Paranormal Academy Book 1: Magic 101
Page 9
“Well, you know what they say about rules,” Ambur said.
“What?” I asked with raised eyebrows.
“That they’re meant to be broken.” She winked at me.
“You’re such a bad influence,” Draia said, shaking her head at Ambur. “The last thing Juliana needs is to get kicked out of Paranormal Academy over a guy.”
“Maybe I’ll turn out to be a werewolf and he’ll be my werewolf mate,” I said hopefully.
“He said he was a witch, remember?” Draia pointed out. “If it’s meant to be, you can get with him in two years from now. For now, just let him help you with that affinity for fire. You know that having an affinity for fire means you’re probably a witch.”
“Or a fairy,” Ambur added.
“Fairies can have an affinity for fire?” I glanced over at her.
“Well, I wouldn’t call it an affinity. But fairies can control the elements,” she explained. “We’re very in touch with nature. We can make flowers grow and stuff.”
“So, having a fire affinity, in general, would mean that I’m probably some sort of magic user,” I said.
“Exactly.”
“Hmm.” I laid down and stared up at the ceiling, letting it all sink in.
Even though I knew that they were probably right—I probably was some sort of magic user—I couldn’t help but think that there was more to it.
All of the strange things began to replay through my mind since I’d arrived at Paranormal Academy. I had passed out when I had arrived in this realm, which Brett had said was unusual. He had been able to listen in on my thoughts, even though he should have only been able to hear them if I was human or wolf. And then there was Draia’s cat Max, who said I wasn’t like any other paranormal being he’d ever met.
I had this odd feeling, deep down in my gut, that my paranormal race wasn’t witch or fairy.
I just wasn’t sure what I could have been.
Chapter 11
The following morning, I was relieved to find Kaden sitting in our History of Magic classroom. I breathed a deep sigh of relief. Wherever he had gone the night before, it must not have been the Enchanted Forest.
“Hey,” Kaden said as I slid into my seat next to him.
“Hey.” I decided to feel him out. “I didn’t notice you in the cafeteria last night.”
“Oh. Yeah.” His steel blue eyes darted away from mine. “I grabbed some food and took it back to my room. I had some… business to take care of.”
“Oh.” I didn’t expect him to elaborate on what sort of business he’d had to take care of, and he didn’t.
It was then that I realized he had some sort of secret. I just wondered what it could have been.
***
The History of Magic and Herbs and Potions both passed by quickly. I found it difficult to focus, since I was so busy wondering about Kaden and what his secret was.
I was sort of excited about Magical Animals and Creatures. I hoped that Brandon would have a better idea of whether or not Spike was actually my familiar.
As Ambur and I stood in the hallway waiting for Draia, though, Kelsea came over to me. “Juliana, Headmaster Crane would like to speak with you in his office. He’s already let Professor Frye know that you’re excused from today’s class.”
“Oh. Okay. Thank you,” I replied, and then shot a nervous glance at Ambur, whose eyes had widened. I knew we were both probably thinking the same thing: what could this be about?
“I guess I’ll see you at lunch,” Ambur said.
“Yeah. See you.”
“Good luck,” she said.
“Thanks,” I muttered under my breath. The one thing that I was realizing was that I could use an endless supply of good luck around here.
As I headed down the hallway and out of the House of Mage, I began to make my way towards the tower where Headmaster Crane’s office was.
I wondered if this somehow had to do with Kaden. What if he had broken some sort of rule from the student handbook and the Headmaster had noticed that I was spending time with him? The last thing I needed was to get into trouble on my second day at Paranormal Academy.
When I arrived at the office, I found that the door was wide open, and a blonde woman was sitting at a chair across from Headmaster Crane.
He glanced up as I stood in the doorway. “Juliana, please come in.”
As I stepped inside the room, he said, “I would like you to meet Melody Foster. Melody, this is Juliana Montgomery.”
A smile hit the woman’s lips as she stood to shake my hand. “I’ve heard so much about you, Miss Montgomery.”
I forced a smile back at her and then turned to Headmaster Crane. “I’m sorry, but what is this about? Am I in trouble for something?”
He shot me a strange look. “No. Should you be in trouble for something?”
“Not that I’m aware of,” I replied, shaking my head. “It’s just not every day that you get called to the Headmaster’s office.”
