CONVICTION OF THE DAMNED: SUPERNO ACADEMY BOOK ONE

by Tierney Storer

  The panic in my chest began to flare, but before I could get too worried Dari nodded firmly, gently pushing me towards the dorms.

  “Off you go then poppet, I’ll go get she-hulk before she gets her dumb ass eaten.” I would have loved to refuse, and vehemently argued that I could stay and search for my sister.

  But I just nodded, knowing I wouldn’t be able to do more than get in Dari’s way.

  “I’ll come with you Dari; I can taste the shadow coming from a mile off.” Allie bared her teeth, her eyes suddenly transforming into golden yellow slits. “Would hate to lose the only girl here who could probably beat me in a fight so soon.”

  Dari chuckled and the pair headed off, with one last pointed look at me to get inside and hide.

  “Come on Laina, we’re better off being safe.” Tory smiled gently and tucked a lock of her short hair behind her ear. I could see the desire to fight in her eyes and wondered why she hadn’t offered to do the same thing as Allie.

  “You sure you don’t want to go protect some Princesses?” I teased half-heartedly.

  Tory growled, yanking my hand, and making me walk quickly to our dorms.

  “I am protecting a Princess, so I'm more than happy to stay right by your cute butt all damn night if needs be.” I knew she was only messing with me, but the compliment still rang through my head over and over, leaving a stupid too-bright grin plastered on my face. I knew it was cowardly to run from a fight, but right in this moment I didn’t seem to care. Tory was with me and that was enough. She thinks I'm cute…

  Kaida

  Stupid damn bird with his stupid fucking voice that sounds really deep and makes my spine tingle. How dare he. I want to hit him in his ridiculously pretty face. Bet he doesn’t even know how to throw a punch; he probably relies on those stupid powers he has.

  I was traipsing through the woods, stomping my feet, and cursing out the people I had the misfortune of meeting in this school. It was my first day and I already had a few wannabe enemies, one of which blamed me for my so-called parents killing his, and the other wanting to suck on me like a god damn juice box. Plus, it wasn’t even the end of day and I had already had a fight, attempted murder, and walked out of class.

  I had thought the day couldn’t get any worse. Then I had turned left on the path, heading in the direction of the school barrier, hoping to hop whatever fence I found and go exploring, only to come face to face with half a bloody army and their weapons.

  Ryder and Professor Long were leading a group of twenty or so Guard members, each one carrying a sword or even two. Long barked an order and half of the group left with him, leaving me hiding in a bush I had jumped into, waiting for Ryder to leave too.

  I didn’t know what the hell was going on, but I didn’t want to get involved. Detention was apparently still a thing here and I really couldn’t be bothered with the hassle. If I were made to run laps around the school I wouldn’t mind so much, but if it were anything remotely related to actual schoolwork I was screwed.

  “Spread out and keep your head down as best as you can; remember not to look the shadow in the eyes!” Ryder yelled.

  Oh shit I'm dead. I'm going to get murdered by that demon thing as soon as I turn my back. I blame the leech. If he hadn’t pissed me off, then I wouldn’t be out here.

  “This way, we can meet Long in the middle and come back down!” Ryder instructed his minions, and they all ran off, yapping like dogs in their anticipation for a fight, leaving me stuck in a bush one wrong move away from becoming another monsters dinner.

  Now that I was alone, I could sense the weird aura in the air. The birds weren’t chirping, the wind had stopped blowing, and the general sounds of a school were nowhere to be heard. It was eerie and even though I wasn’t the sort to get spooked easy, I found myself covered with goose bumps and a pit in my stomach that no amount of deep breaths could remove.

  But as I wasn’t the sort to just lie back and die, I figured I would make a mad run for it, in whatever direction seemed the most appealing. So, with a groan I climbed to my feet, ignoring the twigs and leaves that had made their way into my hair, and tried to figure out where to go.

