Platinum Storm

by N X Hunter

  Platinum Storm

  The Academy for Magical Girls: Book 1

  N.X.Hunter

  Copyright NX Hunter 2019

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  Chapter 1

  Kitsuna looked at the Talizman on her wrist for confirmation of two things. Yes, it was later than she had told her new roommate she'd be arriving, and yes, if she didn't hurry she'd be caught in the coming storm.

  She picked up the pace, reluctant to break into an actual run with her large gym bag - the only luggage she'd brought with her for these first few days acclimating to life on campus. It was already bumping against her back and unbalancing her, and her boots had just that bit too much heel to make running a viable option. Would it be better or worse to sprain her ankle, or to not get indoors somewhere with other people before the lightning started?

  Why did I have to pick up mom's weird phobia of storms? Kitsuna asked herself for possibly the millionth time.

  Even just seeing her Talizman change color, predicting an electrical storm, sent her body into a more anxious state. It wasn't quite that she was afraid of being struck by lighting, or even that she was especially disturbed by the flashes in the sky and the bellowing noises. It was something different - it was as if she could somehow feel the electrons in the air dissipating, like the energy in the atmosphere around her was willing her into a state of heightened alertness, pushing adrenaline into her to spur her on to fight or run, even though there was nothing tangible there to release that tension onto.

  Her mom had always understood. In fact, Kitsuna couldn't actually remember ever telling her about how storms made her feel. Her mom had just known that her only daughter had, whether by nature or nurture, gained her own dread of them. At an age so young that Kitsuna could only remember it in a vague haze, her mom had given her her first storm-predicting Talizman - one that matched the one she herself wore on a pendant around her neck.

  Of course, lots of people wore Talizman gems - they were just a pretty wearable that translated information from, well, somewhere (Kitsuna didn't actually know, but presumably some kind of digital service) into color that filled clear crystal pieces encased in jewelry. Kitsuna had a few different crystal modules on her Talizman bracelet, along with a classic clockwork watch face (which she found more stylish than an electronic time display), but the module that glowed with a foreboding indigo light when a storm was forecast was the one she paid the most attention to. She'd threaded that multifaceted bead, which was completely clear during any other kind of weather, onto every Talizman bracelet she'd ever owned. There were newer and better ones now that could predict any kind of weather, and so nobody else she'd seen had a module like hers, but keeping it made her feel closer to her mom.

  She sighed, realizing that she was going to be missing her mother more than ever, now that she was starting her college life without her there to see her off.

  Would mom even be proud, though? It's not like I even got into a school on my list, and I'm only studying marketing because it sounded like the kind of thing where I could get a job at the end. And I only even want a job because I don't have any creativity.

  Most of her friends from high school had a plan. They were either going to university to study something they were passionate about having a career in, or they were going to live the UBI life - keeping up a minimalist lifestyle using the money every citizen was credited with monthly, and spending their time on the things they loved. Her best friend Lee was off to some weird independent art school to study to become a tattoo artist. Kitsuna couldn't see herself putting all her time into art or music or literature, and spending all day every day with nothing to do seemed sort of like opting out of life. And so, in the absence of any real professional calling, she'd figured she'd learn about one of the jobs that was still in high demand, and which didn’t sound like it required massive amounts of passion to be good at. She'd applied to business academies to get a marketing degree. Strangely, though, despite her better than average grades, she'd been turned down by all of her shortlisted colleges, and had only been accepted by Calibre Academy. Though it was in the location she wanted – close enough to her previous home in Astolat City to not be a hassle, but far enough away to be interesting – it must have been right near the bottom of her list, given that when the acceptance came, she genuinely couldn't remember actually applying there.

  The storm hadn't started yet, but there was a smell in the air like new rain on hot asphalt as she continued hurrying along the sidewalk, trying to pick out the high rise glass building that was to be her new home from the offices and housing complexes that gleamed similarly along both sides of the street. She'd only seen this street before on the VR tour when she'd been assigned to the campus, but she knew she was close now, having followed the directions from the station exactly. The earpiece she was wearing, connected to her phone, told her the same.

  "Your destination is on the left. Zero-point-two minutes to arrival at current speed."

  It should be this building. Perfect timing! Well, at least to avoid the storm, I've still kept this Rayna girl waiting, but maybe she'll be cool about it. I hope so, it'd suck having to share with someone really anal...

  She searched the digital name displays in the art deco inspired panel next to the building's vast glass doors for her roommate-to-be's last name. There were quite a few last names beginning with M, though, given probably hundreds of students lived here, and so she was still looking for Morelli, Rayna, when she heard an impatient huffing sound from behind her.

  No longer in a blind rush now that she knew she'd be inside in a matter of seconds, with time to spare before the downpour, she looked around.

  "I'm sorry, I’m moving in here but it was just taking me a while to find who to buzz - I’ll be as quick as I can, I promise!" she said genially, smiling at the man who seemed to be waiting for her to finish using the panel.

