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 turned 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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Mystic Coven: Winter Wiccan (Supernatural Academy Graduates Book 2) Page 19