Quantum Minds

by Destiny Roberts

   Copyright 2020 by (Destiny Roberts) - All rights reserved. In no way is it legal to reproduce, duplicate, or transmit any part of this document in either electronic means or in printed format. Recording of this publication is strictly prohibited and any storage of this document is not allowed unless with written permission from the publisher. All rights reserved. Respective authors own all copyrights not held by the publisher.

  Quantum Minds

  Paranormal Spy Academy

  Book 1

  By: Destiny Roberts

  Prologue

  After twelve hours of contractions, Mrs. Estrange gave birth to an extraordinary girl as the waning moon hung in the sky in midsummer night. The child was born with two very rare, very different genetic anomalies. First, a full head of white hair, softer than silk and seemingly illuminated against her tan skin. But, the truly exceptional part about this child, was her eyes. Between thick, fanning eyelashes stood two different colored eyes. The left softer than ice with ribbons of gold, the right greener than the forest with flecks of brown.

  Her name was Kai'sa and she immediately captured the hearts of the Quinoi pack. Some whispered her name in association with their moon Goddess, the embodiment of their precious deity and some wondered what it meant. It proved very dangerous for her parents, as some believed she shouldn't exist as it was an insult to their Goddess. Eventually, people called for her father's rightful place as the Alpha. They feared the power he held in his very arms, Kai'sa.

  It wasn't until young Kai'sa was six years old that everything changed for her parents. She was rapidly gaining intelligence, and her features were growing to be more and more angelic. The pack's faith – and fear – for Kai'sa grew exponentially larger and they were forced to send her away. It broke her mother's heart to see her only child entrusted to the hands of humans. She fought her husband for days in an attempt to convince him they could simply go on the run. He didn't agree, reminding her that they had a duty to the Quinoi and abandoning them would only prove their 'guilt'.

  And so, Kai'sa was sent away to live with the Henderson family. One of the only human families selected by The Society to be enlightened with the existence of paranormal beings. A doctor and a kindergarten teacher with a baby on the way and an adorable Labrador. She would be happy with them for ten years, well-fed, essentially spoiled without a need for anything. But, on her sixteenth birthday, things went haywire for our young shifter.

  Her first shift happened during her birthday party, with thirty human teenagers gathered to celebrate their friend and fellow student. She was having the time of her life dancing and drinking when all of a sudden, the full moon rose. It was bad enough The Society was brought in to wipe their minds of the night and write a big check for the Henderson family for property damage. She was detained several miles outside of the city, brought down by a tranquilizer dart and hauled away in an SVU. Transported to the Paranormal Academy, she will spend the next two years controlling her shifts, making friends and getting good grades.

  But something looms in the shadows of the Academy and Kai'sa will have to trust in herself to handle the situation, for better or worse …

  One

  Morning runs have become my sanctuary. A few miles around the campus before classes and I have a great day, without the tension in my muscles screaming for me to run. It's been a little over two years since I found out I'm a shifter – and a very powerful one at that. The early morning after my sixteenth birthday was the hardest morning of my life, waking up in this very dorm room with five adults standing around me. I learned that they were part of something called The Society, a group of paranormal beings who keep the secrets of our existence under wraps from humans. A man named Dmitri explained what I was, where I came from, and what my life would look like. He told me that my parents were Alpha and Luna of a pack called the Quinoi, a gentle and quiet people. I had a million questions for him, understandably, and he answered every one of them – even if it came with a bad answer. Quickly, I went from a normal popular sixteen-year-old girl to a powerful and once worshiped eighteen-year-old shifter.

  It's not all bad, though! Since I arrived at the Paranormal Academy I've made three loyal friends, maintained good grades, and even mastered my ability to shift, the full moon no longer my enemy. I wouldn't have made it this far without the Academy, not in the human world with no one like me for guidance, and so I'm grateful that my parents tipped The Society off. If they hadn't, I may have killed more than one person that night. May he rest in peace.

