Shifters And Glyphs

by Bauer, Christina;

  Elle winks. “You, too.”

  “I can’t wait to get inside and no longer be in the glamoured-up outfit.” I lower my voice. “I can’t help but worry that if I somehow lose control and shift, this school uniform won’t be unshreddable, if you know what I mean.”

  To Elle’s credit, she takes my somewhat unreasonable fear seriously. “They’ll be opening the doors any second now.”

  The front doors swing open, and the mass of students files upstairs into West Lake Prep. Side by side, Elle and I follow the crowd up the staircase. For years, I wanted nothing more than to walk inside this particular school. And now that the moment is here, a ton of emotions battle it out inside me.

  Excitement.

  Fear.

  Worry.

  I slap on a smile, straighten my back, and march up the steps. Elle moves along beside me. My badass werewolf boyfriend waits nearby. And most of all, I’ve faced much worse. Like last summer, when Queen Nyxa tried to destroy me. Or before that, when I had to take down Jules, leader of the Denarii.

  Whatever happens, I can handle this.

  With each step closer to the school, a sinking sensation moves through my soul. Translating those papyri is a bad idea. There must be another way to help Knox. Besides, my mate would never force me to translate that book. And if someone else pressures me into assembling those dumb papyri? I’ll just brush them off.

  No one can force me to translate the Book of Isis.

  But even as I make that internal vow, some deep corner of my soul whispers to my waking mind …

  Your fate has always been to translate those hieroglyphs.

  And doing so will cost you everything.

  Chapter 8

  Elle and I slowly march up the steps to the brownstone. A jumble of kids surrounds us, all of them flowing past us in a rush to reach class. It’s like me and Elle are stones jutting out of a fast-moving river. My bestie links her elbow with mine as we close in on the front door. Bands of worry tighten around my throat.

  “Remember when we built that zipline over Sixth Avenue?” asks Elle.

  “How could I forget?” Some of the tension loosens from my neck. Elle and I built that thing in the middle of the night. “We got three good runs in before someone called the cops on us.”

  “Hey, what about the time we put hair remover in Alec’s shampoo bottle?”

  “We got to call him Doctor Evil for two weeks before he figured out how to magic up a new hairdo. Good times.”

  Elle bumps my hip with hers. “We own this town. We’ll get this high school thing down next. You’ll see.”

  I can’t help but smile. “Did you just guide us down Memory Lane to cheer me up?”

  “I don’t know. Did it work?”

  “As a matter of fact, it did. Totally.”

  “Then, yes, it was my master plan.”

  “And that’s what makes you amazing.”

  Elle winks. “I know.”

  We reach the school’s main door, which is heavy, wooden, and propped open. Elle and I move past the threshold and into main reception area. It’s a long, oak-paneled room with three doors along the back wall: red, gold, and silver. That’s for witch, were, and fairy. As kids pass through the doors, there’s a flash of light, and their appearances change.

  No more uniforms—at least, not the ones from the sidewalk.

  As the other students enter their respective halls, our enchanted bracelets deactivate. The masquerade of looking like typical high school students ends. I only catch a glimpse of each kid as they transform. Witches and warlocks wear crimson robes. Shifters change into couture leather. The fae are dressed in pastel shades with their long silver wings on display. A second or two passes before the other students speed down their hallways and into their learning areas.

  This is really happening.

  Anxiety cinches around my chest. Here’s the moment I’ve been waiting for: starting a new school with actual classes, students, and teachers. The scent of sandalwood and musk washes over me. Knox stands behind me. He sets his hand on the juncture between my shoulder and neck. I catch that scent of copper and smoke. Pain.

  Reaching up, I grasp his hand. “How are you feeling?”

  “I’ll be fine.” Knox leans in. “Seriously.” In other words, my asking him if he’s okay every two seconds isn’t helping. Fair enough.

  “So,” I say. “What’s your first class of the day?”

  “History, I think.”

  “You think? I’ve got fae art.”

  “I’m not getting my hopes up. Az made me learn enough stuff for ten high schools.”

