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I cock my head to the side, lost.Do they think I did this on purpose?My eyes dart back and forth between the nightmare creature and the instructor in front of me.Do they think I can control him? Wait. Can I?Running my tongue over my lower lip I focus on him and myself. My eyebrows raise when I find magic tethers connecting us and another between the asshole, the creature, and me. The tethers are seemingly invisible to everyone else. They twine the three of us together, and I grip the tethers in my hand before closing it into a fist, snapping them with my claws. The instant I do the creature disappears and like a rubber band snapping, the instructors around me relax. Well they do for a moment, then the steel eyed guy flops to the ground in a sweaty, soiled heap—unconscious.Whoops. They all shift judgy eyes in my direction, and that tingling—that I now realise is my magic—rises in my chest. My eyes widen as I take a step back, trying to will it to settle down, but I have absolutely no idea how to do that.
I’m not sure what it’s about to do, but it can’t be anything good, so I let out a tiny sigh of relief when an angry Lexi steps in front of me—facing the teachers—successfully distracting me. I take that as the signal that I can zone out the teachers. Though I feel healthier and like I’ve gotten a recharge that I’ve desperately been needing for years without knowing it, a sleepiness falls over my mind and I lean into Oscar's side.Huh, when did he get here?Before I have a chance to contemplate that, I find myself careening to the side. The ground rushes up to greet me, and I brace, only the impact never happens because warm and gentle hands sweep me up into an embrace. I nuzzle into my nice smelling, firm pillow, and practically purr as I curl up further.
Just before sleep takes me, there's a low murmur that I only partially catch. “Don’t worry, I’ll look after you…” Then darkness takes me, and I fall into it eagerly.
Chapter Eight — Dylan
Holyshit. My focus doesn’t waver from the girl curled up in Oscar’s arms. The last ten minutes is a constant reel swirling in my head. How the hell was someone that powerful not able to access their magic at all until just now?
My analytical mind struggles to process this new development as I scan her features and roll the facts I know about her over and over in my mind. She’s twenty-two, 6 foot 1, has monster parents, and was raised in the supernatural realm—as far as I know. She’s competent with weapons, in hand to hand combat, and loves books—if the multiple paperbacks she carries in her bag are anything to go by.I didn’t mean to go through her stuff, but I can be chronically clumsy at times, and managed to trip over her bag back in the room I’ve been tutoring her in. Thankfully the bag is spelled so nothing was damaged, just a little jostled.
My hand clenches around the strap of her bag. I was chasing her down to give it back to her when the showdown happened. I scrub a hand down my face just thinking about what I witnessed. That’s another thing. My powers didn’t work on her. At. All. I couldn’t dampen or cut off her magic, and I’ve never had that happen before. The whole tutoring session was a partial daze for me, she took me by complete surprise. I mean, I knocked over a chair when I got up to open the door for Pete’s sake. Most of the supes I tutor are rude and take the help for granted, but Nessa was polite and attentive. It was a pleasant surprise, having those bright golden eyes fixed on me as I ran through lots of different exercises available to reach your magic. Despite her honest efforts, we couldn’t find the right one together, but apparently my help wasn’t the key she needed. This display of power is insane after the struggle she was having not half an hour ago. It’s like a dam burst. My eyes narrow as I contemplate why that could be.
She distracts me yet again when she stirs, nuzzling Oscar's chest with a low hum before settling.The sight should probably stir jealousy in me with this new found intrigue I have of her. Yet, the emotion never comes. If anything a small spark of desire has my senses tripping over themselves as images of those two wrapped around each other while I watch, unnoticed, has my cock hardening.Shit.
I let out a low hiss, and shift my legs, my eyes unintentionally meeting Oscars. I stiffen.As though the guy knows exactly what I’m thinking, a slow smile quirks his lips and my breath stutters, my cheeks burning. I must be scarlet right now. He holds my gaze for a few moments before glancing down at the woman in his arms, but the interest was clear in his gaze. For what, I’m not sure. My brows twitch down. His reaction to catching me staring is definitely a curious one. Before he can look back up, I disappear into the crowd, not really taking anything in until I’m safely in my dorm. Then I look down at the weight in my hand with a start and groan.Her bag. I never gave it back. I blow out a puff of air and flop back onto my bed.It can wait until tomorrow.
