A simple identification spell performed over a blood sample was part of the real admissions process. Proof that you belonged here. The tests were also given at birth and attached to each person’s personal records, and if for some reason you didn’t realize you had supernatural abilities, the schools and the Select wound find you. Even if you didn’t want to be found.
I couldn’t even fathom growing up and not knowing you have supernatural abilities. That would make for some awkward puberty moments. I chuckled to myself, remembering when my empathic and transference abilities first showed up. Poor Robby Beckdell got a double dose of raging teenage hormones while we were making out in an alcove after school. I had little control over my empathic ability, but didn’t mind the extra boost Robby’s affections were giving me. What I didn’t know was that I, at some point, had developed transference. A very strong ability for transference in fact, and I had actually pushed all those pent-up, lusty feelings that both of us were experiencing right back into him—two-fold.
I couldn’t hold back my chuckle at the memories of him moaning loud enough to draw the custodian’s attention to us as he pawed at me, his head tipped back in ecstasy before practically combusting on the spot. Poor guy. Robby always assured me there were no hard feelings, he claimed to have loved every second of it, which was just the beginning of a different sort of reputation I was forced to endure at the time. I was slut-shamed by most of the girls in my classes, taunted because of how my powers could work. It didn’t matter that my experience with Robby was unprecedented. That also meant sometimes boys got the wrong idea if they listened to the rumors before actually getting to know me. I set them straight though, and as I got older, I took the power of being taunted back. Instead of cowering in embarrassment and shame, I stood proudly and shrugged at the rumors. Being able to feel people’s emotions could be a beautiful thing, and sharing that with someone special, well, that could be pretty amazing also.
While all of that was awkward enough to deal with, I couldn’t imagine how horrible it would be if neither Robby or I had any idea about the supernatural. I shook my head as I turned the last corner leading to Mr. Foster’s office.
To be born with any supernatural ability, you need to have at least one parent with a supernatural skill or talent of their own. If you knew your parents, you were usually pretty well prepared for the burgeoning supernatural aptitudes that came your way. I was lucky in that both of my parents had supernatural abilities, although their experiences growing up were vastly different. The Powers, the powerful group of supernaturally skilled leaders that governed the Select, sent their representatives to work within each region of the world to guide supernaturally gifted families. The Select aided all families and children in managing their newfound powers, and helped them decide if their children should go on to hone and advance their skills at one of the appointed supernatural academies, instead of attending regular middle and high schools. After that, only those powerful and lucky enough to test well might be selected to attend one of the prestigious and highly sought-after supernatural universities.
My mother had been one of the lucky ones, applying and attending Celestial University. It was practically unheard of for someone who was not born with at least seventy percent seraphim blood to get in, but with her unique blend of powers and work ethic, she proved to be an exception to the rule. My father, well, my father is a successful alchemist. His powers relate to the intricate blending of science and the supernatural. He was not one of the few chosen to go on to a supernatural university. Instead, he was recruited by the Select to work for them. They outfitted him with state-of-the-art labs, the best equipment, and a crew of assistants.
He actually loves spending his days working in labs, testing his theories, and traveling around the world researching for new methods. I shivered at the very thought. While I found alchemy interesting, I couldn’t fathom spending day after day working in a boring science lab.
Finally reaching the small receptionist area just outside of Headmaster Foster’s office, I smiled at the sleek and deadly attractive Ms. Rodes. I knew she had an affinity for order and organization. She was a perfectionist and ruled Mr. Foster’s appointments as well as student affairs within the school with an iron fist. Thankfully, since I was in the habit of following the rules, being polite and overachieving academically, she liked me. Sharp dark eyes met mine as she straightened a small stack of papers, her hair slicked back in a stylish and professional chignon.
Without a word, she walked over to the headmaster’s closed door, knocking twice sharply before gently pushing it open. “Excuse me, Ms. Zelt is here to see you.” I could hear him murmur to send me in.