  Long had gone to the left, Ryder to the right, which meant I could either go back the way I came or to the edge of the boundary like I had originally intended. Figuring that the main school was better I span round, beginning a light jog towards the Green Room through the wonderful silence of the Whispering Wood. Or at least, it was silent, until I was deep in the depths and my head began to fill with a weird rattling noise.

  I didn’t know if rattling were the right word to describe it, but it was the best thing I could think of. It was quiet but strong, like the sound of a drill if you were listening through a wall. The noise was coming from nowhere and everywhere all at once, and the louder it got the more I had the urge to puke my guts up or cry – and I didn’t cry. Tears where for the weak and I had shed none since I was a child.

  My feet went a little faster, edging closer into a run. Whatever was making the noise was not something I had any desire to meet.

  “Are you scared little one?”

  The voice that haunted my nightmares spoke inside my head, sending a shockwave of terror through my soul. I stumbled, almost falling flat on my ass, before growling and pushing myself on further.

  A deep echoing laugh echoed around the woods, trying its best to send me down memory lane. At the same time the clouds dulled, with a fog of grey mist spreading out around the earthy floor, hiding the vines and path from me. I stumbled more times than I could count.

  “Are you weak Kaida? Do I need to show you what happens to people who are weak?”

  I cursed, slamming my feet against the floor, and sprinting as fast as humanly possible. I didn’t know what was going on, but the simple fact my greatest fear’s voice was being thrown about my mind meant it was not good. So, I kept going, glad I had spent my years learning how to run. I never felt an ache of pain; I was numb and could do this for hours, if not for the onslaught of mental bullets being shot into my head, destroying a good chunk of any resolve I may have had.

  “What happens if you displease me little one? What happens if you fail?”

  The sun was gone completely now and along with it the heat. I was freezing cold to my core, struggling to stop the chattering of my teeth. But I kept going, knowing beyond a doubt that the consequences of my failure would be great. Just like they had been as a child, and we had been trapped in that hellhole of a foster family.

  “Why do you tremble child, are you scared of me?”

  Without warning a large boulder smashed into my side, taking me straight off my feet and smacking my body right into the thick trunk of the nearest tree. I caught a glimpse of blue eyes and blonde hair before I dropped to the ground with a yelp, cursing the stinging pain radiating along my spine as I blacked out a little.

  My fingers dug into the dirt, trying to find the strength to push me back up right. But the world around me turned dark as a wound on my head dizzied my vision. Bright spots of white light clouded my eyes, and my ears rang. For the briefest second I was transported back to my childhood as my body became numb with cold and terror I had not felt in many years.

  The ropes holding my hands together were too tight for me to break. They dug into my wrists and ankles no doubt leaving welts behind. I wanted to whimper, cry or scream, or even just be able to let out any sound. But I couldn’t bring myself to do it.

  Even though I could have sworn I had a broken rib, and the knife marks along my forearms were stinging as they bled profusely.

  “Come on little one; vocalize your pain and prove me right.” He whispered – the man who owned me.

  “Never.” I growled pack in response. “This doesn’t hurt.” He chuckled, trailing a finger over my bruised cheekbone.

  “It will hurt soon Kaida. I promise.”

  With a string of curses, I came too, shoving the memory of my past back down into the deep dark recesses of my mind. I clam
bered to my feet, shaking off the pain and bright spots in my vision, as I ran towards the entrance to the woods. Barely a minute later I was stumbling over again to throw up, paying yet another price for my head injury.

  Once I was sure I had nothing left inside my stomach I carried on running, heading right for the blinding lights of the courtyard I could vaguely see in the distance. The closer I got the warmer I became, and the rattling inside the woods lowered its volume to almost nothing.

  There was another glimpse of golden hair through the trees, but before I could react the sounds of pounding feet reached my ears.

  “KAIDA!” Dari shouted my name beyond the clearing and relief flooded through me; she had come to save me like she always did.

  “Sono qui sorella!” I'm here sister.

