This is work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Copyright© Avery Song, 2020

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Cover Design by Yocla Book Cover Design

Editing by

Rainlyt Editing

Format: Avery S.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Thank you for purchasing BLAZING ACADEMY - SEMESTER ONE.

Thank you for giving Avery Song a chance! This was a spur of the moment decision, and I’m so glad I decided to create/write as Avery Song.

Special thanks to my amazing Mom for blessing me with the gift to write and supporting me in all aspects. I pray to continue making you proud as I strive towards success.

Finally, I thank God for giving me the strength to achieve my goals. Without Him, I would be nothing.

AVERY SONG

CONTENTS

Blazing Academy Blurb

Prologue: Special Alice

1.  Sweet Sixteen

2.  Shattering Glass And Birthday Trouble

3.  No Place Feels Like Home

4.  Do What’s Best For Her

5.  Hopeful Future

6.  Midnight Invitation

7.  Blazing Academy For All Things Scorching

8.  A Destiny Worth Waiting For

9.  Unlock The Seal And Bonded By Flames

10.  Fresh Start To The Semester

11.  Blazing History And Fresh Start To The Semester

12.  Hopeful Semester Ahead And Massive Potential

13.  Prepare For A Blazing Fun Night

14.  Four Blazing Horsemen And Glass Box Of Moonlight

15.  Midterm Victory

16.  Blazing Chemistry And Possessive You

17.  Unexpected Blaze Of Stricken Destiny

18.  Proven Horsemen Of Blazing Fire

COMING SOON - BLAZING ACADEMY SEMESTER TWO

COMING SOON - BLAZING ACADEMY SEMESTER THREE

SNEAK PEEK - DAGGERS AND SMOKE

DAGGERS AND SMOKE BLURB

PROLOGUE: DAGGERS AND SMOKE

WITCHLING ACADEMY - OUT NOW

SUPERNATURAL SPY ACADEMY - OUT NOW

TRACKER HIVE ACADEMY - OUT NOW

ABOUT AVERY SONG

Also By Avery Song

BLAZING ACADEMY BLURB

When the element of fire burns within your veins, the academy for all things blazing is the best place to learn how to make that flame burn even stronger.

Alice Blaze is my name, and I’m your typical adopted sixteen-year-old. My mom disappeared after my birth and my dad was an alcoholic maniac. That left me being raised by my protective grandparents in the single house up the hill that people only come to view on Halloween.

Apparently, our house is haunted, but I haven’t figured that one out yet.

Regardless of my depressing backstory, my life has always been in the line of misery. Since I was little, I always got into trouble, and it always ended up with something combusting into flames. Lighting up the curtains, explosive vials in lab class. Don’t get me started with the accidental school fire. Need I say more?

The last straw is when I’m accused of shattering all the windows in the entire school. But it doesn’t make sense because it has nothing to do with that burning nemesis called fire. Just when my grandparents have had enough of my constant transfers, a letter of invitation lands right onto our doorstep.

I’m invited to Blazing Academy, the academy for all things scorching hot. Shifters, demons, and blazing hot witches… Oh, right. That’s apparently what I am. A blazing hot witch.

Let’s hope that’s all I am, and that this first semester goes a lot smoother than I’m imagining.

PROLOGUE: SPECIAL ALICE

“Ican’t be here.”

“You’ve said that over and over again, Liz! This isn’t what I wanted. We were supposed to raise her together! Instead, your parents are taking care of her while you play hero?!”

Clenching the blanket that helped me remain invisible, I looked between the woman who wore a red silk cape and my father.

My dad was holding a bottle in his hand, a usual routine for him, as my grandparents said over and over again. The bottles always smelled yucky, and they always made Daddy act mean.

He’d yell and scream when he didn’t get his way, and there were a few times when he’d throw the bottles and they would break, the glass flying everywhere.

Grandma always got mad when he did those things, saying how dangerous it was for me to be here with him. She’d tell him if he didn’t stop drinking the yucky fluid, I wouldn’t be allowed to stay here.

It made me sad because I wanted to be near Daddy.

If I’m closer to him, that means I’ll be able to see Mommy. That’s what I’ve been praying for.

“It’s for her own protection,” the woman whispered. “It’s the best I can do.”

“The best you can do. Leaving me to raise our only daughter on my own! You know how stressful it’s been? Your parents treat me like a fool and threaten to take Alice away, every day. One day I’ll come home, and she won’t be here anymore.”

“Theo…it’s complicated.”

“Life is complicated, Liz!” he yelled, and there went the bottle in his hand against the wall a few feet from me.

I flinched at the loud noise of broken glass, and a bit of pain poked into my hand. I turned my left hand to stare at the back of it, tears welling in my eyes at the clear glass shard that was deep into my flesh.

“Hurt,” I whispered to myself, but I tried to stay quiet.

“Alice?” Dad’s voice made me flinch, and I noticed he and the woman were looking my way.

The woman wore a hood that covered her head and most of her face. All I could see were her red lips and glowing red eyes.

Instead of running away, I lifted my blanket and covered myself entirely. Returning to looking at my hand, I began to cry quietly, my tears hitting my tanned skin.

“Hurt,” I repeated, and wished Grandma or Grandpa were here to give me a band aid for my booboo.

This was one of the reasons why daddy was scary when he drank too much. I wanted the kind daddy who’d play with me when I was sad. If he was sad, I’d hug him and say I loved him.

I wished that was enough for him.

Something patted my head, and with caution, I lifted a bit of my invisible blanket to see the woman with red eyes. She had tears in her eyes, just like me, and she almost looked like me.

It was like I was staring at a mirror and playing a game with what Grandma called a reflection.

I lifted my hand to her, my lips trembling and my tears rolling down my cheeks. “Hurt,” I whispered to her.

She looked to my hand, and a frown formed on her lips.

“You want me to heal it with magic?” she whispered. Her voice made me stare at her in wonder. It was gentle and loving, reminding me of Grandma’s, but this woman looked like she did care about me.

The word magic interested me.

“Won’t hurt anymore?” I asked.

Her lips curled upward then. “Won’t hurt anymore, darling.”

I nodded my head, loving the way she called me darling. It sounded right and was filled with love.

A small light caught my attention, and I lowered my gaze back to my hand.

“Light!” I giggled and enjoyed the warmth the soft glow offered me. I watched in amazement as the shard of glass levitated out of my hand, and the cut that was left began to heal.

My eyes doubled in size, and I leaned in closer to see my hand was healed. It didn’t hurt or anything, and when I spread my little fingers out, a gleeful giggle left me.

“I’m better!”

“Yes, you are,” she replied, and I glanced up to stare into her red eyes.

“I wish you were my mommy,” I whispered. “My mommy is gone, but you remind me of her.”

The woman’s lip trembled, and she blinked a few times.

“Do…you hate her for being gone?” she asked.

I looked to the floor and thought about it.

“No. I don’t hate her.” I looked back and gave her a wide grin. “Mommy had me. That means she loves me. I miss her…but I hope when I’m older and can be a superhero, I’ll find her and tell her that I love her.”

Her eyes watered then, and I pouted my lips. Reaching out to press my hands against her cheeks, I got a glimpse of the few red strands of her hair, another common thing we shared.

“Don’t cry, miss. Be happy. I’m happy. Daddy is happy when he doesn’t drink the yucky liquid. I know he does it because he misses Mommy. He really loves her, and the yucky liquid makes him forget how much he misses her. That’s what Grandpa said,” I explained. “I’ll get superpowers like in the shows I watch, and I’ll fly across the world and find my mommy. I’ll hug her and tell her she’s loved. Then I’ll bring her back to Daddy, so he can do the same!” I plopped a kiss on the woman’s nose.

“Thank you for helping me,” I thanked and took my blanket. Looking at Daddy, I saw his sad blue eyes as he stared at me. I grinned and gave him a wave before looking back to the woman.

“I go invisible now. Night night.” I put the blanket over my head and slowly crawled my way back up the stairs.

When I reached the top, I hid on the side and listened closely when Daddy spoke.

“Even with a mom who abandoned her and a father like me, who can’t get his act together, she’s still able to smile.” Daddy sounded sad, like he was on the verge of tears.

“This is for her own good,” the woman whispered as she rose up from her crouched position. “If I stay around her, she won’t live long enough to reach her true potential. At least this way, she’ll be happy.”

“If you call that happiness, Liz, then maybe it’s best you stop coming here,” Daddy whispered. “Even in my drunk state, I can see the sadness in that girl’s eyes. I wish I could set the hurt in my heart aside and raise her right. Then you’d truly see what you’re missing.”

The woman was silent, and I watched her walk to the door.

“One day, Liz. You’ll regret this. I may let you come by and check on her, but your parents won’t. They hate what you did to your only daughter, and if you think they’ll allow her to come back into your life when you think it’s right…it won’t happen. Keep doing your thing of ‘protecting her from afar’. The only one it’s benefitting is you. Continue being the coward I guess you always have been.”

“You have some nerve,” she grumbled.

“I can at least acknowledge I have a problem,” Daddy replied. “That started when the woman I loved decided to give birth and abandon us. Ya, I’m an alcoholic, but at least I can try and be around my child. Regardless of the consequences.”

The woman said nothing else, her red cape fluttering behind her. The door opened and shut, and the room was silent. I covered myself with my blanket once again, feeling a little sad.

“Alice.”

I poked out from my blanket and peaked down the stairs to see Daddy standing at the bottom. Slowly, I got up and made my way down the stairs, until I was on the second to last step.

Daddy looked down at me, and his eyes were filled with tears.

“You know, no matter how angry I get…or how scary I may seem, you know I love you, right?” He sounded so sad, and it brought tears to my eyes.

“I love you, Daddy. No matter what Grandma and Grandpa say, you’re my daddy. You love me. You didn’t…leave me.” I gave me him my best smile. “Daddy?”

“Yes, Alice?”

I bit my lip for a moment and looked to my feet as I shuffled from side to side.

“That…was Mommy, wasn’t it?”

I hesitantly looked back up, noticing his tears that fell down his cheeks. He reached out to me and picked me up.

I wrapped my little arms around his neck and hugged him tightly.

“Don’t tell your grandparents, okay?”

“Okay, Daddy,” I replied. “I’ll be good. Just don’t leave me, too.”

“Never, my special Alice,” he vowed.

We quietly cried on the stairs, and I hoped the woman in red would one day come back.

Deep within my heart, I knew it would be too late.

SWEET SIXTEEN

“Alice! You’re going to be late for school!”

I turned over to hug one of my multiple pillows that crowded around the head of my bed. Even with two fans on and my window half open, I was still far too hot.

It simply wasn’t bothering me because I was half asleep. I was glad I only wore underwear to sleep in because clothes were a no-no in this weather.

It was September, and I was baffled that it was still so hot. I always ran a little warm, even in the most chilly days in winter. I always wished my grandparents would invest in an air conditioner.

Yes, our old “haunted” building of a house needed a few renovations, but we were living in the time and age when we could afford a portable AC.

My grandma always gave the excuse that my room was in the attic and the hose connector to release the air pressure and water and whatever wouldn’t reach the ground. It was all excuses to me.

Fans did barely anything up here. They did a bloody good job circulating the hot air, but to actually cool me off? I might as well eat ice cream every hour of the day.

Today was the third day of me going to another school that was forced to accept me. I always got a few brow raises when I’d acknowledge that I’d transferred from school twenty-something. I’d lost count, but from what I remembered, I had been at school twenty-five before I made my lab vial combust.

Seriously, it was an accident.

People thought I was a witch. Or a red-haired, possessed female who looked like she was a part of a cult, not trying to get her high school diploma.

My name is Alice Blaze, and I had a running streak of getting kicked out of every school I’d been allowed entry in.

It started in daycare and continued through grade school. I was now in high school, and nothing had changed. It wasn’t my fault, or at least, that’s what I was told to say each time I “fucked up”. See, there was something about the element of fire that hated me.

It had to be a past life vendetta or curse I had to my name because whenever fire was involved, I found myself signing another transfer form and moving to the next school a few days later.

Lighters, fireplaces, even plain, olden-day matches. The spark of a flame matched how I was currently feeling that day, and either ended up with something burning to a crisp or catching on fire and summoning the entire fire department to our school grounds.

Sometimes, I could be in the happiest mood, and the flames would be all playful and try and burn the classroom down for fun.

Due to constant fire mishaps, whenever I enrolled in a new school, the fire department was on speed dial. That was one fact that the students always found out about before the common ‘Blazing Alice’ nickname came to be.

How I wished to just be homeschooled. At least no one would have to deal with the fire mishaps I apparently created or stalk me all the way home to see the tall, castle-like house on the top of the hill.

Our house was literally the only one on the hill, and it gave off a haunted house vibe. Totally spooky. It was painted in all black, and our garden and front lot were covered in thick trees and a few vines.

I wished they were nice and tall, the perfect wall of nature to shield us from the city’s ridicule. The school that was thirty minutes from my house by bike was the only one who was willing to accept and tolerate all the trouble I caused.

The principal was best friends with my grandparents and was doing us this favor. It was nice of her, but I wasn’t interested in the pity acceptance.

If I could be homeschooled, life would have been far easier. No more problems, no students bothering me, and it would be easier to study because no one would interrupt me.

The one problem with all of my schools was that it made me an easy target to pick on. I was the tallest out of the females, standing at 5′9″. I loved wearing heels or anything to bring me up to 6′0″, but that merely got more attention.

Adding my small waist, wider hips, tanned skin, and extremely red-orange hair, I was the sore spot in a bland hallway, and among my peers, I was the “weird” one.

I never asked to be this way, but I embraced it. My grandparents taught me early to love myself for who I was, and I’d thrived with that.

Would have been nice to have contact lenses strong enough to last a day of school, but beggars can’t be choosers.

The most distinct attribute regarding my appearance was my red eyes. People thought they were contacts and that I wore them to grab attention. No one ever believed me when I said they were real and that I wasn’t the Devil’s daughter.

I’d gotten used to it by now, and even with knowing they were real, I lied and said they were contacts to avoid being called a troublemaker AND a liar.

A girl could carry only so many labels.

“Alice! Don’t make me come up there!” Grandma called from the second floor.

Snuggling my pillow tightly, I wondered if I ignored her long enough, if she’d let me skip school today.

Today was my birthday after all. Did I really need to go to school?

My sweet sixteen was here, but I didn’t feel any different. No one was going to treat me a little nicer because it was the day I was born, and I surely wasn’t expecting a happy birthday either.

Blazing Alice didn’t have friends, because she was too dangerous to be around. That’s what people liked to spread around the school, no matter how long I lasted before being kicked out.

If only I could be one of those girls who had a group of friends who cared about these milestones. To have someone sing happy birthday and present me with a cupcake with a candle on top.

With my fire problem, we weren’t allowed to have candles in the classroom, but just for once, it would have been nice to experience my birthday with good company.

“Woof?”

Something nudged my nose, and I poked an eye open to see the tiny black wolf. I hoped it was a wolf, but it very well could have been a husky breed puppy.

This little gal had been wandering through our thick trees when I came home from my first day of school. She had been stuck in a path of vines, and though I wasn’t one to feel sympathy for wildlife, this mini wolf was far too adorable to ignore.

The plan was to get her out and let her be free to find her pack, but she ended up following me into my haunted house, and I basically couldn’t get rid of her.

My grandparents tried and failed miserably. Thus, the reason why this cute puppy-wolf thing was now chilling in my bed in a last attempt to wake me up.

“Woof!”

“I should call you Wolfie,” I mumbled, and closed my eyes.

“Woof!” The light nudge to my nose, followed by the little licks, made me grin.

“Be happy you’re cute,” I muttered but lifted my hand to ruffle her fur. She kept licking my face and it wasn’t until her tail smacked my cheek that I sat up.

“Nope. Not being wolf farted on today. Your farts can kill,” I groaned.

Hearing the creaky ladder steps, I groaned and lifted my blanket to cover my breasts. Soon enough, my grandma was at the entrance of the attic.

“Aren’t you too old to be climbing ladders?” I whined.

She rolled her eyes. “I’m fifty-four, Alice. That’s not old.”

“Old to you guys is when you need a knee replacement, which, according to the new statistics, is seventy-five. However, I think it’s when you have grey hair, which you do,” I acknowledged.

She gave me a scowl and I merely shrugged. “You said you always want me to say the truth. I’m stating facts.”

“Go get ready for school.”

“Do I have to?” I whined. “Can’t I skip today? Pretty please?”

“Even if it’s your birthday, you need an education. I promised the principal that unless you were super sick, you wouldn’t skip school. What I will do is drive you to school,” she offered.

“That makes me sad. No thanks.” I frowned and looked at wolf pup who crawled onto my lap.

“Woof!”

“Did you give her a name?”

“No,” I sighed. “Call her Cyrus. Reminds me of a girl version of Cerberus,” I suggested.

“Woof Woof!”

“Really?” My grandma gave me one of her common ‘I can’t believe your logic’ looks. I gave her a nod. “She likes it! Plus, she could be a demon from hell here to make sure I’m not lonely.”

Grandma shook her head. “I’m making breakfast. Get in the shower,” she stated, and before I could protest, headed back down the ladder.

With a pout of my lips, I mumbled, “Not fair. She didn’t even say Happy Birthday.”

Deciding to get up, I petted Cyrus and picked her from the bed. I lowered her to the floor, and she ran around by my feet as I sat up and stretched.

After a minute of sitting almost naked on my bed, I got up and walked over to my desk chair where my uniform was resting. I should have been worried about how wrinkled it was, but I couldn’t care less.

I already hated this school and couldn’t wait for something to go awry. It would be the best gift a girl like me could ask for. Maybe that would convince my grandparents to let me be homeschooled.

If Dad wasn’t a recovering alcoholic getting rehab, he could have given permission for me to be homeschooled.

My dad was an interesting character. I sometimes wondered if he was really crazy, but basically, my grandparents hated him. They were my grandparents from my mother’s side, and the only thing they had to say about my dad was what an irresponsible adult he was. I’d never had the chance to meet my dad’s parents.

Dad has been fighting with alcohol addiction for years. It hadn’t been like that when he was married to my mom, but when she left after carrying me to full term, it left a hole in my dad’s heart.

Even after sixteen years, he still missed my mom. He wouldn’t admit it to anyone but me, and it pained me that there was nothing I could do to help him. He was in my life when I was younger, but I was mainly in my grandparent’s care.

I got to visit him once in a while, but that slowly changed when his addiction got worse. He went from drinking two bottles of alcohol a day to a whole case, and when he’d get violent, my grandparents deemed him incapable of raising me.

It was only a matter of time.

The one thing I’m sure led to Dad drinking more was how alike I looked to Mom. From the few pictures I carried of her, I was her mini-me and now that I was growing far too fast, I looked almost identical to her.

With heels, we’d be at the same height, and my figure was just a little curvier than hers. My red locks were a shade brighter, but my eyes were identical, along with my lightly tanned skin.

I had no clue what my mother’s background was, but my dad was Caucasian. Whatever the combo was, it gave me a light tan mix and made it difficult for people to figure out if I was white or native.

My cultural background wasn’t a big deal to me. It didn’t deny who I was or give me some urge to learn where I came from.

All I wanted was to fit in at school. To learn more about myself and my studies. Not deal with the daily drama and teasing over me being far too accident prone.

If I could even call it that.

Regardless of my questionable ethnicity, I hadn’t seen Dad in a while. He tried to show up during holidays, and at least text me once in a blue moon when he remembered he had a daughter, but the distance had really taken a stab at our father-daughter bond.

I didn’t blame my grandparents for doing what they did, and even with the multiple school mishaps, they still took care of me and were willing to do the walk of shame to the principal’s office every time I got in trouble.

They loved me, yes, but it would have been nice to have both my parents here to raise me instead of them.

If my mom was around, maybe she’d be able to figure out what was wrong with me.

Heading to the bathroom, I took a nice cool shower to wake me up. After that, I brushed my teeth and did a quick makeup look. I wasn’t super into makeup but enjoyed a bit of a smoky eye look and red lipstick.

If my uniform could have some red to match my hair, eyes, lips, and red heels, that would make the black and white uniform less dull in comparison to my pop of color.

Leaving my lipstick for last, I gathered my single notebook, pencil case, phone, and the latest style and fashion magazine from my wooden desk and placed it into my red backpack.

I wasn’t one to make notes or even study for long, which left me being called a smart ass. Another quality I’d taken from my mom, who was apparently a genius. I’m talking one-hundred percent, straight A-plus student genius.

My dad was more athletic, which was perfect for me since I took that trait from him and was the fastest runner at any school I attended during track season.

I was reminded of the time I’d been at one school for most of the training period for track and field, only to transfer to the opposite school they were facing in the league championships.

Did my new school use that as an advantage? Of course. Top runner and league champion for the school’s first official win. Ah, one of the few good times where students my age actually praised me and acknowledged my existence.

I moved onto the next school during summer break and never got a chance to make some good friends that I thought were interesting. That’s why I just stopped trying.

It was disappointing to try and get along with people, and then have to become long-distance friends. Those relationships barely lasted that long. No one around here was going to input that much effort into a friendship with the new transfer student.

Putting my bag on my shoulder and looking around my room, I nodded once and glanced down to Cyrus, who was sitting on my foot.

She loved doing that, which was her way of saying ‘Take me downstairs for food please’. Having her for three days had brightened my life just a little bit.

My grandparents may have forgotten my birthday, but the spots of love Cyrus showed me was enough to make me happy.

Leaning down, I picked her up with ease and made it down the ladder. Heading downstairs, I noticed that Grandpa’s brown leather coat was gone, as were his matching shoes; both items usually rested against the wall near the door.

“Where’s Grandpa?” I asked when I entered the kitchen. “Did he go fishing again?”

“Yes, he did,” Grandma replied.

“But it’s September,” I reasoned. “There are barely any fish in the lakes by now.”

“Doesn’t stop him. You know that,” she replied and lowered the plate of pancakes on the dining table. “Don’t take too long to eat, I have an important meeting to go to.”

“Morning bingo isn’t important,” I noted but headed to my spot at the table.

“It is when I can win money,” Grandma countered.

“Would that money go to fixing the house?” I suggested.

“The house is in perfect condition,” she argued.

“Uh huh. I think you forgot about the hole in the roof that I patched up with a metal plate from the basement. I’m sure that came from a broken appliance somewhere in the house. Then add in the fact that only my toilet works properly, and the water is cold again,” I explained, listing some of the many faults in our old house.

I lowered Cyrus to the floor, and she ran to her filled bowls of water and food and began to eat. Pulling out my chair, I hooked my backpack on one side and sat down.

Picking up my fork and knife, I dug right in as Grandma answered.

“Someone will come in this week to check that out, as well as the other things that need to get fixed.”

“Why can’t we just move somewhere else? This house makes it seem like we’re dirt poor or like the Addam’s family. No wonder I get made fun of all the time.”

“Who’s bullying you? This is a new school. It’s the perfect fresh start, Alice.”

“Fresh start for the new girl with the red hair, eyes, and heels. Alright,” I commented with the least bit of amusement.

“Alice,” Grandma said with a serious tone. “I won’t hesitate to go to the school and find out.”

“It’s fine, Grandma. I can handle it,” I vouched. “Don’t need you bringing your cane around, trying to hit the hot dudes.”

“I would do no such thing,” she huffed. “And my cane is only when I’m tired.”

“Alright,” I replied, and focused on my breakfast.

Once I was finished, I pushed my plate to the side to do my usual morning text message check. Turning my body to open my backpack and retrieve my phone, I turned back to see the plate with a red velvet slice of cake and a single candle that was actually lit up.

Glancing over to Grandma, who had somehow placed the plate there without me noticing, I smiled back at her gleaming expression, and she whispered, “Happy sweet sixteen, Alice.”

“Grandma.” I looked at her with teary eyes. “I thought you forgot!’

“I couldn’t forget the day you were born, Alice. I know we don’t do much in terms of celebrations, but this is extra special. Your grandpa is actually in town reserving a nice restaurant for us to have dinner tonight. The three of us. It’ll be a nice, luxurious dinner with some bomb dessert.”

I snickered at her attempt to use our current lingo. “Thanks, Grandma!”

Glancing back down at the candle, I worried about the flame that was already growing in size. “Uh. Can I blow it now before the whole house catches on fire?”

“Make a wish before you do,” Grandma urged.

I wanted to huff, but I decided to go along with it. She did get my favorite flavor of cake. Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath.

Please let me find a school that accepts me. Not these academies that hate every unique thing about me. Most importantly, let me find some friends. Just one friend…

Letting the air out in a stream of air, the rather large flame took a bit of blowing to put out. It finally did, but I did notice Grandma holding the fire extinguisher as back up.

That made me giggle. “That would be pretty funny to have on a card or calendar, Grandma.”

“I’d be rich if I sold photographs of me posing with this fire extinguisher,” she cheered. “But your grandad would never allow it. Got to figure out another career to pursue.”

“Back to the bingo drawing board,” I teased.

“You can win a lot at bingo!” she stressed.

“You haven’t won in how many years? Ten? Twenty? I swear you’ve been on a losing streak since I was born,” I emphasized.

“I’m working on it.” She blushed at my statement, knowing well it was true. “Finish your cake or you’re leaving it behind.”

“I can’t leave this beauty behind!” I exclaimed. “It gotta be in my belly first.”

Staring at the cake, I took a quick picture and looked to Grandma as she picked up the other plate that I’d discarded to the side.

“I can wash it.”

“Nonsense. It’s your birthday. You get a bit of special treatment today.” Grandma winked. Staring at her with loving eyes, I whispered, “Thank you, Grandma. For putting up with everything.”

She met my gaze and had a smile of her own. “Only two more years and you won’t need to deal with school anymore, all right?”

Giving her a bob of my head in reply, I looked back at the cake and sliced a piece with my fork.

She’s right. Soon, I’ll graduate and can find a place willing to accept me. Hopefully, they don’t play with fire.

SHATTERING GLASS AND BIRTHDAY TROUBLE

“Thanks, Grandma! Have fun at bingo!” I waved her goodbye with one hand as I opened the car door with the other.

“Alright. Have a good day.” She grinned.

“I’ll try.” I winked and closed the door. Watching her drive off with the other bunch of cars that flooded the school parking lot, I let my shoulders sink in dread.

I wish I didn’t have to be here today.

My school was basically in the middle of nowhere. No awesome restaurants or shops down the street. Unless you wanted to walk fifteen minutes down the single road to get to the diner and another fifteen to the main city, there wasn’t anything worthy enough to do while skipping school.

The principal was watching me like a hawk, adding to the pressure of being at school and paying attention.

Even though I was a “trouble” student, I did review the material we would be learning the night before. That helped me in many ways, like being able to take a nap in the classes that bored me.

The amusing part was when they would wake me up and try to make it seem as though I didn’t know what they were talking about. I think after the first two days of attempting to pick on me, the teacher understood I was gifted and knew my shit.

I had enough problems with my own peers. Didn’t need the professor trying to add to the growing drama.

Fixing my backpack over my shoulder, I headed towards the school building. I really had to ask my grandparents if I could grab a pair of earphones. That would be nice to have when walking through the busy halls.

No more hearing the usual small talk being interrupted by my entrance.

“Look, it’s the possessed girl.”

“Oh, the transfer. I heard she’s crazy.”

“Isn’t this her twentieth school?”

“I heard it was her fiftieth.”

“Jeez, why doesn’t she get homeschooled or something?”

“Would be better than everyone knowing about how troublesome she is.”

“Her grandparents had to beg the school to keep her.”

“She practices voodoo magic and almost killed someone with fire at her last school.”

“No wonder why her parents ran away.”

“Poor grandparents.”

I had to tune them out, or I’d get mad. Nothing went well when I was mad. Plus, it was my birthday. I didn’t want to get in trouble on my sweet sixteen.

I wonder if this is how that Elsa girl felt in that movie Frozen. Let it go, let it go. Wish I could do the same. They all make it seem like I love transferring schools every other month and being the outcast.

With a sigh, I fixed the handle of my bag and kept my eyes forward. Reaching my first-period class, I was greeted with another graffiti piece of work on my desk.

Jeez. I thought this school didn’t do these kinds of things.

Shaking my head, I still pulled out my seat and sat down. I placed my bag on my lap and my hands on top. Math was child’s play for me and wouldn’t require me pulling out my notebook to finish any of the equations.

During our first break, I’d get it cleaned off for literature class. I’d rather not hold the thick English book in my hands for too long.

Closing my eyes, I rested my head on top of my bag, hoping to get a bit of snooze before class actually started.

Someone slammed their hand against the desk, the vibration disrupting the pull of sleep that almost took me into submission.

My body didn’t flinch from the loud noise. This was such a common occurrence that I was barely bothered by it. Poking an eye open, I looked to see one of my male classmates.

I forgot his name since that was one thing I always struggled with, but I knew he was one of the popular dudes who the girls flaunted over. He was annoying, and I think he thought it was cool to prank others all the time.

Now that I was the talk of the school, it must have been my turn to get a whiff of his teasing ways.

“Hey, new girl. You going to blow the school to bits today?” The smirk he carried on his lip made me roll my eyes.

“I’m sleeping.” Closing my eyes once more, I tried to return to the serene spot in my mind and search for that blissfulness called sleep.

“Hey!” He slammed the desk again. “I’m talking to you.”

“Don’t,” I replied. “Also try not to destroy my desk. You can, but you’re paying for the damages.”

I heard him growl and a few other students began to gossip, but I zoned it all out. I had to survive just two years in this place. I should have tried to cooperate, but I wasn’t going to bow down and be treated like shit.

If they were so afraid of me, shouldn’t everyone leave me be? Would have been better playing the shy girl card. No one bothers the shy girl.

Drifting to sleep, I didn’t wake up until I heard Professor Daily announce that class was about to begin.

Let’s get another school day over with.

MAN, I wish I could go home.

My head was pounding like crazy. It began during lunch and was only growing more annoying as the afternoon hours went by.

It could have been the fact that the bully of the class, Rick, had “accidentally” knocked over the lunch I’d waited twenty-five minutes to get. There wouldn’t be enough time to get another one, and with the convenience machine down, I was clearly fasting until my special birthday dinner.

I always got headaches when I was hungry, and with my anemia, I’d be taking an unintentional nap on the floor if it got too bad.

As of now, I was clearly in a rotten mood, and everyone could feel it. Our professor didn’t even bother me all afternoon, knowing damn well the vibe I was giving off was a little deadly.

If I’d at least gotten to eat some food, I wouldn’t have been in a bitchy mood. I can handle any type of bullying, but with no food to fuel my patience, this was going to be a difficult battle to win.

Glancing at the clock, I felt relieved that we only had an hour left of class.

Just a bit more.

“We’ll be doing one more group activity. Feel free to choose your groups while I write your assignment on the board,” Professor Daily announced.

Everyone started to mingle and chat, moving from their seats to go to their usual group mates. As for me, I merely put my head on the desk and sighed.

Who needs group mates when one person is going to answer for the rest of them anyway? No one wants to group with me. I’ll just sleep.

I’d learned two days ago that I’d end up a loner due to the classroom dynamic. With our groups set up as five students each, I was left alone by the end of it. Not like I cared much.

With a group, I’d be doing everything by myself while listening to them talk poorly about me. Being by yourself meant not having to carry everyone else with you.

Something slammed onto my head, and I flinched at the shot of pain that came with it. A burst of laughter came from around me, and only heightened the pounding within my mind threefolds.

Lifting my head with some struggle, I looked to see Rick and his group surrounding my desk.

“It’s group assignment time, Miss Blaze. We know you like to play the loner card, but maybe you should try to participate like the rest of us,” he mocked.

I narrowed my eyes at him, not out of spite, but due to the fact I was seeing double.

Shit…I need to go to the nurse’s office.

“Rick! What are you doing?” Professor Daily barked. “If you think I didn’t see what you did, think again. Apologize to Alice, or you can explain to the principal why you slammed a book on her head.”

Rick couldn’t care less as he rolled his eyes and added a dramatic huff to the mix. “C’mon now, Professor Daily. I’m sure you hate her. The possessed student who brings trouble and her ghosts from that haunted house on the top of the hill. She should be in a mental institution.”

The students from his group laughed and aimed their fingers at me. I bit my lip in annoyance, the pounding in my head becoming almost unbearable.

“I don’t hate anyone. Alice is one of the smartest in the class. Regardless of whatever you have been hearing about the other schools, you shouldn’t be picking on her. She’s appeared unwell since lunch and hasn’t bothered anyone. Don’t act as if I didn’t see you hit her with that book. In fact, go see the principal right this minute. I won’t be dealing with your disrespectful attitude this year,” Professor Daily stated.

“How am I getting kicked out of class when she’s the culprit of my irritation?! She should stay in her haunted mansion instead of coming to our school and bothering us!” Rick yelled back.

Placing my fingers against my temple, I felt like I was going to vomit.

Yup. Off to the nurse’s office I go.

I slowly rose up and slipped on the straps of my backpack.

“Professor Daily. I’m going to the nurse’s office,” I excused myself.

Aiming to slide past Rick and one of his group mates, I tried to do just that, but he blocked my path. Biting my bottom lip hard, I slowly looked up to meet his blue eyes that gloatingly stared back at me.

“Now you’re a chicken? You don’t look sick at all. Why don’t you stop playing games, Alice? Or better yet, show us some of your voodoo magic.”

“Move, Rick,” I muttered, feeling extremely nauseous.

Either I was going to pass out entirely or vomit up whatever digestive contents were left of that red velvet breakfast combo.

He took a step forward, putting himself right in my space, and purposely nudged my shoulder with his hand. If I hadn’t braced myself for it, I would have fallen right over.

“Make me, Blazing Bitch,” he mocked.

As if that was the cue for my stomach to clench, my gag reflex kicked in and with a blink, I was projectile vomiting - every single bit of that red velvet breakfast combo was now soaking into Rick’s uniform, shoes, and the floor beneath him.

The room was pin-drop silent, and I groaned.

“Oops.” I burped and reached for his tie that was tucked into his vomit-covered vest. Pulling it out, I used it to wipe my mouth and maneuvered my way to Professor Daily’s desk.

He looked just as shocked, and I noticed the receiver of the school phone was in his hand. He must have tried to dial the principal before my random vomit revenge made its debut.

“Professor Daily. I’m not feeling good. I’ll head to the nurse’s office.”

He nodded and looked as though he was going to suggest I go with someone, but I shook my head and spoke before he could.

“I’m fine. I can go on my own,” I croaked.

Today is not my kind of day.

Professor Daily gave me a sympathetic look and mustered a sad smile.

When he gives me a sad look like that, it makes me wish I wasn’t the source of the multiple interruptions during his class.

Slowly turning around, I headed for the door with my head hung low. I was so tired of this. Exhausted by the constant ridicule and rejection from my classmates and sympathetic looks from my professors.

Why was it so hard to fit right in? To be within the school walls and enjoy the space you were in? I wanted to learn. To grow and become someone great. However, I wouldn’t be able to do that in these conditions.

Why can’t my grandparents understand? Why doesn’t anyone want to understand me?

My body ached, my feet dragged like heavyweights. I was struggling on so many levels, and that annoying headache was making me see dark spots in my line of vision.

Just to the nurse’s office, Alice Blaze. You’re a strong girl. It’s your birthday after all. You can’t make yourself look too pathetic. Out of all the days… Couldn’t I receive one act of kindness from someone?

The door opened suddenly, but my reflexes weren’t fast enough and I bumped into someone.

Opening my eyes a little wider and lifting my head up, I looked to see Principal Clover. She was 6′1″ with short blonde hair. I always loved how she put it in a loose curl style and always matched her glasses with her attire for the day.

She was wearing her usual black suit, and had matching black glasses to go with it. Her eyes were as bright blue as the sky and her cheeks were cloaked with a bit of highlight and red blush.

Lowering her gaze to look into my eyes, her straight-lined lips turned to a frown as she stared at me.

“Alice? Why do you look so sick? You’re as pale as a ghost. Did you not eat at lunch?” she questioned.

My brain must have been sluggish because I didn’t get any of that. Was she worried because I hadn’t eaten? She was aware that I was anemic and had to eat on the regular, or at least a meal during school like most people. If not, off to the emergency room I’d go.

I felt beyond stupid for waiting this long. I’m sure if I’d called my grandparents and told them how sick I felt, they would have come for me. Instead, I was worried about being judged by my classmates, and that lead me to this very moment.

So stupid of me.

My eyes teared up at the thought, and I wished to go back in time and stay in bed with Cyrus. I could hear her little woof calls and feel her little nudges as she snuggled right against me.

She’d be the perfect comforting animal to have at a time like this.

“Sorry, Principal Clover,” I whispered. “I don’t think I can stay here.”

My voice was low enough to keep the conversation between us, and the sad look she gave me made the first set of tears fall.

Could she see how tired I was? How I wished to move on and to live a good life elsewhere? Who needed school when I wasn’t planning to head anywhere else? I think it was time to have a serious talk with my grandparents and be honest about how bad the bullying was.

They had won. I’d finally submit to their desires of ridding me from all the schools and ruining my chance at a decent future.

“Let’s take you to the-”

“She vomited on me! My uniform! My whole outfit! My two-thousand-dollar shoes!” Rick screamed.

I flinched at the noise, but I couldn’t afford to turn around. I wasn’t even sure how long I’d remain standing upright, let alone remain conscious.

“Stop yelling, Rick,” Professor Daily huffed. “That’s by far the slowest reaction time I’ve seen. Alice said she was unwell and you stopped her from heading to the nurse’s office. Serves you right.”

“What kind of professor are you? Taking sides with the goodie two shoe student because she’s smarter than the rest of us. She doesn’t belong here. No, she doesn’t belong anywhere. She should go jump off a bridge or some shit!”

“Rick Nelson!” Principal Clover snapped.

The black spots continued to flood my vision, but what caught my attention was a hint of sparkling mist. It was strong enough to distract me from the screaming that heightened the throbbing pain in my head.

Looking back up at Principal Clover, I noticed she no longer had blonde hair and blue eyes.

No, she had long orange-red hair that had immense volume in its perfect strands. Her eyes were a burning red, far too similar to mine, and she now had flaming antlers on her head, reminding me of a reindeer.

Slowly looking over my shoulder, I noticed Professor Daily was different as well. He wasn’t his usual skinny self. He was a giant, or at least double his height, and was buff in size.

His hair no longer was its usual dull brown appearance but was long and in a ponytail. It was a vivid gold and the ends were like lit flames with bits of ember falling to the floor.

He had a tail that came out from his now-brown shorts, and it took me a second to realize he was shirtless. To me, he looked like a human-monkey-fire specimen, but those clearly didn’t exist.

“Alice?” Principal Clover called to me.

I looked back at her, noticing her growing concern as she looked at me.

“Alice?”

“Flaming antlers?” I softly questioned back. Her eyes widened at my comment.

“What?”

“Since when was Professor Daily a flaming monkey?”

Now I was losing it. I had to be. Hallucinations or delusions? There had to be a logical explanation for my clear misguided vision.

“Fuck this bitch!”

I turned around by instinct, even if my gait was unsteady, to see Rick lifting a book to throw straight in my direction.

There was no way I’d avoid it if he fulfilled the action, and the shot of fear of the pain that would come from the thick book’s impact ignited a shrill ringing in my head.

I closed my eyes shut, the ringing morphing into a high-pitched whistle.

Ow! Please…make the pain go away! Stop him from hurting me!

A split second passed where the world went silent, and as another second ticked by I heard a single crack. Opening my eyes, I noticed all the windows in the classroom crack in unison, and with a burst of wind that came out of nowhere, the glass shattered, making an ear-splitting noise.

Multiple students screamed, but my eyes were wide and focused on the beautiful work of art. The shards that flew inward and towards us didn’t make me afraid in the slightest.

In fact, it felt…right. Like the window was suddenly on my side and had awakened to my need for help.

Rick went flying across the room, shards of glass cutting him all over. Students ducked for cover, leaving only me, Professor Daily, and Principal Clover standing.

I didn’t budge, not because I couldn’t but due to the lingering truth in my heart.

Those fragments of glass won’t hurt me.

The shards stopped right in front of me, their movement pausing like someone pressed that button on a remote.

Narrowing my eyes, I saw the twinkling green and white glitter, and the strands of white that reminded me of an imaginary picture of what wind would appear like in a visible form.

The shards of glass that were aimed at me fell to the ground, but not a single one cut me. Glancing back up, I noticed Professor Daily’s shock, but he also looked proud of me.

It left me in a bundle of uncertainty, and though his image was back to normal, I still saw the fire monkey side of him. My eyes began to grow heavy, and nausea, a pounding headache, and a sudden spike of heat ran through me.

My eyes rolled back, and I fell backward.

Happy birthday to me.

NO PLACE FEELS LIKE HOME

She’s far stronger than I expected.

Absolutely. She’s special without a doubt. Have you contacted her grandparents?

Yes. They’re on their way.

They really don’t have a clue of her potential? They had no idea about her powers?

Not a clue. Looks like no one has brought why these incidents are happening to their attention.

Today’s incident wasn’t fire, though.

I realize.

You don’t think…

No. I don’t think. I know.

Something cold brushed my forehead, and I stirred slightly. It felt nice when my body was far too hot for my own good.

Fevers weren’t super common for me, but when I got them, it was like my body was melting.

Was this why today had gone drastically wrong? I wish Dad was here. He would sing to me and give me his full attention when I was sick. I miss him. Why can’t he be here?

A hand pressed onto my cheek, something I remembered Dad used to do when I was sick like this. Lifting my hands to the cool touch on my cheek, I laid them on top of the solo hand.

The lines on the back of whoever’s hand made me smile, and again, I recalled those times when I’d hold my Dad’s hand to my cheek and tell him everything was going to be okay.

If he was here, he’d be so worried. He’d sit by my side all day and night and make sure I was better. He may have been an alcoholic who missed the woman he loved for years, but when I needed him the most, he was always there to nurse me back to health.

I felt a tear leave my eye and roll down to meet the hand I continued to hold in place. With enough gathered strength, I opened my heavy eyelids, but they only lifted just a little bit.

A blurry figure was staring down at me, but those vivid blue eyes could only belong to one man. The figure in my life that didn’t abandon me, even if he wasn’t the perfect parent.

“Daddy…” Another tear rolled down my cheek, and my vision became blurrier than before.

“Shh, Alice dear. It’s okay. I’m right here. Everything is going to be okay. You know that, my princess?” He cupped my cheek, and his face moved in so I could get a better look at his compassionate expression.

His eyes were the same, just like his face, but he wore a black hood, one that reminded me of the woman in red from long ago.

The woman who I believed was my mother.

“You won’t leave? Don’t leave, Daddy. I don’t want to lose you too,” I cried.

“Shh, my dear. I will never abandon you. We promised. I’ll always be here when you need me the most. No matter what.”

“I…did bad. Even if…I keep doing bad?”

“You did nothing wrong, Alice. Don’t fear. We need you to rest. It’s your birthday,” Dad whispered.

“Birthday,” I repeated, but my eyes grew heavy. Closing my eyes once more, I allowed my tense body to relax but kept a tight hold on Dad’s hand.

He promised he wasn’t going away, but this helped to assure me that he wouldn’t. Knowing that my dad was here as always gave me enough calm to let myself begin to fall back asleep.

There was a conversation happening, or at least the voices were back once more, but I only caught glimpses of it.

Her powers awakened early.

They can’t keep hiding what she is.

She’ll be stronger than her mother.

We can’t offer her protection here. It’s too risky.

That kid, Rick, was sent, wasn’t he?

We’re investigating.

Meaning he was, and the book was enchanted with a mind-breaking spell.

She wouldn’t have-

Alice gets sick once a year. Even that is more of a gamble as to whether she’d get sick at all. You wouldn’t have summoned me otherwise.

We’ll look into it, Mr. Chambers.

It’s Mr. Blaze when I’m in this form, and you better, or I’ll lay judgment on him by myself. You both know I don’t need anyone’s permission to carry that out.

We know.

Good. I’ll stay until her grandparents arrive. They hate my guts.

They’re humans. They don’t accept what they can’t understand.

True…

We’ll leave you be. I’ll warn you when the grandparents arrive.

Thank you, CloverSpell. Ow.

Don’t go using my real name.

Jeez. You were calling me by mine moments earlier.

That’s different.

Sure.

There was a deep inhale and a light stroke to my cheek. I was too far in between wakefulness and unconsciousness to move, but it felt nice. Any bits of worry I had left faded away.

“It’ll be okay, Alice. Just sleep, my sweet daughter.”

Yes. Everything will be okay.

“ALICE?”

My eyes squeezed together in an attempt to sleep longer. I was far too comfortable to wake up now. Not until I finished the large red velvet cake that was drowned in chocolate frosting.

Now that I thought about it, I was hungry.

“Come back, chocolate frosting red velvet cake. I need you,” I mumbled. Rolling over to my side, I snugged the pillow next to me, and relaxed at the sweet smell of red velvet delight.

“Woof?” The light nudge to my nose made me giggle. “You want cake, Cyrus? I want cake. I deserve cake. Birthday cake.”

I was talking gibberish in my sleep, but I had a tiny smile on my lips. I dozed off for what felt like a good hour, but something told me it was far less than that.

Something brushed a few strands of hair from my face and lightly stroked my cheek. For a second, I wondered if it was my dad, but he’d always cup my cheek first to let me know it was him.

Who could this be? Actually, this pillow doesn’t feel like one of mine. Too clean-smelling.

“Woof!” Another nudge followed by lick to my nose was enough to prompt my eyes open. My vision was blurry at first, but when it focused, I saw Cyrus, who was happily staring back at me. Then I noticed Principal Clover.

She was the one stroking my cheek, and I realized this wasn’t my bed in my attic room, but the nurse’s office.

How did I get here? Wait…what exactly happened from before? I…don’t remember. That’s not normal for me. Hmm.

“Alice?” Principal Clover looked a little worried, her blue eyes softening as she stroked my cheek again. “Are you still feeling unwell?”

