Hawthorn Academy- Year Two Page 13

  "Self-discovery is a pretty amazing thing," Dorian said that like he'd been around that block a time or five.

  "Totally."

  As it turned out, I discovered more than that in the month between the first day of lab and the beginning of extramurals. Not all of it was so hopeful, either.

  Chapter Sixteen

  The breakfast crowd could be intimidating, but at dinner, most of us sat in the lounge with takeout bags. Since Grace and Dorian stuck to the cafeteria that day, I was out there with Dylan and Eston, who wasn't a huge fan of crowds. Dylan wanted to avoid Grace, and I liked going over the day’s notes in relative quiet.

  Arick Magnuson approached me then and stood, shifting his weight from one foot to the other.

  "Hi, Arick Magnuson." I grinned. "Have a seat."

  "Thanks?" He sat on the edge of an ottoman none of us was using. "So, I heard a number of things about you yesterday, and I have a question."

  "Yeah, she's really an extramagus. No, she's not evil. And unfortunately for her, she's Alex Onassis's ex-girlfriend. Did I cover everything?" Dylan's nostrils flared. “Enough to take back to Tempe?”

  "No." Arick blinked, then turned away from Dylan to look at me. "You found a dragonet to bond with, and Elanor Pierce said you helped her brother and his roommate find their familiars. Since I don't have one, I was hoping— "

  Arick hung his head to hide his reddening face, which was a lost cause. I tried to remember being this out of sorts. It felt like ages since then. Maybe I didn't need a point of reference. Bubbe said empathy could work without that. It seemed like a good time to try.

  "As far as Ember goes, she found me. I didn’t go looking, and anyway, there’s no wrong or right way to meet the right critter. Familiar Bonding will help. I’m taking it as an elective, so I'll see you there."

  "Really?"

  Eston's big black dog circled Arick. The canine was dour and fiercely protective of his magus. The new kid froze in place. Once his critter finished his appraisal, Eston looked up, catching Arick's gaze and staring into his eyes. After a moment, he spoke.

  "Nobody in your family does familiar magic, so why are you at Hawthorn Academy?" Eston tilted his head, adjusting his glasses. He didn't blink.

  "I've been reading about them my whole life. They're the only thing I ever wanted to study. Nothing else back home in Bergen felt right to me."

  "That'll do." Eston nodded, then gazed at my page of lecture notes. He was with Dylan in Professor DeBeers' class, and part of what we did over lounge dinners was look over each other’s coursework.

  "I still don't know about this kid." Dylan crossed his arms over his chest. Even Gale peeked out from behind his head to give Arick a withering glare. “If he’s carrying tales, I’ll find out.”

  "Go easy." I shook my head. "He's a first-year, and not even from this country. Like you, Dylan."

  "And Alex last year. I think caution's wise." Unfortunately, Dylan made sense.

  "I'm giving him a chance. If you guys don't want to, that's your decision." I shrugged. "Don't try to stop me from helping."

  Dylan dropped his arms, and Gale eased his stance.

  "Thanks." Arick exhaled. "You don't know how much of a relief it is to hear that."

  "You should get some food before they close the caf." I jerked my chin at the doorway.

  "Yeah. Right." Arick looked everywhere but at our faces. "Maybe tomorrow, I can get takeout like you guys?"

  "Hang on, this is my duty as a food services employee." Dylan tore a section of brown paper from his own bag and pulled a pen out of his pocket. He sketched a quick though sloppy map. "That's how you get to the takeaway window. Ask for Penelope."

  Arick nodded, saying nothing else. He stood and tucked the makeshift map in his back pocket before hurrying away. I noticed a series of four small and jagged tears in the tail of his blazer. Had he been in a fight? If so, why hadn't he mentioned it?

  "That might come back to bite you." Eston shook his head.

  "He doesn't seem evil." I raised my eyebrow.

  "It's not him. The damage on his blazer means Tempe’s singled him out.” Eston pointed at his dog’s nose. “Grundylow claws."

  "It's Grace's deal to navigate popularity oceans. She’s like a captain." I shrugged. "We don’t have to look popular."

  "What's our job, then?" Eston tilted his head.

  "We’re the brute squad.” I leaned back in my comfy chair. “I'm the scary extramagus. Don’t make me lose my temper."

