Zodiac Academy 3: The Reckoning: An Academy Bully Romance (Supernatural Bullies and Beasts)

by Caroline Peckham

  “They should make the challenge to escape from Washer,” I breathed to Darcy. “I’d run so fucking fast I’d have it won in five seconds flat.”

  She slapped a hand over her mouth to stop her laugh and Washer looked our way, offering a cheeky grin.

  “I’ll be on hand alongside several other Sirens to monitor your progress, make sure no one is cheating and that no one drowns. The ice is that way-” he pointed over a bridge to our left. “The falls over there-” He pointed right. “And if you just want to go ahead and get wet with me right now, you can all see, the big, blue...” Washer dropped his robe to reveal his blue scales covering his body and wriggled his hips suggestively. He was wearing the smallest fucking red speedo I’d ever seen. It was practically a thong. My mouth opened in horror. “Lake!” he finished, throwing his hands up just as a claxon sounded the start of the challenge.

  “What first?” Darcy asked as the freshmen all started running in different directions, most of them going for the falls and ice.

  I stared into the lake, nightmares shifting beneath my skin.

  “I hope you don’t drown, Roxy!” Darius shouted from somewhere in the crowd.

  “Again!” Max added.

  The sound of hundreds of students laughing filled my ears and blood flooded my cheeks.

  “Fuck them,” I spat. “Let’s do the lake first!”

  “Hell yes,” Darcy agreed and we both started running straight for the water.

  We’d done a fair bit of work in our Water Elemental lessons on controlling water. The trick to it was in giving it somewhere else to flow. You couldn’t just cut through it, you needed to carve a hole into existence and encourage it to flood on by.

  The cold liquid splashed across my legs and the slick feel of reeds pushed between my bare toes in a way that made my skin crawl but I didn’t slow.

  We kept wading until we started swimming, aiming for a ring of blue lights which sat in a circle on the water’s surface, marking the spot where we needed to dive.

  As the water got deeper, we began to swim. The endless depths beneath me made my heart beat faster but instead of caving to that fear, I used the energy to fuel my weary limbs.

  We made it to the ring of lights and I looked down into the darkness of the blue water. I could see my legs but not much beyond.

  Washer was bobbing in the water before us, a smile playing around his lips. “How long can you hold your breath?” he teased, though for once he kept his Siren magic the hell away from us.

  I openly sneered in disgust at him as I drew on my water magic.

  “On three?” Darcy asked, her eyes glimmering with the depths of her power.

  “Three,” I said, just before I dove beneath the water.

  I pressed my hands out in front of my face as I kicked down and worked my hardest to channel the water around me.

  A flood of air hit my face and I gulped it down before it slipped away. I tried again. And again. Each time I succeeded, the longer the air stayed around me, the water sliding by as if I were in an arrow-shaped cocoon.

  Blue lights glimmered ahead and I kicked harder, trying to ignore it every time the water cut back in and hit me in the face. Each breath I managed was a success, the glowing blue lights signalling this win.

  Darcy’s leg skimmed mine and I was glad to find her right beside me. It was hard to make her out in the gloom beneath the water but just knowing she was there leant me strength.

  As we neared the bottom of the lake, the blue lights revealed themselves to be keys. I cried out in triumph, bubbles spilling through the water around me as I snatched one into my grasp.

  I caught Darcy’s eye for a moment as I hooked the key onto the loop at my waist and she did the same.

  She pointed at the surface far above us and I nodded my agreement as I started to kick towards it.

  Rising was easier than diving and the air slid over my lips less and less often as I chose speed over wielding the water away, the promise of oxygen waiting so close above.

  My head breached the surface and I whooped in triumph, sparing a moment to high five Darcy as Washer grinned at us.

  “You’re the first to make it to the base,” he said and for once I didn’t flinch away from the suggestive tone he used, I just laughed.

  “Ice next?” Darcy suggested and I agreed quickly as we started swimming for the shore.

