“All I need to do is pass this year and those creeps will leave me alone?” I kept my voice low. This place made my skin crawl, but I wasn’t sure why.
“That’s correct,” Isabella said. “You must try your best. This academy is highly competitive.” She frowned, shifting her weight nervously even though she wasn’t the one enrolling here today.
I didn’t understand the connection between the school and the cannibals. When I asked Isabella questions about it, she just said that it was all part of the Truce’s terms. So, I had to be a good student and I wouldn’t get eaten. Not cool at all. Deranged, actually. Who thought up this arrangement?
I’d do anything to pass my classes. As long as I wasn’t expected to do some witchy stuff, because I couldn’t do any of that stuff. At least, not that I knew of.
The girl in front of us gave me a top to bottom once-over, sneered, then faced forward. Wow, not friendly. I doubted I’d make any friends, these people were all freaks after all, which made me miss Elena even more.
Soon it was our turn to approach the tables. A dark haired woman with an easy smile welcomed me.
“Caprice Sorrentino. Witch,” she said. “You’ll be in the witches’ dorm. Last building on the left side. Room 219. Here’s your key. All other materials are in your packet.” She handed me the bulging manila envelope. “Orientation is at midnight tonight. Again details are in your packet.”
“Uh, okay…”
Isabella tugged on my arm. “Let’s go find your room and get you settled.”
“Why is orientation at midnight?”
“Most academy business, and all classes, take place at night.” She saw my confused expression. “It’s easier that way. Witches, werewolves, shifters, and fae may be able to stand the daylight, but vampires certainly cannot.”
I halted on the front steps. “Wait. I’m going to school with vampires? Like blood-sucking vampires?”
“I thought I’d told you all of that.” Isabella brushed silver hair out of her face. “Sorry. Yes, vampires do drink blood but they don’t drink from people. It’s not like the movies—at least not any more. Don’t worry about it.”
“Don’t worry about it? Are you insane? I was attacked by a vampire.”
“I understand your concern. But you were attacked by a Tromara vampire. That’s completely different. Look, it’s going to take some time for you to acclimate to all of this. I wish I’d had more time to prepare you.” She brushed past me to the car, ending the conversation.
After a moment, I descended the stairs and got into the passenger seat. Isabella was acting weird and I couldn’t figure out why.
I silently chewed the inside of my cheek as we drove the short distance to a three story rectangular building. Above the door were the words: McIver Dorm, established 1872.
I had my two suitcases and a box of personal items from my old bedroom in Baltimore. Isabella carried the box and I took the rest up to the second floor. My room had a single large window in the far wall, two twin beds, two dressers, desks, and closets. I assumed at some point I’d be getting a roommate.
I chose the bed closest to the door, rolling the cases over to it. Isabella set the box down. She turned to me, wrapping me in a bone-crunching hug.
“I’m sorry about all of this. I’d hoped to send you to Europe for college, far away from here,” she said. “But now that the Tromara know about you, that’s impossible.” She gripped my arms, her intense gaze shone with unshed tears. “We’ll make the best of it. Follow the rules. Focus on your studies. Just pass this year, then next year will be easier.” Tears slid down her cheeks and she wiped at them. “And after that you’ll be done. Then you can choose any four year college you want.” Isabella hugged me again.
“Okay. I will.” I frowned into her hair. “Are you all right?”
She sniffed. “I’m so sorry,” she whispered before pulling away. “Text me when you can. I love you.”
“Love you too,” I said as she slipped out of the room, confused by her intense emotions and apology. What could she possibly be sorry for? She was doing everything in her power to fight for me.
I sighed, sinking down to the edge of the bed. This was it. My first day—or rather night—of college had begun.
To pass the time, I took a long nap. Getting used to sleeping during the day and taking classes at night was going to be a challenge. My alarm went off at eleven o’clock. I didn’t want to miss Orientation.
