“Have any of you seen Jessica? I wonder how her private session with the Dean went,” Rebecca asked.
“We haven’t seen her,” Max said around a mouthful of lasagna, “and we’ve been here for a while.”
“I’m sure she’s fine. The Dean’s room is probably catered with lobster and caviar or something,” Izzy said. “I’m sure she’ll let us know all about it later. I’m going to go grab some food, too. We can go eat at the dorm if you guys want? Show Molly our room...” Avoid having to look at Jake’s smug face or running into Jessica if she happened to show up in the cafeteria late.
The rest of her roommates nodded and Rebecca and Molly followed Izzy up to the counter where Tom was serving food. Molly’s eyes were wide and she was sniffing harder than a hunting dog that caught scent of a duck.
“Lasagna is my favorite, can I get an extra scoop?” Izzy asked, suddenly realizing she was starving.
“You can have as much as you want. I hope you girls like it,” Tom said in his pleasant baritone.
“Me too!” Molly added, almost vibrating with excitement.
Tom served them two large pieces and gave one to Rebecca. Izzy saw that she looked disappointed and turned back to Tom. “Could you get another for Rebecca, too?” Rebecca’s face lit up as he spooned another big piece onto the plate. She came across as bubbly and enthusiastic around her friends, but she was still very shy around strangers.
Izzy led the group back to their table where everyone was waiting to head back to the room. On their way, they ran into Professor Baxter walking towards them. His glasses were in his hands and he was taping the side piece back on, which was apparently taking a great deal of concentration as he almost ran straight into her.
She swiftly curled her arms protectively around her precious lasagna. “Hey, Professor Baxter.”
He stopped short and smiled, blinking as if just noticing them there.
“Hi, Izzy.”
“I’ve been wondering, why do you have to wear glasses with your ability?” Izzy said.
“I don’t need to, I just think it completes the look,” he said with a childlike grin. “I was wondering when someone would think to ask me about it.”
“They suit you,” she said, laughing, “see you in class.”
“It’s going to be cut a little short, by the way. We’re having a mixer this evening with all of the classes in attendance. It will give you guys a chance to talk about your powers and gab about the first day and all. Afternoon class will be a couple hours, then you’ll all have a chance to shower and change before the party. Sound good?”
The others nodded and began to chatter excitedly, but Izzy’s emotions were in knots. She’d been looking forward to a quiet evening to reflect, write a letter to her dad and Sam, and get her head right. She was letting too many things get to her, namely Jessica and Ice-boy Jake. If she wanted to succeed here at Nightgrove and enjoy herself while doing it, she was going to have to figure out how not to let petty little things bother her so much. She wasn’t a kid anymore, and the time for kid games had passed. So be an adult, go to the party, hold your head up high and be the bigger person, a little inner voice said.
She steeled herself and forced a smile. “Sounds fun, Professor Baxter. See you there!”
Chapter 8
"Ho. Lee. Cow."
Rebecca's gasp was echoed by the rest of them as they pulled up behind her in the courtyard that evening. The massive space had been transformed into something out of a fairy tale. A gossamer canopy had been set up to cover a large part of the area. White, twinkle lights hovered overhead, as if suspended by unseen wires, casting a golden light over the makeshift room. Tables were scattered around the space, each with a crisp, white cloth covering them and fancy silverware set before each chair.
A sudden shiver of anticipation rolled through Izzy. Even when they were all getting dressed after class, she’d been wondering if she could find a way to bow out. Now, though, she was glad she came. Who would’ve thought a girl from Wyoming would ever see something like this?
"Wow, look at that!" Max said, jabbing a finger in the direction of one corner where a full band played on a small stage, complete with guitar, drums, and bass...only there were no musicians. The instruments played on their own as invisible fingers plucked strings and seemingly bewitched sticks beat the drum.
"Professor Kristoff is clearly a far better telekinetic than I am," Ashley murmured under her breath as they all looked on in awe.
