Night Shade Academy

by Kelly Carrero

  Scrambling to my feet, I quickly changed into something a little more appropriate then took off after Kayla.

  The hallway was empty, as was the foyer where the elevator was. I leaned over the banister and looked down below to see if she was in the lift. She wasn’t.

  Lowering my gaze to the ground floor, I searched for Kayla through the crowd of students. Spotting her heading toward the cafeteria, I hurried to the lift and waited impatiently for it to arrive, then for a couple of teachers to exit. I almost considered going into full Shadow Walker mode and climbing down the walls to get there quicker.

  Almost.

  I entered the lift and finally made it down to the ground floor a few moments later. As soon as the doors opened, I sprinted toward the cafeteria.

  Once inside, I scanned the room, my gaze landing on the commotion in the Lights’ section where none other than my sister was biting the head off Brody, as he sat at the table eating his breakfast with his new friends.

  My eyes widened in a mixture of surprise and confusion as her words registered. She thought Brody was responsible for my new pet.

  Brody stood, his eyes zoning in on me, his gaze laced with disgust making me feel sick to my stomach to think I ever liked the guy, let alone let him touch me.

  But that was me: bad relationships, bad judgement, and bad genes.

  “I haven’t done anything to that evil bitch, so back the hell off before I make you.” He stepped closer to Kayla, getting all up in her face.

  Oh, hell no.

  Rage coursed within me as my internal fire ignited, quickly turning into an inferno, but somehow it remained contained within me. Pain seared the area where I had last seen my familiar, and I peeled down my shirt to get a better look.

  And so did every single person in the room.

  Gasps resonated through the cafeteria then everyone fell silent as they looked at the beast on my collarbone that was now smouldering like lava, spitting fire from its skin.

  “What the hell…” My gaze shot up to Kayla’s just as she took a step away from Brody, unsure what she should do.

  “You think I did that!” Brody gestured to me, or more so the fiery beast.

  Kayla glanced at me, confusion written all over her face.

  Everyone moved out of my way, parting like the Red Sea as I strode toward Kayla and Brody, ready to teach him a lesson. But in the few seconds it took me to get to them, I was able to reign in my rage and not get myself kicked out of school for torching his ass. “Of course you didn’t do it, Brody. You’re too dumb to pull off the most basic of spells, let alone something as complicated as a familiar—especially one of this level.” I titled my head to the side and smirked. “The only reason why you passed your intro to spells was because of a spell I cast on you—at your request.”

  Brody ground his teeth, his face turning a light shade of red, letting me know just how pissed off he was with me.

  Too bad.

  He’d started this hatred between us.

  I linked my arm with Kayla’s. “Come on. Let’s go find some better company than this sorry excuse for a Light.”

  When we were almost at the door, after collecting a couple of muffins along the way, Kayla whispered, “Did you seriously help him pass?”

  “You bet your ass I did.”

  She glared at me. “And you didn’t think to help me?”

  I grinned. “Nope. No sister of mine needs to cheat their way to graduating. I’m just sorry I didn’t see Brody for the dick he turned out to be.”

  “So, if it wasn’t Brody who helped put that thing on you, who was it?”

  I swallowed the lump forming in my throat, but it wasn’t going anywhere. “It was Hunter.”

  She looked at me with a blank expression. “Who’s Hunter?”

  32

  Who’s Hunter?

  I couldn’t have heard right.

  Fear gripped my heart, choking the ever-loving life out of me. “No.” I shook my head, not wanting to accept what I already knew was the truth. What had happened.

  Kayla turned around to face me, her hands finding mine. “What’s going on?” When I didn’t answer, she said, “You’re scaring me.”

  But I couldn’t tell her. Saying the words would make it true, and without him… How was I ever going to do this on my own? I didn’t know anything. Hunter was not only my teacher, but also my friend. He was my support, my…

  And I’d thought the worst of him.