His lips formed a faint smile. “Yes, well. The reason I called you here today is because Ms. Foster is a Paranormal DNA expert. I thought she might be better able to determine what your paranormal race is.”
“Oh.” I breathed a slight sigh of relief. “I would love to know the answer.”
“Wouldn’t we all?” Headmaster Crane asked with a little laugh. “Please, have a seat.”
I sat down in the empty chair.
“I will be able to determine your paranormal race, but it’s not going to be all that easy, Miss Montgomery,” Melody said as she sat back down. “When a student’s paranormal race is in question, there are several tests we need to administer to get to the answer.”
“What are they?” I pressed.
“Well, first, there’s a bone density scan,” she explained. “It’s similar to a human bone density scan, but we have a machine of our own that’s better equipped to see paranormal bones more in depth.”
My eyebrows shot up in question. “My bones can tell you what I am?”
“I know it might sound unusual, but bones can actually reveal a lot. Different paranormal races tend to have different bone structures,” she explained. “Fairies, for example, have very small bones, while werewolves tend to be bigger-boned. Knowing what your bones look like can help point us in the right direction and at least narrow down the options.” She paused. “We also do what you might call a placement test. It’s really just a questionnaire to determine your strengths and weaknesses. If you have more strengths and weaknesses that align with a certain paranormal race, this can also help us narrow down the options.”
I nodded. “That makes sense. But are either of these tests guaranteed?”
“Well, no.” She paused. “That’s where the bloodwork comes in. We will need to take a few vials from you to see what your DNA looks like.”
“If my blood can give you the answer, then why do we need to do the other tests?” I questioned.
“Bloodwork isn’t always one-hundred percent guaranteed,” she explained. “I also expect that your bloodwork might be a bit more complicated than most students’. Coming from so many different bloodlines, it’s likely that we will find traces of not just one but several paranormal races in your DNA.”
I frowned. “Is it possible that I could be more than one paranormal race?”
“In theory, yes. However, it’s never happened before, to the best of my knowledge. At least not with such vastly different paranormal races. While we have seen a few rare cases where a student was part fairy and part witch or part lion shifter and part tiger shifter, for example, we have never seen a case where a student was part witch, part fairy, part shifter, and part vampire.” She paused. “I’m not saying that your bloodwork will necessarily show us those things, just that I have a feeling the results may be inconclusive and that these other tests will help point us in the right direction.” She smiled at me. “Please don’t worry, Miss Montgomery. I am confident that once we have all of these tests back, we will know,
with absolute certainty, what your race is.”
“Okay,” I agreed with a nod.
“I have brought several members of my team with me. They will administer the tests in other rooms. Are you ready to get started?” She rose to her feet.
Nodding, I stood up, too, and followed her out into the hallway.
She led me into a room where a guy was sitting in a chair waiting for me. “This is Raul,” Melody told me. “He’ll perform your bone density scan.”
As she stepped out of the room, Raul handed me a gown to change into. He said, “I’ll be back in a few minutes. Strip down to your undergarments. Then, when you’re ready, lie inside that machine.”
I glanced over at the machine. It was rectangular with a hollow opening. It reminded me of a coffin, which made me think of vampires, which made a shiver creep down my spine.
I took off my uniform, pulled the gown on, and then climbed into the machine.
A few minutes later, Raul came back into the room. He handed me a sleep mask. “Here, put this on. This machine produces very bright lights as it detects your bones. You’ll want to keep your eyes protected.”
I pulled the mask on and then closed my eyes.
“You’re going to hear a loud noise as I start the machine,” he told me. “I’m also going to close the machine.”
I heard the sound of the lid closing, and then, a moment later, the machine roared to life.
I couldn’t help but feel sort of claustrophobic. I wondered if vampires actually slept in coffins. Yet another reason why I hoped this test didn’t reveal I was one.
Chapter 12
The assessment was the next test.
“The questions are in a ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ format. You need to answer every question honestly,” Margot, the test proctor, explained to me as she handed me a pencil. “It shouldn’t take you more than twenty minutes to complete this, but take all the time you need.”
“Okay.” I nodded in agreement.
I began to go through each of the questions, writing an ‘X’ next to each as I went along.
Shifter Race Questions
1.) Have you ever felt abnormally drawn to the moon?