  A chant had started up from the crowd but I couldn’t make out the words. I probably didn’t want to anyway.

  We kept going until we were dragging ourselves up the bank and started running towards the bridge Washer had pointed out.

  “Vegas gonna take you down! Vegas coming for the crown! Watch out Heirs you’d better bow! Vegas gonna take you DOWN!”

  I looked around, my eyes widening in surprise at the chant which was taking place and my gaze fell on Geraldine in full on conductor mode as the Ass Club all screamed their lungs out in support of us. She had a baton and a white shirt with Vega Royals! scrawled across the front of it and was grinning her damn head off. I couldn’t spare her more than that quick glance as we ran on but we both let out a laugh as we went.

  We crossed the bridge quickly and my eyes widened as I spotted the huge block of ice before us. I felt the freezing cold air coming off of it before we even made it within ten feet. Inside it, red lights were glowing which I knew had to be the keys.

  “Shit, how will we get one of those out?” I asked desperately. I’d created ice more than once, though not really on purpose and I hadn’t ever tried to melt it with water magic. My natural inclination would be to use fire for that.

  A girl with bright blue eyes was standing a little way along the block of ice, both hands pressed to it and sinking in. With a cry of success, she drew back, yanking a red key with her before she turned and sprinted away.

  Darcy sprang forward and I followed her lead, ignoring the bite of cold that came at me as I moved towards the ice.

  I laid my palms against the frozen block right over a glimmering key which looked to be about a foot inside it.

  I took a deep breath, closing my eyes and trying to feel for the sensation of water moving between my palms, willing the ice to take on that form for me.

  A bead of moisture raced down the back of my hand. Then another. And another. I pressed on, refusing to open my eyes in case it broke my concentration as water began to spill between my spread fingers.

  My palm finally hit metal and I snatched the red key out with a whoop of triumph, hooking it onto my belt and looking to Darcy as she did the same.

  “One to go,” I said excitedly.

  “Oh I’m gonna rub it in the Heirs’ faces so hard when we make it through The Reckoning,” Darcy announced and I laughed at the fire in her voice.

  We ran back across the bridge, past the bleachers and the crowd who were still screaming encouragement for us under Geraldine’s guidance.

  We crossed paths with students racing in the opposite direction, one guy smacking straight into me and earning himself an elbow to the ribs in response.

  When we made it to the waterfall, I stumbled to a halt, staring up at it in shock. It slammed down on the path in an endless torrent, the water cycling back around and around magically with so much force that I knew we wouldn’t be able to stand beneath it much less pass through it without magic.

  I bit my lip as I raised my hands and stepped forward, the spray crashing over me.

  My magic was beginning to feel a little empty, the well inside me running lower than usual at all the power I’d exerted. But we needed more. Just a little more.

  We’d figured out how to make it through the waterfall which led into our Water Elemental class in our second week and I guessed this was just a more extreme version of that.

  I took a deep breath and pressed my influence into the torrent as I raised my hands, willing it to part in the centre and convincing it that the routes to the left and right of me were easier. Darcy threw her own magic at the same spot and all of a sudden
the water parted like a curtain, revealing a pedestal covered in glimmering yellow keys.

  We darted in and grabbed two, hooking them to our belts before dropping the magic and sprinting back towards the lake.

  The crowd screamed as they spotted us and adrenaline surged through my shaky limbs as I caught Darcy’s hand so that we could run together.

  The platform in the centre of the lake seemed impossibly far out but I also noticed that no one stood on it yet. We were in the lead, the first of the freshmen to have collected all three keys.

  I grinned as I ran straight into the water, swimming as soon as I could, using my water magic to carve an easier path for my aching body along the surface.

  There were a lot of other students in the lake but they were all still in the process of diving for the blue key. I was so glad we chose to do that first now that the exhaustion was pounding through my limbs. It had taken the most magic and I was sure more than one of the students in the water were struggling on low reserves now.