“Um…no, Principal Clover. I’m just struggling with what happened to land me here in the nurse’s office,” I confessed.

My voice was thick with sleep, but aside from the slight drowsiness and urge to go back to sleep, I felt really good. My stomach was ready to eat some good food, but that could easily wait a little longer, though I’d try not to wait too long.

Don’t want to risk passing out.

“Ah. That would be a bit of storytelling. Are you up for that? How are you feeling?” Her genuine concern left me relieved for her kindness, but also worried about what had happened prior to this.

My memory seemed to blur right at lunchtime, and I had no clue how I’d gotten here. Not to forget the fact that Cyrus was here.

I looked at the little wolf puppy, who sat back and began to pant happily at my attention.

“Woof!”

With a slight smile, I used my free hand to pet her gently while Principal Clover removed her hand from my cheek.

It felt funny to acknowledge that her touch was very comforting. It had helped settle the initial worries and concerns I had previously.

“I’m okay, Principal Clover. I’d really like to know what happened. I may need help sitting up. I don’t recall if I ate lunch or not. You already know about my anemia condition,” I explained.

“Yes, I’m aware,” she acknowledged, and rose from the stool she’d been sitting on to help me sit up. Propping some pillows behind my back, I gave her an appreciative smile as I whispered, “Thank you.”

“No need to thank me.” Principal Clover smiled brightly, and she really did look grateful that I was awake.

Cyrus moved to sit on my lap, her tail wagging wildly as she was now interested in my hand. She crawled beneath it and sat there, perfectly content.

We both stared at her before lifting our gazes to one another. A small giggle left us, and I sighed.

“Why do I have a strange feeling that I’m about to get expelled?” I whispered.

My voice held a strong sense of sadness. Like I’d been told a family member of mine had been lost.

Though I hated the students and disliked Professor Daily’s nitpicking, I did like the principal. Whether it was because she was my grandma’s best friend, or merely because of her friendly nature, she’d always given me a level of respect many adults didn’t.

I was sixteen after all, and apparently, that meant you weren’t worthy enough to be treated like an adult. Or even close to that.

As of now, I felt as though I’d disappointed her entirely, and it hurt to look into her kind eyes and know it may be my last time doing so.

When she didn’t answer, I let out a long sigh. “What did I do?”

“In this case, the confrontation was not your fault, but we have to close the school for a week,” she admitted.

“A week? Why? Did I burn something again? No, we didn’t have a lab class today. I wish I could remember.” I bit my lip nervously and Cyrus began to rub her head against my hand.

“Hmm. What’s the last thing you remember?”

“Lunchtime? But even that is a little fuzzy. I don’t remember eating anything. Or even walking into the cafeteria.” My shoulders sank in frustration, and I used my free hand to run through my hair as I tried to think harder.

“Rick was bothering me this morning, but that’s a usual occurrence.” Peering up at her, I gave her a sad smile. “I really can’t remember.”

She nodded in understanding. “Well, I can’t determine if it was you or a natural phenomenon, but the windows shattered from a strong gust of wind that sent Rick flying across the room. He’s now in the emergency room getting treated, but the school is buzzing and pointing fingers,” Principal Clover explained.

“Don’t tell me those pointing fingers are all pointing towards me?” I asked hesitantly.

Her conflicted expression was enough of an answer.

“But it can’t be me. I…I’ve never done that before. Sure, there are lots of incidences that have happened, but they all revolved around fire. Like the element fire. Never with wind. Or glass or whatever. I don’t even know why I have such bad luck,” I complained.

“I’m not sure what it could have been, but if it was one window or the classroom window, it wouldn’t have been a big deal. I could make up an excuse or at least figure a way to make your ‘leave of absence’ temporary.”

“What do you mean?” I inquired. “I’m not following.”

“All the windows in the entire school are broken.”

“What?! You mean…every single one?” I elaborated.

“Yes.” She nodded. “Winds at a speed close to a hurricane whipped through all the windows, but the building itself is perfectly intact. Thankfully, no one was hurt, but can you understand what position I’m in?”

“I…well…” I trailed off and looked down to Cyrus, who lifted my hand up with her head and began to pat my stomach with her front paws.

Her soft whimpering made tears pool in my eyes as I stared down into her blue ones that were encircled in a silver ring.

A tear dropped to her black nose, and she tilted her head and blinked at me with sad eyes, which made more tears fall.

“Alice…” Principal Clover’s tender voice was enough to set off my tears of sadness.

“Why is it so hard? All my life, I’ve never found a place where I’ve enjoyed staying. Every school I’ve gone to spikes a bit of hope that it’ll be the place where I can learn in peace and maybe make a friend or two. Instead, something bad happens, and I’m back at square one,” I cried. “I worked hard to study everything given to me ahead of time, wishing that my smartness could keep me where I am, but one bad thing after another plagues me, and then there I am, in the principal’s office waiting for my grandparents to show up and sign the expulsion papers.”

Principal Clover was quiet as she listened to my long confession. She certainly didn’t have to, but at this point, I couldn’t help but share my journey. Share the struggle I’d been through and put my grandparents through.

“No one cares about how hard all of this is for me. My mom disappeared when I was born. My dad relies on alcohol to forget about how much he loves and misses her. He was deemed incapable of raising me. Even if he wasn’t the best dad, he’d always support whatever made me happy. When I told him about wanting to be homeschooled, he was perfectly fine with it, but my grandparents, who are my current guardians due to my dad’s mishaps, say otherwise.”

I clenched my fists in anger, more tears falling down my cheeks.

“They say I have to go to school. That the interaction is good for me. But nothing good has ever come from any of it. Every single time since I can remember, I’d enter a school, last a few days with no incident, and boom. Something catches on fire. Someone gets burned. Something combusts. And all the fingers are pointed in my direction. I’m the culprit. I’m the person who always causes trouble, and thus, the reason why it’s known in practically every school that I’m a trouble-bringer and can’t last at one school institution for longer than a week.”

Lifting my head to stare into Principal Clover’s blue eyes, I let her see the vulnerability in my eyes.

“This isn’t the rep I wanted. I never asked for whatever bad luck is following me around. I want to learn just like everyone else. I want friends to hang out with and sit with during lunch period. Or have study buddies or even a friend or two that would acknowledge me when I come to school. Yet, I’m the girl that takes a step on the property and everyone shuffles away. I’m the student who carries the reputation of Blazing Alice, the girl who brings nothing but flaming trouble wherever she goes. People mock me in the halls, laugh behind my back and in my face, and out-right bully me, all because of things not in my control. I don’t want this. I never asked for any of this. I just want to be considered a normal girl. I just want to obtain a future of some sort. Get my grandparents out of that haunted place that people make fun of. Have a few friends or even a boyfriend. They all look at me in amusement and use my life as their daily entertainment. They never stop to think about how sad and lonely my life is.”

“Woof.” Cyrus began to rub her head against my stomach and jumped in place to try and comfort me.

I smiled, even with my trembling lips, and scooped her up.

“This little girl came out of the blue a few days ago. I bet nature felt pity and sent me a loving wolf puppy who would comfort me when I’m sad. Can’t nature help me out with my school troubles? Maybe I can beg my grandparents to stop forcing me to go to school and acting like I’m some normal girl, like everyone else.”

Staring back at Principal Clover, I smiled.

“Can you just be truthful to my grandparents and say it as it is? Tell them that home school would be the best option. They’re the only ones who won’t listen. My dad approves of it, but his say doesn’t count because he’s an alcoholic. The legal system put my grandparents in charge and as much as I love and want the best for them for raising me when my dad couldn’t, I can’t fulfill whatever standards they want me to reach. I can’t ignore this anymore, or…it’ll lead me on a path that I don’t want to walk on.”

I pressed Cyrus to my cheek. She whimpered quietly while I tried to rub away my tears that streamed down my right cheek. I hugged her to my chest and lowered my head.

“Alice. Can I-”

“I already know what you’re going to ask and it’s a yes.” I didn’t want to go into that dark corner, knowing very well where the discussion would end up leading.

Mental institution? Constant observation. That would be more of a pain in my ass than anything.

“I don’t know if it’s because you’re a female principal or simply the comforting aura you give off, but I’d never show this much vulnerability to anyone else but my dad. Even my grandparents haven’t seen me shed a tear for years. I’m willing to share this with you because I know my grandma respects you. Out of all the principals and school administrators, you’re the one voice that will get through to her. I can’t handle this up and down lifestyle for another two years. I don’t think I can handle one more school transfer. If my grandparents want the best for me and whatever future I supposedly have, they will listen to you this one time and get me out of my misery.”

Professor Clover nodded her head and took a long look into my eyes. I wasn’t intimidated by her stare, knowing well that this was her way of making sure I was serious and not messing around with her.

“I understand. I’ll have a talk with your grandparents. It’ll be hard to convince Violet, but I will do my best.” She bowed her head slightly.

I nodded my head but didn’t keep my hopes up. Others had told my grandmother to give up and offered homeschool as an option instead, but she never once had taken them seriously.

Would this finally be the moment she caved and let me do what I know is best for me?

“Your grandparents should be here soon. Why don’t you rest?” Principal Clover suggested.

“I…don’t know if I’m sleepy anymore,” I admitted. Cyrus curled up in my lap and was sleeping in seconds.

Must be nice.

Principal Clover smiled and rose from her stool. “Why don’t I darken the room for a bit and close the curtains a tad more? May still be windy without the glass, but it’ll help shed the sunlight,” she offered.

“Sure?” I wasn’t sure what else I could say. Personally, I didn’t see how closing the curtains or dimming the lights was going to help me go back to sleep, but if it made her happy, sure.

Resting against the pillows, I watched her dim the lights and I looked around the single bedroom that was sectioned off of the nurse’s office.

It was a weird setup, different than other nurse’s offices I’d seen. Usually, it was one large room with multiple beds and a desk or office space for the nurses.

In here, it was a mix of open beds and five rooms that were deeper in the room. Unsure which room I occupied, I assumed it was the last one. If anyone had gotten injured due to the broken glass incident, they surely wouldn’t want to be close to me.

Sad that I think so negatively about myself now. I wish I knew what this bad luck was. Or how to stop it. If I had a diagnosis for whatever was following me and causing havoc, I’d feel better, or at least have some peace of mind.

Watching Professor Clover walk back to the curtains, I blinked a few times. With a frown, I lifted my hand to rub at my eyes that were suddenly growing heavy.

Huh? Why am I super tired suddenly?

Doing my best to focus on Professor Clover, my eyes widened again when I saw her image change. It felt like deja Vu, and the longer I stared at her, the swifter her image shifted.

She now wore a beautiful flaming dress, one that started out as black and then went up in flames and danced at her feet. She looked taller, and her hair was now an orange-red and it was long and in perfect wavy curls.

Flaming antlers poked out from her perfectly styled hair, and I noticed the back of her dress had a hole for a fluffy golden-red ball that looked like a tail.

A growing pounding began to assault my head, and I groaned.

“What the hell?” I muttered to myself.

I heard Principal Clover say something, but it didn’t reach me. I felt sick to my stomach and the added realization that I hadn’t eaten was only making things worse.

Is my anemia acting up or something? I’ve never felt like this, right? Ow. Why does my head hurt so much? What’s going on with my vision? Principal Clover doesn’t look human. Am I hallucinating?

I gave up fighting rather quickly, and I slouched forward, only to be stopped from falling over entirely.

A soft moan left me, my failed attempt at thanking whoever had caught me, but I wasn’t sure how long I’d stay conscious for at this rate.

“Seems your power is fighting against the seal.”

The voice that spoke was different. It pulsed with authority and power I had no way of deciphering.

Where had Principal Clover gone? Who’s with me now?

I felt worried, and the panic only contributed to the swirling anxiety banging through me. Something soft stroked my head, and just like that, everything began to fade but in a calming manner.

My sudden spike of fear slowly descended into nothingness, and a flowing sensation of peace took its place.

“You are safe, Blazing child. Let me handle this. Rest.”

I’m safe. Yes. I can trust whoever this is. I should rest.

How easy it was for those words to manipulate my mind. Even though a small bit of my brain questioned the source of the voice, the rest of it didn’t fight the urge to sleep.

If I woke up, I’d discover if my grandparents will finally give in to my request, or if I’d have to take matters into my own hands.

I hoped the first option would be the path I’d take. At least no one else would be hurt by seeing me go.

DO WHAT’S BEST FOR HER

Drifting.

That’s what it felt like. Or would it be referred to as floating on a cloud? That would be a better description of what I was feeling.

My body was in one place, but my mind felt completely out of it. I was alert, or at least somewhat there with my scrambled consciousness, but I was floating in a sea of darkness.

There were no scents in this pitch blackness. Nor was there any feel to it, other than me drifting down in a slow, never-ending movement.

The one thing that was working was my sense of hearing. I heard the sliding of the door, and a worried gasp, followed by swift footsteps.

Whoever had arrived where I was sounded devastated, almost as though she was seeing someone for the last time. Her sobs were hard to listen to, and her voice gave me the impression of someone older.

Wiser and compassionate in a parental way.

To understand why she was shedding a single tear was a mystery in itself. Was she losing someone dear to her? Did she find out bad news?

I felt sorry for whoever this woman was, but I kept drifting in the black sheet of endlessness. It was a while until the sobbing stopped, and then the same sliding of a door reached my ears.

“What are you doing here?!”

“I was called in.” The voice that spoke sounded deeper, like a man, but he had to be younger. He sounded relaxed, or maybe that was just how his smooth voice came off.

He didn’t sound young like a student, but not old enough to be elderly. There were footsteps and a gentle but authoritative voice began to speak.

“I called him here, Violet. It’s time we had a family talk.”

“Family talk? He is nowhere close to being family. He sure knows how to be absent.”

“I’m absent because you want me out of Alice’s life. You push me further and further away from her and make me the enemy.”

“You’re an alcoholic who can’t even take care of your child without supervision.”

“At least I listen to my daughter’s wishes.”

“You little-”

“Enough,” the authoritative female hushed.

Who are these people? What are they talking about? Who is this Alice person?

“I didn’t call either of you here to bicker on my clock. I have things to attend to and that doesn’t include babysitting.”

The still quietness crept around me, and I started to second guess whether I was really hearing voices. Was I dreaming?

“There was an incident today,” the authoritative female announce.

“No. Not again,” the older woman said with a sigh. Her disappointment made me feel just as down about the woman’s words. They held a heaviness to them, like I was the culprit behind this woman’s earlier sobs and now exhausted deep sighs.

“Who started it?” the male questioned. He didn’t sound disappointed. He sounded angry, yet it wasn’t directed at me. Or whoever this Alice person was. It gave me a protective feel, and his simple question was like a statement clearing me of all charges.

That’s how my body responded. That I was nowhere near guilty of the crimes.

“A student in her class. Multiple students came forward and stated he was bullying her all day long,” the authoritative woman replied.

“Alice doesn’t get bullied. A little disappointed here and there, but she always comes home happy and healthy. She may not have many friends due to all her transfers, but bullying? No.”

“Are you blind?” The older man sounded dreadfully mad. “She gets bullied every single day. Are you using your eye drops in the morning? Wearing those glasses the doctor prescribed you?”

“You know nothing about her.”

“I can be damn right drunk and know when my daughter has gone through an exhausting day filled with hateful comments, pointing fingers, and a chorus of laughter, all of it directed at her.”

The man was really pissed. As if this daughter of his was truly the world to him. Even if he was an apparent alcoholic and wasn’t allowed to be near his daughter. That was the impression I got from their previous bickering.

It sounded familiar. Do I know this Alice? I’d be her friend.

“That’s not true!” the elder woman snapped.

“You’ll wake her up at this point,” the man snarled back.

“She’s in an induced slumber,” the authoritative woman announced.

“Why?!” The elderly woman sounded shocked by the shrill screech in her voice.

“What happened?” the man pressed.

“The boy had pushed down Alice’s food during lunchtime. With how long our line can get, I have a hunch she couldn’t go back in line to get another serving of food prior to afternoon classes. Many witnesses said she merely sighed when the incident happened and walked away. She looked extremely unwell by fourth period and was resting her head on her desk, which a student disclosed was vandalized twice, and the boy slammed her head with a thick book.”

When no one spoke back, she carried on.

“Alice struggled to get up and tried to excuse herself to go to the nurse’s office. The male student blocked her from getting out and she ended up vomiting all over him. I’d gotten a call from Professor Daily on the school phone and headed to the classroom myself to see what was going on. I arrived when Alice could barely stand and was burning up. The male student got combative and tried to throw the book at Alice. She was far too weak to avoid it if he had thrown the book, but at that second a strong gust of wind shattered through the windows and lifted the boy across the room. The entire school building’s windows are shattered, not just the classroom. Alice then passed out. Professor Daily was the one to carry her with me to the nurse’s office and we were able to stabilize her, but that meant forcing her to sleep. It took us longer to call you, Violet, because we wanted to make sure she had an IV in and been given some fluids prior to your arrival. She was awake for a little bit but wasn’t feeling well again. We induced her back to sleep for her body to relax. When she wakes up again, we’ll encourage her to eat.”

“Woof!”

The weird barking noise sent a bit of happiness through me. Who knows why, but it made me suddenly want a pet.

“How did that pet get here?”

“Her name is Cyrus and I brought her here.” The man spoke.

“How dare you come to our home!”

“Stop changing the subject, Violet,” the man snapped. This Violet woman was quiet, and the man let out a heavy sigh.

“Will she be okay?”

“Yes. She should be awake in an hour or so…” The woman trailed off.

“What?”

“When was the last time Alice had a mental examination? Or spoken to a therapist?”

“When she was younger. After…an incident at school, she was acting secluded and wasn’t talking much,” the man explained.

“That was because she was stressed about the short school transfers and the principal had thought it was the right decision for her to speak to a therapist for a few sessions. We stopped going after the coverage for them ended,” Violet declared.

“I want you to take her to a therapist.”

“Why?” Violet asked. “She’s perfectly fine.”

“Why, Clover?” the man questioned, the concern in his voice as clear as day.

“I believe Alice…plans to hurt herself. As in, if she has to endure one more school transfer, she doesn’t see another path for her to walk on, but one that ends.”

“When did she say such nonsense? She must have been tired or-”

“Violet. Stop,” the man cut her off.

The vibe I got now was chilling. If I could shiver, I would have. If only my mind was creative enough to imagine who this person was. To gather an image of the man who was protective of his daughter’s rights and took things rather seriously.

The elderly woman sounded a little delusional. Almost as if she was living in a different world and not perceiving the same information as the rest of us.

Even with my floating mindset, I could tell that the conversation held a force of seriousness. That the discussion was on a path of life and death and the life of the girl named Alice was at risk.

Was it due to this woman’s delusional viewpoint that this Alice was suffering? Was not having her dad be there for her causing more damage than being around an alcoholic person?

Being alcoholic didn’t mean you were abusive. The harm was to the individual putting a bottle to their throat. Not anyone else, unless their behavior or words led them to hurt others.

“She said this today?” the man asked.

“Yes.”

“I’ll talk to her.”

“She doesn’t-”

“Wake up, Violet! If you think for a second I’ll lose my daughter because you think school is the best environment, you better get your brain checked.”

“She needs to graduate like her peers. It’ll do her good! She can get a job and get a career for herself! She’s not dropping out of school. Or being homeschooled. Home school children can’t get into universities like Harvard or those other schools for gifted students like her. She’s had a 4.0 GPA her entire life. I won’t let you ruin her future.”

“She won’t HAVE a future, Violet, if she kills herself!”

“You don’t know that!”

“The signs are all there! Just like back then. But of course, you were too blind or delusional to see them. It’s just a phase, my ass.”

“You’re in no po-”

“I’m her father!” the man roared. “You think you’re so perceptive?! Then tell me why your daughter left?! I guess you saw that coming, didn’t ya?!”

The room went quiet.

“Chambers.” The authoritative woman’s voice was softer now, but the man huffed, and I heard pacing footsteps.

“No. I won’t lose Alice. She’s my light. She’s the reason why I’m standing here. When Liz left…she was the one to comfort me. The alcoholic father who threw bottles when I was mad at the world. She’d quietly walk up to me and stroke my cheek. She’d whisper how everything was going to be okay and that she loved me. She had no clue what was happening, and yet she was more mature than grown adults who only pointed out my flaws instead of realizing the source of the problem!” he barked.

“Chambers,” the woman softly repeated. “We know early on. We can prevent this.”

“If I have to find the best therapist in this entire country, I will. If I have to stay with her day and night, I will. You,” he paused, “will not stop me. I’ve given you the privilege of raising her due to Liz’s absence, but all of this build-up of anxiety and stress started with you putting your unrealistic dreams on Alice.”

“Unrealistic dreams?! Every child attends school!”

“No,” he fought back. “Liz never got that chance. You homeschooled her because your family had no means of taking care of her. You spent the money on gambling and your stupid bingo games, leaving poor Liz to defend herself and grow up fast, getting a job and supporting the two of you!”

“How…how do you know that?!”

“Liz is my wife! She may have left us, but we’re still married. I wear this damn ring, even though we’re miles apart and I’m left to raise our only daughter to the best of my ability. You judge me and want to crucify me for every mistake I make, but dismiss everything you did to Liz? Now you think that Alice is your second-chance card. That you’ll raise her right by putting her into school when the exact same problems that happened to Liz are happening to her! You act blind to all of it when deep down, you KNOW Alice took whatever Liz had that forced you to homeschool her. Your stress reliever was gambling, just like your husband likes to spend ridiculous amounts of money on fishing and going to casinos privately. I see it all, Violet, and I pretend like I don’t because I’m the unworthy one. I’m the one you painted to the world as a horrible father. To my only child who lights my world. But now look at the consequences.”

“Why…why didn’t she tell me?”

“Why? How many times has she tried to get through to you and you did exactly what you just did moments earlier?! Denial. Brushing away the subject. Making people’s feelings seem invalid and disregarding them. I may not be there physically, but I text Alice often enough to know when she’s having a good day or a horrible one. She tells me about how hard school can be. That it’s not the homework or the assignments and tests. It’s the people. The transferring. The constant introductions and starting over. She’s tired, Violet, and I don’t fucking blame her. If you had to go to a new bingo gathering every other week and no matter where you went, the reasons from your past ban followed you along, I’m sure you would have dropped the sport. Now match that with the number of times Alice has transferred. Put yourself in her shoes for one damn second and see where she’s coming from!”

The man caught his breath, and the two women were quiet.

“I need some air. Let me know when the paperwork is ready, and I’ll sign it. Also, let me know when you have a feeling that Alice will wake up soon.”

“Alright,” the woman with an authoritative tone replied.

“Woof?”

“Come here, Cyrus. Let’s get you some air as well. Alice will be okay.”

The footsteps faded, and the door slid open and closed from the sound of it, leaving the room thick with silence.

“Is…it that bad?” Violet whispered.

“I’m not sure how much Alice tells you, but I’ve done some digging, Violet. None of the councillors or principals showed you their reports?”

“They offered. I’d tell them it wasn’t necessary, and we’d take her to another school.”

“She’s been bullied on all occasions, Violet. She’s been looked at and given physical exams and it’s been noted in the notes, loud and clear, that there are bruises, scratches…cuts. I’m sorry, my friend, but it’s about time you accept what Alice is. It’s time for you to acknowledge that she took every bit of Liz’s gifts, if not more. You and I both know the fire is not of natural cause. I believe this incident also proves that she’s holding far more than just a single talent.”

“I…there’s no way…”

“Violet. She can see what I am.”

“You don’t-”

“Headaches. Nausea. Vomiting. Fevers. Memory loss. Do I need to continue?”

“You still don’t-”

“She will surpass her parents. She will be double if not triple their strength. Today is her sixteenth birthday and all of this occurred. Do you think it’s a coincidence?”

“I won’t acknowledge it.”

“Alice will die if we don’t set things straight now, Violet.” The woman’s voice was harsh and had a hint of anger laced through it. “The seal is breaking and that’s what’s causing all of this. The physical illness, her tiredness, her constant need to nap. You are seriously going to watch your grandchild die because you won’t want to acknowledge what is beyond the mortal world? Was watching Liz suffer not enough for you?!”

“She won’t be like Liz!”

“She won’t live long enough for you to determine that, Violet! She will either die from her own power, or she will kill herself for thinking this world isn’t for her! Is that what you want? For her to die thinking there is not a single person in this world that experiences what she does? You want her to think that she’s a freak and believe all the insults and mean things these students say to degrade her? You’d rather she sink in her internal struggles and drown than offer her a chance at living the life she was supposed to live? Imagine what would have happened if you’d listened to Liz from the get-go.”

“Liz was a fool.”

“You are a bigger fool!” the woman snapped. “Liz didn’t run because of Alice, and deep down you know it. Just as you know deep down that if you don’t acknowledge Alice’s potential, you will lose her. If that happens, may your Lord help you, because Chambers will lose it entirely. I can guarantee it. And you won’t like the consequences of that outcome.”

Once again, I questioned if I’d fallen asleep due to the absence of sound, but the elderly woman finally spoke.

“Let me…talk with my husband.”

“Whatever you need to do,” the woman replied. “Just remember that I can’t undo this. I can’t fix what has happened, and there is no saving grace from the inevitable outcome. What I can do is offer somewhere better. A place where Alice can make friends and feel accepted. The society you’re trying to fit her into so desperately will never accept her. However, mine will in due time. But I suggest you act now, because the acceptance window is short. I’ve checked Alice’s grades and she’d fit perfectly in that environment, but I’ll need either yours or Chambers’s permission to proceed.”

“I understand. I won’t be long.”

There were footsteps and the authoritative woman spoke.

“Fear is what holds you back, Violet, but remember that fear is a normal thing to endure, and it’s okay to be afraid of change. However, it’s not okay to live in a bubble while the world is crumbling around you. That sets you up for regret and loss. I don’t want to see you lose another person you love. Remember that though our worlds are different, I only want the best for you and your family.”

The door opened and closed.

“She probably hates me,” the woman declared with a sigh.

“Even if she does, at least you protected a witch from dying. Her level of power is almost ancient. Whoever put the seal on her must be a grandmaster for it to only now start to break.” A new foreign voice spoke.

“I fear we can’t delay this for long. She needs to be told who she is and protected when she reaches the academy.”

“Will her grandparents really budge?”

“Have you seen Chambers that angry before? I have, and those who instigated that anger got what was coming to them. Violet may act clueless, but even her mortal mind can remember the incident where Alice almost died. She bickers about Chambers because he’s capable of protecting Alice, just as he was able to protect Liz until she gave in to the path she thought was the right choice. He won’t let Alice go the same route. Even if it makes him look like a horrible father.”

“Can we get an invite sent in time?”

“I’ll pull some strings. I know the perfect group that would not only protect her but connect with her. I want her entrance to be as discrete as we can make it. If the other academies find out her potential, I can see it getting messy.”

“Yes, ma’am. I’ll get onto it,” the man replied. “She saw your antlers.”

“I’m sure she saw your tail, or at least your large structure.”

“Hmm. We’re going to have to teach her quickly.”

“Yes. However, I have a feeling that won’t be a problem. The girl is craving information. All she needs is the right environment to thrive in.”

“You have a lot of confidence in her.”

“She will do big things at Blazing.”

“She’ll hate me.”

“As do half the student body. But once she learns the ropes, she’ll understand.”

“She’ll be happy to see you.”

“As I will be to see her. For now, it’s time we do our part to clean up and make sure her entrance is as smooth as it can be. She deserves that much.”

“Let us get to work, ma’am.”

“Yes. Let us. You go first.”

There weren’t any footsteps to inform me of the man’s departure, but my mind began to sink deeper, drifting into a comforting darkness of its own.

Whoever this Alice was, I genuinely hoped she’d live a little longer to see these plans come to fruition.

HOPEFUL FUTURE

“Alice?”

The familiar voice tugged at my mind. I wanted to sleep a little longer, to bask in the lull of the darkness, but my dad’s soft voice called to me.

When did Dad get here? Is he even allowed to be on the property?

“Dad,” I mumbled, but kept my eyes closed.

The feeling of his hand cupping my left cheek made me smile, and I lifted my left hand to lay on top of it. “Dad.”

“Hey,” he whispered. Something crawled on top of my left shoulder and a second later, I was getting assaulted with licks and nudges.

“Hi, Cyrus,” I giggled.

“Woof!” she replied happily and snuggled against me. Finally feeling up to it, I opened my eyes. It had to be morning or something for Dad to be here without my grandparents noticing, but when I glanced around, I didn’t recognize where I was.

It took a long few seconds for me to determine I wasn’t in my bed at home, but rather in the nurse’s office at this new school.

“How are you feeling, red velvet?”

“That’s still a weird nickname.” I grinned, and looked back into his blue eyes. They were filled with worry, and I promptly continued. “I’m okay, Dad.”

Pressing my hand against his that was still on my cheek, he slowly nodded and leaned in to give me a kiss on my forehead.

“You know how precious you are to me, Alice. You’d tell me if something was troubling you, right?” His voice was thick with emotion, and as much as I wanted to lie, I couldn’t.

“I know,” I replied. “It’s just…lately it’s been hard,”

He leaned back to look into my eyes. “I…don’t think I can handle going to another school, Dad.”

He gave me a sad smile, but it wasn’t because of my confession. I felt it was due to the fact I hadn’t told him earlier. That I’d kept my emotions in, thinking they were irrelevant and would bring everyone around me down.

Even my awesome dad, who did his best from afar to be there for me.

“Why didn’t you text me?”

“You don’t need to worry about my problems. It’s not your fault I’m stuck going to these schools,” I mumbled, and let out a sigh. “I didn’t do anything, Dad. I tried to mind my own business. To look nowhere but the floor and follow every rule to make sure I don’t get kicked out,”

“Woof?” Cyrus snuggled against me again, her soft whimpers made me smile. “It’s okay, Cyrus. I won’t do anything stupid.”

Dad stroked my cheek. “Alice.”

“I won’t, Dad.” He didn’t need to say the words for me to see it in his eyes. To see his worry and fear. Now that I was more awake, I could recall my previous conversation with Principal Clover.

She must have told him about it.

“I thought about it, but I don’t want to give those bullies satisfaction. To give them the joy of getting in my head and pushing me over the edge. It’s hard sometimes. You know…seeing Grandma’s sad eyes or Grandpa’s frustration. Between us, I sometimes feel like Grandma wants me to live the life she wanted for Mom. To correct whatever errors she made, but…I’m not normal, Dad.” I peered into his eyes again.

“I really don’t think I’m normal. I’ve tried and tried to fit in. To follow the rules, and not get in anyone’s way. But it’s like the world is telling me no. You can’t be here or there. You don’t fit into this puzzle. I’m tired of trying. I’m tired of trying to be that last puzzle piece that isn’t molded to fit in the remaining spot to complete the puzzle. At this point, what is school going to accomplish? I can be homeschooled and still get a decent job. I’ve made a resume and could start applying. Maybe I’d be able to help so we’re not so poor? Then we can live in a better house that the town doesn’t make fun of. I’m not sure,” I sighed.

“You won’t be transferred to another school.” He said it like it was set in stone.

“Grandma won’t agree to it,” I voiced.

“Just because your grandma takes care of you, doesn’t mean her decision is absolute. I’m still your father and I’m tired of her ignoring your concerns.”

“But…”

“I’ve already told her. She’s in the office now with Principal Clover, filling out the forms. Principal Clover is willing to vouch for your homeschooling and Professor Daily will present your performance during the last three days and add the application. It should go smoothly.”

“Really?” I looked at him with wide eyes. “You really mean it?”

“Yes, Alice.” He gave me a comforting smile. “We had a talk when you were resting. The application process shouldn’t take long. A week at most. They’ll then send someone to bring the documents and explain how the scheduling and stuff will work.”

“You really mean that I don’t need to go to school anymore? I can just learn at home and get my diploma that way?”

When he nodded, I tried to sit up. He rose from the stool he was sitting on and helped me out, while Cyrus moved to sit comfortably in my lap.

“You’re not pulling my leg, right?”

“Nope. I’m serious, Alice. Once you’re up to it, we’ll head to your birthday dinner and then home for you to rest. After a week, we’ll know what’s going on and go from there. No more school, transfers, or bullies.”

When I had no words to say, he grinned and moved from the side of the bed to behind the curtain that was slightly pulled forward, hiding what I believed to be a table or stand.

He came back with a plate of red velvet cake with chocolate frosting and syrup that was lightly drizzled on top of it. A stick was poking out of it, and it was sparkling up like a mini firework.

I stared at it in amazement and gazed up at Dad with watery eyes. He smiled, and his eyes twinkled from the sparks.

“Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday, dear Alice. Happy birthday to you,” he sang.

“Wooof!” Cyrus howled for added emphasis, making the two of us laugh.

“Thank you, Dad.” I blinked back my tears, feeling grateful to have him in my life. He offered the plate to me, and I stared down at it. Watching the bits of sparks come to its end, I picked up the fork and took a piece.

Taking a bite, I smiled at the sweet taste. I wondered when he’d got it and pondered about how long he’d been here. He had to have stopped work to get here so quickly, and the thought that he remembered my birthday just like all the other years and got me my favorite cake to go along with it made my tears fall.

He was the reason why I was going to be able to live away from all of this. I’d be able to learn without the negativity and backlash.

I’m finally free from it all. I can finally be happy.

“Woof?” Cyrus used her paw to pat my hand that was still holding the plate in my lap. My tears continued to fall and I lost the battle of stopping my sobs from escaping me.

“I’m so happy,” I cried. “Finally, for once. I’m happy, Daddy.”

He wrapped his arms comfortingly around me, and I let all my troubles go through my tears and sobs. The relief of it all was overwhelming, but it felt so good for those shackles to be removed.

This was a victory I never expected for myself. To survive the physical and emotional abuse from all the bullies and people who couldn’t accept me. Now I wouldn’t have to prove myself anymore. I could hold my head up in my own environment and not feel threatened every single hour of the day.

I was free from it all, and I couldn’t be more thankful.

“DAD. Are you sure Grandma is going to be okay with you coming to dinner?”

“Do you want me there?” he questioned instead and took a piece of my remaining cake.

“Hey. You took a big piece!” I accused.

“I worked hard to get this for you.” He winked and popped the piece in his mouth. “The bakery lady was trying to hit on me.”

“Aww. Life must be so hard for you,” I exaggerated with an eye-roll.

“It’s hard to be as good-looking as me.”

“Oh please!” I snickered. “I bet she asked you for your number and you forgot.”

When his face grew crimson, I laughed.

“Stop laughing,” he muttered with a pinch of annoyance. “You got me the hardest number to remember. Why couldn’t you do 123456789 or something,”

“That can’t be a number!” I giggled.

“That’s silly. Some of us are getting old,” he grumbled.

“You’re in your, like, late thirties. You’re not old! Just admit you can’t remember numbers to save your own life. Let alone mine,” I teased.

“I would if it meant saving you. I just need a few minutes to trigger my brain. The alcohol damaged some of the cells so I have slow reaction time!” he excused.

“Sure, Dad. Blame your poor damaged brain cells,” I said with a laugh.

“Ugh. Stop teasing your frail father.”

“Frail?! You have a six pack and go to the gym six times a week. Stop playing!” I laughed even harder.

“T-That isn’t true! I go five days a week, and it’s a very light six-pack,” he stuttered. “Whatever!”

“You’re just brushing it off because you know I’m right!”

“Eat your cake or I’m finishing it!” He used his fork to try and take a piece, but I lifted it up. “Never!” I giggled.

“Woof!” Cyrus thought we were playing some type of a game because she got up and began to hop up and down for the plate.

We laughed long and hard, and I felt so much better. It really was as though a burden had been lifted from my shoulders and I could now live my life to the fullest.

I lowered the plate and we worked on finishing the remaining bit of cake. After that, I crossed my legs and began to play with Cyrus, who ran in a circle while trying to reach my hovering hand that moved around in the opposite direction.

“You don’t feel ill anymore?”

“No. I think I had a headache earlier, or something like that. To be honest, I can’t remember what happened to land me here.”

“Principal Clover believes it’s due to the boy hitting your head. Thankfully, the swelling has gone down, but she advised you to not do anything vigorous for a few days.”

“All the sleep. Got it.” I nodded my head.

“You still have to study,” he mumbled and lightly tapped my head.

“Ah! Child abuse.”

“You’re sixteen!”

“So. I’m still a child.” I winked. “A child of God!”

“That has to be one of those memes you young people get all hyped about,” he complained.

“You make yourself sound so old it’s depressing,” I commented with a smirk.

“I am old. My back hurts from work today,” he whined.

“You’ll survive.” I shrugged.

“Not a hint of sympathy.” He pouted his lips while narrowing his eyes at me. I giggled and stared at him.

“Did you leave work early?”

“Hmm?” He shrugged at my question. “You know my boss knows if I randomly disappear, it’s an emergency.”

“So, you’re not in trouble?”

“Nope,” he replied with a small smile. “I’ve already texted him saying you’re okay but resting.”

My Dad worked with a company that was similar to ambulance workers.

It was more of a secret, private way of aiding people young and old who were in trouble or risky scenarios. Calling the company’s emergency line would send a signal to one of their locations, and the closest cameras would pick up an image of the scene.

If it was deemed not life-threatening, people like my dad would go undercover and interfere before the situation escalates. If it is a serious situation, they would inform the authorities and be there on standby just in case things went haywire before the police arrived.

“Do you think, maybe, if it’s not too much trouble…” I paused in my statement.

“Yes,” he replied.

“You don’t know what I was going to ask,” I elaborated.

“When you pause in your statements, you do so because you’re worried you’ll be a burden to another person. Whatever you want to ask, sure. I can,” he replied.

“Do you think you can stay for a few days? I know Grandma hates you and all, but…I really want you around. Even if it’s a little bit.”

“Sure. I’ll talk with my boss on the way home,” he replied.

“He’ll be okay with it?”

“I’ve worked there long enough to have a week off with no issues. They have on-call agents. I’ll let him call one in.” His smile left me relieved.

“You’re the best, Dad,” I whispered.

“Anything for you, Alice.” He grinned. “Let me go make that phone call.”

“Okay.” I beamed.

“Woof?!” Cyrus jumped up and down, her tail wagging in excitement.

Dad looked at her. “You want to walk?”

“Woof!”

“So needy,” he mumbled and reached for her small body. Picking her up with ease, he glanced at me. “Why’d you call her Cyrus?”

“Huh?” I replied and looked up at him. “I don’t know. She reminds me of Cerberus.”

“Why?”

“No clue. It just came to my mind when she woke me up today. Don’t like the name?”

“Hmm. No. I have an acquaintance with the same name.”

“It’s a girl name.”

“Says the girl who randomly decided on it,” Dad countered with a wink. “I’ll be back, okay?”

“Okay.” I smiled and watched him head to the door.

He paused for a moment and looked back at me with a hint of worry.

“I’ll be right here, Dad. I won’t go anywhere. Promise,” I vowed.

He nodded in reply and turned back to face the sliding door. Opening it up, he faced Grandma, who looked like she was about to open the door.

They shared a silent stare, but Dad moved off to the side to let Grandma in. He then made his way out and closed the door behind him.

“Hey, Grandma.” I gave her a small smile in greeting.

“Oh, Alice. You’re alright?”

“Yes. I’m feeling better, and hungry,” I replied. The cake was a good treat, but I was still needing some real food.

Grandma walked over to my bed, and gently stroked my head.

“Well, if you’re still up for it, we have our reservations at the restaurant.”

“We can make it?” I asked.

“Mhm. Our reservation is an hour from now. We can make it in time,” she assured me.

“Then, I’d love to go.” I grinned, but soon frowned. “Um…does that mean Dad can’t go?”

She looked a little annoyed by the mention of it, but she sighed. “I made sure we got an outside table. He and your little puppy friend can come. Only because it’s your birthday,” she reasoned.

“Thank you, Grandma!” I cheered and reached out for a hug. She smiled and hugged me tightly.

“I talked to Principal Clover and signed the documents. No more school. We’ll look into the homeschool method.” She pulled back and gave me a tender smile. “I may be a little rusty, but we’ll figure something out. This week you’ll rest as we wait for the paperwork to go through and figure out what our next steps are.”

I gave her the biggest smile and blinked back my tears. Her eyes were already overflowing with tears, and she hugged me again.

“I love you, Alice. I know I sometimes get lost in my own wants and dreams for you, but your happiness should be the priority. I’m sorry.”

We both cried at her words that I figured were far harder for her to admit. Regardless of the past, what mattered now was that I’d be able to walk a path that made me happy.

MIDNIGHT INVITATION

~FIVE DAYS LATER~

“HAVE A GOOD WORK DAY, DAD.” I yawned and waved at him.

My eyes were barely open as I fought not to sleep while sitting. Today was Monday evening, and I’d fallen asleep earlier after Dad decided to read some boring articles to me.

He’d been chilling in my room all evening today to avoid Grandma. During the week, he’d been sleeping in the guest room on the second floor and doing anything to not confront Grandma.

He and Grandpa weren’t as hateful to one another and could handle a basic conversation, but dinner was always weird with the four of us at the table.

Five, if you included Cyrus.

Dad had just been called by his boss for an emergency situation. They didn’t have someone who could handle it, thus the reason why they had requested his help.

Dad was reluctant to head out, but I didn’t mind. I was far too sleepy, and I’d rather he helped save someone in need than stay at home because he wanted to make sure I was recovering okay.

This week had been rather relaxing otherwise. I’d sleep in, then read or study for a bit from the content Professor Daily had sent over to me. He mentioned in a note that he was sad to see me go but wished me the best of luck, and even attached the referral letter he had written on my behalf.

It was rather surprising when he’d picked on me all the time, but maybe that was his way of teaching and making sure I was keeping up.

We were waiting for the results of our application involving my homeschooling, and in the meantime, I was forced to rest as much as I could.

My dad called it bedrest, with the exception of dinners, since the company would be good for my mental state as recommended by the nurse and Principal Clover.

I really was going to miss her comforting presence. Usually, principals gave you those scary vibes and were hard to approach, but she was so loving and nurturing, leaving me wishing I could have lasted at that school.

Dad placed his hand on my cheek, and I tried to open my tired eyes a little more, but it only made it harder to keep them open at all.

“Are you feeling alright, red velvet?”

“Mhmm. Sleepy,” I mumbled, my eyes coming to a close. He stroked my cheek, but I didn’t even stir as I began to fall asleep.

“Woof?”

“Ya. She’s tired,” Dad whispered.

My body slowly moved back until I was resting against my comfortable sheets. I immediately turned to rest on my left side and patted the side of the bed for my pillow.

After the third attempted pat, one seemed to magically wind up where I’d previously patted. I hugged it against me and relaxed even more.

A soft nudge to my nose and a lick later, I heard Cyrus’s quiet breathing. It was enough to give me a peaceful mind as I continued to drift further into sleep.

Something pressed lightly on my forehead, and it added to the flowing calm in the depths of the darkness.

“Sleep well, my special Alice.”

“WOOF!”

“Stop woofing already. If I wanted to hurt her, I would have done so,”

“Woof?”

“No.”

“Woof! Woof!”

“Ugh. Why are you trying to slow me down? I’m helping your mistress. Not stopping her from doing anything. Ow. You’re going to make me fall from the roof. I’m not Peter Pan, you know! I can’t fly.”

“Woof…woof?”

“I just need to get in and put this on her desk. I don’t want those mundane old people getting it, seeing as Chambers isn’t here. He said he’d be here tonight. Why’d he lead me astray like this? Ugh. That man hates me.”

“Woof!”

“Jeez. I don’t even know if you’re a wolf or a dog at this point. Pick a side.”

“Woof! Grrr!”

“Ow! Be lucky I don’t hit girls, you savage familiar, you!”

OPENING MY EYES, I sat up and began to rub my eyes from the sleep-dust.

“What a weird dream,” I mumbled. “It’s so hot.”

Pulling off my shirt, I tossed it in the corner of the bed, leaving me in my bright red bra. I’d only worn clothes to bed since my dad had been in my room, but now I was far too hot for my liking.

“Woof?”

I yawned and followed the direction of Cyrus barking.

“Cyrus?” I mumbled, noticing she was sitting right on the window sill.

That’s new.

With a head shake, I slowly got out of bed. I felt a little sluggish, which could have been due to the medication I was given to take before bed.

It was one of the reasons why I got so drowsy even with an evening nap. Reaching the window, I decided to open it up entirely to get some cool breezes into the attic.

This was one of the best investments my grandparents made to the attic. If I had to rely on that circular mini window, I’d die from the heat wave.

Taking a look at the starry night, I glanced down to Cyrus, who was quietly staring up at me.

“Woof?”

“Why are you barking up a storm? I was sleeping.”

“Woof…” She tried to peer over the window edge, but I quickly scooped her up. “Nope. That’s dangerous. The attic is technically the third floor. Can’t have you falling out,” I reasoned and put her onto my desk that was next to the window.

“Woof! Woof!” She kept barking and looking at the window, only raising my suspicions.

If I don’t check, she’ll bark all night long. Guess I’ll check. Man, I’m still drowsy.

“Fine, fine. I’ll check and prove to you that there’s nothing there. This better not be that owl you were barking at yesterday.”

Placing my hands on the ledge, I poked my head out and glanced down to the ground. No one was down there, and the lights within the house were off, which told me my grandparents were both sleeping.

They always left the porch lamp on if either of them were awake.

“There’s nothing here, Cyrus,” I mumbled, and lifted my head to notice the golden eyes of an owl in the nearest tree.

I blinked to stare at it, noticing how white his feathers were and how beautiful his golden eyes appeared, even at this distance.

What a magnificent creature.

With another blink, I tilted my head as the image of the owl suddenly changed entirely. There sat a man, whose skin was pale and perfect as the first sight of snow against the moonlight’s rays.

He had long white hair that flowed lightly in the wind and his gold eyes were as vivid as the owl that previously sat in his place. What caught my attention more than his completely white suit were his magnificent wings.

They were white with hints of gold and orange and made him look like an angel from heaven.