  My world spiralled out of control, and I was unable to find the surface to breathe. I was sinking, drowning in my fears.

  “Zali.” Kayla shook my hands. “You’re scaring me,” she repeated, her tone laced with concern.

  I shook my head. “I can’t.”

  Kayla knew me all too well. She wrapped her arm around my waist and guided me back up to our room then put the kettle on and made me a hot chocolate, just like she used to when we were younger, and I got into one of my panic attacks over something trivial. But this… This wasn’t trivial.

  This was scary huge.

  I had no idea how to get him back, and why everyone was disappearing.

  Then I remembered. “Bethany,” I whispered.

  Kayla passed me the mug of hot chocolate and waited until my fingers were firmly wrapped around it before she let go. “Do you want me to get Bethany?”

  Grabbing her wrist, I shook my head violently. “No. You can’t tell her.”

  She nodded then sat on the couch beside me. “Spill.”

  I did. I let it all out. Letting her know about Hunter and me, the spell we’d performed, the beast on my chest, and the fact that not only Leila and Reagan were missing, but so was Hunter and who knew how many others. “And Bethany’s in on it.”

  “How can you be sure?”

  “Because she remembered.” I couldn’t do this on my own, even with my sister. “We have to tell Bishop.”

  “Do you think he’ll believe you?” she asked. “I mean, how long have they known each other?”

  “I have no idea, but he has to.”

  She raised her brow.

  Kayla didn’t need to say anything. I knew what she was thinking. It was a twin thing. And she was right. Why would he believe a Shadow Walker over a woman he’d known for years? A woman who was terrified of me. “I still have to try.”

  She nodded. “I get it. And we will. But you need to be prepared for him to not believe you.” Her gaze flicked to my shoulder. “What is that?” She narrowed her eyes. “Did that thing just do a poo?”

  “What?” I jumped up and raced over to the mirror.

  Sure enough, there was a jagged-edged, oval-shaped poop just below where it laid. “These things shit?” Trying to shake off the grossness consuming me, I shook my arms, as shivers ran down my spine. “Hunter never told me these things poop. Neither did Nova.”

  Kayla bit down on her laugh but it was useless. Seeing me throwing a little hissy fit was too much for her, and she cracked up into a fit of giggles.

  “This is not funny.” Okay, so it would totally have been funny if it had happened to her instead of me.

  “I’m sorry, I’m sorry.” She placed her hand on my forearm, as she tried to get herself together. Finally, she said, “We should probably go tell Bishop. Not about the poop but about the other thing.”

  Readjusting my shirt to hide my pooping pet, I nodded. “Then we can go find Nova.”

  “You can go find Nova. I’ve got to get to class because unlike you, I don’t have a free-pass in life.”

  “I would gladly hand over my genetic difference to you if I could.”

  “Not on your life.” She hooked her arm with mine as we headed out of our apartment. “There is no way I’m letting a dog shit on me. And it’s not just on you where you can wipe it away. It’s on you like a tattoo.” She chewed on her lip. “I wonder how long the poop stays there for before it disappears—and how often they go.” Her eyes lit up. “What about pee? I wonder what happens with that.”

&
nbsp; “Not helping.” I gave her a tight-lipped smile.

  She chuckled. “You must be wondering as well.”

  “I’m trying to forget. You know, bury my head in the sand and hope it goes away.”

  “When have you ever been a bury-your-head kinda girl?”

  “Since a hound shit inside of me.” I couldn’t help but laugh at the absurdity of my new situation. It was either a laugh or cry moment, and with Kayla standing beside me not afraid to give me crap, I chose the former.

  She had a way of pulling me out of whatever hole I was falling into.

  We headed down to Bishop’s office and knocked on the half open door.

  He glanced up from his desk. “Come in, girls.”

  We entered the room, and I was pretty much lost for words.

  Kayla glanced around the room then closed the door behind us. “We need to tell you something.”

  Of course she jumped right into it. Easing in wasn’t her way.