No( )
Yes( )
Maybe(X)
2). Have you ever shifted into an animal or other creature?
No(X)
Yes( )
Maybe( )
3). Have you ever sleepwalked during a full moon?
No(X)
Yes( )
Maybe( )
4). Have you noticed unusual hair or nail growth?
No(X)
Yes( )
Maybe( )
5). Do you ever demonstrate animal behavior (e.g. growling)
No(X)
Yes( )
Maybe( )
6). Do you ever find yourself craving meat (or raw meat)?
No(X)
Yes( )
Maybe( )
7). Do you move at inhuman speed?
No(X)
Yes( )
Maybe( )
8). Do you experience frequent mood swings or get angry fast?
No(X)
Yes( )
Maybe( )
9). Are you always hot, even in winter?
No(X)
Yes( )
Maybe( )
10). Are you abnormally drawn to forests? (The feeling of home).
No(X)
Yes( )
Maybe( )
11). Are dogs abnormally drawn to you?
No(X)
Yes( )
Maybe( )
12). Can you lift heavy things when others usually can’t?
No(X)
Yes( )
Maybe( )
13). Do you have abnormally sharp teeth?
No(X)
Yes( )
Maybe( )
14). Do you often feel territorial?
No(X)
Yes( )
Maybe( )
15). Do you have strong, Alpha-like leadership skills?
No( )
Yes( )
Maybe(X)
16). Are your eyes green or amber in color?
No( )
Yes(X)
Maybe( )
I inhaled. I had one—maybe two or three—signs of being a werewolf or other type of shifter. So far, my odds of staying in the House of Mage seemed pretty good.
Vampire Race Questions
1). Do you ever have a craving for blood?
No(X)
Yes( )
Maybe( )
2). Have you ever drunk blood from a human or animal?
No(X)
Yes( )
Maybe( )
3). Do you have an aversion to garlic?
No(X)
Yes( )
Maybe( )
4). Are you very pale?
No( )
Yes(X)
Maybe( )
5). Do you sunburn easily?
No( )
Yes(X)
Maybe( )
6). Are you always cold, even in the heat of summer?
No( )
Yes(X)
Maybe( )
7). Do you prefer to sleep in dark, cold rooms?
No( )
Yes(X)
Maybe( )
8). Do bright lights and sunlight give you headaches?
No(X)
Yes( )
Maybe( )
9). Do you hate the beach?
No( )
Yes(X)
Maybe( )
10). Do people do whatever you tell them to?
No(X)
Yes( )
Maybe( )
11). Have you ever heard someone else’s heart beating before?
No(X)
Yes( )
Maybe( )
12). Has someone’s scent made you guess their blood type?
No(X)
Yes( )
Maybe( )
13). Do bats seem to be drawn to you?
No(X)
Yes( )
Maybe( )
I swallowed hard. There was way too many ‘X’’s on that section for my comfort. It made me wonder: what if Headmaster Crane was wrong? What if I actually was a vampire?
I flipped to the next page. Even though I knew the next section likely didn’t apply to me, I answered the questions, anyway.
Mermaid/Water Race Questions (Sea nymphs, sirens, Selkies, etc.)
1). Are you a strong swimmer?
No( )
Yes( )
Maybe(X)
2). Do you love being in the water?
No( )
Yes(X)
Maybe( )
3). Does the ocean feel like “home” to you?
No(X)
Yes( )
Maybe( )
4). Have you ever developed a fin after swimming?
No(X)
Yes( )
Maybe( )
5). Have you ever shifted into any animal after swimming?
No(X)
Yes( )
Maybe( )
6). Have you ever controlled any type of water?
No(X)
Yes( )
Maybe( )
7). Has the water ever spoken to you?
No(X)
Yes( )
Maybe( )
8). Do you feel any sort of energy when you touch water?
No(X)
Yes( )
Maybe( )
9). Do fish and other aquatic creatures seem to be drawn to you?
No(X)
Yes( )
Maybe( )
10). Do you have a beautiful singing voice?
No( )
Yes( )
Maybe(X)
11). Have you ever lured anyone to their death with your voice?
No(X)
Yes( )
Maybe( )
12). Can you breathe under water?
No(X)
Yes( )
Maybe( )