by Cara Wylde
But growing too bold soon proved to be a mistake on my part. GC and Paz were stuck in Anthropology with Mrs. Po when I finished Geography earlier because Mrs. Maat had an emergency. That rarely happened, but when it did, the students thanked the Heavens and Hell at the same time, since we got so little free hours for ourselves. Klaus had been in class with me, but he rushed to the kitchens. Not because he was hungry, but because… well, he had a sweetheart there. Patty had introduced him to Joel, a smoking hot merman who cooked one hell of a brisket when he wasn’t out in the ocean, swimming, and it hadn’t taken Klaus too long to become completely entranced. So, he left me to my own devices. I could have gone to the Holy Chapel. I could have gone to the Unholy Chapel just as well. But no. I felt like going for a walk outside the Academy gates, in the woods.
I followed the trail to the glade where we’d celebrated Mabon one year ago, and before I knew it, my steps led me to the twin cliffs. I wrapped my arms around myself and peered over the edge. The ocean was particularly angry today, waves crashing so hard against the rocks that one might think they were trying to corrode the cliffs until they both gave in and collapsed into the water.
I followed the edge of the cliff and stopped in the exact spot where Sariel had convinced me to jump that night. The wind was picking up, and I buttoned up my uniform blazer. Thanks to my wristbands, I wasn’t that cold. I looked around me and found what I needed. It was hidden behind some bushes a few feet away, near the edge of the cliff – a narrow path that led down down down to the hidden beach.
This will help. I need to see it again, make peace with it. I’d felt for a long time that I needed to go to the beach where I’d almost died. Face your demons, confront your past. It’s never easy, but it can be cathartic. Since that night, I hadn’t set foot in the ocean again. Which was a shame, because I loved swimming. I’d spent the entire summer at the Academy, the beaches beckoning to me, and the unnaturally calm waves tempting me with the promise of a refreshing swim, yet I’d stayed locked up in my room, trying to forget there was an ocean outside. It was time for this to stop. It was time for me to look my own fears in the eye and tell them they had no power over me. Not anymore. I wasn’t the Mila they had taken hold of a year ago. I was a woman now. A woman who could love two men. A woman who’d almost been eaten by a monster and gotten away in one piece. A woman who knew secrets that could change the supernatural world forever. I was a woman who wanted a goddamn swim, even if it froze her tits up.
The path down soon turned into slippery steps. I clenched my teeth and focused. Once I got to the bottom, the beach spread before my eyes. It looked pristine and untouched. I walked to where the sand was still wet from the high tide, identified the spot where GC had dragged me from the water and lay me to give me CPR, then proceeded to remove my clothes. This time, the ocean wouldn’t claim me. I would claim it. In my bra, my panties, and my elbow-high wristbands, I stepped into the water, shivering from the cold breeze. It really wasn’t a good time for swimming. It hadn’t been a good time for swimming last year on Mabon either, and I didn’t get a cold, so I was going to be fine.
I advanced into the water and dived under the surface, pushing the air through my nostrils. The waves were pretty wild, but I was a confident swimmer. I didn’t plan on going too far, anyway. Just far enough so I could see up the cliff. I resurfaced, wiped the water from my eyes, and looked up. There was no one at the edge. I closed my eyes for a second, then opened them and tried to go back in time, to that night. The full moon was bathing the landscape in a warm glow, and they were there, on the background of the sky. Sariel, Pazuzu, and Francis. Lorna, just a few feet back. And GC… GC launching himself off the cliff in his golden calf form, shifting midair, and hitting the water as a man. Saving me. I smiled to myself, dived back under, then resurfaced and finally swam back to shore. I was feeling better now. The cold water got my blood running, and I felt strong and invigorated.
Hey there, summer, move your lazy ass and come sooner. I have some serious swimming and sunbathing to do.
I waited until I was decently dry, then hopped back into my clothes and climbed up the cliff. I hurried back to the Academy, as the next class was about to start. As I rushed into the inner courtyard, Lorna blocked my way, making me almost bump into her.
