by Valia Lind
"Anytime," Ben replies, sliding around to get more comfortable. We're sitting with our backs against the storage shelf, my legs criss-crossed in front of me, his pulled up at the knees. "What do you think is going on out there?"
"I think the faculty is doing a sweep, making sure no one penetrated the school's grounds," I reply automatically. "It's standard protocol. If someone did get in, I think we would've heard something by now."
Ben nods but doesn't comment and we fall back into silence. My mind is working overtime. These breeches are getting more frequent. Every single time the alarm goes off, I'm scared it will be it. That the evil will invade and this place will fall down around us. I can't imagine Thunderbird Academy not standing tall, but it's such a possibility now, it makes my chest hurt.
"Can I ask you about what happened in Hawthorne?"
A part of me expected this. It's a question everyone has been wanting to ask since the moment I returned. But besides my close friend group, no one else has approached me.
"It's okay if you don't want to talk about it," Ben hurries on to add, but I wave it off.
"There's not much to tell," I begin, resigned to talking about it. I do kind of owe Ben for tonight. This is the least I can do. "I found some information. Much like I found it today." Once again, I can't quite mention the library, and it's a bit annoying. "My sisters already had all the pieces. They just needed the missing part. I think they would've figured it out without me. It just would've taken them longer."
"And might've cost them more." I glance up at him at his words. "I don't think you should minimize your part in this."
"It's not like I'm trying to." I sigh, wondering how much to tell him. For some reason, I feel comfortable with him. And I'm not sure if it's because he's Aiden's friend or because I'm being a little more open to relationships now. But maybe it's simply because I don't know him, and I need to talk to someone.
"It's just that people expect more from me because I was part of this great spell. But truth be told, I didn't even do much. My magic may have grown recently, but I'm still nowhere near where people expect me to be."
"That's understandable. But Maddie." He leans forward, intensity written all over his face. "Aiden has told me just how skillful you are. You're smart and powerful. Selling yourself short won't help anyone. Most of all you."
He leans back as if he hasn't just delivered one of the most amazing encouragements. Of course, he wouldn't know how much those words mean to me, or how I'm soaking them up like a flower who hasn't been watered in a while.
The interesting part is that it's not as if I need a confidence boost, per se. I know my own power. I know there is a lot I can handle. I'm growing stronger with every test sent my way, every challenge. I'm not the same girl I was when I started here a year ago. Sometimes I forget that year even existed. Everything is so different now. But the doubts reach even the most confident of individuals and having Aiden's faith in me so blatantly spoken of makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.
Everyone can use a little of faith in them now and then. Apparently, I have that support in Aiden. Even though he won't tell me so himself.
"Thanks, Ben," I finally say, just as the door clicks before being pulled open.
"Madison Hawthorne. Why am I not even surprised?" Headmaster Marković asks, stepping into the doorway, the light at his back.
I stand, shrugging.
"I'm just lucky, I guess."
"Would you like to explain to me what you were doing, hiding in the storage room?" Headmaster Marković asks me a little later, as I sit in his office. The school is awake, students being interviewed as the faculty continues to comb through the grounds.
"It was the first place that was available after the alarm went off?" I reply, receiving a very unamused look from the headmaster.
"Maddie."
"I couldn't sleep," I say, going back to my prepared excuse. "My magic was a little restless, and I needed it calmed before it went haywire."
"So, you went to..."
"The greenhouse. The plants there helped."
Even though I know he's still suspicious, he can't deny the logic. As an elemental witch, the best place I can be is near nature. Since I can't go outside at night, the greenhouse would be the most plausible solution.
"How did Mr. Light end up in the same place as you?"
"We ran into each other when he was on patrol." I really hope he's actually scheduled to patrol and wasn't out of his room just because of me. I guess right because headmaster doesn't question me further.
"Where is he?" I ask, still afraid I got the shifter in trouble.
"He's been called away by his alpha."
My heart jumps in my chest, a dozen questions on the tip of my tongue. But I doubt Headmaster is in a sharing mood, so I don't ask.
"Am I free to go?" I ask instead and receive a go ahead. When I leave the headmaster's office, I'm met by groups of students huddled in the hallways wearing their pajamas. Miss Cindy is handing out cups of tea, trying to soothe them as best as she can. Without meeting anyone's eye, I hurry to my side of the castle, my mind on the shifter. For Ben to be pulled away, something had to have happened.
"Oh my word, Maddie!" Jade throws her arms around me the moment I reach our room. The girls are sitting with blankets wrapped around them on the floor, a worried look on their faces. "Where have you been?"
"In the headmaster's office," I reply, returning her hug. I don't really want to get into it with Vera and Christy here, and I give Jade an extra squeeze to keep her quiet. She seems to read my mind and doesn't press.
"What is going on, Maddie?" Christy asks, her eyes big and round.
"I'm not sure. They didn't say anything, but they're interviewing a bunch of people."
"They did come by and check on us, but we were all sleeping when the alert sounded. So, we didn't have anything to add," Jade explains as I settle back on my bed.
