by Cece Rose
Chapter 18
Kenzie
I sink deeper into the tub, feeling the hot water work out all the knots in my body as I relax, breathing in the aroma from the bath bombs I’d thrown in. I’m sure Kelly won’t mind the fact I nicked a few. The purple, bubble-covered hot water is heavenly, and I’m making no attempt to move anytime soon. I shut my eyes and just relax, listening to the soft music I’d left playing in my room carry through the door into the bathroom. Peace.
I’m jarred awake by the sound of the bathroom door crashing open. I sit up, crossing a hand over my chest as I face the person who’d let themselves in.
“Shit, Kenz,” East exclaims, staring right at me, where I’m sitting, naked, in the bathtub.
“What the hell are you doing in here?” I all but screech, feeling mortified. Sexy East kisses me, and then walks in on me naked in the bathtub all in one day. Kelly was never going to believe this.
“You didn’t answer when I called, I thought . . . I thought maybe something had happened, okay?” he says quickly, stepping back. I am so thankful for all the bubbles right now, at least they are affording me some coverage.
“I fell asleep. I didn’t hear you,” I explain, shrinking back down lower into the tub, hoping to hide more of myself.
“Why is your door open? Kenz are you okay?” Locke’s voice comes from the bedroom, just seconds before he walks into the bathroom, and his eyes widen. He looks between me and East, then smirks.
“Move out of the way, why are you just standing there?” Logan’s voice comes from behind Locke, and I meet his eyes over his twin’s shoulder. He looks just as shocked.
“Out, all of you,” I say, and Locke laughs slightly, his eyes running over my body in the water. I don’t think he can see me, but his grin suggests otherwise. I sink myself as low as possible in the water, praying the purple bubbles hide me. I mean, three extremely hot men are in my bathroom, while I’m naked. I didn’t know if this was a gift or punishment from the gods.
“But, you let East in here,” Locke whines playfully, and East grabs his arm, dragging him from the room. Logan grabs the door, giving me a small smile as he follows after them. I wait until the door is shut before getting out of the bath. There goes my plan to relax in the bath for an hour. I dry myself off and mentally curse when I realise I’ve not brought any clothes in here with me. I tighten my towel around myself before opening the door a little and leaning out.
“Logan?” I ask.
“Yes,” he answers, getting off the chair he was sitting in and walking over. East and Locke watch as they both sit on my bed.
“Could you get me some clothes?” I ask him.
“I can get your underwear,” Locke says with a big grin, and I glare at him.
“No . . . Logan can,” I reply, and Logan chuckles, but starts moving around my room getting things. He comes back and passes me a bundle of clothes through the door, keeping his eyes on mine, and I kind of like that he does that. I laugh a little when I see he has chosen my lacy, red bra and matching, red knickers. Maybe Logan likes me in red? I’m glad I chose Logan when I see my tight, skinny jeans and grey jumper in the pile. I pull them all on and plait my towel-dried hair, just before the academy shakes, and I fall to the ground, my back slamming into the bath tub as I slide across the floor.
“Get Kenz,” I hear East shout as the shaking stops, and I stand up as Locke opens the door.
“You okay?” he asks me as he rushes in, and I nod. He takes my hand, leading me back into the bedroom where East and Logan are waiting. The room is a mess, the wardrobe is on the floor, and my stuff is all over the place. I step over my upside-down basket and pick up my iPad, the screen is cracked, and it’s far worse than my phone. Great, just friggin great.
“What was that?” I ask, but no one answers as a message fills the room, it takes me a minute to realise that there must be hidden speakers.
“The Academy is under attack, please stay in your rooms. If anyone is hurt, report to the gym once lockdown is over.” The message cuts out, and the room is silent for a second.
“Attacked by the rogues?” I ask as Logan slams the bedroom door shut.
“They have been attacking places recently, they must want something from here,” East says and looks at me strangely. My phone starts ringing, and I look around, finding it on the floor by the bed. I just about manage to unlock the phone with the cracked screen.
