by L. A. Banks
Sarah, Tami, Allie and Hyacinth exchanged meaningful glances. Ayana was mind-locked with Brent like that?
Ayana tossed her braids over her shoulder, clearly flustered, but trying to maintain her composure in front of her friends. “I thought you and Stefan were—”
“If you’re finished schooling the kiddies, it’s time to go,” Brent said, cutting her off. “Come on, let’s get out of here. Stefan and I have b-ball practice.”
Ayana’s cheeks were flushed with embarrassment as she turned to Tina and Darlene. “See you guys later tonight?” They nodded. She turned to Brent. “I’ll meet up with you in a little bit. I want to talk to Sarah for a minute.”
Brent rolled his eyes and walked off in a huff. Sarah watched him go and saw Stefan waiting by the exit. He shook his head in disgust and slipped out the door.
Jessica caught her eye and waved from across the room, where she was sitting with her fellow Blends. “Sorry,” she called over. “Didn’t mean to leave you guys high and dry. Forgot to go check who I’ll be partnering with on this year’s lab project. I want first dibs, because this year there’re several cool prizes up for grabs for Upper Sphere students.”
“It’s cool,” Sarah said, feeling a surge of sudden joy. It was nice to have several Upper Spheres looking out for her and her newbie buddies. “Maybe see ya at dinner?”
“K,” Jessica said.
Ayana smiled when Sarah returned her attention to the table and said, “Come with me for a minute.”
She got up, and Sarah followed, wondering what Yaya wanted to tell her. The scene she’d just witnessed between her cousin and Brent truly bothered her. Yeah, the guy was good-looking, but this wasn’t like Ayana at all. Where was her fire, her fight? Sarah wondered, as they sat down a few tables away from everyone else.
“I heard about what happened between you and Melissa, and what happened to Hyacinth. I’m sorry I wasn’t there to protect ‘Cinth from that witch.”
“It’s not your fault, Yaya. That bitch has it out for me, so she’s going after my friends.”
“Tell me everything,” Ayana said, looking grim.
“But can you block Melissa from finding out whatever I tell you… I mean, since you and Brett are, uhmmm… you know—mind-locked?”
“Piece of cake,” Ayana said, waving her off and then pointing at her temple. “I’ve got so much white light up here against that skank that she’ll fry if she goes in. So tell me.”
Sarah did, including the quick mental snapshot she’d gleaned from Melissa regarding secrets and Stefan.
“I’m so not surprised,” Ayana muttered, glancing toward Melissa. “She’s afraid of you guys, as new girls and from the Net-pound, are going to replace her tired, used-up crew…and Stefan is the access man around here. He gets all kinds of contraband in and out of the school by using the Shady Path, so she wants to keep him focused on her. I’m sure she hates the attention Tami is getting, and she’s even more pissed because Tami’s your best bud. Understand?”
Sarah certainly understood jealousy, even if she thought Melissa had no reason to feel any.
“When Melissa came here two years ago, the first thing she did was establish herself as queen bee,” Ayana went on. “Frankly, she didn’t have a real tough time. She has the brains, beauty and talent to make herself Miss Number One. She’s one of the strongest Clair-Vs in the school.”
“Stronger than you?”
“Not anymore. Powers can get stronger over time, especially if you know how to build them. And Melissa gave me plenty of motivation to get stronger.”
“She messed with you, too?” Sarah asked surprised.
Ayana gave a short laugh. “I was one of the very first people she went after. I was a Neteru Guardian kid, and if you’re going to be the biggest fish in the pond, you either have to get rid of any other big fish or make the big fish act like small fish.” Ayana shrugged. “I can’t say it was the easiest time, but I got through it. Others didn’t. She likes to attack the mind—get into your head and use your own thoughts against you. You got a little taste of that. I’m not bragging or anything, but none of you are as strong now as I was two years ago. But you do have something I didn’t have.”
Sarah frowned. “What?”
“Each other,” Ayana said. She laughed at Sarah’s blank look. “You guys can use the power of four.”