  "Yeah. They won’t like Aliyah when she’s angry." Dylan smirked. "Good thing you’re not always angry."

  I laughed, relieved to hear him crack a joke. Last year he was the class clown, after all.

  "That's fine and well." Eston nodded. "You're athletes, the closest thing we have to jocks. But I'm kind of not that."

  "I’m the brawn, like John Luther." Dylan leaned forward, elbows on his knees. "But you're like Sherlock Holmes, making sense of everything."

  "Ah. The brain." Eston nodded, adjusting his glasses.

  "Bingo."

  "Speaking of brains, we should go over this list of projects." I tapped the stapled packet of papers. "Work out a strategy."

  "Shouldn't we have Logan’s help with that?"

  "Help with what now?" Logan leaned in the doorway.

  "This list. We've got to narrow it down." I flipped to the second page. "This orb device looks like a challenge, but one we can handle for sure."

  "Because of your friends in town?"

  "That's right. I’m going to see Izzy and Cadence this weekend and talk to them about potential teammates from their schools."

  "This project requires changelings." Eston adjusted his glasses.

  "I know two, Azrael Ambersmith and Brianna Collins. They're both goblins.”

  "Good.” Eston nodded. “Goblins are masters of illusion, perfect for a visual display. But we've only got one Umbral Magus in our year. That's Grace."

  "What's a good stand-in?" Dylan flipped to the last page, a list of extrahuman subtypes. "Not solar, right?"

  "Undeath." Logan nodded without even looking at the paper. "Faith can do it if Grace isn’t on the orb team. And fire will help, so either Kitty or Aliyah."

  "This is college-level magical theory stuff, Logan. Have you been studying all summer?" Eston blinked.

  "Pretty much. Mrs. Morgenstern loaned me a couple of books."

  "Wow." He grinned. "We should hang sometime and talk theory. I love this stuff, and my folks don't get it."

  "I'd like that." Logan smiled.

  Dylan got preoccupied all of a sudden with a patch of dry scales on Gale's neck. I couldn't blame him. The look on his face reminded me of how I’d felt last year when Noah focused on his school friends and left me behind. Back then, I'd needed a friend, so it was time to be one.

  "The Magipsych Fair isn’t all we’ve got to worry about." I elbowed him. "We should do some extra practice before Bishop's Row tryouts. Together."

  "We're going to have company, though." Dylan gazed at his shoes. "I asked Lee to practice with me already and he said yes."

  "That's cool."

  It's not, and you know it. You wanted time alone with Dylan. Tell him it's not okay.

  "Hey, are you going to eat that?" Dylan pointed at my side of coleslaw.

  "Down the bottomless pit it goes, I guess." I handed it to him, glad to see his appetite coming back.

  The Evil Inside Voice was right. I wasn't happy about sharing my time with Dylan, but it couldn't be helped. Maybe it was better for him to have more friends around than just me anyway.

  Dylan Khan was not okay, no matter what he said. Maybe branching out would help him get better.

  I did a full sweep of the third-floor bathroom despite being tired. Eight was the hour I usually started winding down before bed at Hawthorn Academy, not ideal for swimming, but Faith wanted to meet, and I'd agreed. I had to make sure none of the first-years lurked in a stall or the changing rooms first.

 
The bathrooms at Hawthorn Academy were enormous, outfitted with the usual sinks, toilets, and showers. They had a couple of old-fashioned clawfoot tubs as well, but the main feature was the Roman Bath, which was like a swimming pool, deep and long enough to swim laps in.

  The campus between worlds had unlimited space when it was built, and everything classical in an ancient sense had been in style back then. While attendance had been low since the Reveal, the Hawkins family hadn't decreased the campus's size from the old days.

  Faith Fairbanks took full advantage of that. Swimming was her preferred sport. Growing up in Salem meant I'd become adept at it too. It wasn't my favorite physical activity, but I could keep up with her.

  I'd gone into a stall to put on my bathing suit. When I emerged, Faith was already at the side of the bath. Ember swooped down from her perch, landing beside Seth. He pranced and capered, letting out a series of short happy barks in response to her peeps. It was nice to see them relax and play together.

  Faith sat at the edge of the pool, her legs in the water. I joined her.

