by T. L. Clarke
She groaned painfully. "We call them the Terrible Ts because they’re twins and big troublemakers. This is the second"—she wiggled two of her fingers dramatically—"Warrior training school they’ve been in. The first one they got kicked out of, which is really no surprise. I mean, look at who they hang with." She boldly pointed her fork toward Justice, who was stalking me coldly. His gaze actually made me squirm a little.
Justice and the Terrible Ts finally stood before us, looking at us confidently. Terrible T Number One had a black baseball cap twisted backward on his head of dreads. He nibbled on the silver ball piercing lodged in his bottom lip. Terrible T Number Two had dreads braided back tightly. Justice just stood over me, looking poker-hot gorgeous with his chocolate brown hair tousled like he had just run his fingers through it impatiently. And then he did something unnerving: he smiled at me wickedly.
Terrible T Number One promptly ruffled Brooklyn’s hair playfully. "Hey Brook. What’s up, baby girl?" he asked with a smile.
She swatted his hand away. "How many times do I have to tell you that there’s no touching of the hair. Ever," she growled at him.
Terrible T Number One pulled on it again for good measure. Terrible T Number Two smiled cockily at us, then flicked Brooklyn’s hair playfully.
"Intro, please," the Terrible Ts requested in unison.
Brooklyn sighed, then rolled her eyes as she pointed over to Terrible T Number One.
"This is Terrible T Number One, Terrence." Then she pointed to Terrible T Number Two. "And this is Terrible T Number Two, Troy. And of course you know Justice." She rolled her eyes with exasperation.
Troy’s light green eyes narrowed with fake hurt. "Terrible T? Now that’s just plain rude." He pulled her hair playfully.
She gave him an evil glare as she swatted away his hand. "They’re my super annoying older brothers," she finished painfully.
Terrence’s light green eyes sparkled as he gave me a very interested stare. "I think what she means to say is that we’re her cute and available older brothers."
Justice looked at him icily. "Back off."
Brooklyn snorted loudly before going back to her eggs.
I had to admit, Terrence was very cute, but he was also very conceited. This one I had to knock down a couple of pegs—just to control the situation.
"No, she means annoying." I smiled sweetly before taking another bite of pancake.
A flicker of humor flitted across his eyes before he gave me an all-out dimpled smile. "I like it—this one has an attitude. And you’re very pretty—just like Justice said."
Justice shot him an irritated stare before pulling out a chair to sit by me, totally uninvited.
I blinked with shock before looking over at Justice, who was staring back at me with a scowl on his face. The scowl killed my moment of shock, replacing it with pure cautiousness. I mean, what did he want? My nerves rattled when I actually noticed the clean scent of soap wafting from his body, and the almost delicious heat of his leg, which I was pretty sure he was deliberately pressing against mine.
I cleared my throat noisily before scooting my chair slightly away from him, which caused him to smirk.
Also uninvited, the Terrible Ts pulled out some chairs, sitting down quickly.
Troy leaned closer to Jessica, staring at her happily. "We’re on a mission today, and we will not be deterred until it’s completed." He placed his chin in his hand and winked at Jessica.
Jessica promptly turned bright red as she choked on a spoonful of cereal.
"Jessica, right?" Troy asked quickly.
I thought any minute now Jessica would break out into a fit of nervous convulsions.
Jessica cleared her throat nervously. "Yes, nice to meet you." She was trying to act all nonchalant, but was failing miserably. I mean, who could blame her? She had a very hot guy, who was clearly interested in her, all up in her face.
Zora coughed loudly into her elbow, "Uh—awkward."
Brooklyn punched Troy in the arm, causing him to howl playfully.
"What?" He gave an annoyed stare.
Brooklyn stared right back at him. "Hello? There’s a whole tableful of NCs. Don’t be rude. Say hi."
"Yeah, hi," he said unenthusiastically before turning back to look at Jessica with a cheeky smile.
Justice snatched a piece of bacon from Brooklyn’s plate and chomped on it loudly as he pointed at my neck.
"That’s a seriously hot mark, first leveler." He leaned in, closing the distance between us to lightly trace a finger along it.
