by C. J. Cooke
“Incidents?” I looked around the room again and Headmaster Farsight drew my gaze. He was sat back in his chair still holding the test tube and looking intently at it. I don’t know what he thought it was going to do. He didn’t really look like any headmaster I had ever seen or imagined. He looked, at best, in his late thirties. The suit that he had on put scowly crap suit to shame. This one probably cost a hundred times what his did. It highlighted his broad shoulders and skimmed what were no doubt huge biceps. He was attractive, but something seemed off about him that I just couldn’t put my finger on. He looked up as if he had realised that I was watching him and he met my eyes with a kind smile on his face.
“I don’t know how much your parents will have told you but fullblooded supernaturals come into the majority of their magic when they reach the age of twenty. Some will have small amounts through childhood but nothing major. Once they reach the age of twenty their magic flares and they come into their full powers. At that age they are brought to the academies where they train to control and use that magic, whatever it may be. Most believed that halfblood children wouldn’t have access to any form of magic but it seems that they were mistaken in that view. The humans believe that some have undergone the same flare but without anyone to teach them how to properly control it innocent people have ended up hurt. The idea of regulation is not one which we support but the humans are right that we should take responsibility for the halfblood children and bring them into the academies to help them learn how to control their magic.”
Okay what he was saying made sense in a way. But twenty? I had been able to use my own magic since I was twelve. Granted over the last year or so it did seem to be getting stronger. Maybe it was part of being a halfblood. Everywhere I went I was a freak. These people seemed nice enough but I had been fooled by that before and I wasn’t falling for it again.
The headmaster had got up from him his desk and walked around to sit on the desk opposite me. “The way in which you were brought here was not how we had expected, and I can only apologise for the way in which you were treated. The humans are scared of us and I can’t say I really blame them for it. Still, it is no excuse for harming you like they did.”
“I’ve had worse, this is nothing.” I shrugged, wiping the blood from my face and holding the handkerchief to my cut to try and stop the bleeding. I didn’t miss the way that their eyes widened as they considered me for a minute. Next would be the pity that I hated so much. A change of subject was definitely needed. “So, what, you want me to go to school here now?”
“Yes, we can send someone to your dorm to pack your things and have them brought here. You start your classes tomorrow to determine what magic you have.” The headmaster nodded.
“No.” I replied. Might as well get straight to the point. They were not going to do digging through my stuff.
“No?” Professor Octavia repeated cocking her head to the side.
“I’m afraid none of us really have a choice in this .. erm I’m sorry what is your name?” The headmaster asked raising an eyebrow.
“Aria Graves” I replied lifting my chin. “I said, no. I don’t want someone digging around in my things.”
Professor Octavia knelt beside me and put her hand on my knee in an overly familiar gesture which I am sure she meant to comfort me but had the complete opposite effect. Sensing my discomfort she withdrew her hand, and there it was, the pity in her eyes. “They won’t let you go back Aria. You have to stay in this realm and learn your magic before they will even consider allowing you to return to the human realm and by then who knows if any of us will be allowed. There is talk of closing the gates dear.”
The headmaster was looking at the test tube again with suspicion. “Why are you looking at it like that?” I asked shifting in my seat. A dull ache had started in my head and I really needed to just lie down and probably throw up a bit.
“It’s gold” he said holding it out in front of him.
“Yeah, I can see that.”
“The purpose of the test is not just to determine if you have magic but what type it is. You are aware that there are different types of supernaturals?” He asked setting the test tube down on his desk but keeping it in sight. It was a little unsettling how much he seemed to be obsessing over it.
“I may have banged my head but I’m not stupid” I snarked.
He lifted one brow again but continued “Witch magic shows as green, red for vampire, blue for elemental, black for demon and white for angel. Shifters show up green as well because their magic is so similar to a witches with it being rooted in nature.” He explained.
“Right, so what’s gold?” I asked.
“I don’t know” he replied looking at the little tube again.
“Well is there like a manual or something? I feel like if you are going to completely disrupt my entire life you should at least have read the instructions.”
“There isn’t supposed to be a gold” he explained and I swear that I saw him roll his eyes. It made me like him just a little bit. A very small, tiny, little bit.
“Maybe I don’t have magic, maybe it’s just a fault with the test. See I knew this was a mistake I should just go home” I said standing up and looking around the room. “Just, you know, click me open a portal and I’ll be on my way.” I said waving my hand in the area where the last one had been. Hey, it was worth a try right.
“It doesn’t quite work like that. You will have to remain for the first year and if you come up as a null we will speak to the humans about returning you if the gates are still open at that time.” The headmaster said crossing his arms and clearly calling me out on my bullshit.
“So, this is my prison for the next year then” I snarked.
