Maybe nobody had seen the real Liam yet. Being the principal’s son couldn’t be easy. Not when everyone knew who you were and instantly disliked you for that reason. He couldn’t help who his father was.
Or perhaps I was reading too much into it. He could have just been an arrogant bully like Cress said. But when I looked into his brilliant blue eyes, I don’t know, it felt like there was more.
“He’s mega hot,” Cress said suddenly, breaking my reverie.
“You’ve noticed too, huh?”
“How could you not?” She giggled. “I’m sure he tells lies to plenty of girls and then breaks their hearts.”
She was probably right.
I needed to forget about Liam and his eyes. They would only distract me from my mission at Shadow Academy. He was nothing but walking trouble and that was the exact opposite of what would keep me alive.
It wasn’t long after that before we decided to retire for the night. Even though it was only nine o’clock, I needed to get to bed and catch some sleep. I wasn’t going to slumber in the library again that night.
As soon as I said goodnight to Cress, I ran up the two flights of stairs to the third floor and prayed the door to our dorm would be unlocked.
It was.
Rosa wasn’t there either, instantly brightening my mood. I had a quick shower and slid into bed. While it wasn’t as comfortable as my one at home—which was spelled for ultimate comfort—I was too tired to care.
I fell asleep quickly.
Only to be woken by the door opening and the lights coming on in the room. I flicked my gaze to the clock to see it was just after eleven and closed my eyes again.
My illustrious roommate came in with another girl. Rosa either hadn’t noticed I was awake or didn’t care. My bet was on the latter.
She didn’t bother to hush her voice when she spoke. “That’s my new roommate. Can you believe they actually had the nerve to assign me one? I’ve already spoken to my father about it. He was going to call the principal today and sort out the confusion.”
Her friend sounded just like her—all bitch and snob combined. “The nerve. The academy needs to remember just who is helping to pay the bills around here. I’m sure they’d act swiftly if the funds stopped coming in.”
“Yeah. Maybe I should have just told Daddy to close his wallet.”
They chuckled. I’m not sure why.
“So how terrible is she? She looks annoying,” the other girl said.
“She is insufferable. Seriously, it’s like they are trying to punish me or something.”
I willed myself to go to sleep just so I didn’t have to listen to them anymore. It wasn’t exactly working any wonders for my self-esteem.
They carried on for a while longer before giving one another air kisses. The door closed again and it grew quiet. All I could hear was Rosa shuffling about. She eventually turned the light off and plunged the room back into darkness.
“I know you’re awake,” she said.
I didn’t reply.
She could think whatever she wanted.
Sleep eventually took me away again. Unfortunately, it plunged me directly into a nightmare. The Black Cloaks were coming for me. I tried to run away but my feet wouldn’t go anywhere. I was struggling as I ran in place until they caught me.
My scream woke me up. It was daylight. I must have slept for longer than I thought. It was only five a.m. but there was no way I would be able to sleep again. Instead, I climbed out of bed and got ready for the day.
A run was in order. I put in my headphones and hurried out of the dorm block. The air was crisp outside. Cold enough to bite if you were stationary but cool enough to be pleasant when working up a sweat.
I explored the school grounds as I ran. If the Black Cloaks did come for me, knowing the lay of the land would come in handy. Perhaps I could hide in the surrounding forest that hid the academy from the general public. The whole grounds had a spell that protected it from human eyes so the trees were only a secondary backup, just in case.
The trees were massive, far bigger than I’d seen in any other forest. They towered high over the building’s three floors. The whole place had a mossy scent that invigorated my soul. If I was a real witch, it would help boost my magical powers. Considering I was a roach, I guessed I just liked it for what it was—beautiful.
Everything in the natural surrounds was extraordinary. The leaves were greener, the sphagnum moss extra soft underneath my feet, and the air refreshing in a way that made me fill my lungs with every breath.
My alarm sounded at six when it was time to head back. I reluctantly made a beeline for the girls’ dormitories and took a shower.
I was determined to make it work here. The events of yesterday were playing on my mind too much. I vowed that I wouldn’t let that happen to me. The girl must have made a mistake. She’d let her guard down or something so she was detected.
That. Would. Not. Happen. To. Me.
I grabbed some breakfast and headed to my first class—Coven Fundamentals. It was a subject only for the witches and warlocks to attend, for obvious reasons.
Cress would not be in the class but Liam was. I followed him with my gaze as he entered the room and spotted me. He seemed to change course and veer in my direction.
I waited to see what he would do. I thought he might say ‘hi’ or acknowledge me in some way. He slowed down as he reached my desk. He then deposited a chocolate bar on my notebook and continued walking.
I looked at the bar, wondering if it was poisoned or spelled or something. It seemed like a normal bar. It didn’t appear to be tampered with.
Did I dare eat it?
It was chocolate, of course I would dare to eat it. Cautiously, I took off the wrapper and tried the corner. Yummy goodness filled my mouth. It tasted exactly as it should.