  It seemed like we swam forever, the sound of the crowd lost to the swoosh, swoosh, swoosh of water around my ears before finally, my hand hit the wooden platform.

  My arms trembled as I dragged myself up onto it, catching Darcy’s arm to help pull her over the edge at the same time.

  We pushed ourselves to our feet and the screaming crowd went wild on the lakeshore, a grin almost cleaving my face in two as I looked out over everyone.

  “We did it,” Darcy said, partly in relief, part shock, part pure goddamn joy.

  “Hell yeah we did!”

  I threw my arms around her and we squealed like little kids who’d just turned up at Disney Land. After the horrors of the night before, a win was exactly what I’d needed and holy crap did it feel good.

  ***

  Geraldine threw us a celebration of ridiculous proportions in The Orb over dinner, laying out plate after plate of food for us until we were so full we were fit to pop.

  By the time it got close to curfew, I’d joined Sofia and the members of the Ass Club who lived in Ignis House and headed back to my bed.

  Exhaustion had tugged at my body and I’d managed a few hours of sleep before a nightmare had woken me. I scrubbed a hand over my face as I tried to fight it off but I could still hear whispering in the dark corners of my room.

  I snatched my Atlas from my nightstand and scowled as I realised it was only half eleven.

  My heart was beating a little too fast and my mind was whirling with crazy ideas which wouldn’t let me rest. I tried closing my eyes to block them out but gave up as the nightmares drew close again.

  I let out a breath of irritation as I rose, trying to figure out who might be awake to keep me company.

  I slipped out of bed and decided to investigate the common room. Maybe Sofia or even Milton would still be up.

  It was chilly out of the comfort of my bed and I quickly dressed in a pair of jeans and a red sweater before kicking my sneakers on and heading down to the common room.

  I thumbed through FaeBook posts on my Atlas as I walked and one caught my eye.

  Tyler Corbin: Watch out Griffins. I’ve personally dealt with an Heir lusting after me for my sparkly tail. Here’s a few tips to you Griffins if Max Rigel peer pressures you into joining his turd herd with his Siren powers.

  1.Don’t look him in the eye too long (Caleb Altair started touching himself when I did this)

  2.When in your Order form, take dumps in private. If Max catches you, charge him down. (He’s not as fast as a horny Vampire)

  3.If all else fails, shit on him and shit on him good. He might enjoy it but at least you’ll get even. (Caleb’s still washing the glitter out of his hair since I did this – I’m starting to think he wants it there)

  #pooboo #dungchum #maxlikescracks

  Comments:

  Milly Badgerville: Ewww is this true?

  Amy Sawyer: Oooh where can I sign up to the turd herd?

  Max Rigel: You are so fucking dead.

  Geraldine Grus: If you lay a finger on him you foul faeces enthusiast, you will face the wrath of the Almighty Sovereign Society!

  Milton Hubert: Hahaha Geraldine

  Darius Acrux: @Miltonhubert Ghosts don’t have FaeBook profiles. Delete it before the end of the day.

  Caleb Altair: I’m going to Pegassassinate you.

  Angelica Luevano: The A.S.S protect all friends of the true queens! Hail the Vegas! Hail their friends! #downwiththeheirs

  I laughed to myself as I continued to read the comments and only looked up as I reached the common room. I stilled, looking around for a friendly face. I didn’t find any. Instead I spotted Darius Acrux and his fan club taking up a huge circle of chairs by the biggest fireplace in the room. I almost turned and walked straight back out but he looked up at that moment, his gaze fixing on me.

  I pursed my lips, refusing to scurry from the room but no longer having a reason for being there.

  “Sneaking out to go screw Caleb again?” Marguerite mocked as she spotted me too. “You realise he’s just using you for your power, right?”

  I lifted my chin and stalked towards her, silently thanking her for the brilliant idea. Caleb was exactly what I needed to take my mind away from my nightmares.

  “You’re wrong, Marguerite,” I said sweetly. “He’s not just using me for my power: he gets my body too.”