“Kenz, I’m in the library, and we are trapped. They are breaking all the boxes in here, and I’m hiding. Are you safe?” Kelly says, and I go to reply, when my phone beeps before turning off.
“Kelly? Kelly, no,” I say, trying to turn the phone back on. Stupid phone. I don’t think as I walk towards the door and pull it open, ignoring the guys shouting for me as I run down the corridor and towards the library.
“Kenz, don’t!” East shouts as I run down the stairs. I rush out into the courtyard and across into the main building, hearing the guys chase after me. Other than me and the guys, there is no one around, and there’s a loud noise coming from the direction of the library when I get to it. Where are the teachers? I run around the corridor, seeing the doors to the library, and there is a girl standing outside. The girl has on a leather jacket, leather trousers, and has long, brown hair up in a ponytail. She smiles widely when she sees me, and she looks familiar as her green eyes look over at me. A scream comes from the library, and I step forward, stopping when I see the student at her feet. He looks familiar and must be from one of my classes. He is withering in pain as she places her hand on his forehead. She’s using pain on him, and a lot of it.
“Little girl, you might want to turn around,” she says, moving her hand, and the guy passes out.
“No,” I say coldly, hearing East, Locke, and Logan as they come to my side. I look at them briefly, and Locke glares at me, but doesn’t say anything. All of them seem to be at the same conclusion as me, I’m not leaving without Kelly. She doesn’t have defensive powers.
“This should be fun,” the girl laughs as she raises her hands, and a gust of air slams into us. I hold my hands up, calling my own air power, but all I do is manage to stop myself from flying. It doesn’t matter as Locke wraps his arm around my waist and lifts his hand, making a white ward appear. It’s shaped like a shield, and it stops the wind from getting to us. I turn and watch as East flies up into the air, lifting his hands, and Logan uses a stream of water which he pushes against the wind, mixing with it. He shoots the jet of water straight at the girl. He does it so fast that she can’t move in time, and the water makes her slam into the corridor wall. The girl stands up with a little smirk and shifts. I’ve never seen a shift before, none of my parents have that mark. It’s like her body glimmers a little and goes blurry as her shape changes. I step back when I see the giant snake she has turned into. The snake is green and massive, bigger than a car.
“Gods . . .,” I say, my voice trailing off as I watch. Locke lowers his hand, the shield disappearing. He pulls me closer to his side as Logan steps in front of us, and East literally flies and lands next to him.
“We have to go,” a man says running out of the library and stopping in front of the snake girl. The man is older, with black hair and wearing a black cloak with the hood down. He is holding a blue box, which looks old and covered in marks. He seems to realise we are all looking at him as he turns and lifts his hands. A white ward spreads from his hands, until there’s a wall between us and them.
“Stop playing with the kids, I got it,” the man says holding up the box, and the snake turns, slithering down the corridor. The man looks back at me once as I push between Logan and East. He doesn’t say anything, but he gives me a strange look, like he knows me before pulling his hood up. I watch as he turns and runs off after the snake.
“Can we break the ward?” I ask after they both disappear. I need to get to Kelly.
“Yes, we can do it together. I’m the only one out of us guys with the ward power, but between us two, we can overl
oad it,” Locke tells me. He takes my hand and walks us up to the ward.
“Imagine the ward cracking, breaking into tiny parts and call your protection mark into your mind, Kenz,” he tells me and I nod, doing as he asks as he places our joined hands on the ward. I close my eyes as I feel the power from it spread down my arm, it’s slightly painful. I imagine it breaking, and falling into little, white bits. When I open my eyes, Locke is smiling down at me and all around us are little bits of the ward. It’s like snow falling, and we lower our hands.
“Kenzie,” Kelly shouts, and I turn to see her running out of the library. She throws herself into my arms, and I wrap my arms around her and hug her tightly. Thank Gods she is okay.
“What happened?” I ask, but she doesn’t get a chance to reply as I hear Mr. Daniels shout behind us.
“What are you doing out of your rooms?”
