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“I saw them coming until you rudely interrupted.” I grumbled, frustrated.
Eli fell onto the couch in my room with a humph and pouted at me, turning on the dramatics. If I hadn’t grown up with the kid and loved him like a brother, I would probably tell him to fuck off. Eli and I had grown up in one of the larger Divine communities, in the wilderness of Maine, just outside the academy. All Divine communities flourished in the wilderness as many people didn’t venture out into the area. Eli and I had been neighbors at home and being only a year apart, grew up doing everything together from school and sports to giving our parents hell. My first year at the academy had been a bit lonely without my lifetime friend and although I’d never tell him, for fear of him smothering me in a hug, when he finally turned twenty this year, joy encompassed me to have my best friend back by my side.
“Well, get better at your concentration and you wouldn’t lose the vision. You know, for supposedly being one of the best Seers of our time, you’re shit at seeing the important things. Like how you didn’t see that I would get a nasty case of the hives after eating those strawberries. I mean, who knew I would be allergic? You, you were supposed to know.”
Eli continued on his rant, and I rolled my eyes. He would go on for hours if I let him, but we had more important things to talk about. Like the girl Madden was supposed to be finding and escorting to the school. A lot of mystery surrounded the girl, and she was the main talk of the school. Mostly because nowadays the Divine community wasn’t that large. Considering there was only one academy ranging across the realm, all Divines attended Willow Grove. Total, there were just over five thousand Divines still living in the human realm. Out of those, there were only about two thousand under the age of 25. Which meant at the academy, there were only a couple dozen students whose powers manifested this year. But no one at the school knew of a Halley Jameson from their community. Which meant she probably lived as a Divine nomad. The ones who tried to blend in with the humans and live a normal life that the rest of us weren’t granted thanks to the Hunters.
However, since no record of Halley’s location could be found, Zachariah sent Madden to track her down and bring her here. Because of his exceptional Shifter abilities, he could track her scent and find her. In fact, his power allowed him to pinpoint a general location simply based off a name, which led him to New York City. Suffice to say, the whole academy sat on pins and needles, waiting for her to show up, given the questions surrounding her. I wouldn’t tell Eli this, who surged with excitement about the mystery girl, but I found myself genuinely curious as well. After hearing her name, I had used my visions to look into her past but had found nothing. It’s as if the girl had never existed. But her name on the registry with her date of birth proved she did. Every Divine is added to the registry on their day of birth, so the Council can keep track of our communities. It was one of the precautions our leaders took to keep our people safe.
I tuned back in to hear the end of Eli’s ranting. “And I mean, had I never eaten strawberries before? I love fruit. What if I’m allergic to other fruit?”
“Eli,” I cut him off finally, “You aren’t allergic to strawberries. One of the wolf shifters shook their fur on them to mess with you. That’s what caused your hives. Since you are actually allergic to wolves.”
Eli looked at me with utter shock, obviously offended I hadn’t told him. Before he could start another rant, I held up my hand. “Look man, it’s not important right now. Let me get back to my vision and see if they’re on their way.” That shut him up and his eyebrows raised with his large smile. I closed my eyes and let the visions take hold of my mind once again. This time, I easily envisioned Madden’s future as it had now become the present. I opened my eyes and smirked at Eli.
“They’re here.”
Chapter Three
Halley
Winding through the woods in a sleek black car, I felt transported to a world of luxury. In reality, the car was probably average, but the SUV seemed larger than life to me and the soft leather seats felt immaculate beneath my bare thighs. Growing up on the streets, I had never been in anything besides a cab, bus, or train. Even when Mom was alive, we had never owned a car. With that thought, I figured, even if I did wind up dead by the end of the day, at least I got to enjoy an unknown comfort for once.
I peered out the window, trying to get an idea of our surroundings. All I could see were trees and trees, and oh look, more trees. According to the man, who had still yet to introduce himself, even though he clearly knew me, we were headed north towards Maine. I had never been to Maine but from what I could see, it was beautiful. The landscape bloomed in lush greens and the breeze from the open windows smelled like salt water. Although I was entranced by the scenery, I also kept the landmarks in the back of my mind, knowing I’d need them if a quick escape was necessary.
