Ember nudged him forward and Mikel began where Azizi left off.
“Okay. Well to summarize what Azizi said; the whole point of Mental Education is to allow us to block our minds from intruders and learn to overcome the mind tricks that the shadows play on us. As shadows are drawn to, and control, fear, and pain they use that to make us weak and easy to kill. Think of this subject as one giant trust exercise, and a chance to learn how to not be scared of anything.” Mikel waved towards the ledge and explained how our first lesson would be simple; trust falls.
It’s not that I didn’t trust anyone; I trusted my sisters with my life. But the idea of throwing myself off a ledge this high up filled me with a nauseating terror I couldn’t begin to stomach. There would be little to no chance of me throwing myself anywhere near the edge of this ridiculous platform.
“Em and Cal are going to demonstrate first so you can see what to do.”
Mikel stepped back to allow his brothers to take charge. Caleb and Ember were pushing each other back and forth, both promising to drop the other and let them splat into nothing more than mush on the floor.
“Dib’s on not falling.” Caleb half shouted, shoving Ember towards the edge with a cocky grin.
Ember climbed up onto the edge of the ledge, the toes of his boots hanging over slightly and making the pit in my stomach triple in size. Caleb joined him but stayed a little further back, his ocean eyes concentrating on something I couldn’t see fifty feet below us.
“There is a net below us that will catch you if you fall, however it will only appear if you can wholly trust the person with you. If you trust each other then you will be caught and fine, if you don’t then you will fall into the pool below and either break things or die.”
Mikel laughed darkly, “So this entire lesson is voluntary but if you don’t take part you will fail. And each lesson you don’t pass brings you another step closer to failing at this academy and being thrown back out onto the streets where you belong.”
“But I’m sure nobody will have any issues; it’s easy to do.” Ember added sweetly.
Ember wiped his dark hair off his face and began to brace himself in a diver’s position.
“Oh and don’t forget that if you can’t do something as simple as a trust fall then you will stand absolutely no chance against a shadow. So, enjoy dying a long and painful death.” Mikel nodded at the other Heirs and Ember jumped, diving down towards the water, and doing a flip in mid-air.
I almost screamed as he fell through the air with no sign of anything stopping him, but as he reached the fifty feet mark a white net appeared out beneath him, catching his body, and flinging it back up towards us like a superpowered trampoline.
“As you can see, that was easy because the boys trust each other explicitly.”
Mikel smirked as Ember landed back on the ledge, no difference in his demeanour except for the small blush on his cheeks from the wind.
“But surely that’s not accurate? You guys have known each other for years and trust each other already. It’s hardly going to be difficult to jump off a cliff and know you would catch each other.” Kaida said. “If my sisters where there with me I’d chuck myself off without hesitation.”
I agreed with her point and so did a few others. When you were friends or family with someone it was obvious there was trust there, but in the real world the people you would need to work with in a fight were probably not going to be at the same level of closeness. Of course, like with everything, Mikel had an answer for Kaida’s question like the little know it all he was.
“Come up here and demonstrate with the boys then if you think it’s so easy. Let’s see if you’re right about having to know someone to trust them.”
Kaida didn’t hesitate; she stomped over the ledge and hoisted herself up, ignoring Caleb’s outstretched hand in offering.
“How does this work then because I don’t trust either of these stronzo’s.” Kaida asked.
“You don’t need to trust them like you think. You only have to trust that when it comes to the Shadows or in this case the net, that they won’t let you fall and die. It’s about being able to trust virtual strangers or even enemies if you were both faced with a Shadow, because petty rivalries are nothing when you are coming face to face with a monster that will take your power and use it to help destroy our world.”
I knew what Mikel was trying to say; Kaida had to know that even if the Heirs hated her they wouldn’t let her die at the hands of a Shadow because that is what was best for the country and other realm. But that didn’t exactly fill me with ease. She was still expected to put her faith in one of the two boys who had made it clear that they didn’t want us here.
I didn’t expect them to catch her, so I didn’t know how she could; if it were me up there I would have ran away kicking and screaming before I ever leapt over that ledge with only the Heirs to save me.
“Ember can you do it? I don’t trust you but if I had to pick I don’t think the Vampiro would bother to catch me.” Kaida finally said, ignoring the look of hurt on Caleb’s face.
We both knew he wasn’t really offended. Ember nodded and walked forward, stopping barely two inches away from Kaida. She tensed up at the proximity but said nothing, her steely resolve to get this over with taking precedent over her fear of touch.
“Count of three?” Ember asked and she nodded.
I hadn’t wanted to watch as Kaida fell backwards, but I couldn’t tear my eyes off her as she soared through the air dangerously fast. I knew it was a trust exercise, but I had no faith she would be caught. Even when the net shot out and hurtled her back towards us I still couldn’t quite believe it.
When Kaida landed back on the edge she was flush, her eyes wide with excitement. It was no surprise to me that the little psycho had enjoyed that ridiculous game. I should have known better than to think her scared.
