“We are the best chance this world has to avoid having another devastation on our hands.”
Bethany scowled at him. “I hardly think that’s true.”
“Well, at least we’re the best chance she has.”
We all knew what that meant. The only things standing between me and a supernatural prison were Bishop and Hunter. I may not have done anything wrong, but being alive was enough.
The door swung open, and Hunter strode into the room. “This wasn’t Zalia.” He stopped behind me. “And the longer we all stay in here arguing about it, the less chance we’ll have to find out who really did it.”
Bishop leaned back in his seat. “First the Demon was released and now this. It’s either Zalia, or someone using her for reasons that should scare the living daylights out of all of us.”
“It wasn’t me,” I said, softly, afraid of what it all meant. Someone powerful was... “The Demon.”
Bishop nodded. “That was my thought, too.”
Folding her arms across her chest, Bethany huffed. “Then we have a much bigger problem than we first thought.”
That was the understatement of the century.
28
Lucky for me, Bishop instructed me to continue my daily routine, which meant class. And as much as I wanted to go outside to inspect the burned pentagram for myself, I did as I was told—for now. If it was still there at one in the morning, all bets were off. I was going out there and seeing if I could figure out who was trying to set me up—or use me.
I wasn’t sure which was worse.
Taking my usual seat in Dark History, I waited for Nova to show up. I was early, thanks to having missed my first class when Bethany dragged my ass up to Bishop’s office.
I pulled out my iPad and began reading what we were going to cover in class today, all the while wishing I had that book from the vault to read instead.
My gaze drifted to my hand, then farther up my arm, once again wondering what it would feel like to have a familiar. No matter how much I didn’t want to have a little critter running around, using my body as its home, I couldn’t deny the facts. I needed help.
But I wasn’t sure if I could actually go through with the process. Not that I even knew what the process was. Did the familiar choose me? Or did I choose it?
Would I even get a choice of what kind of animal I was going to be tethered to for the rest of my life? And would I be able to break our bond if I wanted to?
Would I even want to?
Snapping out of my thoughts, I realized I was not alone.
“They didn’t kick you out,” Kayla said with relief, as she rushed over to me, glancing over her shoulder once or twice.
“Yeah, I’m still here,” I replied, pulling down my sleeve. “Although Bethany doesn’t seem to be very happy about it. And by that, I mean I think she’d like to tie me to a stake and light me on fire.” I frowned. “Or ice, because you know, I’m pretty sure I can’t burn.”
Kayla hunched down next to my desk, glancing over her shoulder. “Do they think it was you?”
I raised a brow. “You’re not supposed to be here, are you?”
She shook her head. “I have a bad case of diarrhea.”
I laughed. “You have no shame, do you?”
“None whatsoever.” She tapped my desk. “So, do they think it was you?”
“Bethany does, but Bishop and Hunter think it was the Demon I released a month ago.”
She drew her brows together. “After a month of nothing?”
I shrugged. “As far as we know. I mean, shit could’ve happened that we still don’t know about.”
A guy walked into the room and took a seat in the back row.
“I better go before they come looking for me if I don’t show up to the infirmary soon,” Kayla whispered. “Meet me in our room for lunch? I’ll bring food.”
I nodded. “See you.”
Kayla stood, half crouching, and raced out of the room, righting herself once she was out the door then took off down the hall, leaving me alone with a random vampire who wouldn’t take his eyes off me.
“What?” I eventually asked.
“It was you, wasn’t it?” he asked, his cold brown eyes judging me without even knowing me. The real me. Not the Dark Witch they made me out to be.
I groaned, sick to death of everyone seeing me as this monster. “No, it was not me. I do not make a habit of killing hundreds of innocent animals.”
He chuckled, making me want smash his face into the table. Okay, so I may have been a little snappy, but with everything going on lately, I had every reason to be mad.
“I wasn’t referring to what happened outside. I was asking if it was you and your sister that I played with when I was a kid.” When I looked at him as if I were wondering what drugs he was on, he added, “In the church? We were only three or four? Our families were in a meeting or something, and we were in a room with some lady?”
Vague recollections drifted through my mind, but the more I tried to remember them, the slipperier they became. “I…”
A grin broke out across his face. He was up and moving to the seat beside me before I could take a breath. Those Vampires moved so damn fast. “You’ve looked familiar since the first class, but it wasn’t until I saw your sister just now that I realized why. It’s your hair. You’re polar opposites.”
“You know, not all twins are identical? Kayla takes after our mom, and I take after our dad.”
“I know,” he said, that grin still playing on his lips. He leaned forward and whispered, “Stop being so defensive. I’m only trying to talk.”
Realizing that was exactly what I was doing, I released a long sigh, resigned to the fact that I needed to make friends. Hunter’s reminder of how important it was for me to fit in and become one of them was crucial to my existence.
I wasn’t even exaggerating. I needed friends in my corner—from all factions. And so far, my vampire friend list consisted of Leila. Her friends acknowledged me with a wave and a smile, but other than Thomas, they weren’t my friends. They only barely accepted me.
