was already falling to shit.
Second period had its own laundry list of issues.
First of all, it was AP Physics, and the teacher had a hands-off approach, assuming we were all capable of teaching ourselves. And the class mix, well, it was all the pre-med and engineering wanna-bes. At least this would be a less drama-filled class, I hoped.
"You seem really calm for just starting in a new school," the girl next to me leaned in and whispered.
Her warm brown eyes felt safe, and I shrugged one shoulder.
"I guess I like this class better than my last one," I said.
"What did you have?" she asked, pushing her long black hair behind her ear.
"Benson's AP Lit." I watched her for a reaction.
She chuckled. "Yeah, that's a ball-buster. They call him the Senior Slayer."
I huffed and nodded.
"Something tells me you'll be fine in there," she added. "No worries. It's the group of kids that'll be the pain-in-the-ass. Half of them are in it just to look good on their college apps. They know they'll fail, but by that time, they'll already have acceptance letters in hand. Just be ready."
Hmm. She seemed to know what she was talking about, and I seemed to know the exact pains-in-the-asses she was referring to.
I liked her already.
Damn it!
What was my problem?
I was supposed to keep my head down.
What was it about this school? It was almost as if a few select students jumped out at me and I couldn't help but pay attention to them. It was like they were in full clarity of my sight while all the others were a faded blur.
There was a strange, subtle heaviness around me too. Like a secret everyone knew but wouldn't talk about. It covered the entire town. Everyone and everything looked so perfect, clean, and polished, which made me wonder what they were really hiding.
I always picked up on things like that. I could sense when something was amiss. And here, in this new school, this new town, something was off.
I bit my thumbnail, pondering the unnerving feeling, then she pulled my attention back.
"Lab partner?"
"Huh?" I blinked at her.
"We need to choose lab partners," she said.
"Oh, yeah. Okay."
"I'm Poorva, by the way," she added with a smile.
"I'm Brynn."
She nodded like she already knew that and I rubbed my temples to release the tension.
The rest of the period slogged forward, and I stared at the clock which moved slower than physically possible.
Finally, at the bell, Poorva jumped up and grabbed her backpack. She slid her feet back into her Converse while keeping the heels crushed down.
"X-block," she stated. "With Ms. Kelly."
Wait.
Poorva was in my X-block with Ms. Kelly... and she already knew I was in there too?
I didn't know if I should be weirded-out by that or if I should just be happy.
"Come on," she said. "You're gonna love Ms. Kelly. We have the best advisory group in the school."
"Um, okay," I mumbled, trying to keep up with her quick pace.
"People kind of hate us for it," she added. "They know we have something really cool going on, but it pisses them off that they have no idea what it is." She laughed, and it sounded almost musical.
"So, I guess I'm lucky then?" My tone gave away my cynicism.
"You could say that. But it's not really a chance kind of thing. You're either in it or you're
not." She turned down the C wing toward guidance. "Ms. Kelly chooses carefully. She's never wrong."
I slowed a bit, wondering what she was talking about.
"Chooses what?" I asked with a curled lip.
She stopped short and stared at me. Then she let out a stifled laugh.
"Oh, you don't know," she chuckled. "Sorry. You really are new. I must sound crazy." She started fast-walking again and shook her head. "Anyway, you'll see."
We flew through the hallway and noticed a couple of other students heading with similar determination in the same direction. They were clear in my vision, while all the other students in the corridor were a blur. I blinked and squinted my eyes, trying to bring the other students into focus, but it was no use. The same two were the only ones that stood out to me.
"Are they going too?" I asked Poorva.
Her jaw fell open as she glanced at the students I gestured toward.
"Uh, yuh." She stared at me for a second then pulled me along into the guidance suite.
College flags and posters lined the walls, and a row of computers ran along the far side. Several round tables filled the center of the space, and individual offices lined the perimeter.
I recognized Ms. Kelly's office door with its cheerful welcome sign. Only this time, I was coming from the other direction. The main office was down the narrow corridor past her office. I shuddered, hoping the nasty secretary had nothing to do with X-block advisory and was glad she was far out of view.
Poorva and I sat at a round table and the two other students settled at the one next to us. The boy was small, probably a freshman or sophomore, but held a look of true confidence that squashed any preconceived notions of a Napoleon Complex. The girl hid behind her long, messy hair—I mean, hasn't-been-brushed-in-a-month, messy hair.
Then, the door opened, and another student entered. He was familiar to me, and his vibrant energy pulled my attention directly to his eyes. It was the boy from the top of the stairs at the front entryway when I'd first arrived at school. He held my gaze now, again.
"Sup." He nodded at me.
I swallowed and nodded back.
"So, that's Shane," Poorva whispered. "He's a junior." Then she pointed to the others. "That's Blake, sophomore, and Courtney, junior."
The door opened again, and I watched as the next student entered.
His eyes met mine with a knowing grin.
"You following me?" Dom said, staring into my eyes.
"Um, no," I fumbled through my inner freak-out. Mute once again, I gritted my teeth at my inability to function.
Poorva came to the rescue.
"Wait, you know each other already?" she asked.
"Yeah," Dom said. "New girl. She's in my Lit class."
"You're in that class too?" Poorva groaned at him.
"Gotta get into college, ya know," he teased. "Can't get in on charm alone."
She rolled her eyes with a sigh, revealing her exasperation at students playing the system.
He pointed back at me. "I knew you'd be in here. Knew it!"
My eyebrows pulled together, and before another comment was spoken, Ms. Kelly approached us.
"Good morning group," she greeted us with a smile.
She sat at a round table as if she were one of us. Then she glanced around the space and stood again.
Looking into the conference room behind her, she said, "Come on. Let's head in there for some privacy. We have a new member as you can see, and she'll have a few questions."
I wondered why we would need the privacy of the conference room for my questions.
Everyone groaned as they pulled themselves up from the comfort of their seats, and we moved into the new space.
The conference room had a large rectangular table in the center with at least twelve chairs around it. A projector hung from the ceiling, and the whiteboard had smeared colors of erasable marker on it.
As everyone found a new seat, Ms. Kelly said, "Students, I want to introduce you to Brynn, the newest member of our group."
I dropped my eyes to my hands.
"Brynn," she said, pointing around the table. "This is Blake, Courtney, Shane, Dom, and Poorva. They will be the members of your advisory group this year, and there is much you can learn from them."
From them?
I was confused and was certain the twist on my face exposed that fact.
Ms. Kelly grinned. "These are the other sensitives in the school, Brynn. Like you. And it is here, in this advisory group, that you will all practice your gifts and learn to use them to their fullest."
I looked around at the others in the group, waiting for someone to burst out laughing, but no one did.
"Like a school hidden within a school," Poorva whispered.
"Huh?" I shook my head.
Ms. Kelly continued. "If you keep an open mind for the next half hour, Brynn, you'll understand what we are all about."
I stared at her, unblinking.
"We keep it hidden though," Shane blurted. "It would be social suicide to expose this."
I looked back at Ms. Kelly for her answer to his random comment.
"Yes," she said. "Our mission is delicate. The wellbeing of the community relies on us, whether they know it or not. And the last thing we need is a witch hunt on our hands. We must remain a secret academy in order to learn how to use our powers and carry out our goals."
My mind spiraled into a slushy haze.
Secret Academy? Gifts? Witch hunt?
I needed to switch advisory groups.
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 mumb
led. "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.
Mystic Coven: Winter Wiccan (Supernatural Academy Graduates Book 2) Page 18