“There you are. I’ve been looking all over for you.” She’d been with me and Klaus in Geography, and she’d probably hoped she’d get me alone, since Paz and GC weren’t there. She looked at my wet hair and scrunched up her nose. “You smell like wet chicken.”
I rolled my eyes. “What do you want, Lorna? Wait. I don’t care. Move!” I made to walk past her, but she wouldn’t have any of that. She blocked my way again.
“You and I need to have a little chat.”
“No, we don’t. I have nothing to say to you.”
“Oh, but I have plenty to say to you.” She was right up in my face now. “You said something to Sariel, didn’t you? Or did something. You pulled some shady shit, and now he doesn’t want to talk to me anymore.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. You’re crazy!”
“No, I’m not crazy. I know, dumpster girl, because I’m a mage. You two talked last year.” She pressed her fingers to her temples. “I can sense it. I can almost see it. I’ve been trying all the spells I know, all the chants, all the see-into-the-past potions. Nothing seems to work just right, but I’ve gotten glimpses. I saw the two of you in the north tower, and he told you something. Then you touched him.” She was hissing at me by this point, like a venomous cobra that was about to sink its fangs into my face. “You fucking touched him on the arm. And since then, he doesn’t want to talk to me anymore. He doesn’t even want me around. You did something to him, dumpster girl. What is it? What did you do? Did you ask that gay friend of yours to put a spell on him? A curse?”
“Oh my God, Lorna! Sariel is not cursed! He just doesn’t want you! And it’s nothing new, either. If you could just open your eyes for once and see the reality… He never wanted you. It’s so obvious. The only reason why he tolerated you last year was because you’re a powerful mage and he needed you to torture me. That’s all. If you don’t believe me, ask anyone. Literally. Anyone! Ask Pandora, Sammy, Sheba… If they really are your friends, they’ll tell you the truth. The whole school can see it, so why do you insist on being so blind? I know you love him. I do. But that doesn’t change the fact that he simply doesn’t love you back. He took advantage of you, that’s all. Because you can do things he can’t. Also, you made it so easy for him to get away with the bullying as you got yourself in trouble and lost worth points over me.”
I should have kept my mouth shut. What was I thinking? That I was doing her a favor telling her the truth she didn’t want to hear? Could I have prevented what happened in the next couple of minutes if I had been gentler? If I had used other words? Okay, I might have been a bitch to her this time, but she’d done such horrible things to me that it was hard to not stoop to her level when she provoked me like that.
She took a step back, and her eyes rolled back in her head as she lifted her arms to the sky. Blue energy started flowing through her eyes, falling in rivulets down her cheeks, just like at the Yule Ball. I gulped. When Lorna did that, she meant business. Last time, she’d formed a huge crystal ball and showed the whole school who my real mother was. She hadn’t hurt me physically, but she’d messed up my head real good, left me wondering who I was and where I came from for months. I’d just started to make peace with what she’d revealed then, and now she was doing it again – hurting me in ways I couldn’t even begin to understand.
I felt myself being lifted from the ground. My eyes went wide, I opened my mouth to scream, but nothing came out. I kicked my arms and legs, trying to get back down to safety, but there was no use.
“You ever wonder what flying must be like?” she asked in a wicked tone. Her voice sounded louder and… larger. As large as the courtyard, as if her energy now filled every ava
ilable corner, and her voice followed her energy. “All these other kids with wings… and you have nothing. No powers, no abilities… nothing. You are nothing.”
I took in a deep breath and released it slowly. It was happening again. It was year one all over again. I had no control over my own body. I narrowed my eyes at her, and she only made me fly higher. I was getting anxious. What would she do when she thought I was high enough? I unfocused my eyes for a moment, and I could see her aura. Violent red with specks of black and purple. She was angry, but at the same time, she was hurt. And yes, her aura had now expanded all around her, filling the courtyard and working constantly on overtaking the building. She grew more powerful by the minute. It was as if the more power she used, the more powerful she became. And all her power was fueled by anger and pain.
“Lorna,” I shouted. She couldn’t hear me. I could barely hear myself. The wind was howling now, picking up dead leaves from the ground and lifting them up in a vortex around me. A storm was coming, and I didn’t know whether it was Lorna or the crappy weather we’d had for the past few days. “Please put me down.”