“Sorry,” I said. “It’s just been one of those days.”
“Don’t worry about it.” He twisted around in his seat to face me properly, his eyes no longer cold like they had been a few minutes ago, but they were now the warm color of honey. “Don’t suppose you remember my name?” When I took more than five seconds to answer him, he said, “Arjun.”
“Zalia,” I replied, as a group of students walked in, gossiping about the crows.
“I remember,” he said, twisting back to face the front of the class as the teacher, Seth, walked in. I hated that about Vampires. They always knew things before I did. They could hear so much more than Witches.
But I guess it wasn’t hate; I was envious.
Who wouldn’t be?
Then again, from what I read in that book Hunter had borrowed from the vault, I should be able to do that as well. I had the gift to walk between the factions.
History books had always brushed over exactly what that meant, but there were legends about what a Shadow Walker was capable of. And from what I read last night, I had a feeling legends held more truths than I would’ve liked.
No wonder Bethany didn’t trust me, and others were afraid of me.
“Everyone take a seat.” Seth dumped his bag onto his desk, as Nova raced into the room and slid into the chair beside me, a little out of breath.
Seth looked up at the class. “I had a lesson planned on the great divide between the Darks and the Lights, but it seems there is a more interesting topic at hand, which I’m sure you all would prefer to discuss.”
He walked around to the front of his desk and leaned against it. “Crows. Does anyone know the significance of that particular avian species?”
“They’re the bringers of death,” Charlie said, staring directly at me. She was one of Reagan’s friends, who naturally had it in for me, as well.
I waited for Reagan to add to he
r friend’s comment but the opportunity passed.
Frowning, I scanned the room, wondering where the bitch was.
She wasn’t there. Maybe she had a bad case of the runs or was vomiting all over herself. Or even better, Bishop found out that she was the one setting me up, and I never had to look at her face again. One could hope.
“That is partially true,” Seth said. “Anyone else?”
“They’re demonic birds aligned to the Darks,” Angie said, her bright amber eyes honing in on Charlie. “It’s part of what makes the Darks the evil bitches that popular preconception makes them out to be.”
I wanted to tell her thanks, and I was grateful that Leila’s friends were sticking up for me, but… I realized I hadn’t seen Leila today, either.
My hope for Reagan getting kicked out of school diminished. Leila and Reagan probably got into a fight and were getting their punishment dished out to them. It wasn’t unusual for Reagan to provoke anyone that was friendly with me, and there was only so much Leila would take.
“Yes, the Darks have a name for themselves, but we all know that a lot of it is fabricated by the Lights and what they want to coax the other factions into believing.” Seth paused a moment before continuing. “But there are small truths in every legend. Take this one for example; the crows are not evil creatures, yet they are the closest link that can be used as a sacrifice for a lot of dark magic. And I’m not talking about the magic the Darks use to empower themselves after their magic was stolen. I’m talking about the magic that no one should ever use. The magic that will bind your soul to the Demons for the rest of eternity.”
“The magic that was used to create the first Shadow Walker,” Charlie said, her gaze once again fixated on me. “It seems a little coincidental that this has happened when we have another Shadow Walker in our midst.”
Nova rolled her eyes, as she let out a groan.
Seth sighed. “Let’s get this over with, once and for all. Zalia did not tie her soul to the Demons. The original did, and she is a genetic throwback of that coupling. That does not make her evil. But it does mean that if she ever decided to turn her back on everything she was raised to believe in, then Gods help anyone who wronged her in the past, because they wouldn’t stand a chance of surviving an attack if she chose to embrace the evil within her.” He glared at Charlie, making his point painfully clear.
Charlie gulped and bit down on her trembling lip.
He returned his gaze to the rest of the class. “So, I guess we have a lot to be thankful for that Zalia doesn’t want to kill us all, don’t we? And who here would like for it to remain that way?”
Slowly, one by one, every single person in the room raised their hands.
Point. Taken.
29
It was amazing what scaring the shit out of everyone did to their manners. For the rest of the time in class, I didn’t have any innuendoes directed at me. Actually, most of the students wouldn’t even look at me. What I did learn was that crows were part of something big. And the pentagram burned into the earth wasn’t any better.
This class D Demon was up to something that made my skin crawl just thinking about it. Heaviness consumed my chest, knowing the worst was yet to happen.
And I may be the only one with the ability to stop them.
No. That was silly.
There were so many adults with far superior knowledge of the inner workings of the Demon world. Someone must’ve gotten the Demon into the canister to begin with, so someone else could do it again.
But the more I tried to convince myself, the more that sinking feeling told me I was wrong.
After class, I headed toward the gym for the first time since my incident with Reagan.
I wasn’t there to participate; it was more of a social thing. Not that anyone would be talking to me.
Entering the room, I became acutely aware of the fear they all still held toward me. It was palpable.
I was positive that not a single person there wanted me watching, but it wasn’t up to them. And both Bishop and Hunter thought it was a good idea.
Scanning the room as I walked to the bleachers, I tried to find Hunter. He’d promised me that he would be there because I knew I would be a nervous wreck. And I was right.