Snapping to attention, Ms. Rodes pressed the door farther open and gestured for me go in. As I slipped by her slender frame, she leaned close to me, her voice hushed. Instinctively, I slowed and ducked my head toward her. “Looks like big news, good luck.” And with that, she glided back to her seat and returned to work as if she hadn’t said a word. Straightening my shoulders and taking a deep breath, I stepped through the door. I could only think of one reason why I would be called into Mr. Foster’s office that Ms. Rodes would consider ‘big news,’ and that would be if one of the prominent supernatural universities I applied to had decided I was interesting enough to warrant an interview.
Mr. Foster rose quickly from his desk, his bright red hair and lively green eyes a sharp contrast to his pale skin. Smiling at me, his cheeks lightly dusted with freckles, he gave off an affable boyish charm. I’d seen him use that easy smile and charm to his full advantage—I think he enjoyed people underestimating him. Mr. Foster was fairly young to be a headmaster at such a large and esteemed academy, but he was intelligent and powerful. I found him to be welcoming and easy to talk to, although I had seen his anger and power snap into action when he had to discipline my classmates before. He is definitely a force to be reckoned with.
“Come in, come in. Gentlemen, this is the talented Ms. Roxy Zelt.” Mr. Foster motioned to the two men also in the office, who stood from the leather chairs in front of his desk. The first was a tall, extremely intimidating man. He had on a perfectly tailored suit, his dark hair cropped close to his head. His expression was stern, observant, and daunting as hell. My eyes flicked to the other man, who was much younger than his companion. He was also dressed in an expensive charcoal suit. White teeth flashed as he smiled, standing out starkly against his bronze skin and sun kissed blond hair that was swept off of his forehead. I sucked in a breath at his startling handsome features—not at all what I was expecting. Blue eyes crinkled at the edges as he held out his hand for me to shake, enjoying, I’m sure, my quick perusal and appreciation.
“A pleasure to meet you, Ms. Zelt.” His hand was warm and firm. I let just a whisper of my restraint relax, and I could feel his interest and curiosity. I quickly pulled myself back under tight control. His reaction made sense, of course he was interested. If they came for some sort of interview, that would be a given. I’m sure it had nothing to do with the quick sweep his eyes had given my uniform before making and holding eye contact with me. Tamping down the desire to shiver under his gaze, I gave his palm a firm squeeze in return before sliding my hand away and turning toward his more stoic companion.
“Ms. Zelt.” Grasping my hand in his for a quick, almost textbook shake before gesturing toward the empty seat next to his blond friend, the large man lowered himself back down into his seat before continuing to speak.
“Allow me to introduce myself. I am Claude Romanov and this is Liam Trackwell. We are representatives of the Academy of Order and Chaos.”
The room fell silent as everyone let his words sink in. The Academy of Order and Chaos was the most prestigious supernatural school in the entire world. It was known as an academy instead of a university since it housed the world’s most powerful and elite students, students of all ages, not just ones in their twenties. You didn’t get to apply to a place like the Academy of Order and Chaos, no, they found you. As
that thought sank in, my head snapped up as I made eye contact with Mr. Foster. He gave me an encouraging smile, nodding his head slightly. Oh my, this is really happening. Dropping my stiff posture and relaxing against the back of my chair for a moment, I closed my mouth before I could offend the representatives with my impression of a gaping fish.
Liam let out a brief chuckle before schooling his face into a smooth, professional mask.
“Judging by your reaction, I can assume you have heard of AOC before. My colleague and I are here to offer you the opportunity to attend our school. Your talents and impressive test scores really stood out in recent years.”
Giving a brief shake of my head to clear it, I said the most articulate thing, I’m sure, any of their potential recruits had ever said. “Oh, wow.”
I cringed inwardly at how lame and underwhelming my words sounded. This was huge, a truly life altering honor, and here I was, slumped and slack-jawed in my chair. Smoothing my hands down my skirt and sitting up straight, I made eye contact with both representatives as I spoke. “Please excuse my shock, this is such an honor. I-I don’t even know what to say.”