Victoria Kristoff stood five feet from the “band” in the midst of a seemingly deep conversation with Professor Baxter. She wore a deep crimson dress that hugged her curves and her hair was like flames rolling down her back. She looked amazing, but what was even more mind-blowing was that, as she spoke, she twirled a single finger casually in the air all the while.
“Is she seriously doing that with one finger, mid-convo?” Max demanded in a hushed voice. She was decked out in a pair of weird pants she’d managed to make from the fabric of one of her Ren Fair dresses and a t-shirt she’d distressed. While the hair was still a work in progress, she actually looked kind of cool.
“She seriously is,” Ashley said with a nod as she watched the Professor in awe. “She’s my hero.”
Izzy didn’t blame her for that one bit. It was all still sort of a mind-screw. Like, they were all here and experiencing it together, so it had to be real. But to have gone from a regular school, in a regular town, with regular folks, to this?
Izzy's brain was still coming to terms with it all.
She smoothed a hand over her light blue, cotton dress and tried to remind herself that she belonged here, even if she couldn't make things float in the air with her mind.
In spite of her mental vow, afternoon class hadn't gone all that much better than the morning session. The strength testing had continued as they each tried jumping long distances as well as crushing stuff that, in Izzy's mind, didn't really need to be crushed, like rocks, cans, and other items. She hadn't shown any specific talent in any one of those areas, but, of course, Jake had nailed each one.
It was fine. Tomorrow was a new day. Strength tests were complete, for now, as they moved on to other senses like sight, hearing, and smell in the morning, followed by mental acuity tests. Izzy was excited for both Rebecca and her new friend Molly to have a chance to shine, and she did her best to remain hopeful for herself.
You belong.
"Wow, look at Tom go!" Molly said, pointing to the kindly chef who had a huge station set up in one corner. His hands were busy dicing and slicing at lightning speed, but all around him, disembodied spoons swirled in decadent smelling sauces as tiny plates were adorned with shrimp puffs and what looked like miniature crab cakes. He was like a master up there, and Izzy went flush with amazement just watching him.
"Let's get seats before we wind up stuck with someone we don't like," Max said, gazing around at the tables.
Some were already full, but a couple of them only had one or two kids seated with lots of empty chairs left, enough for all of them.
"Oh! That guy is in my group," Aiko said, pointing a scarlet-tipped finger toward one table near the food prep station. "His name's Miguel and he's super nice. His hands can make lightning! Let's sit there."
Izzy took a quick glance around and saw Jake a couple tables away, but no sign of Jessica. She let out a pent-up breath and nodded. "Sounds good to me."
Maybe she really could relax and enjoy herself a little tonight.
They picked their way over the soft grass to Miguel's table and his lips split into a grin.
"Hey, Aiko. I'm so glad to see a familiar face. My roommates are all still at the dorm primping in the mirror and putting on cologne, but you know me, too much energy to wait around." He wiggled his fingers and Aiko rolled her eyes and chuckled.
"Ah, good one. Get it guys, energy? And his power is lightning?"
Izzy and the others groaned in stereo, except for Ashley, who laughed like it was the funniest thing s
he'd ever heard.
"Oh my god, Ash, don't encourage him," Aiko said as she took a seat beside Miguel. "He's not even a father yet and he's full of dad jokes."
"I think he's funny!" Ashley protested, toying with the ends of her hair as she took the seat on the opposite side of him.
Izzy, Rebecca and Max all took their seats as Izzy bit back a smile. If the expression on Miguel's face was any indication, Ashley had made a good impression on him, as well.
"I think someone has a cru-ush," Max whispered in Izzy’s ear before giggling.
"No doubt," she agreed from the side of her mouth, covert-like.
They all sat for a few minutes, chatting amiably about their classes, as a server brought around glasses filled with pink and green swirled punch.
"Okay, just putting it out there, but am I the only one who is, like, seriously homesick?" Rebecca asked as she took a sip of her drink.
The youngest of the group, it made sense that Rebecca would miss her parents, but Izzy couldn't deny she was struggling with that, as well. It was a relief when everyone else answered in the affirmative.