I almost choked because the instant he touched me, a weird jolt ran down my arm, almost making me drop my fork. I could tell that he also felt the weird jolt by the appearance of the frown on his face.
I quickly pulled my neck away, giving him an evil glare. "You need permission to touch, and I don’t recall me giving you any," I said sharply.
His gray eyes flashed angrily before his lips curled into a slow, unapologetic smile. "Sorry, I couldn’t help it."
I knew that the only thing he was sorry for was that I was not falling over him with glee at his weak attempt at flirting, which by the way, was so not going to happen.
His gray eyes narrowed on my neck. "Rumor is that you’re the first Eternal to be gifted with Elementi status." He leaned in real close to me, raising his finger again like he was going in for another touch, which he promptly stopped when I gave him the "you better not" stare.
Justice wagged his eyebrows flirtatiously. "Which, by the way, is super hot."
I could tell that Justice was the type of guy who was used to having girls bend to his will. And he was testing me in a major way. But what he obviously didn’t understand was that I was not the average girl. So to prove a point, I didn’t back away, but leaned in closer to him, looking at him indifferently.
He blinked with surprise before recovering by leaning over and snatching another piece of bacon from Brooklyn’s plate.
She held her fork over his hand threateningly. "Please don’t force me to inflict bodily harm," she grumbled.
Justice laughed wickedly before continuing. "So, my question is, do you get some sort of cool iced-out crown?" His gray eyes narrowed. "And if that’s the case, you better ask for a big enough crown to fit over those big ponytails of yours." He playfully pulled on my curly, fluffy, dog-eared ponytails.
I punched him playfully on the arm. "First, there’s no touching of the ponytails. Second, there’s no iced-out crown, well, at least that I know of. But if I do get one"—I wagged my eyebrows suggestively— "you’ll be the first to know." I winked at him.
His smiled widened before he looked over at the table full of middle levelers trying hard to pretend that they were not listening to our conversation. I noticed that Super CVV was simply livid, her eyes flashing with pure hatred.
He shook his head with amusement, and his chocolate brown hair softly brushed against his brow. "Okay, did you hear that? There’s no iced-out crown, so you can cross that off the rumor list," he yelled over to them, then looked back at me and winked. "Now they can move on to more important rumors. Like the one about the Elementi spiking our water with magic to super enhance our muscles." He pumped and flexed his arms like a bodybuilder.
Against my better judgment, I smiled at him. "You’re seriously hilarious, but if I were you, I would start chugging that magic water like crazy because your arms are seriously puny."
Justice chuckled loudly. "Hmm, interesting. Do you know that you’re the first NC that’s not been morbidly afraid of me? Well, except for that one over there." He pointed carelessly over at Brooklyn, who gave him the evil eye.
"I kind of like that. It’s just too bad that you’re off the eligible NC list." He paused, his lips curling into a soft smile before he leaned in close to my ear with his lips practically grazing it. "Because you and I would definitely be fun…together," he whispered.
I couldn’t tell whether he was still joking or serious. My eyes widened as he looked at me with a seriously
interested gleam.
Jessica started giggling nervously at something that Troy was whispering to her, which mercifully broke the awkward moment.
Terrence rolled his eyes with exasperation as he looked over at Troy. "Hey Troy! Back off, man. You’re making Jessica super nervous." He gave us a wide, toothy smile. "I think he actually likes her," he whispered loudly.
Terrence jabbed Justice in the side really hard. "Justice, we’ve got to go." He shook his head impatiently. "Class? Remember?"
But Justice and I were not paying him much attention because our eyes were locked in some sort of weird connection stare that I was trying desperately to break. Something in his eyes changed, and emotions that I couldn’t quite read flittered across them, turning them steel gray.
Justice growled low in his throat. His voice was now husky and low. "Bad timing, man—things were just about to get"—he traced a finger softly against my cheek—"real interesting."
I pulled my cheek away from his touch as I cleared my throat noisily. "Very," I answered reluctantly.
Troy winked at Jessica. "See you later."
