“I spend most of the time cooking! This is the fun part.”
“You are the cook, too?” Izzy asked in shock. “I don’t know how you do it while keeping up with all of the students coming in and out to eat. The food is delicious, too.”
“Oh, it’s not as bad as you think. Thanks for the nice words, Miss. I have to be on my way before I get behind, though.”
He turned and headed towards the back room with jaunty steps that belied her initial assumption. Either he was in amazing physical shape under there, or he had some sort of super power. Her feet would be killing her after working a long shift at the diner, and Tom had been at it since breakfast.
She and her new friends brought their plates in search of the gathering hall, following the signs taped to the walls. When they arrived, Izzy was in awe at the scale of the huge room, the ceilings must’ve been thirty feet tall and there was seating for hundreds. Being entirely made of stone, the room must’ve been an incredible example of skilled architecture from the time that the castle was constructed. At the front of the room, there was a large projection screen behind a podium with a single microphone. She and her roommates found seats near the front and Izzy tore into her second taco with gusto.
The chatter in the room ceased as a formally dressed woman with black hair worn in a bob and striking green eyes stepped up to the podium and smiled.
“Good evening, class. We are so happy to have you here! As I’m sure you realize, there is a lot to explain about our special Academy, and we have decided that the best way to do so would be through a video,” she said. “We hope it will answer any questions you may have. If anything is still unclear, you can ask me or a member of our staff about it and we will clarify things for you further.”
The woman stepped down from the podium, and took a seat in the front row with the other academy staff as a video was projected on the screen.
“Welcome to Nightgrove Academy. Distinguished professor and scholar, Dean Cassandra, began this project through the help of generous benefactors in order to help gifted young adults, like yourself, become better than you could ever have imagined. At this time, there will be a brief demonstration of what we’re talking about from Dean Cassandra because we want there to be no doubt in your mind that what we’ll be showing you from this point forward is not a trick,” a man said in the voice of a TV broadcaster.
Izzy inched closer to the edge of her seat as the projection paused and the woman from before stepped back up to the stage. Dean Cassandra, apparently. She stared at her audience silently for what seemed like a long time, but was, in reality, less than a minute. Then, she was gone. Just…disappeared.
Izzy blinked and turned to stare at Aiko and Rebecca, who sat closest to her, before turning back to the stage.
“What the actual hell--”
The students exploded into chatter.
“Good special effects, I’ll give them that,” someone laughed.
“I wonder how they did that, is there some kind of trap door?” said another.
“Is this a school for movie-making or am I in training to be the next Criss Angel?”
As the students shouted and tried to figure out what kind of trick had been done, a woman cleared her throat behind them. Izzy’s breath caught in her throat as she and the rest of the students turned in unison to find the Dean standing behind them, fifty feet or more from her original position.
While Izzy was still trying to process how she had done that, she appeared in front of one of the boys who had shouted before. He sat only a few feet away from Izzy and she didn’t notice any time lag between when Dean Cassandra had disappeared and when she had reappeared with a slight popping noise.
Izzy’s heart pounded with excitement and confusion. This had to be some sort of illusion or hologram. Except, then, she grabbed the hat from the boy’s head and disappeared again, reappearing at the podium with the hat in her hand.
Izzy fell back against her seat, mind reeling, as the audience gaped at the stage in stunned silence.
“This is just one of the gifts we’re talking about,” the Dean said with a smile. “I have the ability to teleport. While my ability is unique to me, you have all been determined to have some sort of ability, as well. People like us have existed for generations, likely due to the beginnings of a major evolution of our species. It’s only very recently that we’ve started to actually acknowledge it, and try to formally train people to use their gifts. We refer to those of us with abilities as ‘Special Talents’. You’re part of a very illustrious crowd. How do you think Newton figured out Calculus? Do you think Rasputin surviving so many close calls was just luck? And what about Harry Houdini? They all had abilities beyond what the average human is born with. We’re looking forward to finding out what yours are!”
Without another word, she walked back to her seat. Her motions were graceful, but it was clear that she was trying to mask some fatigue. Unsurprisingly, disappearing and reappearing took a toll on a body.
Izzy sat in shock, a slideshow of memories about past races and runs flashing in her mind. How quickly she’d managed to get to the train station on foot. The feeling that came over her that she couldn’t quite explain but that she’d never felt before she’d started running.
She wasn’t just fast. She was…magic.
While Izzy was still reeling, the video began playing again. Three of the staff members, two of whom Izzy recognized from the cafeteria, appeared onscreen and were standing in a large field with a boulder behind them.
“My name is Tyson Sloane, but you can call me Professor Sloane,” said a tall man with short, bristly hair, a sturdy build, and a jawline sharp enough to cut steel. “There are three basic types of Talents. Most everyone will fit into one of them, but there are special cases, like Dean Cassandra, who have a unique ability that doesn’t match up precisely with any of the types. One benefit that all Special Talents share is increased durability that makes us more hearty than the average human. Even a bullet might not be enough to kill one of us, although I don’t suggest you test that theory. I belong to the group of Elemental Talents. Powers can vary from person to person, but typically involve earth, water, weather phenomena, and things of that nature. Mine is creating and controlling fire,” he said.