We stared at one another, and the slight grin on his angelic lips told me he liked what he saw. Or at least, that’s what I mentally hoped, because he was irresistibly beautiful.

“Who are you?” I whispered, but my drowsiness was getting to me.

Am I dreaming? I have to be. There’s no way an owl can be there one minute, and the next minute become that angelic creature that must have fallen from heaven. Ugh. I need to go back inside. I don’t feel too good.

Attempting to head back inside, I looked to my right and my eyes went wide at the man who was literally standing next to my window.

His bright red eyes stood out due to his shoulder-length blue hair. From the slight hint of moonlight that basked upon us, he had tiny golden strands in his hair that had a speck of glow to them.

He wore a black collar around his neck with a half crescent moon in an amber-gold color, and a black outfit with a golden cape that rested on his broad shoulders.

Since he was standing, I could see he had a muscular build compared to the man in the tree, who looked a lot slimmer.

Lowering my gaze to his feet, I noticed he was barefoot, but I was far more focused on the fact that he was standing on a golden magic circle that reminded me of Cardcaptor Sakura and his feet were on fire.

Yes. Both of his feet were engulfed in burning, blue flames.

Glancing back up to his face, he gave me a sheepish smile as he waved just slightly.

“Uh…hello? Um. Don’t panic. I’m just…uh…a figment of your imagination. Yes. You can, um, go back to sleep and pretend you didn’t see us. Ha…haha.”

“You’re an idiot.”

I slowly peered back to the tree, and there again was the owl, but I swear he was the one to speak.

“I’m not an idiot! She’s not supposed to see me. Also, stop talking in that form!”

“She already saw us. We’re lucky we even came here when we did. Instead of waiting for this registry process, we should take her to see CloverSpell. That seal isn’t going to hold for another week.”

A talking owl. I’m witnessing the phenomenon of a talking owl and a floating feet-burning man. This has to be a dream. Yes. I’m sleepwalking. That’s it!

“Woof!” Cyrus was back on the window sill and this time she jumped off.

I was about to shriek and try to catch her, but she landed on a magic circle and her body was wrapped up into a blue and silver light.

Five seconds passed and a girl with three fluffy tails appeared in a blue and white kimono.

“Go away, you evil mutt!” she declared and pointed to the man who stared at her in horror.

“You have a damn form? Why the hell were you bothering me if you could just change? Hey, I’m here on duty! You’re interfering!”

“I was sent by Chambers himself! I’m here to protect my mistress from the likes of you evil people!” the little girl exclaimed in her high-pitched voice. She pushed the guy and he gasped before he caught himself with another golden magic circle that appeared under him before he could fall all the way down.

“Dammit! You damn familiar. Let me do my job! I’m a carrier!”

“Never! You’re evil!”

“I’m not evil! I’m from the academy.”

“Die!”

She began to chase after him in the middle of the air. Each step she took created a silver flame that seemed to help her stay afloat, followed by a blue one as her once-fluffy tails lit up into bright blue and silver flames.

I watched in horror as the two of them ran in the middle of the air, and I looked back to the owl, who stared at me. His image seemed to double, and with a few blinks, it was as if there were six of him.

“Think you two should stop fighting and pay attention to the-”

I couldn’t fight the sudden heaviness that overtook me, as my eyes grew heavy and darkness engulfed my vision.

“Shit! Princess Alice!”

“Mistress!”

My body had to be falling, or that was what it felt like, but something happened. Whether it was a wind or a miracle, I felt like I was in someone’s arms while a fierce flow of wind wrapped around me.

It was blazing hot wind, but it seemed to be the perfect blend with the cool night. I fought to open my eyes, and I was only able to get them open just slightly.

My vision cleared for just a second, and I looked up to the man who caught me. He was different from the other two, and his eyes were a beautiful green that gave off a teal appearance.

“You’re safe, Princess.” His voice was deep with authority, and yet, it was so gentle to my ears.

“Thank…you,” I whispered as if it made perfect sense for me to respond to him and the sudden title.

My eyes came to a close, and I let myself fall into the dark abyss.

BLAZING ACADEMY FOR ALL THINGS SCORCHING

“I‘ll be quick. Just taking Cyrus for a walk!” I called out.

“Alright. Don’t take long, and take your phone!” my dad called out.

“Okay!” I replied and closed the front door.

Finally. Some fresh air.

I’d been cooped up all day with a high fever, and Dad was in his whole protective mode because of it. I don’t know if it was because I’d slept with clothes last night or what, but I woke up to Dad shaking me to drink some medicine, but it was hard for me to even do that.

He’d stayed by my bed the entire time, while Grandma had brought medicine and cold cloths every hour to cool me off.

By the evening, the fever had broken, and after an hour I was perfectly fine. It was beyond weird, and I knew no matter how hard I thought about it, I wouldn’t find the answer to it at all.

I had the strangest dreams about men with weird-colored eyes, Cyrus changing into a girl, and a talking owl.

Totally weird.

Needless to say, I was much better and in need of a good night walk. Deciding to take Cyrus along to get her set of cardio, I’d put on some black tights, a black bralette, and a fluorescent orange jacket that shifted to red when a light shone on it.

Perfect tactic to make sure cars saw you on gravel paths where there were no sidewalks.

Tucking my keys into my pocket, I gestured for Cyrus to go ahead. She didn’t need a leash to walk around, usually obeying my commands when I told her to wait for me.

To me, it wasn’t necessary because she was independent before meeting me. She could come and go as she pleased, and if she never did find her family, I’d always take care of her.

Walking down to the bottom step, I headed for the mailbox and pulled out the few envelopes in the tiny box. My grandparents always left the mail-checking to me, something to do with them not being able to see if it was junk or actually important.

At least I’d be able to tell the difference and give them the important mail.

Heading for our walk, I reached the usual clearing that always called to me. Being in this spot brought tranquility and a clear mindset, especially when I was anxious from school.

Reaching the bench, I sat down and began filtering the mail while Cyrus did her thing of trying to find the perfect spot to pee.

“Hmm? Wow. Talk about a high-quality envelope. Is this a hallmark card? Carlton? Wow. I’ve never seen something that can shift into three colors. Reminds me of fire,” I commented to myself as I tried to see who it was from.

“To Alice Blaze. Doesn’t say where it’s from. Maybe I won a scholarship or something. Not like I applied for any of those.”

With a shrug, I worked my way in, opening it as gently as I could. It was far too pretty to destroy, and even if it ended up being junk mail, I would keep the envelope because it was just that pretty.

Pulling out the rich, thick, ivory parchment paper, I glanced at the beautiful cursive that was clearly addressed to me.

DEAR ALICE BLAZE,

We’d like to give you an early invitation to Blazing Academy.

This institute is for all things scorching, and you’ve been given a special invitation by the Headmaster herself. Please read the following passage, and one of your designated teammates will retrieve you.

Upon your arrival, the headmaster will formally greet and introduce you to the start of a blazing eight-semester curriculum that will answer many of your questions about your inability to fit in.

Once you are given a tour, feel free to sign the bottom letter and inform your parent or guardian(s) of your coming enrollment.

Best Wishes,

Administration of Blazing Academy

“THIS HAS TO BE A JOKE, RIGHT?” I said to myself, as I rescanned the letter until my eyes landed on the words I was supposed to recite.

“All things blazing of power and strength. I call to the depths of the flames beneath me and allow my soul to arrive where I truly belong. Summon my connector and grace me with the chance to walk upon a path that will lead to a magnificent future. Flame oh nado eleosha ro canda la ru? What kind of spell is-”

“Woof!”

I looked up to see Cyrus racing back to me like she’d been scared off by a creature. She hopped right into my lap and snuggled right against me, leaving me in complete confusion.

“Cyrus? What…is…ugh,” I groaned at the swirling sensation that overtook me, and I slouched to the side and felt my body rest on the bench.

I expected to fall unconscious, but instead, I was falling down, like that floating sensation I now recalled in the nurse’s office. Memories of the rest of the information that was spoken between my grandma, Principal Clover, and my dad came flooding back to me.

What’s going on?!

My drift wasn’t long, and when I finally came to a stop, I was standing.

Opening my eyes, I looked at the vast land around me, and the single path that was ahead. Looking down to my hands, I noticed the envelope and letter were still in my hand while Cyrus was sitting on my feet, looking around with her curious eyes.

“Woof?” She looked at me with her cute eyes.

“I’m not sure where we are, Cyrus,” I admitted and crouched down to pick her up. I would have let her explore, but I had no clue where this place was and didn’t want to leave her.

“Out of all the people I get stuck with, it’s the fainting girl.”

Looking over my shoulder, I noticed a spectacular-looking man. He was 6′4″ in height and wore a white uniform with orange trimming. At least it looked like orange trimming, but it was in a multi-shade, like the envelope I held that shifted from orange to gold, and finally red.

The man had long white hair that reached his waist and his gold eyes were magnificently beautiful. If only he didn’t have the biggest scowl on his face, I would have thought of him as the perfect human being.

“Hold up. Fainting girl?! Who?” I looked around me to determine who this guy was talking about.

He rolled his eyes at my oblivious statement as he walked over to me. Sliding his hands into his pockets, he stopped in front of me, which I felt was only to tower over me in an attempt to belittle me.

“You. Always fainting like it’s nobody’s business. I swear you’re lucky Westley caught you. I couldn’t care less, but I’m sure Chambers would be all mournful and would kill us.”

“You’re making no sense,” I replied, but stood my ground. “And this whole towering business isn’t going to work.”

“You’re a weak, fainting girl. You should try to acknowledge when you’re overpowered.”

“First off, I’m not weak. Second, I faint often because I have anemia and don’t eat! Third, I’m nowhere near overpowered by the likes of you.”

He rolled his eyes at me. “Aside from that mutt, you’re nothing here.”

I swear if he rolls his eyes at me one more time…

“Here? Where is here? Also, Cyrus is NOT a mutt. She’s a loyal…uh…wolf-dog…companion! Yes. She’s mine, and I don’t like you insulting her,” I fought back.

“WOOF! Grrr!” I had to hold Cyrus back from attacking him.

“Hmph. Pathetic,” he grumbled.

I glared him, feeling the need to put some common sense in his brain. I may be a girl, but I could certainly pack a punch. Or kick.

“Why don’t you tell me where I am instead of insulting everything about me?”

His eyes rolled, yet again.

“Figure it out, stup-OMPH!”

He fell to the ground, clutching where I just gave him the Blazing Alice Secret Move.

A.k.a. kicking him in the balls.

“I’m not stupid. I’m a sixteen-year-old with a 4.0 GPA, and at least I can take a kick or two. Strengthen that pair of yours before you talk big, Angelic Asshole! Hmph!”

Spinning around, I decided to figure things out myself. With Cyrus in tow, I headed towards the single path.

It was five solid minutes before I heard following footsteps, and I looked over to see the now extremely grumpy guy with gold eyes.

“Stop following me, Angelic Asshole!”

“Stop calling me that, Fainting Ball Kicker!”

“You can’t tell me to stop when you’re calling me names! Never. That’s your nickname for all eternity!” I declared and walked faster.

He followed my lead, his footsteps matching mine, which left me even more irritated.

“Stop chasing after me!” I huffed and began to run.

He decided to run as well, and we were both sprinting to who knows what was beyond the path ahead.

“Stop running so fast!” he called out.

“Never! I’ll run until I’m dead if it means being away from you, Angelic Asshole!”

“Dammit, wait!” he warned.

I looked back in time to realize I was about to run straight into a woman in a beautiful red-orange satin cloak.

“AH!” I shrieked and shut my eyes tightly as I held Cyrus protectively, bracing for impact.

Instead, an arm hooked around my waist, and I was literally lifted up. A strong wind stopped us, and when I opened my eyes, we were two steps from the cloaked woman.

I could only tell it was a woman from her shape and the bits of hair that crept out from the hood and rested against the sides of her cloaked face.

Glancing up, I noticed the magnificent white wings that had hints of gold and orange. The man’s eyes were glowing a vivid gold as he looked down at me with an angry gaze.

“Troublesome, Fainting Ball Kicker!”

“Really? Do you need the Troublesome part? The other nickname was less truthful,” I whined.

Instead of rolling his eyes, he groaned but lowered us both back to the ground. “You’re ridiculous.”

“I’m rather amazing, thank you very much. I’ve done nothing worthy of being called ridiculous.”

“Everything about you is annoying,” he insulted.

“Has anyone told you if you smiled more, you’d actually get laid?” I tossed right back.

His cheeks went crimson, and I grinned in triumph. “Awww. Still holy I see. Must be nice,” I reasoned.

“You little…”

A soft chorus of laughter floated through the air, and the two of us looked to the woman, who was standing there watching us.

“Well then. Looks like you two get along quite nicely,” she revealed.

“Get along?!” we said together. “Never!”

Glaring at him, I met his blazing gaze.

“Stop copying me!” we said in unison before we both groaned in annoyance.

This made the woman laugh once again, but this time, it sounded familiar to me. Actually, her very voice sounded familiar, having a nurturing feeling to it.

“I know you,” I whispered to the woman, who nodded.

“Indeed, you do, Alice Blaze.”

The man walked over to stand on the woman’s left side and moved a step back as she lifted her hands and lowered her hood that hid her appearance.

My eyes widened at the familiar face, but more importantly, I took in her long, gorgeous orange-red hair and stunning red eyes that looked similar to mine.

A beaming smile cloaked her smooth, pink lips before she spoke.

“It’s nice to see you again, Alice. I’m Mrs. CloverSpell, the headmaster of Blazing Academy, the Institute for All Things Scorching. We’ve received your application and are very pleased with your results. We decided to give you early entrance and the chance to experience your first semester here as a trial of whether you’d like to attend this school for the remaining seven semesters. I’m sure you have lots of questions, but I at least wanted to congratulate you personally and welcome you to our world. Or should I say your true belonging, blazed one? Let us make our way inside. We have lots to discuss over some steaming pekoe tea.”

No blazing way! This can’t be real.

A DESTINY WORTH WAITING FOR

“Ihave to be dreaming,” I whispered, my eyes scanning the magnificent wall of books that reached the ceiling of Mrs. CloverSpell’s private office.

The beautifully rich, wooden masterpiece of a room was beyond words, and I was still attempting to absorb every bit of decor in her wide office.

Everything from the walls to the decor of the room was made of high-quality wood. From the basic oak wood with a finished gloss to her desk that was made of an intriguing white wood with hints of brown circular lines. Her desk had a gloss finish like a lot of the furniture, but it had gold sparkles to enhance the final look.

The lights of the room used real fire to brighten the place, and the lamp on Mrs. CloverSpell’s desk was a spiral design that branched out to a lovely tree with orange leaves that lit up, adding to the brightly lit room.

The temperature was hot, and yet, it was the perfect temperature for me. I felt nice and toasty, almost as though we were in the midst of winter and entered a room of blissful warmth.

I held the wooden cup in my hand, the drinking piece having mini antlers to hold the cup in one’s grasp. The steam of the orange pekoe tea still drifted up into the air, and its aroma was already giving me a calming vibe as I tried to absorb all of this.

“You’re not.”

My serene moment was ruined by the asshole of all things holy. My eyes slowly drifted to the culprit of the comment, landing on Angelic Asshole, whose scowl was as big as his attitude.

“So wake up and smell the coffee,” he finished, those gold eyes locking with mine.

“For your information, we’re drinking tea, not coffee, so I can’t accomplish such a deed.” Looking away, I raised my wooden mug to my lips and took a long sip of the tingling hot liquid.

Delicious!

“Ah,” I dramatically gasp. “Coffee couldn’t be more tasty than this. Now I’ll return to enjoying my dream while you keep being an Angelic Asshole.”

“It’s tea, and don’t faint on me again, Troublesome, Fainting Ball Kicker.”

“Are you actually going to call me that?” I inquired. “It’s seriously long. Why not make an abbreviation or something? Like T.F.B.K or something? Actually, don’t use that. Sounds like I’m a secret organization.”

“Annoying.”

“Don’t know me, but sure. Keep the insults coming so I can have enough points of justice to conduct my Blazing Alice Secret Move.”

The mention of the move had him shuffling his chair further left, creating a bigger distance between us. He pressed his legs together and glared at me.

“Stay away from me, Troublesome Alice.”

“I’m minding my own business, drinking my tea and living my all-time dream of being surrounded by books I’ve never seen before,” I defended. “I also liked Fainting Alice better.”

“Can you make up your mind?” He actually sounded bored.

“When you start following your own advice, like protecting your innocence in between those legs of yours.”

“Fudge off!”

“Fudge? Are you going to bake a rod now?”

His whole face went red again, and I giggled teasingly at him.

“All the fun I can have teasing your sanity and innocence away.”

“Dirty-Minded, Troublesome, Fainting Ball Kicker!”

“Really?” I couldn’t even keep up with the long nickname. “Seriously, you look like you’re twenty and yet you act like a four-year-old.”

“I’m eighteen!” he snapped.

“Are you sure?” I inquired and tilted my head. “You look twenty. Maybe twenty-two.”

“I’m not that old!”

“It has to be your grumpy, why-am-I-alive expression you carry all the time. Don’t you get tired of being angry all the time? Like, do your cheeks or mouth hurt from all the scowling you do? It’s like being so happy that your cheeks hurt from smiling but in your case, you just look like a grumpy grinch of all four seasons. You know, Christmas is three and a half months from now. You’re far too early.”

He looked like he was about to explode on me, but a low chuckle drew our attention. The two of us glanced back at the door to see a tall, familiar man.

My eyes widened at the familiar short blue hair with tinsel gold highlights. He was 6′2″, with tanned skin similar to mine, and wore a navy blue uniform that was almost identical to Angelic Assholes’ white uniform suit in style.

Most of the uniform was navy blue, but the outlining trim matched the golden to orange-red design I’d been intrigued about earlier. Instead of a blazer, he wore a cape that was gold and shifted to a midnight blue.

It was amazing to see glimpses of it because it almost looked as though the bottom half that shifted to the dark blue resonated thousands of tiny gold stars that flickered with a hint of movement.

The golden rope around the collar of his silky navy blue shirt was what tied it around his neck, and I noticed the massive golden staff in his hand that had floating orbs of orange, red, gold, and blue circulating the golden circular frame of the top of the staff.

Hovering in the middle was a red crystal that matched his striking red eyes. Cyrus, who’d been quietly sitting on my left knee, was now up and racing to the man, ready to attack him.

He frowned at her approach and used his staff to try to keep her away.

“Oh, no you don’t. Don’t go attacking me! I did nothing wrong to your mistress. I just arrived here, and I actually look hot today in my uniform. Shoo! Shoo! Help!”

I snickered while Angelic Asshole sighed.

“C’mon, Keru. It’s a damn puppy.”

“Oh go on downplaying the significant damage this apparent ‘puppy’ can do to my cape. You know how expensive this is? There’s no way I’m getting it ri-”

The ripping sound cut him off, and we all looked to the corner of his cape on our left side to see the tiny tear Cyrus had made.

As if noticing our attention, she stopped in her tugging motion to look around at us until she met my gaze.

“Woof!” She quickly looked back at the man named Keru, growled at him once, and raced back to my side until she was sitting on my foot.

No one spoke as Keru just stared at the ripped piece.

“My heart just broke inside,” he whispered in agony.

“Well, there goes all your savings.”

“Cyrus.” I glanced down at her, noticing her cute eyes that began to grow wide in sadness. She whimpered and tried to hide under her paws.

I couldn’t even scold her as I shook my head and rose up. Placing my mug on the desk, I looked between the two of them.

“Does anyone have a needle?”

“Are you actually going to try and fix it?” Angelic Asshole questioned.

“Well, ya. I feel bad!” I complained. “Do you have one? Or is there a home etiquette room in this place?”

“What’s that?” they both asked.

“The room where you guys have random stuff that helps with chores and stuff. I don’t know. Every school calls it something different. Like home economics? Ugh, who cares.”

“Gabriel. Don’t you always have that sewing kit around?” Keru asked.

“Who’s Gabriel?” I asked, looking over to Angelic Asshole as he rolled his eyes, but went into his left pocket and pulled out a mini white case. Pressing the gold button, it popped open and revealed a bunch of stuff you’d use for sewing, including a golden needle and gold thread.

“No way! You carry a sewing pack with you, Angelic Asshole?!” I was actually intrigued. “And your name is Gabriel?”

“Not something you need to know,” he grumbled but inched the case closer to me. “Now hurry and take your needle and thread. Make sure you give it back, sanitized and all.”

“I don’t have santiz-”

He reached into his other pocket, pulling out an actual, massive bottle of sanitizer. All I could do was stare at him with wide eyes and then move my gaze to his pockets.

How in the world did he keep that big jug of sanitizer in that tiny pocket?!

Keru began to chuckle again. “Gabriel’s a bit of a germophobe. Also, he has magic pockets. He can fit anything in there, so don’t be too surprised if he never has a backpack with him, but magically pulls out a encyclopedia or some other gigantic object.”

All I could do was nod and reach out for the items I needed. Taking the bottle of sanitizer and placing it where I’d been seated, I walked over to Keru and gasped when I saw the actual back of his cape.

“Wow! It’s like you have the galaxy on the back of your cape!” I practically shrieked in intrigued wonder.

It was mesmerizing to look at, and now I felt the urge to make sure I fixed the beautiful masterpiece of fabric.

“That’s why it cost an arm and a leg,” Keru announced. “Nice to see you again, Alice.”

“Again…” I began, only now clicking onto his image and the man from the window back when I wasn’t feeling well. “You! You’re the floating man from the window!”

“Did that just now click in?” Gabriel questioned. I glanced back to see his pitying expression as he shook his head.

“Sometimes I question how you’re related to Chambers at all.”

“Who is that?” I inquired.

“Gabriel,” Keru sighed. “You’re running your mouth again. Can we have a moment of silence for my cape first?”

“Your cape will be fine. Hold on.” I decided to focus on one thing at a time; the current goal of fixing Keru’s cape was now a priority.

Lifting the material up, my eyes inspected the tear and I nodded once. “Easy fix,” I commented before looking between the two of them. “Promise me something.”

“What?” Gabriel questioned while Keru casually shrugged. “Sure.”

“You don’t even know what she wants us to agree upon,” Gabriel pointed out.

“If it fixes my cape, does it matter?” Keru offered.

“I’m not going to make you guys promise something ridiculous,” I defended. “Just don’t say I did this, or I’ll get in trouble.”

I really didn’t want Grandmother finding out about my little “good” deed, especially when I’d promised Father years ago that I wouldn’t show off my talents to anyone else.

“Your secret’s safe with me,” Keru declared, his red eyes moving to Gabriel as his normal scowl returned.

“Fine.” He crossed his arms and stared at me. “What’s so secretive about sewing anyway?”

I didn’t answer him as I turned my attention to the fabric in my hand. Letting my right thumb feel the fabric a few times, I stared at the two ripped parts, absorbing the scene before me and closing my eyes.

Opening my left palm that held the needle and thread, I allowed myself to see the fabric before me within the darkness of my mind. The resonating stars that lingering in the majestic fabric seemed to carry through to this dark world, outshining their previous radiance as they shone brightly against the black surface and lit up the outline of the fabric in my grasp.

Soon enough, there was the golden needle and spool of thread; the two items beginning to float from my hand.

The gasps of shock that reached my ears confirmed my little secret was working, and I immediately got to work. Stuff like this always took a lot from me, but it was how I fixed my clothes when I was younger and Grandma was far too busy with bingo and other outdoor activities.

The thread went through its designated hole in the needle, readying itself for the quick task of sewing this piece of fabric together. The sharp tip of the needle floated towards the torn part of the fabric, and I used my other free hand to line the two pieces together and let the needle do its work.

All it took was a minute before the task was complete. The original glowing fabric began to fade from my sight, which informed me that it was now back to its perfect condition.

Opening my eyes to view the final product, I grinned with pride, feeling a few beads of sweat run down my face. With closer inspection, I quickly nodded, opened my left palm once more, and allowed the needle and thread to return to my grasp.

“There we go!” I looked up to Keru’s shocked expression. His red eyes were wide like plates while he literally stood there speechless. Letting the material go, I walked over to the hand sanitizer, took a small squirt, and put it along the needle before I offered it back to Gabriel.

He looked just as shocked as Keru. The level of disbelief in his expression alone was one I’d aim to inspire from him whenever I could.

“Here,” I declared. “Sanitized to your liking.”

“You fixed it!” Keru literally exclaimed, his shock as vibrant as the elation flickering in his eyes as he lifted the bottom part of the cloak to inspect the end result himself. “It’s perfect. You can’t even see the thread.”

“That was the point.” I gave him a small smile. “Also, you can’t tell my grandparents or anything.”

“When did you learn how to magically sew?” Gabriel was the one to ask as he accepted his items back to put them away.

“Uh…” I thought about it. “Three or four? Don’t ask why I wanted to learn how to sew at that age, and…wait. Magically sew? That’s what it’s called?” I inquired.

“You didn’t seriously think that was magic at all?” Keru inquired as he walked over to where Gabriel was sitting.

“I just assumed it was one of those crazy things I could do. Aside from bringing flaming destruction wherever I go. I was home with my Dad one day and ripped one of my doll’s arms by accident. I always saw in fairy tale movies and shows that when something ripped, the princess’s mother would come and sew it back together. I wished to do the same since I was the doll’s mother, so I searched the house until I found my grandma’s sewing kit and used my imagination to fix it. My dad caught me in the act and he just told me I wouldn’t get in trouble as long as I kept it between us.”

Keru was grinning from ear to ear, and in a second he was lifting me up. I shrieked as he hugged me tightly.

“You’re brilliant, Alice,” he praised before leaning back. “My name is Kerebrus Stone, by the way. A pleasure to meet you now that you’re not fainting out of windows.”

“Fainting out of wind…wait. Your name is Kerebrus? Like Cerberus with K?”

“My parents thought it was unique at the time.” He winked and lowered me back to the ground.

“Where’d your cool-looking staff go?” I inquired.

“Oh.” He reached into his dress shirt to tug out the gold chain that had been hidden beneath. “Right here.”

“How?” I arched an eyebrow in wonder, feeling like this guy had to be the reincarnation of one of those classic characters from Cardcaptor Sakura.

I was a tiny bit addicted to anime when I was younger…probably still addicted, but let’s push that aside for now.

“Magic, duh.” Gabriel sighed and rose up. Placing his empty mug on the table, he returned his attention to Keru. “Why are you here?”

“Mrs. CloverSpell told me that Alice randomly teleported to school after receiving her invite. I was going to her house originally.”

“Why do you sound like a stalker?” I inquired, noticing his hands were still on my waist. He noticed the same, and with a smirk, he let go of me.

“Why does everyone think hellhounds, or any form of canine breed, are stalkers?”

“Hellhound?” I stared at him in confusion, and Gabriel pinched his nose in annoyance. “Keru. She hasn’t got the whole Blazing memo on this place.”

“Really?” Keru dramatically gasped. “Oh, flaming sweetheart, we gotta fix that. You gotta know that Gabriel over there is a lethal flaming owl and angel cocktail.”

“Keru.” Gabriel looked like he’d murder him at any second. “Stop sharing other people’s business!”

“Why? We’re officially assigned to protect her now.”

“What?” Gabriel huffed. “Since when?!”

“Ten minutes ago. That’s why I came down here. Didn’t you get the floating butterfly memo?”

“Butterfly memo?” I inquired before the previous comment registered. “Wait! Protect me? From what?”

Keru and Gabriel glanced over to me as if my existence had suddenly been recognized.

“Flaming Sweetheart, your thought process is backward,” Keru noted.

“It’s not backward,” I argued. “I’m just struggling a little bit,” I admitted, attempting not to put my attention on my pounding headache.

“You’re not feeling well?” Gabriel questioned, his eyes focused on looking me up and down.

“I didn’t eat before leaving my house. I was on my way to walk Cyrus,” I began, glancing back at her as she was currently sniffing around the room. “When I got the invite, the world swirled, and I showed up here before Angelic Ass…oh. You have a name now. Right. Gabriel. Before Gabriel started insulting me,” I summarized.

“My insults were valid.”

“Just like my nickname for you,” I countered. “Angelic Asshole.”

“You…” he began. “Annoying, Troublesome, Fainting Ball Kicker!”

Keru looked concerned for his friend as he commented, “Please don’t tell me that’s the nickname you’re giving her? It’s rather long.”

“Rather?” I questioned. “It’s ridiculously long! Jeez. Go with Faint…and I need to sit down.”

My world was spinning in seconds, but hands quickly caught and lifted me up entirely. I blinked and looked up to realize Keru had picked me up and now carried me over to sit down on my seat from before.

“Seriously, are you okay?”

“Not really?” I tried to give a light-hearted smile, but I was on a crash course toward passing out. “I’ve been kinda unwell for a while. It’s been on and off. One day, I feel the best ever and the next I get hit with a fever, chills, dizziness, and basically stay in bed. I’ve been trying to downplay it when I’m around Dad…but it’s becoming worrisome.”

Keru slowly nodded, glancing over to Gabriel, who walked over to grab my cup of tea and offered it over to Keru to give to me.

“Finish your tea,” he suggested. “It’ll help keep you hydrated while we get you something to eat.”

I merely nodded, wishing the dizzy feeling would go away. My sudden discomfort had to show on my face since Keru took my tea away for a moment and looked back at Gabriel.

“Can you do something temporarily?”

Gabriel looked annoyed, but he ended up giving a slight nod before he crouched down before me. “Close your eyes for a second.”

I did as he asked, and his hand pressed against my forehead.

He took a few short breaths, and his hand began to grow extremely hot.

“Let the flames that course between us halt the transition of decline. Ignite my healing gift to embark on its journey within the scorching flames of my patient and alleviate any pain or discomfort. Isla na ru flamendo la healara.”

The scorching heat that burned against my forehead suddenly pushed a cooling wave of energy through my body, starting from my head and running down to my toes.

The first movement seemed to cool the temperature around us by a lot, and then a second wave - cooler and slower -moved along my body, taking away the headache, dizziness, aches, and exhaustion.

When I opened my eyes, I felt completely energized, like I’d slept for months and just woke up.

“Holy crap! That’s amazing!” I praised, feeling so much better.

Gabriel opened his eyes and removed his hand from my forehead.

“Feeling better?”

“Yes!” I beamed. “I feel like an Energizer Bunny! How’d you do that? What was that long spell sentence thing and weird Latin words? Was that even Latin? What language was that?”

“Easy, Flaming Sweetheart.” Keru placed his hand on my shoulder, urging me to remain in my seat.

I hadn’t even realized I was halfway off of it. My anticipation to learn whatever he just did outweighed how I’d almost passed out seconds earlier.

“Give Gabriel a moment.”

“Oh.” I looked back at him, noticing that he was now leaning against the desk and had his eyes closed. He actually looked to be in pain, which morphed my intrigued excitement to utmost concern.

“Is he okay?” I tried to get up again, but Keru sternly pressed his hand to keep me in place.

“Just give him a minute. Healing isn’t as easy for shifting flame angels.”

“Shifting what?”

“Hmm.” Keru looked down at me. “We’re going to have to teach you a lot of stuff once we talk with Headmaster CloverSpell.”

I frowned in worry, but Gabriel opened his eyes and let out a long exhale.

“I’m fine,” he calmly reassured us. “And stop spitting nonsense out.”

“Scolding me should be illegal,” Keru whined. “Seriously though, are you alright? Need more time?”

“Nothing to worry about.” Gabriel shrugged. “Nothing too serious, but Mrs. CloverSpell was right about the seal. It’s breaking quickly. I don’t think we have a week before her power consumes the remaining bits.”

Seal? That keeps coming up again and again. What’s this seal they’re talking about?

“Self-combust?” Keru sounded worried, his grip on my shoulder tightening. “We should undo the seal as soon as possible.”

“Waiting on Westley,” Gabriel noted. “He’s not back yet.”

“Where’d he go?”

“I’m right here.”

The three of us looked back to the door, and I noticed Cyrus ran up to the 6′0″ male and literally tackled his leg.

“Woof!”

The man yawned, the green bands of his hair almost covering his eyes if it wasn’t for his circular gold glasses that kept them out of the way. As if his reaction time was three seconds late, he slowly lowered his gaze to see Cyrus clinging to his leg with her happy, panting expression.

It was odd when I couldn’t recall who this person was. Maybe he was her previous owner or something. But if so, wouldn’t he have a stronger reaction after being united with a lost pet wolf-doggy?

He blinked his calm, teal-ocean eyes a few times.

“Oh.” He needed one more second. “The kimono familiar.”

“Woof woof!” Cyrus responded, moving off his leg to run around where he stood. Compared to the others, this guy was wearing the most casual outfit - black pants with a blue t-shirt, black running shoes, and fingerless gloves.

His hand held two pieces of paper, and he opened his palms, which allowed one of them to suddenly move. I watched in amazement as the folded paper began to fold itself into origami, and then floated from his hand all the way to Gabriel, where it landed on his nose.

He arched an eyebrow up at the paper crane and looked back at the new arrival in question.

“What’s this?” he questioned the new arrival.

“The message Chambers was supposed to send to you,” he replied. “He’s probably drinking and accidentally sent it to my address.” His teal eyes moved over to land on me, and he blinked four times before he tilted his head.

“He didn’t say the princess would be here so soon. What happened?”

“Princess?” I questioned.

“We haven’t talked about anything yet, Westley,” Gabriel grumbled. “We’re waiting for Mrs. CloverSpell.”

“That reminds me,” Westley suddenly announced, and he closed his eyes and clapped his hands once.

Flames of green and silver burst into life, making me gawk in shock and admiration as they danced within the space between his hands and revealed a tray of hot food.

If my jaw could reach the floor, it would have as my eyes grew even wider at the sight of a steaming hot bowl of soup, the smell reminding me of creamy mushroom that Grandma would make during the wintertime.

There was a brown basket of hot bread, a tiny white plate of butter, and a plate of various cheese and meats.

“Is…that for me?” I asked with a tiny voice, the sudden sight of food reminding me just how hungry I was.

The man walked into the room, using his feet to close the door behind him. He didn’t respond until he was right before me and lowering the tray to my lap.

“Ya. Mrs. CloverSpell said there was a guest in her office that needed some food. Didn’t expect it to be you, princess.”

Now that I got a better look at his pale white skin and the detailing of his eyes that looked like a moving ocean of blues and greens, I recalled the last bit before I’d lost consciousness the day I’d seen the talking owl, running in the air madness.

“You’re the guy who caught me,” I whispered in awe.

He actually grinned then, his eyes twinkling with delight as the ring of his irises began to glow a silver color.

“Yes. That was me,” he confirmed. “Nice to meet you, Princess Alice. I’m Westley.” His voice was so soothing, one that could put you to sleep if he told you a story before bed.

“Hello,” I replied and smiled. “Alice Blaze.”

“I wonder if she’s falling for his charm or because he brought food?” Keru pondered.

“As long as she’s not falling for me, I don’t care,” Gabriel muttered.

“I’m not falling for anyone!” I huffed but dismissed the idea of arguing it further as the mouth-watering aroma crept to my nostrils. “Finally, food!”

“Eat away,” Westley encouraged.

I got right to it, while the three of them gathered before the desk to talk. I’d completely zoned them out until my bowl of soup was empty and I was on the last piece of bread with a square slice of cheese.

“That means we’re enrolling?” Gabriel concluded with a sigh. “I’m too old for school.”

“You’re eighteen,” Keru said and sighed. “I’m nineteen, and you don’t see me complaining?”

“Did you two even graduate?” Westley inquired.

“Hey!” They both glared at him. “We did!”

“Don’t know. Sometimes you guys act like two partnered idiots.”

“Don’t insult us,” Keru groaned. “And it’s not like we were supposed to be partners.”

“That was because Keru failed a year.”

“I didn’t fail anything!” Keru defended. “I was on mandatory leave for a year. Stop airing my dirty laundry to the world.”

“Now you know how it feels,” Gabriel declared. “Westley? Does that mean you have to transfer?”

“Is that even possible? You’re only sixteen,” Keru acknowledged.

“Woof?”

Westley crouched down to stroke Cyrus’s head.

“Shouldn’t be a problem. I already talked with Mrs. CloverSpell about it. I’m technically gifted. No need for me to attend two more years of high school at my level of magic. Plus, my marks are perfect. All I need is a uniform like you guys and I’ll be good.”

“You’re sixteen?” I interrupted their conversation, my eyes glued to Westley as I stared up and down to take in his appearance once more. He looked to be the same age as Keru at first glance.

“Mhm.” He bobbed his head once.

“I’m sixteen, too,” I replied. “But you look the same age as Keru.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.” He smirked at my comment.

“No. That’s not a compliment to me,” Keru whined. “Please tell me puberty hit you already?” He directed the question to Westley.

His smirk widened.

“No.”

“Fuckery!” Keru put his hands in the air. “I need to have a moment with the gods on how unfair this is!”

“What’s unfair?” Gabriel questioned as he shook his head. “So what if he hasn’t been hit with puberty?”

“He’s going to have like two growth spurts and screw us all over with his charm!” Keru emphasized. “He’s already making girls and grown women swoon over him! Plus, he’s already six feet! He’s going to surpass you!”

Gabriel looked unconcerned for a mere five seconds before his scowl returned at full force. “I disapprove.”

“This is why you two are friends,” Westley concluded and looked back at me. “Feeling better, Alice?”

“A lot better, actually,” I admitted. “Thank you, guys,” I shared my gratitude with the three of them. “Um, do we just wait for Mrs. CloverSpell?”

Now that I was full and didn’t feel like I was dying, it was time for me to get some answers. “And I have to call my dad before he freaks out.”

“He already knows you’re here and safe.”

We all flinched at the sound that came from behind the guys, and there was Mrs. CloverSpell. She was smiling at us. She was now wearing a different dress from her previous one. This dress was strapless and clung to her slim figure. It was an orange color with little rhinestones of gold.

Every piece I’d seen of hers so far was always dazzled in rich, expensive fabric in some sort of eye-catching design, and this was no different. It was as though she was ready to attend a grand ball - every day - while her hair continued to be in its loosely curled hairstyle.

There was nothing hidden away this time. Her antlers were out and were intriguing to stare at. They weren’t on fire like before, appearing as normal as any reindeer.

Her grin widened at our shock, and she clapped her hands once.

“Good to see the four of you have finally met. We can go through official introductions in a moment, but I’d like us to move to the Ceremonial Forest of Scorching Awakenings.”

“Ceremonial Forest…” I tried to repeat the words, but my eyes suddenly grew so heavy I was falling over to the side with a mere blink. Arms caught me, and I heard Gabriel hiss.

“The seal is cracking faster than it should.”

“It shouldn’t, not when she’s just arrived,” Keru reasoned.

“Unless someone else knows she’s here,” Westley announced.

“Let’s move,” Mrs. CloverSpell ordered. “Follow me. Gabriel. Can you keep her stable before her health declines?”

“I can,” Gabriel replied with confidence.

“Good. Professor Daily will meet us there. Quickly!”

My world seemed to fade away, and all I could hope was that I’d survive whatever was about to happen to me.

Would this be a destiny worth waiting for?

UNLOCK THE SEAL AND BONDED BY FLAMES

This isn’t going to work. She has more than the flame element!

The debate happening in my dream was a fierce one. While I seemed to float above a pit of fire, my subconscious laid peacefully in its depths as the heat around us grew to great volumes.

I was surprisingly calm, a state of tranquility coursing through me like waves of water crashing at the base of my body.

The voices had been debating for what seemed like hours, talking about the seriousness of removing some seal and the underlying root of the problem with there being more than one element.

I was curious as to who they were talking about and if this person would make it through whatever procedure they were about to endure.

Surely it wasn’t me, but then again, I couldn’t recall who exactly I was.

This was one of those out of body dreams where everything around me seemed so real, but all I could do was listen with my ears while my vision remained in the darkness and my body experienced its own journey of emotions.

“We don’t have much time, Clover.”

“I’m well aware of that,” the female authoritative voice muttered.

“Isn’t there anything we can do?” The stern voice reminded me of one of the men I’d recently met. The angry, perfect one in all white.

Gabriel, was it?

“There has to be something. Chambers wouldn’t have sent us letters to come to protect Alice only for her to succumb to the breakdown of the seal.” The second voice reminded me of a more joyous male. I could recall his sheepish grin while his body floated in mid-air thanks to a massive magic circle that hovered beneath his feet.

The one named after Cerberus… Right. Keru.

“What exact elements have you detected? Within the magic charts of blazing species, there are four main elements, all of them with unique traits. Blazing Fire is an obvious one,” a tender voice elaborated.

His voice was extremely calming and soft. The flickering image of a sleepy male crossed my mind.

Westley.

“That’s the problem,” an older male voice declared.

“Elaborate, Professor Daily,” Gabriel urged.

“Blazing Fire. Wind Flare. Holy Thunder. Dark Flame,” Mr. Daily declared.

“S-She has all four?!” Keru stuttered. “Hold on. That’s impossible. She can’t have all of them when she’s only sixteen. Even gifted students don’t have all four unlocked. That takes the full term of Blazing Academy before Elite school happens to even reach that level.”

“You’re saying she’s basically Aang from Air Bender Animation, only in Blazing Academy standards,” Westley concluded.

“That’s what I’m sensing and that’s why we’re in a big dilemma,” Mr. Daily declared.

“Her mother had all four elements.”

“What, Mrs. CloverSpell?” Gabriel questioned. “And where is she, then? Shouldn’t she be able to stabilize her daughter?”

“Alice’s mother disappeared many years ago. It’s the very reason why Alice lived with her grandparents and attempted staying in the human school district for this long.”

“Chambers doesn’t have all four elements though,” Keru noted. “He only has Blazing Fire and Dark Flame.”

“Which is another problem,” Mr. Daily announced. “If we undo the spell, I can guarantee her Dark Flame will be one of the strongest. Wind Flare may actually be second, based on the recent events that brought her into early acceptance to Blazing Academy.”

“You’re trying to emphasize that she’s going to be out of balance,” Gabriel acknowledged.

“Which can potentially kill her when the seal is broken.” Westley hit the nail on the head. “How are you going to balance her out?”

“That’s the problem.” Mrs. CloverSpell sighed. “I need someone of each element. Or at least three of them. Her Blazing Fire should be fine on its own seeing as she’s triggered fire multiple times without even trying. However, the other three are completely missing links and with school not officially started, I have no professors on campus to aid with this. Both myself and Professor Daily specialize in Blazing Fire. We’d be able to give her a boost during the ceremony if her Blazing Fire is lacking, but there’s no way we have enough of the other elements to keep them in sync long enough for the seal to completely break at a safe pace.”

There was a long silence, and I wondered if this Alice would make it. Seemed like the odds were against her, and with no one to help with these other elements, it felt like an impossible task at this point.

The clock is ticking…

“WOOF!” A familiar barking sound suddenly sparked joy within me, an image of a black wolf puppy drifting into my mind.

Cyrus.

“You three!” a high-pitched, squeaking voice similar to a young girl declared.

“Us?” Gabriel, Keru, and Westly replied.

“Yes! You three can save my mistress!” There was a pause and then she continued, “You! You’re of Holy Thunder! That’s why you’re all angel like and wear white! You mean butt!”

“Hey,” Gabriel barked. “Not all Holy Thunder users are mean butts.”

“Whatever!” she huffed back and moved on. “You! You’re of Dark Flame, aren’t you?!”

“Uh…I guess,” Keru responded nervously. “It’s my strongest born element and why I can summon the flames of hell, so sure.”

“Good! That leaves you!”

“Hmm?” Westley replied and yawned. “You’re going to say I’m Wind Flare, aren’t you?”

“Yes! You’re…hold on. You’re not just Wind Flare.” She paused. “Hey. You…”

“A discussion for another day,” Westley concluded. “I can help in the Wind department. Now, what are we supposed to do, Cyrus? How long do we even have before the seal shatters? Can you tell?”

“Oh. Right!” Cyrus replied. “Uh 0h.”

“That alone doesn’t sound good.” Gabriel sighed.

“How much time, Cyrus?” Keru pressed.

“Ten minutes?”

“Damn,” Professor Daily commented. “If we’re going to do this, it needs to be now.”

“If we volunteer to do this, what happens?” Keru questioned. “Our duty was to protect Alice once she’d enrolled in Blazing Academy. This falls into that protection role. If we each devote one of the missing elements to her, what becomes of us?”

“Would it be like a boost?” Westley added.

“Or will it be like healing is where there’s an exchange?” Gabriel inquired.

“I can’t get into details because we’ve never done something like this at a swift pace,” Mrs. CloverSpell announced. “With the break of the seal ceremony, she would have been in a coma for twenty-four hours before the exchange is complete. Nature becomes the main host while those who contribute to the main element can offer energy to help the individual maintain their balance while the magic that is removed from the host is exchanged into Mother Earth. However, we don’t have time.”

“Alright, so you’re saying we need to have some sort of item that will harness the excess energy,” Gabriel elaborated.

“Yes,” Mrs. CloverSpell agreed. “But it can’t be a living being. Not even familiar. The magic will be too much and kill the individual.”

“So it has to be an object.”

“Yes,” Professor Daily spoke up. “But in this case, that item has to stay with her.”

“Stay with her? Like a piece of jewelry or something?” Keru asked.

“I get it,” Westley spoke up. “I’ve read about something like this, but it’s a little different. There has to be the main host that carries the object of question. Say, a ring. Then the host and those that are willing to input their magic will send bits of their own unique power within the object, which activates it. The host has to be with the object at all times, therefore, it has to be something she can carry with her or even wear.”

Something seemed to crack within my head, and a rush of a cold stream of what could have been water felt like it was leaking into my brain.

“Danger!” Cyrus declared. “I-It’s shattering!”

“What?!” The chorus of worried responses only made the tension around me seem to grow.

I was struggling to concentrate, as though my clear hearing was now going in and out. I wanted to find out what happened with this ceremony and what they would do to save this girl, but all I could do now was focus on the flooding happening internally.