  Darius growled and a wall of flames sprang into place before the doorway, blocking my way out.

  “It’s after curfew,” he snapped, daring me to go against him.

  “Yeah,” I agreed, pausing before the flames. “There are lots of silly rules in this place. They even frown on people hanging out down at Air Cove with tea-”

  “I don’t give a shit what you do but I don’t want you getting caught and losing us House Points,” Darius snarled, cutting me off as he dropped the barrier of flames.

  I offered him an insolent look and headed for the door. Darius got out of his chair before I made it though, stepping into my way. He snatched my Atlas out of my grip and I fought against the urge to try and snatch it back, clenching my teeth instead.

  “What are you doing?” I demanded.

  “I just wanted to make sure you’ve seen the latest story about you. Wouldn’t want you to miss it,” he said with a shrug, tapping away at something on the screen.

  His fan club were all watching us expectantly and they fell silent while they waited to find out what would happen next.

  “Unlike you, I don’t jerk off over the sight of my name in the press so don’t bother,” I said, holding my hand out for my Atlas.

  “Oh but it’s such an accurate piece, I’m sure you wouldn’t want to miss out.”

  Marguerite laughed excitedly and I narrowed my eyes on him, wondering why it was taking him so long to search for a single news story.

  Darius twisted my Atlas in his hand and pushed it back at me. Unsurprisingly the story had been written by Gus Vulpecula and the title was less than complimentary.

  Are the Vega Twins cheating their way through school exams?

  I instantly shut down the page, having no interest in reading more bullshit that guy had invented about us.

  “Can I go now? My sex addiction needs an outlet.” I looked up at Darius like he was boring me and his jaw clenched.

  “You might wanna give Cal some notice if you’re planning on surprising him. Last I saw of him, he was heading back to his room with Milly Badgerville, it might be embarrassing for you if she’s still there,” Darius taunted as he stepped aside.

  I snorted dismissively. “Let’s hope you’re right and the three of us can have fun together.”

  I moved towards the door and Darius called after me, unable to just let me go and escape his aggravatingly boring company.

  “If you get caught you’ll be fucking sorry.”

  His fan club laughed appreciatively and Marguerite gave me a look that suggested she thought she’d won something.

  I rolled my eyes at him and con
tinued towards the door. “I hope you have a great night too,” I muttered. “And your friends don’t end up suffocating from shoving their heads too far up your ass.”

  Once I was outside, I wrapped my arms around myself and set a quick pace to Terra House, slipping off the main paths to avoid being caught by patrolling teachers. I probably should have been more worried about coming across a stray Nymph but I really needed a distraction from the shadows which would be waiting for me if I tried to sleep again now. Besides, with so many teachers out patrolling and the FIB still maintaining a perimeter around the school grounds, I found it hard to believe a Nymph could get in again. Even so, I decided to run so that the trip would be over as quickly as possible.

  It didn’t take me long to get to Terra House and I swerved around the back of the large hill, tiptoeing up to the very highest window where Caleb’s room lay.

  As I got closer I dropped to my hands and knees, slowing my movements in the hopes that even his Vampire senses wouldn’t detect me.

  I lay on my stomach and inched forward until I could see down into Caleb’s room through the window in the grass. He was laying in bed, one arm hooked behind his head as he watched TV with his shirt off and the duvet wrapped between his legs.

  I bit my lip and carefully pulled my Atlas from my pocket, tapping out a message with feather light movements in case he detected me.

  Tory:

  15 minutes...

  I heard his Atlas ping through the glass and he reached for it slowly, dragging it out of the folded duvet while his attention stayed fixed on the screen at the foot of his bed. He lifted the Atlas to read the message and I grinned as he sat up straighter, tapping out a response instantly.

  Caleb:

  I’ll find you in five ;)

  He leapt out of bed and flicked the TV off without a second glance, snatching a hoodie from his wardrobe and shrugging it on before pushing his feet into his sneakers and heading straight out of the door.