Corviticus University: Family Ties

by J. E. Cluney

  “Man, this is only a child’s version of Magic Blaster,” Skip sighed as he leaned against the fence that zoned off the area.

  “What’s Magic Blaster?” I asked, watching as the children ducked down behind barriers and shot each other with the different colored jelly bullets.

  “Think of it like paintball. This version, for children, has painless ammo that resembles jelly, but upon impact the victim lights up, and the shooter’s team gets awarded a point. Like a mix between paintball and laser tag. There are different versions of it. Some ammo can make you change color temporarily for a few days, so all your friends can make fun of you for all the colored spots on your skin. Others, like Magic Blaster pro, is actually a game some supe schools and academies play. The guns shoot magic that is specially crafted to not inflict permanent injuries. So you can get hit with a blinding bullet, or paralysis. Some will only paralyze one part of your body, or make your body spasm and react involuntarily, turning you on your teammates. Some can make you deaf for fifteen seconds, and so on. It’s become an actual sport, and the full-on stuff, the true pro games that are international, are actually more dangerous with the magic used,” Lucas explained as we all stood at the fence, watching the rather innocent game.

  “Why would they invent a dangerous sport like that?” I asked. How was it dangerous? Did it cause more serious injuries? Were some of the bullets filled with elements or something?

  “Because people have a need for competition, and the more dangerous, the more enticing?” Skip shrugged. “And yes, elements can be infused in the bullets, so you could get hit and catch on fire.”

  “That’s crazy!” I gasped.

  “The field will have power-ups littered around that you can collect, along with shields and whatnot that can be equipped to your suit. You wear a special suit that is meant to protect you, but some people can get hurt, say if a boulder is shot at them or something, they could end up with bruised ribs or broken bones. The suit takes most of the damage though,” Ollie said as he finished off his churro.

  “Wow,” I breathed. It was all I could say. It sounded utterly crazy, and yet I was deeply curious.

  “We’ll take you to see a pro game too. They play them in the city. Skip actually played it a few times up north when he visited his family up that way. His uncle coaches a supe school up there in Magic Blaster,” Lucas informed me.

  “I played it a few times,” Skip nodded, but followed it with a shrug. “I’m not big on magical sports.”

  “There are other magical sports?” I frowned.

  “Yeah, there is a magical version of everything really,” Lucas laughed as he pushed away from the fence.

  I had so much to learn.

  We continued on, and I wondered just what magical sports there were? Football? Soccer? Tennis?

  The boys all pushed visions into my mind of times they’d seen the magical versions.

  Soccer was played in shifter form, which was quite a feat, and normally only agile shifters played it, like dingos or equine shifters, or large cats and wolves. They generally only played single species teams, so not mixing horse shifters with dingoes.

  Some people did do it outside of competitions just for fun, and Skip had seen a soccer game where the goalie had been a crocodile shifter.

  He’d popped the ball when he blocked it with his jaws.

  Then there was football, played with magical grounds, where the earth would move or sprout small obstacles.

  Tennis was interesting. The balls were hexed so that they would sometimes act out, flying off in other directions, and forcing supes to use all their senses to play the game, and their agility and quick reflexes.

  It seemed to be more common for shifters to play these sports, and I vaguely wondered about Quidditch from Harry Potter. Did they have their own version of that too?

  “Some people recreate it, but it’s not a proper sport,” Lucas shrugged.

  Well I’ll be damned.

  My mind was yanked away from magical sports when Ollie cursed and Lucas groaned.

  I froze up as I recognized the woman who had stepped away from a stall and was now standing before us in a light blue blouse with a matching pencil skirt. Her hair was curled and fell down her shoulders, and her makeup was a little too over the top with those smokey eyes and bright red lipstick.

  “Oliver,” she smiled as her amused eyes rolled over us. “Mom would be so pissed if she knew you were here.”

  “We were just leaving,” Ollie said quickly as Bec folded her arms, a smirk playing at her lips.