“The power of four. Isn’t that when four beings connect as one and it increases their power? But I thought that was sorta taboo in Nana Mar’s book—I mean, when used against people, not entities.”
“If a witch is screwing with you and making you fall downstairs, all bets are off.” Ayana let out a huff of annoyance. “You didn’t hear any of this from me, but calling for strength through the old Adinkra symbols is a completely acceptable defensive strategy. You guys just have to rest up, be unified when you put your collective energies together as you visualize the symbol, and stay in the light. If you look at the symbol, there are four quadrants, and each of you can mentally hold the light in one of them. But don’t do it if you guys are tired and bickering with one another,” Ayana added, “or it won’t work. Let me show you.”
Ayana reached into her bag and pulled out a sheet of paper and a pen. “This is called a damedame,” she said, drawing a symbol.
“It’s the symbol for craftiness, intelligence, strategy and integrity—and believe me, you’re gonna need all of those around here.”
“Yeah, I recognize it. Nana kept that in the four corners of all the rooms at home. I thought it only protected spaces, not people.”
“Nana knows a lot of stuff that works in multiple ways,” Ayana said confidently. “Check this out. This one is called a dwennimmen.” She drew four connected spirals.
Ayana tapped the drawing. “The spirals emphasize the unity of the whole, representing the three elements that are essential to one’s being—strength of mind, body and spirit—plus the fourth and unseen element of the divine. Actually, this is the one I’d use first, now that I think about it.”
“Maaan…I’ve forgotten so much of what Nana used to talk about at home.”
“Nothing you learn at home or in class becomes real until you actually have to use it. That’s why they do live-action drills around here, boo, but you shouldn’t have to worry about that until next year. Wait till you get to Mr. Everett’s class, with battles and mortars whizzing by…geez Louise.”
“Are you serious?”
“Yeah, and trust me, it’s scary. But when something is chasing you out in the real world? That is so not the time to learn.”
“Yaya,” Sarah said in a whisper. “Last night, at home, some of us broke house rules and went outside the light barriers after dark…and a demon attacked me. So I know what you mean.”
“What!” Ayana whispered back, grabbing Sarah’s arms. “Were you scratched or…bitten?”
“No,” Sarah murmured. “I got lucky, but I was so scared. It must have tripped over one of Nana’s hidden barriers and torched on impact. Believe me, I have plenty of respect for what’s out there.”
“Good,” Ayana said, sounding somewhat relieved but still a little skeptical. “You are so lucky Nana was here at school and had no idea what you were doing, and you’d better say a prayer of thanks that your mom and dad didn’t catch you.”
“You’re telling me?” Sarah let out a hard breath. “All I wanna do is go to class, have fun with my friends and stay safe. I really don’t want to deal with Melissa and her bull. She can run the school if she wants. I could care less, and the last thing I wanna be is one of Stefan’s contraband queens. Puh-lease.”
“The problem is, one, Mellissa doesn’t know that, and two, her freakin’ ego won’t let her allow you to just concede, because of who you are. She has to make it look like she beat you.”
“Oh, gimme a break!” Sarah ran her fingers through her hair and held her head in both hands. “I just want her off our backs.”
Ayana shook her head with a smile. “The
biggest defense is just being fortified against the drama before it starts…. Remember, when a small group comes together in unity, with clear focus and pure intent, they can accomplish anything. They become part of the unity. You four can invoke strength far beyond the sum of your individual powers, and that will give you protection against any attacks from Melissa—any telepathic attacks, at least. I suggest Hyacinth connect with you and Allie, since you two are the…least strong in this area, and Tami can serve as a booster. She’s the one with all the fire.” Ayana added, laughing, “That girl is a hot mess.”
“Yaya, this is great,” Sarah said. “This really is a big help, even though I might not sound like I think it is. We were actually trying to find some white light protections in the library.”
Ayana laughed. “Well, I just saved you some very long hours of research.”
“I can’t thank you enough.”