  By the time I could see straight again I was being hoisted off the dirty ground and clutched in the warm embrace of my sister.

  “Shit Kaida, you look like you’ve had a fist fight with a bushy rock.” Allie teased, “Are you okay to walk or do you need help?”

  Dari held me tight against her side, using her one arm to hold my entire weight off the floor.

  “You were close. I had a fight with a tree,” I tried to laugh but it hurt too much, “and I'm okay, just a little lightheaded. Thanks for the offer though.” I stared at Dari meaningfully and she let me go with a sigh, knowing I would rather walk injured than be carried like a weakling.

  Allie nodded quickly, complimenting my warrior spirit like she understood my desire to save face.

  “As much as I love these woods, we need to get moving ladies; the shadows wait for no woman and I had no inclinations of being eaten by anything other than my pack today.” Allie winked and I burst out laughing, refusing to hold onto my side and feel that pain. The girl was funny, and I would laugh if I damn well wanted to.

  The three of us headed back to the dorms, not running as fast as I had been before, but keeping to a sturdy pace. I didn’t know if I were the one slowing things down, but as nobody said anything to me, I could pretend that it was just the speed they wanted to go. Unfortunately, that meant that by the time we reached the dorm, we were already too late to hide away from a certain Vampiro and his goons.

  Ryder, Professor Long and three guard members I didn’t know were stood outside the dorm talking quietly, anxiety and nerves vibrating off them clear as day. I made out my own name and the word manhunt before I realised what it was they were scared of; they thought we were missing or worse.

  “Vampiro!” Dari said, not bothering to raise her voice due to Ryder’s bat hearing, “What’s with all the fuss?”

  Quick as a flash Ryder was by our sides, his cold dead hands grabbing hold of Dari’s arm as he swung her towards him.

  “Where the fuck have you been?” He snarled furiously, his emerald eyes pulsing with rage.

  “Woah, calmati Vampiro. We came back to the dorms like requested, sorry we can’t all run with your speed.” She snapped, but with no real attitude behind it. Allie chuckled under breath and waltzed inside the dorm, waving us goodbye as she did.

  We made a move to follow but Ryder stuck his hand out, the cold bare skin of his forearm almost touching me.

  “Testa di cazzo!” I swore, jumping back before the filthy Vampire could touch me. “Back the fuck off Ryder.” I glared at him, but I knew it wouldn’t do much. I was covered in mud, dirt and leaves so was hardly in prime scaring mode. I looked like a fool.

  Dari quickly put herself between me and Ryder, taking care to make her movements seem normal and not like she was prepared to be a human shield should the need arise. Ryder narrowed his eyes and dropped his arm, keeping it rested on his sword’s handle instead.

  “We’ve been searching for you; I thought you were dead.” He was angry, but from the way he was glaring at my sister told me he wasn’t angry with me all that much. It seemed the little Vampiro didn’t want my sister dead after all.

  He let us walk past into the dorm and ignored the summons from the other Guards as he followed us up the stairs.

  “Qualcosa mi ha colpito. Qualcosa di forte che mi ha gettato su un albero.” Something hit me. Something strong that threw me into a tree. Dari raised a brow, ignoring Ryder for a moment.

  “Hai visto cosa? O chi?” She asked if I had seen who had done it, but I couldn’t be too sure.

  I knew who I thought I had seen, but the idea of that answer being right made my head hurt, and I was in no mood to think about that.

  “Penso che avrebbe potuto essere la sanguisuga, ma non lo so con certezza.” I think it could have been the leech, but I don't know for sure. Dari bit her lip and shook her head; we would discuss this later when there were no others present. Ryder might not have known Italian, or Caledonian as they called it, but he would understand the name of his brother when I accused him of hurting me…

  As usual there was a crowd to witness my embarrassment. I didn’t mind Laina, Tory or Allie being there, especially when Laina immediately ran to me and hugged me tight. But the five Heirs were splayed about the couch in perfect seating to see me in this state and I was not a fan of that in the slightest.