  Taking the lead, I said, “I was wondering if you knew where Hunter went?”

  He put down his pen, giving me his full attention. “Who’s Hunter?”

  Kayla and I glanced at each other. I wished Bishop did know who he was because then there was a chance Hunter really did just up and go, leaving me without a goodbye. That meant he wasn’t abducted. Now, I didn’t know if he was still alive, or if he was being used for some other purpose.

  My ragged breaths made my head sway, but I quickly calmed down as the Hellhound moved around, somehow absorbing my negative emotions. I could finally understand why Hunter said I would get used to a familiar. Even though having a living creature on me freaked me out, the benefits far outweighed the negatives, if the familiar was going to ground me in this way.

  “Is he a student at this school?” Bishop asked. “Because I don’t know everyone this early in the year.”

  “No. He wasn’t,” I said, moving farther into the room.

  “Then who is he?”

  I collapsed into my usual chair, and Kayla sat in the other seat. “He’s my mentor of sorts. He was brought here to train me, and he disappeared this morning and no one remembers him. Just like Leila and Reagan.”

  “Who are they?” Kayla asked.

  “They’re some students in our year who have also disappeared and been forgotten. They don’t even appear on the student list.”

  “You’ve already checked?” Bishop asked.

  I nodded. “Hunter and I went to see Bethany yesterday. She printed off the list for us, and they weren’t on there.”

  He made a grab for the phone, but I drew it closer to me with nothing but my mind—not even a flick of the wrist. “You can’t call Bethany in.”

  Bishop stood and reached for the phone again. “Why not?”

  “Because she remembers Hunter.”

  “Then maybe she can help us find him.”

  I shook my head. “Or maybe she is the one who’s responsible for his disappearance.”

  33

  Bishop eased himself back into his seat. “There’s no way Bethany would be a part of this. She’s…” Rubbing his eyes, he sighed then looked up at me. “She’s the only one who remembers him besides you?”

  I nodded, fearing that he might think I had something to do with the disappearances because I, too, remembered. “Which is why I think she has something to do with it.”

  He sat there in deep thought for a minute. “Leave it with me. You two head back to class.”

  “I can’t go back to class while he’s missing.”

  “We need to know if there’s anyone else missing, and you might be the only one who can figure that out.”

  Conceding, I was about to get up when Kayla asked, “Why do you think Zalia remembers?”

  Wanting to smack her one, I held my breath, hoping I wasn’t going to be the prime suspect.

  “Because she’s a Shadow Walker,” he replied, not missing a beat. “She’s able to cross the line between the factions and do things that are impossible for the rest of us.”

  “That’s what I thought.” Kayla stood. “Later.” She got halfway to the door before she spun around. “Oh, don’t suppose you can write me a note to excuse me from the classes I missed this morning?”

  “Of course,” Bishop said, a smile playing on his lips. “I’ll make sure you’re excused from any class you missed this morning.”

  Kayla sighed with relief. “Thank you.”

  Bishop picked up his pen and scrawled something on the paper in front of him. “Let me know if you find anyone else missing.”

  “Will do.” I stood and retreated out of the room, catching up with Kayla in the hallway. “I can’t believe you asked him why I seem to be the only one who remembers.”

  She shrugged. “We were all thinking it.”

  “Do you think he believed us?” I asked, as we walked toward the main foyer, heading to our classes.

  “Honestly, I don’t know. He didn’t seem to not believe you.”

  “That’s no help.”

  “It is what it is.”

  When we arrived at the section where we had to part ways, I said, “I wish you were in at least one of my classes.”

  “Then maybe you shouldn’t have aced all the tests. Or you could’ve helped up my grades like you did with a certain someone who shall remain nameless.”

  I was about to rebut her, but she had a point. Then again, I wanted my sister to be able to stand on her own, not be carried by my nerdy ass. “You don’t need my help.”