Pulling my eyes from the scenery, I covertly glanced at my car companion, taking him in. Now that the initial fear of a strange man had passed, although my inner voice continued to scream at me to be cautious, I allowed myself to really look at him. I estimated he was only a few years older than my twenty and I hated to admit it, but he was the most attractive man I had ever seen. Brown curls were cut short around his head and a scruffy beard adorned his chin. His eyes, although intimidating, were a deep amber and seemed to melt into his iris. As he took a tight turn, I couldn’t help but admire the muscles straining beneath his tight black shirt and I started squirming in my seat, not because I was in a car with a strange man, but for the fact I was alone with the sexiest man I had ever met.
“We’re here”, the man said in that gruff voice of his, jolting me out of my staring and I quickly averted my gaze, not wanting to be caught ogling him.
As soon as he spoke, I looked out the window as we drove past a line of trees and seemingly transported somewhere else altogether. Instead of only trees and roads encompassing us, the area ahead of us spread out into a large opening. There were three large buildings in front of us. The one in the center built with brick and covered in floor to ceiling windows, allowing natural light to filter in. Vines grew and tangled around the brick giving the building a mystical look. The two buildings adjacent to the central building were identical. Unlike the central building, the two other buildings had small windows dotted from left to right. If this really was an academy, I assumed the windows looked into classrooms. Winding down the road, I tried to take in more of the landscape, but the man’s voice stopped me as I turned to look at him.
“This is Willow Grove Academy. One and only academy for the Divines. You’ll learn more about where everything is from whoever they assigned to be your tour guide. They’ll also show you where you’re staying.”
“You’re not my tour guide?” I asked. It seemed he would be considering he had just driven me all the way from New York City to wherever we were in Maine.
Like earlier, the man started chuckling.
“Hell no, I’m not your tour guide. Some low-ranking Divine will be in charge of that.”
With no further explanation, I realized he truly didn’t care that I knew nothing about this world or what he meant by low-ranking Divine. I had no information about any of the Divines, let alone that there were different rankings of them. Although I guess if there were rankings, I could see why he was higher up. The man loomed over me and if strength had anything to do with rankings, I’m sure that’s why he wasn’t considered “low”.
We pulled up into the front of the central building and the man got out. I quickly followed behind him, not wanting to get lost. He seemed like the type to just leave me behind. I threw my backpack over my shoulder, all my belongings inside, and scurried after him as he climbed the large steps in front of us. Again, I tried to take in more of my surroundings, but the man continued to hurry along. We entered the building and made our way past a large sitting area that resembled a cafeteria and down a hall of several doors. We came to an abrupt stop in front of a door with a plaque that read “Zachariah Opal - Headmaster”. Before we could knock on the door, it opened, and an older man stood before us. The man looked to be in his late sixties and seemed to be only able to grow a short silvery beard if his bald head was any indication. His eyes looked kind and curious as he surveyed me.
“Halley Jameson, I presume. How were your travels?” The old man spoke, and I felt the hair on my arms stand up with the deep tenor of his voice, tinged with power and knowledge. It seemed like he knew much more than his years suggested.
I cleared my throat, as I suddenly became nervous. The whole situation finally caught up to me and I realized I stood in a strange place with two strange men and no clue about what was happening. The old man quirked an eyebrow at me, and I realized I had been silent for longer than considered polite.
I quickly nodded my head and responded “Yes that’s me and travels were great. Super great. Great drive and great company.” I clamped my mouth shut, realizing the nerves were causing me to babble. And I’m pretty sure using the word “great” four times in a row made me look like an idiot.
Thankfully, the old man, Zachariah if the plaque was correct, didn’t comment. He turned towards my “great company” and smiled. “Madden, we greatly appreciate your assistance. You may continue on with your schedule.”
Madden, I was glad I didn’t have to call him the man anymore, nodded at Zachariah before glancing at me. With a smirk, he drawled, “If you want another kind of private tour later, I’m your guy, sweetheart,” and wandered off without another word. Zachariah cleared his throat, and I tore my gaze away from the confusing man, focusing on the situation at hand.
“Please, Halley, come in. We have much to discuss.” Zachariah ushered me into his office, shutting the door, and sat behind an ornate wooden desk. I plopped down in one of the three chairs on the opposite side of the desk and glanced at the frames adorning the furniture. There seemed to be countless frames of Zachariah and who I assumed were his family and friends. The pictures gave me a slight insight into the person sitting before me. Obviously, he had many people in his life he cared for.
Zachariah smiled at me and thenfinallybegan explaining the entire situation I had found myself in.
“Halley, as I’m sure you know, this is Willow Grove Academy, and I am the headmaster. Unlike schools in the human community, we are less attentive to proper titles so you may call me Zachariah.” Zachariah continued, “Before I bring in your escort, I have a few questions for you.”