I turn to see him storming down the corridor, and aiming straight for me as Kelly steps away. He looks angry, and it’s a bit scary. It’s also a good look on him, it’s hot.
“Kelly called, and I–” I get out before he interrupts.
“No. I don’t care. Do you not realise what they wanted, Miss Crowe? How much danger you were in?” he snaps. I take a step back, surprised he would speak to me like that. I’m not stupid, and I know how dangerous it was running here, but I would never forgive myself if Kelly died while I sat in my room hiding. That’s not me.
“Don’t speak to her like that,” East says protectively, and it seems to make Mr. Daniels even madder. East comes to my side and links his fingers with mine.
“You all have detention, and get to your goddamn rooms now!” he shouts, his voice echoing down the corridor. The guys all glare at him but start to walk away with Kelly following. East tugs on my hand, and we start to follow Kelly.
“Not you, Miss Crowe, the headteachers want to see you. Now,” Mr. Daniels says.
“Fine,” I say stopping.
“Good luck,” East whispers to me and squeezes my hand before walking off with Kelly. Locke and Logan shoot me worried glances as they go up the stairs.
“Let’s go then,” I say, walking away from him and towards the stairs.
“Fuck, wait,” Mr. Daniels says, catching up to me and grabbing my arm to stop me.
“Why? Do you want to shout at me more for trying to save my friend? I’m not saying sorry for it,” I tell him, he looks down at me, and then to his hand on my arm. He doesn’t move his hand like I expect him to.
“I’m sorry. I was scared you were hurt. I went to your room, looking for you and panicked when you weren’t there,” he tells me softly. I move my hand, placing it on his chest before I say anything. I’m surprised he doesn’t stop me, and I can feel his heart beating fast under my palm.
“I’m okay,” I tell him gently, watching as his eyes search my own.
“Mackenzie,” he says my name slowly as he moves closer, and his hand slides up my arm.
“Mr. Daniels,” a voice shouts down the corridor, and he jumps away from me. What the hell just happened between us? I turn to see Miss Tinder walking towards us from the stairs. She doesn’t look impressed and flashes me a disgusted look. I try not to chuckle when I see her red hair is now short, cut into a bob, and I know it’s because of our lesson. Serves her right.
“Mr. Daniels, the headteachers are waiting for Miss Crowe, and you are needed in the gym. We have caught some of the rogues, and we need you to make them shift back,” she says. I didn’t know he could do that. I know that it’s a sign that his transmutation mark is extremely strong and makes him an alpha over most animals. I wonder what he shifts into?
“No problem,” he says and walks away. I watch as he looks back at me once, a confused look in his eyes, and I know it’s not just me that felt something then. These kinds of feelings could get him fired and me kicked out of the academy. As much as I like him, I don’t want that for him or me.
“Come now, Miss Crowe,” Miss Tinder says, and I follow her down the stairs, feeling sad that I didn’t meet Mr. Daniels somewhere else.
Chapter 19
Kenzie
I’ve been at The Marked Academy less than a week, and somehow this is my second visit inside the headmasters’ office. Just my luck. I tap my fingers against my knees, and glance over my shoulder every so often, waiting for someone to join me in the room. However, they appear to be letting me stew.
I don’t see why I should be in trouble, I was just trying to help my friend. Surely, they should understand that? And, it’s not like I was the only one out of their room. They just don’t like me, that’s gotta be it. The sound of the door opening behind me cuts off my inner rambling.
I turn around and watch as all three headmasters of the school enter the office, followed by Mr. Daniels. I swear that man is everywhere. One of the headmasters takes the seat behind the desk I’m facing toward. The other two push their chairs over as well, either side of him, so they are all facing across from me. One united front against Kenzie. Because that’s not intimidating at all. A chair scrapes against the floor next to me, I turn my head and notice Mr. Daniels sitting beside me. A warm feeling runs through me as he shoots me a reassuring smile.
“Miss Crowe, what on Ariziadia were you thinking?” one of the headmasters, Mr. Lockhart, asks.
“She wasn’t thinking, clearly,” the headmaster to the left, Mr. Layan, adds.