They all jumped up and started to walk away when Justice stopped and looked over at me wickedly. "I’ll be seeing you…soon."
I actually gulped nervously, which freaking annoyed me to no end. I watched as they walked away with Justice looking around impatiently. Troy and Terrence clapped him on his back playfully as they looked back at me, then strode out of the dining room without a backward glance.
Brooklyn gave Jessica a toothy smile. "I think Troy really likes you," she said in a singsong voice.
Jessica blushed as she blew a strand of blonde hair off her brow. "He seems really…nice."
Brooklyn gave her an incredulous look. "Uh, nice? I love them, but they don’t have the nickname Terrible Ts for nothing. They are always getting in trouble, and under their misguided leader, Justice." She looked at me pointedly when she said "Justice."
I pushed away my now-cold pancakes. "Why are you looking at me when you say ‘Justice’?" I asked cattily.
Brooklyn smiled naughtily. "Isn’t it obvious? You were both flirting it up, like, big time, and I think—"
I held up my hand, interrupting her quickly. "What? That’s not even true. We were just talking. That’s it," I responded hotly, maybe a little too hotly.
She held up her hands. "Umm, you’re a little defensive there, something to hide?" She smirked. "Anyway, I’m not the only one who noticed how much flirting was going down between you two. Super CVV was fuming, and I loved every minute of it," she chortled.
I rolled my eyes. "Whatever. Anyway…what was that little jab about me being off the eligible NC list?"
Brooklyn rolled her eyes dramatically. "The NC list is a disgusting NA tradition. Every school year, they have a contest to see who can get with the most NCs—first, middle or end levelers."
I sneered with disgust. "That’s seriously tragic."
"No, what’s seriously tragic is that, every year, NCs fall right into the contest trap hook, line, and sinker thinking that they’re going to get themselves an NA boyfriend out of it—not. And Justice, Terrence, and Troy are the ringleaders of the whole disgusting thing. They go through NCs like water…heartless, those three."
Rosalinda snickered, then continued sipping her second cappuccino.
I looked over at Rosalinda curiously. I couldn’t figure it out, but something about her was very different. Maybe it was just the fact that she had her hair pulled roughly into a ponytail with very little makeup, or the fact that she had a serious aura today.
I asked casually, "So, Rosalinda, where were you last night? You missed a seriously good Gabby Girls Adventure that involved spying and stuff. You would have loved it."
She looked up, startled, with bagel in mid-bite. "Last night?" She fixed an awkward smile on her face. "Nothing, just walking around the castle, trying to get some air. I was a little crazy after having a wicked argument with Papa."
Zora smiled slightly. "That’s cool. We were, you know, just a bit worried about you."
Rosalinda smiled brightly. "I’m okay now; I guess I’ve got to learn how to let some things go and move on with my new life. All I want to do now is just concentrate on being the best Neophyte that I can. Isn’t that what’s important?" she asked with a weird glint in her eyes.
Jessica nodded her head enthusiastically as she scoffed down spoonfuls of her now-soggy cereal. "You’re so right, Rosalinda. I mean, we have a new life now, and I think it’s going to rock."
Rosalinda smiled slyly. "That’s putting it mildly."
chapter
FOURTEEN
We walked out of the dining room and crossed the jam-packed C-Yard rapidly. I held my head up haughtily as some the Neophytes pointed and stared at me. I sent a wish to the universe that the whole Akasha reincarnated thing would just die down as the hottest gossip. Otherwise, it was going to be a really long first year.
Brooklyn waved to a couple of NCs before entering an arched entrance leading into a brightly lit hallway with torches anchored to the gray stone walls. They quickly walked into the ultramodern classroom with sun streaming through the windows, across black leather high-backed chairs arranged in an open circle before a podium on a low platform.
A tall, svelte, pretty, redheaded Circle with sparkling green eyes strode into class, wearing a knee-length, body-hugging dark blue dress and knee-high black leather stiletto boots.
"Good order, justice, and peace, class." She scanned the room swiftly. "To all my newbies, my name is Circle Aceso." She gave me a sweet smile. Her voice was husky. "Welcome to level one of Defensive Magic."