Chapter Nine — Nessa
Ugh,myhead. I tap my forehead against the cool glass of the bathroom mirror. Goddess, I’m never going to be able to look either Lexi or Oscar in the eye ever again. Oddly enough, I’m more worried about snuggling up to Oscar after my magical episode, than my newfound magic. Also the fact that Lexi and the dozens of other students bore witness to that moment of weakness. Any guilt that I should feel is absent, and I’m not sure if I should be worried about that or not.
I pull back slightly and meet my reflected gaze.It’s okay. Totally fine. They don’t care. I don’t either. It’s all going to be A oka—Oh who am I kidding.Shaking my head, I trudge into the little kitchen of our dorm. Although I know it shouldn’t, elation mingles with my nerves.I finally have powers. There is nothing but myself now that could stand in the way of my goal.Now I just need to learn how to use them properly...Along with figuring out what they are.
When I step into the kitchen I ignore both of my friends for now, opting to make a massive cup of coffee instead. It’s too early to even be contemplating anything else. A fine shiver rolls over my body as the first whiff of coffee hits me.Yesss. Smothering a yawn, I make a coffee before I flop onto the couch. Gulping down half of my cup immediately, the burn is pleasant on the back of my throat. Still feeling those pesky eyes drilling into my forehead, I lift my head and look between the two people opposite me. Poppy appears more amused than anything, which is good. Lex on the other hand, looks like she’s about to launch into a lecture. Probably about not using my powers to traumatise a fellow student or something along those lines.
I take another long sip of my hot coffee before I even attempt to speak, the rich, slightly bitter taste rolling over my tastebuds pleasantly. Lexi sucks in a deep breath, but I cut her off before she has a chance to speak. “Can you please hit pause on the lecture until I’ve finished my coffee? Besides, you don’t even know my side of the story.”
The corners of Lexi’s eyes crinkle as she watches me sceptically. Like ‘oh she has a reason for starting shit? No way.’ I bite the tip of my tongue and cock my head to the side. “He was harassing me, again. I didn’t know I could do that, and it felt—” I break off, and suck in a shaky breath.
Both Oscar and my best friend don’t blink, waiting. Unable to hold eye contact, I shift my gaze to a scuff on the wall behind them. “It felt good, okay? His fear.” A shiver rolls over my body, and I have to suppress the urge to relive the moment. Oscars brows twitch, but otherwise he doesn’t look fazed, and neither does Lex. If anything she seems intrigued, and my body relaxes. Of course they’re cool with it, we’re monsters, we’re not built like humans, though some of us can outwardly appear so without a glamour. Obviously I’ve been reading too many contemporary romances from earth and they’re giving me an unrealistic view of the world.
As my thoughts that were clouded with worry clear, I allow myself to acknowledge the fact that I have powers. Likeactualpowers. Holy shit.I’m not a dud, or broken. I’m not in the fictional N-class all on my own. Heck, I could possibly be in the higher class of monsters. At best, I’d always assumed that I could be a late blooming B-class monster, which meant hopefully being lucky enough to manifest a few weak powers. I’d have been happy with that, but everyday that went by, without my powers revealing, my hope dwindled. Now, the possibility that I could be a higher class both excites and terrifies me in equal parts. A smile stretches my lips, so big that my cheeks ache. But it falls away when I realise that I only have more questions.Is this why I could see that girl? If I do have powers in a high class, does that mean my blood parents were too?It also makes my mixed monster heritage all the more intriguing. I have no idea what species I am. Physical characteristics in the species covered by the monster name are so varied that you can’t tell from that. The most I have to go off is the supernatural whose dead body was near me when I was a babe, but that wasn’t much to go off of because there was no way to know whether we were related or not.Just who were they exactly?More questions to add to the pile I already have.