  "So, what's this about Alex?" I stuck my tongue out and blew a raspberry. "Sorry. Thinking about him brings out my inner sixth-grader."

  "No need to apologize. He sucks." Faith snorted. "But I think I can keep him from being too much trouble."

  "What's the idea?"

  "For you, distraction. My plan is to zap him from time to time with a little undeath energy. He'll get sluggish. Since he always plays up that cold-blooded snake vibe, acting like he's not a threat, no one should notice, but just in case—"

  "You need me to light things up?" I shook my head, chuckling. "Fire didn't work out so well for me last year."

  "You've got way more control now, Aliyah." Faith kicked a foot, splashing. "Anyway, you can choose which shiny magic to use. Solar's less flammable, right?"

  "Yeah, it's safer." I grinned.

  "Bonus points if they think it was Noah." Faith turned her head, looking me in the eye. "Everybody knows he still hates Alex because of the whole Darren thing last year."

  "I didn't even think of that." I sighed. "Some schemer I am, huh?"

  "You are definitely not evil overlord material, but I've got it covered."

  "Because you're evil?" I blinked. "You, the doting girlfriend?"

  "I had the upbringing for it, which doesn't miraculously vanish just because I decided to reject it." She looked up, eyes as limpid as the pool, and colder. "I'm using everything I learned at home for good now."

  "Heaven help Hal's Mom, then." I eased off the topic of Faith's family.

  "You don't know the half of it. She is going to be in deep shit once it hits the fan."

  "I thought the custody hearing happened already?"

  "There’s one more in May. Anyway, the last one opened a can of worms, for Mrs. Hawkins, anyway." Faith sighed. "I'm all for escaping your toxic family, but once you hurt the family you choose, all bets are off."

  "What do you mean?" I raised an eyebrow.

  "She married, had a kid. That’s her family now, and she screwed them over. That hearing only hinted that she’s a dhampyr, but her family will find her sooner or later." She crossed her arms, rubbing them with her hands. "They're probably horrible people."

  "Are you sure?"

  "No, but it’s logical." She closed her eyes. "Now we have to worry about them showing up out of the blue."

  "If she'd been honest with the doctors, medical privacy would have protected her and Hal. There wouldn't have been any stories in the paper.

  "Karma isn’t real, but coincidence is, and even more of a bitch."

  "They're Hal's family too." I reached out, patted her shoulder. "Maybe he takes after them, and there's nothing to be afraid of."

  "I'm not scared of vampires. I told Hal to let them come and catch these hands." She held them up, palms out toward the water, staring at the backs of them.

  Usually, Faith would grin or snort to indicate sarcasm, but her statement carried no humor. This was deadly serious to her. She’d risk death to protect Hal. It reminded me of how devoted my parents were to each other.

  "Neither am I. Fire hands, remember? But nothing says they have to be monstrous."

  "Stephanie's age makes it likelier. Her parents had her before the Reveal, and with pre-reveal vamps, you never know. That isn't just shitty Fairbanks family philosophy, either. Remember the turning spree that generation did back in the day?"

  "I do. I'm a Night Creatures fan." I sighed. "And I'm half-Hopewell. Nothing like finding out your uncle tried to take over two worlds to give you a perspective on twisted family trees. I'll keep hoping they're outliers and decent folk. I mean, Hal's one of the best people we know, right?"

  "I'd hope right along with you, but Mrs. Hawkins is way too fearful. I watched her face throughout the hearing."

  "Sometimes, I think you've seen way more than anyone our age should have."

  "Whatever." She pushed off from the edge of the pool into the water. "Enough gloom and doom. Let's swim."

  We spent the next hour doing exactly that. The water couldn't wash away the sins of our families, but it helped us forget them for a little while.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Familiar Bonding was in the infirmary, which was the closest thing Hawthorn Academy had to a basement. Along with the ramp leading down from the main floor, the infirmary also had no windows. This was good because one of the infirmary staff, my favorite, was a vampire.

  Ezekiel Brown greeted me with a grin and a slight nod. I hadn't seen him since last year, so I smiled back.

  "Hi, Zeke!"

  "Miss Morgenstern, what brings you here at this time of day?"

  "Familiar Bonding."

  "You hardly need it this year."