“Hey!” I exclaim, lurching forward slightly in my seat. A hand rests on my forearm, reminding me to keep calm. I sit back in my seat and glare at the men across from me. “I was just—”
“Being foolish?” The third headmaster, who’s name I can’t remember, says cutting me off.
“That’s not fair, let me explain,” I reply, trying to curb the whine in my voice. This fucking sucks.
“Life isn’t fair, Miss Crowe. Just because you have twelve marks, don’t expect life to give you special treatment,” Mr. Layan says, flicking a strand of his blond hair from his face.
“I’m not expecting special treatment, I’m asking for fair treatment,” I mutter, but he catches it.
“Are you talking back to me?” Mr. Layan questions, glaring at me.
“I’m sure Miss Crowe didn’t mean to, did you?” Mr. Daniels says softly, drawing the focus to himself. “Miss Crowe, if you would please listen to the headmasters, they do have concerns they wish to explain. I’m sure they were just about to get to the point?” he says, his tone laced with bite at the last part directed at the three headmasters, none of which dare to call him on it.
“Yes, yes. Miss Crowe, the people who attacked the school are members of a marked terrorist group. I’m not sure how much of this you have heard about, but they seek to start a revolution, one that would be very dangerous for both humans and our own kind,” Mr. Lockhart explains.
“I’ve heard of them, but why would they come to the academy?” I ask.
“The intelligence we were sent from the council indicates they came for two things. One of which they succeeded in getting, and the other which they failed to collect,” Mr. Lockhart answers.
“What things?” I question.
“One was a necklace, an artifact we believe came across from Ariziadia. It’s believed to strengthen the twelfth power,” the other headmaster answers, giving me a pointed look. I swallow and look between the four men in the room, already knowing the answer but needing to ask all the same.
“And, the other?” I whisper.
“They were after you, Miss Crowe,” Mr. Daniels answers, the seriousness in his low voice sending a shiver through me. I’m silent for a moment, but then a thought strikes me.
“Wait a minute, does that mean they would have gone looking for me? Gone to my dorm room?” I question.
“Well—” Mr. Layan begins, but I cut him off.
“So, you’re telling me off for leaving my room, which I would have been kidnapped from if I stayed put?” I question, not able to stop the snarky tone slipping into my voice.
&
nbsp; “Mr. Daniels was instructed to collect you if and when an attack happened. He has a copy of your full timetable, and any regular movements of yours are made known to him. You weren’t where you were meant to be.”
“You’re spying on me?” I ask as I turn to the side to face Mr. Daniels.
“Only to keep you safe. Since you were marked last week, there have been a lot of stirrings from the group. They want you. I’m not sure if it’s your power or for the show of power, but they do.”
“But, I don’t understand, you’re acting like you knew about this for longer?” I question. He sighs and runs a hand through his hair before answering.
“A gifted seer predicted a student would be given twelve marks. I’ve been here under order from the council for the past two years waiting. They wanted me to stay teaching in the school, so it would not look suspicious when the student with twelve did start,” he explains.
“You’re not really a teacher?” I ask.
“I am. Well, now I am anyway. But, my main job is to keep you safe,” he says. He turns and directs his attention to the headmasters. “I do not think Miss Crowe should be staying in the dorm any longer. It’s not safe, I need to be able to keep a closer eye on her, while not interrupting her studies.”
“What are you suggesting?” Mr. Lockhart asks, raising a thick, dark eyebrow in question.
“I think she should stay with me, I have a spare room. Then she would either be with me, in the main building, or attending a lesson,” he says. Stay with Mr. Daniels? He cannot be serious.
“I really don’t think this would be wise,” Mr. Lockhart says, narrowing his eyes on me, as if Mr. Daniels’ insane suggestion was my fault.
“I agree,”
“It’s not a suggestion Mr. Kane,” Mr. Daniels replies, finally reminding me of the third headmaster’s name.
“You can’t just—”
“Am I really going to have to call down to London and get them to overrule you?” Mr. Daniels asks, cutting Mr. Kane off.