“You actually caught me,” she breathed, her chest rising quickly with amusement, “thanks I guess.”
Ember moved to the side with no words, but I could see the small smirk fighting its way to his lips. I had the sneaking suspicion he hadn’t expected to catch Kaida either.
“Alright then; who’s next?” Mikel asked, terrifying me to my core. There was no chance in hell I was participating today, even if it meant I was kicked out. Instead, I hid like a coward, promising to try next time even though I knew it was complete bullshit.
Laina
Professor Hoang, a stunning woman who had introduced herself by turning her long emerald hair into snakes, had decided her first lesson for Class-One-Oh-Two would be in the whispering woods, despite the fact the last time any of us had been here it hadn’t been particularly good. I had been chased by the wolves, and Kaida had been attacked by something else entirely, so being asked to discuss our feelings and potential powers out here seemed rather odd, but hey, what did I know.
After brief introductions to the lesson plan, we were forced to stand in a circle and show the rest of the students what we could do. Xavier was the first to demonstrate his gifts and thanks to Kaida we already knew what they were, so he didn’t have to demonstrate for long.
“I can control fire, I have wings, I can heal people and I’m pretty much impossible to kill.” Xavier grinned as he danced a ball of fire around the clearing we were in. The bright flames licked his olive skin as they sparked and pulsed with life.
Bette went next, her rare appearance in a lesson somewhat of a shock, especially when she smiled at me and asked how I was doing…
“I can speak to animals, I can turn into a wolf, I’m strong and fast even in human form. I can track shadows and my mind is impenetrable against mental attacks from pretty little Sirens and Vampire’s.” She winked at Mikel as she spoke and he grabbed her hand, yanking her body towards his so he could place a kiss upon her pink painted lips.
Seeing the two together I could understand why they fit; Mikel was unable to get inside Bette’s head, which meant she was the only person who he couldn’
t cheat his way with and manipulate. Add in her completely unpredictable nature it was easy to see why he was enamoured with her so much.
Ember went next, not feeling the need to demonstrate his skill.
“I’m a Harpy. which means I can fly, I am fast, I can see things better than people usually can, and I’m intuitive.” He took a deep breath. “And I can control plagues. Make them, spread them, cure them etc” Hoang didn’t make him talk anymore, and moved onto Mikel.
“I can feel people’s emotions and manipulate them, see their memories and alter them, I can hold my breath indefinitely and water pressure doesn’t bother me. And I can control water itself.”
To demonstrate Mikel waved his dark fingers towards Dari and soaked her in a turret of freezing waves. She screamed and cursed, her uniform now clinging to her curves and turning inappropriately see through.
“You’re such a fucking dickhead!” She cut her eyes and stepped towards Mikel, her hands shaking with the desire to pummel his face into the dirt. The tension between them had been steadily rising every day and I didn’t know how much longer we could go without another fight.
Professor Hoang got there first, and her emerald hair transformed into snakes once more and shot towards Mikel, snapping their fangs around his outstretched arm.
“As a Medusa I have the ability to turn my victims slowly to stone with a single bite, or via my eyes if I wish.” Mikel scrunched his arm up against his chest as he glared at our professor. “Mr Cross, I suggest you remove the water from Miss Darklight’s clothing and learn to behave in my lessons, or else I may decide not to bother giving you the antivenom in my blood.”
With a seething sigh Mikel began siphoning the water off of Dari until she was bone dry, with only the slightest smudge to her eyeliner to give away what had happened.
“Excellent choice Mr Cross.” Hoang took a small silver chalice out of her bag before biting into her palm and allowing a mouthful of blood to drip inside that she handed over to Mikel.
He took it without a word and grimaced as he drank. I couldn’t imagine it was pleasant to drink another’s blood, even if it contained the antivenom you needed not to turn into a statue.
“Mr Nash if you could continue.” Hoang waved at Caleb, and he began to demonstrate his own gifts.
A small tornado whipped around our legs, blowing leaves across the clearing, and hoisting our skirts halfway up our asses.
“I’m a Vampire, so obviously have the usual strength, speed, blood drinking and what not. But I can also manipulate air and use it to create silencing bubbles. Also, my kind can track the magic of others, sort of like we can taste it in the air and know how to follow it.”
He winked at Kaida, who was struggling to hold her skirt down over her tights. “It’s how my brother managed to track you down love, I could taste your magic.”
“How does that even work? Kaida hasn’t got any powers yet.” I asked as Kaida refused to respond to him.
“I had a dream where I could see flashes of you guys and when I woke up all I could think about was finding each of you and bringing you to our world. Ryder had the same thing, only he knew how to track you with it, I haven’t learnt that yet.”
Caleb didn’t need to learn how to track as it was a skill purely for Guards, and Caleb would never need to find someone that way. Which meant once again we were stuck with questions only Ryder knew the answer to, and I couldn’t see him being as kind as to answer us.
“I don’t know how to explain it except I was drawn to you, and every time I close my eyes I can see your pretty face staring right back at me.” That sounded like present tense; he still dreams about her?