Ayana got to her feet with a grin. “No problemo—what’s family for, huh? But always send prayers of protection up to the Most High and bring down the white light before you do anything. There’s a very thin line between doing a legitimate ward that’s coming from a correct, defensive posture, and getting caught spell-casting against another student. You know how Nana feels about that, and you don’t wanna get on her bad side—or open up a hot spot in the dorm that she’s gotta close.”
Sarah just stared at her older cousin for a minute.
“Don’t worry, boo. You’ll be fine. The main thing is, I’ve got your back. If they really do something foul, you let me know.” Ayana gave Sarah a quick hug and stood. “Now I gotta go.”
Sarah jumped up and threw her arms around Ayana. “Thanks, Yaya!”
When Sarah pulled back, Ayana smiled. “Yeah, I’m the best.” Then her smile faded and her expression turned serious. “Just one more thing: It’s pretty obvious that Tami and Stefan are feeling each other, but tell Tami to watch herself. Stefan’s a little bit of a…bad boy. And he and Melissa used to go together, you understand what I mean? She’s not just his contraband distributer, they had a thing.”
Sarah closed her eyes. A bit of a bad boy? Understatement to the fifth power. Was her cousin crazy? That meant that Brent was also really bad news for Yaya, if his close friend was Stefan.
“That’s just great,” Sarah said, finally looking at Ayana. “Of all the guys Tami could have the hots for, she has to pick the Wicked Witch’s ex-boyfriend.” She opened her eyes and looked at Ayana. “And let me guess: Melissa still wants him.”
Ayana shrugged. “I don’t know about that, but she definitely wouldn’t want any of you peeing on her tree any more than you already are. Understand?”
“Yeah,” Sarah said, suddenly feeling very tired. “I hear you.”
Chapter 13
The first afternoon of classes was going to be interesting, to say the least. After lunch, all the new students had a one-hour orientation, followed by a crazy, abbreviated schedule of going to all their classes accompanied by other Lower Sphere students who already knew their way around the school, until it was time to break out into talent divisions at the end of the day.
But Headmistress Stone dropped a bombshell on everyone during orientation: There was going to be a Wednesday night mixer, a luau to welcome the new students, and only two days away, taking place on a day of the week that didn’t conflict with anyone’s Sabbath. That just added another level of stress for the newbies. None of them had been to a real party, one that wasn’t just family members and other compound kids. Now, Sarah thought, she would have to really worry about what to wear, how to fix her hair, what the latest dances were. That would mean intensive training from Ayana, but her cousin had a courseload that was crazy tough, so how much free time was she likely to have?
In the meantime, there was the not-so-small matter of learning her way around the school.
Sarah was sure this frenetic test run of finding classes, getting books and figuring out what the instructors were like was designed to torture the new students. Between her interrupted sleep from the night before and the harrowing morning she’d already experienced, all she wanted to do was to pass out on her bed. Thinking about the mixer was destined to give her hives. But finding somewhere private where she could curl into a little ball and make the world go away wasn’t going to happen any time soon.
The minute the end-of-lunch bell rang, the abbreviated afternoon started off with homeroom with the notorious Mrs. Tittle. First period was English—again, with battleaxe Tittle—second period was math, which was then followed by biology, chemistry, lunch—which was skipped, since they’d already had it—gym, then history, and finally what would be a grueling ninety-minute lecture that lasted until 5:00 p.m. once real classes began, where each specialty met to work on honing their gifts. Today talent division classes would only be an hour, but that was still a long time. The vastness of the entire challenge made her head hurt.
What Sarah really couldn’t figure out was how in the world was she supposed to squeeze in extracurricular activities like the Night Vision Photog Society, the debate team, theater club, band or student government? With all the papers they had to write, when was there going to be time for writing articles for The Daily Papyrus or join the Society of Pirate Networks computer club, let alone play sports or sign up for the Dimensional Explorers Club? Yet the Uppers seemed to find time to do it all, and just thinking about that left her feeling totally inadequate.
