Night Shade Academy

by Kelly Carrero

Blue Eyes looked over his shoulder. “Coming?”

  I turned around to leave again, but there was no longer a door, nor was there any windows. I was locked inside.

  The fight broke out, leaving me standing with my mouth ajar and fear coursing through my veins, as the girl delivered an orb of I had no idea what at the guy. He threw his hand out, casting it to the side then punched her face, knocking her to the ground.

  What kind of grown man did that to a woman?

  And what kind of woman took it like a man, barely flinching from his attack before sweeping her leg under his, bringing him down with a thud, then shooting another dark orb that landed just beside him, opening up like a spiderweb, and enfolding him into its sticky center.

  Okay, so I may have been sexist and all, but where I grew up, we didn’t do this sort of shit.

  “Zalia?” Blue Eyes, said, snapping my thoughts away from the fight.

  Eyes wide, I stared up at him, wondering how he’d gotten by my side without me noticing. Suddenly, he shoved me to the side as another orb barely missed us.

  “Snap out of it,” he whispered. “You’re going to encourage them and make them think they can eat you alive.”

  I gulped, unsure if he was talking about actual cannibalism or if it was metaphoric. I desperately hoped for the latter.

  As if reading my mind, he said, “I’m not seriously meaning they’re going to eat you, as in ‘yum yum.’ But you’re really going to have to up your game if you don’t want to get your ass handed to you.”

  I thought I was above everyone my age when it came to spells, but seeing these guys fight in the ring of sorts made me realize I didn’t know shit.

  Just another thing to look forward to.

  “Get your shit together.” He stood beside me, crossing his arms over his chest. “You’re up in three, so I suggest you use this time to study and look for weaknesses.”

  “I’m what?” I snapped my head in his direction.

  He looked down at me, locking his blue eyes onto my grey ones. “I said you’re up in three.”

  7

  “No, no, no,” I said, taking a step back and was about to take another when Blue Eyes grabbed my elbow, stopping me from going any farther.

  “You are, and there’s no way out of it,” he said, low enough so no one else could hear. “So, you need to stop trying to convince yourself that you won’t be up in three, and start using this time to learn.” He cocked his head toward the current fighters. “See how she favors magic over direct contact? That’s because it’s her stronger point and he knows it. That’s why he knocked her down, but she used that and was able to pull out more. It won’t do her much good because he is stronger than her magic, both physically and mentally.” Blue Eyes nodded toward another guy. “Now, you see him. He always gives away his next move if you watch closely. Try to pick up what I’m saying, and maybe you’ll stand a chance.”

  Shaking my head in astonishment, I turned to him. “Why are you helping me? And why are we even doing this?”

  “We’re doing this because it’s part of the first years’ initiation. It’s a tradition that started when the school opened and is mandatory for all students, except for the Lights.”

  “And why are you helping me?”

  “Because we’re not all the monsters you think we are.”

  Oh, but they were when they were in the ring, and I had to become one as well if I wanted to live to see another day.

  The problem was I was no monster. I was a good, magically intellectual, nerdy-at-best, Light.

  I tried to do as Blue Eyes said, attempting to figure out each fighter’s weak spot. I obviously wasn’t going to go up against the ones I was watching, but it was good practice for when it was my turn.

  My turn.

  I looked down at the clothes I wore: blue jeans, a sweater, and my trusty converse shoes. “I can’t fight. I’m not dressed for this.”

  My clothes were the least unprepared thing about me, but it was what I was going with.

  “It doesn’t matter. You need to fight. Kick off your shoes. Take off your top and jeans if you feel more comfortable.”

  Horrified, I scowled at him. “I’m not taking my clothes off.”

  The corner of his lips tipped up. “Of course not. So get out there and try to focus on the fight and not what you’re wearing.” He placed his hand on the small of my back and nudged me forward.

  My mouth was dry as I trudged toward my impending slaughter.