"My mom sent me here with a bag of my favorite cookies that she made. I ate 'em all last night in bed like a ten year old who smuggled contraband into fat camp," Miguel admitted, shaking his head. "Embarrassing but true."
"I don't think that's embarrassing," Ashley said, giving him a warm smile. "I think it's sweet."
Miguel looked like he'd been hit in the head by a brick at the sight of her infectious grin...or maybe more like struck with Cupid's arrow straight in the heart? Izzy thought with an internal chuckle.
"Oh, look, the Dean is walking up on the stage," Aiko said, jerking her chin toward that side of the courtyard.
They all watched as she took a spot and lifted a microphone to her lips. "May I have your attention, everyone?" The murmurs and low chatter ceased and she swept a hand toward the tables. "Welcome, all, once again, to Nightgrove Academy. Now that you've gone through your first day and know what you're in for, I wonder if we should hide the tap out bell, hmmm?"
Everyone laughed as she continued. "Seriously, though, we want you to feel at home here. If you're having troubles, or questions or concerns, I want to know about it. My door is always open...unless it's closed, in which case, just knock."
That got another wave of chuckles and Izzy glanced around, catching sight of Jake who sat stone-faced, per usual. Figured. She briefly entertained the idea of suggesting he call a proctologist to remove whatever had crawled up his butt and died, but then reminded herself that she was being the bigger person.
Even if it killed her.
"Drink. Eat...Tom is whipping up some amazing creations. Dance, if the mood strikes you. Our courtyard is meant to be a haven for you all to enjoy, even when it’s not set for a party. You’re permitted to come out here anytime you have a break. But please remember that this is where we go to enjoy the fresh air and outdoors."
Her smile dimmed and her face took on a serious expression.
"This is especially important now, as one of our staff members saw a bear just outside the walls of the Academy. It was behaving very aggressively and we have to be extra cautious. We are deep in the woods here, and surrounded by miles of mountains. I know we're an unconventional house of learning, but we have a responsibility to your families to keep you safe, just like a regular college campus. I cannot stress enough how important that is to us. We'll be taking monthly bus trips into town a couple hours away, in case there are items you just need to have that we don't provide. We'll schedule in some sightseeing then, as well, all right? Aside from that, for the foreseeable future, we’ll need to stay inside the castle walls. Understood?"
Izzy glanced around the table. No one looked particularly nervous, and why should they? The courtyard was in the center of the castle, surrounded by high walls on every side. A bear would have to either disguise himself as a student or be pretty freakin’ agile to get in, but Izzy still found herself taken aback. Less about the whole bear thing, more about the unintentional escape room experience she’d apparently signed up for.
She shoved away the sudden claustrophobia threatening to drag her under and tried not to think about it.
"Let's go get some of those shrimp puffs," Aiko said as she stood.
The others followed suit and headed toward a grinning Tom, who was using his mind to pipe some sort of mousse into half of a hard-boiled egg white as he sprinkled salt into a bubbling pot. "This is going to be the base of my caramel apple tart, so you do not want to miss dessert," he said with a deep laugh.
Izzy was still pretty full from double lasagna lunch, but that didn't stop her from snagging a golden fried shrimp puff and popping it into her mouth. She crunched down and it was like a flavor explosion that had her groaning. "Tom, you are a culinary genius. So good!"
She parked herself in front of the food, leaning lightly on a large, stone fountain that featured a pair of fat cherubs spewing water from their mouths.
“Who’s Cecil and Lucretia Abernathy?” Aiko asked around a mouthful of pig in a blanket.
“Great question. You tell me,” Izzy replied with a shrug.
Aiko pointed to a spot on the fountain a few inches from Izzy’s hip.
“Right there, it says their names. Just wondered who they are, is all.”
“Ahhh, so you haven’t heard the story of the Abernathys yet, eh?” Tom boomed with a grim shake of his head.
Molly frowned. “I haven’t, have you, Rebecca?”
“Nope. But I want to. Tell us, Tom!”