  Which is true. In my case, my home schooling was actually pretty awesome until I hit the equivalent of freshman year. After that, my aunties downscaled all my education into preparation for marrying Jules. So I started taking online classes. That way, I wouldn’t fall behind.

  Meanwhile, Az oversaw Knox’s schooling, and that old were never let up on my mate for a second. When Knox wasn’t killing Denarii, Az was grilling him on everything from quantum physics to how to block a roundhouse.

  I rub the back of Knox’s hand with my thumb. “That’s not what I meant.”

  “I know.” The scent of pain grows stronger. “Alec is magicking me up a spell for the pain. It’ll be better soon. Don’t worry.”

  Even so, I do worry. We’ve covered this territory, though, and I know Knox. Talking about it right now won’t help. “Want me to walk you to your door?” I ask.

  Leaning in, Knox presses a kiss to the top of my head. “Nah. I need to see you go in with Elle. My wolf won’t stand for anything else.”

  With that, my inner animal starts chatting away. “I don’t like leaving our mate,” she growls. “But I do want to scent all those delicious fairies. Let’s play!”

  Here it comes. Again, my wolf sees the fae as magical chew toys. “No, We’re not playing with the fae. They’re murderous and cast curses, remember?”

  My wolf sniffs. “We’ll play nicely with the yummy fairies.”

  I pull at the golden shifter magic inside my soul, commanding my wolf to obey. “No playing with the fae.”

  My golden power surrounds my wolf, quieting her soul. This is a new skill, by the way. Over the summer, Az gave me lessons on wielding my shifter magic. Now shifter energy is my go-to power. I know from watching Colonel Mallory that silver fae energy is chaotic. He’s warned me not to touch the stuff. And my witch magic? That’s still a great mystery. But that’s also why I’m here: to learn how to master all three.

  Elle taps my shoulder. “Ready?” There’s a nervous warble in her voice.

  Turning, I give Knox a soft kiss on his bristled cheek. He cups my face in his firm hands, pulling me in for a gentle brush of our lips. “You be safe with those fae, yeah?”

  “I’ll be fine. Don’t let the big bad wolves get you down.”

  Just beyond Knox, I see Abe and Hollywood. They’ve positioned themselves as guards for me and Knox. Basically, they guide people toward their respective doors. Knox’s alpha energy makes everyone stop in their tracks.

  “Move along,” says Hollywood.

  “Nothing to see here,” adds Abe. There are a few familiar faces in the crowd. For a moment, I think I see Scarlett and Avianna, two girls from my old Magicorum Teen Therapy Group with Madame. But they’re gone too quickly to be sure.

  Knox runs his nose along the length of mine, breaking me out of my thoughts. Touch is very important to shifters. “My wolf says to kill anyone who’s mean to you. But he’s kidding. I think.”

  “I’ll remember that.” For the first time in what feels like forever, I smile. “You’re the best.”

  “Yeah.” Knox winks. “Have fun with the fae.”

  I roll my eyes. “I’ll try.” Squaring my shoulders, I turn to Elle. “Let’s do this.”

  Walking side by side, Elle and I approach the silver door. Like the others, it’s propped open to allow students to flow through. Elle marches right past the threshold. I
walk forward, and—SMACK—I hit an invisible barrier.

  What the—?

  Pulses of white light flash around me. I check the faces nearby. Is anyone else squinting in the spontaneous laser light show? Nope. This is a brightness only I can see. My skin chills as if I were dipped in arctic water. A rush of electricity runs through the air.

  This is magic. Worse, it feels both familiar and frightening.

  A thought nags at the back of my head. I know what this magic is and who it’s from. No matter how hard I try, though, I can’t access the memory.

  I shake my head. Maybe I imagined getting stopped by an invisible wall. I’m pretty stressed out today. Weirder things have happened.

  Reaching forward, I push against what feels like a glass wall. Students stream past as if nothing is there.

  But it is.

  This invisible barrier is preventing me from entering the Silver Gallery. I’d heard that the doorways automatically blocked anyone who wasn’t Magicorum, but I have fae power, right?

  Moving sideways, I shove my shoulder against the invisible wall. Elle tries to help from the other side, but to her, there’s no barrier. Soon, a small group of fae kids stand around me. Some are giggling. Whispers echo through the air.