She looked at the class sharply. "And by the graciousness of Athena, I hope that each and every one of you will be fortunate enough to crest and make it to level two."
Jessica raised her hand hesitantly. "Um, Circle Aceso, what is ‘level one’ and ‘crest’?"
She cracked a picture-perfect white smile. "Neophyte Jessica, there is absolutely no need to be nervous. Speak your mind. Be bold. Your voice counts. In fact, it is very important that each and every one of you express yourself strongly, whether right or wrong. No topic is unapproachable, for the nature of Transcendence Hall is that everyone will be at different levels of understanding Eternal knowledge." She looked around the class excitedly. "I expect, no, I demand that you be curious, that you ask questions of me and your fellow Neophytes. Understand?"
Jessica smiled, then nodded.
"Okay that aside…to crest is to reach the fullest potential of your gifts and powers." She looked around the class as she practically glided up to her desk and picked up four thin laptops and four books. "Now, who will explain levels to Jessica?"
An NC raised her hand quickly, prompting Aceso to acknowledge her.
"Every Neophyte will go through levels of training from one to five, and at each level, we will be judged. If it is determined that we are worthy to advance to the next level, then we move on." The NC stuttered nervously through the whole explanation.
Aceso pursed her lips thoughtfully as she walked through the class. "Obviously, you, my Neophytes, are in level one. And everything that you will be taught will prepare you to pass this level. However, it’s up to you to learn and study hard. That means taking copious notes, soaking up everything you can from your mentors, and last but not least…study, study, study." She looked at the class sternly. "That means less partying and more studying…got it?"
She passed Jessica, Zora, Rosalinda, and me each a laptop and book.
She looked at us pointedly. "The book is the Eternal manual, a collection of all of the intelligence we’ve gathered on the Supernaturals, Banished, and Daemons—strengths, weaknesses, and habits. I advise you to devour every morsel of information, for someday it just might save your life."
I raised my hand. "Circle Aceso? So what happens if you fail to move to the next level?"
Everyone looked around with anxious expressions.
"A ceremony is perf
ormed. For NCs, your scarlet pendant will be confiscated, and for both NCs and NAs, your gifts and powers will be extracted. But don’t worry. A memory wipe via an amnesia spell is quite customary. Then you will remember nothing about the Eternals or the Elementi, and you will be happily returned to the Normal realm for absorption into their society. It’s just so much easier and more humane that way," she finished nonchalantly.
I looked at her like she was crazy. Uh, what? Amnesia spell? This was some seriously psychotic stuff.
"Nothing?" I asked quickly. "How do you go from knowing everything to knowing nothing just like that?" I snapped my fingers loudly.
She sighed as if this was a question she’d answered a million times. "Everyone, take a good look at the Neophyte on your right."
Everyone quickly did as she asked.
"Now take a good look at the Neophyte on your left."
Everyone followed her instructions.
She continued with a bored expression. "I don’t normally guarantee anything in our world, but this one, well, is a sure guarantee. Fifty percent of this class will not make it past level one. It’s up to you to ensure that you are not one of the fifty percent," she stated matter-of-factly.
The class gasped, looking around at each other nervously.
She glided through the class. "Many are called to the Eternals, but few are chosen. It would be very wise to remember that."
They all looked at her worriedly as the murmuring picked up.
She clapped her hands together loudly before walking to each of our desks and eyeballing us. "This is the absolute truth of our world. I will not sugarcoat anything, and neither will the rest of your professors and mentors. This is our reality." She paused. "Besides, not making it past level one is not the end of your existence. It may be for your involvement with the Eternals, but you can still live a very productive and normal life."
She sauntered over to the podium and smiled broadly. "So, now that we’ve gotten the level thing out of the way, let’s get on with my well-prepared lesson for today. I’m going to do something just a little different. Just to mix it up a bit, I’m going to let you, my dear Neophytes, teach me. I’ll randomly select you, and you’ll run the show." She smiled sweetly. "But as usual, I do expect you to be respectful to one another."