From the envelope, I pulled out a campus map and my schedule. Orientation was held in Sorrentino Hall, which was about a ten minute walk from my dorm. It was weird seeing my last name in the school’s literature. These people probably knew my family’s history, they certainly knew more than I did. I felt exposed.
My classes for the first quarter were:
11:00pm - 11:55pm - History - Gi Hall Rm 106
12:15am - 1:10am - Magic 101 - Aeras Hall Rm 100
Break
2:00am - 2:55am - Potions - Gi Hall Rm 201
3:15am - 4:10am - Mythology - Gi Hall Rm 311
Dinner
That didn’t sound too bad. Except, I had a feeling that Jaxon was going to be my History teacher. His statement about his flirting with me being a means to an end still stung. What an asshole.
I looked myself over in the full length mirror that hung from the door. Not too bad for being up in the middle of the night. I decided to add my leather jacket to the jeans and T-shirt. It made me feel stronger, ready to face freaking vampires and a building with my name on it.
Heading to Sorrentino Hall, I tried to blend in with the several hundred other students and teachers. Honestly, they looked disappointingly normal. I figured the vampires were the ones with paler skin, but I couldn’t be sure.
Against the flow, right toward me, moved a familiar tall, tan form. Angel. He winked when he spotted me in the crowd. Which made my knees go weak.
“Hey, Caprice,” he said as he brushed past. His caramel eyes alight with flirtation.
I wanted to be cool and say hey back to him, instead I stared until he disappeared from view.
Someone cleared their throat, bringing me back to my surroundings. Five girls stood in front of me. Their arms folded, and their stances vaguely threatening.
The one in front studied me, a sneer twisting her lips. “Keep your eyes to yourself. Angel is mine.”
“Whatever,” I muttered, continuing to the Hall. Mean girls were nothing new to me, and I could spot them in an instant. Better not to engage. Besides, she could have Angel. He was friends with Jaxon after all, which put him in the asshole category, by association if nothing else.
Sorrentino Hall held a monstrously huge room with a vaulted ceiling and row after row of benches that faced a stage. I sat in the back row on the end, warily watching everyone file in. Most seemed to sit with pre-established cliques.
A hush fell over the hall as a tall, pixie-haired woman took the stage. She was probably in her forties, dressed in a long black robe that tied at her slim waist. As she took her place behind the podium, translucent wings sprouted from her shoulders.
I gaped for several seconds. They were beautiful, if a little disturbing. Blue and yellow light undulated within the wings’ fragile structure.
“Good morning,” she said, “I am Sophia Wright, Dean of Academy Obscura. I welcome you all.” Her strong voice echoed in the Hall. “This school serves two purposes: To keep the Truce, and to teach supernaturals how to control their gifts, so that you may interact with the human world. After two years here, you’ll have an Associates Degree that is transferable to any four-year college. However,” her gaze briefly dropped, “the lowest ten percent of students will not receive their degree. But they will be honored and respected for eternity by the supernatural community.”
Several people around me glanced knowingly at each other. Talk about a competitive school, and a great way to get everyone starting to size each other up. Stay out of the lowest ten percent. Got it.
“Po
ints status for each student will begin being posted once the first term concludes. For now, you’ll need to focus on your studies. In order to do that, we’ve found that a distraction free environment is best.” Dean Wright motioned toward several people at the back of the room. They started down the aisles with baskets. “Please hand your phone to our faculty members. Phone calls are allowed on the weekends only. You will have to come to my office to retrieve your device.”
Now that was total crap! I pulled my cell out of my pocket. How was I supposed to stay in touch with Elena, or Isabella, or social media, or the world? Glancing at it, I noticed the text across the top: No Signal.
The phone-collector had arrived, holding the basket out for my device. With a sigh, I reluctantly handed it to him. He slipped it into a plastic bag and wrote my name on a label.
“Where is the dean’s office?” I asked him.
“Dean’s Hall, second floor.”
I sighed.
He moved on down the row.