  “There’s one every year.”

  “Must be human, and she thinks she’s part of someone’s life template.”

  “So sad.”

  My face burns about three shades of red. Please, just let me walk through this door like a normal magicked-up teenager.

  Nope. Still not happening.

  Knox steps up, grasps my hand, and guides me away. “Let’s hit the Wolf’s Den, yeah?”

  I blink hard, trying to think through this turn of events. For some reason, I can’t pass through the doorway to the Silver Gallery, the fae part of the school. I look to Elle. “Cool if I go with Knox?”

  Elle nods. “Sure. I’ll be fine.” A small group of fae kids have gathered around her. Now, they pull at my bestie’s wrists, encouraging her to step deeper into the galleries. The glint of fear shines in Elle’s blue eyes. The fae may be acting nice now, but there’s no predicting what will happen two seconds into the future. Even so, there’s nothing to be done about it. I’m definitely causing a scene here, and school starts in twenty minutes. I wave a quick goodbye to Elle, and she steps off down the silver hallway. Seeing Elle walk away makes something in my chest ache. I lift my chin and regroup.

  I can do this.

  Taking Knox’s hand, we stride to the second, golden door. All the other were kids stand aside as we walk along, partly because of Knox’s alpha power. Mostly, it’s because Abe and Hollywood are clearing a path for us by yelling, “Make way for our alpha and his mate!”

  “Guys,” growls Knox. “I’m not your alpha. Officially.” In other words, there’s a thread of pack connection between me, Knox, Abe, and Hollywood, but we haven’t done the sacred rites that make us pack. Whatever those are.

  Abe stretches his arms wide, preventing anyone else from approaching the open red door on one side. Hollywood does the same move on the other side.

  “Go on,” says Abe. “You two can enter now.”

  I know they mean well, but the way they’re acting? It’s making an even bigger scene than what happened at the fae door. Knox steps past the threshold. I step forward, and—WHAM—I hit another invisible barrier. The same sensations roll over me.

  White flashes only I can see.

  Bone-chilling cold.

  Electrical energy from a foreign magic.

  And worst, that sense that part of me knows what this is. But I just can’t grasp the memory for some reason. Fury zings through my bloodstream. I kick the wall in frustration.

  “What is this?” asks Knox. “I know you’re a were.”

  Panic zings down my spine. A few minutes ago, I was nervous about making my dream of going to school a reality. Now? West Lake Prep might not be happening after all.

  If the reception room were a movie, it would be like someone hit Pause. All the students stop to watch the drama. Elle waits along with the crowd. Acting on instinct, I rush to the opened red door and stop before the threshold. This time, I’m cautious. I reach forward slowly.

  My fingertips hit another invisible barrier. Oh, no. This time, there are only the barest flashes of white light in my vision. But there’s no question that foreign magic is at work here.

  Beside me, Abe and Hollywood drag out two adults from the Wolf’s Den. They’re a burly pair, a man and a woman. I’ve seen pictures of them in the West Lake Prep brochures. The entire school follows its own fairy-tale life template. For West Lake Prep, that’s Goldilocks and the Three Bears. The principals for the shifter schools are were bears named Mums and Pops. In other words, the adult shifter couple standing before me has the life template of Momma Bear and Poppa Bear from the Goldilocks legend.

  “Here they are.” Abe gestures at me and Knox. “Our alpha and his mate. Fix what’s wrong with the doors. Let our queen pass.”

  The woman is the first to speak. “I’m Mums.” She hitches her thumb at the barrel-chested guy beside her. They’re pretty much identical—burly with brown hair, eyes, and matching denim overalls. The only difference is that Mums has long hair. “This here’s Pops.” She focuses her big brown eyes on me. “And you’re a queen?”

  My face burns with the mother of all blushes. “That’s just something Abe and Hollywood say. What I am is trying to get into the Wolf’s Den. Or any of the three doors, really. They don’t seem to work for me.”

  Like they’re watching a tennis match, everyone switches their gazes from me to the shifter principals.