  “No, we’re not. You can’t ban us,” Lucas spoke up as he stepped forward.

  Marcus gave my hand a gentle squeeze as I stared at Oliver’s sister.

  “I didn’t, mother did,” she said with an eye roll.

  Then she focused on Ollie, her eyes trailing over him as a small smile touched her lips.

  I felt the uncertainty and confusion wash over Ollie as I focused on him.

  “So you have a mate. And she lifted your curse. Color me surprised,” she said as she flicked some of her mousy brown hair over her shoulder, revealing her huge silver hoops.

  “”We’re not causing any trouble,” Marcus stated, his face expressionless.

  “And you, you’re quite the talk of the town. A vampire who eats and walks in the sun, unscathed. How fascinating. Also mated to the halfling,” Bec mused as her eyes shifted to me. I gritted my teeth, refusing to be intimidated, but her look was merely intrigued and curious.

  “Rumor has it that you put down a wendigo that had come to Maple Grove. That you’re something special,” Bec said, biting her lip as she scrutinized me.

  “Are you going to get security or not?” Lucas asked, drawing her focus away from me. He was clearly annoyed by this development, and I knew Ollie and Skip were annoyed they hadn’t been focusing on their surroundings enough to notice they were getting close to her.

  We’d already dodged Ollie’s mom once when we saw her handing out the awards for best magical treats.

  Heather had won, as to be expected.

  “No, not my problem, now is it? Besides, I’m sure Allison here would like to enjoy her day with you guys,” she shrugged as she looked off into the crowd. “Enjoy.”

  I watched as she headed off, giving us a casual glance over her shoulder, but the small smile I caught made me frown.

  “That was really weird of your sister,” Skip stated as he watched after her in confusion.

  “Yeah, it was,” Ollie agreed, dumbstruck by his sister’s willingness to dismiss their mother’s desire to keep them out of the event.

  “Was it just me, or did she seem…” I paused, not sure how to finish that sentence.

  Ollie nodded slightly, listening in on my train of thoughts.

  I could’ve sworn she was pleased about Ollie’s new status, and maybe letting us continue our day in peace was her way of being nice to her little brother.

  And she knew my name.

  How strange.

  “Whatever, I want to get my face painted, I’ve heard there’s some wicked hexed face painting this year,” Skip said as he continued on.

  We all followed, but I kept peeking into Ollie’s head, feeling his confusion about his sister.

  Their relationship had been strained ever since he got kicked out. Mostly his mother’s doing, but Bec had partaken as well, siding with their mother under the belief that Ollie not being a true shifter was a stain on their name.

  But her behavior just now didn’t make sense.

  I reached out with my free hand, slipping it into his and giving him a gentle smile as a warm tingle coursed through me.

  He smiled back, and I felt him relax a little.

  We were going to enjoy the rest of our day and quite possibly the night, considering it went on until ten tonight.

  I didn’t care that people had to look twice when they saw me holding the hands of two guys. I was happy. They were my mates, and I was right where I belonged.

&n
bsp; “Why a skull?” Marcus mused as I sat down in the chair, loving how the woman’s face paint moved on her face. She was perched on the seat before me, with all her magical paints at the ready.

  The butterflies on her cheeks fluttered and moved, and the rainbow over her eyebrow rippled.

  Skip had gotten a spider-man mask done, and it was constantly changing and moving, as if the fake mask was being pulled taut across his skin, or a spider would crawl out of an eye hole, trail down his cheek and crawl across his face.

  “Why not?” I grinned, glancing at the blue skull on my palm before hiding my hands in my lap.

  A skull seemed perfect for a banshee.

  “It’s not halloween though,” Ollie added as he watched me from his position beside Marcus, the latter standing with his arms crossed in a typical bad boy style. He’d gone with a black tee today and jeans despite the warmth, and he looked hot as fuck. Hell, they all did.