All first years had a majority of their classes together, so she, Tami, Allie Hyacinth and all the guys had the same instructors as all the other newbies. However, they did have a couple of advanced classes, thanks to their education at home, so they had Dimensional History-walking and math with the third and fourth Spheres. She was pleased to discover Wil was on the accelerated track, too. Unfortunately, being in advanced classes meant that Sarah and her friends would have to encounter Melissa Gray and her crew daily, which was more of Melissa, Amy and Angelica than she ever wanted to see.
So when Sarah walked into yet another classroom and saw her nemesis sitting there surrounded by her circle of admirers, her eyes narrowed dangerously. Every time they’d run into each other since lunch, Melissa’d had something smart to say. It was always just a snicker or a mutter, followed by an evil glance, before she began whispering to her friends again. Tami was near the explosion point, but poor Allie and Hyacinth looked positively miserable. Then and there Sarah decided, she wasn’t going to shrink from this bully. If it was going to be drama, so be it. She and Melissa had some unfinished business where Hyacinth was concerned, anyway. This time Melissa only glanced in Sarah’s direction before looking away dismissively as Sarah passed by.
Thankfully, all seating was alphabetical. As a Rivera, that meant Sarah would always be in the rear, near Allie, a Weinstein. But that also meant she had to sit next to her brother in every single flippin’ class except talent division.
Now Sarah walked casually to the back of the room and sat down, dropping her book bag at her feet. She crossed her legs, leaned back in her chair, ignoring her brother, and said, “Hey, Melissa!”
Melissa turned around, wondering who was calling her. She raised an eyebrow when she saw that it was Sarah.
Sarah stared into Melissa’s eyes. “Next time,” she said, “why don’t you take up your problem with me, instead of ‘Cinth—unless you’re afraid that you can’t handle me.”
Al just shook his head as Melissa glanced at Hyacinth and Allie, then smiled and leaned forward, resting her chin on her hand. “Protective, are we?” she murmured.
Just then their instructor, Mr. Everett, entered the room, and Melissa turned around and faced front.
Mr. Everett walked up to the desk, put his books and briefcase down, and stood facing them.
Though chubby and only four-eleven, he was the stereotypical professor in a white button-down Oxford shirt, a brown tweed jacket with patches on the elbows and tan corduroy pants, and he played with the buttons on his cuffs as he impatiently waited fo
r his students to get settled. The moment they did, he beamed at his class expectantly.
“Walking between dimensions,” he said. “We of the Twi people have extensive experience in this.” He gestured excitedly as he began to walk up and down the aisles.
“This is the cornerstone to understanding history,” he said with great flourish, continuing to talk with his hands. “Not just understanding the past in order to make sense of one’s future, but rather identifying with its challenges and triumphs. That is the Sankofa of reason…looking back to chart a course forward that is wiser. Shall we begin?”
Sarah looked up quickly when, to her surprise, Mr. Everett fell silent. She noticed that all the students were glancing around nervously. Their instructor was moving his lips in what seemed like a silent prayer. He pointed to the four corners of the room, then up toward the ceiling.
In awe, she realized that wherever he left his invisible fingerprints in the air, tiny golden sparkles remained. Then each twinkling asterisk spawned a line of golden light, the lines connecting in a giant square over the students’ heads.
Murmurs of awe and delight buffeted her senses as Sarah stared up at the translucent golden square that had replaced the ceiling. Mr. Everett stretched out his arms and began to lower the golden light until it became apparent that what had looked like a square was actually the underside of a crystalline, golden tinged pyramid.
He pushed one corner of it with a finger, making it begin to slowly rotate counterclockwise. He released a long, satisfied breath and briefly closed his eyes, smiling.
“Ah…” he murmured. “That is so much better.” He opened his eyes and sent his gaze around the room. “So young to have so much negative energy pervading your temples—my goodness, students, your minds, bodies and spirits are wide open to dark influences in this state!“ He tsked, then shuddered as though he’d swallowed something bitter. “We cannot walk between worlds, children, with hearts and spirits so dark and heavy. No, no, no, no, no. That is not of Ma’at.” Mr. Everett closed his eyes again. “In a few minutes we will begin. I will wait.”