Exhausted from the events of tonight, I lay down, still fully dressed, as the girls continue talking. My body goes numb, but my mind won't stop working. So many possibilities rush through, none of them with good outcomes. It scares me to think that someone in this school wishes it harm.
Mentally, I try to put together a list of suspects, but I have no idea where to start. It's not like there are any stereotypical signs I can follow. With magic, anything is possible. The sweetest person can be the darkest witch. I could never put anyone into a box. It's with these thoughts that I let myself drift off into sleep.
The next morning, the whole school is in uproar. There's a shadow hanging over the school, a heaviness that's finally descended upon us. When I woke up this morning, clouds made everything look gloomy.
"This weather is weird, right?" Jade asks on the way to our second class. The first hour was skipped and replaced with an assembly, but Headmaster Marković had nothing new to add. The school is still on lockdown. Magic is still being monitored closely. We can’t wander off. This place no longer feels like a sanctuary. It's more of a prison.
"Typically, the weather is regulated by the upperclassmen elementals," I reply, my eyes scanning over every person we pass. I told myself I'd be more on alert, but it's hard. These are my fellow classmates. I can't get over the fact that one of them may be a traitor.
"So, why isn't it?"
"Maybe it is," I shrug, glancing at my friend. "We need gloomy days to balance the sunny ones, right?"
Jade takes that at face value, but I know she's not reassured. I'm not either. Something is happening, and the weather is just one aspect of that. It's not like the elementals watch it continuously, but they do help out when it gets too bad. It looks like an apocalypse is coming, so I would assume they'd do something. Unless they can't.
The rest of the day isn't much better. There are whispers and looks, and no one is trusting anyone. Aiden is still gone, and Ben has followed him apparently. I wonder what could be so important that the academy would break their rules and let them out.
"Y
ou doing okay?" Noel asks, coming up to stand beside me. I've been nestled between the wall and the bookcase, watching students rush by. I'm in observation mode, trying to piece together all the clues that have been showing up. At least, I think there are clues. Watching people's behaviors is a little exhausting, but necessary. I haven't been paying as much attention as I should've been. But I'm paying attention now.
"Sure. How about you?"
"Honestly, a little freaked out. They almost got in." That gets my attention. I turn fully to Noel.
"What?"
"I overheard one of the upperclassmen talking. The attack almost pierced through the protective shield. They almost got in."
That's news to me, but I'm not that surprised. It was going to happen eventually. There is a sense of foreboding that we've been living with, waiting for that other shoe to drop. The Ancients will never give up, and this school is of interest to them. Maybe this is happening with every academy. Maybe the plan here is to infiltrate the young minds. If I was masterminding a world domination, that's where I would start.
"What else did you hear?" I lean my shoulder against the wall so I can watch Noel and the crowd in front of us.
"The headmaster is putting together a plan of action. I'm not sure what he's thinking he can do at this point that they haven't already been doing, but it's something. That's all I know."
"It does make sense. They have to try everything. Especially since whatever they are doing is not working."
We fall silent as another few students rush by us, two of the girls giving me a quick once-over.
"Does that get tiring?" Noel nods toward the girls.
"You have no idea."
I push away from the wall, and Noel follows close beside me. We're heading away from the lunchroom, and I know I told the girls I'd meet them there, but I have no desire to be subjected to that many people at the same time.
"I'm going to head outside," I tell Noel, and at first, he seems like he's going to stop me. Instead, he gives me a long searching look, before inclining his head.
"Be careful, okay?"
"You too."
I leave him behind, and when I'm at the end of the hallway, I turn to see him disappearing into the crowd. With everything that's been going on, I haven't really taken the time to appreciate my friends lately. But I have been given some pretty good ones, and I make a mental note to focus on that a little more. If we survive this.
When the fresh air hits my cheeks, I breathe in fully. There are students and faculty on the stairs in front of the school building as well, but I walk past them without a second look. The paper with names is still burning a hole in my pants, and I need to find a way to relay the information to my sisters. I would go to the headmaster, but I'm not sure if there is a way to explain to him where I got the information without breaking the library's rules. I still have to figure out how to get around that.
I head straight down to the avenue of limes without any definite destination in mind. What I wouldn't give to speak to my dad right now. He would be able to make sense of all of this. I just know it. Even his presence is calming, and he has that air of knowledge about him that I've always found endearing. But these thoughts don't bring comfort, only pain. Even after months, I still have no idea how to find him, and there are no clues left to follow. I wanted to come back to Thunderbird Academy so I could help search for him the best way he taught me, and I've done absolutely nothing to reach that goal.
Not only am I failing as a friend, I have failed as a daughter.
Today is apparently a day for a pity party. If I was going to be mature about the situation, I could tell myself that it's not my fault. That I'm not responsible for what happened to him. But I feel the weight of his absence on me like a heaviness I cannot shake off. It's like everything around me is falling apart, and I am completely helpless.
But I'm not helpless. I can't let myself fall so far down this hole that I never claw my way out. My dad would say I have to pang-wangle, and he would be correct. In spite of everything that's going on, I have no choice but to fight.
This school is no longer the safe haven I so desperately searched for, and I can't sit by and do nothing about it. Just like that, the pity party is over. I'm pulling myself together, even if that's only because it's the one thing I have left to do. If everyone is going to think I'm this great witch, I better start acting like it.