  Each day is an adventure around here, though. Having so many students, all made up of three species of Paranormal beings: Shifters, Vampires, and Witches. Sometimes, fights break out among the vamps and the shifters, and sometimes the vamps try to get a taste of the witches. That's where the guard comes into play, a group of strong, able-bodied adults equipped to deal with those situations. Trust me when I say, you do not want to be on the other end of the guard. I remember my first week at the Academy, a fight broke out between the shifters and the vampires because one of the newer vamps tore into an upperclassmen witch and she nearly died. That vampire was detained for an entire month, deprived of all basic humanity in a dark cage with minimal blood.

  I met one of my best friends that day, a witch named Ophelia, who was just as disgusted as she was scared about the situation. Her pink space buns were tousled and hanging in her face as she cried. She cowered when I approached her, she begged me to stay away from her. But, I was persistent and I befriended her, drying her tears and assuring her that everything would be okay. She had been wary of me because of what I am, but eventually, she warmed up to me and we've been inseparable ever since. I came to think of Ophelia as my sister.

  The next incident brought me my other friends, Aubrielle the vampire and Monte another shifter like me. Befriending them had been a little harder, especially because they were fighting each other when we met. Aubrielle was a new vampire, and she had an instant hatred for anyone who wasn't a vampire. Monte despised the way she acted around shifters as if they were responsible for every hardship in her life. It got physical and before the guard was called, I stepped between them – in hindsight, that wasn't the best decision as it earned me a nasty black eye and three scratches on my cheek. Aubrielle had instantly apologized to me and begged me to let her help. Monte had been very cruel to her, explaining that he would take care of me because we're the same kind. I ended the whole argument with nine words: “If you really want to help, be my friends”.

  The common area in my dorm was suspiciously empty as I made my way down the stairs, the usual girls who trailed behind in the morning weren't getting breakfast or talking among themselves. I wondered if they might still be asleep or possibly if I was running behind as well. The clock on the wall read 7:15 and classes started around eight, so that was out. Usually, this wouldn't bother me any, but there was something in the air that suggested things weren't okay. I tried my best to shake the feeling off and grabbed an apple on my way out.

  “Heads up!” A familiar gruff voice called out as I exited the building into the morning sun.

  My instincts kicked in and I managed to dodge the football before it hurled into my face. I turned around to the group of people playing and gave an eye roll to the tall, raven-haired boy who smiled at me sheepishly. An expression that completely contradicted his appearance, his torn black boots and leather jacket gave off more of a bad boy vibe than a cuddly teddy bear.

  “Monte! It's every morning with you boys, can't you play football somewhere that isn't a danger to my body?” I scolded him as he jogged over to retrieve the ball.

  He looked down at me with amused brown eyes and ruffled my hair. “Aw, but you look so cute when you're angry, Kai'sa! You wouldn't rob me of that bea
uty, would you?”

  I glowered at him, annoyed by his large height difference and babying treatment of me. And as usual, he grinned like a fool. “Flattery isn't going to work on me, but nice try.”

  “I'll never stop trying,” he chuckled. “Hey, which class do you have this morning?”

  “AP Physics,” I sighed. “What about you?”

  “Herbology with Ms. Grand. I was a credit behind last year, so the headmaster is making me take it again,” Monte grimaced.

  I sympathized with him, Ms. Grand was a hard ass and didn't appreciate slackers.

  “Yo! Monte, hurry up with the ball, it's twenty till! You can talk to your girlfriend later!” One of the boys shouts, waving his arms at us impatiently.

  My cheeks flushed in embarrassment and I laughed nervously when Monte's eyes widened and he turned around. “Dom! How many times do I have to tell you to shut your mouth?!” He shouts, flipping Dom the bird.

  “I'm sorry about him, his mother dropped him on his head as a baby so he doesn't know how to keep his mouth closed. See you at lunch?” He apologized, scratching the back of his head awkwardly as he chuckled.