  A girl about my height and weight stepped into the ring, and I sighed with relief I wasn’t going up against a guy—or the bitch from the lift sitting in the front row, yelling out various ways she hoped my opponent would become acquainted with my insides.

  The girl hated me with a passion.

  The feeling was mutual.

  The teacher stood to the side, clipboard in hand. “Okay ladies, I want this to be a fair fight.” He snickered. “Who am I kidding? This is the time you’ve all been waiting for. Well, at least everyone here except you, Zalia.” He gave me an apologetic smile. “Good luck. And try not to kill each other.” He blew his whistle.

  Try not to kill each other? What the hell kind of crap was that?

  Remembering what Blue Eyes had told me to do, I watched my opponent, trying to pre-empt her next move.

  Or I could make mine.

  Just as I was about to perform a spell that would leave her momentarily glued to the ground, I was knocked off my feet as a dark orb came at me from nowhere.

  In a daze, I tried to get to my feet when a jolt of electricity passed through my body, contracting my muscles.

  Mentally pushing away the hold she had on me, I rolled to the side and onto my knee and flung an orb of light toward her, hitting her in the stomach.

  Clutching her stomach, she did a forward roll toward me then swung her foot under mine, knocking me to the floor. Then like some freaking ninja master, she somehow locked her legs around my neck, holding me in place.

  I latched my hands around her hips and released a volt of energy into her body, expecting her to release her grip on me because of the pain, but she only squeezed harder, slamming her fist into my face.

  Stars floated through my vision as another blow hit my cheek then she spun off me and stood beside me. “Give up.”

  “I give up,” I mumbled, thanking the Gods the humiliation was finally over.

  Blue eyes entered the ring and pulled me to my feet. He leaned in close. “Meet me back here tonight after dinner and I’ll train you.” Without waiting for a response, he turned around and walked away.

  8

  Every part of my body ached as I hobbled toward the cafeteria with my glamour spell intact, so none of the Lights would be able to tell I’d just gotten my ass handed to me by another girl. I wasn’t the only one donning a glamour. Even the victors wore them because there wasn’t a single person who came out of the fight without at least a scratch.

  My stomach rumbled as I made my way to the food line, ready to pile my plate so high I would look like I was six months pregnant by the end of my meal.

  I grabbed a tray and waited until it was my turn to be served, no longer caring that I had a pack of wolves in front of me and a couple of Darks behind.

  “There you are,” Nova said, cutting in line to stand beside me. “How was gym?”

  The look in her eyes told me she knew exactly what had happened in our supposed gym class. But of course I wasn’t able to say a word about that. I wasn’t sure if it was just when other factions were around, and we were allowed to let loose behind the Dark wards.

  I certainly hoped so.

  Keeping all of this to myself was doing my head in.

  I gave her an exaggerated sigh. “I would be happy if I never had to step foot inside that gym ever again.”

  She gave me an empathetic smile. “If only.” Nova held her tray against her chest. “I have gym straight after lunch.”

  “Are you…”

  “Sporty?” she
offered. “A little.”

  While I’d believed I was good at spells, I clearly wasn’t good enough to go up against the Darks, when they not only used their battle magic, but also their fists and feet as well. I just hoped Nova would do a little better than I did.

  We loaded our trays with food, me mostly meat, and Nova had nothing but vegetable pasta dishes.

  Walking towards the tables, I scanned the room, warmth filling my soul when I spotted Brody sitting with a group of Lights in the their own section. “Come sit with me,” I said to Nova.

  She snorted. “Like hell I’m going to sit with them. I may like you, but not that much.” She quickly added, “No offense.”

  “None taken.” I knew exactly how deep the rivalry, or more so hatred, ran between the factions. And in all honesty, I never thought Nova would take me up on my offer. “I’ll see you after lunch.”

  I took off toward Brody, the uneasiness diminishing with every step closer to the Lights territory, until I finally felt at home.

  “Hey,” I said, placing my tray on the table beside Brody. I leaned over and gave him a kiss.