He turned his hand so that his palm was facing the sky, and flames spewed out of it like a flamethrower. The fire changed into a rope-like shape and coiled itself around him, constantly undulating. After just a few seconds, it disappeared. The audience was crackling with unchecked excitement.
“My name is Professor Victoria Kristoff, and I am a Matter Manipulation Talent,” said a gorgeous woman with fiery red hair seated to Sloane’s right. “This category encompasses people who can affect the physical world with their mind in one way or another. Some powers are fairly nuanced, but mine is straightforward. I’m a telekinetic, which is the most common power for Matter Manipulators.” She raised a hand and the boulder behind them shot off of the ground and flew a few feet to the right before dropping back down.
Izzy, impressed by the incredible power of the woman’s magic, found herself wishing that her power belonged to this category but, assuming it had to do with speed, it didn’t seem to fit.
The third person was a much older, nerdy-looking man with taped glasses and a pronounced nose. Izzy felt apprehensive, hoping that his magic was as impressive as the other two because, so far, she hadn’t found a fit…
“And my name is Professor Harold Baxter and I’m an Enhancement Talent. While it’s quite awesome, truth be told, a lot of what I can do is somewhat unusual and would be difficult for me to show on camera. Keep in mind that there’s a vast array of abilities that fit under the banner of Enhancement. Think like, the abilities you have now, but on steroids,” he said with a chuckle. “And, unlike the other types, it’s very possible to have skills other than your specialization. Since my own isn’t nearly as potentially destructive as the abilities of my colleagues, I’ll be giving my demonstration in
person.”
The video stopped playing and the thin old man stood up and walked to the podium. He wore a suit and jacket, but it was wrinkled and ill-fitting. He didn’t look like he’d be throwing fireballs at anyone, but he had a certain charm and Izzy’s lips twitched into a grin.
“Some of you will be faster, or stronger than most, or maybe even both. Some of you will have my talent, which enhances senses. To demonstrate, pass this pad of paper and pen back to the boy sitting in the back seat, furthest on the right,” he said, walking up to a student on the right and handing the pad to him.
“Now, write anything you want on it and hold it up.”
The boy looked down and wrote a bit on the page before holding the pad up.
“He just wrote his name, it says Cody Roberts,” the professor said before bowing deeply and heading back to his seat to sit down.
Izzy squinted and, though she couldn’t make out what the words said, she still saw the letters on the page as the boy shrugged.
“Yep, uh, that’s my name.”
There was a long silence and then a smattering of applause.
“Ookay, then,” Aiko whispered, sending Rebeca into a peal of giggles.
As far as Izzy could tell, his ability basically gave him all the power of a hearing aid and a pair of strong binoculars. Compared to the previous two demonstrations, his landed like a wet blanket.
Izzy stared at the ground, slightly disappointed that her power belonged to the same classification as Professor Baxter’s. The other students seemed similarly unimpressed as laughter began to erupt from the crowd after they had fully absorbed the absurdity of the display.
The video resumed and it was explained that they would be tested on their powers the following day, and placed into classes based off of which classification they fit into. Izzy already knew which category she belonged in, and it just happened to be the lamest of the three, but her roommates were abuzz discussing what theirs might be.
“Life will be difficult here at Nightgrove,” Dean Cassandra was saying from the video, her tone grave. “If you can’t live without your cell phone, or miss your parents, or just find the curriculum too challenging, keep in mind that you always have the option to tap out by ringing the bell at the top of the castle’s bell tower. If you do so, you’ll be escorted out and given instructions on what information you’re allowed to disclose about your time here. For the rest of you, good luck, and welcome to the first day of the rest of your new, amazing life!”
After the assembly came to an end, Izzy and her roommates walked back to their room. Despite finding out she essentially had magic powers, she was irritated to find she felt disappointed at how unimpressive her type of ability was compared to the others. What was the matter with her? It was all still pretty amazing. A whole new world had been opened to her, way bigger than the one in Stockridge, Wyoming. While other kids would be studying Algebra, she would be learning how to tap into the ability to run faster than maybe anyone else in the world.
With this newfound knowledge, she should be walking on air.
She lifted her chin and allowed herself to be swept back up into the excited chatter of her new friends and roommates as they piled into their dorm room.
It was going to be a great year.
“What the hell are you doing here?” a low voice snarled.
Izzy stopped short as she turned to look into the face of the one person she’d hoped to never see again, and her stomach bottomed out.
“Jessica?”
Chapter 5
“Time to get up, fair maidens. Testing day,” Max chirped as Izzy blinked blearily up at her.
She let out a groan and flopped back onto her pillow. She was exhausted. While her conversation with Jessica had lasted a total of three seconds, ending in Jessica muttering a furious, “Oh, no frigging way!” before storming out, the ramifications of the short exchange had kept her up half the night.
Had she really come hundreds of miles from home, only to find herself stuck in a remote castle with Jessica?
