Naya was quite proud of her deviousness. If she didn’t know for a fact that her parents would freak at spreading such gossip, she’d have been excited to tell them about it.
At around noon, the ATTP tests took place—and, just as Naya had overheard, there was additional drama when it was announced that the students from her year would be taking the test for a second time, something unprecedented in the school’s history.
“What are they looking for?” one student whispered as she’d stood in line in front of Naya.
“Do you think Ryan was contagious? Is that why they’re testing us again?”
The rumors flew, and Naya listened with satisfaction.
Soon, it was her time to take the test—and Naya obediently filed into the nurse’s office, sat in the chair, and waited for the military man Terrence as he filled a sample tube with her dark, thick blood. She looked away as he drew it. She would never get used to having her blood taken, and it always made her feel faint. Terrence gazed with a strange longing towards the blood that creeped her out.
Terrence smiled at her as he filed the tube, recognizing her from earlier, but clearly no wiser to Naya’s eavesdropping.
It took just a few minutes to administer the test, and soon Naya was back in class, waiting for the day to end. Only the whispered rumors and gossip distracted her as teachers droned on and she made notes in her textbooks and folders.
Before Naya knew it, she was on her way back home again, making the short walk cheerfully, but a little annoyed that she’d sacrificed a ride with her father—and ice cream, no less—to avoid bullying that never actually happened.
As she walked, Naya started to wonder if all of that drama and misery was finally over for good. Had Ryan’s disappearance meant the end of “pad girl” once and for all? Would the following years pass like this one had? Quiet, and peaceful, and undramatic?
Naya was excited at the thought that it might. She could actually start enjoying high school—the period her parents had promised would be “the best years of her life” despite the vast evidence to the contrary she’d encountered so far.
But that optimism was short lived.
The events of the previous year suddenly and abruptly caught up with Naya as she rounded the corner onto her street…
…and saw the same sight as she’d seen the year before.
Gleaming black cars, with American flags fluttering from their fenders, parked in a line at the side of the street. This was just like it had been last year, the day before Ryan’s mysterious disappearance.
Only this time, the cars weren’t parked outside the house opposite…
…they were parked in front of her house.
“It can’t be…”
Naya stumbled to a halt. For a moment, her instinct was to run the other way—to just disappear.
Within seconds, though, she realized the impossibility of that. Naya’s life was right here—the only home she knew was with her parents…
Her parents had tested her blood every six months, so she knew she couldn't have the mysterious and dangerous disease. It would have shown up when they were looking for what her father had.
“They must be here for my parents,” Naya decided, saying the words out loud as if to convince herself of them. “Yes, that makes more sense.”
Naya’s parents weren’t movie stars or celebrities, but they were extremely influential in their field, and recognized as geniuses. It wasn’t beyond the realms of possibility that the government needed their help or counsel with something. In fact, it wouldn’t even be the first time her dad had worked for one department of the government or another…
With what scant reassurance that offered, Naya took a deep breath and walked up the driveway to her front door.
As she opened up the door, Naya recognized the same military man in the olive-green blazer that she’d eavesdropped on earlier that morning, back at the principal's office.
…the same man who’d been at Ryan's house the day he’d mysteriously “transferred” to a different school.
"Who are you?" Naya dumped her book bag on the floor and met the steely gaze of the tall stranger. She glanced around for her parents.
She’d done such a good job convincing herself that she had nothing to worry about that Naya was on the cusp of actually believing it.
"Naya!” Maryanne stepped from around the corner. “Don’t be so rude!”
Naya stiffened. Her mom rarely scolded her. She must be nervous…
That wasn’t reassuring.
“Behave, Naya,” her mother warned. “This gentleman is…”
Maryanne was suddenly cut off by the deep voice of the towering man in the green blazer, who’d suddenly stretched a smile across his craggy face.
"Naya!” The man extended his hand. “Don’t you recognize me?”
Naya stared up at the towering man, wracking her brains…
Wait, she did recognize him!
This was no less than the man Claude had identified as General Nikit, when they’d watched him through the window during his visit to Ryan’s house last year.
General Nikit—the head of the country’s military—here, in the hallway of her parents’ house!
“We finally meet, Naya." The General stretched out his hand. "General Nikit, at your service—but you can call me Arthur."
Naya had a start of surprise at the big hand the stranger offered.
She was confused and scared.
What was this decorated General doing in her home? And why was he offering his hand to her? Was the famed General Nikit expecting to meet her, and not her parents?
This could only be a horrendous dream.
After a few seconds of staring at the General’s outstretched hand, Naya lifted her own and nervously shook it. The General’s grasp was firm, and his big fingers were hot as they curled around her own.
"W-why are you here?"
"Naya! Manners!" Maryanne shot Naya an uncharacteristically angry look—and Naya knew her mother well enough to know that she was using anger to disguise her nervousness.
A glance over at Claude was equally unreassuring. Her father had a serious and sad look on his handsome face. He hadn't said a word since Naya had got home, and that was as uncharacteristic as her mom’s sudden irritability.
"It’s okay, Maryanne,” the General tried to reassure Naya’s mother. “I like it. The child has spunk. With that kind of attitude, this will work perfectly.”
