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I shove the phone back in my pocket and decide to ignore it for the rest of the journey. Maybe I can call her tomorrow and let her know I won’t be at school… ever again.
What if I never see her again?
Cooper is mostly quiet for the rest of the long drive. The sun sets, and the music switches up from chart hits to low, pulsing dance. I can tell it bothers him. He’s no longer tapping the steering wheel or singing in his pleasant bass tones.
I glance at him. “Go on. Put Kenny G or whatever back on.”
“Kenny Rogers,” he corrects. “Are you sure?”
“Very.”
As he comes alive again, I smile to myself. After all, he did drive all the way down to Manchester to pick me up. Then I yawn and realise my stomach is growling.
“We’re coming up to the bridge,” he says a bit later. “It’s going to be a little different to the kind of bridges you’re used to.”
“What do you mean?”
He just grins right before he turns off the main road and drives down a track that appears to be heading straight for the sea.
“Um, Coop, what the fuck are you doing?”
He mumbles something under his breath, and his eyes glow amber. There’s a shift in the air like the stirring of a breeze. Cooper’s fingers tighten around the steering wheel as he closes his eyes and speaks again, this time in a completely different language. Latin?
The van moves closer and closer to the cliff edge. I yelp, and my fingers grip the armrest. Cooper stomps on the accelerator, and my pulse thuds hard in my ears.
“Stop!” I shout. But just as the word comes from my lips, the space before us changes.
I gasp. It’s like someone has drawn a bridge in the air right before my eyes. No longer on solid earth, the tires continue straight onto the tarmac of a long, sturdy-looking bridge leading us to an island in the distance.
I glare at him. “Why didn’t you warn me?” I snap.
He laughs. “If I’d warned you, I wouldn’t have got a glance at that expression of yours.”
“You mean the one of shock and terror? Yeah. Hilarious.”
“Then we’re in agreement.” He grins.
I’m about to come back with another retort when theview stretching out before us distracts me. Even in the twilight, I can see the ripples of ocean water spreading out around us. It hits me then. We’re not just in Scotland, we’rebeyondScotland, out over the sea.
We’re also on amagical bridge. “Is this bridge hidden by magic?”
He nods. “It’s for academy members only. It stops civilians driving onto Gealach Isle. That’s its name. Means ‘moon island.’”
“It’s fitting.” I stare at the way the sea reflects the pale orb of the moon. “But my dad is going to have a fit when he visits.”
Cooper shakes his head. “We have a ferry transfer for guests.”
“That’s probably for the best.”
Just then, I get my first real glimpse of Gealach Isle and the academy itself. The place is in silhouette against the indigo sky, but a pale orange light glows from some of the windows, flickering like candlelight. The turrets rise up until they disappear into the clouds above. Below are jagged cliffs that tumble down into the choppy sea. The castle seems precariously placed, as though a large wave could wash it away.
I tuck a lock of hair behind my ear and gulp.
Six
Cooper parksthe camper van next to a long line of cars. His vehicle sticks out like a sore thumb among some particularly intimidating Ferraris and Porsches.
“Is everyone at this school super rich or something? What’s with the Lamborghini?” I jab a finger over at the car that looks like the Batmobile.