At least he had the dignity to flinch. “I hope that you will look at the Academy as your home in time. I am sorry that we had to meet under such circumstances but you will always be welcome here Aria.”
I considered what he had said. It seemed like for now my only option is to play nice for a year. The problem is do I keep my magic locked down like always and see if I could skate by as one of these nulls, or do I actually trust these people and maybe learn more about my magic? Who am I kidding? I can’t hold on to a lie like that for a whole year with these people being constantly up in my space.
“Have you seen any signs of your magic Aria?” Professor Octavia gently queried.
“Nope” I lied. No point in giving everything away until I at least gauged if I was in any danger here.
They both glanced at each other suspiciously. Perhaps I’d answered that a little too quickly.
“Well let’s get you settled in your room.” She replied. “One of the other teachers is in the human realm and will bring back your things. You have got today to explore and then lessons will start tomorrow. We’ll get this all straightened out in no time” she said opening the door to the office.
The headmaster handed me a packet of papers and gave me one of those pity smiles that makes you want to punch someone in the face. “This holds your timetable, a map of the academy and some other things you need to know. All of your books and materials will be brought to your room. You’ll need to report to stores to pick up your uniform. I’ll have Caleb drop off your things when he gets back.”
I followed Professor Octavia out of the room and looked around as she led me to my room. “Where is everyone?” I asked.
“In class. Classes started a few weeks ago. We get a few extra students over the first month, those that come into their magic a bit later but generally everyone starts at the same time.”
“I meant the other halfbloods. Why hasn’t anyone else been thrown through the wall yet?” I said looking back at the office as if someone would fly out of it any minute.
“Oh, well you’re the only one so far dear.” Professor Octavia replied walking down a corridor heading towards a large staircase. The academy seemed to be quite an old building. The walls of the corridor were stone and the windows were set into it with
thick glass panes. If we were in the “human realm” this would be hundreds of years old but who knew what buildings looked like wherever the hell this was.
“What do you mean? There must have been others, everyone was bragging about having some form of magical heritage at my campus.” I answered looking around trying to take stock of where I was. The windows didn’t look like they opened but being glass I should be able to smash one should I need to get out. I seemed to be on a ground floor. There was a large front door opposite the staircase which offered another exit if needed. I’d just need to find out if they kept it locked.
“Ah yes, I have heard of this. Halfbloods of your age are actually quite rare dear. The gates only opened ten years ago so any halfbloods your age would have had to come from someone strong enough to be able to cross realms by themselves. I don’t think that any of those people would have actually had true claims. I’d be surprised if anyone else actually comes through a portal to us”. The professor started to climb up the stairs with me trailing behind her. If she was aware of me checking the potential exit routes she made no sign of it. She just seemed quite content to show me to my room. They didn’t seem like they were going to forcibly hold me here.
“So, I’m the only one then?” This couldn’t be good. I like to live life under the radar but now I’m going to be the halfblood freak that everyone knows about.
“So far dear but I would think it will take a couple of months before they get everyone tested so we may get another one, but there a few other academies taking in the students so they may not get sent here.” The corridor was lined with doors and she stopped outside one and nodded her head towards it. “This is you dear. I made sure that you got a single room. I figured this whole process would be hard enough on you as it is”
“Thanks” I mumbled grabbing the door knob then screeching when I got zapped as if electricity ran up my arm. I really needed to calm the fuck down, I was not a screeching kind of girl but this place had me on edge and acting like a big boobed blonde chick in a horror movie.
“Oh, sorry dear I should have warned you about that. Just the door configuring to you. Saves keys you know. Only you will be able to open this now. Well and certain members of staff if there’s an emergency.”
I nodded and opened the door. It was a typical dorm room. Bed in the corner, which was thankfully a double and already made up with blue cotton sheets. Desk on the opposite wall with some shelves, a bookcase and an armchair in the other far corner. There were two other doors. Sticking my head through each I found a small closet and a bathroom. I gave a small prayer of thanks to the universe for the bathroom. I could not have gone back to sharing a bathroom.
“Well I’ll leave you to get settled in. Your welcome pack has the schedule for the day. Lunch will be in about an hour and the cafeteria is marked on the map. Your things should be here by then as well. If you have any questions, I’ll see you tomorrow. We only have three academic classes on your timetable at the moment. No point added things in when we don’t know what your magic will be and you will have a lot of reading to do to catch up anyway.” She backed awkwardly out of the room before turning and striding away. The door slowly closed behind her and I looked around me at the empty room. I was exhausted and I sank down onto the edge of the bed, pulled off my boots and flopped back. My head was still hurting, I was exhausted from the night before and everything that I knew of the fragile life I had managed to piece together for myself had come falling down around me. I couldn’t believe how much could change in what must have only been an hour. I didn’t have much in my apartment. They would no doubt be able to pack everything into a few boxes. What if they never let me leave here? Maybe I should just tell them that I already had magic and let them help me develop it into whatever it was going to be. My mind felt like it was spinning in circles and it probably didn’t help that I was pretty certain that I had a minor head injury to go with it. It was probably a good thing that I was lying down. I was certain that my mind was racing with too many questions for me to be able to sleep but slowly my eyes slid closed and exhaustion took over pulling me into sleep.