  “What are you doing, freak?” the lanky guy across the table from me said.

  I waited for Brody to stick up for me, but he remained silent, so with fury building in my chest, I turned my anger on the wrong person. “What did you just call me?” I planted my hands on the table and leaned toward the lanky guy, trying to show him I wasn’t afraid. Which strangely I wasn’t.

  These Lights had no idea what the Darks and the rest of the factions went through, and they thought they were all high and mighty, better than everyone else. What I’d learned in history was coming back to my mind, and I hated the feeling of truth in my heart.

  I’d grown up with these people. I was one of them. And the second I was forced to the other side, they turned on me.

  He stood, as did the two guys on either side of him. “I called you a freak, so get your Dark ass out of our area.”

  Anger boiled so close to the surface I couldn’t ignore it. With a flick of the hand, their plates quickly lifted into the air and flipped their food onto their chests.

  Gasps resonated through the room, as students waited for the epic fight that was about to break out between good and evil, and I knew in that moment they weren’t the good. I wanted to strangle the ever-loving life out of them.

  The Lights mouths were slightly open, their eyes filling with a mixture of rage and fear. Fear because I was a Dark, and they were scared of us.

  Brody stood and grabbed my arm, breaking my attention away from his assholes friends. “Let’s get out of here.”

  Finally, he was taking a stance. And as grateful as I was, I was pissed as hell that it had taken him that long.

  Taking my hand, he led me out of the cafeteria into the adjoining gardens and stopped beside a large cherry blossom tree in full bloom. “I’m sorry for what happened back there. It wasn’t right.”

  I raised a brow. “You think?” I shook my head, trying to contain the anger inside of me. “Thanks for having my back. I can’t believe you just sat there and let your friends say those things to me. Real asshole thing to do.”

  “About that.” He stuck his hands into the pockets of his jeans. “I think we should stop seeing each other.”

  9

  “What?” I asked, completely blown away. “You’re breaking up with me because I’m a Dark now? After almost two years together?”

  Like the coward he was, he wouldn't meet my eyes. His gaze drifted to the ground. “You’re a Dark now,” he said, as if that was all the explanation I needed.

  “And you’re an asshole.” I shook my head again, fire lighting up within my veins, ready to unleash hell on him. But I took a few deep breaths, calming myself down. “You know, I’m glad this happened because you’ve just confirmed everything I’ve learned today. I’m glad I’m a Dark. At least they’re real.”

  I wasn’t. Or maybe I was. Either way, I couldn’t think about it right now.

  I spun around to leave, halting when I saw Blue Eyes from the gym, sitting in the corner of the garden with his group of friends. His eyes locked with mine.

  “If you’re expecting me to change my mind, don’t,” Brody said, reminding me that I was supposed to be doing an epic, I-don’t-give-a-shit-about-you walk away, after a break up.

  I twisted around to face Brody, a look of disgust taking over my face. “I wouldn’t take you back even if you begged me.”

  He chuckled. “Whatever makes it easier for you.”

  “Don’t ever speak to me again.” I stormed back inside, not bothering to look back at my past, because it was just that.

  My past.

  My future was with the Darks, and by the looks everyone in the Dark section was giving me, I was going to be a loner for the next four years.

  So much for Nova’s prediction of us ruling the school.

  Finding Nova amongst the crowd, I made my way over to her, grateful she sat by herself. I felt mean for being happy that she was a loner, but after what just happened, I needed someone to talk to who wouldn’t judge me—too much.

  “Hey.” I slid into the seat across from her.

  “Decided not to sit with your friends?” Nova asked, finishing up her meal.

  I sighed, realizing I not only no longer had friends in the Lights, but I also had no lunch. “Turns out I don’t have any friends.” I gave her a tight-lipped smile.

  Her brows shot up in surprise. “They seriously stopped being your friend because you were put with the Darks? Why doesn’t that surprise me?”