Liam took a seat in the row in front of me. He looked back just once and gave me a smile that melted me as much as the chocolate. I didn’t have time to respond with anything but a smile.
I could get a good view of the back of his head then. It was probably a good thing as I couldn’t see his eyes that way. When I saw them, they made it a little hard to look away.
The female professor introduced herself at Madam Darkness. At first I thought she was joking. Apparently not. She corrected anyone who didn’t use her correct name when they answered a question.
I thought I knew everything there was to know about covens. My parents had drilled it into me time and time again. They expected me to be a vital member of whichever coven I was to join after graduation.
I was wrong.
There was so much about the etiquette I hadn’t realized. Just the slightest step out of place could cause a major incident within the coven.
“When entering a room, all witches will acknowledge their superiors with a brisk nod of the head,” Madam Darkness said. “Any witch may admonish a junior witch if they feel they have not been completely respected.”
A girl in the front row put up her hand. “Can they punish their juniors?”
“They can reprimand however they see fit. However, all witches must adhere to the Witch Charter of 1649 which states that punishment must be just and cannot interfere with another witch’s rights.”
Madam Darkness then commenced a lecture on rights. It was pretty basic. The crux of the rights was treat others how you would accept being treated. If a witch would accept the punishment herself, she may dish it out to others. I wondered if that applied to roaches too?
I knew I would never have the chance to join a coven but I managed to forget that as Madam Darkness spoke in depth about the hierarchy and different positions within the covens. She made it seem so exciting and important.
When I did remember, it was crushing. That was not my future—if I even had one. I could be the perfect student and memorize it all but it wouldn’t do me any good. I didn’t have any abilities so I was never going to join a coven.
We were heading toward the end of class w
hen she brought up the subject of assessments. “At the end of the semester, you will undertake an exam that will give you a temporary position within a coven. You will do these assessments each semester until you graduate. Your position will change depending on your exam results. It’s possible you may initially be assessed as quite senior and then fall to junior or vise-versa.”
I wondered if the exam would be based on magic or theory. I really wanted to ask the question but didn’t want to bring any attention to myself. I would have to wait and see if it would be mentioned sometime.
The lesson was a double and took us all the way to lunchtime. As the alarm sounded and everyone packed up, I heard my name. “Eden Musgrave, please stay back a moment,” Madam Darkness said.
My nerves were instantly put on edge. I headed toward her desk and waited. My hands started shaking. I kept them in my pockets so she wouldn’t see.
“Miss Musgrave, I understand your mother is Joanna of the Elderberry coven?”
“Yes, she is.”
A smile crossed her lips, putting me a tiny bit at ease. “She was in my class when I was an academy student. Please give her my regards when you next speak with her. I would love to catch up sometime. We were quite a pair back in the day.”
“You were friends?”
“The best of friends. Unfortunately, our covens took us in different directions and we lost touch. I’d like to think we could put all that behind us.” Her black eyes shone underneath the strip lighting.
“I’ll make sure to mention it to her,” I promised.
“Good. Thank you. You are dismissed.” She waved me away.
It was a relief to leave the classroom. I’d expected the worst, but maybe having an old friend of Moms at the academy would work in my favor.
By that stage, I was willing to grasp onto any little thing I could.
I grabbed a sandwich from the dining hall and ate it outside in the sunshine. The days were getting shorter and weather cooler as winter approached. It would be snowing before long so I needed to enjoy the beautiful surroundings while I could.
The alarm sounded all too soon and I rushed off to History. I didn’t like that subject at regular school so I wasn’t expecting much from the Supernatural version.
The male professor was old enough to be history himself. Another vampire that could recall the major events from witnessing them himself instead of just learning about them from a book like we were. I didn’t know how he could cram so much into his memory bank.
“I’m going to start at the end,” Professor White began after he introduced himself. “The end because that is where we begin as the society and community we know today.”
I was already confused.
“Who here remembers the Civil War?” A few hands shot up. He pointed to a vampire with black hair in the second row. “You. Tell me about it.”
The raven-haired guy sat up straight, taking the question very seriously. “It was the war to end all wars. All the factions of the supernatural world fought against one another until the situation was so dire that it was possible there would be nobody left.”
Professor White nodded his head. “Very good. And who can tell me how it ended? You.”
A girl in the fourth row answered. I would guess she was a shapeshifter. She was far too beautiful to be real. “It ended with the Peace Treaty of 1985.”
“Very good. All species of supernaturals sent a representative to London where they were locked in a room. They agreed to remain there until they had an accord established. This was then known as the Peace Treaty of 1985.”
The history was a lot more recent than I expected. I was yet to crack open my textbook on the subject but I suspected I didn’t need to. Why had I never heard of this Civil War before? Surely my parents would have mentioned it at some stage.