It felt as though my body was now in a trapped car that was filling with water, and all I could do was feel the numbness begin to spread from the tips of my toes and move upward.

“We need to do it now!” Cyrus declared.

“We need an object!” Keru stressed.

“I know!” Cyrus announced and there was a sound of clapping hands. “This!”

“What’s that?” Keru asked.

“It’s a book Chambers gave me to give to Alice! It supposedly belongs to her mother.”

“Book of Blazing Spells,” Mrs. CloverSpell announced. “That could actually work!”

“What? Seriously?” Gabriel questioned. “She’d have to carry it with her everywhere, then.”

“It shouldn’t be a problem if we can make it into a piece of jewelry that can be summoned into a weapon,” Westley reasoned. “Professor Daily. You’re a blacksmith, aren’t you? If we let the book be the host of Alice’s excess magic, can you officially make it into a weapon for Alice to use and be able to wear?”

“I could now that I have a general picture of what you guys want. Also, seeing as Cyrus has been holding onto it, her magic can aid in the finalization. We can actually do this.”

“Then let’s get hurry up,” Keru encouraged. “What do we have to do or say?”

“Gather in a circle around her. Holy Thunder should be North. Wind Flare to the West. Dark Flame to the South. I’ll represent Blazing Fire in the East. Cyrus, keep the book above Alice’s chest and keep it open. Professor Daily, stand back and set the barrier for the ceremony. The moment we finish, close the magic within the book and seal it into a weapon for Alice’s usage only. If you do that now with her magic still coursing around it, that will secure its loyalty to solely her,” Ms. CloverSpell explained. “We each have to say our name, age, shifter type, and main element for the spell!”

There seemed to be a united silence before there was a deep inhale and exhale.

“Autumn Rose CloverSpell, thirty-seven, Flaming Reindeer, representing the element of Blazing Fire. Allow my power to resonate with Alice Blaze and exchange the excess to the book hovering above. Flamengo seal unbroka re lu!”

I suddenly grew hot, from the inside out, the burning sensation only the beginning as the next person spoke.

“Gabriel Sunrose, eighteen, Angelic Owl, representing the element of Holy Thunder. Allow my power to resonate with Alice Blaze and exchange the excess to the book hovering above. Holy la ra unbroka re lu!”

A wave of light seemed to flash behind my eyes, making the darkness that once cloaked my hidden vision into a mass of light.

“Kerebrus Stone, nineteen, Hellhound Warlock, representing the element of Dark Flame. Allow my power to resonate with Alice Blaze and exchange the excess to the book hovering above. Reva darkando ve no unbroka re lu!”

The next sensation that washed over me was hard to describe, my body feeling as though it had submerged itself into a pool of thick liquid, making it almost impossible to breathe.

I wanted to panic, but yet that ability was impossible in this numb state.

“Westley Simmons, sixteen, Elemental Peacock Magician, representing the element of Wind Flare. Allow my power to resonate with Alice Blaze and exchange the excess to the book hovering above. Windosa ena ra vula unbroka re lu!”

It seemed like my body now gasped for the first bit of air, but no sound left my lips as rushing winds wrapped around me, muting out any bit of sound that could have left me in this rushing moment of fierce elements.

The juggling force of warmth, crashing wind, thunderous light, and a mucky sensation of coldness all swirling around me, consuming my body in a form of protection until it shrank and wrapped around what had to be my brain.

All of this was extraordinary and odd to experience, and yet it didn’t feel like it was impacting me at the same time. It now felt as though my body was a canal, channeling two flows of energy where one was coming inward in four different directions while another was pushing a vast amount of energy outward, shooting up above where I remained hovering in the air.

“I, Cyrus Blaze, familiar of my mistress, Alice Blaze, contain the energy within this book and ignite its essence into a weapon! Let the new seal shield her from the catastrophic power she possesses and channel this power into this book of spells! Let the power that binds these elements together rage on in protecting their unity! Re va sealanda rainbarusha!”

My mind felt like it was spinning, going faster and faster, until I couldn’t keep up with it anymore.

“May the Universe, our Mother Flaming Gaia protect our students as they enter Blazing Academy. Let this book be a weapon of protection, defense, and wisdom, and let it unlock the paths of the future when the time is right. I invoke the power within these pages of parchment cream to do its duty as a new weapon of magical protection!” The male voice boomed with power and with a striking sound of lightning, the world went silent.

My levitating body seemed to begin to lower until I laid upon a soft surface. The warmth around me was comforting, one that brewed from within and hugged me in triumph.

A mix of renewed rejuvenation pulsed within my mind and expelled the exhaustion from my body. The feeling was good - almost rewarding - and though I couldn’t open my eyes to witness it all, I was now grateful to have survived the unique experience.

“We…did it?” Professor Daily questioned. The sound seemed muffled, but as I focused my attention to hear what was being said, the volume picked up to catch the heavy panting.

“I feel like I’m going to die,” Keru breathed. “That took at least a good two-thirds of my power.”

“Two thirds? I feel like I have no magic at all,” Gabriel commented.

“Oh great. Westley is sleeping.” Keru sighed. “Please tell me we did it? Pretty please?”

“It was successful.” Mrs. CloverSpell sounded exhausted but grateful. “All of you did a fantastic job. You’ll be rewarded for your assistance.”

“All I want is vanilla fondue with sprinkles and chocolate sauce,” Gabriel muttered.

“You and your addiction to sweets,” Keru said with a quiet chuckle. “No reward for me. Honestly, as long as Alice is safe and has a shot at attending Blazing, that’s all I care about. I’m sure Westley feels the same.”

“I don’t need one,” Gabriel added. “I’ll get my fondue when this school term is over.”

“Will you even remember?” Keru questioned.

“Probably not, but whatever,” Gabriel concluded.

“Thank you.” There was a moment of silence. “You all risked yourselves to protect my mistress. She’s had a hard life…and I wasn’t able to help her during it, but it’s nice to see a group of strangers help her when she couldn’t help herself. Thank you for your sacrificed time and energy.”

“So polite,” Gabriel grumbled, but followed with, “This world is a pain when you’re the unique one in a pool of normality. Your mistress, even if she annoys the hell out of me, deserves to see a world where she’s not considered odd in any way.”

“Powerful, beautiful, and talented,” Keru whispered. “She’ll also get to acknowledge your existence as well. We’re happy to help, and again, it was our duty bestowed upon us by her father. We accepted it, and are honored to do our part, even if it’s dreadfully exhausting.”

“Alice’s dorm has already been assigned. Let’s transfer over there and we’ll get the paperwork and scheduling taken care of. I will get all your documents settled as well. Sound good?”

“Yes,” Gabriel and Keru replied. “Westley approves as well,” Keru added.

“I feel like you have to speak up for him a lot, don’t you?” Professor Daily commented.

“He sleeps a lot.” Keru weakly chuckled. “Odd, since his embedded animal is a peacock and not a sloth or something.”

“Let’s get going,” Mrs. CloverSpell encouraged.

My body seemed to be scooped up, but the soft movement that followed reminded me of a rocking chair that went from side to side. The motion was soothing, only making my exhaustion begin to overcome my desire to remain here and listen to the commentary, but I held on for a little longer.

“I guess that means this is official, huh?” Keru whispered.

“What do we even call ourselves?”

“Blazing Knights? Sounds pretty badass with our Blazing Queen. She’s gonna be some sort of royalty when she reaches eighteen, isn’t she? She’s already categorized as a Blazing Hot Witch.”

“They don’t know. It’s not confirmed, from what I heard from Chambers. She took everything from her mom, aside from a few bits of his element. Whether she’ll be of royalty, or maybe even deemed a goddess of some sort, it’s far too early to predict. All I’m sure of is, from what we just experienced, that we’re going to have to stay close to her.”

“You think she’ll be targeted by the Four Blazing Horsemen?”

“I don’t think,” Gabriel whispered. “I know. And we’re just going to have to do our parts as Blazing Knights.”

“See?” Keru sounded happy. “It has a good ring to it!”

“Go away.”

“C’mon. You love me like a brother.”

“Dark flaming brother that finds amusement in the stupidest things.”

“If Westley were here, he’d defend me.”

“He’s on your back, sleeping his life away as usual. Now shut up. It’s hard carrying Alice.”

“Oh please. You’re living your best life getting to hold her. You’re probably all giddy inside while your heart goes lumpy dumpty. AH! Hey! I’m piggybacking our comrade! Professor Daily! Gabriel’s trying to commit first-degree murder!”

“Brought it upon yourself,” Professor Daily muttered. “Hurry up! Professor CloverSpell is tired.”

“Coming!” they replied.

The conversation was a little amusing, keeping me at ease as my mind began to drift away from it all.

“Maybe this role won’t be as bad as I thought,” Gabriel whispered.

It was the last thing I heard before the world went black.

“SO HOT,” I grumbled, attempting to move the blanket on top of me.

My attempt was a complete fail, the weight of the thing not even budging from my push. I mumbled something incoherent, debating if I should just go back to sleep or rollover.

“Rolly, rolly…roll,” I mumbled sleepily and ended up hugging my blanket. I tried to roll after a few minutes of drifting, the heat getting a tad annoying, but then the blanket hugged me back.

“Hugging blankets are nice,” I dreamingly sang, snuggling against its warmth.

“Woof?” The poke to my cheek made me puff my cheeks, my mind fighting to return to the land of slumber.

“Woof!” Another nudge, only it was to my nose. When I didn’t move, there was a sad whimper before happy panting.

“Why are you trying to wake your mistress? Hmm. How’d I get here again?”

The sleepy, deep voice left me a little confused, and I opened my heavy eyelids to see my face was inches from another - the pale complexion, smooth pink lips, and stunning teal eyes that twinkled with silver.

Those sparkling orbs registered mine, and his lips formed a pout.

“Before you freak out, I don’t know how I got here,” he defended before a yawn escaped him. “Actually, let me nap a little more.”

“You’re…Westley,” I declared before a yawn left my lips. “And you’re right. Give it five more minutes.”

He actually chuckled. “That’s not the reaction I expected to get.”

I yawned again and rolled away from him to the cool side of the bed.

“True, but it’s too hot to freak out… Maybe…later.” I was already drifting away as the far-away sound of amusement was followed with, “Okay. Five-minute nap.”

I was sure more than five minutes had gone by, and when I woke up and turned over, I noticed Westley’s shirtless back.

For sixteen, he hid his muscles well. The lines in his back that accented his muscles proved he kept himself in shape. What tugged my attention from admiring his hidden athletic body was the massive tattoo on his back.

I wasn’t sure about the laws on getting tattoos, but the swirling masterpiece of spinning black ink that then spiraled into a variation of blues, greens, and golds took my breath away.

My hand moved before I could stop it, my finger tracing along a bit of the detailed design. His body flinched just slightly, and he looked back with another pout on his face.

“Your finger is cold.”

At least he didn’t snap at me for basically touching him without permission.

“Sorry,” I apologized. “I…couldn’t really help it.”

“Still not freaking out?” he questioned, his heavy eyes analyzing my calm reaction.

“Am I supposed to be?” I pondered more to myself than anything. “It’s not like you’re naked. Also, why are we in the same bed anyway?”

Now that we were on the topic, I glanced around the dim room, noticing how unfamiliar it looked. It definitely wasn’t my room back in our haunted home.

It was hard to see everything in the dark, but the bed we slept on was definitely bigger than mine. It had to be queen-sized, and the dark red sheets were made of cotton while the ruffled blanket at the end of the bed was a red satin.

The red pillowcases had BA embedded into the silk material, the letters in orange with a gold outline around it.

Westley, who was sitting crossed legged, slowly moved around to face me, and I noticed the game console in his grasp while Cyrus was sleeping right in the middle of his lap.

It must be nice.

“You may not recall, but you passed out. We had to do a ceremony to unlock your powers and it kind of knocked me out.” He gave a sheepish smile as he shrugged. “I have issues with sleeping, so I like to sleep in intervals. I had to travel quite the distance to get here, so I skipped a few nap times and after the ceremony, I was pooped. I’m going to assume Gabriel and Keru thought it would be fun to throw us in one bed and wait for the chaotic, burning demise of my soul.”

“There will be no chaotic, burning demise of your soul over being in the same bed as me,” I groaned and sat up a bit.

I noticed I wasn’t wearing my crop top, black pants, and jacket combo. Instead, I was in a light maroon spaghetti strap top and shorts.

“Before you inquire, Mrs. CloverSpell changed your clothes after the ceremony since you were drenched in sweat,” he explained. “And if it was any other girl, I feel like this situation wouldn’t be nearly as calm. Plus side is, I can safely assume you like my magic incantations.”

“Magic incantations,” I repeated. “Is that the tattoo on your back?”

“Mhm.” He bobbed his head and turned his game off. Placing the console to the right side, he then leaned his hands back to rest his head against, while I sat up.

My eyes checked out his chiseled chest, noticing how defined his six-pack was.

“For someone who naps a lot, you look like a gym fanatic,” I commented before I registered my words. “Uh…and I’m so not checking you out or anything.”

“She says as her eyes remain on my abs.”

“T-They’re not on your abs,” I huffed and lowered my eyes further, noticing that he just wore white boxers that clearly defined his Willy Wonka. My cheeks grew hot, but all I could do was stare.

“Fudge,” I finally cursed, and he began to chuckle quietly.

“From what I heard from Keru, you like to tease Gabriel about his innocence.”

“He deserves it for calling me Annoying, Troublesome, Fainting Ball Kicker,” I whined.

“He should add Blazing onto it.” His lazy smile made my heart skip a few beats as he casually sang, “Blazing, Annoying, Troublesome, Fainting Ball Kicker Alice.”

“Why does it sound like a good song when you sing it like that?” I questioned, actually enjoying the tune of his voice. “You sing well.”

“Singing was my third choice of career if school didn’t work out.”

“What’s your first and second?”

“Second, videogame creator. First, Blazing Instructor.”

“What’s a Blazing Instructor? That word keeps coming up a lot.”

“A Blazing Instructor is similar to a professor but instead of working in the classroom, they work on the field to train Blazing Academy students,” he explained. “As for the term of Blazing, it’s the core of all individuals that are blessed with fire magic. So normally, anyone who has the base element of fire in their veins will get accepted into Blazing Academy.”

“Is that why I got an invite?” I genuinely asked.

He nodded and gave me a look of delight. “You got early acceptance. They don’t normally allow sixteen-year-olds into the curriculum. Blazing Academy is like a University College, if you want to look at it that way. Most students are eighteen or older, with a few exceptions. At least you don’t look sixteen.”

“Neither do you,” I noted, remembering the mention of his age from earlier. “Are you actually sixteen?”

“Mhm,” he replied. “My parents are both tall and have extremely fast metabolisms. It’s pretty easy for me to maintain my muscles, but I think I’ll try and bulk up a bit.”

“Why?” I inquired. “You’re hot already.”

“Thanks for the compliment.” He looked extremely happy. “And not sure. I’m still wimpy-looking, from what the guys at the gym say.”

“They’re just bullying you,” I huffed. “Those who spit out hate only do it because they’re jealous, envious of your looks and qualities, and want you to be unhappy with your progress. Don’t let them change you.”

“You sound like an expert.”

“I’ve been bullied all my life,” I reminded. “If you don’t learn from repetitive behavior that targets you negatively, you’re always going to be a victim of circumstance. Then when things really hit you in the face, you’ll have no one else to blame but yourself because the world will discard you and question why you didn’t speak up after X, Y, and Z times.”

“Sad, but true.” He rubbed at his eyes before he reached over to the night table to grab his glasses. Instead of the gold ones I’d seen from earlier, these ones were purple.

“Purple glasses?” I commented. “And you look really different without your glasses.”

Now that I was more awake, I could see a significant difference.

Without his glasses, he looks like a hot model. With his glasses…he looks like a hot model with glasses.

“Everyone says that,” he commented as he slid them on. “How are you feeling?”

“Still tired, but a lot better than before. I wouldn’t mind going back to sleep though…but I feel I should be more concerned about where I am, if my dad knows I’m sleeping here, and wasn’t I supposed to talk about my admission into this school?”

My questions were a little out of place, but I was still working with a sleepy mind.

“This place is safe since it’s the room you’ll be staying in this semester and onward if you’re pleased with it. As for if your dad knows, he does. Mrs. CloverSpell gave him and your grandparents an update. They know you’re here and well-rested. After the first day of class, we receive cellphones provided by the school. You’ll be able to call and talk to them. Finally, Mrs. CloverSpell wanted you to rest tonight since orientation is tomorrow morning.”

“T-Tomorrow? School starts tomorrow?!”

“Yup. Blazing Academy usually starts a week or two after normal schools.”

“I’d be more nervous if I wasn’t so tired,” I admitted. “What about the uniform and stuff?”

“Don’t be nervous,” he encouraged. “Professor Daily said your uniform will be delivered in the morning.”

“But…I know nothing about this school.” I tried to hide how nervous I really was, but my voice trembled while my eyes lowered to stare at my hands. “What if I screw this up? I’m out of options, Westley. I can’t transfer to anywhere else. This invitation was like a saving grace…but if I screw it up-”

His hand landed lightly on my head, and I peeked up to see his calm expression. “You won’t screw up,” he whispered. “Blazing Academy embraces all those that use fire. No matter how chaotic our power is, we won’t be kicked out. This is a school created for our kind, and it’s meant to lift us up, not bring us down. You’re new to this side of the world, but trust me, once you see it for yourself, you’ll realize that there was nothing wrong with you, Alice. The world simply couldn’t see that blazing fire within you.”

His words tugged the strings of hope within me, and I gave him an appreciative smile as I slowly nodded. “Okay.”

“Go back to sleep,” he encouraged. “I may not be here in the morning, but Keru said he and Gabriel will be here. The alarm on the nightstand is set for six in the morning. Uniforms arrive at seven and orientation is at nine. Keru and Gabriel will be with you to grab our new student packages.”

“What about you?”

“I’ll probably meet you guys there. My uniform came late and apparently needs adjustments, but I’ll meet you guys the moment I get there. Won’t be hard to spot you.”

He stroked my head and lifted Cyrus from where she was fast asleep on the other pillow. Uncrossing his legs, he moved off the bed and stretched.

I admired his body, realizing just how attractive he was, especially with so few clothes. His lazy eyes glanced my way, catching me in the act of checking him out - again.

“You can always take a picture?” he suggested.

“No phone.” I actually sounded disappointed.

“When you get yours, I’ll pose just for you.”

“Liar.”

“Dead serious,” he promised. “You can plaster it all over your wall and phone wallpaper.”

“That would make your girlfriend jealous,” I suggested, in an attempt to figure out whether he was dating anyone. He had to be taken with his good looks, a calming charm, and an intriguing personality.

I’d totally date someone like him. Wow…I never even thought of dating when it came to all the other schools.

“No need to worry about that.” His words almost made me slip up as my hopeful expression was a few seconds from plummeting when he added, “I don’t have one, meaning you can enjoy taking all the pictures you want.”

He grabbed his game console and looked over his shoulder. “But I’m not posing naked until you’re eighteen.”

“Oh c’mon,” I responded before I even thought about it. “Oh, fudge!”

“I love how you swear with fudge,” he noted. “Could just be like Keru and say ‘fuckery’.”

“That’s still saying the F word,” I pointed out.

“Yes, but it’s not necessarily THE word,” he emphasized with a playful grin. “Go back to bed. We’ll catch up tomorrow.”

“Are you going to sleep?”

“No.”

“Then why are you leaving?”

“Don’t want to disturb you,” he admitted.

“But you weren’t disturbing me.”

“Aren’t you supposed to be all frantic about being in a room with a guy? We may be sixteen, but I won’t act as if I don’t see you as the opposite sex.”

“Is that your way of saying I’m attractive?”

He turned around and bobbed his head from side to side. “That’s my way of saying you’re hot, especially when you sleep and cling to me like I’m your blanket.”

That made me blush and he chuckled.

“I’m leaving for the sake of my sanity. Plus, these boxers are outgrowing me, and I really don’t like being uncomfortable in tight clothing.”

“They aren’t…” I began while observing the boxers in question, only for my mind to click on what he meant and my whole face burned red. “Go away.”

He quietly chuckled and turned around.

“Sleep well, Alice,” he bid farewell. “Remember, you’re unique and powerful, but if you ever forget, just let me know. I’ll remind you.”

He headed out before I could reply, and when the door closed, I listened to his fading footsteps until the room was left in comforting silence.

I frowned but laid back down, his words resonating within me as I reached for the blanket and shuffled over to the pillow with my sleeping Cyrus.

“Unique and powerful,” I repeated, and I tried to ignore how my heart continued to beat quickly against my chest.

For the first time ever, I was suddenly excited about what school would have in store for me. What used to be a hindrance to the world around me now somehow bonded me to a group of individuals that I could actually get along with.

It wasn’t perfect, and I barely knew them, but for once, I was ready to try and learn more about each of them without the fear of having to transfer a few days or weeks later.

Seems like we’re bonded by flames, and I’m about to start something new.

FRESH START TO THE SEMESTER

“Wow.”

I stared at my uniform, impressed with every bit of detail in the fine material. This was the first time I’d worn a uniform I truly admired. Everything about it, from the soft texture of the fabric against my skin to the insulated warmth it brought gave me a bit of a giddy feeling.

It was hard to explain it, but the sight of the uniform on me gave me a new level of empowerment. I wasn’t dreading starting school, especially when I knew nothing about it other than its name and acceptance of students that harnessed the power of fire.

That sense of uncertainty should have rooted me to the floor of this nicely decorated room, and yet it only brought me a sense of joy about this newfound opportunity.

Funny how only days ago, I was at the lowest peak of my life. I couldn’t see a way out of the dark world of chaos closing in all around me, and with the pressure of my grandparents’ expectations on my shoulders and my desire to please them and my father, I couldn’t see myself moving forward after failing them yet again.

Now I was here, standing before this massive mirror that reflected a girl who brewed with confidence. My skin seemed to be glowing, looking as smooth as it ever has, and even with my lack of makeup, I looked even better than I did with my usual twenty-minute makeup morning routine.

I’d put my hair up in a more unique style, my bangs left to the sides while I styled my hair with two buns that reminded me of the classic Sailor Moon hairstyle.

My hair was nowhere near as long as hers, but I left a good chunk of the back strands loose, revealing the dark red roots compared to the lighter orange that was more in the top half of my orange-red hair.

I was still wearing the spaghetti-strapped crop top beneath, opting to wear that instead of the simple black long sleeve shirt that came with it. The instructions stated if we ran a little on the warmer side -which I safely assumed had to be half the student body - we could wear any interior top as long as it didn’t expose your nipples or stomach.

That applied to men and women.

In my case, the dark navy-blue blazer, that almost looked black depending on how the light hit it, would be fully buttoned so my stomach wouldn’t show. The buttons on the blazer were gold, matching the trimming of the uniform that shifted from gold to orange.

Seeing it on Gabriel’s uniform was super intriguing from afar, but now that I could see it up close and feel the texture, it truly was a magical experience. The uniforms could have been made with magic for all I knew, especially in this world where magic…existed.

That was still hard to grasp, that our world wasn’t as two dimensional as I thought it was. When I was younger, I had a broad love for magic and the tales of magical worlds and fairies within the lined pages of multiple library books.

My struggle to adapt always led to me diving into another borrowed book, searching for a way to escape, even if it was temporary, but when the bullying went on and on, I began to lose the joy within those stories and gave up reading them entirely.

I decided that being the smartest in the room was far better than getting lost in a bunch of fairy tales that weren’t true. I loved the lessons that were hidden within the tales, but they wouldn’t help me against a bully who tried to condemn me for existing.

Returning to looking at my skirt, I twirled around once, watching how the navy-blue skirt fluttered upward and lines of gold and orange like the trimming of the blazer lit up at the flowing movement.

Staring back at my reflection, I watched as the flaming color dimmed back to its invisible appearance within the dark blue fabric, and it made me giggle quietly.

It was mandatory to wear pantyhose for orientation, but after that, it wasn’t required, and our matching blue combat boots were downstairs near the door.

They were fire, water, and basically life-proof, from how it was described on the instruction sheet.

Everyone got a bag that matched the same theme of the uniform and had BA printed on the main pockets, and we’d be provided with our books, pencil case of materials, and even a magic wand or weapon that would be appointed to us either by one of our professors or the headmaster herself.

That reminded me of one of the many things I was excited about.

Mrs. CloverSpell was the headmaster of this school.

To see her name on the first page of the instruction booklet gave me a huge surge of relief. Out of all the principals from my past, she’d been the one I’d actually had a connection with.

To now know that she’s someone similar to me and was going to guide me through this whole process was a lifesaver in disguise. It was also a surprise to see Professor Daily on the list of new professors for this semester’s curriculum.

I had so many questions, but I didn’t want to bombard my mind with them. This wasn’t an experience I’d get to enjoy every semester. This school could potentially be one that I remained at for four solid years, and being around students that were two or more years older than me was another factor I’d have to face.

Thanks to my looks, I wouldn’t struggle too much with fitting in, but I had to make sure I adapted quickly. That way, no one could easily take advantage of me for being a newbie in this world.

That was one of my many goals. I was going to try and enjoy the process, but I’d dive into as many books as I needed to gain enough knowledge to be on the even side of things.

As for the magic department, a bit of me hoped we don’t need to dive too much into that this semester.

I’d be lying if I didn’t admit to the slight flutter of butterflies in my stomach at the idea of using magic. When I ignited things by accident or single flames burst into massive ones, I mentally denied the idea of magic.

It was a human habit to shun away from anything that seemed out of the ordinary, and seeing as everyone else did the same, I, too, had no choice but to assume I was cursed or something, rather than believe I was gifted with the ability to summon fire at my fingertips.

Now that I knew that I wasn’t some crazy cursed girl, everything made more sense, but there were so many more things that needed to be addressed and explained.

Like that sealing ceremony.

I hadn’t recalled much when I’d first woken up, but when I woke up at five this morning, everything came rushing back. The voices, the details of the ceremony, and the various feelings I’d thought were someone else’s.

I was free of some seal, something I had no clue how I got or even who placed it on me. Seals were normally placed to prevent things from awakening.

Why would someone place a seal on me? Especially one that felt like it could have killed me if I hadn’t been invited here in the nick of time?

All of this felt like Mother Fate had kicked in, saved me from death, and was giving me a clean slate.

A fresh, new start.

I was definitely grateful. The idea of now being able to attend a school on equal footing and not with a fear of being exiled or kicked out gave the sense of enjoying a deep inhale of fresh air after being trapped in a stuffy room for years.

No limitations on being who I am.

As I admired my appearance one more time, there was a knock on my door that had me turning around to see Keru.

He was in a similar uniform to the one Gabriel had worn the other day, but the color was pure black with a hint of dark red when the light shone on certain parts of his pants and dress shirt. He didn’t wear the blazer like Gabriel had worn, instead donning the starry cape on his shoulders with the golden ropes that tied around his collar and were now clipped with a midnight blue jewel.

The cuffs links of his extremely dark red silk shirt were gold, and I noticed the single earring on his left ear that carried a ruby red jewel that reminded me of his striking eyes.

His short blue hair was styled to one side, giving him a professional, elegant look, but with that boyish grin on his face, the humorous, fun side of him still slipped through his expression.

“Good Morning, Alice. You look spectacular in your uniform,” he greeted and complimented, doing a good up and down stare with his eyes as he entered the room.

“Morning, Kerberus,” I greeted. “I’m allowed to call you Keru, right? I never asked before.”

“Certainly.” He beamed at my inquiry, reaching where I stood. “Wow, they got the measurements right on. You’re lucky. Poor Westley has to go in and get adjustments. He probably grew an inch or two everywhere.”

“You make it sound like him growing is a hindrance,” I acknowledged.

“It is,” Keru stressed. “He’s going to look better than me before this semester’s over. I’m praying to the gods that he skips puberty. Just be like blop.” He made his hands go in a poofing motion. “Gone. Skipped. He’s good enough already.”

I actually laughed. “I’ll agree with you there, but that leaves me a little excited to see what he’ll look like after puberty.”

“No,” Keru whined, placing his hands on my shoulders and turning me around so I was now facing the mirror once more. “Focus on your epicness and forget that fool.”

“The fool you’re jealous of when he hasn’t hit puberty yet,” I said in amusement, noticing his sad pout, which only made me laugh.

“Did you sleep well?” he inquired with hopeful eyes. “I know all of this is very hard to suddenly adapt to. We wish you’d had a better transition, but time wasn’t really on our side when it came to your application process. It was rushed to make sure you got in, so my apologies if everything is leaving you a little anxious,” he apologized.

“I’m not necessarily anxious,” I admitted. “I feel…pumped, a little nervous, and a little happy. It’s difficult to explain because I have so many questions regarding this world, what I am, and what I’m about to get myself into, but I know with time and patience, you guys will help answer everything for me,” I explained.

Lifting my head up to the side to meet his gaze, I continued, “I’m used to being rushed to a new school and having to adapt to the environment. Today isn’t really different, even though this is a whole new experience that isn’t near the average level of normalcy. With the other schools, when I arrived, they normally knew who I was before I could even introduce myself, so that judgment was already there. With this school, I’m not sure if the same circumstances apply, but regardless, my goal is to be on top of things. I’m a fast learner and observe information rather quickly so I’m not concerned about academics. Where my current level of worry is centering on is the magic portion of the curriculum. I have no clue how to control whatever magic I have within me, and that scares me a little. To be out of control of my circumstances when I’m a powerful person, you know?”

“I understand.” He gave me a stern look while he nodded slightly. “That’s why we’re going to help you. Gabriel is making breakfast, and we’re going to give you a speedy Blazing 101 lesson while we eat. We still have an hour and a half before orientation. Plenty of time to give you some pointers.”

He patted my shoulders and massaged them a little as I returned to looking at our reflection.

“As for the magic portion, you only need to worry about the final exam. Magic isn’t the primary focus for the first semester due to multiple factors. The main one is exactly what you’re worried about. Surprisingly enough, a good seventy-five percent of the student body is new to this world of magic. Many are from a family where they’re either adopted, have one parent with magic abilities and another who remains a human, or are within a family that decided to return to a life without magic, which leads to their children losing that experience,” he explained. “Therefore, many students are just like you. They know that some sort of power follows around them, but they don’t know how to control it, and that starts with the knowledge that helps us maintain control over our element.”

“That means this semester is more focused on learning about how to play with fire?” The wave of relief was already flooding through me at the thought.

“Essentially.” He seemed pleased with my response. “It’s still going to be a lot of work and studying, but we’ll help you along the way. All the classes involving some form of magic is survival, and you don’t get in trouble for blowing things up or certain items catching on fire. Most of the main classrooms are fireproof, so there’s nothing to worry about when your magic goes a little over the wild side.”

“What about…shattering glass?” I whispered as the worry from my confrontation with Rick came rushing back. “Before I got expelled from my last school, I somehow shattered all the glass in the entire school. For a moment, it felt like the wind was protecting me, and the glass was merely a way to ensure I wouldn’t get hurt. What if that happens again?”

“What you’re saying sounds like Wind Flare.”

“What’s that?” I inquired.

“We’ll explain downstairs, I promise,” he assured me. “But to answer your main worries, that won’t be an issue and if anyone threatens you to the extent of you having to use such tactics in defense, I’ll personally kick their ass. No one is getting away with tossing you around.”

His defensiveness made me smile in gratitude.

“You barely know me though,” I whispered.

“Don’t need to.” He smirked. “From the few interactions we’ve had, you’re a pretty cool girl who can rock some flames. If anyone has a problem with that, they’re missing the joys in life. Plus, we’re attending school together so I’ll get to know you with each day that passes in this semester. Tons of time to learn about one another, and seeing as you’ve been super cooperative, I don’t see anything interfering.”

“You’re pretty confident.”

“When you face the world without doubt, you’ll jump further than someone withering in worries and fears,” he declared with a wise tone of voice. “Fear only stops people from obtaining their highest self. Don’t let the fear of the past stop you from enjoying and reaching the true potential within each new experience. Our mistakes are what help us get back up and move forward. Let the pain from the past encourage you to make a better future.”

“You should be an inspirational speaker,” I acknowledged.

“Gabriel said the same thing, and then he usually teases me because my moments of wisdom are just that.” Keru laughed. “I should write them in a book so I can refer back to them.”

“That’s a good idea,” I reasoned. “Hmm. I wish my dad was here, though. He never gets to see me in my school uniforms since my grandparents never want him around the house,” I admitted.

“Have you taken a picture yet?” he asked.

“No. I don’t have a phone,” I admitted. “During school I carry an emergency one, but it’s not the type where you can text all you want or make calls. I never really sustained any friendships, so there wasn’t a need for me to have a plan or anything. Plus, we’re not really financially secure since my grandparents’ income isn’t enough that we can afford one-third of it going into a phone plan.”

“The school thankfully provides us phones, but,” he paused to pull out a red box with a gold bow on top, “it looks like your dad thinks ahead.”

“What’s this?” I had to turn around to face him, my eyes peering down on the lovely ruby red box and the sparkly gold ribbon bow on the top of the rectangular lid. “Did you just hint that it’s from my dad?”

“Indeed, I did,” he confirmed and offered it to me. “Open it while we still have time.”

Accepting the box, I quickly opened it to see a brand new phone in its original wrapping. I immediately recognized the latest foldable phone from the brand Apple, the one that all the students begged their parents to get them and waited hours upon hours for.

This one had just come out. It was the talk of the school on the first day of class. Students had skipped class to wait in the longest lines ever, just so they could wrap their hands around the hottest phone.

The camera was superb, and there was some new technology people raved about. It was able to translate various things, and also had a hologram function.

I normally tried to tune the gossip out when it came to electronics because I knew we wouldn’t be able to afford it, so why bother pestering my mind about something I couldn’t obtain?

The box shook slightly in my hand, to the point where Keru put his hand beneath mine to keep it steady.

“Do you like it?”

“When…how did he get this? It’s sold out everywhere. This color…I thought these types were limited.” I couldn’t comprehend that something of such value was in my grasp. “This had to be thousands of dollars. I’ve…never had a phone of such luxurious value like this. My phone was one of those ancient bricks and again, only for emergencies.”

I had to sniff to stop my nose from running, tears forming in my eyes unexpectedly as I whispered, “I haven’t gotten a gift from my dad since I was four or five. When I had to stay with my grandparents due to his alcoholic tendencies, they wouldn’t let him spend money on me. Any gifts he sent over, they would send back before I could open them. I never complained, seeing as they were kind enough to take me in instead of me having to be adopted by some other family while Dad dealt with his issues, but I always secretly wished to keep one present from him.”

“Looks like it’s the perfect moment to grant that very wish,” Keru quietly suggested.

I nodded quickly, letting the droplets of tears run down my cheeks as I let my thumb run along the front of the box.

“I don’t know how to set this up, though,” I confessed.

“Got you covered.” He smirked. “We’ll do it over breakfast. Once we explain the basics, I’ll give you a brief tutorial and then we’ll go into details when school is over. What do you say?”

“Perfect plan!” I declared. “Then we’ll take a picture?”

“We can do that now,” he announced and reached into the same pocket to take out his own sleek navy-blue phone.

“I can take the picture and send it over.” He stepped back and angled his phone to capture me. “Give a nice big smile for me,” he cheered.

Following his direction, I gave a big, wide smile as his flash went off, capturing the portrait image. He took a few more and then nodded.

“We’ll review them downstairs and we can send one to him with whatever message you want to attach.”

“Really?” I felt like I was intruding by using his phone. “We can wait so you don’t waste your text messages or anything,”

Keru shook his head. “Unlimited plan. Don’t need to worry about any limits, Blazing Sweetheart.”

“Is that my new nickname?” I inquired.

“Do you like it?” he countered.

“Better than the long one Angelic Asshole gave me,” I concluded.

He laughed and nodded his head. “I can agree with that one. C’mon, let’s head down.”

“Okay,” I agreed and checked the mirror to make sure my teary moment didn’t suddenly make me into some hideous monster. “Also, how did you fit that box and your phone in the small pockets?”

Since I was wearing a skirt, the only pockets I had were in my blazer.

“Ah,” Keru commented. “Our pockets are magic ones, Blazing Sweetheart.”

He slipped his hand into his pocket and pulled out a midnight blue umbrella with a golden trim.

“You did not just take a damn, four-foot-long umbrella out of your pocket,” I said in shock.

“I did.” He chuckled, opened it up for demonstration purposes, and closed it once more. Slipping back into his pocket, it vanished, and his smirk grew bigger at my gawking expression.

“All our uniforms have magic pockets. You can put whatever in them, minus really big things like cars. Apparently, we used to be able to but then students started stealing cars and such so they banned that. Just place the item you want to enclose within the pocket and it’ll enter some void system. You have to maintain your grades to have a good stack of storage, and then later on, we get more access, which means at a certain semester you’ll be able to use the same technique with normal clothes. I heard if you get really good grades, that privilege is unlocked as well,” he explained.

“Is everyone’s uniform different?” I asked as we headed to the door.

“Yup! All uniforms are uniquely designed for every student. When we get to school you’ll basically see a rainbow of students in various colors, but all the uniforms have the same gold-to-orange trim along the blazer that flickers with movement. It helps to ensure that outside students can’t enter easily, since all uniforms are created specifically for each student and the data is entered into the school system. It’s one of the many cool things that make Blazing Academy sort of like an elite school for magic users.”

“Wow,” I whispered. “That’s awesome and a little worrisome. What if I ruin it or get it really dirty or burn it?”

“Well, it’s fireproof to a certain extent. It depends on how powerful the flames are that try to consume you. Shouldn’t need to worry about that, though. Also, we have special washers and dryers that were made to ensure the uniform stays up to par. Once you finish drying it, it’ll steam itself and have zero wrinkles. It’s pretty awesome.”

“How do you know so much?”

“I’d been debating on whether to attend or not,” he revealed. “Since I was thinking of it being one of my options, I decided to do my research. Figured I’d wait a year to attend, but fate had other plans.”

“You’re attending because of me,” I mumbled. “Sorry if that’s a rushed decision.”

“Nah.” He reached out to pat my shoulder as we stopped at the door. “I would have made a decision regardless, but seeing as duty called, it kind of worked out for the better. At least I’m around people I get along with.”

“You don’t get along with people?”

“I get along with those who I want to get along with,” he replied. “Which isn’t many. I’d rather keep to myself.”

“Why?”

“Simple.” He gave me a genuine smile. “I hate fake people.”

That’s all he said as he walked out of the room and headed down the stairs, expecting my stunned self to follow his lead.

Fake people. If only he knew just how true his words were.

BLAZING HISTORY AND FRESH START TO THE SEMESTER

“You’re not actually saying that I, Alice H. Blaze, am a Blazing Hot Witch,” I concluded. “I know I’m attractive, but was the ‘hot’ really necessary in the definition of my apparent designated type of witch?”

Keru was halfway through eating his toast while Gabriel was sipping his matcha tea at the massive kitchen island. This place was gigantic, leaving me to wonder who else would be staying with me in this dorm.

More like a luxurious house for blazing student royalty.

“What does the H stand for in your name?” Keru randomly asked.

“I don’t know.” I shrugged. “My dad never told me.”

“A mystery,” Keru drew out as if to emphasize the suspense of the missing meaning of my middle name. I’d asked my grandparents about it, but they, too, couldn’t answer, saying my dad would answer when I was older. However, I ended up forgetting all about it.

I bit into my toast as Gabriel took the moment of calm to elaborate on what I’d asked.

“The term is used to describe a group of extremely powerful witches. Magic users vary by type, and then each type branches out into unique groups that are associated with an animal of some sort. No matter the specific animal characteristic that’s embedded in each individual, all of us that attend Blazing Academy have the common elemental trait of fire,” he explained.

Taking another sip of his steaming hot tea, he carried on, “Blazing Hot Witches are actually extremely rare. The witch that declared that title was female and deemed to be sent down by the gods themselves. In the human world, you guys have various religions that believe in a God or other higher powers, but in the world of magic, there are higher levels like the Universe,” he began. “God is still the highest power of the Almighty. Some believe in His existence and others don’t. Regardless, He’s the highest power in the heavens. Many people are aware of angels and other such beings. However, there are also other gods and goddesses. They’re individuals that were blessed and sent down to bring the world up, especially surrounding the use of magic. However, they were hunted by the humans they wished to protect, and some were even killed. It led to a war that made the gods very angry, and the end result made Mother Universe, which we call Mother Flaming Gaia, extremely upset. The killing of humans already hurt her, but gods are literally parts of her essence that were extracted by God’s hand before being created to serve both sides of the spectrum of life. To see the humans kill them ignited wrath upon the world, and they were struck by various elements.”

Keru nodded as he paused in chewing to add to the conversation.

“It’s similar to that part in the scriptures where they tried to build a ladder to reach heaven and were struck down and ended up speaking different languages. In our case, different parts of the world were struck by the elements. Some were flooded with forest fires. Others were struck by storms of thunder and intense sunlight. A few parts got hit with tornados and hurricanes. And a few rare parts got hit with a constant eclipse that left those parts in solid darkness.”

Gabriel bobbed his head, lowering his mug to the marble surface to carry on.

“However, there was one part that got struck with all of them.”

“All? You mean with the fire, thunder sun, wind, and solar eclipse catastrophes all at once?” That seemed like the sort of radical occurrence that you’d read about in stories or watch in movies about the world ending.

“Every single element,” Gabriel confirmed. “The reason for it was because two gods were in that exact spot, a male and a female.”

His eyes peered far away as he explained what happened. “They were lovers. Strong and powerful and very loved by Flaming Mother Gaia. Think of them as Adam and Eve, only they came down to help the humans reflect on what they were doing against the very land that offered them life. This was in a time when many didn’t care about the earth and taking care of it. This world has rules that every species has to follow, and sadly, humans weren’t following them at all. The more they envolved, the more they lost their sight of the Universe and the privilege they were given to live on Gaia’s soil. She asked God to send her favorite gods to aid in slowing the destruction of her roots and to remind the world that there were higher powers within this universe. Even with God’s warnings, she had hope in this world, but it all came crashing down that day.”

He looked sad as his gold eyes closed momentarily.

“It rained harshly the night they were cornered in the depths of the forest. The humans surrounded the couple who wished no harm. But the humans held various weapons they had created to capture these gods and experiment on them. They didn’t care about the message sent down from Gaia. They didn’t believe in other universes or various individuals of unique capabilities. Their minds were tightly knit to view the world within the looking glass of tunnel vision, and that led to them attacking these gods. Their attack was in unison, and that resulted in the death of the male. He moved to save the woman he loved and died within her arms as he wished for Gaia to forgive him for failing. The goddess watched the man she’d loved for centuries die within her arms, and for the first time ever, she felt the ache of pain within her heart.”

He opened his eyes slowly, the gold in them as vivid as ever as they grew in seriousness.

“The humans cheered at the man’s death. Ready to take the woman in to do as they pleased with her. Back then, it was truly a man’s world, and they wished not only to experiment on her but to dissect and analyze her anatomy so they could try and mimic the power she carried. In a state of shock, she quietly rose from the ground and looked up to the sky. She then asked them to apologize.”

He shook his head as if he was right there witnessing the whole ordeal with his own eyes.

“They mocked her and began to wound her with the very weapons that killed her love. She withstood it all, allowing the sharp blades of metal, the fierce heat of flaming torches, and the emotional wounds of their degrading words consume her, but she remained, standing tall as she waited for their apology.”

He then looked into my eyes as he whispered, “She asked four times, each request for an apology igniting an element to the ground around her. It started with fire, and was followed with a thunderous light, a brisk wind, and flames that mimicked the peak of darkness. They came in the shape of four horses, similar to what they refer to as the four horsemen in the story regarding the plague. Even with the display of magnificent power, they refused to apologize and decided to kill her as well. They struck her with weapons until the final spear struck her heart.”

I stared at him, my heart clenching at the sad legend, the words vibrating through me in a way that was hard to explain.

As though I’d been there to experience the very hollows of this goddess’s pain and tremendous agony.

“She watched as they celebrated, her blood pouring from all her wounds into the soil of her treasured mother. The goddess could have been like her lover and forgive them, but she gathered every ounce of energy left within her being and screamed to the cloudy skies as the rain beat against her dying flesh. She declared to her Flaming Mother and to the Creator that she would have another shot within these realms, not as a goddess with immense power, but as a blazing witch with an appearance that could blend in easily in a crowd of savage beasts,” he explained. “With the last bit of her blood, she prayed that she would be among others, rare beings of power who would carry every elemental gift that could be granted upon her Mother’s soil. Each of these beings would be female, capable of immense love, have the ability to be merciful or merciless, and carry the fruit of life when the time was right. Those individuals would be Blazing Witches and would have no association with an animal. Instead, they could harness the power of all creation if blessed by Flaming Mother Gaia.”

Picking his mug up again, he finished with, “As she commanded those final words, she wished for her love to be reborn with her when the universe granted it and that their meeting would be soothing though their love would collide like two crashing tornados. Their love would be as it was in their lives as god and goddess, the calm of unique friendship that blossoms into a unity that no one can separate.”

He sipped more of his tea and sighed. “After that, all four elements struck the ground, killing all those present as well as the entire surrounding land. It was what sealed the goddess’s word. And that was when Blazing Hot Witches began to enter the world.”

“Wow.” I had to blink a few times to try not to cry. “That…was intense.”

“That’s the problem with Gabriel’s stories. He tells them as if he lived in that damn timeline with a pen and paper, or whatever recording device they had in those times. He makes it sound like he lived through it all.” Keru shook his head. “At least it’s good entertainment, but jeez. You shouldn’t make Alice cry before her first day of school, Gabriel.”

Gabriel gave him a deadly side-eye but kept his commentary to himself as he returned to drinking his matcha tea.

“I’m just emotional this morning,” I excused. “Besides, that story…it really is something. It just feels like something I can relate to, even though I wasn’t there and I don’t have a lover or anything.”