  Lucas in his flashy suit, Skip in his singlet and shorts, Ollie in his shorts and red shirt that read ‘The cat is out of the bag’. It was a smartass gift from Skip for his birthday last year, but now it had a whole other meaning.

  “It doesn’t have to be halloween,” I stated as the woman got to work on my face. I’d paid the ten dollar fee, and as soon as the brush touched my skin, I felt the small tingle of magic.

  I closed my eyes, loving the feel of the paintbrush on my skin as she worked.

  It took her a few minutes, and the boys remained quiet as they watched me get it done.

  “Alright, what do you think?” the woman asked as she held up her mirror.

  I grinned at the skull she’d painted. Not a ghoulish skull. No, it reminded me of those colorful ‘Day of the Dead’ celebrations in Mexican culture.

  My face was white, and she’d done the black eye sockets and nose, and painted my lips too.

  But she’d also added some hearts and flowers around my face, spicing up the design.

  Considering it was ten dollars, I was rather impressed, especially with how the flowers would close up and then bloom once more, and the hearts pulsed and shone.

  “It’s gorgeous, thank you,” I beamed, and the woman grinned back at me.

  Then we were off again, the sun setting in the distance as we drifted towards the stage with the music.

  We grabbed some drinks and found a bare patch of grass to sit down and enjoy the music while Skip and Lucas ate their beef and gravy rolls they’d bought.

  Marcus was off ordering some food for the rest of us. I’d spied a Thai van, so he was getting me my favorite coconut rice and a meal for us to share.

  He’d splurged earlier in the afternoon on all the goodies, magical treats, a thick shake, a taco, and then the churro. I was a little envious of how much he could eat without feeling sick.

  At least he now went to the toilet. Something he’d never done when just surviving off blood. He’d peed, but that was it. His body completely used up everything when he only had blood.

  I grinned to myself as I remembered Monday morning, when I was still recovering, and he’d come in and mentioned to Lucas about this new development.

  Lucas had been keeping an eye on me for the morning, as they were all taking shifts, never wanting me to be alone.

  He’d laughed as Marcus had mumbled that it took him a few moments to realize what was going on. He thought he was dying or something when he’d gotten stomach pains, and then the thought crossed his mind that maybe everything he’d eaten had to come out.

  He’d even mind-blanked about how to wipe for a moment.

  Despite being lethargic and tired as hell, I’d laughed hysterically at that, which had relieved them both. Even if it was at Marcus’ expense.

  “Yeah, that was fucking weird,” Skip snorted as he pried into my mind.

  I had a habit of leaving myself open. The others could block themselves off, or talk to only one of the others. But we all thought that because I was the shared mate, that was why it was easier for them all to hear me.

  Lucky me.

  “Allison!”

  I grinned at the familiar voice, and I turned to spy Emma waltzing over with George on her arm.

  “You finally did your hair!” I gasped as I stood up. She'd bought the hair coloration potion with me at the markets, and it was a fabulous sight.

  It shimmered in rainbow colors, done in such a way that it looked absolutely stunning, cascading down her back, completely let out for everyone to see. I wondered briefly if humans would see it like that, or if it would appear different.

  “Yes, do you like it?” she squealed as she rushed over to hug me.

  “Of course, I love it,” I said as I held her tight.

  She’d dropped by a few times over the week to check on me after Marcus had responded to her frantic texts of worry on my phone. She knew something had happened, as the spirits had been quite noisy about ‘the touch of death’.

  “How you feeling now?” she asked as she pulled back and stared at me with those concerned grey eyes.

  “I’m good. I’m pretty sure I’m back to my old self now,” I assured her. I was feeling great, maybe not one hundred percent, but close enough.

  “I still can’t believe what happened,” she murmured, but then she smiled, knowing it wasn’t something I wanted to talk about.

  I still felt strange about killing. Even if it was the wendigo.

  She stepped back, relaxing when she realized George was just chatting away with Lucas and Skip. Ollie was watching the band on stage, and I could see Marcus returning with our food.

  “I thought you guys were banned?” Emma arched a brow at us.