Liam relaxed against the back of chair, a knowing smile flickering across his face as he turned toward Claude. Claude’s expression was still stern, but for the briefest moment, I could swear I saw a flash of relief in his eyes. Obviously, the man was terrified I was some sort of half-wit by my initial reaction. Leaning forward slightly to see me better, he nodded his head briskly. “Yes, well, that is quite alright, Ms. Zelt—”
“Please, sir, call me Rox.” I tried to soften my firm command with a genuine smile. I often downplayed my last name, I didn’t want any special treatment because of my parents.
Curiosity with a hint of approval shone on his face. “Of course, Rox. As I was saying, we understand the surprise that comes along with our offer, we’ve seen it all.”
Liam snorted before schooling his face and steepling his fingers. “That’s the truth. I can’t count how many times future students have lost a little bit of control of their supernatural powers at the news. You’re as cool as a cucumber.”
Claude shot a censorious look toward his companion before refocusing on me. He dragged a thick folder off the corner of Mr. Foster’s polished desk. Flipping it open, he barely seemed to glance at it as he continued to speak, explaining, “It appears you currently have advanced empathic, transference, and sensing abilities, and newly developing intangibility and power replication. That is an extremely impressive combination of powers when you add in steady control and your academic pursuits which are, well, quite frankly, staggering. We knew right away you were AOC material.”
Heat rushed through my body as my heart began pounding wildly. This was really happening, I was being courted by AOC! I could feel myself flushing, but thankfully Mr. Foster broke into the conversation, saving me from making a fool of myself a second time.
“We here at Draiochta Academy are very proud of all of Rox’s accomplishments. She is a model student, and we are just thrilled she has been recognized for all of her hard work and practice.”
I could barely hold back my gratitude for our headmaster. He and his staff were nothing but encouraging and challenging, pushing me to never be content with settling. Folding his hands together, his focus shifted from a that of a proud parent to one much more serious and focused. “So, gentlemen, what exactly does this all mean? I took the liberty of having my assistant contact Rox’s parents, and they should be here shortly. But while we wait for them, what can we do here at Draiochta Academy these last few months to best prepare her for her, possible,” his eyes cut to me, his grin growing as he continued, “or probable, I should say, future at the Academy of Order & Chaos?”
Liam cleared his throat with a slight wince as he took in my beaming headmaster. “Well, Sam, actually, I know it is a bit unconventional, but we are extending admission to Ms. Zel—ah, Rox, immediately. We would like to offer her the opportunity to complete her year twelve studies with us and have a seamless transition into her undergraduate program. We feel this is the best option for Rox, allowing her to have access to all we have to offer as she continues to advance and master her newly developing powers.”
Mr. Foster frowned, his bright eyes losing their joyful gleam as he squinted at the polished man in front of him. “Let’s be frank, gentlemen. You think the best option for this extremely bright and successful student is to be uprooted just months from graduation to attend your academy immediately? What exactly is the concern here? Is Draiochta Academy not capable of adequately meeting her needs?”
With a haughty look, Liam flicked his cuffs and leaned forward. “This is not a slight on you or your school, this is the opportunity for Rox to study under the top masters in their fields. The more time she spends at AOC, the more likely she is to find her path and purpose. She is destined for great things.”
Liam’s words were firm as he held Mr. Foster’s gaze. I was riveted to my spot. It was almost as if they were talking about someone else completely. How did I feel about leaving Draiochta? It had been my home for a long time now, I knew the ins and outs of the buildings, and had a great rapport with the staff. Although, admittedly, some of the coursework wasn’t always challenging, my teachers took time to present new material and more advanced ideas and assessments to me.