My mother would have been seen years old when the treaty was made. She may have been too young at the time to understand what was going on but she would have remembered some of the details. My father would have been nine years old, even more equipped to understand.
I made a mental note to ask my mother when I spoke with her next. My father and I weren’t entirely on speaking terms so it was no use asking him.
Professor White continued. “The period after the Civil War was one of restorative action. Schools had to be rebuilt, communities stitched together again, and the population had to grow. All factions had been affected. Vampires that I had known for centuries were gone. It was a permanent blight on supernatural history and that is why we must begin here. Open your books and read through chapter nine. Raise your hand if there are any questions.”
I guessed I would need that textbook after all. I reluctantly opened it to the chapter and started reading. I knew we were supposed to learn lessons from the past so we didn’t repeat previous mistakes, but I really found it difficult to get into.
Apparently the werewolves, vampires, shapeshifters, seers, and witches all played a part in the Civil War. All five factions were fighting against the other factions. There were no alliances or agreements. It was just one big free for all.
Throughout the whole chapter, I tried to find a trigger for what started the war but it was never mentioned. It seemed that one day someone decided to turn against all the others and then other people did the same until the war involved everyone.
Useless violence, in other words.
How were we supposed to learn when we didn’t get all the facts? Surely there had to be something that was the trigger. Maybe it was one big thing or perhaps it was a hundred little things that added up over time. I guessed I wouldn’t be getting the answers from the book.
I didn’t dare ask the question. I didn’t need any attention whatsoever. So I read the chapter a couple of times before the alarm rang and we were allowed to leave. Professor White said there would be a pop quiz on the war sometime in the near future.
For the first time since starting at the academy, I decided to go by my locker and drop off some books. They were too heavy to keep lugging around and I wouldn’t need them overnight. Being the first week of the semester, there was hardly any homework allocated yet.
All the lockers for first year students were located along the back of the main building. There was no key to open it, all locks were spelled to they could only unlock when spoken to by their owner.
“Eden Musgrave,” I said to the door. It seemed a bit ridiculous speaking with a metal locker but I’d seen a lot weirder in my childhood years.
The lock made an audible click and popped open. A piece of paper fell out and fluttered to the ground. My locker was supposed to be empty, nothing should have been there to fall out.
I looked around before picking it up. There were only bored looking students marching to their next class. Nobody was watching me.
There was handwritten scrawl on the paper. I read it three times as my hands started shaking. This was not good.
Not good at all.
Chapter 5
There was no denying the letter was left for me specifically. Either that or it was the world’s biggest coincidence.
The note read:
I know you’re a roach and I am going to expose you.
There was no name to finish the threat. Nothing that would expose the author so I could put a face to the ugly words.
Bile rose up my throat and threatened to choke me while I kept re-reading the note. Over and over again, those twelve little words kept replaying on a loop. They never gave me any more clues, just kept the noose tightening around my neck.
“Are you okay?”
The voice gave me a heart attack. I accidently dropped the note. I quickly picked it up again and shoved my books into my locker, slamming the door closed.
Cress was standing behind me with a wrinkled forehead. “You look as white as a vampire. Are you okay?”
I totally was not okay. There was absolutely no way I would tell her that. “Yeah, just…tired. It’s all a bit overwhelming here, you know? I could
use a night where my roommate doesn’t keep me awake.”
Her frown spread into a smile. “You did not get the roommate lottery, did you? I’ve seen Rosa around and she looks like a complete bitch.”
“You could say that.”
“She’s a seer, right?” I nodded. “They are the worst. It’s all about living in the future and all the things they know about with them. I already know what’s going to happen, yadda, yadda.”
I couldn’t help but like Cress.
“Yeah. If only they weren’t all so vain too, right? I’d love to be able to see how she looks in the future when she’s old and wrinkly.”
Cress nodded. “I wouldn’t mind seeing that for myself.”
She started off on a tangent then about all the shapeshifters she knew and how they were similar to seers in the vanity department. The things they would get up to were very interesting. When you could change your appearance, you could almost get away with anything. One minute you could look like the president, the next a celebrity, then a homeless person. They could change in a split second.
Shapeshifters were the reason I had trust issues. I’d encountered them in the past. You could never really know who you were talking with. I hadn’t encountered one at the academy yet, thankfully.
At least, I didn’t think I did.
“I’ve got a date,” Cress said, interrupting her own speech.
“A date, seriously? I need all the details.” At least it was a distraction from that horrible note.
“He’s a vampire and I know they can be moody, but he’s really nice and I think I like him,” she gushed. “I know it’s just one date, but who knows where it will go?”
“I’m happy for you,” I said. And I meant it too. Cress was lovely and deserved happiness. Dating outside her faction was still taboo but she didn’t have to marry the guy. As long as it didn’t make headline news, she should have been fine.
And who was I to judge?
She checked her watch. “Shit, I’m going to be late.”
Shadow Academy Page 4