Kaida shuffled uncomfortably on her feet, the toes of her shoes kicking up the dirt as Hoang asked Caleb a couple more questions before moving on.
“I know you girls don’t know the extent of your powers, but that’s what I am here to teach you; and hopefully we can discover what class you are too. The point of the next few lessons is to figure out how you recharge your magic, which should give us clues to what you are.” She placed a gentle hand on Kaida’s shoulder, and my sister froze, he eyes almost burning holes into the ground as she stayed completely still until Hoang walked away.
Recharging magic was a relatively simple task. Vampires had to drink blood, Phoenix’s had to be near fire for a while, Sirens had to swim, Harpy’s had to fly, and Werewolves had to run under the moonlight. Hoang didn’t bother explaining anymore classes apart from her own; Medusa’s had to sleep under UV heat lights like reptiles did.
“I think the best one to start with is you Dari; I heard a rumour you were able to throw Mr Cross rather far across a room?”
Dari nodded and tried, unsuccessfully, to keep a grin off her face.
“Yeah I chucked him like a toddler.” And she’s done similar things before… “It’s not the first time I’ve done something like that either. Back home I was throwing about guys bigger than Mikel for sport.”
“That sounds to me like your class type is extraordinarily strong. So, for now I am presuming you are like your mother, and your powers will be related to the Earth and that nature itself will be able to replenish your strength.”
After a quick explanation from our guidebooks, we discovered that Chimera’s, or at least out mother, had been able to manipulate Earth, and all she had to do to top up her magic was frolic outdoors for a while; it hardly seemed a chore to do.
“Does that mean if I were Earth related, that if I used my magic outdoors I would technically never run out? Because the nature around me would give me strength as I used it.” Hoang nodded, confirming Dari’s theory.
Now that I knew what charged people it kind of made sense. Dari had always been obsessed with plants and sitting outside; she had rarely enjoyed being indoors for more than an hour or two at a time. Add in her unnatural bursts of strength I could see how Hoang had concluded that whatever she was, Dari was strong.
Professor Luna had been helping me figure out my class; both of us pretty certain I was a Seer just like my father. I didn’t bother asking Hoang to help me decide what I was. I only needed her to prove it.
“What about me? The other Seers I read about drew their power from crystals, but my father didn’t have need for them.” I asked, trying to remember what I had read about my kind in the books Dari had showed me. “How would I go about confirming I was a Seer?”
It turned out because my father had the ability to manipulate sunlight his power regenerated from basking in the sun. But I couldn’t remember the last time I had been outside for my own entertainment, and certainly didn’t know of a time I enjoyed the heat.
“You may not work the same way; artificial light could be good enough for you. Or maybe you use something else entirely.” Hoang replied.
There wasn’t a single thing I could think of that would fit the bill, but Hoang insisted it was nothing to worry about and I would discover what charged me eventually. But even she thought I was a Seer, and so it shouldn’t take too long.
“Kaida on the other hand is the one we shall all be focusing our efforts on for now, as I think it best if we can help her determine what she is as there haven’t been any signs to help us.”
Kaida groaned at the attention, as the whole class began shooting out ideas for her class until Hoang hushed them.
“The easiest way is to determine the class type is to figure out what strengths Miss Darklight has, and the things she doesn’t like. We pretty much need to figure out what makes her tick, so we can translate that into a class type.”
Kaida had to spill her secrets and share things about her personality for us all to judge. I didn’t even need to look at her to know just how mad she was going to be.
“This isn’t a fucking trust circle. I’m not talking about myself for these stronzo’s.” She seethed.
“I am not asking you to share any secrets; you simply need to figure out what makes you tick. For example, what personality traits you have.”
&nbs
p; If Hoang hadn’t guessed already, the longer the lesson went on the easier it was to discover the extent of Kaida’s main traits, anger being a prevalent one.
“She’s super protective of things she loves.” Xavier said, motioning towards me and Dari. “And she gets mad easy.” He flicked his fingers in her direction, shotting a few golf ball sized flames. Kaida squealed and ducked, before turning around and attempting to rush Xavier.
Dari grabbed hold of her arm and kept her in place, pointedly refusing to let Kaida engage in childish arguments.
“Oh yeah, she gets murderous if you fuck with her sisters.” Caleb added with a wicked laugh. He shot his hands towards me, and a gust of air blew me over, right onto my ass. Once again Kaida cursed, and Dari had to hold her back.
By the end of the first hour a confirmed list was made that hadn’t made anything clearer for anyone, even Hoang. Kaida was quick to anger, protective, loyal, and reserved. None of which was a result of anything more than the shit she had delt with during her life. But we couldn’t tell anyone that, so we had no choice but to let them attempt to figure things out themselves despite it being a dead end.
We knew our mother had been a Chimera, and our father a Seer. But Hoang was sure that we could easily take after our grandparents also. There were plenty of options.
CONVICTION OF THE DAMNED: SUPERNO ACADEMY BOOK ONE Page 20