My social life was pretty much nonexistent. I went from being labeled a harlot to a teacher’s pet, a brown noser, and a kiss ass. Someone who only cared about her grades and advancing her powers. While I did care about those things a lot, they had never been my sole focus. My abilities just happened to freak some of my classmates out. Most of them had one or two powers, three at most, and they were nowhere near as strong or as rare as mine. While my parents and teachers celebrated my uniqueness, my peers called me a freak. I had a few friends, but no one close since Shelly moved abroad last year. As for dating, I only really dated guys from different schools and cities, but that was hugely inconvenient and difficult, so I pretty much gave up on that also. Maybe switching schools wasn’t such a bad idea.
“Aside from those very important reasons,” Claude spoke up, his deep voice low and commanding, “there is also a concern about mastering her two weaker powers. Those could be quite dangerous to not only herself, but those around her. Not to mention the possibility for more supernatural abilities to emerge in the next few years.”
My head whipped up at that. I tore my eyes from the polite standoff between my headmaster and Liam to glare at Claude. “Excuse me, sir, but more abilities? That really isn’t very likely. I may have extraordinary parents, but I am not some sort of prodigy. And my control record is impeccable. I’ve worked hard on that, and it is something I take pride in.”
“Ms. Zelt, excuse me, Rox. Your two new abilities have the capability to be very dangerous if you were caught off guard or attacked. Intangibility may seem harmless—your reports show you are making great progress becoming intangible for longer periods of time and slipping in and out of rooms and buildings—but what if it was combined with your ability to transfer? What if you were coerced, or even worse, what if you accidently turned someone else intangible and you lost control of the situation? That’s not even mentioning your ability to replicate the supernatural powers someone uses on you. What if someone uses something highly dangerous or destructive on you? Do you really want the responsibility of hurting or maiming someone? I’m not slighting your control, I’m being realistic.”
While what he was saying made sense, it rubbed me the wrong way. I exchanged an incredulous glance with Mr. Foster as Claude continued, “There is also the possibility of you having new powers make an appearance. It is not uncommon for our students at AOC to develop five or six powers. Some will be much stronger than others, but they are not always reliable, so it’s better to be at a place equipped to handle it. What if instead of power replication like we believe, you’ve got power stripping abilities? What if you actually remove someone’s powers permanently?”
&n
bsp; Liam held his hands up in placating manner. “Somehow this has gone off the rails. Let me get us back on track. Rox, we absolutely want you to attend AOC. You are great fit for our school and I believe it will be mutually beneficial. Your parents are noteworthy, as they are both very powerful with distinct abilities. I only mention them because we have found that in cases similar to yours, children tend to develop a larger number of uncommon abilities, some at a stronger capacity.”
As agitated as I was, I was also impressed with how quickly Liam picked up on my distaste for riding on my parents’ accomplishments. Yes, they shaped me into who I was today, but I was my own person. Letting out a deep breath, I focused on Liam. “So, what exactly would happen if I do transfer immediately? What does the living and academic situation look like? What classes would I be in and what kind of changes would I need to be prepared for? I want to make an educated decision.”
Claude and Mr. Foster had simultaneous opposing reactions. Claude grew rigid with an affronted expression on his face at the fact I wasn’t leaping blindly at the chance to attend his school. Mr. Foster, on the other hand, looked proud if a little melancholy. He had to know there was little chance I would pass up the opportunity to study at such a prestigious facility.
Clearing his throat, Liam’s smile reached his eyes as he focused on me. “Well, to be honest, we would work with your current teachers to see what still needs to be covered for the proper assessments and address all of that. We would actually get you enrolled in the undergraduate program right away, your records show that would be the proper place for you. You would have to go through our entrance exams, which sounds more ominous than it is, but basically some of the heads of different departments will test you to see your level of competence within different areas of study. Don’t fret the Order or Chaos pathways yet. Through your schooling, you will figure out what your aptitude is. One of the great advantages of attending AOC is that it really opens up an impressive number of career choices for you.”
Draiochta Academy: All Genres Academy Anthology Page 14