My stomach churned as my gaze drifted over to the spot where I had almost killed Reagan, the spot where Hunter had kissed me, and the fact that Hunter was nowhere to be seen.
“Take a seat, Zalia,” the coach instructed, his breath hitching the slightest bit. If I hadn’t been paying so close attention to everyone’s reactions, I wouldn’t have noticed, but I could almost smell the fear in the air. And the students weren’t the only ones afraid of me.
The fire inside of me started to rise, and I needed to get my shit together, so I didn’t give them another reason to be afraid.
One more mess up and I was sure I would be out. They couldn’t keep my presence away from the parents for too long if I was indeed a danger to everyone around me.
I sighed, wishing that I could talk to my mom. To let her know everything that had happened to me. And to try and figure out where the throwback Shadow Walker gene came from.
However, Bishop still wouldn’t let us contact the outside world.
No exceptions.
The students split off into three groups, each forming around a ring of white smoke, hovering just above the floor.
“If you’re wondering where the fire’s gone, they did away with that idea after what happened the last time you were here,” Thomas said, taking a seat beside me.
“Fair enough,” I said, a frown forming on my face. “I didn’t realize you were in this class.”
He nodded. “They have a couple of wolves and vampires mixed in to make sure the dog fight is fair.”
I raised a brow. “And you’re not afraid of me after seeing it first hand?”
Thomas chuckled. “Oh, what you can do scares the absolutely hell out of me but you don’t.”
“How so?”
“Well, for starters, I saw the way she pushed you. She pushed too hard, and she deserved whatever consequences that came her way.”
“I’m not sure she or any of them would agree with you.” I gestured to the other students, who kept glancing my way, probably to make sure I wasn’t about to go crazy, Shadow Walker bitch on them.
“I think they’ve got it all wrong.”
“You mean the whole keep your friends close and your enemies closer?”
He shook his head. “I mean, you’re just a normal teenager who was raised by the Lights and wears unicorn socks. What’s to be afraid of?”
I glanced down and saw I hadn’t bothered to change them before I walked out of my room this morning. I scowled at him. “Don’t you be knocking my unicorns.”
He chuckled. “I wouldn’t dream of it.” He leaned closer. “Don’t tell anyone, but I used to collect them with my sister when we were younger.”
I grinned at my fellow unicorn lover. “Your secret is safe with me.” My smile dropped. “You know, I didn’t mean to hurt Reagan on purpose.”
He frowned. “Who’s Reagan?”
“What do you mean, who’s Reagan? Everyone knows Reagan. She makes a point of it.” I waited for a glint of recognition, but there was none. “You know, the girl you were just talking about who pushed me too far?”
Thomas looked at me as if I were nuts. “I have no idea who you’re talking about.”
The look in his eyes told me he was dead serious. He had absolutely no recollection of the girl we were just having a conversation about, which sent my nerves on fire. “Who do you think I almost burned alive?”
He stared at me with a faraway look in his eyes. “I don’t know... You set the ring on fire and almost burned down the place. But there was no one with you.” He glanced up. “Besides him.”
Following his gaze, I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw Hunter walking toward us. Not because I had a giant crush on the guy, and I may or may not rely on him a litt
le too much to be healthy. It was because he’d been there. He knew who Reagan was. He was the one who saved her life.
Hunter sat beside me. “Sorry I’m late. I got caught up with… something.”
I waved him off. “Don’t worry about it. I had Thomas to keep me company. Who, by the way, doesn’t remember Reagan, even though we were literally talking about her a minute ago.”
“Reagan?” Hunter looked at me as if he had no idea who I was talking about, either.
And it sent my blood boiling. “You know, the girl I almost killed. The same one you kissed me to stop me from killing? The girl who made it her mission to make my life hell ever since she met me?”
Hunter looked at me as if I were crazy, as well. I was about to lose my shit when his expression changed. He stood and grabbed my hand. “We need to go.”
I stared at his hand holding mine, our fingers entwined, dangerously close to creating another disaster. No matter how much I wanted to stay that way, I knew I needed to pull away.
But damn, I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t hard.
Hunter glanced back at me, recognition in his eyes. “Sorry. I didn’t…”
I shook my head. “Don’t worry about it.”
Thomas gave us a weird look but didn’t say anything. “I’ll see you around.”
“See you,” I said then hurried after Hunter.
As soon as we were down the hall and out of earshot, he stopped and turned to me. “This Reagan girl. Are you sure she went here?”
I nodded. “As sure as I am about you, Nova, Leila, and all my other non-existent friends I have here.”
“Who’s Leila?”
I rolled my eyes. “You’re kidding me, right?”
“No. I’m not. Who is she? Where do you know her from?”
“She’s a Vampire in my Dark History class. One of the first ones to be nice to me.”
He folded his arms across his chest. “I don’t know everyone in Dark History. We’ll have to check with Bethany.”
“Great,” I said, voice dripping with sarcasm. “Just another thing for her to hate me about.”
Night Shade Academy Page 14