  I nodded sheepishly and palmed the apple between my hands. “Meet me in the courtyard after class, Aubrielle and Ophelia will be there, too.”

  Monte beamed and pulled me into a tight hug before jogging to catch up with his friends, leaving me stunned and smiling like an idiot.

  What a dork, I thought fondly as I walked to class.

  *****

  The school day was exhausting, and all I wanted to do was take a hot shower and sit down with the mountain of homework I was assigned. But, as I was leaving my last class of the day, I overheard a commotion in the courtyard and curiosity got the better of me. I wasn't expecting to walk into all hell breaking out between the shifters and the vamps. Little groups of people were spread out across the ground, bickering and arguing over different things, some were shoving other and some were even throwing punches. It sent a prickle of fear through me and I tried to get out of there, but a group of people shoved past me and I landed in the middle of a fight.

  “You smell disgusting wolf get out of my way,” the head vamp snarled, sneering at the bulky Alpha from the senior pack.

  He chuckled darkly and cracked his knuckles. “I'd like to see your scrawny ass try to make me, bloodsucker.”

  The head vamp lunged at the exact time that I stuck my arms out between them, and I caught the brunt of his claws in my forearm. It tore the fabric of my blouse and I smelled the blood as it dropped to the ground between us. The wound burned instantly on impact and I winced as the breeze blew against it.

  “You're in the way wolf,” he snarled, forcefully shoving me to the ground. I watched as he lunged at the Alpha again, then hit the ground as the Alpha's fist connected.

  I scurried away from him as we made eye contact in the dirt. His eyes were crazed and he was practically foaming at the mouth. If I didn't know better I'd say he had gone rabid before my very eyes, and us shifters were in danger. A vampire's bite is lethal to us and it isn't a pretty death.

  “The Guard is coming!” Someone shouts, taking off in the opposite direction.

  “If you don't walk away now, you'll end up in lock-up right alongside him,” I warned the Alpha as people started to scatter. “It's worse for us than the vamps, you should go now.”

  He took one last look at the head vamp and growled as he took off.

  I kept eye contact with the head vamp until The Guard showed up and hauled him off. They assured me that the situation would be handled and instructed one of the onlookers to take me to the infirmary. And I watched as they hauled off ten students, all rabid and crazed.

  Two

  Twenty stitches. That vamp got me better than I originally thought, and I couldn't help but rub the bandage over my arm as I sat down in the common area of my dorm thirty minutes later. Joined by Aubrielle and Ophelia, I was panicking about the situation, scared for the lives of my fellow shifters and the witches.

  “The head vamp was rabid in the courtyard,” I began, crossing my legs on the couch. “He was fighting with the senior Alpha and things could've been a lot worse if I hadn't been there. He looked angry enough to kill.”

  Ophelia grimaced, clutching her mug closely to her chest. “What if it had been a witch? He'd of sucked her dry. How long do you think they'll keep him locked up?”

  I shook my head. “I don't know, but it wasn't just him. There were ten other people taken into lock-up. It was as if they'd gone berserk. I honestly don't know if it's safe to go out there right now. The Guard must have their hands full.”

  Aubrielle bit her lip angrily. “I can't speak for the other people, but Hiram has been getting increasingly angrier with the wolves the last few days. I overheard him talking about starting a fight with that Alpha.”

  Ophelia shook her head. “No, I think it's something else. The witches have been having blackouts in the memories all day. I found Helena in her dorm room openly using her fire magic and burning herself with it. When I confronted her, she didn't even know she was doing it.”

  “Come to think of it, Monte was acting a little off at lunch. And it isn't a full moon,” I said, furrowing my brows. “Maybe we should go check on him. If this is affecting him too, I want to keep him close to me.”

  “We should check his dorm, I overheard him tell Dom that he was going to study tonight,” Aubrielle chimed in, standing from her chair and taking her mug to the kitchen.