"What will work perfectly?” Naya demanded. “Are you here because of me?"
All the anxiety she’d been repressing throughout the day suddenly flooded over her. It was like a deluge of icy, cold water. Naya suddenly couldn’t control herself. In a panic, she demanded: “Are you here to take me to where you took Ryan? Don’t think I didn’t figure that out!”
“It’s okay, Miss Naya,” the General reassured her, although he wasn’t very effective at it. “You’re not in any trouble. There’s nothing wrong with you. In fact, this is good news. I’m here to tell you that you’ve been accepted to one of this country’s most prestigious establishments—Arumrose, Miss Naya.”
Arumrose? What was Arumrose?
The General reached into his olive-green blazer and pulled out a glossy brochure, with a picture of a beautiful and ornate building and garden on the cover.
The brochure read: Arumrose Academy.
“Arumrose is a special school designed for students with unique talents, Miss Naya,” the General explained. He glanced around, as if about to divulge classified information. “It’s a school for the paranormal teenagers of the world.”
Paranormal? As in, ghosts and werewolves and witches?
Naya stood there, feeling as if her sneakers were sunk into the ground.
“It’s my pleasure, Naya, to admit that we’ve been waiting a long time for somebody like you."
Naya froze as she listened to those words. It was too much to take in so suddenly. Just a few turned her world into dust.
&nb
sp; “Paranormal! Somebody like me?” She screamed and turned to her parents. “Please tell me this stranger is wrong! Get him out of here!”
“Sunshine…” Her dad’s sweet and sorrowful tone was made to calm her. It didn’t work. She felt a sense of dread like something bad was going to happen, but she was paralyzed in place and needed the truth more than anything else.
“Don’t ‘sunshine’ me! Tell me what’s going on! Tell him to leave!”
“Baby.” Her father could barely get the word out, his voice cracking under the tension. “Your mother and I…we’re not humans.”
Naya’s eyes opened so wide they looked like they might fall out of her face. Anger and confusion filled her mind, so powerful that she could not say a word as her own father told her the incredible secret he had hidden from her for her entire life. “I’m a vampire. Your mother…is a witch.”
Naya looked from her mother to her father, back and forth, trying to understand what was going on. “Vampire? Witch? If this is a joke, congrats, you got me!” Too many things were happening too fast. “Now, General Nikit, or whatever, you can go!” Every inch of her body revealed how disturbed she was. She crossed her arms tight around her body, wanting to disappear.
General Nikit surveyed the shell-shocked Naya and knew that his presence would just make things worse. “I will wait outside. Take your time to discuss, but we must leave today.” He smoothed his blazer and walked out the front door, but his words remained.
“What the hell is going on? This isn’t funny anymore!” She couldn’t sit. Naya paced the room, feeling uncomfortable in her own body.
“Baby, calm down,” said her father, trying to hug her. She pulled away. His touch, that she used to trust, had the feeling of betrayal. All these years, he’d hidden something from her so big that it would change everything.
“Calm down? Calm down? Out of the blue, a man comes in and says he was waiting for me? That I’m a paranormal creature? What does that mean? Am I witch? Am I a vampire? I don’t even know who you two are anymore.”
“Naya, please sit down and listen to us!” her mom yelled, standing and pointing to the couch. “We don’t know what you are. They told us that it was impossible for us to conceive, since we’re different species. That’s why we’ve been monitoring your blood every year. We didn’t want to tell you what you were when we don’t know.”
It was sinking in. They weren’t joking and Naya felt like she was going to throw up.
“Why did you lie to me? Why aren’t you telling me the truth? Who was that man and what do you mean you don’t know what I am?”
“Sunshine, try to calm down. We can answer your questions one by one. Just let us explain first. Please.” Claude held Naya’s hand to show support, knowing that this was no light matter. He could see how scared his daughter was and knew she needed to relax if she was going to get through this. Naya looked down, pressing her dad’s hand tightly and accepting his comfort. Then she looked over at her mom.
“Okay. Continue.”
“Your dad and I met at the academy you’ll go to. Arumrose.” Maryanne let out a small smile as she looked over at Claude. “I can remember the first time I saw him. I knew he was the one. So handsome and tall.”
Naya laughed with her dad, taking some small comfort in their love. “If I’m good looking right now, you should have seen me at the time, kiddo. Not that I could compare to the beauty of your mom. She was the woman I had to be with. And I made it happen.”
“Although it wasn’t easy, sweetie.” She looked down at Naya with pain in her eyes. Naya couldn’t remember the last time she saw true pain or weakness in her mother’s eyes. She could tell it was a topic that was hard for her mom to talk about. Maybe that’s why it was never brought up to her.
“Once you get to Arumrose, you’ll see. There aren’t just vampires and witches. There are other species, like the shifters.”
Naya laughs nervously. “Shifters? Do they transform?” She looked up at her dad, expecting him to laugh with her, but he kept a straight face.
“Yes, sunshine. Werewolves, werebears, and mermaids. And let me tell you, they are not as good or cute as all the stories tell.”