Miguel and Ashley even stopped mooning over each other long enough to tune in.
Tom’s spoons slowed to a halt and the action behind his cooking station ceased as he focused on weaving his tale instead of the food.
“Cecil and his wife Lucretia built a little log cabin just a quarter mile from here back in the late 1800s. But Lucretia, who had her head full of fairy tales, wanted a castle. Cecil worked his fingers to the bone for ten years, leaving the homestead for months at a time, working as a trapper, selling furs and panning for gold, until he saved up enough to hire a team of men to come and build his beloved her very own palace. It took a decade to complete. But by the time it was done, fickle Lucretia had fallen for one of the stone masons and left Cecil with nothing but a note of farewell, a broken heart, and an empty castle.”
Izzy shifted her weight away from the fountain, suddenly feeling like she’d been disrespecting poor Cecil.
“That’s awful,” Rebecca said with a sniffle.
“Right?” Max said, tossing her head back with a snort. “I’d have blown the whole thing to bits.”
“Cecil didn’t take it well, either,” Tom admitted with a sad smile. “It’s said that he hanged himself from the rafters of the old cabin at the stroke of midnight, precisely a year after she left, when he was sure she wasn’t coming back. For more than a century, this place and the cabin both lay vacant until our benefactor purchased the property for the Academy. Some say he still haunts the surrounding woods today, waiting for Lucretia to return home to him.”
“Wow,” Aiko whispered. “That is so amazing. We’re, like, standing on a piece of history and possibly one of the saddest love stories ever told!”
Izzy wasn’t nearly as stoked about the concept. Cecil had given far too much of himself to the woman he loved, who had clearly never really loved him in return. Izzy had never been a big cryer, but it was hella-sad and her throat ached with unshed tears.
Yet another symptom of being overtired and homesick, she was sure.
She shook off the sense of unrest and reached for another shrimp puff to eat her feelings. Sure, maybe Tom was telling the truth about old Cecil Abernathy and his wife Lucretia, but the fact was that none of that mattered. Ghosts weren’t real and whatever pain this place might’ve held for Cecil had died with him.
Tom held up his hand and waved them off. “Anyways, that’s just a silly old legend, but it’s a fun one to tell. You kids
want to try my stuffed mushrooms?”
They all nodded and continued to mill around the food station, trying every morsel Tom created while they talked amongst themselves and listened to music. It took a while but, eventually, Izzy’s tension had finally started to drain away and she actually began to enjoy herself.
Until a shrill voice sounded behind her.
"What's up, roomies?"
The hair on the back of Izzy’s neck stood up as she turned to find Jessica standing there, a cool smile perched on her lips. At first glance, she looked perfect, as always, in a mini-skirt and a crop top that showed off her enviably tanned stomach. But as Izzy looked closer, she noted the other girl’s face was pale, and purple smudges marred the skin under her eyes.
Could she be struggling to come to terms with their new reality like the rest of them? Maybe she wasn’t a cyborg witch from hell after all...
“Izzy, you’re looking...cute,” she said, wrinkling her nose in a way that clearly broadcast she thought Izzy looked anything but. “Did you borrow that dress from a fifth grader?”
Annnd cyborg witch from hell, reporting for duty.
“I was actually going to say the same thing to you,” Izzy replied with a smile as fake as Jessica’s as she studied her tiny skirt and top. “Everything looks so little…”
Jessica’s blue eyes went icy as she turned her attention to the others. “How was today for everyone else, learn anything interesting about yourselves?”
Ashley was deep in conversation with Miguel, and Aiko, Rebecca, and Max seemed hesitant to answer. Who could blame them? She’d surely just shoot them down.
Eventually, Molly spoke up. “It was a strength testing day for Enhancers, so some of us didn’t do so hot. But Aiko can make fire!”
Jessica raised one, golden brow as she stared down at Molly. “Who even are you?”
“This is our new friend, Molly,” Izzy cut in. “She’s got amazing senses and can smell a bitch a mile away,” she added, her tone sweet as pie.
Nightgrove Academy Book One Page 7