I shake it off for now. A hollow pit opens up in my stomach when another thought occurs to me. “How much trouble am I in?”
A smirk tugs at Lexi’s mouth and Oscar’s eyes glitter with humour. “None. I mean, they’ll want to speak with you about the altercation, but they can’t legally give you a punishment because it was your awakening. Which you know, you aren’t held accountable for that, only from then on. The school grounds are also considered a safe space and you won’t get arrested unless you kill someone intentionally,” Lex explains. My brows raise. I didn’t realise the school had that policy. Come to think of it, due to the way I was admitted to the school I didn’t actually sign anything or agree to follow their policy, but I’m definitely not going to be mentioning that to the creepy headmaster.
Chapter Ten — Corin
MylipstwitchasNessa traipses through the forest—what she’s doing, I’m not completely sure. But one thing I am sure about is that she’s struggling in the dark. Another curse rings through the night and the sounds of the nightlife falter as she stumbles over a rock. My lips roll in and I press them together in an attempt to suppress a chuckle.
I was on the way back to my dorm after following one of the teachers, to gather information on them—a rather mundane and frustrating part of my job—and almost ran into the dark-haired enigma. Thankfully I ghosted before she could see me or she’d be out here all on her own. Having a power that gives me the ability to go unnoticed is one of the reasons I’m at the academy.
My eyes narrow at the vegetation around me. The forest on the academy grounds can be dangerous, especially at night. Guards work in shifts, protecting the outskirts of the floating land. They’re made up of trained A-rank monsters, who can be volatile on the best of days, let alone in the middle of the night and with the odd vibes that Nessa throws off. I shake my head, leaning casually against a tree, just out of her sight where she stops in a tiny clearing.
My ears stay pricked and my head is on a swivel as I focus on our surroundings. Half of me is waiting for a mystery guy to step out of the trees—for this to be nothing more than a secret rendezvous. But no one comes. It’s just Nessa and me, along with the night creatures. She stands with her shoulders back, posture rigid with determination as she stares at the sky. I follow her gaze, finding the stars entrancing from this height. They ripple and dance, appearing more like planets than stars, they’re so close. It’s as though I could reach out and touch them. Rustling has my eyes snapping back to Nessa and my eyebrows raise. She has her arms thrown out in front of her, fingers splayed as they aim at a thick tree trunk that’s a few feet in front of her.
Her powers. She must be trying to use them now that they’re unlocked.As buzzworthy as that was, this isn’t the way or place I would recommend testing them out.Shit.I swallow hard and I’m about to call out for her to stop, but before I can a wave of power rips out of her. An almost euphoric sensation rolls through my body as it goes through me. That’s the least of my worries though, because ifIfelt it, then others will have as well. A low snarl tears from my throat as a creature manifests from Nessa’s fingertips and launches forward with a shriek. Its claws rake through the tree trunk like it’s made of butter, but the accompanying crack has me leaping to try and snatch Nessa out of the now falling trees range. I ignore the surprised sound that slips from her lips as I loop an arm around her waist, my other hand outstretched towards the falling trunk. I let my powers out of their box. A kaleidoscope of colours rolls down my arms and sizzles at my palms as I reach out for the falling tree that' millimetres from my outstretched hand. The moment my fingertips brush the tree, it flares with swirling multi-coloured runes before disintegrating.
My chest rises and falls sharply—my breath coming in pants and I grit my jaw in frustration at this girl's recklessness. It seems to be a recurring theme. Her classes going ary, the confrontation on the school quad, and now this.Who in their right mind goes for a stroll in a known-to-be dangerous forest?I don’t even want to consider what could have happened if I wasn’t here.
As though she knows what I’m thinking Nessa sends me a half scowl—half grimace, her cheeks flaring with embarrassment. “I didn’t need your help—”
Her flustered words cut off and her lips form an O as she stares at my face.What the hell is she…?
Shit. My eyes.
Chapter Eleven — Nessa