“Up up up you go,” she laughed hysterically.
Students gathered around us, but no one did anything. Some were in shock, others were chuckling in satisfaction. Pandora, Sammy, Sheba, and Kitty seemed particularly happy. Where was Klaus when I needed him? A bunch of VDC guys were there, too, and one of them was a mage. I looked at him pleadingly, but he shrugged and took a couple of steps back. He didn’t want to get involved. Of course he didn’t. Very few people were brave enough to stand up to Lorna. She was, after all, the most powerful mage at Grim Reaper Academy. I remembered hearing Headmaster Colin himself, one time, whispering it to another professor. “Lorna Chiaramonte,” he’d said, “I’ve never seen such power before.”
Fuck. I’m so, so fucked.
I was going higher and higher. I closed my eyes and let it happen, not wanting to see how high she’d gotten me. But I couldn’t resist for long. I hoped she’d stop at some point. Get me back down. Or throw me to the ground, most likely. She wasn’t done yet. When I opened my eyes, I was at the same level with the topmost floors of the four towers. I felt sick to my stomach. Dizziness made my eyes cloudy, and I blinked a couple of times to clear the fog. My head was throbbing with a headache that was out of this world, and I realized my body couldn’t take much more altitude. It was freezing cold up here, and Lorna only lifted me higher and higher. Before I knew it, I was way above the tops of the towers, and the people on the ground were small now.
Can’t breathe…
My hands flew to my throat as I started hyperventilating. It was either from the impossibly high altitude, or it was the beginning of a panic attack. I kicked my legs again, but it only made things worse. Bile rose in my throat, and for a moment, I was worried that I might throw up. If I was lucky, maybe I caught Lorna on the head, but if that happened… would she let me go? Would she let me fall to my death? Most likely, if I did throw up, the wind would carry it away.
Jesus! The mind is a mysterious thing. I’m about to die and… and I’m thinking about what would happen to my puke if I threw up.
Just as I felt like my consciousness was about to slip away, like sand through my fingers, I saw a winged figure break through the clouds.
Grim Reaper.
I was dying. I didn’t know how or why, but I was sure I was dying, and the winged creature was going to pull out his scythe and sever my string of life. There was no scythe, though. As he flew closer, I distinguished his features.
“Sariel,” I whispered.
He batted his wings once, sending leaves and tiny branches flying to the sides, clearing his way to me. His blue eyes were fixed on me, his lips were pursed in concentration, his perfect hair didn’t look so perfect anymore, ruffled by the wind and the air currents, pieces of leaves stuck between his golden locks. He batted his white wings again, and just as I felt like I was going to faint, he caught me in his arms, and I felt the rush of air hitting my cheeks as he flew me down down down. I wrapped my arms around his neck and pressed my body against his warm chest. His heart beat wildly in his ribcage, and I wondered… Why is he here? Why is he doing this? I couldn’t keep my eyes open, not with the air whooshing around me at every bat of his wings. I closed them. For one moment, I thought. Just a second, so I could gather my bearings. So I could think this through. So I could wrap my mind around the fact that I was in Sariel’s arms and we were flying.
I closed my eyes for one moment and when I opened them, it was hours after, I was in GC’s bed, and GC and Pazuzu were hovering over me.
CHAPTER FIVE
“What happened?” I sat up, smacking my lips in disgust. There was a bitter taste in my mouth, and I was dying of thirst. Paz grabbed a water bottle from the fridge and pushed it into my trembling hands. I drank like a mad person, water spilling at the corners of my mouth and onto my T-shirt. “Did I throw up?”
“Plenty,” GC frowned. “But it’s fine, really. You puked all over Sariel’s uniform, and I’m so proud of you, goddess.” He laughed.
“It was epic,” Paz grinned. “He landed with you in the middle of the courtyard, set you down ever so gently, and as he was checking your pulse, you sat up, grabbed him by the shoulders, and just went for it.” They both started laughing out loud. Paz could barely finish his story. “Like… you threw up all over his chest, lap, I think you even got his wings real good.”