  “Lucas has been causing some magical havoc whenever security guards have seen us. I think most of them won’t come after him now,” I chuckled. I’d seen a few that I knew they’d already run into, and the guards pretended not to see us. They didn’t want to deal with the magical consequences of Lucas apparently.

  I was worried he was going to get in trouble for that, but he wasn’t doing anything too bad.

  I doubted Mr Brady would agree if he caught wind.

  “You staying for the fireworks?” Emma asked as she hooked her arm through George’s once more, bouncing on her toes with excitement. He was looking at her with utter affection and adoration, and it made me giddy for her.

  “Of course,” I nodded firmly.

  The boys had told me they were a sight to see.

  I’d never seen magical fireworks properly.

  “Well, we’ll let you guys eat, I love your face painting too! Both of you,” Emma grinned as she glanced at Skip as well.

  I waved as she headed off with George, and I loved how cozy and cute they looked together, arms linked as George laughed with her.

  I was glad they’d found each other.

  “Thai for the beautiful lady,” Marcus declared as he sat down beside me and handed Ollie his sweet and sour dish.

  “Thanks,” I chuckled as he gave me a kiss on the cheek.

  “I still owe you a dinner out,” he murmured as he gave my cheek another sweet kiss.

  We’d postponed our dinner date since I was recovering. The plan was tomorrow night now, if I wasn’t too exhausted after work.

  “You’ll get paint all over you,” I warned as he nuzzled my nose too.

  He pulled back, revealing a black spot on his nose from mine, and I chuckled as I wiped it off for him.

  He smiled at me, the fairy lights over the area making his icy eyes glitter now that the sun had set.

  I stared at him, before taking in all of the guys positioned around me as they ate and watched the band on stage, where colored smoke was taking on the forms of birds and soaring over the crowd at the front.

  The guys were all smiling and enjoying themselves, and I relaxed as I dug into my meal.

  Everything was perfect.

  Chapter 2

  I gasped as the fireworks exploded overhead, a large fiery dragon changing colors as it twirled in the sky, its win
gs spreading out as it flipped and soared, colored sparkles raining down behind it.

  Other creatures joined it in a series of exploding fireworks, smaller orange and red dragons, blue and purple wolves that darted overhead, green fish that dove into the crowd, and pink butterflies that danced over the children. The fireworks lit up the sky, even thanking the crowd for coming in big blue sparkling letters.

  I watched the incredible display, mesmerized by all the creatures bursting to life and dancing in the sky.

  “The last one should be good,” Skip murmured from his position beside me.

  Marcus had accepted he had to share, and now I was squeezed between Lucas and Skip, grinning as I watched in awe.

  I shivered as Skip slid his arm around my waist and ducked to give me a kiss on the cheek.

  I knew he’d had a momentary naughty thought, but he’d pushed it away when he’d reminded himself I was recovering.

  I couldn’t get them to believe I was completely fine already.

  My mouth fell open as the last firework hit the sky in a rainbow of iridescent colors, shimmering as it took on the form of a silky serpent. Even its eyes were lit up like blue jewels, and it glowed as bright as the moon as it swam across the sky in a rainbow of dust and glitter. It coiled and flowed with its movements, dropping scales that erupted into tiny little dragons that dove into the crowd.

  The gasps that rose up from the crowd made me look around, and I saw people looking into their glowing hands.

  “Catch one,” Lucas whispered as one of the little dragons dove down over me.

  I frowned at him, but he nodded encouragingly, and I reached up.

  As if drawn to me, the silvery dragon dropped down into my hand, sliding around my fingers with a strange cooling sensation as I lowered my hand to look at the little creature.

  It curled up in my hand, and then the glow dissipated, leaving a small silver dragon perched atop an iridescent orb. It looked almost like a little silver statue perched on a marble, with the tail looped down and around the base of the orb so that it would sit flat.

  The orb glowed and swirled, and I could sense the nice magic infused inside it.