Chapter Three
I woke with a start, sitting up bolt upright. I wasn’t sure what had woken me or how long I had been asleep but as the realisation of where I was and what had happened struck me I couldn’t help but groan. At the same time the door to my room flew open and as it slammed into the wall beside it the flashback slammed into my mind. The dark room, the blazing pain across my back and the wandering hands. It was like all the oxygen was sucked out the room and I couldn’t breath. My hands flew to my throat as I gasped for breath and scrambled back on the bed trying to put as much space between me and the offending door. The flashbacks came frequently at the beginning but I hadn’t had one for years. This whole situation was really fucking with my head. In the doorway stood three guys each holding a box. One had his back to me and had clearly shoved the door open while talking to the other two behind him. One of the others met my eyes and his brilliant green eyes flew open in panic as he took in my state. He dropped the box to the floor and shoved his friend to one side, approaching me with his hands out in front of me like he was trying to calm down a wild beast. “Oh shit, oh shit, I’m sorry. We knocked and you didn’t answer, we assumed you weren’t here.”
I sucked in a huge lungful of breath and scrunched my eyes closed forcing myself to calm. It had been a long time since something had triggered me but I couldn’t afford to freak out now. I counted backwards from ten in my head and felt a strained type of control come back over me. I must look like a proper crazy person right now. When I opened my eyes, the green-eyed guy was on his knees in front of me looking up in concern. Of course, it would be exactly at that moment that I realised just how gorgeous he was. I mean, oh my god, it should be illegal to look like that. He had sandy blond hair that flopping into his eyes which were the most beautiful green that I had ever seen. As if he wasn’t hot enough, he broke out in a smile and I swear my ovaries fainted at the sight. That smile only grew when I didn’t say anything and it became blatantly obvious that I was checking him out. Apparently my panic attacks can be very successfully treated by drooling over a hot guy, who knew?
I cleared my throat and looked over at the other two by the door. Of course they had be just as sexy. The one that had his back to me earlier had turned around and dear god, he had shaggy black hair and grey eyes, with muscles for days. This was the type of guy that would be able to slam you against a wall and make you forget your own name. His friend behind him looked just as good with piercing blue eyes and short cropped brown hair. Good lord if all the guys at this school looked like this then lock me up and throw away the key, this next year might actually just be worth it.
“I .. urm … fell asleep” I cleared my throat. Smooth Aria, now try again and try to sound like a normal person. “Sorry, I didn’t hear you knock.”
The green-eyed god at my feet chuckled a deep masculine laugh “You okay now, you looked like you thought we were about to eat you.”
The black-haired guy muttered something and his blue-eyed friend beside him barked out a laugh. Yeah it was pretty obvious what he had said and I felt the blush creep up my face. Get a grip Aria, this is not the kick ass female that you are.
“How did you even get the door open?” I asked eying them suspiciously. Yes, they were sex on legs, but they could still be serial killers.
“Oh, Caleb keyed us in to the door so we could bring your boxes up for you. He thought you would be out exploring the academy and he didn’t want us to just leave them outside the door.” One of the guys explained. I wasn’t sure which one.
Green-eyed sex god got to his feet chuckling at what he had inadvertently said “Let’s start again shall we?” he laughed. He strode back to the door, shoved his friend outside and closed it behind him. I cocked my head to the side in confusion before a knock came at the door and I couldn’t help but smile at how cheesy he was. Getting up from the bed I walked over t
o the door and opened it. Green-eyed sex god smiled at me and extended his hand to me “Hi, I’m Kyle. We were asked to bring these boxes up for you. These are my friends, Liam and Sykes.”
Chapter Four
Kyle
As soon as my eyes met hers and I saw the panic attack flash across her face I knew I would rip apart the world to save her from ever feeling like that again. I could also have punched Liam in the face for not waiting and just slamming the door open. The gold flecked eyes that stared back at me were just about the most beautiful things that I had ever seen. That is if you didn’t count the woman that had them. As she sucked in deep breathes fighting the panic that set in, her breasts heaved and stretched her t-shirt tight. This woman had curves for days and I would give anything to wrap her in my arms and hold her for the rest of my days. When she reopened the door after I knocked again and smiled at me, I knew I was done. My wolf felt like he was slamming into my chest. He wanted her and he wanted her now. No woman had ever made my wolf react at all, let alone like this.
“So, you’re the halfblood then” Sykes broke in shattering the moment.