“Reasonable,” Keru replied. “Technically, the goddess is like your ancestor who was sacrificed to give you this golden opportunity of life and power. Needless to say, that’s how your specific type of witch was created, and that’s why you potentially carry all four essential elements in this world of magic.”

“So the four are…” I tried to recall them but struggled a bit.

“Blazing Fire,” Gabriel began. “That’s the most basic element of fire and essentially anyone should be able to use it. If you lack even that, you’re pretty close to being a human. Next is Wind Flare. That’s flaming energy that is backed up with the wind element.”

“That’s what could have occurred when you defended yourself against that guy who threatened you at your last school,” Keru spoke up. “Westley is really good at using it. You’ll get the best chance of seeing how dangerous it can be with him around.”

“Third is Holy Thunder. That’s a triple element in one, similar to what they refer to in the bible as the Holy Trinity. In this case, the power revolves around the elements of light, fire, and thunder. The combination is what they use to bless holy water by striking the jar that carries the designated water with this combination of magic,” Gabriel explained. “Finally, there’s Dark Flame, which is one of the strongest and most lethal elements if put in the wrong hands. It’s also extremely hard to control or obtain, so very few carry that element, and if they do, the animals associated with it are usually demons, hellhounds…basically beings from hell.”

“Hey,” Keru growled. “Not true.”

“What other animals aside from demons can you use?”

“A raven.”

“That’s a witch familiar used for summoning demons,” Gabriel reminded

“I’ll think of something! Stop pressuring me,” he defended.

“Whatever,” Gabriel couldn’t care less as he drank his remaining tea. “As long as you recall the basics of each element, you’ll be fine for this semester. Obviously, the professors will go into detail once classes start, and you can always ask questions.”

“Okay. So Blazing Flame, Wind Flare, Holy Thunder, and Dark Flame,” I quietly summarized. “Then why exactly did I have a seal and also, why are you an owl?” I pointed to Gabriel.

“You remember that?” Keru inquired.

“Bits and pieces. Hey! Where’s Cyrus?”

“Woof?” We looked over to see Cyrus mid-roll, her legs up as she stared at us with what looked like a chew toy in her mouth.

“Where’d she get that from?” I was asking more for myself, but Gabriel replied, “Westley went out extra early to get her a bunch of familiar toys.”

“Familiar. Right!” The memory suddenly flickered in my mind. “She was a person! Cyrus. The first time was when she was chasing you in the middle of the air, and then she appeared again during the ceremony, right? Also, wasn’t there some sort of book or something? Now my head hurts.” I frowned at the pounding nudge in my mind.

“Try not to rush remembering things,” Keru encouraged. “Remember, you’re taking all of this at a slow pace so you don’t have a bad physical reaction.”

“To answer the first part, yes, Cyrus is actually a familiar,” Gabriel answered. “Second, your book weapon is with Mrs. CloverSpell. She’ll give to you probably after the orientation, and you’ll learn the basics of how to use it this semester when you read up on magical weapons and gifted artifacts.”

“Okay.” I paused to absorb what I was just told. “What is Cyrus, then? You called her a familiar. Isn’t that something that supports witches?”

“A familiar is an animal embedded with magic. With enough magic and a strong bond with their master or mistress, they can obtain a temporary human form to aid in battle, defense, or powerful witchcraft,” Keru explained. “Cyrus is your familiar,”

“She is? I thought she was Westley’s?” I inquired. “She’s so friendly with him so I figured maybe he knows her.”

They were both quiet, leaving me to wonder if I’d suddenly said something wrong. “Did I say something I shouldn’t have?” I inquired.

“No.” Gabriel reached for a piece of his toast. “Westley had a familiar but she was killed while protecting him.”

“W-What? They…can die?”

“Not necessarily,” Keru noted. “Westley’s situation is different, but it’s not our place to go into details.”

“His familiar was similar to Cyrus, and it’s why he’s fond of her. He’s very good with summoning animals with his Wind Flare,” Gabriel commented.

“Okay.” I made a mental note to one day ask Westley, when we were more acquainted with one another. He seemed easy to talk with, especially last night, but I never wanted to push someone into sharing if they weren’t comfortable.

Especially if they lost a familiar they acknowledged as family.

I’d only had Cyrus for a short period of time, but she brought a sense of joy I’d never experienced prior to her arrival. The thought of that being taken away hurt, and I could only imagine what Westley could have gone through in his past.

Not to forget we’re the same age.

“So Westley’s main element is Wind Flare,” I began and pointed to Keru. “Yours is Dark Flame.” I moved my finger to Gabriel. “And yours is Holy Thunder?”

“Yes,” Gabriel answered.

“Um…then am I Blazing Fire?”

“Yes and no,” Keru answered. “Your main element is Blazing Fire, but it looks like you harvest all four of those flaming element traits.”

“Is that bad?”

“No,” Gabriel answered. “But that’s something you should keep between our group for now.”

“Is it something that’s supposed to remain a secret?” I inquired.

Keru and Gabriel looked at one another, as if unsure whether to answer or not.

“Not necessarily,” Keru replied.

“However, there are not a lot of people who can use all four flaming traits. We also don’t know how powerful you are. We don’t want you being exposed to bullies or people who want to take advantage of your power,” Gabriel elaborated. “Blazing Academy was created for all individuals with scorching power. Some like to call it The Academy for All Things Scorching. It’s created to accept all type of fire elements, but it also has its share of problems and jealous competitors.”

“Other schools are jealous?” I wondered. “Are there other schools?”

“Yes.” Keru reached over to drink some of his orange juice. “There are three or four other schools in pretty close distance to Blazing Academy, but our school grounds are massive, and they make it pretty difficult for other school students to get in. One of the many reasons why our uniforms are uniquely made is so other students or even spies can’t secretly blend in and hurt students.”

“About eighty percent of the students only have one flaming trait. Then there’s the ten percent that have two. Nine percent have three,” Gabriel explained and then deliberately paused. “The last one percent are those with all four flaming traits, which may have dropped to zero point five seeing as the other two that had all four were seniors and graduated.”

“So…” I began. “I’m probably the only one in the whole school.”

“There’s one more,” Keru confidently stated. “Just gotta figure that one out.”

There was a slight ding sound, and Gabriel looked at his watch.

“We’re gonna have to get going.”

“What about the seal?” I pushed then followed up with, “I know we don’t have any more time to really get into the details, but do you guys know who placed it on me?”

“We’re unsure, Alice,” Keru answered. “How much do you remember about the ceremony?”

“Well, it’s a little blurry,” I admitted, attempted to recall everything that happened. “I remember your introductions, Cyrus, and the book.”

“I’m sure Mrs. CloverSpell will get into details of all of that when we have more time,” Gabriel reasoned. “Just be relieved that the seal was removed safely.”

“Why were you guys willing to help me?” I inquired.

Keru rose up and began to gather our empty plates. “Well, we did promise to keep you safe,” he acknowledged. “Besides, you’re nice.”

“When you’re not fainting or being stupid,” Gabriel muttered. I gave him a deadly glare, and he rolled his eyes but continued, “The seal would have killed you if we didn’t interfere, and I personally don’t believe you deserve to die by your own power. Whether or not Chambers knew there was a heavy seal placed upon you all this time is beyond our knowledge, but I for one wouldn’t stand there and let you perish without a fighting chance.”

His words left me speechless as he rose up and began helping Keru clean up.

“I’m sure Westley felt the same way, and seriously, Alice. You’re pretty cool. We’ve met various people in our short lives, but we’re pretty positive they wouldn’t have been as close to calm and understanding as you are. In the world of magic, fate likes to turn one’s lifestyle upside down and few of us learn to accept and go with the flow of things while others revolt against it,” Keru explained. “What we’ve learned is that going with the flow may lead you on a cool adventure, and it’s never steered us in the wrong direction. Just take it a day at a time and we’ll help you slowly adapt to this place and learn more about yourself.”

“Do you guys get paid or something to be here though?” I inquired. “Like any benefits?”

“Nope,” the two of them answered in unison.

“Then…you’re just here to protect me?”

“Essentially,” Gabriel replied.

“Technically speaking, we’re going to be dorm mates,” Keru revealed.

“That hasn’t been confirmed,” Gabriel argued.

“Nothing needs to be confirmed,” Keru fought back. “We’re technically bonded with her now. Unless you want three other strangers around her all the time.”

“What do you mean by bonded?”

“You talk too much,” Gabriel scolded Keru. “We’re going to be late. We’ll talk about the details of everything later. Alice, make sure you bring your wallet since you’re going to need a student ID card made.”

“Right.” I’d forgotten about that from the instructions.

I guess I really have to ask the rest of my questions later.

“Can Cyrus come to school with me?” I inquired, noticing how she was now relaxing on my leg when I tried to get up.

“Yup. Familiars are allowed on campus and in class, but I’d let her stay here for now. It’s going to be a little hectic today and you don’t want her getting lost,” Keru suggested.

“Or attacked by other familiars,” Gabriel added. “It’s against the rules, but there are always a few rotten apples that love to break them.”

“Alright.” I leaned down to scoop Cyrus up, and looked at the island for my new phone that Keru had set up. “I’ll let her stay in my room then. I’ll be back real quick.”

“Remember your ID,” Gabriel called out as I raced up the stairs.

“Okay!”

After placing Cyrus on my bed and making sure she had some food and water placed for her, I quickly gathered my wallet and anything else I’d need.

Staring at the mirror, I was impressed to see that thrilling joy was still thrumming through my expression. All the information I’d obtained so far was definitely overwhelming, and yet, I was even more excited about all the possibilities to learn and grow.

Lowering my stuff to the little desk, I quickly opened my phone and found the text bubble Keru had shown me. Finding Dad’s number, the only one in my phone so far, I decided to text him real quick.

ME:

Hey Dad. This is my first time using such a nice phone. Keru presented it to me, and I couldn’t be happier. I’ve always missed receiving gifts from you. I know Grandma and Grandpa meant well, but it makes me so happy to be able to at least talk to you. I’m heading to my first day of class… I’m super nervous that I’m going to screw up, but I will do my best not to. Just thought I’d let you know…and thank you for this phone and sending Gabriel, Keru, and Westley over to protect me. I’m not sure if it’s worth their free time, but maybe they’ll end up being my friends while I’m here.

“ALICE!” Gabriel called out. “I will abandon you here if you don’t hurry up!”

“Coming, Angelic Asshole!” I huffed back, quickly sending my message and adding a final message.

ME:

Never mind. Gabriel’s an Angelic Asshole. Oh. Don’t show Grandma that. Thanks, Dad, and love you very much - Alice.

SMILING AT THE SCREEN, I quickly closed the app, only for the phone to vibrate and a response to flash on the screen.

DAD:

Glad to hear you’re safe and enjoying the company of those three. Yes, Gabriel is rough on the edges but he means well. I’m sure he’ll soften up within time. I’m happy my gift can make a difference for you, Alice, and don’t be nervous. Be who you’ve always been and try to have fun. I love you, too, and no worries. Won’t be showing anything to your grandparents (they hate my guts, remember?). Have a good first day of school.

MY HEART LEAPED out of my chest, and I almost squealed in happiness. The thought of being able to communicate with Dad so easily was like a gift from the heavens, and it made today even more special than I’d originally thought it would be.

New school, the ability to talk to my dad, and being around three intriguing guys. I may need a few lessons on blazing history, but school may start off on a positive note.

“WHAT IS THAT?” Gabriel questioned with a judgemental stare.

“A granola bar,” Keru answered.

“We just had breakfast ten minutes ago.”

“And now I’m hungry!” Keru whined. “Why are you bothering me?”

“You eat too much!” Gabriel complained.

“Is your stomach the one growling up a storm this morning? No,” Keru muttered. “Leave me to enjoy my crunchy, favorable bars and- hey! Why the hell did you take one?”

“You don’t need two,” Gabriel confirmed. “You’re like that pink ball that sucks food all the time.”

“Kirby?” I suggested. “Hey, Keru. We should nickname you Kerby.”

“Alice.” Keru gave me a hopeless look as we waited in the long line. “Why would you suggest that?”

“It’s a cute nickname,” I reasoned.

“Good. Call him Kerby from now on, especially because he eats all the time,” Gabriel concluded.

“As he eats the other half of my granola bar,” Keru muttered. “Alice, call Gabriel Gabe. He hates that.”

“What’s wrong with Gabe?”

“Don’t call me that,” Gabriel grumbled. “It’s annoying. The lazy version of saying my name.”

“You’d rather I call you Angelic Asshole?” I offered.

“Far better than silly Gabe. No one even asked to give Gabriel a shorter name. It’s not like it’s hard to say Gabriel, but no. The world just had to make their lives easier by shortening my name, like it’s a hindrance to say.”

“You really hate that name, huh,” I commented, my eyes scanning the line of people waiting to get their new student packages. “I’ll remember that when I need to piss you off.”

“Hmph.” Gabriel was on his scowling streak again, while Keru was nibbling on his granola bar. “What are you looking for, Alice?”

“For the washroom,” I admitted. “The assembly is going to be long, right?”

“Probably. Maybe two or three hours, depending on how smoothly it goes. It would be a good idea to use the washroom. Here, give me your ID. We’re allowed to pick up multiple packets for our friends so the speed of the line picks up,”

“Are you sure? Not a hassle?” I inquired and pulled out my identification card.

“No hassle at all.” He winked and accepted the card. “It’ll be faster, honestly. Gabriel, maybe you can go save us seats for the assembly?”

“I could.” He shrugged. “Depends on if I feel like it.”

“Don’t be an ass and go,” Keru urged, presenting his open palm. “ID.”

“Hmph.” Gabriel worked on getting his wallet out. I noticed that it was made of white leather, and that made me wonder if he really loved white. “Here.”

“Thanks.” Keru grinned. “Now scram. The bathroom is on the way to the assembly hall. Take Alice with you.”

“Stop bossing me around,” Gabriel grumbled, but moved out of the line and met my gaze. “Let’s go, Fainting Girl.”

“Oh, you shortened it today. Praise the heavens,” I commented with a smirk and looked back at Keru. “Thanks, Keru. I’ll come back to keep you company.”

“Cool.” He gave us a wave and we began to walk down the massive hall.

“Right there is the washroom. All you have to do is go straight back down, turn left, right, and then left again to be back where the student office line was,” Gabriel instructed. “Don’t get into trouble.”

“It’s my first day. I couldn’t possibly cause trouble,” I reasoned.

“Why do I feel like you’re saying that to convince yourself?”

“Because I am,” I admitted with a nervous smile.

“No one is going to bother you,” he declared. “If they do, I’ll kill them.”

“Uh. I don’t think that’s very civil,” I noted. “Or allowed.”

“Probably not civil, but killing is allowed on certain conditions,” he revealed and turned around. “Go do your business. The washrooms are massive, so have fun staring in the mirror and taking selfies.”

“I don’t do those things.”

“All the girls do that.”

“Not me.”

“Well, good. At least you won’t be there for hours,” he concluded and slid his hands into his pockets. “See you in a few.” With those last words, he made his way in the other direction, heading to the assembly hall.

I actually smirked at his commentary, extremely curious about these bathrooms. Now that I had some alone time, I could fully appreciate the massive school.

The place was enormous. I realized that our dorms, which were huge, white houses filled with marble, red, gold, and white furniture, were only one part of the rather luxurious property.

The actual building reminded me of an ancient museum full of expensive artwork. The school was made up of one large castle that had a grand clock tower. The cement was made of high-quality gold that sparkled white during the day.

Apparently at night, it would shift to a red, something about the sunset triggering the shift and the walls absorbing the warmth of the sun to help ignite the lights at night. The campus then was divided into various sections, some only accessible based on your year of enrollment.

Seeing as this was our first semester here, all we had to focus on was the main building where all our classes would be. The main cafeteria for freshman was also in the main building and from what Gabriel had explained, we wouldn’t have access to the school gym or training facilities until next semester.

The emphasis on strict book learning was very apparent in the curriculum, or at least that’s what I’d been able to scan through in the summarized pamphlet they were handing out to us while we all waited in line.

Our new packages would confirm our teammates for the semester. Everyone had to be in a team of four. I absolutely hated group work, and I was secretly hoping that I’d get even just one of the guys to be in my randomly chosen group of four.

I’d even survive being partnered with Gabriel.

Due to our new adjustments, semester one consisted of four main courses, one dedicated for each flame trait. I was extremely pleased with the idea of having an entire class dedicated to learning more about these flaming traits, because it was something I’d specifically have to learn to retain any advantage I had.

If I truly have all four flame traits, I’d have to learn as much as I could about each of them.

Once I knew where I stood in regard to that and had a talk with Mrs. CloverSpell, hopefully I’d have a bit more backbone in regards to what I could and couldn’t do.

I personally didn’t want to be another target of circumstance, and that was one of my many goals this semester now that I didn’t have people looking left and right when they saw me.

Heading into the washroom, I was thankful that it was empty versus the halls that were beginning to quickly fill with new and returning students. Just a look already made me understand what Gabriel was referring to.

The washroom was as spectacular as a fairy tale princess’s bathroom. The most eye-catching thing was the fountain - yes, an actual tall fountain – that rested in the middle of the room. The liquid was a thick, gold-orange texture that sparkled with red.

I noticed the sign that explained that the liquid was apparently a rich blazing serum that enhanced one’s skin and reenergized flame levels.

Whatever that meant.

The sinks were made of white marble, the faucet of metallic gold, and the mirror went from the sinks to the high-rise ceiling. Following the reflective glass only revealed the gorgeous glass ceilings that portrayed a mass of natural beauty on the other side, leaving me to wonder if they built some sort of greenhouse on top of this place.

I was actually tempted to take pictures, my mouth now slack as I continued to admire the beautiful place where you were supposed to pee, poo, and, well, do any other business.

Realizing that my urge to do my own business was going to be an urgent issue if I didn’t get moving. I looked to my far right to see the rows of wide stalls. They could have been little miniature rooms at this point, the size similar to one of those long kitchen islands back in the dorms.

Making my way over to the last one, I cautiously entered, closed the door, and followed the locking instructions that had you twist the knob in three various combos. The stall had its own sink, standing mirror, and an array of female products for that time of the month, as well as a dispenser with a list of medications, condoms, mints, and razors.

I couldn’t even keep up with all they had, my mind now wondering if I’d entered a hidden department store.

Making sure there were no special instructions to use the toilet, I finished up my business, washed my hands, and ended up taking a few pictures for the hell of it. I was pretty confident the guy’s washroom was no way as glamorous as this, so I’d keep the memory with me.

Memories. I can make memories here.

I don’t know why, but the simple thought tugged at my heart in a good way. It made me feel that spark of gratefulness to finally be in a school where I didn’t stand out like a sore thumb.

Many of the students had various colors of hair, not the standard black, brown, and blonde shades that made me out to be a laughing stock or highlighter in the crowd.

After a quick check in the mirror to make sure my uniform was still on point, I made my way out and turned left to head towards the path that would land me back in the long line where Keru was surely waiting when I crashed into someone - the impact hard enough to have me falling back on my ass.

“Ow.” My response was followed with an apology, “So sorry about-huh? Westley?”

I had to blink a few times, noticing the distinct difference in Westley’s now silver hair. The tips still had a hint of green in them, but if it wasn’t for his teal green eyes, silver glasses, and the matching silver fingerless gloves on his hands, I wouldn’t have recognized him.

The impact had made him fall back on his butt as well, and I noticed the two bundles of books that were on the ground before us.

He yawned before his tired eyes landed on me, his sleepy look giving me the impression he didn’t know who I was for a few seconds. Then it seemed to click, and he gave a slight smile.

“Morning…Alice.” He yawned in between as he greeted me. “Good timing.”

“I’m not sure bumping into you is good timing,” I noted, but got up and offered him a hand. His lazy smile widened as he placed his hand in mine. It was hard to tug him up when he was clearly taller and had more muscle than me, and that was proven when my extra effort had me losing my balance.

Before I could fall, he tugged me forward, my body crashing right into his.

“You’re pretty lightweight,” he commented.

“Hey!” I looked up at him with a frustrated puff of my cheeks. “I was helping you.”

“I know.” That calming voice was going to be a pain in the butt because I didn’t have the desire to fight back when he so easily accepted defeat.

If this was Gabriel, we’d definitely get into another fight.

Taking in his uniform, I admired the turquoise material with gold-orange trimming. He was wearing the full uniform, which included the blazer that was the same ocean teal that had bits of emerald green and gold when the light hit its surface.

Since his hair was now silver, it actually helped balance him out, but the color change was rather unexpected.

“Westley? Why is your hair silver?”

“Hmm?” He looked at me in confusion before another click moment flickered in his expression as his lips formed an O.

“Oh. When I don’t use magic for too long, my hair returns to silver,” he announced. “I was born a silver head but if I use a lot of Wind Flare, my hair will adapt to green.”

“That’s-”

“Weird, right?”

“No.” I immediately shook my head. “It is cool! I want hair that changes color when I use magic.”

“Really?” He seemed impressed with my compliment. “Only Gabriel and Keru love the change. You’re the third one to like it, so that’s good.”

“Why would someone not like it?”

“Some people say it makes me look like an old man.”

“But you’re hot,” I bluntly stated before I sighed at my swift response. “In a friendly, uh…girl to boy uh…friend…not like boyfriend girlfriend, but you know. Ugh! Whatever! You know what I mean!”

My flustered failure of explaining myself made him chuckle as he patted my back.

“I get it, Alice. Thanks for the compliment,” he genuinely thanked. “I was actually here to give you your kit.”

“Huh? I thought Keru was getting it?” I inquired as we both reached down to pick up the plastic packages.

“He got them already. I met him when he was heading to the auditorium. He asked me to go check the washroom and wait to see if you were still there. Entering those for the first time usually leads to a few minutes of picture-taking.”

“How’d you know,” I gasped and began to blush as if I’d been caught in the act. His grin was priceless as he pulled out his phone, pressed the screen a few times, and leaned in close to show me the row of gold urinals.

“We have gold urinals,” he whispered so quietly I almost missed it. “I had to take pictures for the hell of it.”

“What?!” I gasped and had to take a better look. “We don’t have gold toilets! What kind of favoritism nonsense is this?”

“I love how angered you are by this new development,” he said as he chuckled.

“Of course I’m angered! This is an insult! Do you guys have a fountain?”

“No.” He blinked, and I grinned in triumph as I pulled out my phone and showed him the picture. “Look! Feast your eyes!”

“What the…is that golden dew? Oh! That’s that special flame dew stuff that like perfects your face and rejuvenates a person’s flame. You know people bring tons of containers and fill them up for their skincare routines?”

“Seriously?” I gawked at him.

“Ya. Guys actually pay money for girls to secretly get them some.”

“I don’t have containers.”

“Don’t worry, we can go back to the dorms and get some and come back before school closes. Today is a short day so after the orientation, we’ll just see Mrs. CloverSpell and then we can head back.”

“That sounds like a perfect plan,” I gleefully declared. “Wait! We don’t know if we’re actually dormmates. There’s no way they allowed boys and girls to share the same dorm house.”

“You’re right,” he admitted, but his smile only widened, making his ocean eyes twinkle with anticipation. “But we’re not an ordinary circumstance.”

He pulled out a sheet from his blazer pocket and unfolded it to share the written information to me. I quickly scanned it, my eyes growing wide at the confirmed list of names on the sheet.

“We’re officially dormmates for the entire year?!” I had to cover my mouth, realizing that I’d practically screamed it out instead of whispering the news. A few students looked our way, but they went on with their business.

I looked back at Westley nervously, but he merely grinned and bobbed his head.

“Mr. Chambers pulled some strings and secured our dorm for us only,” he explained and leaned in closer, his hot breath brushing against my neck as he whispered, “Only certain students who have high royal, political, or financial status are able to secure their dorms.”

“Really?” I couldn’t even believe it. “But I’m none of those.”

“We don’t know that.” He winked.

“And you guys never explained why you refer to my dad as Chambers,” I acknowledged.

“Think of it as his code name, I guess.” He shrugged. “That’s what we’ve always called him.”

“I never asked, but does that mean you guys work for some sort of organization and are appointed to protect me?” I kept my voice low when asking the question.

Westley brought me closer, his hand hooking along my waist. “Sorry,” he apologized for the sudden touch as he moved me over so I had my back against the set of red lockers.

“Easier to be this close and not draw attention,” he defended.

“I’m totally fine with hugging.” I winked, which made me internally cringe.

Oh no. Am I trying to flirt? Please don’t tell me I’m flirting?

“Long story short, when certain individuals surpass a threshold of power or uniqueness, they can be recruited by an agency that stops misconduct in schools and such. It’s not necessarily like a private investigator’s job or anything. I like to think of it as a magic organization that stops youths from being bullied.”

“Wow.” I was actually intrigued. “Meaning the organization seeks out young, unique individuals and offer them a job to help others like them?”

“Basically,” he declared. “It also gives us a bit of a safe place to deal with our own problems, you know? Mrs. CloverSpell is actually one of the councillors in the organization and she helps do therapy on the side of all the other jobs she somehow juggles on a daily basis. She spoke up on our behalf to have us attend.”

“R-Really?” I was shocked. “She has that much hope in me?”

Westley took a little longer to respond, but he replied with, “Sometimes it takes others having hope in your abilities for you to start seeing your potential.”

We shared a look, and I slowly nodded in agreement with his words.

“If it isn’t Blazing Alice.”

The familiar voice made all the hairs on my arms rise up in fury as dread ran down me like a bucket of ice water.

No way! He…of all people can’t be here right now.

Westley turned around to face the owner of the rather loud comment, and there was Rick in all his smug glory. I had to do a double-take because he was now rocking red spiked hair, a completely black uniform with the gold-orange outlining, and he had a red jewel nose piercing.

His eyes were as black as his uniform, and I noticed he was using some type of red cane like you’d see someone older use when they were extremely wealthy.

The way his eyes were mocking me was making my blood boil, and I clenched the kit in my hands to try and calm myself down.

“Guess your last suspension wasn’t enough to kick you out of school for good? What did you do? Beg Headmaster CloverSpell to get accepted here?”

“What are you doing here, Rick?” I questioned, narrowing my eyes at him as I stood my ground.

If he thought I’d be some pushover after he literally did everything to make sure I wouldn’t even get a chance at yet another school, he clearly didn’t know me. From his lawsuit threats and essay format reports of all the injuries he’d endured from the blast, his victim personality should have frightened me away, but I wasn’t going to be scared by his tactics.

With how he looked now, he seemed to be perfectly fine - minus the fancy cane that looked more like a black rod with a red jewel on top.

“I attend here.” He seemed unimpressed when his eyes took a long glance down my uniform. I took advantage of that and replied, “Well jeez, what a small world. I’m attending as well.”

His deep grimace was quickly covered up with a cocky grin as shook his head.

“Well let me be the first to tell you farewell to yet another school. You won’t even last a semester here, Blazing Alice. No one needs a mental freak.”

“Who are you calling a mental freak?” I had to look around, being extra dramatic when I looked left and right. “I swear, it seems people are seeing ghosts or something because they’re always accusing invisible people of being something that I’m clearly not. Who were you calling a mental freak again? Was it ghost Karen or ghost Becky? If you see dead people, feel free to share. This is a safe environment, after all.”

I caught the slight smirk on Westley’s lips from the corner of my eye, and I noticed a few other students were now listening in on the conversation, probably waiting for some sort of fight or confrontation to go off the rails and into an explosive fight.

I’d avoid that if my sarcastic temper would follow my internal orders to stay down.

Rick frowned and took two steps forward until we were facing each other.

“If you think this place is where everyone is going to protect you while you play victim, you better drop out now because you’ve just entered my turf.”

His words ignited a burning power within me, and my vision seemed to darken as I purposely moved an inch forward, my body a centimeter from his while I faced him with just as much strife for payback.

“If this is your way of frightening me, Rick, you didn’t learn your lesson the first time when I sent your ugly ass out the window with the rest of the broken shards of glass,” I reminded, purposely talking a little louder for everyone else to hear. “If this is your way to try and bully me into submission, you’re only playing with fire, and if you aren’t careful, you may actually get burned.”

His eyes glared at me, growing darker by the second, to the point that they almost looked flooded with black ink.

“You don’t scare me, Rick, so listen to my wise words. Don’t fuck with me here, because I don’t need to play the victim in a school where I fit right at home.”

“She’s right.” The stone-cold voice came from behind Rick, and I looked to see Gabriel’s dangerous eyes.

In fact, his entire demeanor oozed with some sort of energy, a power that was hard to describe but made the already tense hallway grow a lot tenser. The students that had once crowded close to get all the deets were now scrambling away, and the heaviness of the atmosphere made me feel like I was in a horror movie about to open the door to a death trap.

“Don’t fuck with our Blazing Queen. You wouldn’t want to fall victim to her secret move.”

His words made me blush as flickers of happiness and relief burst through me. He didn’t have to interfere, and yet, it made me feel protected.

“Do you know who I am?” Rick huffed.

Gabriel took a step forward, towering over him like he was a pest.

“I know who you are in this game of school ranks. Before you grow a cocky pair of balls, make sure they’re nice and secure for a semester. It would be a shame to see someone kick them to oblivion and you lose your silly popularity rank.”

“If you think I’m afraid of your holiness, I’m not,” Rick spat out in ignorance.

“You don’t have to be.” Gabriel shrugged. “I’m not the one you should be worrying about.”

As if on cue, Keru came out of the crowd of students, looking as cool as ever while his cape seemed to float up and about while his hands remained casually in his pockets.

One simple look around the circle and his eyes landed on me for a few seconds and then moved to Rick.

“Whose messing with our Blazing Queen on the first day of school?” he questioned.

As if everyone suddenly wanted to aid him in his quest, they all pointed their fingers to Rick, who shivered at the sudden call-out.

Does Keru have some sort of status in the school or something?

“S-She started it!” he accused.

“I was actually minding my own business, talking with my boyfriend,” I spoke up.

Westley glanced my way, wearing the biggest smirk ever, which made me correct myself. “Boy who’s a friend!”

Now Gabriel was smirking, and I swear he was going to tease me for this all semester long.

Westley moved to stand behind me, and to my surprise, he pulled me back into a hug and rested his head on my shoulder.

“We were enjoying some alone talk between lovers when we were rudely interrupted.” Westley’s voice was now deep with a spike of possessiveness that made my whole body tingle in all the sensitive places.

I had to fight every urge to not blush -or press my legs together - as his hold around me tightened and he snarled, “Now instead of wasting any more of our time, why don’t you get your flaming ass going to orientation, Horseman?”

Horseman?

I could see the gleaming rage in Rick’s eyes as he took a step back, only to bump into Gabriel, who stood tall, arching an eyebrow at him when he twirled around as if he forgot Gabriel was there.

Keru began to walk again until he was standing in front of Rick. Westley let me go, moving to close the square gap that locked Rick into place.

Keru cocked his head up slightly, and his eyes seemed to darken until they were just as ink-black as Rick’s had previously been.

“Since it’s the first day of school, I’ll be nice. Remember your place,” he snarled with power. “That little title is only in your possession because I have higher priorities, but I’ll give you a warning now. Stay away from Alice and we won’t have any problems.”

He inched in closer, and I was practically cartwheeling on the inside to see Rick shaking in fear. “If you or the other three in that silly squad of yours begin to bother her, I may just have to reconsider claiming what was offered to me and my friends first. Remember that before you act stupidly, like you did today. Got it?”

Rick swallowed, taking a nervous glance my way. I could see the contemplation in his expression, as he grit his teeth in fuming anger. He pulled away from my gaze and looked Keru in the eye before he nodded.

“Got it.”

“Good,” Keru declared. “Now off to the orientation, everyone, and let’s all pretend none of this happened.”

As if Keru’s demand was suddenly absolute, everyone began rushing down the halls, scrambling to get to where they had to be and leaving us alone.

Rick had to give me one last glare before he darted past Keru and rushed into the crowd until he was gone.

My heart was beating rapidly against my chest, but not out of fear of being suspended for the confrontation.

They…defended me.

It was hard to even describe how it felt to have people stand up for you. What words could I even use to express the alleviation of worry Rick’s random entrance brought? I still wasn’t sure why he was here, but from his new appearance and uniform, he’d been hiding the fact that he wasn’t as mundane as he made himself out to be.

Calling me a victim when he played the role well enough to win him an Oscar.

The soft brush against my cheek brought me back to the present. Green eyes locked onto mine as I realized Westley was now in front of me.

“How’s our princess doing?”

“I’m fine.” I kept my voice steady to try not to show how moved I really was with their joined defense. Keru and Gabriel shuffled over so we were huddled against the lockers, but still gave off a casual look like we were merely catching up.

“Didn’t Chambers say something about a student named Rick? The one that got injured and was threatening to sue?” Gabriel clarified.

“That’s him,” I answered. “I…never would have expected him to be here. No, he shouldn’t be here. He has been bullying me since the day I arrived at my latest school, calling me a freak and other degrading words. The day where the whole incident happened, he crashed into me, which made all my food fall to the floor. I get anemic if I don’t eat on the regular, and I guess he somehow found out about that, but he’s the guy that I basically sent flying out the school windows. He seems to be in good health though, minus the cane.”

“That’s not an actual cane,” Westley answered. “It’s a magic artifact, but we can explain that subject later when we start learning about them in class.”

“As long as he didn’t touch a single hair on your head,” Keru concluded. “He can go take his magic rod and shove it up his ass for all I care. Just as long as he stays away from you.”

“Why did you guys come back?” I asked.

“You two were taking too long,” Gabriel replied. “It’s common for fights to break out on the first day of school.”

“Why?” That seemed peculiar.

“Take out the competition.” Keru grinned like he’d just won some sort of game. “He must have noticed you and Westley and figured he could hit two birds with one stone.”

“Marvelous,” I noted. “Aren’t we going to lose our seats then?”

“Nah.” Keru shook his head. “I got some fan-girls to save us a spot. Let’s head over there.”

“Um.” I stopped them before they could take a step forward. The three of them returned their attention to me, and I gave them a shy grin.

“Thanks for standing up for me.” I had to hide my hands behind my back to hide the slight tremble in them. “Out of all the incidents I’ve dealt with at all the schools I’ve attended, no one has ever stood up to the bullies. They all quietly blend into the background and wait for the professors to take over and deem me the problem. I didn’t show it because I hate being walked all over or taking advantage, but I was worried things would repeat themselves before I even got a shot at this academy life.”

Lowering my gaze for a moment, my smile widened as I looked back up at them.

“It feels good to be able to defend myself and have people behind me. It means a lot. More than words can express. So…thank you.”

The three of them grinned and nodded in response.

Westley offered his hand to me.

“Let’s get going to orientation, girl-friend.” My face burned from his deliberate emphasis on “girlfriend”, and Keru chuckled. “I guess Alice’s official nickname is Blazing Queen, huh? That kinda just came out of my mouth for no reason.”

“Same.” Gabriel sighed. “Don’t think you’re getting away with me calling you Troub-”

“Let’s go,” I declared, placing my hand in Westley’s and tugging him forward until we were racing down the hall.

“Hey! I’m not done speaking!” Gabriel called out. I couldn’t help but giggle like we were now running from the feds.

Westley squeezed my hand, keeping up with my pace as he questioned, “Do you even know where you’re going?”

“Nope!” I laughed even harder, running off of this unknown surge of elation.

Westley picked up his pace and tugged me to turn right. “I’ll lead the way.” He looked back to wink at me, and I grinned from ear to ear.

This was the fresh start I needed to embark on this new semester.

HOPEFUL SEMESTER AHEAD AND MASSIVE POTENTIAL

“Need an ear to listen to your concerns?” Keru asked, setting down a mug of chamomile tea onto the kitchen island. I lifted my head to view the steaming hot liquid and gave him an appreciative smile.

“How’d you know that tea calms me when I’m anxious?” I inquired.

“I heard Chambers say something about it.” He pulled out the stool opposite me and sat down. “He said how when his wife was troubled, she’d always drink tea to calm herself down, a trait his daughter picked up from her.”

“That was from my mom, huh.” The mention of her made me feel a little sad, wishing I could have grown up with her in the picture instead of my past predicament.

Would it make this transition easier?

“You were so excited, even after the whole discussion with Mrs. CloverSpell,” Keru recalled. “Why do you look so burned out?”

“I’m a little hungry,” I admitted. “And tired.”

He frowned and slid off his stool. “Why didn’t you say so? Let me make something while we wait for Westley and Gabriel to get back. It may take them a while to gather groceries for this week, but we have enough food for a veggie-filled omelet.”

“I can do it,” I suggested, but I felt like jelly now and my brain was growing sluggish after the overload of information we received today.

From the long, three-hour orientation to the intense discussion afterwards with Mrs. CloverSpell, who told us we could refer to her as just Clover to make life a little easier, I was pretty done with today and couldn’t wait to lay in bed.

Ease my mind and circulate through all I’d learned about who I supposedly am.

“Let me make something while you rest,” he encouraged and got right to work as he quickly turned the stove on and headed for the fridge.

I quietly watched him, sipping my cup of tea while my mind buzzed through the day again.

Orientation was beyond fascinating, from the various professors for each designated semester to the numerous types of uniforms a student could have based on their magic makeup.

Clover, or Headmaster CloverSpell, had led the three-hour assembly of what to expect at Blazing Academy, known beyond our walls as the Academy for All Things Scorching.

I’d come to realize that we were more than just individuals with powers. The school was for a variety of beings, including witches, wizards, magicians, warlocks, not to mention the demons and other shifters that walked among us.

As long as your main element was fire-based, you were given the opportunity to attend Blazing Academy. Within this district, Blazing Academy was the top academy for magical beings; the other three schools were based on their own set of elements.

The second top school was based on water, the third being of wind, and the fourth a mixture of light and dark elements. The rules of separating schools based on their element was to give a safer space for the growth of each specialized kind.

At Blazing Academy, the main thing that made it a safer learning environment was how fireproof the building, classrooms, and equipment were. Throughout the orientation they encouraged us to express our feelings, to not hold them back out of fear of shattering items or igniting a room or even building in flames because most of the property was protected from the destructive element.

This gave us a new sense of comfort now that we didn’t need to necessarily worry about hurting people with the fluctuation of our emotions. That was one of the many reasons why I had such high levels of anxiety.

I always worried about the next person I’d hurt, endanger, or even kill if I lost control in any way, and all that built-up worry only made things worse. To be in a new environment that catered in vanquishing such anxieties and limitations was already giving me hope for this semester.

As the guys had explained, the next twelve weeks would be designated for learning as much as we could book-wise. You could tell many of the new students were disappointed, wanting to go crazy with the learning process and throw fireballs like in the magic television shows and animations, but Clover explained that knowledge was one of the key aspects of magic.

Without knowledge, you will not be able to call the magic words you need to trigger your magic. The unique thing about magic is that it is an entity that deserves to be respected. It acknowledges whether its wielder is wise enough to bear its unpredictable power or if they will only end up being a fool.

Our teams were officially assigned for the year. This was a new method being implemented this year, since previously teams were changed each semester. From Clover’s perspective, it emphasized growing relationships and teamwork because the goal of us graduating is to allow us to enter a vast world of opportunity, and many of the jobs being offered to our kind involve teamwork.

The idea of employment was the last thing on my mind, especially because I was still sixteen. I’d always pondered getting a part-time job when times were rough with our family’s history of financial struggles, but with my transfer streak, there was no way I’d survive an average job.

It was an experience I’d like to test out at some point, but that would be later when I was more comfortable in this transition from average human girl, neglected by the world, to powerful, Blazing Hot Witch status.

Classes would be from nine in the morning to five in the evening. We’d have five classes; one for each main elemental trait, and one that centered on the history of flaming beings such as witches, shifters, demons, and other supernatural races that didn’t belong in the ‘human’ category.

We were allowed to participate in afterschool activities if we wished, but from the looks of our current schedule, things could get busy midway into the semester, and I personally wanted to give this 110% if I could.

After the list of rules, expectations, and goals set out for us, there was a further breakdown of our curriculum, the books we should focus on, and the lecture on bullying.

Bullying wasn’t tolerated apparently, but if a teacher or bully advisor wasn’t around and you had no proof, the school wouldn’t be able to defend any injuries except in the rare cases of sexual assault.

The professors explained that it was rare for there to not be evidence, especially when there were cameras throughout the campus, and patrol officers. However, they warned that anything off-campus, like house parties and hangouts, was out of their control and would be something we’d be entering at our own risk.

It ended on the positive note that this semester would be where we embraced as much knowledge as we could. Our second semester was going to be the start of the thrilling adventure of spellcraft and skills.

The anticipation seemed to boom through the auditorium then, everyone pumped to get good grades so that semester two was a blessed term.

Apparently, grades were a huge deal if you wanted to truly “enjoy” your life at Blazing Academy. Our student cards had various ranks, and the higher the final grade score, the more access you had to various services throughout the property.

Our first test would be next week and if we did well, our student IDs would be upgraded to freshmen gold. That would allow us to get the groceries of our choice delivered to our door versus having to head to the grocery stores far west of the property, which was where Westley and Gabriel had gone to get us food for some preparations.

It also gave us access to special privileges in the cafeteria. Apparently if you maintained a 95% or higher, you’d get entry into the private sector of the cafeteria where there were no lines, drama, or fights over finding a seat.

The perks were endless when unlocked, but as semester one students, we were still pretty limited. It didn’t mean we should slack and wait for the following semester to try again since our ranks carried over through the years and would only even out the average if we suddenly screwed up.

I was ready to put my brains to the test, and we’d left orientation buzzing with enthusiasm, but what was heavy on my mind was the discussion we’d had with CloverSpell.

The whole thing still gave me a little bit of depression thinking about it, and even if I wanted to talk to my dad about it, I personally didn’t want to bother him.

By this time, he may have already started drinking, and did I really want to ruin the happiness of receiving his text this morning? No.

The quiet sound of the plate lowering before me brought me back into reality, my eyes lowering to see the massive omelet with green and red peppers with sliced mushroom and shredded cheese on top that was already melted.

I licked my lips as I inhaled the favorable aroma, catching onto the black pepper seasoning on top. “Thank you, Keru!”

“No worries.” He hopped back onto the stool while I lowered my mug of tea and dug right in, practically inhaling the food and cueing a whistle from Keru as he stared at me with an impressed expression.

“So…do you want me to make you another? Because it seems like that was a tiny appetizer,” he noted.

I smirked and shook my head. “Nah. It’ll last me until the guys arrive with food. Then I’ll have space for dessert.”

“Hmm, we should order that,” he suggested, sliding off the stool once more to grab the kitchen tablet that was in all dorm kitchens.

“Can we actually order some?” I inquired.

“Yup.” He bobbed his head. “All we have to do is put the order in and it’ll magically appear in the fridge or freezer. From what I heard from some students in the line, the first week for dessert is free, and then it’s an unlockable service with our grades,” he explained. “Might as well take advantage.”

“Do they have vanilla fondue with sprinkles and chocolate sauce?”

“You remembered that comment, huh?” His intrigued smirk made me look away as I feigned innocence. “What could you possibly mean? It’s my favorite dessert, currently.”

“Uh-huh,” he replied. “I’ll order it.”

“What’s your favorite dessert?”

“You,” he replied without even missing a beat. All I could do was gawk back at him, my cheeks beginning to turn red at the unexpected response. He pressed a button and then placed the tablet on the island to admire my red face.

“Aww, you’re all red.”

“Y-You can’t say things like that!” I complained. “I’m sixteen! Innocent, I say.”

“Sixteen is just a number, and if you were so innocent, your face wouldn’t be as red as a tomato. In fact, you probably match the living room seats.”

“Shut up!” I huffed and crossed my arms. “I hate you.”

“Liar.” He looked pleased with my frustrations as he carried on with, “Feeling more energetic?”

“Yes.” I wasn’t going to lie about it.

“Wanna talk?”

I slowly nodded, returning to my tea that was half finished.

“I’m struggling with the potential idea that my mom was the one to seal my powers away.” That was the shimmering worry in my head after CloverSpell had dropped the bomb on us.

“MY MOM COULD HAVE POTENTIALLY PUT the seal on me?” I gasped. “W-Why would she do that?”

“Is there proof?” Gabriel questioned.

“We’re not totally sure if that could have been the case. It’s currently a strong possibility due to how unique Alice is,” Clover explained. “That seal was extremely strong, having to take the three of you, myself, and Professor Daily to securely get rid of the shattered remains that would have been swallowed by the years of pent-up power.”

“You’ve noticed that you haven’t been triggering things to explode or even light up, haven’t you, Alice?” Professor Daily acknowledged as he sought validation.

“You’re right about that,” I confessed.

“All of those incidents were due to your flaming abilities seeping past the cracks in the seal. From a quick observation from the scan we conducted after the ceremony, it’s been predicted that the shattering of the seal began when you were around six or seven,” Clover explained. “Do you remember confronting your mother or someone of importance around then?”

“Not really,” I answered. “What would that have to do with my mom potentially being the culprit of this seal?”

“It’s only a theory so far, Alice. It currently makes sense because your Mother is extremely powerful from what her past records revealed. But even those are outdated since they were reported after your birth. They may not be a true reflection of her power. It’s almost impossible for someone of lower magical power and with a lack of skill in all flaming traits to have been able to place a spell of that caliber on you,” Mr. Daily explained.

“Don’t seals need to be touched upon?” Westley questioned. “They don’t just sit there until they shatter. They have to be touched upon every couple of months, if not once a year. Wouldn’t that mean her mother would have had to come to visit her to conduct the revitalizing of the seal?”

“You’re correct.” Clover nodded. “Which is why we think when Alice was younger, her mother could have taken advantage of her visits to boost up this seal. However, those visits had to have lessened at some point, and then Alice stopped seeing her mother altogether.”

“What purpose would a mother have in placing a seal on her child that she knows if not maintained with proper attention and care could kill her?” Keru questioned as he crossed his arms. “It’s like accepting the job to protect someone, having good progress, and ditching the role entirely when the individual needs it the most.”