  “You’re right. I’m perfect on my own.” She threw her arms around me, squeezing me tightly as she kissed my cheek. “Meet me for lunch under the tree—and bring Nova.”

  “You got it.”

  Kayla headed toward her class, and I turned around to do the same, going down an alternative route.

  Rounding the corner, I came to an abrupt halt when Brody stepped out from an empty classroom, blocking my way.

  Not wanting to get into a heated argument with him, I tried to move around him, but he stepped into my path again.

  So, we were going to do this.

  Sighing, I looked up into his once loveable eyes. “What do you want, Brody?”

  He reached toward me, catching my hand with his. “I wanted to see if you’re okay.”

  Stunned, I stared down at his hand holding mine then my gaze swept up to his, as I shook my hand free. “Are you serious?”

  “Of course I’m serious. I care about you. I always have and I always will.”

  My eyes practically popped out of their sockets.

  He stepped forward and brushed his thumb across my cheekbone.

  I knocked his hand away then pushed his chest, making him take a couple of steps back, as he tried to steady himself.

  He tilted his head to the side. “Don’t be like that.”

  I furrowed my brow. “You’re serious, aren’t you?”

  “Of course I am.” He sighed. “I know I may have come across as a jerk—”

  “Asshole more like it.”

  “Okay, that’s fair. But you have got to know that it’s for show. I can’t be seen dating a Dark, no matter how much I miss you.” He reached for my waist, and that was when I lost it.

  Lifting my hands up, I sent a wave of energy pulsating toward him, pinning him against the wall behind him. “I am not some booty call.” I took a few steps closer. “You and me will never be. You disgust me. Everything about you is so fake. Our relationship was fake. And you know what? I don’t need you. I never needed you. And I’ll never want you again. So, why don’t you go back to your Lights and find some other bitch to warm your bed, because you and me are done.”

  Releasing my magical grip on him, I headed toward my class.

  “It’s Thomas, isn’t it?” he called out after me. “You’re sleeping with the mutts, aren’t you?”

  I whipped around to face him. “Those wolves have more integrity in their little finger than you have in your entire body. Because you have no idea abo
ut the truth—”

  “What truth?” he asked, smugly.

  I shook my head. “You know what? It doesn’t matter.” I turned around and headed off, wondering what the hell I ever saw in him.

  The pig headed… Drawing my brows together, I realized I hadn’t gone into a fiery rampage like I would’ve done yesterday.

  Having a familiar wasn’t so bad after all.

  As if hearing my thoughts, he or she scooted across my chest, then nestled against the bottom of my rib cage, just below my bra.

  I needed to come up with a name for it. Hell, I needed to know if it was a male or female.

  Lifting my shirt, I peered down at the beast, trying to get a better look at it now that I wasn’t so freaked out. Its skin was black, but there were slivers of fire breaking through its skin. It lifted its head to look up at me, connecting with me in a way I never imagined.

  “Hey little fella—or lady,” I said, as if I were talking to a little puppy. “What are you? A boy or a girl?” I tried to find any clue as to what sex it was, but it didn’t come with a pink or blue bow, and I couldn’t see what was between its legs—if Familiars even had something between their legs. “Or are you neither?”

  Of course it didn’t answer. It just lowered its head onto its paws and closed its eyes.

  I readjusted my shirt then continued onto class, with only five minutes until the period ended.

  Bishop had wanted me to see if anyone else was missing, but all I could think about was Hunter and coming up with a name for the Hellhound.

  Attending these classes wasn’t going to bring Hunter back, nor was it going to find him. And if the rule about missing persons was right, the first twenty-four hours were the most crucial.

  Not feeling hungry, I skipped the food line and went straight outside where I found Kayla sitting with Nova under the cherry blossom tree that once bore year-round pink flowers but now was bare.

  “Kayla told me you got a familiar,” Nova said, as I sat down next to her. “Can I see?”

  I adjusted my shirt, revealing the beast that was still in the same position it had been earlier. “Do these things have genders?”