“And the best part is you fainted right after,” GC added. “You were all like… blargh, and then… poof! Sleep. He just stood there…” He laughed louder. “Oh my God, I can’t even!”
Paz was already half on the floor, barely able to sit straight from all the laughter. I smiled awkwardly.
“Guys, come on… That’s embarrassing. The whole school saw me throw up.”
“And that, dearie, is your superpower,” Paz pointed a finger at me. He just laughed harder when I pouted. “It’s your secret weapon. The jerk deserved it.”
“Not this time,” I mumbled as I tried to get out of the bed. I lost my balance, and GC grabbed me by the arm. “It was all Lorna. He had nothing to do with it.”
“Yeah, yeah… whatever,” Paz waved in dismissal. “He saved you and all that.”
“Stupid Anthropology,” said GC as he helped me into the bathroom. “Mrs. Po took half of our period to explain her stupid assignment. We should’ve been there.”
“You couldn’t have done much. None of you has wings.”
“True,” Paz admitted disgruntledly. “But what he did today doesn’t absolve him of his past crimes.” He shot me an expectant look, and I nodded.
GC was already running me a bath, dumping a ridiculous amount of bath foam as hot water filled the tub. He then reached in the cupboard above the sink, from where he produced a vanilla scented bath bomb.
“You might want to brush your teeth first,” he suggested.
I shook my head in an attempt to clear it, but if my jumbled thoughts were any indication, I didn’t quite get the desired effect. I grabbed my toothbrush and the toothpaste in a daze. Since I’d started dating GC and Paz, I kept three toothbrushes at the same time: one in my room, one in GC’s, and one in Paz’s. And the guys made sure to keep a fair amount of bath bombs, since taking long bubble baths colored yellow, and pink, and purple, was my favorite thing in the world.
“Why do you think he did it?” I said with my mouth full of toothpaste. “Saved me?”
GC shrugged. Paz was silent. I rinsed and threw cold water onto my face. Straightening my back to look in the mirror, I cringed at my own reflection. I looked like shit. My blue hair was matted to my head, bits of dead leaves were stuck in the knots, and there was a chunk of something unidentified glued to my shirt. I pulled at it and scrunched up my nose in disgust. Dropped it in the toilet, flushed, and tried to forget about it.
“Here, let me help you with that.” Paz grabbed the hem of my shirt and pulled it over my hea
d. After what I’d done with him and GC countless times since the night before the beginning of the semester, being undressed by one of them (or both of them) was common practice now. “I’ll drop them in the laundry bin, but I’d burn them, if I were you.”
I rolled my eyes at him. “It’s just puke. It’s not radioactive.”
“It’s not your puke we’re worried about,” GC snickered. “Sariel gave you cooties.”
I shot him an annoyed look. God, they’re impossible! Having a serious conversation with them was something rare. Very, very rare. For sure, they weren’t in the mood today, so I kept the thousand questions running through my head to myself. I allowed them to help me into the hot water and relaxed as GC washed my hair and Paz ran a foamy sponge up and down my arms. Mmm… at least, they do make me feel like a goddess. Later, they ran to the dining room and brought lunch for the three of us. After what I’d gone through, I was apparently excused for the rest of the day. They, however, had to go to PE and then Anatomy of Souls. I was more than happy to take advantage of the peace and quiet and take a nap.
* * *
The bookshelf snapped shut behind me, and I found myself in the dark, my trembling hands searching for the wall I knew was there, my legs not wanting to move another inch if I didn’t have something solid to hold on to. I found the wall, took a moment to breathe deeply, then reached inside my pocket. My phone wasn’t there. It didn’t make any sense. I never forgot my phone, never lost it… Shit. No light. How did I get here, anyway? I didn’t want to be here. I looked down, my eyes barely able to distinguish the stone steps in the dark. I knew what waited for me if I descended, so I tried the secret door again. It wouldn’t budge.
Shit.
The only way out was through. Down the stairs and through the cavern, that was. If I didn’t make a sound… If I managed to sneak along the wall… Maybe the thing sleeping in the well wouldn’t hear me. Wouldn’t smell me. Where was Francis when I needed him most?