“Claude…” her mom sighed. “It’s a difficult topic for your father. You see, shifters and vampires don’t tend to get along very well.”
Naya laughed, trying to keep sane. “No wonder you never let me have a dog.”
Her dad rolled his eyes, but Naya believed it was true. Claude never relaxed around dogs, especially big ones.
“To get back to the point, there are cliques at Arumrose. It wasn’t common to see a vampire bonding with a wizard. But I couldn’t let the opportunity to know the man of my life go to waste. So, one day I sent him a note to meet me behind the bleachers, just him.” She paused to touch Naya’s chin. “Oh baby! When he came, I was so nervous, but when we started to talk I knew he was my other half.”
Naya blinked. Love can grow under the bleachers!
Claude smiled and grabbed his wife. “I was never so nervous in my life, but letting her go wasn’t an option. I remember thinking, oh damn, she must be my wife. So I asked her out on a proper date outside the campus.”
"You'll see the place once you'll be there; it is in one of the largest forests in America. The view is mesmerizing and having your dad next to me made that experience even greater." Suddenly her eyes got watery.
"Mom, are you okay?"
“It is a difficult story to tell, baby. I loved your father since the moment I met him, but everybody was against our love. The teachers tried to separate us, making us understand that love between two species was impossible. Other students made fun of us and tried to push us away from the rest of the kids. They even told our parents.”
“I’m sure they helped you, right, Mom? They’re so happy now with our family.”
“It took a long time for our parents to respect our decision, sunshine. Being a vampire adds a special pressure to the situation because most of us think we are better than everyone else.”
“Baby, we got a lot of disapproval and dismissal from every paranormal we knew. When we decided to get married, our parents didn’t show up. Despite that, we knew following our heart was the right choice.” Maryanne took a deep breath, and her husband gently held her hand. “They told us that we wouldn’t be able to have a child.”
Naya was feeling closer to her parents, when that last sentence made her cold again.
“We tried to get pregnant. We couldn’t for years, but still we hoped to form a family of our own. So we made a choice to leave our life as paranormals and move to a quiet city to adopt a baby.”
Her mom left an opening so Claude could jump in.
“And then, sunshine, you came like a miracle. The day that your mom told me you were inside her was the happiest day. I remember the sky being cloudy, but the second she told me those words, a ray of sunshine came through. I knew then that things would get more difficult. There’s been no mixed baby in history, so we hid from everyone. Eventually, your grandparents found out and helped us to keep us away from the paranormals. But the time is up. We can’t keep you from the world anymore.”
It was too much information for Naya to process. She felt dizzy. All these years, she’d been a witch or a vampire and she hadn’t noticed.
Wait.
She remembered last year’s incident when the banner exploded. Could it be possible? Could she really be a witch? Her head was a mess, but she knew she needed to get all the information she could, especially with General Nikit waiting outside. She didn’t know how long he would be patient.
“What world are you talking about? What am I? What’s a mixed baby?”
“A mixed baby is half of two different paranormal species. You may be a witch, or a vampire…or both. We don’t know yet. Neither do they,” said her dad, pointing at the row of black cars outside.
“Whatever happens, don’t let them make you into something you don’t want to be, my love.” Her mom h
ad a sad look on her face. What would this mean for her family? What would it mean for her?
“I don’t get it. If you’re a vampire, why don’t you drink blood? And if you’re a witch, why didn’t you create us a pool?” Her parents laughed at her questions, even though Naya was serious, wondering why her family didn’t use their powers to make their life better.
“Sunshine, that’s why I apply shots to myself every month. They give me the vitality to live like a human without cravings, but they limit my powers.” Her dad fished in his pocket for the shots. They had a small American flag on them, and Naya knew they were issued by the army.
“As for my case, I have this bracelet. It inhibits any power I have as a witch. We decided to use these tools, granted to us by the military, to live a normal human life with you. Besides, if we’re being honest, we didn’t think you would have any powers. All the blood tests we made you take throughout the years were specifically designed to prove whether you had mage-blood or not, and nothing showed us any signs of paranormal influence.”
“I knew there was something hidden behind those tests.” Naya wanted to ask more questions, but there was a hard knock at the door. General Nikit was done waiting. He opened the door and cleared his throat.
“Time to go, Naya. They’re expecting us at the airport. Say goodbye to your parents and let’s get going.”
“Goodbye? Right now? But…” Naya couldn’t continue, a knot forming in her throat as she looked up at her parents. They had always been there for her. Why did she have to leave them, and why so suddenly? She couldn’t hold it in anymore and she burst into tears.
“My sweet baby, you’ll always be able to reach us,” her mom said, but then a tear fell down from her eyes.
“Write us. We’ll be there in a blink of an eye if you ever feel lonely…” Her dad grabbed her hand and placed it against her heart. “We will always be here, sunshine.”
“They already have your things. There’s a rule, no cellphones allowed. So I’ll keep this for you.” Maryanne took the phone from Naya’s pocket then placed a long, hurting kiss on the top of her head. Claude got close and gave them a group hug. It was a painful picture. The thought of being apart was too hard for them to process.
The Mage-Blood Test: A YA Paranormal Romance (Arumrose Academy Book 1) Page 6