Only calls on the weekend. Only if I could get cell reception. This was going to be like the Dark Ages.
After taking all our precious devices away, Dean Wright continued with Orientation. “As you are new to the Academy, we have but one rule…don’t go outside the walls for any reason. Ever. The Academy is not responsible for student safety.” She put her palms together in a prayer-like gesture. “I wish you the best of luck for your Culling Year.”
As she walked off the stage, students rose and headed for the doors. I shuffled into the stream of bodies.
This was one weird school. Not responsible for student safety? Culling Year? What did that even mean? What happened to the students who didn’t graduate?
Something was not right about this place. A cold, prickly sensation spread over my shoulders. I had the feeling that more than my academic standing was going to be at stake.
I opened my dorm room door to the sound of muttering inside. Poking my head in, I found my roommate unpacking. She had purple and black hair, a tall willowy build, and wore a floral romper.
She squeaked when she saw me. “Oh, hello. I’m Madison Swan.” She extended a hand.
“Caprice Sorrentino,” I said, shaking it.
“Oh! A Sorrentino. I’m so excited. So…” she said, “we’re in the same dorm, you must be a witch too. I mean, of course you are. Duh.” Her big brown eyes made me think of Bambi’s girlfriend.
I shrugged. “That’s what they keep saying. It must be true.”
“You don’t know for sure? How can you not? My family is generation after generation of witches. Your’s is too, but you already know that.”
“Actually, I grew up in the foster system.”
“Oh.” She gazed at the floor. “Sorry.”
“It’s okay.” I sat on my twin bed across the room. “How do you know you’re a witch, besides all of your family being witches?”
She sat down. “Well, I…came into my gift at twelve. It was actually terrifying.” Her large eyes stared into mine. “One moment I was sleeping and the next I woke up floating in the air. I screamed and fell to the floor. Of course my sisters and brother laughed. They’re all older than me, so they’ve been through it all. They called me Baby Maddy for a long time, too. But not anymore. Now I’m at the Academy.” Her gaze lit up with excitement.
Chatty Maddy would have been a better name for her, but at least she was nice.
“Do you like, cast spells and stuff?” I asked.
She laughed. “Oh no. Witches can’t do that until we get our wands at the Academy.” Madison peeked at me through her lashes. “You really don’t know anything about being a witch do you?”
I shook my head.
“Have you ever wished really hard for something and it happened?” she asked.
I was used to a life where wishes didn’t come true. But, I wasn’t going to tell her that, it sounded way to melodramatic. “Nope. Never had that happen.”
“Not once? It happens to me all the time. Once, I stole Mama’s pie because I was really hungry and it smelled so good. She came after me with her broom—that’s how mad she was— and I was so scared. But by the time she found my hiding spot the pie had disappeared. Just vanished from my hands. Of course, Mama knew I’d taken it. She couldn’t prove it though.” Madison frowned. “The sad thing is, that pie never came back. I don’t know where the disappearing things go. Do you?”
“Not a clue. Like I said, I’ve never had anything like that happen.”
Madison chewed on her thumbnail. “Are you nervous about tomorrow? First day of school?”
“A little, yeah.” I leaned forward. “What do you know about this Culling Year and the bottom ten percent not getting to graduate? That seems really strange to me. And harsh.”
Her eyes grew so wide, I was afraid they’d pop out. “You don’t know about the Culling?” She gasped. “Everyone knows about it.”
“Well, I don’t. Want to enlighten me?”
In a near whisper, she said, “The Culling keeps the Truce alive.”
When she didn’t continue, I folded my arms. “I don’t even know what that means.” Why had Isabella sent me here in such a state of ignorance? Jaxon hadn’t said anything about any of this either. I felt like an idiot and a complete outsider.
“I’ll tell you.” She visibly swallowed. “The Tromara and the rest of the supernaturals used to fight a lot. But the Tromara were too strong—”
“I do know about the Tromara. Cannibals…and all that.”