“Keru’s right,” Gabriel added. “Youths, particularly from childhood to teenage years, are the most vulnerable of any magic-user. If her mother’s goal was to keep her safe from her own power, she wouldn’t simply give up midway.”

“Something or someone had to have stopped her, or whoever was assigned the task, from coming to give the protective seal a boost,” Gabriel explained. “No matter the minor details, it just seems fishy for Alice’s mother to merely vanish.”

“We agree with you.” Clover sighed and looked at Professor Daily.

“However,” Professor Daily began, “this is something we’re probably going to have to investigate. Chambers couldn’t have been the one to do the seal. His magic is very different, and lacks two of the four flame traits.”

“Until then, we wanted to be transparent with our current findings so you have a bit of insight. This isn’t something you need to worry about during this semester. The seal doesn’t matter. It’s broken and not a problem to you, Alice. You’ll be able to learn without any hindrances,” Clover explained. “As for your weapon, the book in your lap is what carries the excess of magic that was essentially trapped within the seal. The book is locked and can only be unlocked by you and your flaming energy. Otherwise, it’ll remain locked. To carry it around, merely envision the book as a necklace and it’ll shift into that form. Keep it simple, and like the others have encouraged, don’t let anyone know you carry all four fire traits until next semester.”

“It’s dangerous, and your team won’t be near you all the time. Play it safe for now as you learn more about campus and make some friends.”

“Alright,” I whispered. “I understand.”

“THAT’S A REASONABLE WORRY TO HAVE,” Keru answered. “She had to have known that neglecting the seal’s maintenance would put you at risk. I won’t ignore or sugar-coat that important fact.”

He pressed against the back of the stool as he stretched his arms up. “However, it seems a little fishy that she stopped visiting you when you were young, don’t you think?”

“I assumed she didn’t want to see me anymore.” I shrugged. “If she wanted to be in my life, she would have raised me, right?”

“True.” Keru thought about it, resting his head in his hands as he stared at me. “But do you believe that?”

“That she didn’t want to be in my life anymore?”

“Ya.”

“I’m not sure.” I shrugged again, feeling a little uncomfortable at the thought. “Even if she had responsibilities to deal with, work and whatnot, why couldn’t she have said so? Or be transparent about it. Instead, I was made to feel as though I was a mistake that only reminded my dad of the misery of being a parent and losing the woman he loved to stupid mistakes. I don’t know.”

“Only time will tell,” Keru commented. “You shouldn’t let it bother you, though. Your mother’s decision is hers to bear alone. It’s not your fault and you never asked to be born into this world. You’re not adopted or anything, and again, even if you had been, that was a decision your mom made. She should have acknowledged that it would be a long-term commitment,” Keru explained. “I’m not saying you need to hate her or anything, but don’t let her errors of judgment make you feel unvalued.”

“You have a point,” I admitted.

“But something is still troubling you,” he noted, his eyes still observing me carefully.

“Is it…“I trailed off, looking up nervously to peer into his eyes. They were calm while he carried a relaxed smile. He gave me a nod of encouragement and I let go of my worries and said what needed to be let out, “Is it silly for me to be…scared?”

“Not at all,” he replied. “I’m scared, too.”

“You’re scared? Why? You’re powerful and didn’t you grow up knowing about your magic?”

He quietly chuckled and shook his head. “Nah. I’m actually still new to all of this, to be honest.”

“R-Really?” I was fully intrigued at the thought, hoping within my mind that he’d explain more about it. “Would it be a hassle to share?”

“Not at all,” he assured me with a sweet smile. “I found out about my abilities six years ago. I didn’t know about what I was because I’d been in the foster system for as long as I could remember.”

“Your parents-”

“Disowned me.” The way he casually said it made my heart sink at the idea. “I wasn’t high maintenance or anything. To be honest, I was more like Westley. I gave off a shy persona. I didn’t really register that I’d been disowned until the councillor told me to my face that my parents didn’t want me. It took a while for me to accept it, and when I struggled to find a family that would take me in due to sudden ‘catastrophes’ following me, it made things a lot worse.”

He tugged on the collar of his dress shirt, unbuttoning the top button and revealing the black collar with a crescent moon around his neck.

“The last family I was in was the worse. They treated me like an enslaved dog, and I couldn’t say a word to anyone about it. I was frightened that something would go wrong. Like a fire breaking out at night, or the stove suddenly exploding with a flicker of my emotions. I pent them all inside of me, sealing them tightly and hoping they never exploded, but when I was twelve…”

He paused and gave me a conflicted look. “Maybe a little dark for you. You’re only sixteen.”

“I want to know,” I whispered. “As long as it doesn’t negatively impact you for sharing. I may be sixteen, but I know more than many think I do.”

“Don’t let this become nightmares for you, then.” He playfully winked at me, trying to brighten the heaviness in the room. He looked away for a moment, his eyes staring at the fridge. I followed his gaze, wondering what the significance could be, but he enlightened me before I could ponder on it.

“My foster mom at the time was going through a nasty time with my foster dad. They didn’t get along, but they remained together out of convenience. She wasn’t in love with him, and he was always out gambling and such. When he did come home, he was usually wasted, and that abuse came down on me. I endured whatever came my way, but then he switched jobs, finding one that needed him to stay abroad for extended periods of time. That left my mom in an unsatisfied state, and instead of seeking men outside to please her, she decided I was worth the gamble.”

My horrified expression made him look a bit regretful as he commented, “See? Not for the faint of the heart.”

“T-That’s not why I’m shocked. How could she…that’s…”

“Disgusting? Immoral? Selfish? Life-changing for the twelve-year-old that’s been through shit?” he offered. “Just another perspective of the system when you’re something different. Now that I know exactly what I am, it kind of makes sense. People like us, with power beyond our control and knowledge, fall through the cracks and no one wants to deal with us. It’s not because of our personalities in particular, but due to our unique differences. They purposely refuse to acknowledge our powers, and that’s what puts us in shitty situations. In my case, that woman knew what I was. She knew that I sought a place to call home and was tired of the abuse and multiple family changes. I’d honestly rather have been homeless than continue with paperwork, meetings, and constant change of rooms at the shelters that foster kids have to deal with, and she absolutely knew that.”

He tugged on his collar slightly, showing a deep red wound that had healed oddly. He covered it just as quickly when my eyes registered its appearance, and he carried on.

“For a year, I was forced to live in the basement chained with a tight collar on my neck. I was only allowed to move it when my foster dad returned temporarily, and that woman would cover the bruise with makeup. She did crazy things to me, and I took it with a grain of salt. I didn’t know any better, but it was psychological torture. I’d already given up on trying to figure out who I was, and more importantly, what I wanted to be. In my mind, my future was set and there was no escape.”

He looked to his hands, and then a small smile formed on his lips.

“Then when I was thirteen, I made the erratic decision to give up.”

Those red eyes of his lifted to meet mine, and I knew that look.

The despair of having no way out. The defeated feeling and loneliness that thickened with every second that passed when you couldn’t think of a way out of your current circumstances.

All those quiet nights where my grandparents were asleep, but I was up, contemplating whether I should end it all that very night or try again to walk into the halls of a school where everyone mocked, teased, and treated me like I was worth nothing.

“There weren’t any friends that I had to say goodbye to. No letters of regret or thanks. When the night came where she went out, it was my only chance to be free. To finish the deed I thought should have been done ages ago, but I had been too afraid to complete. I ripped the collar off my neck. The damage was pretty severe in itself. I could have remained there and waited until I lost enough blood, but I didn’t want to risk the chance of surviving, so that rainy night, I ran away as fast as I could. There was one building I knew I could have access to the roof, and that was the foster home building. It was extremely far from where I lived, and yet, I got there quickly. It was almost as if I was possessed, and my speed shot up to inhuman levels to get me to where I had to be.”

He lifted his head up to the ceiling, leaning back and crossing his arms over his chest.

“It rained so hard that night. It was like the earth was crying for me. Those cold droplets pelted my hot flesh, reminding me that I was still breathing…still living in a dark world that I was about to leave. I cried hard then, mourning all the pain I’d endured. All those times that I’d experienced pain, all I’d wanted was for someone to be there and say I was worthy. That even though bad things followed me, that I was still enough, and I’d find my purpose at some point in my life. I wished for that ending so many times that it was like a fairy tale to me, one that I’d never be able to fulfill. I stepped on the ledge and looked down, realizing that one single step off the thirtieth floor would end me. There would be no going back, and I’d never get to discover who I was meant to be in this world.”

His eyes began to water, and he blinked them quickly to stop his tears, his eyes still peering upward like he was on that very ledge, looking at the pouring, dark sky for the last time.

“I waited and trembled, but I couldn’t take that step. Not because I was frightened of dying, but because I truly wanted to live. My soul wouldn’t rest without knowing exactly why I ignited black flames with a flicker of emotions, or why in the depths of the winter I could be just fine in nothing but shorts. There were so many mysteries that were unsolved, and I couldn’t die without finding their solutions. Without solving and getting the answers I’d been wondering about for as long as I could remember.”

Lowering his head, a single tear left his right eye, falling down his cheek. I reached out and gently brushed the wet spot, and he closed his eyes for a fraction of a moment to enjoy the touch of my hand.

“Sorry for making you remember something so dark,” I whispered.

“It feels right to tell you, and your eyes tell me you’ve experienced a bit of what we all go through because we’re uniquely different from the rest of humanity. A lot of our kind deal with some crazy stuff, and that leads to us thinking we don’t belong here anymore. I don’t blame any of them for such feelings, but it would have been nice back then to have that connection with others.”

“I’m glad you didn’t take that last step,” I mumbled. “You already made a difference in my life, even though we just met.”

“Funny thing is, I actually fell off.” He nervously chuckled, watching my eyes double in size. He quickly followed with, “There was a huge bolt of thunder that came from the sky and freaked me out. I’m not afraid of thunder or lightning but this one made the sky almost white and I flinched, which made me lose my balance.”

I was clinging to the island, desperate to find out how he somehow survived the thirty-floor drop.

“I tried to turn myself so I’d be able to grab the ledge, but I was already far off and falling down. When you see the world slow down in movies in those near-death moments, they’re actually pretty accurate. Everything really does slow down, and for the first time, I suddenly realized that all my worries seemed insignificant because they were obstacles I could have endured and overcome. My body grew very hot then, and I watched as black and orange flames burst out, spinning around me. I lifted my hands and saw that those very flames were coming from my fingertips, and it finally clicked. The bad luck, the burst of flames that followed and made me think I was cursed was actually a part of me. I was different, gifted, and those around me had to break me down to feel powerful because I carried power within me. The acknowledgment of that, while I fell to my doom, was disheartening, and I regretted even thinking about ending my life.”

He met my eyes and smiled.

“Then an angel came to my aid and saved my life.”

“An angel?”

“My vision was beginning to blur as I closed in on the ground, but someone caught my hand, tugging me up, and my body stopped an inch from the cement surface. The rain all around us stopped like it was frozen in time, and my eyes landed upon massive white wings and gold eyes. He had the biggest scowl on his face, and I wasn’t sure if he was upset with me, or annoyed that he had to come down from heaven and save me.”

“Wait.” The mention of a scowl triggered the thought of one person. “You’re not referring to Gabriel, are you?”

“The one and only.” His smile was priceless as his face brightened up. “I honestly thought I was seeing things, but that grimace of his never seemed so perfect. I passed out after that, the shock of everything finally kicking in, and when I woke up, I was in this massive mansion. I noticed a white bed and chairs. It was like I’d walked into a house in heaven. That’s when Gabriel arrived and told me that I owed him.”

“Why does that sound like him?” I commented.

“Totally does.” He chuckled and shook his head. “I did owe him. He’d saved my life when he didn’t have to. He was twelve back then, so the use of our flame magic to create physical traits like wings or even shifting was extremely hard on the body. He gave a good front when he confronted me about owing him, but once everything was settled, he was sick for a good two weeks. His parents are in really high positions and always work, so I ended up taking care of him. It was pretty ironic.”

“Was that your payback to him?” I inquired.

“Nah.” Shaking his head, he sighed. “In order for me to pay him back, I had to be his brother from then on.”

“Brother?” I was a little confused as to what he meant. “Like, as in actual brother?”

Keru smirked. “Yup. He said because I thought life was so wasteful, my punishment would be being his official brother. That way, if he had to suffer in the world, apparently, I’d have to do the same. Only this time, we’d be in this together and it wouldn’t such a lonely journey.”

Now that he explained it, I was moved by the explanation.

“Doesn’t that mean-”

“He asked his parents to adopt me and they surprisingly approved. I kept my last name for the sake of locating my parents one day or on the off chance I’d become someone famous or popular and they would come to find me. Odd way of getting revenge in my book, but it seemed smart at the time. We’re legally brothers. They became family. I began therapy after that. Physical therapy to address the wounds I’d endured from my abuser, and then therapy to address my mental needs. That was where I met Mrs. CloverSpell, and learned all about the Blazing Organization that aids youths in becoming powerful individuals in our small society.”

“Blazing Organization,” I repeated.

“Some like to call it Blazing Agency, since they connect with other huge agencies that sponsor teens to become agents, teachers, leaders. It’s basically a place for us to discover what we want to achieve and make a difference in our fellow peers’ lives. Most if not all teens attend Blazing Academy after we reach eighteen, but since Gabriel is a year younger than me, I figured I’d wait so we could attend together. It worked out in our favor, seeing as we got the opportunity to attend with you, but ya.”

He slid off his chair and stretched. “I was slowly eased into learning about being a Hellhound Warlock and had to learn about everything from scratch. It was a new experience and scary, because I was clueless about this world filled with magic users and shifters. However, it was easier because Gabriel was there to cheer me on in his negative, insulting type of way.”

“That’s just one of his characteristics, huh?”

“Definitely.” Keru laughed. “But it honestly works. Whenever he scolded me for being stupid or struggling to learn a spell, I always worked harder to prove him wrong. It was like a high to receive his praise, and whenever I did, I’d rub it in his face and make sure he’d admit what I’d accomplished. Gabriel is definitely rough around the edges, but he’s really caring. He never wants to see someone truly suffer, especially when they don’t deserve it. He could have let me die, but he waited to see if I regretted my decision, which I did. That massive flash of thunder was his Holy Thunder that was triggered, and saving me was his way of teaching me just how regretful I would have been if I’d completed the final act. He made me understand how important I was in this world, even when I didn’t believe it. He was the support I’d wished for, and though he was an ass half the time, I learned, grew, and unlocked abilities I never would have thought were possible.”

He closed his eyes bobbed his head.

“I’m here because of him, and though my parents who abandoned me are somewhere out there, I’ve decided that this journey is mine alone and I can either let fear consume me or push it aside and make the most out of my life. Second chances don’t come often. It’s best to grasp that chance and live life to the fullest.”

“That was really inspirational, Keru.” I began to clap my hands, and he bowed slightly, like he was on stage and receiving a round of applause.

“Thank you, thank you,” he teased and walked around the island until he was standing before me. “The main point of me sharing this is, I want you to tackle this with a broad insight. Let yourself be excited for the journey to learn and find out about yourself. You’re beautiful, talented, and strong, Alice. You’ve yet to even tap into what your true potential and calling is.”

He raised his hands to spread them out. “Your potential in this world is massive, greater than my hands can portray, and what bullies like Rick and other sad people among our student body love to do is ignite our sense of fear. They wish to belittle us on our own journeys, especially when they can foresee just how great we can become if we allow ourselves to learn and grow. You’ll find out why your mom decided it was best to leave you in time. Maybe it will be tomorrow, or maybe it will be years from now. From tomorrow onward, this adventure is yours to enjoy, and I want you to really experience all the good and the bad.”

He lowered his hands to my shoulders.

“We’ll be here for you as well. I know your dad requested us to protect you because you’re extremely important to him, but remember, we’re your friends and teammates now this semester, and we’re going to support you any way we can. Ask as many questions as you want, and we’ll do our best to help you.”

“That really means a lot, Keru.” I gave him a sincere smile and he grinned in return.

“Today was a lot. Let’s worry about breaking things down as we go through this week. We won’t be getting into the nitty-gritty of our curriculum till next week, so there’s tons of time to teach you the essentials.”

“Okay!” I beamed at the idea and without thinking, I moved forward and hugged him. “Thank you, Keru.”

He chuckled again and hugged me tightly back.

“You give good hugs, Alice. Not those fake ones.”

“Hugs can be fake?” I inquired.

“You’d be surprised.” He winked and slid his arms away to suddenly ruffle my hair.

“Hey!” I huffed, one of my hair buns coming undone. “You ruined my hair!”

“We’re home anyways.” He didn’t have a hint of regret. “Now let’s head to the door. Our roommates are back.”

“How do you know?”

“I can smell Gabriel from a mile away. His energy is also really easy to pick up,” Keru replied and headed towards the door.

I watched him in admiration, grateful that he was willing to dive into his past and give me a perspective of the challenges he experienced and overcame.

It had eased my mind greatly, and my worries now felt insignificant. He was right about many things, and I could either let this new experience frighten me to the point of hindering me or allow myself to jump into this new experience and make mistakes along the way.

There was nothing wrong with making mistakes, as long as I learned and moved on.

There’s also nothing wrong with me. My mom leaving us isn’t my burden to carry. If I work hard on myself, maybe one day I’ll discover the truth about why she stopped coming to see us and why she left the seal the way it was.

As much as I secretly wished for all the answers to be delivered to me, I was dreaming the impossible at this moment.

Like Keru had stated: I had massive potential, and this was my moment to learn, grow, and shine.

Time to enjoy the evening.

“WHY ARE YOU UP?”

I paused in my attempt to be as quiet as possible, almost reaching the door of the fridge, only to be caught midstride, an inch from the large silver appliance.

Slowly looking over my shoulder, I noticed Gabriel’s questioning look, deep frown and all. He was wearing white-framed glasses, the new addition to his look giving him a more sophisticated appearance. It must have been glasses soley for reading as I’d never seen him wear them prior to this.

Lowering my gaze, I realized he was wearing a white t-shirt, but I couldn’t see if he was in boxers or pants from how he sat on the red velvet couch.

I lowered my lifted leg to the floor, turning around to answer.

“I’m hungry.”

“It’s three in the morning.”

“I know.”

He arched an eyebrow at me, but after a long moment of staring, he sighed. “Fine. Enjoy scurrying through the fridge. Just don’t cook anything. The aroma of food makes Keru sleepwalk.”

Now that was intriguing.

“Did you say Keru sleepwalks when he smells food?” I inquired.

“That’s exactly what I said,” he replied. “Which is another thing. If you see Keru walking through the house at night, don’t startle him awake. Let him do his thing unless he gets out of the house somehow. Then follow him and make sure he doesn’t do stupid stuff in his sleep.”

“Okay. Does he know he sleepwalks?”

“Ya,” Gabriel replied, his eyes returning to the book he held in his hands. “Doesn’t do it often, but I figure seeing as we’re all dorm-ing together for a full year, you should know that.”

“Thanks for the heads up.”

I’d never seen someone sleepwalk before, and the idea of triggering it with food made me think cautiously of what I could eat.

The unintentional reminder of us staying together in this place made me wonder what others would think about me being the only girl in a dorm of all guys.

Dad would probably freak out, but then again, he knows I’m living with them, doesn’t he?

I was pretty sure it wasn’t a big deal, and I brushed the thought away and reached the fridge. Opening the door and scanning the contents inside, a tiny smirk graced my lips as my eyes landed on a good food choice to have that wouldn’t make Keru sleepwalk or even wake Westley.

Checking to make sure Gabriel was more focused on his book than what I was concocting, I finished as quietly as I could, until I was standing in front of where Gabriel was still nose-deep in his book.

He hadn’t even noticed my arrival, his gold eyes scanning the sentences at a swift pace while looking almost lost in whatever story he was reading.

From the exterior of the book, it had to be a story of some kind that he was reading out of enjoyment, versus a book of material we’d need to study or learn for this semester.

Presenting the white plate in my grasp, Gabriel tugged his eyes from the book to notice the circular surface that held what he’d asked for after the sealing ceremony.

“Vanilla fondue with sprinkles and chocolate sauce?” He lifted his head to stare into my eyes, confusion and joy bouncing back in forth in his expression.

“You did say I owed you,” I quietly reminded with a small grin. “Keru helped me order it before you guys arrived back with groceries, so it’s not old or anything.”

When they had arrived, we took care of groceries, so they could change and wind down from the journey before we made our first dinner together.

To be realistic, it was a quick make of Mac and Cheese. All of us were a bit too tired to stand and cook something to feast on. The first day of school had been overwhelming, and now that we could finally relax for the rest of the evening, it felt right to just eat something quick and retire for the night.

I didn’t think I’d be awake and unable to sleep, but since Gabriel was here, maybe he was struggling as well.

He looked at the plate once more, and I could see him trying to contemplate whether it was worth the risk.

“If you’re worried about your teeth, you can always brush them after you finish eating,” I reasoned.

He gave me a look, but his hands closed the massive book in his hold and lowered it onto his lap so he could accept the offered plate.

“Thanks.” His word of gratitude was quiet but was less stern in comparison to his usual rough responses.

Nodding in response, I decided to sit on the white fluffy rug on the floor right before the couch, crossing my legs and placing the plate in the middle as I enjoyed a moment of inspecting its sweet contents.

“Why is this your favorite dessert?” I asked.

“My mom would treat me to it whenever it was a special occasion,” he revealed. It was a little unexpected for him to answer truthfully, and my eyes lifted to see him staring at the dessert with a longing expression.

“Do you get to see your mom often?” I inquired. “You don’t need to answer if it makes you uncomfortable.”

He shrugged as if it didn’t bother him and answered, “Nah. Once I reached a certain age, she had to prioritize her work. Don’t blame her or my dad. That’s just life. They’re doing their roles in this world, helping others and spreading goodness, getting rid of evil.”

He used the small spoon to take a tiny portion of the dessert, placing it in his mouth with precision and grace. I was compelled to stare at him, almost as though I’d actually made the dessert and not gotten Keru to order it with the tablet.

Those gold orbs softened as a smile took over his entire expression, lighting up his eyes, filling his cheeks, and letting me see his pure white teeth.

“Best combination,” he whispered to himself, eyeing the dessert with immense love. He then turned my way, his smile falling when he noticed my observant stare.

“What?”

“Uh.” I nervously looked away and covered up with, “I was just randomly thinking about why Cyrus hasn’t switched to that little girl form.”

Changing the subject would be the safest method of not being scolded by him. It was three in the morning and I really wasn’t going to argue or deal with insults so early in the morning.

“Ah.” He paused in taking another bite of his dessert to answer. “Due to the breaking seal you were experiencing, there were high and low spikes to your flame. We believe your high spikes were what gave Cyrus enough of a boost to unlock her human form. It takes a good while and a strong connection between master and familiar for them to take on a human form.”

Enjoying another bite of his dessert, he finished chewing before he carried on.

“Familiars need to have both a strong magical and emotional connection with their owner to take a human form. From my perspective, your emotional bond is pretty tight, even if you mentioned not being with her for long. She considers you to be her mistress, which is one of the reasons she was able to retrieve and shift into human form by using some of your flame at its peak levels. Now that the seal is gone and you’re well balanced, you’ll have to work on learning how to unlock that aspect,” he explained. “In rare, life-threatening occasions she can shift into her human form. That occurs due to the sudden spike in protective magic that soars through any individual when danger is unavoidable.”

“Thanks for the explanation,” I praised. “I wanted to ask Mrs. CloverSpell but the conversation was long enough I felt it was unnecessary.”

“Nothing is unnecessary,” Gabriel corrected. “If you have questions, ask. That’s how you’re going to learn and not look like an idiot when suddenly presented with a challenge or dilemma.”

“Even if it’s a hassle for you?”

“I never once said it was,” he defended. “You’re merely assuming that.”

“I’ll admit that I am,” I confessed. “It’s a bit of a habit seeing as at my other schools, asking questions seemed odd for a smartass.”

He paused from taking another bite to look over to me.

“Who said it was odd? And in order to be a smartass, you have to study and learn. Sometimes that requires you getting your questions answered, that way, you understand the information being presented and can absorb it better. That’s not something to be ashamed about, and questions are highly encouraged at Blazing Academy. It’s why many people like the school.”

“Really?”

“Remember, two-thirds of the student body is brand new. Individuals that know nothing about this world or the existence of magic. Many of them have never even thought of themselves as a powerful individual. Knowledge is key in magic schools. That’s why it’s heavily emphasized in the first semester. You won’t be mocked for asking many questions, even when it may sound stupid to some.”

“You’re pretty confident when this is your first time attending Blazing Academy,” I noted.

“My parents helped establish BA’s student network,” he admitted. “They hate inequity in a place of learning and disapprove of anyone who tries to bring others down, including students. I’m no different and sometimes get requested to check in on certain courses or afterschool activities to ensure students and professors are behaving. Seeing as we have classes together, no one is going to be doing anything to make you feel inadequate. If they do, I’ll just beat them up.”

“Aren’t you supposed to not condone violence?”

“Yes, unless someone pisses me off and thinks it’s amusing to bully my friends and those around me. If I see it, there’s no way I’m going to ignore it. I’d like to call those who ignore obvious acts of belittlement cowards, but not everyone carries enough power or confidence to take down a bully. However, if you boast around the halls that you’re invincible, but allow another to be beaten down and ridiculed, you’re no different than a weakling who talks the talk.”

“Noble of you to say.” I was grinning from ear to ear.

“Why are you smiling like that?”

“I can see why people say you’re rough around the edges but kind.”

“Who said rubbish like that?” he muttered, looking away and returning to eating his dessert. He couldn’t hide his red cheeks, and that made me even happier as I worked on finishing my own dessert.

When we finished, we both got up to quietly wash the dishes; Gabriel washing them and handing them over to me to dry.

“About the book with excess magic,” I began, lowering my eyes to my neck to see the golden chain that held the tiny brown leather book with red and gold symbols engraved on the front and back. “It’ll remain in this form until I need it or learn how to use it?”

“Yes.” Gabriel closed the tap and looked my way. “It’s a part of you now and will give you power once you learn the basics of summoning your flames as well as begin to figure out what type of flame is your strongest. Once you figure that out, you can start playing around with shifter magic.”

“Does that mean I can eventually turn into an owl? Or a wolf? Wait. Does that mean Westley is a peacock?”

“You ask so many questions at once,” he said with a sigh.

“I’m curious and hungry for knowledge.”

“Guess it’s better than being hungry for other things.” He seemed to have directed that to himself, but I blushed at the dirty thought that flickered in my mind.

“Don’t say that when you’re around other students,” I suggested.

“Why?”

“I never got my answer,” I changed the subject.

“Why can’t I comment…ugh.” He let out a gruff, “You have such a dirty mind!”

“I’m sixteen and have to be able to catch onto both good and dirty aspects of words,” I defended. “Never know when you’re going to suddenly flip the coin and refer to a ‘dirty’ cover-up answer.”

“You leave me to wonder whether you’ve dated before.” He shook his head and answered, “You can change into almost anything you want, animal-wise. There are no limits to one’s imagination, but there are limits to power.”

Drying his hands, he let out a yawn and pulled his glasses off to place them on top of his head. “I’m heading to bed. You should do the same. We thankfully have a late start today, but don’t get used to staying up so late.”

“Yes, Dad.” I teased.

He gave me a look of pure annoyance and leaned in until his face was inches from mine. “Unless you’re going to be calling me Daddy in bed, I’d try not to tease me in that manner.”

My jaw fell open, and the smile of amusement that morphed on his lips had me lifting my leg to unleash my secret move. His body suddenly vanished like a flicker of light and my lifted leg went through tiny golden balls of fire.

My confusion was short-lived as those same golden orbs moved in unison, wrapping around me until I felt a presence behind me.

I looked up to see Gabriel’s smug smile while his wings continued to manifest into physical form - the golden orbs blazing into feathers.

“That’s not fair!” I huffed.

“Life’s not fair, but you don’t see me complaining.” He lightly karate chopped my head.

“Ow.”

“If you score extremely high on midterms, I’ll teach you how to do that.”

“Really?!” My momentary anger dispersed into pure delight.

“Ya.” He moved away from my back to head to the stairs. “Now go to sleep. I don’t want to hear you complain about being tired in the morning. Get enough of that from Keru.”

“Thank you, Gabriel!”

He paused on the first step to look over his shoulder and saw my gleaming smile. His stare was hard to describe, but he slowly nodded and looked away.

“Night, Alice.”

He made his way up the stairs, leaving me in a relaxed mood.

“Woof?”

I looked down to see that Cyrus was sitting on my foot. I didn’t even realize she’d been down here, but her arrival made my heart flutter in joy as I crouched down and picked her up.

“We’re going to do well this semester so we can start training to be epic blazing warriors! Well, I’m not sure about the ‘warriors’ part, but we can at least get good grades. Then, I’ll learn how to get you to shift into a human form more often, Cyrus.”

“Woof!” She leaned in to lick my face, and I quietly giggled.

Looking at the kitchen window, I peered up at the stars, my smile still as wide as ever.

My potential is massive so it’s about time I embraced it.

PREPARE FOR A BLAZING FUN NIGHT

~ONE WEEK LATER~

“WOOF?”

I frowned at the last page of the textbook, glancing from the final sentence to my thick notebook of detailed notes about the four types of flame within the World of Scorching.

It intrigued me how we referenced our world as either Blazing or Scorching and yet, the world around me still felt the same. I expected magic school to be a thrilling moment of seeing dazzling flaming tricks and enjoying the sight of various students using their fire element to protect themselves while battling simulations or some sort of fake enemy.

So far, all I’d seen was students magically flickering on the candles that lit the room.

With a heavy sigh of disappointment, I closed the textbook and stared at my notebook while reaching to stroke Cyrus’s head.

“I’m finished with all the required reading for this semester. All books read, notes made, information stored. Now I’m bored.”

This was one of the problems I had.

I’m sure anyone would have wished to have a brain like mine that soaked up information like a sponge that never let go of the flowing words of knowledge, but in my case, it was difficult when you ran out of wisdom to soak up.

Then I’m left in utter boredom within three days of school starting. I end up sleeping during all my classes.

I thankfully hadn’t slept through class this week, the excitement of being at a new school and not being bullied once thus far making me more pumped to learn and grow, but now that I’d completely gone through all my textbooks, I wasn’t sure what else to do.

Professor Daily was one of my four professors, and it was intriguing to be taught by him in this aspect versus when I attended a “human” school. He was in what some called a flaming appearance. It was seen as normal to us Blazing students, but outside of these walls, he took on his normal look which he, himself, deemed as “dull”.

Regardless, he was an intellectual individual, and his class centered on Blazing Fire, which was my current strong point.

I’d yet to figure out how to ignite my flames, which was a little intriguing since I used to do it accidentally all the time.

Gabriel and Keru were out for the evening, something about taking care of business while Keru craved burgers. Seeing as it was Sunday night, they would surely be home to get enough sleep for classes tomorrow.

Westley was taking a nap, a common trait of his, and this was normally when I recapped what we’d learned during the school day.

My goal was to continue communicating with Dad once a week, Sundays being the best day in my mind seeing as Dad didn’t drink until the late evenings. I’d been tempted to ask why everyone called him Chambers, but I figured it wasn’t super important to ask.

As long as I still kept our weekly communication, I would be content.

Maybe my expectations had been too high for this semester, and all the cool stuff happening in the next, but I functioned better with anticipation and I worried I’d lose all of that if things didn’t pick up in pace.

“Done studying, Alice?”

I looked up to see Westley at the door of my room, his body resting against the door frame. He was wearing a casual outfit: tight black jeans with slashes and intriguing badge graffiti that decorated what I could assume were branded jeans.

He wore a fitted black t-shirt, and his hair was fully silver. His hair had been like that all week, a sign that he hadn’t been using an ounce of his flame. He was wearing circular black frames this evening, and he wasn’t carrying his usual exhausted expression.

“Sadly,” I admitted. “You look rejuvenated. Was your nap good?”

“It was really good,” he admitted. “No nightmares.”

“You experience nightmares?” I inquired.

“On a daily basis,” he admitted, entering the room and closing the door until there was a slight crack. He walked over to where I was sitting on a comfy beanie chair, and I shuffled over and patted the space for him to sit next to me.

His grin was inviting as he sat next to me and relaxed back. “These beanies are so comfortable.”

“They’re nice when you’re spending hours studying,” I added. He agreed with a bob of his head. “You didn’t have a nightmare today, then?” I went back to the previous topic.

“Nah. I think because classes were extra-long today, I just slept straight through.”

Cyrus poked her head out from the blanket I had laid on my feet to run over and sit in Westley’s lap. He smirked and began to stroke her head, all while his eyes looked at the door. “Nightmares are a usual thing. They don’t scare me like before.”

“Did you have a nightmare the night after my ceremony?” I inquired. “You know. When the guys thought it would be intriguing to put us in the same bed?”

“Nah,” he replied. “I slept really well.”

“Maybe you need to sleep with someone around?” I suggested.

“I feel as though you’re offering to be my cuddle buddy, Alice.”

The mention of it and reviewing what I’d been implying made me quickly defend myself, “I-I wasn’t thinking like that. Uh…maybe I was, but it was subconscious thinking, not realistic thinking.”

“Next time I’ll try napping here while you study and see if that helps.” His taunting grin was followed with a wink, and I gave up in trying to cover my flustered expression.

Returning his attention to the table before us, he reached for my notebook and began to flicker through the written pages.

“Are these all the notes for this week’s class?” he inquired. “Seems a little too much.”

“No. Those are the notes for the entire semester.”

“You finished reading all the required material?” He seemed impressed as he took another slower look through my notebook.

“Yup. I went through each of the elemental types, made notes in detail, and I was able to get some extra books from the library to add to my research.”

“I knew Professor Daily was praising you the other day after getting a glimpse of your past grade records, but wow. You really learn that quickly?”

“I love information, learning, and trying to improve myself in the knowledge department. It helps pass the time when all I do is go to school, come home and study, and sleep. It’s not like I’ve ever had friends long enough to go to parties or simply hangout. At least with books, I can get lost, whether it’s studying or to pass the time with a new fantasy adventure.”

“You never went out to parties with friends?” Westley frowned at my statement, but I tried to remain positive as I smiled.

“I was always transferring. If I stayed at a school for more than six months, it’s pretty much a miracle. It’s not like my personality is the problem, but due to my long history of transferring due to flaming mishaps, people began to distance themselves before I could formally introduce myself. It was frustrating and, well, I’ve gotten so used to it, I never really tried to seek refuge in the possibility of making friends. When I enter a new school, I can already pick up on the signs that I won’t be here for long. I knew when I had to deal with Rick at my last school that I’d be out of there in a few weeks. Didn’t expect it to be four days, but at least I tried.”

“Are you seeing those same signs attending here?”

“No,” I honestly replied. “To be fair, I’ve tried not to focus too much on the people around me. Before, I was so analytical with everything. I would analyze people’s behaviors with every bit of detail I could grasp, not because they were exhibiting actions that deserved my attention, but because of how paranoid I was. Most schools follow the same curriculum, and whenever I started school, I’d work on going through everything we needed to learn for that term or even that year. That way, no one could make me look stupid in front of the class or belittle my intelligence. But that always left me being ahead of everyone, and, well, that just added to my list of insults seeing as I was ‘trying too hard’ to be a smart cookie. I had the intention of trying not to fall into old habits, but, well…”

I shrugged and sheepishly gestured to the notebook in his hand. “Oops, I did it again.”

“There’s nothing wrong with being ahead,” he reasoned.

“No one else goes studying a semester ahead,” I countered. He scooped Cyrus up to put her off to the side before he was up and walking to the door.

“Where are you going?” I inquired.

“One sec.” He was out the door, and I could hear his shuffling footsteps down the hall. Our rooms were all on the second floor, each room with a queen-size bed and a private bathroom. I hadn’t decorated it like I’m sure others would, seeing as I didn’t have much money to be decorating to begin with, but it was enough to feel homey.

Until I knew if this would be a dorm I’d be staying in for a while, I wouldn’t get too comfortable.

Another bad habit of mine.

It felt better to be safe and not settle into this school until I’d proven my “curse” of getting kicked out, suspended, or expelled was behind me.

Westley was back, his lips curled up in a wide boyish grin as he rushed back to the beanie and practically sank into the pink seat.

“Hey,” I giggled. “Why do you seem so excited all of a sudden?”

“Here.” He offered me a large notebook that had a black matte cover. I arched an eyebrow at him but accepted the book and worked on going through it.

My eyes scanned the detailed notes, noticing the various highlighted sections in pink, yellow, blue, green, and orange, while the ink bounced between black, blue, and red.

The familiarity of it all started to make me realize what this book was, and I slowly peered up from the sheets to see his wide grin as his eyes twinkled with happiness.

“Looks like you found someone as weird as you,” he teased with an added wink.

“You…you finished making notes for the entire semester.” My voice was filled with shock. “For all the classes.”

“All four of them are all up in here.” He raised his hand to tap his finger against his right temple. “I have to write it all down once for it to stick and stay in my head. It’s something I’ve done for a long time. Both my parents are extremely smart and work in science labs to calculate cures for diseases and such. Their memories are massive, kind of like a large file cabinet that doesn’t end. Or how our pockets seem to hold everything.”

His last comment made me giggle, and I suddenly felt so connected to him. This was the first time I’d known anyone who had similar habits to me, and the acknowledgment of finding another person like myself only gave me a sense of enlightenment.

I’m not weird. There’s someone just like me who admires and follows similar study habits.

“This feels like one of those destined moments in time,” I quietly commented.

Westly smirked. “Who knows. Maybe you manifested me into existence.”

“You can’t manifest someone into existence,” I said with a laugh.

“Why not?” Westley questioned. “Anything is possible in the world of magic. You could have been like ‘Dear Universe. I need a hot man who studies the same way as I do and likes to take naps all the time. He’ll be my new cuddle buddy and have all four flame traits like me. Let it be so!’”

“That’s not how you manifest!” I giggled and shoved his arm.

“I tried,” he reasoned.

“Wait!” I caught onto what he said. “You DO have all four flame traits!”

“Did I say that?” he inquired, but didn’t seem worried about the slip-up. “Oops!”

“You revealed that on purpose.” I narrowed my eyes at him questioningly and all he did was shrug. “Maybe I did, maybe I didn’t. You can’t read minds, so we’ll never know if I did or didn’t.”

“Meaning we don’t have magic for that?”

“We do, but that’s really hard to unlock,” he explained. “But let’s talk about that on another day.”

He rose up once again and pulled out his phone.

“What are you doing?”

“I have a better question,” he offered. “When you look at me, what’s the impression you get? I want your honest opinion.”

“As in the ‘you’ right now or the usual sleepy you?”

He looked pleased with the two choices, his green eyes meeting mine. “The current me.”

“Hmm.” Taking a good look at him, I crossed my arms over my chest and tapped my index finger against my lips. “Mysterious bad boy who’s secretly plotting to take over the school!”

“You’re not too far off,” he answered with seriousness, and I began to wonder if he was secretly plotting to take over the school. “Though the idea of taking over the school seems a tad boring. It wouldn’t be too hard.”

“Why is that even more worrisome?” I pondered.

He began to tap his fingers against his screen, and I noticed the glint in his eyes.

“Hot or cold?” His question was random, but I decided to go along with it.

“Hot.”

“Fun or lazy?”

“Fun.”

“Music or board games.”

“Music.”

“Forest or ocean.”

“Forest.”

“Would you randomly go on a date with me or would you randomly go out with me?”

I laughed. “That’s asking the same thing!”

“True, but they’re different options so you have to choose one.”

“Yes, I would randomly go out with you on a date to who knows where as long as we have fun and you get to show me a flaming magic trick!”

“Magic trick?” He looked at me questioningly before glancing at his pants. I followed his gaze before I quickly followed up with, “I’m not referring to anything dirty!”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes!” I blushed and quickly scrambled off the beanie. “We’re going out! Simple.”

“You’re pretty cute when flustered.”

“S-Stop complimenting me!”

“You telling me to stop only makes me want to continue,” he teased.

With a huff, I headed to my bathroom. “I’m changing!”

“You don’t even know what we’re supposed to wear.” His mention of an apparent dress code made me stop and turn around to see him yawn.

“Oh no, don’t tell me you need a nap?”

“I don’t,” he happily answered.

“What do I wear then?” I hadn’t even thought about the idea of going out to, well, anywhere. Now that the opportunity was here, I had no clue what would be appropriate. “Because I don’t really have an array of clothing.”

He took a good look at me. “Turn around for a sec.”

I did as I was asked, turning around and waiting for him to say something. When he didn’t, I looked over my shoulder to see him clearly checking out my ass.

“I don’t see how staring at my ass is going to suddenly make me an outfit for this apparent date of yours.”

His smirk didn’t leave his lips while his hair began to levitate as those very silver strands bled to a gorgeous teal mixture that glowed with magic.

My mouth fell open and my body grew hot, a breeze picking up at such a brisk rate that worksheets began to flutter around us as the curtains whipped the walls of the windows.

“Let the burning energy within me resurface and answer my request. Dress my queen in fine clothing that will be perfect for this evening event. Ela ra free windanda lu wa!”

The magic chant came out effortlessly, and my body was immersed in a teal warmth as silver, blue, and green flames burst into existence and swirled around me. I should have felt a wave of fear at seeing my body being consumed the flames, but the burning heat made me feel alive, the energy coursing through my veins leaving a jolt of intensity behind for me to use at my own disposal.

When the flames finally dimmed and extinguished themselves, I was wearing clothing I’d only seen worn on mannequins in the high brand stores.

I’d only gone to the mall a few times a year to get Grandma’s blood pressure meds, and I always recalled taking a moment to admire the beautiful designer outfit combos they would put on the models of plastic every season.

I was wearing a black crop top with rips in the back. I had a red bralette beneath, to match the striking red shorts with black graffiti badges that matched the theme of the designer Westley was wearing.

My stockings were black, but also followed the cut trend of my crop top. The front of my thighs followed the same pattern and revealed my tanned skin. My boots were black with red laces, following the graffiti trend on the smooth black leather and bringing me up to my favorite 6′0″ height.

My hands had red fingerless gloves, similar to the ones Westley wore on occasion, but with a fishnet design, and my hair was left down in beautiful curls.

I had to turn around and check the mirror in the bathroom to see that even my makeup was on point. Black eyeshadow, winged eyeliner, red blush, and rosy red lipstick. Everything was on point and I was left feeling not only empowered but appealing.

Turning back to see his approving grin, he walked over to me and gave me a reassuring nod.

“Looking hot, Alice.”

“How?” I was lost for words.

“Since I like to learn, I sometimes go to the closed-off parts of the library and try to learn various spells that would be beneficial. One of them is making clothes with your vivid imagination. There’s only one catch.”

“They disappear at the stroke of midnight?” I suggested.

“Nah.” His teasing smirk widened as leaned over and whispered into my ear, “You can only use the spell on someone you’re attracted to.”

He leaned back to see my expression transition from curious to shocked.

Spinning around, he walked over to pet Cyrus and then he reached over to get his notebook. “I’m too pooped to do another magic trick, so I’ll go quickly finish my look. Then we’ll head out.”

Reaching the door, he looked back my way and his eyes stared at me like I was a snack he’d been waiting all day to eat.

“Hope you’re ready for some blazing fun tonight.”

Then he left, leaving me no choice but to fan my face and attempt to ignore my racing heartbeat, tingling hot skin, and an ache between my legs that I’d never had to deal with from being around him.

Why do I have a strong feeling I’m going to fall hard for this man?

Glancing back at the mirror, I looked over to Cyrus to see her happy, panting smile.

“I’m doomed, aren’t I, Cyrus?”

“Woof woof!” she replied happily, running over and doing laps around my feet. It was weird to suddenly feel excited for the approaching evening, but this was my chance to see the world outside of uniforms and textbooks.

Time to see what the nightlife at Blazing Academy is all about.

FOUR BLAZING HORSEMEN AND GLASS BOX OF MOONLIGHT

“Is this a house party?” I asked, my hand clinging to Westley’s so I wouldn’t get lost in the massive crowd of students.

“Sort of,” Westley replied, and held my hand tightly as we waited in the crowded room to get ID’d.

Westley had taken me outside the gates of Blazing Academy, and boy, was it far different than I’d ever expected. It was as though we’d stepped outside the massive golden-red gates and into a sort of portal that led to a whole new world.

The buildings were tall structures, giving the vibe of a crowded city rather than the small-town life I’d been experiencing for years as I bounced from school to school.

To get to this part, we had to take a special taxi, one that was only for this district. When Westley stated we were going to the Blazing Fire District, the driver actually took a double look at us, and even asked if we were “rich” enough to afford anything in there.

I didn’t know why your income had anything to do with going to an area, but when we arrived, I could see why he’d asked.

The mansion homes, the wide, perfectly cut grass entryways. Not to mention the security to enter the place, which was not one entry gate, but three. The place was officially known to be for the richest kids in the town of Scorching Flame, and from the driver’s comment on our financial status, we were wearing one of those high-end brands that was worth thousands.

I’d never seen thousands in anyone’s bank account, let alone expected myself to wear anything remotely close to that price tag.

That had me wondering if Westley was super rich, but he explained with him working with Blazing Organization, himself, Keru, and Gabriel had special access to these parts of town.

Their main purpose was to ensure the safety of students who were being bullied, mistreated, or encouraged to do stupid stuff that put them at risk, but they only entered this place when there was something shady happening in the community, or for the rare occasion that they wanted to party and relax.

Tonight was one of those nights to party, and he was allowed to bring in one person: me.

After we checked in, we entered the huge dance hall. Flashing lights, booming music, open bar, and all. It was like I’d hopped right into a movie and was living the dream of a party gal.

“Are we allowed to drink?” I inquired.

“Have you ever drank alcohol before?” he countered.

“No,”

“Then we’ll try that at home,” he suggested. “Not because I don’t want to see you drunk, but some of the drinks are spiked to give us a boost of flame, and I’m not sure how you’ll react.”

“Fair,” I replied. “Do they have non-alcoholic drinks? I’m thirsty.”