  *****

  I couldn't shake the feeling that someone was watching us as we crossed the campus to Monte's dorm, constantly checking over my shoulder. It sent a tense chill down my spine and I found myself walking faster. Something just isn't right, the little voice in my head whispered. Even the people around us seemed to notice it, walking in tight groups of three or more and avoiding us as we crossed their paths. You'd have thought a serial killer was on the loose.

  Monte's door was ajar when we got to it and I knocked lightly before opening it. He was lying on his bed staring at the ceiling and barely acknowledged us when we came in. It was odd to see him look so deflated from his normal cheery disposition.

  “Hey, Monte,” I whispered, sitting on the edge of his bed next to him. “How's it going?”

  He shrugged, looking at me absently. “I have this weird feeling that I can't shake.”

  I pursed my lips and put my bandaged wrist against his forehead. “Well, you don't have a fever, so at least you have your health.”

  Monte grabbed my arm softly as I pulled it away, frowning at the bandage. “What happened to you? Did someone do this to you?!” He demanded, sitting up.

  “I-”

  “Tell me his name, I'll make him eat his teeth,” he demanded again, his eyes shimmering gold.

  I gingerly grabbed his hands and held them in my lap. “Monte, relax. If you don't, you're going to shift. This was an accident, and I'm okay.”

  He blinked and shook his head as if he were shaking off the anger. “But, how did it happen? Were you attacked? I heard that eleven people were put in lock-up half an hour ago because of a fight that broke out.”

  I was silent for a moment, debating on whether or not to tell him the truth, but after seeing his chocolate brown eyes, I decided that he could handle it. “I was there, and I accidentally ended up in the middle of the head vamp and the senior Alpha. But, I'm okay!”

  Monte's eyes flickered again and then closed as he took a deep breath and pulled me into his side. “For you, I'll refrain from getting violent with whoever did this. But, you have to be more careful, Kai'sa! I don't want you to leave my side.”

  I laughed softly. “Monte, I appreciate the concern, but I can't possibly stay with you every second of the day. I have classes and curfew is in a few hours. How do you expect me to do that? Besides, I can protect myself.”

  Ophelia and Aubrielle, who had been silent, came up behind me and placed a hand on my shoulders. I turned around to see their confida
nt smiles and gave a bright smile of my own. Even if something terrible is happening, I know I'll be safe with them, Aubrielle especially.

  “She's got us to protect her, too,” Aubrielle chimed in.

  “Yeah, and we'd never let anything bad happen to her. We can stay in her dorm tonight and keep her safe,” Ophelia added.

  Monte snorted. “Like you protected her today? No, I don't want to leave her alone with anyone but me. She can stay here with me, where she's safe.”

  “Monte!” I scolded, taking my hands out of his. “What has gotten into you? Did you hit your head playing football this morning or something?”

  This is so unlike Monte. He has never been so overprotective and rude before. We've always respected each other's respective strengths. All of us. So, why is he treating me like a damsel in distress? I wondered, worried that whatever is happening to everyone else is affecting him, too. One rabid vamp is enough for one day, I don't need a hothead shifter on my hands.

  Again, he shook his head as if he were trying to shake the anger off, and when he looked at me again, he looked almost exhausted. “I don't know what's going on with me. Ever since this morning, I have had this weird feeling in the pit of my stomach. And when you showed up, it got worse but somehow better? I don't know...”

  “Maybe there's something in the air,” Aubrielle muttered, crossing her arms.

  She was joking, but I had already thought about that possibility.

  Just then someone came running through the hallway in a hurry, followed by another three people, and one of them stopped in the doorway. He was panting and looked terrified.

  “You should shut and lock this door, everyone is going crazy out there! It's a bloodbath!” He shouts before something down the hall caught his attention and he bolted.

  Monte's arms captured my body and he pulled me into the corner of his bed, taking a protective stance in front of me as we watched a crazed vampire run down the hall. She was chasing a scrawnier shifter and laughing maliciously. Ophelia muttered something and the door slammed closed, the audible sound of the lock clicking into place.