  I scratched my head, as I stared at her empty plate, my tummy grumbling at the sight of her leftover scraps of pasta and pumpkin skin. “Not only do I not have any friends, I also no longer have a boyfriend.”

  “Fucking bastard. Damn Leaches.” Nova shook her head. “Want me to set Ed onto them?”

  My gaze dropped to the snake peeking out of her shirt near her neck and I laughed, imagining how much Brody would freak if he was set upon by Ed. Not that Familiars could actually leave their hosts body and take a physical form, but they could still cause havoc in their shadow form. “As much as I’d love to witness that, I think I’d rather be the bigger person here.”

  “Suit yourself,” she said, giving the little guy a pat with her pointer finger. “Besides, he’ll get his when he realizes he’s made the biggest mistake ever by dumping my gurl.”

  I grinned, not because I thought for a second Brody would consider breaking up with me a mistake, but because she called me her gurl.

  I had a friend.

  Damn, I was pathetic to be so happy to have made a friend.

  A little voice in the back of my head reminded me she couldn’t be trusted, and I had no idea if it was because of the way I was raised or if it was intuition.

  Blue Eyes suddenly appeared and placed a tray filled with food on our table and sat on the bench next to me. “Thought you might be hungry.” He slid the tray in front of me.

  My heart did a few palpitations when my eyes locked with his. Breaking contact, I returned my gaze to the tray in front of me, which was loaded with almost everything I had on my plate before.

  I scowled at him, trying to work out what his game was. “This isn’t poisoned, is it?”

  He chuckled. “I’m a Dark, not a Light.”

  I scrunched up my nose in confusion.

  Nova groaned. “What he’s saying is that Darks aren’t the type to be deceitful. If he wanted to kill you, you’d know about it. It’s the Lights you have to worry about—no offense.” She leaned over the table and held her hand out to Blue Eyes. “I’m Nova.”

  He smiled and shook her hand. “Hunter. The one trying to help the new girl who keeps slapping me in the face every chance she gets.”

  “I haven’t slapped you.”

  Hunter chuckled. “Metaphorically.” He swung his leg over the bench seat, so he was directly facing me and grabbed a chip off my plate. “Don’t be late tonight.
” He popped it into his mouth then stood, heading back to his group of friends.

  As soon as he was out of earshot, Nova broke from her cool and collected attitude and almost bent halfway across the table, as she whispered, “Do you know who that is?”

  “Yeah, Hunter… no idea of his last name, from my gym class.”

  She looked at me, dumbfounded. “That isn’t any old guy—or Dark for that matter. He’s like royalty around here because of his umm… skills.”

  “Maybe that’s why he’s tutoring me,” I said, after giving it some careful thought. “I mean, they stuck me with you because of your uniqueness. They probably made him offer to help me in gym, so I don’t…” I gave her a ‘try and kill me’ look.

  Nova latched onto what I was trying to say and was quick to agree with me.

  “You’re probably right,” she said. “Admin feel sorry for you and are trying to give you a leg up in our world.”

  A day ago, I would’ve said it was the same world, but I was clearly wrong.

  The rest of the day went by without too much drama. The Darks still called me a Leach every chance they got, but there were a few who seemed to give me the benefit of the doubt. I was yet to run into a vampire or wolf, but I knew that day was coming.

  Tomorrow actually.

  As part of the curriculum, we were required to mingle with the other houses two days a week. For the remainder of classes, we were put with our own.

  The subjects on those two days were History, Potions, and Team Building Skills. Classes only ran from ten until two, with a forty-five minute break for lunch. The rest of the day was spent on whatever the hell we wanted. For me, it would’ve normally meant putting my head in the books, but now I was meeting up with Hunter, so he could teach me how not to get my ass kicked.

  Even though Kayla and I had planned to have lunch together, I still hadn’t seen my sister and was hoping I’d catch up with her at dinner. There was so much I wanted to tell her and so much I was forbidden to.

  If only our twin thing reached to telepathic lengths.