  “What happened?” Ryder asked, refusing Dari’s lie about us simply walking slow, or even the story she gave of me tripping over my own feet.

  I ignored him and headed to the fridge, grabbing a bottle of water out of it, and downing it in one. The cool drink helped my aching throat a little but did nothing for the burn beneath my skin. I was going to require an actual doctor for that purpose or tough it out for a long time. Fucking brilliant.

  “Are you okay Kaida?” Ember asked kindly.

  “Just peachy.” I replied, offering him a smile.

  Ryder slapped a palm onto the table, anger in his wild eyes.

  “Just answer the damn question!” He shouted. “I need to know what happened.”

  “Penso che il Vampiro voglia metterti il suo cazzo dentro; sembra terribilmente arrabbiato per il fatto che te ne sei andato.” I replied, causing both my sisters to giggle and snort.

  Ryder turned his frustration on me, his sharp face twisted as he tried to figure out what I had said. But apart from the word Vampiro he really had no idea.

  “Did you insult me? Because if you’re going to do that at least have the balls to do it in English.” He snarled, taking a step towards me.

  I moved closer to him, raising my chin, and staring him down. Or staring up was more accurate considering he was probably an entire foot taller than I.

  “Or what Vampiro? You going to bite me like your sanguisuga of a brother? Or are you just going to stand there shouting your words like I care about what you have to say.”

  I strode past him and took up the empty armchair, refusing to flinch as I flounced down, and a shiver of pain shot up my back. My mask of indifference was on, and I refused to show anything other than boredom and anger. One stupid Vampire would not faze me.

  “Kaida said she thinks you want Dari to suck your cock because you seem super pissed off that she went missing.” Xavier piped up with a wicked grin, “I'm paraphrasing but you get what she meant.”

  Does the god damn pigeon speak Italian? Why didn’t he say something earlier when insulted him to his face.

  “Tu parli Italiano ragazzo uccello?” I snapped, cutting my eyes at the stupid boy as he lay back against the couch smirking.

  “Lo parlo Italiano. Quindi forse la prossima volta che vuoi chiamarmi segretamente un uccello assicurati che non possa capirti.” I do speak Italian. So maybe next time you want to secretly call me a bird you make sure I can’t understand you.

  I was supposed to be annoyed about Xavier listening in to our private conversations, but in all honesty I found it rather funny. At least he knew when I was calling him out on his shit and had known exactly what I thought of him and his behaviour.

  I tried to turn my laugh into a cough, but I doubted it was that successful.

  “Look Rydikins, everything is fine now, so how about we call it a day a
nd can leave each other alone? I'm sure you’ve got a shadow to catch out there and standing here yelling like a stronzo isn’t going to get us anywhere.” Dari purred, already heading towards her room.

  Ryder nodded slowly, giving up his desire to stay mad – or be accused of crushing on his brother’s enemy - as people began disappearing. I waved off my sisters and let them go; Laina wanted to stay and make sure I was alright, but I didn’t need that even if I would have loved her care.

  By the time Ryder had stomped his way back down the stairs I was almost completely alone, except for Ember and one super insistent bird boy of an Heir. What is his problem with me?

  “Are you sure you’re okay?” Ember asked.

  “You look like shit; are you injured?” Xavier asked at the same time with a scowl, like he couldn’t figure out if he cared about my answer anyway.

  “I’m wonderful as always.” I replied to the pair, smiling brightly as Ember nodded and headed for his room.

  I intend on bouncing out the room all happy so Xavier could see how unbothered I was, but the pain in my spine shot out as I stood and I swore as I almost collapsed.

  “Ragazza stupida.” Stupid girl. Xavier growled, his strong hands reaching out to catch me as I went to fall. I didn’t have any choice but to let him touch me for the shortest of seconds, enough for me to steady myself, before withdrawing.