  The smile was more because he was really hot looking than because she was genuinely sorry he was having to wait an extra five seconds. He was well built, which showed very clearly in his tight black shirt, and his classically handsome, clean-shaven face was topped by a trendy, chalk white dyed mop of messy hair.

  "It's fine, she's here, if you're ready you'll be able to make it," the man said, confusing Kitsuna.

  Oh, right, he's on the phone.

  As she looked back to the panel though, the list of M names had disappeared, and a pretty girl around Kitsuna's age with bright red hair and big, worried green eyes with thick black eyeliner flicking out from the edges had appeared on the screen.

  "19th floor! I have to go out - it won't take long. Don't leave til I get back!" the girl yelled.

  "Are you Rayna? How do I – "

  "There's no time! I'll leave the door open for you, so hurry or we'll get robbed."

  The screen reverted back to the search panel and she heard the click of the front doors unlocking. She stood gaping in confusion for a moment, but the cute guy had already pushed the door open.

  "Hurry, the dancer is in place," he said, evidently still talking to someone other than Kitsuna, though with two people having just said the word 'hurry' in earshot and the tingling in her nerves from the impending storm growing, she felt compelled to dash to the elevator control panel across the building's empty lobby, jabbing at the button as if speed was now of the essence.

  One of the five elevators opened up straight away, and she rushed inside it, pressing the '19' on the touch panel. As the doors closed, she noticed that the man was gone now. If he hadn't wanted to
come in, what was he doing waiting by the door, then opening it for her? Through the glass of the main doors, there was now no sign of him.

  Well, at least it'll be easy to find our apartment - I guess it's the one with the door wide open. What could possibly be so urgent that she'd rather leave it so someone could steal all her stuff than wait the what, 40 seconds, for me to get from the front door to here?

  Indeed, the apartment whose screen panel read '19-9: Rayna Morelli, Kitsuna Blake' did look like it had been abandoned in a hurry. The big black security door's deadbolts and other features were doing absolutely nothing to prevent entry, where it was held open with a heavy looking black matte sculpture of a stretching cat.

  I guess I'll have to wait for my welcome...

  But something did greet her. As she looked around the airy white living room with its spectacular views of wherever it was the digital windows here were set to pipe in their views from, she felt a pressure against her shins, and looked down to see a particularly elegant Bengal cat.

  It was even stranger that this Rayna girl had left the door open when she had a cat - surely she was worried it would escape? Well, Kitsuna really wasn't sure what kind of person she was going to be living alongside for the upcoming school year, but she couldn't help but be pleased that there was a pet. Any curiosity she had had about seeing the rest of the apartment vanished - after all, she'd done the VR tour so she knew what to expect - and she gladly put down her gym bag and set about making a fuss of the cat, scratching its ears and running her hand appreciatively over the sleek, spotted fur of its coat.

  The cat purred and raised itself up to bump its head against Kitsuna's hand. She noticed as it extended its neck that it was wearing a fuchsia colored collar with a white metal tag hanging off of it.

  Hmmm, so I can find out your name even before Rayna gets back.

  She sat down on the black leather couch and tapped her thigh encouragingly, beckoning the cat, who jumped up onto her lap with a delicate spring.

  Gently, Kitsuna lifted its chin to look at the tag, but then she furrowed her brow in surprised confusion.

  Why would anyone put Talizman beads on their pet's collar? Is Rayna one of those crazy rich people that buys their cat electronics it can't use?

  As she looked closer, there was something even more surprising. Of the four Talizman beads that sat alongside the cat's name tag, three were spherical, and crystal clear. But the one next to the tag on the left side was multifaceted, and pulsing with indigo light.

  But, how can this cat have the same bead as me and mom? I can sort of get why Rayna might want her cat's collar to tell her the weather, I mean, it's a cute way to get your forecasts, but these beads have been obsolete for at least twelve years, and this seems like a pretty young cat...

  The name tag itself, which Kitsuna now peered at, squinting to read the writing engraved on the golden metal, read 'Ivy'.

  "So, you're a girl, then. Well, hi, Ivy. I'm your new roommate. I promise to pet you lots, although, right now I am just wishing you could talk, because, me, I've got a lot of questions."

  The cat said nothing, of course, but it stared at her with that spooky intelligence cats sometimes seem to have in their eyes. The indigo bead had gotten brighter, and Kitsuna looked at the matching one on her wrist. Soon they'd turn black, and stay that way until the storm had passed.

  "So, I guess the storm will start any moment now. It's times like this when I am sooo thankful digital windows were invented. We don't have to see all the dark clouds and lightning in here, or the boring buildings across the street. I don't know about you, Ivy, but looking out across whatever sunny bay that is almost lets me forget there's a storm or a scary new college full of weird people like your owner at all."

  Kitsuna knew the digital windows found in most urban buildings simply streamed in 3D views from cameras placed in prettier looking places around the world, but having never visited anywhere that looked anything like as good as the options that could be selected, she still found it hard to believe that what she was seeing actually existed somewhere, that somewhere right now there were people looking at that sky for real, and it wasn't just generated by a CGI engine in a dingy server room somewhere.