“Oh good. So they were too strong and the supernaturals were losing. They met and came up with the Truce. The terms they settled on are better than the alternative, even if is doesn’t seem like it for us.”
“And the Truce terms are..?”
“Basically a yearly sacrifice. Academy Obscura was created to make the sacrifice into an organized system. Every year the lowest ten percent of students are sacrificed to the Tromara.”
I stared at her, brow furrowed. “You’re not joking.”
“No. I’d never joke about something like that. Freshman year here is a competition like no other. If you fall below the ten percent line…unknown horror awaits you at the end of the year. No one really knows what the Tromara do with their sacrifices, besides the obvious. Eat them.” Madison wrapped her arms around her shoulders and shivered. “I come from a long line of witches, but there are no guarantees here.”
Sweet Grandma Isabella had sent me to a school where I had to academically compete for my life. I wanted to cry and scream at the same time. Then a thought occurred to me. “Madison, are there other schools like this? In other parts of the world?”
“This Academy is the only one in the United States. Under the terms of the Truce, all supernaturals living in the country have to send their children here. For a while they were sending them overseas. When the Tromara found out they killed those entire families.” Her forehead bunched. “No one does that anymore.”
“My grandma had no choice then. As soon as the Tromara found out about me, she had to send me here.” I said it to myself more than to her. But Isabella had talked about sending me to Europe for college. She was willing to risk her life to spare me having to go here. And I’d been stupid, going outside on the full moon. If only I’d listened to Isabella. If only I’d taken her seriously.
Again, I wanted to scream and cry. This was all my fault.
9
Caprice
At ten fifty-five the next night, I walked into my first class. Jaxon stood at the front of the room, ignoring the students as they filtered into History class. I immediately bristled, even though I’d been mentally preparing myself for having to face him today.
I slumped down in the back row. The further from him the better. He wore black slacks and white dress shirt that clung to his broad shoulders. I glanced away before he felt my gaze. That was when I noticed the front row was filled with those mean girls, their attention locked on him.
Whatever. They could have the jerk for al
l I cared.
A loud thump next to me drew my attention. Across the aisle sat a girl dressed in all black with long blond hair and heavy dark eyeliner. She curled her lips back when she caught me staring, showing off a pair of deadly fangs.
Holy fuck! She was a vampire. Averting my gaze, I rummaged in my backpack, pulling out a notebook and pen. I nervously tapped the end of the writing utensil on the wooden desk. Jaxon looked up from the papers he’d been shuffling. His gaze swept across the classroom’s auditorium style seating. When he found me, his grey eyes hardened and his jaw worked. A moment later he was back to studying the top of his desk.
I sighed. This class was probably mandatory for first year students, otherwise he would have found a way out of being my teacher. Instead we both just had to make the best of it. And I had to make the best of sitting across from a vampire.
Someone snickered at the front of the room. The bitchy girls from yesterday sat in a cluster, and they were all staring at me. One of them glanced from Jaxon to me and back again, then whispered to the others. They giggled.
Great. Mean girls and Jaxon first thing in the morning. This was going to a fantastic term. I groaned, trying to ignore the girls.
“Welcome to History 101. I’m Mr. McIver.” Jaxon’s voice rang strong and resonate in the stone-walled classroom. It sent tingles through me. I clenched my teeth against my body’s reaction. “In this class, you’ll learn all about the history of the supernatural and the Tromara. Please step forward to collect your textbook.”
I was near the back of the line that shuffled toward Jaxon—or Mr. McIver. When my turn was up, I snagged the book from his desk. His gaze read over a paper in his hand, but his attention was on me. I could feel his commanding presence reaching out for me, once again threatening to engulf me.
For a second, it felt like this cold distance between us was all wrong. I wanted to reach out to him. Then I remembered that he was the one who’d created the distance, and his exact words. He’d been very clear about how much I did not mean to him. I retreated back to my seat in a hurry, accidentally bumping into the vampire.
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