  "I kind of think it’s fun." I indicated Ember, who let out a loud snore from my shoulder. "Anyway, Logan's bringing Dorian Spanos because he's new to familiars. He's got an unruly gryphon. Maybe I can help."

  "Those are sound reasons." Ezekiel nodded. "Although I had assumed you dropped by to visit with young Master Hawkins and Miss Fairbanks."

  "Oh, they're here?" I clapped, waking Ember.

  "Yes. Just a moment, and I'll see how amenable they are to a brief visit."

  "Thanks, Zeke."

  While waiting, I paced the room. This area of the infirmary included Nurse Smith’s varnished pine desk, a line of chairs, and Ezekiel's antique roll-top writing desk, which stood beside the first aid cabinet. Ember fluttered to her favorite perch from last year atop the cabinet, but she'd grown and didn't fit anymore. The formerly cozy nook was now a tight and unpleasant squeeze.

  "Peep." Ember flew back down to my shoulder, tucking herself around the back of my neck and slumping down. I sensed her disappointment

  "It's okay, girl. Everybody grows." I shrugged. "Kind of a fact of life."

  "You take the good, you take the bad." Dorian Spanos sauntered through the door. Mercy swooped in behind him, soaring in a figure-eight overhead.

  "What?" I blinked.

  "I guess I'm the only one at Hawthorn obsessed with eighties sitcoms." He sighed as Mercy took off from his shoulder to fly around the room. "At least tell me you've seen the Golden Girls."

  "Only because of Noah." I shrugged. "Though that was a few years back."

  "I think he needs to re-watch it." Dorian shook his head. "Your brother isn't the kind of person I'd thank for being a friend."

  "Is he giving you crap?" I put my hands on my hips. "If so, I'll have words with him. Totally not cool to grief the new kid."

  "Nope. Just plain old snobbery." Dorian shrugged.

  "Yep, sounds like my brother."

  "Crap on a crap cracker." Dorian stared at the ceiling, blinking and stepping backward. "Look out below!"

  I craned my neck up, just barely making out the winged shape above the chandelier's orbs of light. It was Mercy, of course, and she had something lumpy and rank-smelling that rustled in her talons. Doris, who’d just walked through the door, loo
ked up at the gryphon and hissed.

  I didn't run, dodge, or duck and cover. Maybe I should have. Dorian's familiar wasn't up there for her health. Oh, no, nothing as simple as a playful romp or one-sided game of tag for Mercy the trash gryphon. I heard a tearing sound. Doris turned tail and fled, caterwauling down the hall.

  She's been in the waste bin. That’s the trash bag.

  "Eww, gross!" I tried to fend off the garbage raining down on my head. Fortunately, Mercy hadn't explored the biohazard container or the one with sharps, but I did not appreciate having a musty banana peel for a hair accessory.

  "Peep!" Ember untangled herself from my shoulders and leaped into the air, snagging the fruity refuse off my head. She deposited it in the nearest trash receptacle, which didn't have a bag anymore. The remnants of that hung from Mercy's talons in long plastic shreds.

  The entire floor of the infirmary's front room was a minefield of refuse. I glanced at the side of the trash can and noticed the extra bag hanging over its side. After stepping over a few pieces of debris, I snatched it and began collecting bits and bobs from the floor. Dorian rushed to help, but he didn't look where he was going and ended up slipping in something orange.

  "Whoa!" He managed to keep his balance, a good thing because if he'd fallen, he would've ended up with a partially full container of yogurt on his backside.

  "What's going on in here?" Nurse Smith tapped his foot in the doorway.

  "Just reporting for Familiar Bonding. I guess we need it." I glanced up, dropping a handful of odorous crumb-coated plastic wrap into the trash bag.

  "There's no way Ember's responsible for this mess." Nurse Smith put his hands on his hips, glaring at Dorian. "Hup!"

  Dorian's demeanor changed like lightning, and he stood at attention. He looked like someone auditioning for a role in A Few Good Men, a far cry from his smirking nonchalance in class and whiny defiance at Gym.

  "It's Mercy's fault, Sir."

  "Caw!" Mercy swooped down, dive-bombing Nurse Smith's desk. She landed beside the placard with his name on it, peering at the shiny surface with curiosity blazing in her eyes.