  She'd be able to change the view using the touch screen panel next to the window, which would also let her watch broadcasts or information streams. It felt a bit wrong to tamper with the settings though. She wouldn't feel like she could treat this sterile, showhome looking apartment as her own until Rayna got back and they'd had a chance to meet properly. Until then she felt like an awkward intruder. Just an awkward intruder with a cat on her lap.

  But the next thing she was aware of, she was waking up in a white room.

  Chapter 2

  What the fuck?

  Kitsuna's eyelids felt heavy, and as she opened them all there was was white. A white ceiling. Underneath her body, which felt strangely dense, was the softness of a bed, but it wasn't a familiar one. She sat up, rubbing her eyes hard.

  On opening them again, she saw that it was bright daylight in the room, at least, that's what the windows were set to, but the room itself was as completely bare as the version of it that she'd seen in VR. It was her bedroom in her new apartment, but she hadn't 'moved in' - the mattress was bare and her bag wasn't there. She was about to try and stand, when the door slid open, something triggering its automatic control, and she saw the cat dart out of the room. She hadn't even noticed it was there - was it under the bed?

  It... no, she. I should remember that the cat is a girl. Ivy doesn't sound like a boy's name at any rate.

  She found her body unusually weak as she moved to swing her legs down and stand on her feet. She wasn't wearing her boots anymore, though. How had that happened? Was she sick? It was all very confusing, but somehow she felt like she had to leave the room to find any answers. She had a strange sense that she was supposed to follow the cat, like Alice following the white rabbit.

  But, before she could even get her weight down onto her trembling legs, Ivy the cat sprang back into the room and onto the bed, and sat staring at her. Kitsuna heard footsteps, like a woman's shoes clacking on the tiled floor, but quickly, like someone in a hurry.

  "Rayna?" she asked, realizing that her throat felt very dry as she tried to speak.

  The red haired girl she had seen on the screen outside looked very different now. The hair was the same color, but disheveled, as if she'd been working out or she'd been caught in the rain and only partially dried off, and her beautifully applied make-up was smudged around the eyes and patchy on her pale skin. She looked tired, drained. Probably still better than Kitsuna herself, though, she guessed.

  "For fuck's sake, don't try and get out of bed yet. You're gonna feel like crap for a couple of hours, minimum," she said, with no particular kindness in her voice, like a weary mom dealing with their teenager's first hangover.

  "What happened to me? Did you put me here?"

  "Nope. I was far too worn out to be carrying flaked out people around. Soren threw you down on the bed. You know, he's a gentleman like that."

  Kitsuna wished something, anything would start to make sense. She let out a grunt of frustration.

  "Why would I know who you're talking about? Please, Rayna, I have no fucking clue where I am or if I'm sick or why you rushed off before, and you must know that I have no idea who Soren is, too, so before I completely lose my sanity can you just..."

  "No idea who I am? That hurts," said a male voice, which came from behind where Rayna stood in the doorway.

  Kitsuna's expression didn't change when she saw that the speaker was the hot guy from outside. She already looked baffled, and her face couldn't really level up its expression to match her mounting bewilderment.

  "It's OK, sis, I'll give her the talk. Clearly you've been through the wars again this time, and the poor girl shouldn't have to hear this from you in one of... those moods."

  He gestured to Rayna to leave, talking as if Kitsuna actually wasn't there,
sprouting more questions by the second.

  "Thank fuck for that. Ivy doesn't have much time left and I'm really not down for this right now," the red haired girl said, squeezing the man's muscular, tattooed arm with the first hint of softness or gratitude Kitsuna had seen from her, before sweeping out of view, without so much as a wave in her new roommate's direction.

  "So, you're... Soren, I guess? You're really gonna have to fill me in on some things here, like, I mean... well, just... what the fuck?"

  The man smiled, and sat on the bed next to her, not close enough that his body was touching her, but enough to feel the heat coming off of him, and to smell the musky cologne he was wearing.

  It wasn't the time or the place for her to really analyze it, but still, being close to him stirred something inside her, just as it had when she'd first seen him outside. Maybe it was just that she'd been building up college in her mind as some place full of sexy guys where she'd at least get to have some fun, and he, a sexy guy, had been literally the first person she'd encountered, but there was something really masculine about him that drew her to him, despite the situation and its colossal levels of weirdness.

  "There's a lot to tell, and usually I don't get to be the one doing this bit, so you'll have to bear with me. Maybe give me a review at the end, like, 7 out of 10, would get life changing revelations from Soren again, that kind of thing? Well, I guess let's start from now and work backwards. Or should we start at the beginning and work forwards?"

  "You people are so weird. You called Rayna sis, so I guess vaguery is a family thing?" Kitsuna replied, though not without sympathy. After all, she knew how complicated her questions were, so she could only assume the answers weren't exactly a breeze to reel off. Plus, she wanted confirmation that he was Rayna's actual brother, and not a boyfriend with weird ideas about pet names.

  "Yeah, we're twins, actually. And, well, I'll get on to what my role is in all of this, but I provide support to her, and now, to you, too."