The irony wasn’t lost on her, and she could only hope that one of her undiscovered abilities turned out to be the patience of a saint, because she was going to need it.
Luckily, the other girl hadn’t come back to the room last night, and Izzy was holding out hope they’d let her switch. At least, if she didn’t have to see her smug, stupid face every morning and night, she could deal. Until she found out otherwise, she was going to cling to that hope and focus on the day ahead.
She and her roommates dressed quickly and headed down to the cafeteria to grab a quick breakfast before a man with a clipboard stopped by to let them all know that the ability testing was about to begin.
Apparently, the testing was set to take place in the courtyard, and the students were to wait in the cafeteria until their names were called. They all ate and chatted nervously as they waited. Max’s name was the first of their group to be called, and Izzy wished her luck. Max had revealed to them the previous night that she was hoping that her ability was the Elemental type. She loved all things medieval, and if she could throw fire like a dragon, or manipulate water like a nymph, she’d be stoked. Unfortunately, when Max returned through the cafeteria, she ran right past them, face in her hands, sobbing audibly.
Izzy wanted to follow and try to help, but just then, her name was called, along with Aiko’s. She breathed deeply, mentally preparing herself for the outcome, even if she knew it was likely to be disappointing. She glanced around and spotted Jessica staring at her from the corner with a look of pure disgust on her face.
Whatever. She wasn’t going to let that witch take this moment from her.
Izzy stepped into the courtyard and saw that only a few of the Academy’s staff were present. Professor Baxter was holding brief conversations with a few of the students, before sending them on their way to another staff member, who was placing a colored sticker on them and writing on a small journal as students passed him. It seemed that Baxter was somehow able to determine what powers someone had with only a brief encounter.
“Dude. I guess he’s like a sorting hat, only with more wrinkles,” Aiko murmured with a puckish glint in her eye.
Izzy grinned and then watched as Aiko was called to go up for her conversation with Professor Baxter. When she was done talking to him, she pumped her arm in joy. Izzy knew that meant she was an Elemental Talent, like she had been hoping. She went and got her sticker and, before exiting the room, Aiko stopped by Izzy’s spot in line, which was second from the front.
“Elemental, and he said it’s likely fire-based. Maybe I’ll get some extra help from that one guy, Professor Sloane, since we have the same power,” she said, doing a little jig.
Before Izzy had a chance to congratulate her, Aiko was already running back inside to the cafeteria, practically vibrating with excitement.
Professor Baxter beckoned for Izzy to come up and she walked up, eager to get the bad news out of the way and start working on making the best of her abilities.
“Name?”
“Isabelle Beckett,” Izzy said as he looked her up and down, and then studied her face. “I already kn-,”
“Shh-,” he said without pausing his inspection.
Izzy waited, glancing at the people around her awkwardly.
“You’ll be with me. I believe your power is speed based.”
Izzy frowned. So he really was like a sorting hat…
“How can you tell that just by looking at me? Don’t you need to ask me something, or do they tell you beforehand when they know ahead of time?”
“No one needed to tell me anything. In addition to my enhanced five senses, I also have one extra. Call it enhanced intuition, if you will. Go get your sticker on your way out,” he said with a smile.
Izzy took the hint. Clearly, they had a lot of people to get through and the time for questions was later. Still, his extra power relit that little ember of hope. Maybe she’d be able to do something cool after all…
She made her way to the sticker guy and was handed a black one with the letters ENH on it.
“Make sure you head back to your dorm if you’re going to leave the cafeteria. You’ll get a note telling you what time to report to your class and what room it’ll be held in once we are done checking the powers of all the students,” he said gruffly.
Izzy walked back into the cafeteria and back to her table, making a point of not looking in the direction of where Jessica had been sitting, even as she heard her name called. Her roommates were staring at her with interested expressions.
“Well?” Aiko demanded.
“What’d you get?” Rebecca asked.
“I am an Enhancement Talent and my ability is speed,” Izzy said. “Like, I kind of already knew, but it’s still disappointing.”
“That sounds incredible!” Rebecca said with the ridiculous level of excitement that had become the norm since her initial shyness had worn off. “You’ll have to show me how fast later. I hope I get that, too, with speed like you, or maybe strength!”
“Good luck,” Izzy said with an encouraging smile. Being around someone like Rebecca, who brimmed with enthusiasm, was contagious, and Izzy found herself grinning again.
A few minutes later, Jessica walked out of the testing room and looked at Izzy with a sneer. On her chest was a purple sticker with a large white “S” printed on it that looked nothing like the others, which were white, gray, and black.
Interesting…Could that mean it turned out she didn’t have a power, after all?
The hope burning in Izzy’s chest chilled to an icy lump as she examined Jessica more closely. The triumphant, sinister look on her face told another story entirely.
Izzy steeled herself as the other girl made a beeline right for her.
Of course. Time to run it in.
“Hey, roomies,” she said, her voice sickly sweet as her gaze flickered between Aiko and Izzy. “Do tell…what powers did they say you had?”
Nightgrove Academy Book One Page 4