“Tons. Let’s go up to the VIP area.”

“There’s a VIP area?”

“There’s a VIP house connected to this one.”

“Did I hear you correctly?” I questioned. “Because if my ears don’t fail me, you just said there was a damn house connected to a house and it’s only for VIP status. Actually, how are we even VIPs?”

“I’m a sixteen-year-old who looks nineteen and has loads of connections,” he reasoned. “Also, I’m the only one in our group with VIP status. CloverSpell thinks I’m sleeker than the other two and only gave it to me.”

I thought about it. “She’s not wrong.”

“I’m glad to receive your utmost approval.” He chuckled and tugged me along until we reached the elevators. I had to admire the gold-plated doors, watching them open as a full mirror box opened up, the handles along the interior being made of stones.

“A-Are those real?”

“Yup. Swarovski crystals, all of them placed by hand.” He directed me to enter first, following after as he pulled out his ID and pressed it against a scanner. A golden light scanned the card, and then when he removed it, he took off his glasses and looked into a screen that opened out from the elevator wall as the doors closed.

The square face scanner took a full scan of his face, and with a ding noise, the elevator began to move - not upward – sideways, to my left.

“Are we actually moving sideways?”

“Yup.”

“Then can this really be called an elevator?”

“Uh.” He actually paused to think about it. “Not really, but there are three floors in the VIP house, so it makes sense.”

“Is this place specifically made for students?”

“It’s specifically made for powerhouse young adults and potential horsemen.”

“Horsemen?” I recalled the few times I’d heard that term around here. “What exactly does that term mean?”

“I’ll explain when we get to our private spot,” he assured me. “I don’t trust elevators.”

“I feel like I’m in a spy movie.”

“You could be.” He slid his glasses on and moved closer until I was pressed against the mirror. I questioned his sudden movement, but the ‘elevator’ stopped, the doors opening as three people got on.

I met Westley’s eyes, noticing they were observing mine carefully.

The sudden closeness brought on a palpable tension between us, not one that made me afraid or uncomfortable. Instead, I felt a magnetic pull that was desperate to bring us together.

I bit my lip hard, noticing how he inched closer while his eyes remained locked on mine. It felt like we’d entered our own little world, surrounded by warmth that mingled and danced between the little space.

I’d never kissed someone before, and my heart began to race as the distance between our lips grew less by the second.

The ding of the elevator seemed to pull us out of it, the chatter and booming music flooding into the mirror box as the individuals that got on made their way off.

Westley blinked a few times before he looked back at the elevator doors.

“Guess we’re here,” he lightly declared, but it felt like he wished we hadn’t reached our destined floor.

Taking my hand into his once more, he led the way out of the elevator into the less crowded room of people. This group of young adults looked a lot more sophisticated compared to the previous crowd.

It could have been their clothes, a mix of classy, vintage, and gothic, or their hairstyles, which were styled to impress, or the mere atmosphere that hovered around that gave off a completely different vibe.

Even the music was a shift from the banging pop, the sound a little softer, actually making me want to dance and move to the beat.

We reached a short line, and I noticed the few looks I got. A part of me worried that some of these individuals knew me from my past, but their intrigued gazes and the few purposeful licks of their bottom lips told me they were checking me out.

I wasn’t too bothered by it, but I noticed how Westley released my right hand, only to slip his arm around my waist possessively as he pressed me against his side.

His eyes were still focused on the line, but the move made me feel really valuable to him. It was odd to feel like a prized possession, and I knew we were on a ‘date’, but I could only imagine dating someone like him.

To date Westley Simmons. Would he be interested in me?

The thought was what made the wait a little more bearable, the idea dancing in my head of us going out. Dating was something I heard all the girls during lunch talking about, the good and the bad, including the fun in the bedroom and how frisky some of them were in the sheets.

I always tried my best to tune it out, but then again, it was a subject I knew nothing about – never mind my lack of experience- and I wasn’t going to suddenly have a group of girlfriends that would lay it all down like a blueprint for me to understand.

I’m sure if I’d had friends back then, they would have judged me for my innocence and inability to get a man.

Still being a virgin only made things a little harder, especially when the majority of my fellow classmates had already done the “messy deed”. It was like an award within their sororities and clubs, and whenever a girl got her cherry popped, they all squealed and asked what it was like.

I didn’t judge them because that experience could mean a lot to them and they wanted to share among the people they considered friends.

Maybe I just craved the same sense of community and knew I’d never get that opportunity.

“What are you thinking about?” Westley’s soft voice made me shiver, and I realized he was far too close to my face as we continued to wait in line.

“Just…thinking how I’ve never really gotten to go to these types of events or even have a group of girlfriends to talk and party with. A random thought.”

“You’ll get the chance here.” The way he said it was as though he knew without a doubt it would happen. It was nice for him to be confident on my behalf, and it relieved my worries just a little.

I rested against him, his hold growing a little tighter in support as we moved to the front of the podium access point.

After showing his ID, we were directed to a private booth that was on the third floor. The spot gave us a view of the second floor, where much of the dancing and mingling was happening.

We sat down, and I was surprised to see servers who brought a red menu.

“Two Shirley Temples, and can we get the Blazing Platter A?”

“Sure,” the preppy blonde declared over the music. She quickly scurried off to get our drinks, and I stared at him in interest.

“You’re not going to drink?”

“If I did, tonight would end up being messy.”

“Meaning?”

“I’m not the best drunk.”

“Elaborate,” I pressed, and he moved his eyes away from the party floor below to look my way. “The drunker I get, the less control I have, and I’m a little possessive.”

“Define a little?”

He bit his lips, his green eyes immediately lowering down my body before he glanced away.

“I’d probably want you sitting on my lap rather then being opposite of me.”

“That’s something I could do,” I reasoned.

“The question should be if you’d want that,” he suggested. “Plus, I’m not drunk.”

“Would you want any girl sitting on your lap?” I inquired. “Like the server? She was pretty.”

“She was all right,” he replied. “As to whether I’d let her sit on my lap, that’s a no. She wouldn’t even look my way during school.”

“You recognize her from school?”

“Freshman like us. She’s from our first and third class, I think.”

“You’re observant.”

“Good to know who’s around you,” he admitted. “But to be fair, she was shit-talking about me, and that’s why I remember.”

“She doesn’t recognize you now?” I inquired.

“I took off my glasses,” he noted with a smirk.

“Your glasses don’t make a dramatic difference,” I noted.

“Wanna bet?”

“Fine.”

He took his glasses from where he’d placed them in the hidden pocket of his leather jacket and slid them back onto his face.

Just in time for the server to arrive and lower our drinks.

“Here are your…oh.” She paused when her eyes landed on Westley. It was like watching someone realize who the true killer in a thriller was and being unable to hide their reaction.

Her eyes widened while her cheeks blazed red before she let out a nervous giggle and bowed her head slightly.

“Hey. Um…you’re West? Weston?”

“Westley.”

The girl looked my way, and was stunned by my sudden intrusion into the conversation.

“His name is Westley.”

“Ah. I knew that! It just slipped my mind.” She giggled again and added, “I remember we talked last week,” she referred back to Westley, his intrigued eyes on me rather than her.

“Right,” he replied.

“I didn’t know you had access to these parts. You know it’s mostly for Horsemen potentials and all.” She gave him a flirtatious look, and her tone was a clear indication that she was trying to ‘grab his attention’.

That attempt wasn’t what annoyed me. It was the fact that she was bringing up this Horsemen thing. It had to have some sort of status in this place. Whatever it meant, it was obvious she was only intrigued with Westley over him looking apparently “different” without his glasses, and now his status, that landed us here.

“My boyfriend is rather talented, isn’t he?” I was able to catch her attention with the boyfriend card, noticing her confusion and the bits of infuriation flickering in her blue eyes.

My smile was priceless, one of pride as I soaked in her envy and continued, “Apparently when he wears his glasses, he looks like a different person. That’s at least what he tells me. Always intrigues me when people judge individuals by their looks and status.”

I reached for my drink and swirled the cubes around as I watched the two-tone color of the drink swirl with my clockwise motion but never mixing into one another.

“Half these people are powerful potential horseman but if you saw them in the halls of Blazing Academy, you never would have guessed it.” I shrugged and took a sip of my drink. “Guess the saying is true. Don’t judge a book by its cover, right?”

My remark was directed to the server in question, and I batted my eyes in innocence while it almost seemed as though steam was going to come out of her ears at any second.

“Eliza! Stop wasting time and get back in the kitchen. We’re back-logged with orders!” A girl with red hair that was styled in tight curls came walking towards our booth, her burning red eyes glaring daggers at the server named Eliza.

She frowned and quickly composed herself.

“Your order will be here soon.” She directed the comment to Westley, but he wasn’t even looking her way as he stared down at the dance floor.

When the redhead arrived, she bowed her head in apology.

“I’m terribly sorry. You’re waiting for your main dish, correct?”

Westley then looked to the new arrival and smiled. “Yes. We ordered the Blazing Platter A.”

“It’ll be here shortly!” she assured us, and her eyes darted to Eliza, who was surprisingly still here. “Eliza! To the kitchen!” she snarled at the blonde.

“Right! Going.” She spun around but looked over her shoulder to give me a menacing glare.

I had a strong feeling this was going to bite me in the ass later, but I didn’t care. She was flirting with my man - err...date - and it was about time she scrambled somewhere else.

The woman bowed her head again in apology.

“I’m terribly sorry,” she apologized again, looking between the two of us. “We hired her since she’s the current blazing horseman of this semester, and we can’t really deny their request to work within this level unless they prove incapable.”

“Her flirtatious attitude may be enough to fire her,” Westley huffed. “I’m obviously on a date.”

I blushed at his blunt declaration, my stomach flipping at the reference of being his girlfriend for the night.

Relax, Alice. We’re just playing roles.

“Oh trust me, it was very obvious. Mr. Simmons, correct?”

“Yes,” Westley replied. “Good memory.”

“We’re actually in the same classes,” she revealed. “Clara’s the name. You’ve obviously seen me a few times here since my older sister owns this house. I help manage this floor on my downtime.”

Turning her attention to me, she grinned. “You’re Alice Blaze, I believe.”

“You know me?” I inquired.

“Definitely,” she replied and leaned in closer so no one else could snoop in on the conversation. “You’re the one Rick’s interested in, aren’t you?”

Rick?

“Interested?” Westley questioned dryly.

His tone didn’t intimidate Clara as she nodded. “Apparently a few guys have been interested in Alice. Figured I’d warn you since he’s on the second floor celebrating his new status and all.”

“Well, if the message floats around, he’ll hear she’s already off the dating block,” Westley announced. “He should have moved faster showing his interest instead of bragging about it.”

Clara grinned and nodded in agreement.

“Totally agree, but you didn’t hear it from me,” she practically sang. “Information is a good exchange, as is food on the house.”

As if on cue, a male server came and lowered the massive platter of various finger foods before us, and then quickly came back with a jug of water and two glasses.

“I’m again terribly sorry for how Eliza treated you just now, so please, enjoy this on us. The balcony and the garden are accessible on the side exit. We haven’t opened it up for any other guests, so please feel free to check it out after you’ve enjoyed yourselves. If the guard asks, just let him know Clara Ralmera gave access.”

“Thank you, Clara.” I beamed at the kind gesture and she nodded again before leaning over to whisper in my ear, “Wrap that rope tightly on your man, girl. He’s totally into you.”

She leaned back and gave me a thumbs-up as I fought hard not to blush.

“Enjoy the evening, and I’ll see you guys tomorrow in class.” She gave us a wave and headed back to the main counter.

I turned my attention back to Westley, noticing the peculiar, intrigued look of triumph in his expression that made me groan in defeat.

“All right, all right. I’m the loser of the bet. What do I have to do?”

He leaned back just a bit and patted his lap.

“Come sit here,” he encouraged. “If you’re comfortable with the idea.”

Comfort was a given, but would my apparent self-control be tossed out the window?

Rising up from where I was sitting, I shuffled over until I slowly lowered onto his lap. His left arm hooked around my waist and I maneuvered myself just slightly so I was at a side angle, giving me the view of the dance floor, the food before us, and Westley’s perfect face.

“Happy?” I inquired.

“Extremely happy.” He smiled. “Comfortable?”

“Very comfortable,” I whispered.

“That was interesting.” His remark was followed up with, “You don’t seem like the jealous type.”

“I’m not,” I defended, but how would I know? I’ve never dated someone to even figured that much out. “Or at least I thought I wasn’t. I’ve never dated anyone.”

“You’ve never been on a date?”

“Nope.”

“Not even when you were twelve and you do those fake ones in school so you know which fork to use?”

“What class was this?” I questioned with a wide grin.

“I don’t remember,” he quietly chuckled. “I just know my apparent girlfriend cried because I dumped her after she confessed she liked me. It was in front of the class, too.”

“Now that’s horrible,” I gasped. “You embarrassed her.”

“She’s the one who decided to confess to me in front of the class. It was those quiet moments where everyone was concentrating on choosing the right fork when the teacher gave us the cue and instead, she went on, blasting how she loved me and I had to be her boyfriend,” Westley explained, reaching for his drink. “I said I didn’t like her, and she went on saying we were already dating, so I dumped her and threw imaginary water at her.”

“Savage much.” I was really trying hard not to laugh, imagining young Westley with his sleepy expression dumping this poor girl.

“I swear that class was mandatory?”

“I must have missed it during one of my too many transfers.” I stared at the platter of food, immediately reaching for the cube of cheese.

“Well, too bad,” Westley quietly stated as I popped the cheese into my mouth. “I would have dated you.”

And then I almost choked on my cheese.

I quickly swallowed it down and looked back at him. “No, you wouldn’t have.”

“We’re technically dating, aren’t we?” he pointed out with a knowledgeable grin. “I think we’ve confirmed it.”

“Are we?” I reflected back, secretly wishing we’d actually try it. Maybe it was too sudden to be dating him, especially when we’d only known each other for a mere week, and our first encounter was him catching me after I almost fell to my doom.

“Do you want to?”

“What if I said yes?”

“Then we’d date,” he whispered. That pulsating magnetic force was back, but I fought to remain still and not close the very little distance between us.

“Wouldn’t that be worrisome?”

“Why?”

“Well…” I tried to think of logical reasons as to why it may be bad for us to suddenly date. “I don’t know. We’ve only known each other for a week?”

“That’s why we date. To get to know one another,” he answered.

“What would Gabriel and Keru say if they found out?”

“Not sure until we tell them,” he replied.

“Are you even attracted to me?”

“I’ve been attracted to you since I caught you in my arms.”

That made me blush as I looked into his green eyes. He was being genuinely serious with every answer he gave, and the openness was actually refreshing.

When it came down to people speaking the truth, they always smiled and said the opposite of what they thought of me unless it was time to bully and insult me. For him to be so open about his newfound feelings threw me off in a way, but it was a good thing.

It felt really good to know that he wasn’t influenced by anything either, his lips having yet taken a sip of his drink.

“Do you think my dad would even approve of us dating?”

“That I’m not sure,” he admitted. “But if you want me to ask him formally, I will.”

“Really?” The thought of him going the distance just to get approval made me feel like a lucky gal in love.

“If it makes you happy,” he encouraged.

“Don’t you want to be with someone who’s experienced?” I tried to make sure he knew I wasn’t the only girl on the block he could be interested in. Due to zero experience in the dating department, I wasn’t sure how this whole dating thing went. I read books and watched a few classic relationship and love-at-first-sight scenarios, but now that I was facing this potential chance to be dating someone I actually had similar interests with, it felt too close to a dream.

“Experience is earned,” he acknowledged. “I want to be with someone who wants to know about me and doesn’t care about silly statuses and ranks. We may have only known each other for a week, but in all our interactions thus far, you’ve looked at me as a person and not at my appearance, rank, or power level. You know about things that very few individuals know about and you haven’t suddenly tried to seduce me or anything.”

“People have tried to seduce you?”

“You’d be surprised if I told you the number of times I’ve been begged to date someone. You’re being rather generous to even offer me an opportunity to choose someone else.”

“Wow.” I couldn’t believe it. “But you’re sixteen.”

“But I look nineteen and get hit on both by young individuals, as well as those who are double my age.”

I cringed at the thought and he smirked and took a bit of his drink.

“Would we be able to take things slow?” I inquired.

“Any pace you want to roll with is fine by me,” he reasoned. “We’re going to be busy with school anyway, but I don’t want you feeling pressured at all. We can even play the part and you give me your answer when you’re re-”

“I want to date,” I spurted out before I rushed on, “Not in a desperate way.”

He grinned from ear to ear and nodded.

“Alright. Dating in a non-desperate way. Got it.”

His teasing made me puff up my cheeks, but his sudden agreement finally clicked into my mind and I mentally screamed.

Holy shit! Am I officially dating Westley Simmons? No way. Hold on, Alice. You gotta freak out later.

Pushing my excitement to the side, I tried to distract myself with the various finger foods. Everything from cheese nachos with salsa, sour cream, loads of cheese, olives, and various spices to the extra cheesy potato cups that were topped off with cheese, bacon bits, and diced green onions.

We began munching away, and it amazed me how nice it felt to sit on his lap and eat. We ended up deep in conversation before he finally brought up the horsemen thing.

“Do you want to know more about the blazing horsemen status?”

“Definitely.” I leaned in closer, ready to soak up all he had to say.

“So intrigued.” He seemed pleased with my eagerness and nodded. “Every semester, an individual from each trait is chosen to be a horseman. Before, it used to be a year, but a few days ago, they decided to change it to each semester. It’s a status based on multiple factors, but the two most important qualifications are what type of flame you carry and the magnitude of power you hold. Grades then come in as a factor as you carry through the years attending Blazing Academy. And there are sometimes random tests, or what some call ‘missions’.”

He reached for a square cube of cheese and popped it into his mouth as his eyes lowered to the second-floor crowd. I followed his gaze, noticing the three individuals looking our way, one of which was Rick.

I didn’t let it bother me, noticing the girl hugging his arm was probably praying for my early suspension with how she was glaring at me. The third guy on Rick’s right didn’t wear any expression, his blank stare clearly on me.

I took a peek back at Westley, and I noticed the mature expression he carried as he stared back at the people in question with a bold expression. It was hard to explain the feelings it gave me, a concoction of boldness, protective vibes, with that returning possessive vibe.

Some may have worried about the possessive part getting in the way or being a problem in the future, but for me, it was rather pleasing to see.

“They’re looking our way because…”

“The server from earlier. She’s one of this semester’s blazing horseman for our freshmen year. They’re the remaining three.”

“I’m not one to judge on first appearances, but aren’t they supposed to give off a powerful, ‘I’m a badass horseman’ vibe or something?”

“Sort of.” Westley relaxed against the velvet booth, urging me to do the same with his gentle hand. I rested against him, and I gave him a look of curiosity.

“I wanna make Rick jealous.”

“If you want to do that, why not just kiss me or something?”

Dammit, brain! Why aren’t you filtering my thoughts?

I was ready to follow up, but Westley silenced me with the touch of his finger against my lips while he leaned over me.

We remained in that position for a few seconds, and I could see the amusement dance in his eyes as he observed my reaction.

“I’d kiss you, but I want it to be legit rather than for show,” he admitted and moved away. “Though I think I did the trick.”

His eyes darted back down to see Rick’s furious face. The three of them moved out from the dancing crowd around them.

“Why is Rick suddenly making it seem like he owns me or something? Last time I checked, he was a victim and almost died from my wrath,” I huffed in annoyance.

The fact he was spreading my name around in merely a week was giving me anxiety that I was purposely shoving to the side. I didn’t want it ruining my night or date, but I didn’t want a repeat of what happened three weeks ago.

“Wanna have some fun?” Westley’s random question perked my interest, noticing the glint of playfulness those green eyes reflected back at me.

I may have been one to have a plan or at least attempt to read an instruction manual before starting the quest to build something, but the sudden thrilling energy thrumming between us had me nodding before I could back out.

He slid me off his lap. “Let’s head to the garden.”

“Okay.”

We slid out of the booth and headed down the side exit to the balcony. Just like we’d been instructed, we told the guard Clara’s full name and got her permission to enter the garden. We were then escorted by another guard into the floral paradise.

I had to try and keep my mouth from opening up at how beautiful the scene was, especially at night. We were shown down this path until we were instructed to walk into a tree.

Yes. Walk into the thick bark of a tree.

I would have hesitated and tried to face the obvious problems with the requested move, but Westley led the way until we warped right into a room.

My eyes had to blink a few times, and I was left in shock at the glass treehouse that seemed to be hanging right above the garden filled with various flowers of different colors.

I let go of Westley’s hand just to drop to the floor and press my hands against the glass beneath us and get a better look at the vast view from at least twenty-five feet above the ground.

“What is this place?”

“A glass treehouse,” Westley declared. “It’s one of those hidden gems in this place. I found out about it long ago but never got access before. I heard you need a secret code to be directed here. Only those that appear worthy of the view get to come here.”

“What about Rick and them?”

“Even horsemen don’t get access to this part, from what I’ve snooped up from my past visits here, and once someone or a group is in here, they’re the only ones allowed here for the night.”

“Wow,” I gasped and looked up at him. “That means we could stay here all night?”

“We could,” he replied. “But I wouldn’t want my girlfriend to sleep on the floor on our first night together.” His teasing smile left me in a flustered mess.

“Too fast,” I muttered, and that made him chuckle as he lowered to the floor. Crossing his legs, he nodded. “I know.”

Deciding to sit in the same cross-legged position as him, we faced each other while quietly admiring the night view. It literally felt like we were suspended in the middle of the air, but we were in the midst of an invisible tree.

“Can you imagine running through the garden and crashing into this invisible tree?” I offered.

“A stunning experience,” Westley commented with a playful grin.

“So how did Rick get this position?” I decided to ask. “Didn’t Keru say something about him being lucky or something?”

“Keru was originally chosen for the role, that’s why,” Westley declared.

“Really? Does that mean Rick is Dark Flame?”

“Yup.”

“Why did Keru refuse? Isn’t it like a respectable role that’s hard to get?”

“It’s definitely respectable and gets you a lot more privileges than the average straight-A student, but it’s similar to being on a student council. It’s not only fun and games, even if they make it seem that way. It’s a position where you have to prove yourself or you lose it.”

“You lose it?”

“At the end of the semester, our test involves us fighting one of them.”

“With magic?!” I shrieked. “I-I barely know how to summon my flames right now.”

“It’s a possibility. Meaning, people are randomly chosen. The chances of you getting matched up to fight one of them are one in five thousand freshmen. I doubt it’s going to happen.”

“I feel like you’re trying to promote my bad luck from coming out of its cave to prove you otherwise,” I whined. “Knowing Rick, he probably wants payback since he didn’t screw up my life with his potential suing case.”

“Hmm.” Westley looked deep in thought. “Maybe, but I feel that would be a stupid idea for him to act upon.”

“Why is that?”

“You’d disgrace him.”

“Did you not hear the part where I said I can’t summon a single flame?”

“Wanna bet?”

“Sure? Why not. I’m pretty confide- EEP!” My body went from sitting to suddenly rushing up into the air, my back pressing lightly against the glass. It took me a second to realize I was pressed against the ceiling, with Westley now up and staring at me with a teeth-glimmering grin.

“I’m gonna let you go,” he announced. That made my heart go from a few fast beats to becoming the heart beating champion of heart attacks.

“Wha-EEP!” I couldn’t even finish as my body suddenly dropped. My body spiked in temperature until red flames ignited beneath me, swirling so quickly it made a mini flaming tornado that sent a rush of wind at me.

My body came to a slow stop, just above Westley, who had his arms outstretched as if to catch me.

“I win.”

“W-Win?! You almost killed me!”

“And you stopped yourself from falling into my arms,” he pointed out.

“These flames aren’t mine!”

“Then whose are they?” he questioned, and as if to defy my statement, blue and green flames with trickles of silver lit up and danced around me, picking up the wind that hovered and kept me afloat.

I blinked as I watched the two different shades of flames dance around us, one seemingly cooler in temperature than the orange flames that flickered strongly around us.

My shock must have extinguished their brief existence because they suddenly went off, and I shrieked when my body fell forward once more.

Westley caught me, but the impact brought us both to the glass floor. He let out a huff and sighed. “Gabriel always says I’m a horrible teacher. I think I have to agree with him in this case.”

He sat up, allowing me to rest against him as he quickly scanned me from head to toe. “You’re not hurt, are you?”

“Physically? No. As for my pride, it’s been stabbed and left to bleed.” I sighed, but I couldn’t even be mad with his dramatic attempt to prove me wrong.

“So about the ‘I can’t ignite a flame’ bet,” he began, and I leaned back to give him a glare.

“Yes, you won. What do you want?” I felt like a petty loser, but I was gonna go with whatever he asked from me.

His hand gently stroked my messy hair, the win having made it into a static mess.

“Can I…” he began, staring into my eyes. “Kiss your forehead?”

“That’s an intriguing request,” I remarked. “You could have just kissed me.”

“I like to ask permission,” he whispered, leaning in to press those soft lips against my forehead. The action made my stomach flutter with butterflies, but the connection ignited a different feeling.

A familiar tenderness that carried an ancient heaviness to it.

My body immediately relaxed, and I closed my eyes to enjoy the tender touch for as long as I could. His lips left a tingling mark behind, and I opened my eyes to meet his that were now beginning to turn silver.

“Westley,” I softly stated. “Your eyes are turning silver.”

He blinked a few times, seemingly confused with my comment before his cheeks seemed to grow red.

“D-Don’t worry about it,” he quietly muttered as he glanced away. “Back to what I was going to say earlier. Gabriel said if you do really well during midterms, we can begin to teach you some spells early.”

“Wait, really?!” I exclaimed. “Why is Gabriel the leader?”

“Because he’s scary on a regular basis.”

“Good point,” I noted. “Okay! I’m going to do my best! Wait. Is there a reward for beating a horseman?” I inquired.

“Yup.” He grinned as if I’d suddenly accepted a challenge. “You claim the title and get to work towards keeping it each semester unless someone beats you to it.”

“Isn’t the benefit just getting access to certain things?”

“I think there’s more to it,” he admitted. “I’m honestly not sure, but I guess we can wait and see how this semester ends.”

“I have one more question,” I stated.

“What’s up?”

“Again, not trying to judge, but why weren’t you chosen? From the gossip I involuntarily have to listen to, you’re the strongest Wind Flare user in freshman year. Now that I think about it, someone said Gabriel was the strongest Holy Thunder user, and we already know Keru rejected his, this semester. The three of you could have gotten all these benefits. Why did you sacrifice it?”

“For you,” he earnestly replied. “If we accepted it, we wouldn’t have had time to be friends or hang out, let alone protect you. As inviting as it was, the three of us agreed it wasn’t worth losing time with you.”

He met my shocked gaze and quietly admitted, “You kind of felt like one of us before we got to really know one another, so it felt a little unethical to skip the chance to learn more about you over rank or status. It seems stupid, but somehow it feels like it would be boring without you. Meeting you unexpectedly was both surprising and a little enlightening. Maybe we’re just all running on our hormones or whatever, but I think we’d only accept a rank like Blazing Horseman if we got to do it together as a team.”

“You’re going to make me cry.” I was smiling from ear to ear, even though my eyes were watering by his admission.

“Don’t cry,” he nervously stated. “I suck at dealing with girls crying.”

That made me giggle, and I wrapped my arms around him to give him a tight hug. “Thanks, Westley, for being you,” I whispered.

“Being me isn’t weird?”

“Not in the slightest,” I declared. “Thanks to you, I got to experience a part of Blazing Academy I didn’t know existed, wore clothes that cost a kidney or two, ate amazing food, drank non-alcoholic beverages, pissed Rick and that Eliza girl off, and got to see a stunning view like this.”

Leaning back just slightly, I gave him the best smile I could muster.

“This is my first time experiencing many of these things, and that was thanks to you taking me out. So thank you, Westley.”

“You forgot one more thing,” he mentioned.

“What?”

He reached out to brush my cheek, and ever so slowly, his lips just slightly brushed my lips.

“We’re dat-” I didn’t let him finish, sealing his lips with mine and surprisingly giving him my first kiss. The move was unexpected, but deep down, it felt right.

So, so right.

His lips lightly pressed back, his hand remaining on my cheek as we shared our first kiss in the glass cube above the moonlit garden and starry sky above.

My first kiss beneath the moon’s rays in a majestic glass box.

MIDTERM VICTORY

~FIVE WEEKS LATER~

“PENCILS DOWN.”

My pencil had been down for the last thirty minutes, my eyes staring at the back page of the test while my mind was debating on what I wanted for lunch.

The anticipation of receiving our results for the test was already beginning to work its way through me. I could already imagine myself rubbing it in Gabriel’s face and enjoying the bliss of victory.

He’d been bragging that I wouldn’t get a high enough score for him to keep his word on training me, but I’d worked extra hard to ensure I read, memorized, and studied again everything we’d need to know for the test.

There were a few parts that I had to admit were tricky, but with all the questions I’d asked throughout the last five weeks from both my professors and the guys, I’d come to enjoy our curriculum and the daily bits of discovery I’d experienced when I learned something new.

I was absolutely shocked that so much time had gone by, and to think we were already at midterms and I’d yet to get in trouble, threatened, bullied, or put on the chopping block.

This semester had consisted of a lot of learning, enough to give students daily headaches if they didn’t keep up. The heavy load of information was tricky, and even with my working ahead strategies and habits, I’d struggled a bit last week.

Thankfully I had the best dormmates - and current boyfriend - ever. Gabriel may be an annoying ass half the time, but he was an awesome teacher.

Whenever I couldn’t find the solution to something, I could go and ask. He wouldn’t give me a lecture like he would with random commentary, and he’d break down a question with the reasoning behind A, B, and C so that I could refer back to it in various situations.

His specialty in Holy Thunder was especially helpful when we learned about various healing techniques. It was so intriguing how healing was an exchange that resulted in the healer having to endure a fraction of the pain of the wounded individual.

Some felt that it was unfair because the healing was out of good intentions, but Professor Daily had explained that every action in the world requires sacrifice, regardless of whether it affected someone directly or indirectly. That sacrifice also didn’t just mean individual to individual, but also included wildlife, Mother Nature, and the magic that lived among us in the environment.

Keru didn’t only focus on Dark Flame abilities. He was also really knowledgeable about various magic techniques that we’d start to implement next semester. There were certain spells that also required knowledge of numerology and other astrological research, and he was totally into that as well.

I was a little excited to start implementing what he was teaching, but we still had six more weeks left of our semester. At least this would be our shortest semester, and that would mean a longer Christmas break for me to get ahead, prepare, and start diving into the magical arts of fire.

Westley was basically my study buddy boyfriend, the two of us at the same pace during the entire five weeks since we decided to date.

I could still recall when we announced it to Keru and Gabriel.

“HUH?!”

The two of them darted their eyes towards us, noticing our joined hands as I nervously looked everywhere but at their expressions while Westley yawned and rubbed his eye with his free left hand.

“We’re dating,” Westley repeated. “Can I go to sleep now?”

“Hell to the flaming no you can’t!” Gabriel snapped back. “When did you guys decide to start dating?!”

“Yesterday,” I replied.

“I’m not sure whether to applaud Westley for being a smooth, sleepy opportunist, or question my flirting skills.” Keru crossed his arms over his chest and closed his eyes to actually think about it.

Gabriel sighed and rolled his eyes in irritation.

“There is no way you guys can know each other for a week and suddenly want to date.”

“You’re making it seem like he asked me to marry him,” I confronted. “You’re acting worse than my d-”

The way he arched an eyebrow at me triggered my memory and shut me up before I could say the final word. I quickly added, “What’s the big deal?”

“You don’t know each other.”

“That’s why we’re dating: to get to know each other,” Westley casually replied and yawned again.

“That’s not how you learn about someone!” Gabriel argued. “You could be friends or something.”

“I don’t see how one week versus six or twelve weeks of being friends would change much of anything,” Westley muttered. “My interest in Alice wouldn’t have changed. All it would do is grow stronger, based on my level of affection for her.”

“Wow, he’s serious-serious,” Keru commented, observing Westley with an intrigued look. “Did you bribe him with a new mattress or something, Alice?”

“No,” I defended. “Jeez. The feeling is mutual. I thought we said that in the beginning?”

“I was still dealing with the impeccable moment of shock that whiplashed into my face and left the love in my heart for dead.”

“I feel you’re making far too much of a big deal over it.” I sighed.

“That’s because of Gabr- akmsaksmasa.” He couldn’t even finish as Gabriel moved behind him and literally covered his mouth with tape.

We both stared at him as Keru muffled something that obviously made no sense. When Gabriel didn’t move the tape, Keru began to get frustrated, which only led to Gabriel complaining to the heavens about what a sad day it was and making bets with himself and the universe that we wouldn’t last through midterms.

I don’t think he meant it from a negative standpoint, but I guess with both of us being sixteen and with our relationship as friends beginning to grow, it had to be difficult for him to accept.

“Let’s make a bet!” he declared, ignoring Keru’s mumbles to point at us. “If you guys break up before midterms, you have to worship me for a week.”

“Sure.” I wasn’t even concerned with the bet.

“And if you lose?” Westley prompted, followed by, “You have to treat us to a night out. Us and anyone else we decide to ask to tag along.”

“Deal!” Gabriel responded without a second thought.

THAT WAS his great mistake and was why we were going to celebrate today.

Dating Westley was rather nice. In the beginning, I’d been worried that I wasn’t like other girls who spent hours getting ready for dates or had expensive clothes to wear.

It was clear that Westley was from a well-off family from the way he dressed, but I didn’t have a variation of clothes to choose from and that worried me. However, as the days went on and we started our new relationship, I realized how laid-back Westley was with everything.

He may have liked branded clothes, but he mentioned only wearing them for certain occasions. He’d rather spend his time sleeping in his boxers than caring about what to wear on a regular basis.

Since we’d been so into school, it wasn’t like we had much free time to go out and party. Both of us were ahead, but we agreed that we wanted to remain that way. We studied after class like everyone else, and when we got back to our dorms, we’d do a group recap with Gabriel and Keru.

Whoever got the most correct answers got a special dessert.

The reminder only made me realize I had to sign up for the training membership for semester two because all that winning dessert was going to my thighs, and those pounds were hard to lose.

I personally wanted to become more active, noticing how Keru worked out on the regular while Gabriel and Westley maintained a weight training program three times a week.

It wasn’t like I needed to follow suit, but to see them working on themselves physically made me want to do the same. I was good at running, so my new goal was to try and run for fifteen minutes before breakfast.

At least that would burn off the dessert from the previous night.

Regardless of my newfound desire to get fit and active, Westley had been super supportive of everything I wanted to do.

During the quiet nights when Gabriel and Keru were asleep, we’d stay up and talk about random things. Some days I’d share bits of my past, not feeling ashamed or worried about expressing my insecurities regarding my past and my expectations of the school year.

Little by little, I got to learn more about him. Westley was actually adopted, having been an orphan until he was around ten. He didn’t go into the details, and I didn’t push him to share because I could tell it was a heavy topic for him to even graze the surface of it.

His new parents, Mister and Missus Simmons had adopted him at the age of eleven and were extremely wealthy magicians. They both were extremely strong in the Wind Flare department, and thus why it was the flame he trained the most on a regular basis. He’d known for a long time he was gifted with all four flame traits, but he liked keeping it to himself.

He disliked people who only judged based on power or appearance, and one of his pet peeves was users. I had a feeling that in his short period of life, many must have tried to take advantage of him in one way or the other, and he disliked the mere thought of it.

I was sure there was far more for me to learn about him, but it felt good to take things slow. Since my first kiss with him, we honestly weren’t super intimate or anything.

Another worry was when we’d have to “do it”. I knew it wasn’t something to rush about, but then again, from the gossip from my past schools, it was one of those looming ticking time bombs just waiting to happen.

With our relationship going at a smooth pace, I began to not worry about it and hoped to go with the flow. We still held hands, sat together during lunch, and went on mini dates to walk around the block or get groceries, but dating Westley didn’t feel like a hassle.

It was comforting to have someone who connected with you.

I had to admit, I was getting close to Keru and Gabriel as well. Not on a romantic level, but it was a lot easier to talk about anything bothering me both in school and outside of it.

Living with them was teaching me basic stuff I hadn’t learned with my grandparents around. Compared to us having to go to a laundry mart in town, we had a washer and dryer in the dorm, one of those fancy, high tech ones you saw in commercials.

I’d also been learning how to cook various meals. Gabriel, being the teacher type, showed me step by step when we decided to make a meal after a long day of classes.

I was finally figuring out a balance in my schedule, and that alone was a blessing. No more worries about suddenly getting suspended or being made into a mockery for the school’s entertainment.

Aside from Rick and his remaining horsemen comrades.

I’d been avoiding Rick as much as I could. I was grateful that we had completely different schedules, and even during our hour and a half lunch break, the guys always stuck around me so he wouldn’t have the chance to waltz over and rain on my school parade.

The four horsemen of our semester were Eliza, Rick, Damon, and Madeline.

Eliza was Blazing Fire, and still gave me glares of death whenever she could. Damon was of Wind Flare, but I barely saw him around and on the off chance I did, he always had that mysterious, expressionless look on his face as he stared at me - or anyone, for that matter.

Madeline was of Holy Thunder and seemed to be besties with Eliza, and obviously Rick was of Dark Flame and was a gossip starter.

I never expected guys to start stuff around the school, but he’d put the icing on the cake because every week he’d be spreading some rumor about me.

Thanks to Clara, I officially knew all about the weekly gossip. After the evening up in the glass box, we’d gone back and thanked her for the amazing experience.

That opened the door for us to be friends, and she was one of the first girls to be a part of my circle. Her strong point was Holy Thunder, but she also carried Dark Flame, which was a rare combination due to their opposite elemental qualities.

She was eighteen and lived in a big city where magic was common. She’d gotten an invitation to Blazing because of her dual flame trait, and because her parents owned the mansion house up here as an investment, she figured getting some work experience was smart.

If I ever wanted a place to work, she’d be able to hook me up. It was a good option to have once I got used to school.

To be fair, I was still apprehensive about sharing my deeper thoughts with her. It felt like we were casual friends, and I was okay with that for now. With my past experiences, I didn’t want to open myself to disappointment, but with the guys, it felt like they would remain by my side for a good while.

Watching the professors gather our papers with a swirl of their magic wands, the tests fluttered into the air, surrounded by a golden light as they piled up in the front.

I was one of the first row students in the large testing auditorium, and we were gestured to exit to our left. Following suit, I caught onto Clara, who was two students ahead of me.

Once we reached the exit, she turned around, her eyes searching the crowd until they landed on me.

“Alice!” She proudly grinned and gave me a wave. It was a bit of encouragement to have someone to talk to while I waited for the guys, who were further down in the back rows.

“How was it?!” Clara questioned with enthusiasm. “I heard before the test that they made this year’s test far harder. Some of those questions and spell requests were tricky. I’m never good at writing magic incantations.”

“It wasn’t bad,” I admitted. “The magic incantations are supposed to just come to you, right?”

I personally was asking because that’s how it felt throughout the exam. When questioned to write out the details of a spell, I merely let my mind work its magic and the words practically spilled onto the page without a second glance.

“Yes. It’s a little more difficult to write it out seeing as the spell is supposed to be chanted out, but the intention of the words flows out first, before the magic language that triggers the spell,” she explained. “I think next semester we’re learning how to shorten the spells.”

“Shorten?” I curiously questioned.

“Yup. It’s when there’s no sentence that explains your intention. The spell just comes right out and activates. We’re obviously only learning the basics.”

“Ah.” I bobbed my head in understanding, feeling as though eyes were on me. Scanning the crowd around me, I fought my urge to frown when I noticed Eliza and Rick heading our way.

Oh no.

As if sensing my stiffness, Clara followed my gaze as she moved to stand next to me.

“What do two of the flaming horsemen want after our strenuous midterm?” Clara questioned, the hardness in her voice giving strong ‘back off’ signals.

Eliza’s fake grin could win her an award in acting as she flicked her blonde locks that she’d recently highlighted with red and hugged Rick’s arm.

“Oh nothing,” Eliza sang. “We figured standing here to wait for the results would be better since it’s closer to the entrance.”

“Could have stood over there.” Clara pointed to the doors where there was a clear empty spot. “Or there, or even there. That’s a nice spacious spot right down there.”

Rick smirked, his eyes clearly on me.

“So where’re your boyfriends, Blazing Alice?” he inquired, his dramatic inquiry having a few students glance our way.

I kept my cool. His emphasis on the word “boyfriends” was one of the lies he’d been spreading throughout the school since word got out that I was dorming with three guys.

I’d thought it was a normal thing, but Clara enlightened me with the standard rules of two girls and two guys per dorm. If the numbers were uneven, they made sure that the dorms were either made into all boys or all girls, and if there were less than four individuals, they made do with it.

Meaning I was the lucky blazing duckling that got to share my dorm with three sexy freshmen.

I’d been ignoring it, but Gabriel, Westley, and Keru were extremely popular. It’s not like they were trying to be. All they did was act like their usual selves, which ended up bringing all the girls to crowd around our classroom and squeal at their arrival like they were the next boy band.

Due to their rapid spike in popularity, the rumors circulating that we were dating began to make it harder for me to have female friends.

Half the time I was getting dirty glares while they whispered insults regarding my body. It was the usual bitterness, so it was the least of my worries.

No one needed friends that brought other women down.

Westley and I weren’t really hiding the fact that we were dating, but we’d both tried not to show too much affection to one another during school hours.

I’m sure if we did, I’d be getting cornered or dealing with more hate then I’d like to be bothered with.

Keeping to my selective few was what helped me be able to focus and grow so much in the last six weeks. I didn’t have time for jealous Rick to ruin that.

Still don’t get why he’s apparently jealous of me when he hates my guts.

Deciding it was about time I played along with his silly game, I shrugged.

“They just finished their exam, so…” I shrugged. “Why is it your business, Rick? I’m sure you and your horsemen crew have other things to focus on than my dating life?”

His surprised expression made me grin, while Clara patted my shoulder.

“Must be nice to be dating three sexy guys. Each of them is a different flame trait, too.” Clara was clearly hopping on the dramatic train, and I guess we were going to roll right on with this apparent three boyfriends lie.

I’ll warn the guys about it later.

“It’s nice,” I agreed, wearing a pride-filled smile as I continued praising them. “Gabriel is so hot. He’s like the whole package. Plus, he’s the perfect teacher in all things. You have a question, he’s going to answer it in that rough, bad attitude yet sexy way. And his scowl merely makes your heart skip a beat. Keru is so fit. Have you seen him work out without a shirt? Abs, abs, abs. Plus, he’s a strong warlock that can do some of the craziest spells. Imagine having him defending you in the line of battle. Hot!”

I was getting far into my praising, noticing the slow build of boiling anger bubbling within Rick as his body grew tenser by the second. Eliza’s grit teeth and frustrated expression only gave me more motivation to carry on.

“Westley is my current favorite. Can you imagine cuddling him? It’s a really nice experience, not to mention the fact that he’s probably one of the strongest Wind Flare individuals in our freshmen year. He’s really talented in many areas, but I’ll keep the details to myself.” I winked and crossed my arms under my breasts while I gave Rick a defiant look.

“So to give you a definite answer on how they’re doing, they’re all just fine, living their best school lives, dating me,” I concluded. “I know you’re a little obsessed with me as of late, but why don’t I make things clear. I’m not interested in you, Rick, so you can stop telling everyone how I’ve apparently been begging you for attention.”

“Y-You have been!” he argued, noticing the group of students observing our conversation once more.

“When? Last time I checked, you deliberately came this way when there was tons of space at the entrance. I’m standing here with my friend, waiting for my boyfriends. As for any past interactions, the last time we even exchanged a word was when my soon-to-be boyfriends warned you not to get to close, and before that, hmm…” I tapped my finger on my lips and dramatically snapped them like I’d just experienced a light bulb moment.

“Right! The previous time was at our old school, wasn’t it? You know, when you tried to throw a book at me, and I defensively reacted and sent you flying. I think you had a few broken ribs and an arm or something. Then you went on saying you were going to sue me after crying like a baby that I’d tried to kill you. The whole victim role you do so well. I believe my grandparents still have the video. I’ll have to ask them to send it over so I have some evidence on hand for any curious students.”

Eliza gave him a look, and his face grew red in anger.

“T-That’s in the past!”

“You’re right, but you just brought up the past when you said that I’d been begging for your attention. If you don’t want to walk down that road, why don’t we focus on the present?” I offered. “I’m not interested in you. Besides, it looks like you and Eliza are dating, right?”

Everyone paying attention to the conversation turned their attention to the two of them, and Rick nervously pulled his arm right out of Eliza’s grasp.

“We’re not dating!”

“Oh.” I blinked innocently. “Too bad.”

“What the hell, Rick?!” Eliza snapped at him. He looked away and shrugged. “We don’t have time to waste on stupid, insecure bitches who just want attention.”

“Stupid, insecure bitches?” Clara dramatically repeated and looked around. “Where are they?”

I smiled proudly and followed suit with her exaggerated glances.

“Good question, Clara. I’m rather positive he ain’t referring to us, seeing as we don’t fall into even one of those categories. Insecure girls wouldn’t defend themselves when jealous individuals try and bring them down. Bitches wouldn’t respectfully use their words when they could have easily used their magical fists or kicks, for that matter, and I’d be rather careful about calling anyone stupid, because you never know when you’re looking at someone far smarter than you.”

Arms circled around me, pulling me into a back hug.

“Or whether you’re looking at the next horseman in the making.”

Tingles ran through me at the deep voice that was thick with sleep. I glanced up to see Westley’s sleepy expression. The unimpressed glint in his eyes made him look like an angry predator ready to destroy its prey.

“And the last time I heard from your ‘bros’, you were the one begging to enter our classroom the other day so you could talk with our Alice.”

That was new to me, but I had no time to comment when Westley peered down at me.