26
It's been close to a week and everything has been quiet. I've spent as much time as I can at the library, but I've found nothing helpful about the attacks. I have been able to find a few protective spells I can try, and I've been working on memorizing and practicing them. At this point, I may need to use them sooner than I anticipate.
The only other piece of information I could decipher are the ancient trials. Apparently, the Ancients held competitions with each other, trying to one up each other in various ways. If they're targeting schools now, maybe it's about the number. Or the individuals who go there. It's not exactly helpful, but at least it provides more of a motive for recruitment and these attacks.
This morning I felt unsettled, and when I step into the dining room, the feeling doesn't go away. It intensifies. It's as if my whole body has just broken out in goosebumps, but I can't pinpoint the source.
"What's up?" Noel asks, sensing my hesitation.
"I'm not sure. It's like there's a disturbance in the force." His smile is quick at my reference, but I'm not trying to be funny. Something is coming, but I don't know what. I scan the room but find nothing out of sorts. My friends move through the line, and I follow them automatically.
It seems that everyone is taking lunch at the same time today because the place is full. All the tables are taken, so we resign ourselves to going outside.
"Are we sure? It's kind of chilly out there," Christy whines, but follows us anyway. Truth be told, I'm happy to be out here. I needed to get out of that room. Not sure I could eat in there when I'm feeling so unbalanced.
The air has turned cool in the last week, as if Autumn finally decided to make her appearance. This time of the year is Bri's favorite, and I wonder if she had time to plant her herbs with all the craziness that's been going on.
"Oh, come on, Christy," I hear Jade say, "It'll be freezing before we know it, and then we'll wish we were out here."
I have to agree with my friend on that one. Even though the upperclassmen weather witches regulate much of the seasons here, they stay true to the rest of the world. After all, there is a reason why everything goes through seasons. Kind of like we do. Being at Thunderbird Academy is a season now. We find one of the unoccupied tables outside, taking a seat. The air is refreshing on my flushed skin, and I close my eyes for a second to enjoy the gentle breeze.
"Umm, Maddie." Jade's voice breaks through my moment of peace, and I turn to find her smiling at me. "Why don't we go get more juice?"
I glance down at the two bottles in front of us, confused by Jade's sudden behavior. She's still smiling at me, but I can tell it's a little strained.
"I think I'm good, thanks."
"You sure you don't want anything else?" This comes from Noel, who's sitting on my other side. I glance between my two friends, wondering what has gotten into them, when a shadow falls across my plate. I turn to look up and find Ben grinning down at me.
"Hey, Maddie!"
"Ben, you're back." I point out the obvious, as the boy rocks back on his heels. "Everything okay?"
"Somewhat." He shrugs.
"Maddie." Jade calls my name again as she places her hand on my arm. "I think we should go get some fruit."
"Jade, I'm fine, really. Ben," I say to the boy behind me. "Would you like..."
The question dies on my lips as he drifts to the side, opening up my view past his back. There's a group right by the doors we walked out of earlier. I recognize all the faces but one.
A gorgeous, dark-haired girl has her arms around Aiden's waist, gazing up at him like he's the love of her life. H
is eyes are on me.
I feel that look inside me, igniting and destroying parts of me all at once. The intensity steals my breath and shatters my thoughts, and I can't look away no matter how much I want to.
Ben steps back in front of me cutting off my view, and a gust of air rushes into my lungs.
"Maddie?"
"I guess Aiden is back too," I manage, knowing full well the shifter can hear everything we're saying.
"Who's the girl?" Christy asks, and I turn around to find my friends’ eyes on me. Jade and Noel's behavior is understandable now. They were trying to protect me. Christy isn't paying attention to me though, she's looking over my shoulder.
"That's Natalie. She's Aiden's... betrothed."
For a moment, I don't think I heard Ben right. The wood on the table becomes crystal clear, as if all my senses are now completely focused on the spot in front of me. I feel a movement at my back, and then Ben takes a seat on the other side of Noel. Christy laughs, but the sound is hollow and far away.
"Betrothed? Is that a thing?"
"It is in our world." Ben shrugs, grabbing a piece of bread off my plate. I can feel his eyes on me, but I'm too stunned to organize my thoughts. I still can't seem to raise my head or articulate any of the words forming in my mind.
"How so?" I hear Vera ask softly. Or maybe I just can't hear well over the hum in my ears.
"Nat is going to be the Alpha of her pack. Aiden is the Alpha of his. It's a business arrangement."
"That's a little..." Jade begins but stops herself.
"Dated?" Ben finishes for her, and I can almost hear the shrug in his voice. "It's all we know. Oh hey, guys."
I'm trying really hard to find my footing, but even though I'm sitting down, I feel like the whole world is tilting under my feet. It's like I'm back inside the school during the earthquake. The group has moved toward us, and I can still feel Aiden's eyes on me, burning a mark into my back. Noel scoots just a tad closer, placing his hand on mine under the table, and I barely feel it. Then, a soft growl reaches my ears and that one sound is what finally snaps me back to reality.