  “Enough.” Pops lets out a bellow of a growl. “Get back to school, you two.” He points at Abe and Hollywood before gesturing to Knox. “You, too.”

  Knox lifts his chin. “Not until I know what you’re doing with Bry.”

  “She can’t get in any doors.” Mums has a bellow of a voice, too. “So this here situation is bigger than me and Pops. We’ve got to take her to the office for all the principals—that means shifter, fae, and witches. Nothing bad’ll happen to her.”

  “We get one like this every year,” says Pops with a sad smile. “We know how to handle things. It’s all good.”

  A tiny witch in flowing red robes steps across the threshold to the red door. She has big, brown eyes, cocoa skin, and a gentle voice. “I’m here.” I recognize her from the website, too. While Mums and Pops lead the shifter school, this is the principal for the Crimson Keep, the school for witches and warlocks. Clearly, she’s the baby bear in this fairy-tale template. Plus, her name is Babs, so that’s a major giveaway. Principal Babs has a plump face, rounded figure, and hair that’s braided into two ear-like buns atop her head.

  Yes, that’s baby bear, all right.

  Babs scans the lobby. Somehow, past the knot of students, she’s able to realize someone is missing. “Where’s Goldi?”

  A small fae flies out through the opened silver door. She reminds me of Cindy Lou Who from the How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Only this version has curly blonde hair and slaps a swirly lollipop on her palm in a movement that reminds me of a gangster movie.

  “What’s the problem here?” asks Goldi. Her voice is singsong sweet, with an undercurrent of evil.

  So. Fae.

  “Problem student,” explains Babs. Everyone in the lobby gasps.

  Kill me now.

  Goldi smacks her lollipop against her palm. “Let’s take care of this.”

  “Agreed.” Babs lifts her hand, gemstone in her palm. “Let’s go to our joint office and discuss.”

  Red light glows between Babs’ tiny fingers, which is the sure sign a spell is about to begin. All at once, a hundred cords of red mist burst from Babs’ palm to loop around me, Babs, Mums, Pops, and Goldi. Fast as lightning, I’m surrounded in a thin layer of red cloud. The students and reception area all disappear under a haze of crimson. Only one thing from the outside world penetrates my magical co
coon: the sound of Knox’s voice.

  “Bry! Bry!”

  There’s no need for me to catch his scent; I know Knox is afraid and angry. With all my heart, I want to tell him I’m fine, but whenever I try to speak, the enchanted mist clogs my throat. Knox’s voice becomes fainter. After that, it disappears altogether. My body gets that “going around the Ferris wheel” feeling that means I’m being transported somewhere else by magic.

  Now I know I’m a real student in one way. I’m getting sent to the principals’ office … and I hate it.

  Chapter 9

  I’ve been moved around by transport spells before. Alec’s spells are like riding a Ferris wheel; my stomach does a few flip flops, and then it’s over. But with Babs? Things may start like a Ferris wheel ride, but they don’t stay that way. Soon, it feels as if needles are pricking into every inch of my skin. Red smoke burns my eyes. I hiss in a pained breath.

  A moment later, the spell is done. I’m in the principals’ office. Out of reflex, I hug my elbows.

  The office is a tall space with striped wallpaper: red, gold, and silver. The ceiling is made of pressed tin that’s been painted in alternating blocks of the same three colors. A long black table lines the far wall. Three high-backed chairs stand behind it. Glancing behind me, I find there are no chairs for students. No additional furniture, either. Not sure what I expected. A filing cabinet, maybe? Some bookshelves? The mostly empty space sends a shiver up my spine.

  Mums, Pops, and Babs all settle into their high-backed chairs. Goldi hovers above them. A long silence follows. The quiet becomes so perfect, it sets my ears ringing.

  I raise my hand. “May I ask a question?”

  “Not yet,” says Babs in her high-pitched voice. “Goldi is deciding what to do with you.”

  For her part, Goldi flits back and forth over the heads of the other principals. Every few seconds, she smacks her huge lollipop against her hand. Long lines of goo stretch between her palm and the treat. It’s unsettling.

  My wolf rouses inside me. “I want to shift and leave.”