“Hey, babe,” he sleepily greeted. I’d completely forgotten about Westley’s “little” growth spurt, making him go from 6′0″ to 6′3″ practically overnight. That was another item on the list of reasons as to why girls were frantically trying to get their attention, seeing as we didn’t have a lot of tall guys.

Not ignoring how powerful, attractive, and smart they are individually.

“Hey,” I replied, not expecting him to kiss me until our lips pressed together. I blinked in shock but noticed that his calm, tired eyes remained open as he leaned back slightly to see my flushed face.

“How was the exam?” he casually questioned, as if he hadn’t just kissed me in front of a mass of students that were all staring our way.

“Good?” I squeaked, trying hard to compose myself and not melt in his arms. Or ask for another kiss.

“What’s with all the silly commotion here?” Gabriel’s voice carried through from the entrance, and he and Keru were heading towards us. “Westley, stop being all romantic with our Alice. You’ve already proven your point,” he barked.

Keru looked beyond amused, lifting his arms to rest his hands behind his head as he stretched.

“Just admit you’re cranky because you lost that other bet you made, that these two love birds wouldn’t last until midterms.” Keru chuckled and clapped his hands in applause. “What’s this? Do we have a situation, Rick?”

The way Keru’s eyes darkened in an aggressive manner had Rick gritting his teeth as he practically spun around. “We got shit to take care of, instead of wasting our time on some slut.”

His insult didn’t faze me, but before anyone registered it, Rick was on the ground with a foot pressed against his chest.

Gabriel?!

“Now, now, horseman. Who are you calling a slut? Because I know you aren’t directing that to our Alice, are you?”

Rick coughed and growled back at him, but it didn’t faze Gabriel in the slightest.

“Back off, Gabriel.”

The male voice brought everyone’s attention to Damon as he moved out from wherever he’d been standing to observe the confrontation. He had his hands in his pockets, his expression no different than usual as he reached Rick’s feet.

“You shouldn’t be causing trouble.”

Keru chuckled and moved to stand on Gabriel’s right, just next to Rick’s head. “Trouble? You didn’t hear Gabriel calling anyone a slut? As a horseman, isn’t it one of your duties to not instigate fights?”

“Yet it seems that’s all he does. I wonder if I should put a complaint into Mrs. CloverSpell herself?” Gabriel offered.

“It’s not necessary,” Damon coldly noted, his eyes lingering on me for a few seconds. “All of this is a mere misunderstanding.”

“On your side,” Westley added, waiting for him to acknowledge the truth. Damon looked like he didn’t want to admit it, but he slowly nodded.

“Correct. It was a misjudgment on Rick’s part. Won’t happen again.”

“Good.” Gabriel moved his leg away, leaving Rick to cough as much as he wanted.

He was clearly being dramatic, but from everyone’s observant perspective, we all knew who was in the wrong, and no one was going to say otherwise.

“Let’s go check the boards to see if the results are up,” Clara encouraged our group. “I think we wasted enough time chilling here. Besides, it’s annoyingly hot.”

She twirled around, heading down the hall towards the outdoor courtyard where we’d apparently get to see our results.

Gabriel and Keru moved away, walking over to Westley and me to exchange quick hugs with me. We moved away as a unit, and it felt good to leave Rick seething in anger among his comrades.

He really should have learned the first time that I wasn’t someone he’d like on his radar, but at least he’d gotten yet another reminder.

We didn’t speak until we were outdoors, and I looked at Gabriel to give him an admirable smile.

“You know, it’s kind of hot when you get all defensive like that,” I teased. He began to blush while his scowl only deepened. “Aww, don’t scowl like that.”

“You’re gonna make your boyfriend jealous,” Gabriel warned.

“Not jealous at all.” Westley yawned, his left hand now in my right as we continued to make our way to the boards. “If you have a crush, you might as well say-”

“I do not have anything of the sort,” Gabriel combated with a huff. “Stop assuming stuff.”

“Assumptions turn to reality,” Keru sang. “Admit it. You’d love for the rumors to be true.”

“Oh no,” I groaned. “You guys have been hearing about those?”

“Sadly.” Westley yawned yet again. “It’s annoying.”

“B-But you guys just went along with it.” I was a little worried, but Westley squeezed my hand comfortingly while Keru walked a little faster to be ahead of us. Turning around to walk backward, he gave me a comforting grin.

“It’s easier to go along with it. Makes people uncomfortable.”

“Ya, but won’t that be a hassle if the administration finds out? What if they try and change our dorm placement?” I reasoned.

“Won’t happen,” Gabriel answered.

“Why not?” I questioned. “I’m sure Rick is one of the many who’d march to the office and practically demand the change, even if it doesn’t affect him.”

“We technically have to stay together,” Keru revealed. “Remember the seal?”

“Yes?”

Westley spoke up, “Clover wants us remaining close to you to ensure there are no adverse effects.”

“Really?” I looked at Keru and Gabriel as we came to a stop. The large golden board with all our semester one freshmen’s names was only a few short steps away.

“She told us a few weeks ago just to keep an eye on you and we’d remain in our dorms for the year. Obviously when the time comes to switch, if we all get good grades, we can request to remain together.”

“We can?” Now that was a relief. I personally was comfortable with them so far and didn’t see the need for the switch or the drama a new set of roomies would ignite if I had to be partnered with a girl and two guys I had no clue about.

“Shouldn’t be a problem,” Westley assured us as his eyes were on the board. “Results are up.”

Wait, seriously?! They never said it would be that fast.

My head darted over to the board; the commotion of chatter and laughter suddenly dimmed as everyone began to peer at the board to locate their names.

“Hope you saved a lot of mula for our outing tonight, Gabriel,” Westley said with a smile, his arms hooking around my waist. “Find your name, Alice?”

“I…uh…” I was honestly struggling to find it, my eyes trying to go down each column in the middle of the board. “Not yet.”

He chuckled, while Keru whistled. “Blazing Sweetheart, it’s not hard to find,” he reasoned.

“I can’t see from this distance,” I whined. “Let me concentrate.”

“Did you even start at the top of the list?” Gabriel questioned in annoyance.

“No! Why would I start at the top?”

“Because that’s where your name is,” Gabriel dryly announced.

“Huh?” My eyes paused in their attempt to locate my name, only to swing over to the beginning list of names.

TOP FIVE STUDENTS:

1. ALICE BLAZE

2. WESTLEY SIMMONS

3. GABRIEL SUNROSE

4. KERBERUS STONE

5. DAMON LEX

MY HEART FROZE, and I quickly looked around at the three of them to see their smug smiles.

“Someone’s been studying.” Keru winked at me.

“In other cases, I would have been upset not getting a perfect score, but I’ll let it slide this time,” Gabriel concluded, giving me a smirk as a reward.

My eyes landed on Westley to see his sleepy smile.

“Do we get a nap before we go out to celebrate?” he wondered. “Got to have all the energy to party.”

“Yes!” I shrieked and put my hands up. “W-We got good grades!”

Keru laughed and reached out to ruffle my hair. “Jeez, Alice. We didn’t just get good grades. We’re the top five out of five thousand students.”

Gabriel’s smile widened, his gaze looking behind Westley and I as he agreed. “Top five and surprisingly in the top four of the school, which means we may have a chance to sit in those cozy flaming horsemen seats.”

His deliberate increase in volume had Westley and I looking behind us, noticing the four individuals staring at the board in disgust.

I looked back at the board, looking for the familiar names and their ranks.

6.CLARA RALMERA

25. ELIZA SATURN

67. RICK DELROSA

DAMN! That drop.

“Looks like someone has been spending more time boasting themselves up than putting their head between a book,” Westley quietly noted.

I heard other students near us pick up what Westley said and added, “More like he’s been too busy with his head between all the ladies’ legs to study books!”

“Wow, talk about mind blown. Looks like the whole horsemen crew gonna change this semester.”

“I knew the rumors that she’s sleeping with Rick were false. Can’t get top spot when you’re fucking guys left and right.”

“Don’t go giving her the benefit of the doubt. Maybe she bribed one of the grade masters or something.”

“Don’t be a dick! You know cheating and bribery isn’t allowed. Just admit she aced it and you’re mad you’re in the damn one hundreds!”

“You do realize we’re going down to only four thousand students next semester?”

“What?” a few students gasped.

Everyone seemed to focus on what the student said as she fixed her glasses. “Did none of you notice they updated the rules? Grades are everything right now, even when we start getting into the nitty-gritty of magic. If you’re in between the four to five thousand range at the end of the semester, you’re out!”

There were more gasps and worried whispers.

“Check the site if you want. Also, be warned that the exam this year is going to be harder. We’re going to have a dual battle. We should start preparing now that we all know our potential standings with what we’ve learned so far.”

She shrugged and fixed her glasses. With a turn, she was walking away, and I noticed Clara skipping our way.

“Alice! You did amazing! Can you believe it? Number one! You guys are celebrating tonight, right? Come on over to the VIP booths tonight. I’ll reserve the exclusive section for you guys.” She winked and quickly gave me a tight hug. “So proud of you, Alice.”

“Thanks, Clara.” I hugged her back, reeling from the happiness her praise gave me with the news.

“Now that we know our grades, let’s get out of here,” Keru encouraged.

“Do you think what she just said is true?” Westley inquired.

“It is.” Gabriel nodded his head to add emphasis. “Read it this morning. I assume they’ll make an announcement tomorrow or something regarding it. We’re going to have to train a little bit then.”

“Meaning you’ll train me.” I gave him a wide grin, and he glared at me.

“Annoying.”

“I know that already.” I winked. “But I kept my end of the deal, so spill the goodies by training me!”

“And covering drinks tonight,” Keru encouraged.

“Do we get to participate?” I wondered.

Gabriel and Keru exchanged a look. “Well, we’ll both be there to keep you two in line,” Keru reasoned.

“If you get drunk, I won’t train you,” Gabriel concluded, his asshole way of saying sure.

“Meanie,” I muttered, but looked at Westley and grinned. “Are you excited?”

“Definitely,” he replied and yawned. “Let me just nap.”

He rested his head on my shoulder.

“Wait. Westley! You can’t nap here,” I reasoned.

“Anddddd….fatality,” Keru declared.

“Is he literally sleeping?” He looked at Westley hopelessly.

“He’s actually out.” Keru chuckled and shook his head. “He was up all night for some odd reason. He doesn’t struggle with studying, so I don’t get why.”

“Uh, guys. How are we going to get him back home?” I reasoned.

“We got it,” Keru assured me, moving to lift one of Westley’s arms over his shoulder. “Gabe, help me out here.”

“Call me that again and I’m calling you Kerby for a month,” Gabriel threatened.

“Chill, chill. Hmm. I’m hungry from all that thinking power. We should totally pre-drink before we go.”

“I don’t see how pre-drinking has anything to do with food,” Gabriel retaliated.

“It doesn’t. I just want to do both,” Keru concluded.

Taking out my phone, I quickly took a picture of the board and the massive crowd. Quickly tapping a text and sending the board picture to my dad, I viewed the other photos, only to stop on the final one.

The one person that stood out was Damon, and I looked in the direction of where I’d taken the picture to see he was still there.

His dark purple eyes still focused on me.

I hid my worries from my expression, purposely staring back at him so he knew I’d acknowledged him. I knew Rick had a problem with me, and I was pretty positive the others did as well, but Damon continued to remain a mystery to me.

It doesn’t matter. He can’t harm me.

The thought gave me a bit of courage as I purposely smirked before twirling around to catch up to the others.

Tonight, I was going to celebrate this victory and work harder to finish this semester with a bang.

BLAZING CHEMISTRY AND POSSESSIVE YOU

“Are you drunk?”

I stared at Gabriel, who peaked an eye open to look at me.

“No.”

“You totally seem drunk.”

“From the girl who’s been nagging me for twenty consecutive minutes, asking whether I’m drunk or not,” he elaborated, but let me continue to lean against him while I tugged on his loose tie.

I’d come to realize two things tonight: I liked vodka more than tequila, and I got tipsy far too fast for my own good.

Celebrating our perfect victory, we were given a special booth that was only accessible to us. Clara said the room was used once for the four horsemen of last year, and was usually inaccessible.

The whole horsemen thing seemed overrated, especially when their recent results from earlier today had been the talk throughout the VIP home.

Also proved a valid point about my lack of trust in people. Many of those who had been gossiping and spreading whatever lies Rick had been saying were now bashing him and praising my resilience.

Laughable.

Tonight I didn’t give a hoot about any of it, letting myself be free from worry as I was surrounded by Keru, Westley, and Gabriel. Clara was sadly working, but she kept checking in regularly, and all the food and drinks had been on the house.

We were getting pampered tonight, and it felt good.

An added bonus was getting to talk to my dad before we headed out.

“HEY, FIRST PLACE,” he greeted, sounding completely sober.

“Dad!” I answered the phone and sat on my bed. “Let me put you on facetime!”

He chuckled and waited for me to change the preferences, something that took me far too long to figure out before it worked.

“Looks like you’re figuring that phone out, huh?”

“It’s a learning curve.” I giggled and gave him a loving smile. “Thanks again for it. Helps a lot to keep in touch with the guys if we get split up for an odd reason.”

“Glad it’s making life easier. Was long overdue,” he admitted. “Have you checked in with your grandparents?”

“To be honest, not yet.” I nervously smiled. “Not because I’m mad or anything.”

“Then?”

“I figured now that I’m not there, it’ll give them a chance to continue doing their hobbies or even go on vacation, you know?”

“You’re too generous,” he complimented with a tired smile.

“You look exhausted.”

“Work was annoying,” he admitted. “The boys treating you right?”

“Yup!” I nodded before the thought came to my mind.

Might as well tell him.

“About the guys, Dad. Uh…”

“You and Westley are dating,” he casually answered, leaving me in a stunned state. He followed up with, “He already told me.”

“When?”

“A few weeks ago? He skipped one of his usual nap times to come and see me.”

“He came to see you personally?”

“All three of them did.”

“Wait? Three of them?” Now I was more confused as to why they would go visit Dad. “I’m only dating Westley.”

“I’m aware, but the news was going around that you were dating all three of them.”

My eyes went wide, my heart beginning to race from fear that Rick’s loud mouth had even reached my dad.

“Oh no.”

“What’s the big deal?” he questioned.

“Isn’t that going to ruin your reputation?”

“Are you dating all three of them?”

“Not yet,” I replied. “I mean no! I’m dating one! Westley only! Gabriel and Keru aren’t even into me.”

“Hmmm,” Dad hummed and gave me a smug smile. “You sure?”

“Dad,” I whined. “I’m positive! 150% positive!”

“Good to be young.”

“Why do I have a feeling you’re insulting me?” I inquired.

“I’m not.” He smiled. “I’m merely saying you’re naive.”

“Dad!”

“Okay, okay,” he reasoned. “If you’re only dating Westley, that’s fine. What I’m trying to get at is that you shouldn’t be worried about what people say. If they want to talk about you dating one or three guys, let them. Focus on what makes you happy.”

“Are you saying if I was actually dating all three of them, you wouldn’t care?”

“It wouldn’t bother me.” He shrugged. “As long as they make you happy, why should it matter?”

I stared at the screen before questioning him.

“Are you still sober?”

“My heart hurts at your accusation.” He put a hand to his chest while feigning a hurt expression.

“It just seems odd that you’re okay with your only daughter dating three guys. Actually, let me correct that. Currently dating one guy, but with the idea of dating three guys.”

“The more the merrier,” he chimed in.

“That sounds horrible,” I commented but grinned. “Thanks for being supportive, Dad.”

“I’m your father. It’s my responsibility to support you in any way I can.” His smile was priceless, one that made my own lips curl up in a gleaming grin.

“Congrats on your score, lovely. I’m sure you’re going to do amazing the remainder of the semester.”

“It feels nice to even last a semester here, Dad. Nice to finally belong somewhere.”

“You’ll enjoy it more once you get into the magic part.”

“Something to look forward to,” I agreed.

There was a knock on the door. “Alice, we’re ready.”

“Coming!” I called out. “Dad, I gotta go. We’re going out to celebrate.”

“Have fun. Drink a glass or two for me.”

“You can go drink your own bottle,” I teased.

“I actually haven’t drunk anything alcoholic for a couple of days.”

“Wait seriously?” I gasped at his confession.

“I’m trying.”

“Dad.” My voice was low with a bit of worry. “Are you dealing with a mid-life crisis?”

“No.” He chuckled and shook his head. “Don’t know. I felt it’s time I try and focus on some stuff and set a better example.”

“Dad.” I gave him a compassionate look. “You know I understand.”

Understand the pain he had to endure. The heartache of losing a woman for whatever reasons he had to carry alone, all while losing access to his only daughter because of the addiction that kept him sane.

“I know.” His soft whisper could make me cry. “I couldn’t be more blessed to have a child that’s growing up into a magnificent woman.”

We shared a look, one that spoke a magnitude of internal emotions. I couldn’t wait to have time to just spend with him.

For us to catch up after so many years of unnecessary distance.

“Continue being you, Alice. Don’t let any standards stop you, okay?”

“Alright, Dad,” I agreed. “Thank you.”

THE NEWS that my dad was trying to remain sober after years of alcohol abuse was far more rewarding than my perfect grades. I knew it wouldn’t be easy to quit, and I honestly didn’t want him to go completely cold turkey if it would bring negative effects like withdrawal, but at least if he could be more present in the world, it could help him see the beauty in this world.

Even if its a world where the woman he loved abandoned him.

With more reason to celebrate, I decided to enjoy a bit of the alcoholic drinks, realizing that the sweet, burning ones were extremely addicting, but also hit you very fast.

Now I felt like I was floating on cloud nine, not caring much about anything except annoying the hell out of poor Gabriel, who was currently my victim.

I could kind of understand why a lot of people got addicted to alcohol. It was nice to be in a state of mind where you didn’t worry about responsibilities or the troubles life piled on you.

The way I felt gave me a sense of freedom and endless possibility, and it seemed rather easy to say whatever came to my mind.

“Are you drunk?” I asked again, returning to my tugging frenzy of his tie.

He sighed and looked at me with those gold eyes of his.

“How many glasses did you drink?”

“I don’t know,” I sang the three words. “Are you drunk?”

“I’m gonna die if you keep repeating those words.”

I readied myself to ask the same thing, but the idea of him dying worried me.

“Are you…tipsy?”

“Did you actually change your question because you thought I’d die?”

“Yes.”

He let out a long sigh. “At least you’re honest.”

“Are you honest?” I inquired and leaned in closer. He didn’t budge even with my sudden closeness, masking his emotions with the usual scowl on his face.

“Yes,” he replied.

“Then answer me this,” I whispered. “Do you like me?”

“Sure,” he casually replied. “You’re a good friend.”

“I’m not referring to friendship and you know that.” My drop in tone made his eyes lock on mine, and I grinned seductively. “You. Like. Me.”

“Why do you say it like it’s a fact?”

“Because my gut tells me that you do. Or you try to act like you don’t like me with your anger management, everyday scowl.”

Hooking my arms around his neck, I smiled at him while he looked even more annoyed.

“Alice. Get off.” He was obviously mad that I was taking far too much of his personal space, but I wanted a proper answer.

“Do you like me?”

“What would be the point of answering?” he countered. “You won’t remember when you wake up with a hangover.”

“Meaning you want me to remember? Or you’d rather I forget the answer so I can’t use it against you?”

“You and I both know we can’t be something,” he concluded.

“Why not?” I inquired. “Westley wouldn’t mind.”

“You haven’t seen drunk Westley,” he concluded. “He’s not supposed to drink.”

“Unless it’s a special occasion like today?” I reasoned, playing whatever avoiding game he was trying to carry forth. “Answer my question.”

“Or what?”

“Or I’ll kiss you,” I threatened.

To my surprise, he actually smiled, a grin that looked threatening.

“Alice.” His voice was raw with hunger. “If you kiss me, be warned. I’ll kiss you back.”

It was rather tempting, the two of us staring into each other’s eyes for what seemed like eons. He was testing me. It felt like a test to see who’d crack first. All of this suddenly felt strange, and it was only now that I felt the charging electricity running between us.

A charged force that wished to connect us. For our energies to unite and acknowledge the raw roots of our connected souls.

The longer we stared, the stronger the urge was, until one of us caved.

It wasn’t me.

Gabriel’s lips pressed firmly against mine. The sudden burst of connection and electric heat made my temperature spike in seconds, enough to leave me light-headed.

I clung a little tighter to him, his hands immediately moving to my waist and lifting me up onto his lap. The static kiss heightened quickly, and it was my first time making out with anyone.

Westley and I kissed, but it was short, sweet ones that made your toes curl.

This kiss was dangerous and highly addicting.

The click of a door opening up caught our attention, but neither of us pulled away.

We couldn’t simply pull away.

I wanted the kiss to be complete, not like the hungry movement of our lips had an apparent time limit.

“Why did I have a strong suspicion this would happen?”

It was Keru who made the statement, loud enough to somehow slice through the lust fog hovering over us. Gabriel broke the kiss, and I blinked a few times before a pout morphed on my swollen lips.

“So you do like me?” I concluded.

He didn’t say anything immediately, catching his breath before he huffed.

“Whatever.” He picked me up off his lap, placed me on the side, got up, and literally walked out of the room.

I blankly stared at the door, only now noticing Keru and Westley standing there. I should have felt awkward after what just happened, but I clapped my hands.

“Welcome to Alice’s palace!” I declared.

“How much did you two drink earlier?”

“A little too much,” Westley earnestly replied. “But you and I both know that didn’t happen because of some alcohol.”

“I’ll go check on him,” Keru reasoned. “He’s probably sulking.”

“She may not remember,” Westley offered.

“Or she will,” Keru suggested. “Regardless, he should just be honest with his feelings.”

“Why don’t you be honest with your feelings, Keru?” I accused, pointing in his direction with narrowed eyes. He arched an eyebrow at me questioningly, but I got up and skipped over to him until my finger was poking his chest.

“When you see me, your heart goes lumpy dumpy and you get all tingly, don’t you?”

He didn’t say anything, and I noticed Westley’s frown, but I smirked in pride.

“I can feel it.” Patting my chest, I continued, “Right here. When the room is quiet during class and I get lost in my note-taking, I can feel within me bits of your feelings, just like my Westley and Angelic Asshole.”

Putting my hands on my hips, I stood their proudly.

“Just admit the truth! You like me!”

I waited for Keru’s submission, but hands pressed on my cheeks, forcing me to open my eyes to see Keru’s smug smile.

“You’re correct.” He winked, then suddenly kissed me.

I blinked, completely stunned by his move. This kiss was also different. It brought hints of clarity, a flowing chill, and a desire to be within the midst of darkness.

He broke the kiss as quickly as it began, and my mouth hung open as I stared at him.

“Looks like those adverse effects happen when someone is tipsy,” he concluded and let go of me. “Westley, stay with her for a bit.”

“Where are you going now?”

“Still going to console the probably mopping Gabe, but let CloverSpell know so she can document it,” he explained. “Plus, with the energy in here, I don’t think I could resist.”

I had a feeling I knew what he meant, but at the same time, I didn’t.

Westley merely nodded, and we watched Keru close the door, leaving the two of us alone.

“Then there was one,” I whispered. “Why…do I feel like I did something wrong?”

Westley didn’t say anything for a moment, then said, “I’m going out for a bit.”

I reached for his hand, stopping him from moving away from me. We shared a look, and I suddenly felt worried he was upset with me.

“You’re mad.”

“I’m not.”

“Liar.” I clung to his arm and moved close, until his back was pressed against the door and my body laid upon his. “You’re…jealous?”

He didn’t need to say anything as a flood of emotion pulsated between us.

Until our positions seemed to reverse and my body was pressed against the black velvet walls and my lips were crashing against Westley’s.

He growled against my lips, his body pressed against mine as he pinned my arms up against the wall with one hand while his other was on my hip and inching beneath my tight shirt.

Feeling his touch against my flesh made me shiver. A sound vibrated against my throat and left my lips in a soft moan. That only seemed to heighten the swirls of hunger between us, the movement of our lips almost desperate for one another while we fought for air.

If our lungs didn’t require oxygen, we would have fought for dominance for hours, but we forced ourselves apart, pressing our foreheads together and keeping our bodies against one another.

My whole mind felt in a daze of emotions, dancing bursts of happiness, worry, and hidden jealousy. I opened my eyes slightly, noticing how his eyes were beginning to shift to a strong silver.

“Westley.” My voice was tender and low. “Do…you not like the idea of me being with Keru or Gabriel?”

He remained quiet, which told me he was genuinely thinking about it.

“No,” he finally replied, letting go of my wrists so I could lower my arms, but placing that hand on my hips, sliding it up to feel my flesh like before.

“You’re fine with the idea?”

“If it’s them alone,” he whispered and kissed me. “No one else.”

We got lost in kissing again, my hands moving to press against his chest. I wanted to feel his hot skin, to graze those muscles of his and enjoy their hardness and fine lines.

As if sensing my desire, he moved one of his hands to press on top of mine, maneuvering my hand down until it was beneath his shirt. It was the permission I needed to let my right hand follow suit. Both of my hands ran up his chest, feeling up his abs and then his pecks while lifting his shirt half way.

That triggered a newfound desire, and I suddenly wished we weren’t here but back at our dorm.

Where anything could happen.

All of this was happening so fast, and yet it wasn’t scary like I’d always expected it to be. I felt safe, and even with my drunken behavior, Westley wasn’t judging me. He didn’t take advantage of the situation, and I knew deep down that if I suddenly changed my mind about where this was clearly going, he would stop at my request.

We broke our kiss to catch our breaths, his head moving down my neck and shoulder. He paused on my left shoulder blade, his lips brushing my hot flesh as he whispered, “Has anyone given you a hickey before?”

“I don’t know exactly what that is.” I shuddered at the sudden kiss from those lips of his, only to flinch slightly when his teeth lightly pinched my flesh before he sucked the sensitive part.

The wave of tingling pleasure that followed after the pinch of pain had me moaning and clinging to him tightly as he moved his lips and kissed the spot tenderly. He kept doing it, bits of pain shooting into pleasure, and I put my head back against the wall, hoping he’d continue all along my neck.

Westley continued for at least another minute before he paused.

“We have company.”

He sounded annoyed as he moved back slightly to meet my gaze. I frowned in disappointment, and it was the first time since his return that he smiled.

“If you want to do this again, just ask,” he assured me.

“So…you’re not mad?”

“No,” he repeated the same answer as before. “I’ve known for a while that Gabriel has a little crush for you. So does Keru.”

“Why…haven’t you said anything?”

“Because we’re all new to this, and I didn’t want you freaking out at the idea of three guys liking you.”

“Interesting,” I whispered, and suddenly moved to hug him.

“Alice?”

“Thank you for not being mad,” I whispered, feeling a little bad. “I think…I provoked Gabriel to kiss me.”

“Not necessarily,” Westley defended and stroked my head gently. “I noticed the shift in energy between us. I think this has to do with the seal ceremony, but we’ll have to figure that out down the road.”

His arm hooked around my waist, and I looked up at him, just as the door clicked open. We both looked up to see Damon, Rick, Eliza, and Madeline.

Their arrival didn’t seem to bother me like it should have, but I noticed Westley’s stiffness as he let go of me, only to stand protectively in front of me.

“Who gave you access in here?”

“We’re the Blazing Horsemen,” Eliza huffed. “We don’t need permission.”

“Actually,” I spoke up, peaking out from Westley’s protective stance. “I checked the rules and regulations while we were getting drinks.”

The four of them looked at me as I grinned.

“Section A. Part 5. VIP Diamond room. Only accessible with the permission of Clara Ralmera or the family head. No one, regardless of level in school hierarchy at Blazing Academy, including Blazing Horsemen status, is allowed entry unless given permission. Going against the rules will lead to temporary suspension or permanent removal of access to the mansion club for the remainder of the semester. If rules are ignored a second time, the individual or group will be revoked for their remaining attendance at Blazing Academy.”

Even Westley looked over his shoulder to look at me, and I blinked innocently at him. “What?”

“Did you actually memorize the whole rule book before we ordered drinks?”

“It was a glance, and I was bored waiting to order.”

“I thought only I did that,” he muttered, more to himself. “Guess not.”

“Oh! Do you memorize the rule book too?!” I beamed.

“When I’m bored.”

“What’s Section A. Part 4?”

“Smoking is prohibited on the property and if caught, you’ll be suspended for a year.”

I squealed and clapped my hands. “Correct. That’s so hot!”

“You’re turned on by me memorizing random stuff like that?” He seemed impressed.

“Definitely,” I flirted and wrapped my arm around his right arm. “What about the menu? Did you memorize that?”

“Hello?!”

We both blinked and moved our attention back to Eliza and the rest of the group. I’d actually forgotten their existence, getting too caught up in our conversation.

“Uh, why are you guys here again?” I asked.

Rick let out a huff and stepped forward.

“Listen, you conceited-”

Blue and green flames erupted in front of us, swirling protectively around the two of us. I glanced up to Westley, noticing that his eyes were now a solid silver and his whole attitude seemed to shift into a chill-inducing one.

He actually looks possessed.

I had to fight the urge to let go of his arm, but I did the opposite, clinging to him tightly as his sudden shift in mode froze the others in place.

“Let me be blunt. If you’re here to try and threaten us to back down with our good grades, you can go fuck off,” Westley threatened. “If you’re so worried about your silly positions that you guys got by luck, I suggest you put your heads in a few books instead of coming in here and try to ruin our night.”

His eyes narrowed and he snarled, “Get the fuck out of here, or I’ll have to force you out. Let me warn you now. If it comes to that, I’ll make sure you’re in a coma until the next semester.”

“Agreed.”

I looked to the door to see Gabriel, Keru, and a furious Clara.

“Eliza!” Clara screamed, and the girl in question jumped in fright.

“C-Clara.”

“How dare you tell my guard that I authorized you guys to gain access in here?! Are you trying to make us get in trouble?!” she snarled. “OUT! All four of you! Eliza, you’re officially fired! You’re also banned from ever coming here for the rest of your Blazing Academy existence!”

She glared daggers at the other three, and her voice dropped to a deadly sneer. “If any of you three go against the rules, you’ll deal with the same fate. Now out!”

None of them could even fight back, their bodies moving to do as instructed in a swift manner. Gabriel and Keru returned into the room, and Clara quickly bowed in apology.

“I’m terribly sorry! Please try to relax and I’ll get a different room sorted so you guys can carry on with the festivities.”

“We don’t have to move rooms, Clara.” I beamed at her generosity. “We’re fine!”

“A-Are you sure?”

“We’re good.” Westley smiled. The cold dominance he displayed before was now gone, just like his flames, that extinguished in a flash.

“All right! I’ll bring you guys some special desserts,” Clara offered.

“That would be nice. Gabriel loves sweets.”

Gabriel gave him a look but didn’t deny the truth. “We’d appreciate it.”

“Very well. Sit tight,” Clara encouraged and closed the door for us.

“That was intriguing.” I put my hands in the air. “More drinks!”

“No,” the three of them declared.

When I looked at them innocently and began to blink my eyes, the three of them began to blush and look flustered.

“Why is she blinking like that?” Keru whispered.

“It’s a female’s secret weapon,” Gabriel grumbled.

“A better secret weapon than kicking your balls?” Westley inquired.

“How do you know about that?” Gabriel asked.

“I was watching from afar.” He smirked. “It was funny.”

“Sneaky.” Keru laughed.

“Yet, I’m called the asshole,” Gabriel grumbled.

I giggled at their bickering, grasping their attention.

“Let’s all date!” I declared.

“Huh?” all three of them replied.

“Hmm. That wouldn’t be as fun if we did it right away! Oh! Okay! If I get another perfect score on my test, we’re dating!”

“Seriously?” Keru inquired. “We don’t have to bet on it, but…” He trailed off and looked over to Westley. “Are you even okay with the idea? I know how possessive peacocks are.”

“You make it seem like I can shift into one.” Westley rolled his eyes.

“Technically you can, but let’s be real. You got that trait from that.”

“If it’s you two, I’m down for it, but that’s it. No one else gets close.”

“Fun,” Keru declared and patted Gabriel’s back. “See what communication can do, Gabe?”

“Fudge you!”

“You were swearing up a storm outside, and now you’re acting like a holy saint of no swearing,” Keru teased. “Just admit you’re happy inside!”

“I’m not!”

“Lies!” I giggled and clapped my hands. “It’s decided! I’ll get a perfect score on my exam and you’ll have no choice but to date me!”

“How did this become another bet?” Westley sighed but shrugged. “Guess we’ll go along with it.”

“Westley.” I moved over to face him, hooking my arms around his neck and bringing him close. “You’re really hot when you get all dominant like that. Do it again.”

He blushed, his entire face burning red while Keru snickered. “Overprotective Westley came out to play.”

“And now he’s gone,” Gabriel finished.

“H-Hush,” he stuttered, but I didn’t care about what was being said, pulling him down for a kiss.

“There they go making out.” Keru sounded pleased. “See what you did? What do you have to-OW!” Don’t sucker punch me!”

“Go sit quietly and leave me alone.”

“I was consoling you seconds ago! Be nice!”

“No!”

“Ugh. You’re an asshole!”

Westley broke the kiss and looked into my eyes.

“You sure about this?” he whispered.

“I like challenges,” I replied against his lips.

“You know if we aim for perfect scores, we’ll take those guys’ positions as horsemen.”

“I’m aware.”

“Not sure if we want to get into that,” he whispered.

“If I’m with you guys, it could be fun?”

His smirk blossomed glints of hope at the idea.

“We each have a flaming trait. Could be fun.”

“If we’re in it together, I think it will be.”

“Then…” He kissed me gently. “Let’s try for the sake of being together.”

It sounds like a good plan.

UNEXPECTED BLAZE OF STRICKEN DESTINY

~SIX WEEKS LATER~

“I KNOW some of you have been chosen to take your dual partner exams today and are nervous. Take a deep breath and focus on what you want to achieve. You’ve all been taught the right techniques and are merely applying them to the physical realm. Remember the importance of teamwork. Your written exams from yesterday have already been inputted. Final marks will appear after you’ve completed your duo exam. Any questions?” Professor Daily looked around the room.

When no one answered, he nodded his head.

“You’re dismissed. Try to wait here for a few minutes since there is a transition happening outside.”

We all decided to comply, the room buzzing with nerves and excitement. I bit my lip nervously, worried about the coming duo exam. I must have jinxed myself weeks ago because I was one of the first to be chosen and was partnered with Gabriel.

He didn’t seem worried at all, even when I snuck a glimpse his way as others bickered about failing the written exam.

I was pretty confident that we’d aced the written part. This test was even easier than the last, but as much as we’d promised ourselves to practice the element portions after midterms happened, that didn’t occur.

Not even once.

The day after our midterms, we were slammed with double if not triple the workload. Huge, thick books that had to be from the years of the dinosaurs were now our textbooks, some of them completely in magic incantations which we had to translate to grasp any bit of information from them.

It was a good thing that the four of us were extremely close and were willing to distribute the work, or I was pretty sure I’d be studying every chance I got with balancing four major subjects.

At least I kept to my word to workout, keeping up with morning runs and sometimes evening ones to try and take a mental break from the information overload of classes during the day and tons of reading at night.

Gabriel noticed my gaze and arched an eyebrow at me.

“What?”

“Nothing.”

“Check me out another day.”

“I wasn’t checking you out,” I huffed.

“Aren’t they cute when they fight?” Keru suggested to Westley, who yawned.

“Sure.”

“You don’t even care, do you?” Keru grinned.

“Not when I’m this tired.”

“Didn’t you sleep during class?” Gabriel noted.

“Not…” He paused, and I almost thought he’d fallen asleep again when he closed his eyes momentarily. Then they shot open, flickering straight into silver.

“Drop to the floor!” he screamed, catching everyone’s attention. My body moved faster than my mind as the four of us dropped to the floor like many others, a second before a shattering sound sliced through the room, followed by screams of agony and a wave of heat that made me hiss.

Someone moved on top of me protectively, the heat escalating to the point that I was frightened we’d all melt.

“Keru!” Westley screamed.

“Working on it!” Keru declared. “I summon the darkness deep within. Revoke the enemies’ blaze and send it back to its owner! Dela rasa re vu darkando le ta!”

It sounded like someone had suddenly turned on multiple vacuums, and the sound was just as unbearable as the heat.

There was a sudden silence, our ears popping from the drop in sound.

“Ow,” I whispered and quickly lifted my head, noticing Gabriel was the one protectively shielding me while Westley was on the ground in front of me and Keru was breathing heavily on his knees.

I scrambled out of Gabriel’s hold and rose up, my eyes widening in shock at the burnt down room.

“T-The room…” I couldn’t find my words, completely speechless as it registered that the usual fireproof room was now burnt, destroyed, and lathered in injured students. Those who were conscious quickly raced to help those who were wounded and unconscious.

I began to scan the room until my eyes landed on Clara.

“Clara!” I ran over to her, trying not to step on or trip over the bodies on the ground. Reaching her, I dropped to the floor and turned her over, only to see her struggling to breathe. She was burned on her arms, legs, and a good portion of her face.

“No. Clara.” My voice trembled at the gruesome sight, noticing Westley and the others making their way over to me while having their hands out protectively just in case another blast occurred.

“Gabriel!” I immediately looked to him, knowing well that he could do something. He glanced over to Clara, and the conflicted look on his face made my stomach sink.

“You can’t do anything?”

He didn’t say anything, biting his lip hard while his eyes began to glow a soft gold. “We’re running out of time.”

“Take anyone who’s wounded to the nurse’s office!” someone screamed, and those who could walk began to pick those that were unconscious or wounded up and move towards the door.

I struggled to pick Clara up. Keru came to my aid and scooped her up with ease. We were out the door in seconds, running towards the nurse’s office that was thankfully two halls away.

We reached the second hallway, only for an arm to suddenly hook around my waist pulling me back hard, just as Keru skidded to a stop. “Fuck!”

Gabriel pushed off the ground, wings sprouting from his back as he reached out and tugged Keru’s body back.

The whole school shook as another blast burst through the hall, the flames rushing towards us.

Gabriel quickly hooked his arms under Keru’s and flew back and past us, but there was no way we’d be able to make it out before the smoky inferno hit.

“Alice!” Westley screamed, ready to protect me, but I ripped out of his hold and stood with clenched fists as rage erupted through me and out into a short command.

“ELA SHA RU VU!”

The approaching blaze parted ways at the last second instead of hitting us, splitting into two and being pulled against the walls beside us.

The blaze continued at full speed, but it remained on its new crash course, leaving the middle of the hall safe from its wrath. A wave of dizziness overtook me, forcing me to fight to remain balanced.

Westly quickly caught me, helping me stay up.

“Alice? Hey, look at me.”

I lifted my head just slightly, panting hard as my eyes focused on his.

“Alice…your eyes,” he began, but quickly got back to the problem at hand.

“We gotta get out of here.”

“Are we being attacked?” I weakly asked.

“No.” He shook his head. “We’re being eliminated.”

He decided to lift me up and we looked back at Gabriel, who was in the air, still holding Keru, who kept a tight grasp on Clara.

My worry for her only spiked, noticing how she struggled to breathe.

“She’s not going to make it,” I whispered in worry.

“Gabe!” Westley called out. “Safe houses!”

Gabriel looked confused for a nanosecond before it clicked in and he nodded. We were moving before I could ask what a safe house was, reaching a dark hall that had lost all power.

“LIGHTANDO RU!” Gabriel shouted, and the lights flickered on to reveal multiple threads.

“Figured,” Westley huffed and stepped forward. Closing his eyes for a brief moment, he whispered, “Dancando blade windolu!”

He then took a large inhale and suddenly shot it out. The tiny light green blades came out and grew quadruple their size as they sliced through the threads.

That triggered a chain reaction, and actual ax-like blades came out of the lockers and swung multiple times from one end to the other until they returned to their hidden places.

The hall was now lit and empty, and Gabriel looked back at Westley to see his approving nod. Continuing the race to this safe house, we entered a stairwell, but instead of going down to the exit, we went up until we reached the janitor’s closet.

Westley let me down and quickly wrapped his hand around the knob.

“In times of desolation, bring safe haven to us in need. Safana re fela.”

The soft incantation was followed with the door emitting an orange-gold light. The door unlocked with a loud click.

He opened it up and quickly ushered us into the room. After closing and locking it into place, Westley clapped his hands three times. The room lit up on the command.

The apparent janitor’s closet was actually a little room, big enough to fit us all. It even had a few bottles of water, a first aid kit, and some desks that faced a flat screen tv.

“Lay Clara down over there, Keru,” Gabriel encouraged.

He nodded and rushed to do the deed, and the rest of us quickly gathered around. Westley moved to grab one of the first aid kits, opening it up and scanning the contents.

“Damn. This is the standard kit! Not one of the blazing ones.”

“They mentioned magic ones at orientation,” Keru noted.

“How did you guys even know about this?” I questioned.

“At orientation, most people missed it, but before the mini light show display of potential spells we could learn, there were two sentences that state in the event of an emergency at Blazing Academy, there are multiple safe rooms in all stairwells that would activate if a fire broke out within the halls.”

“But not the classrooms?” I questioned.

“They’re supposed to be fireproof,” Westley huffed. “Seems as though they changed things up this year.”

“What do you mean?” I asked, taking a worried glance at Clara as she struggled to breathe.

“Random exams like this didn’t happen, from what I heard, until the third or fourth semester. If we’re dealing with it now, chances are someone screwed something up.”

“You’re not implying that we’re potentially doing a different semester’s exam?”

“That’s exactly what I’m implying,” Westley declared. “We have to wait the rest of it out in here, but that’s the problem.”

His worried green eyes looked back on Clara. “We can’t heal her.”

“Why not?” I demanded. “Gabriel was able to heal me.”

“Alice,” Gabriel warned. “Healing is about an exchange. If you try to heal a burn victim, all you’re doing is transferring the pain over to you.”

“But would I be physically burned?”

“No.”

“Then?”

“Alice.” It was Keru’s warning voice that drew my attention from Gabriel to see him shake his head. “The pain will feel like you’re burning from the inside out. It can be enough to throw you into shock and cardiac arrest.”

“We can’t let her die!”

The three of them didn’t say anything, which only made tears well up in my eyes. “She’s my first friend, guys. S-She…actually takes the time to text me after classes and during the weekend. She comes by our desks and says ‘hi’ and ‘bye’ every day, and actually treats me like a friend and not a hindrance. Ya, we’re not super close or anything, but…she was the first girl that genuinely wanted to be my friend. Not like those girls with underlying motives or who wanted to add to my suffering. We…we can’t just let her die.”

Gabriel looked the most conflicted, but Keru shook his head.

“None of us would be able to handle the exchange. You and Gabriel are also the only ones with strong Holy Thunder Flame. Both of you have already used a ton of magic. You can’t save her without sacrificing your lives in the process.”

I never felt so hopeless as I cautiously walked up to the desk to see Clara’s chest move up and down at a struggling pace. Tears suddenly streamed down my face, the heaviness of everything that happened so quickly weighing down on my head.

It’s not my fault…yet…why do I feel like it is?

A whimper escaped me, and Westley was embracing me in seconds.

“Alice. D-Don’t cry. Let’s take a moment to figure things out.”

“We’re out of time.”

Gabriel’s words tugged us to Clara’s body, watching her take a struggling last breath before her chest lowered and her eyes remained opened.

“Clara?” I whispered. “Clara?”

Reaching out to shake her, I noticed how her breathing had completely stopped and her eyes began to dull of life.

“Clara!” My mind went into overdrive, and I quickly slid her closer to the right side of the desks and climbed on top to begin compressions on her chest.

“Alice, you-” Keru tried to reason, but I shook my head rapidly.

“She can’t die!”

“Bringing her back to life without healing her isn’t going to do anything!”

“Maybe someone will come and help?!”

“You’re only going to make her suffer more!”

“You don’t know that!”

“Alice! Let her die!”

“She doesn’t deserve to die, Keru!” My scream bounced off the walls as I glared at him. “How can you even stand there and tell me otherwise!”

“Because in this world people die! You can’t save everyone!”

“I know damn well that if I was in Clara’s shoes you wouldn’t spit bullshit!” I defiantly declared.

That shut him up, and I looked back to Clara and returned to compressing her chest. My tears blurred my vision as I fought to keep it together, but press after press did nothing to revive her.

A heavy silence lingered as I slowly came to a stop, struggling to keep my sobs from escaping my lips.

Closing my eyes, I fought the urge to admit defeat. To accept that there really wasn’t anything I could do anymore.

“Mistress?”

My eyes opened slightly, noticing the room was pitch black, and there was Cyrus, but in the little girl form I remembered from the window incident. She was in a white kimono with blue flowers, and her tail moved back and forth.

Cyrus?

“Do you want to save her?”

The question was easy to answer.

Yes. I want to save her. She…she’s my friend, even if I may not be as important to her as she is to me.

I paused to look at her dead body once more, my tears streaming down my cheeks.

I know people die. I get it. Innocent lives are lost every day, many who were mean and others that were the kind people on the planet. I know I can’t save everyone…but can’t I save at least someone I care about?

“You can achieve anything you want, Alice. With magic, the limits placed on reality can be bent to fit what you wish.”

She smiled and floated up to my face, her little hands pressing against my wet cheeks.

“Therefore, my mistress, let me ask you again. Do you want to save her?”

I blinked away my remaining tears and looked back at her with determination.

Yes. I want to save her.

“No matter the pain and possibility of death?”

No matter what lies ahead of me with this decision.

She smiled as her eyes softened, and her body began to levitate as the dark room around us flooded with white light.

“Then release that loving power out and bring her back to life.”

My senses were flooded with a warm sensation, and I let the words that rushed into my mind flood out of my lips.

“I summon the blazing power that courses through my veins. Unlock the pages of my divine light and do not judge by thy earthly actions, but by the beating of thy heart. Bring back what has risen to the skies and revive the innocent that have been lost. Let this not be just for one, but all that have perished in the act of unforeseen misguidance. Let my ancestors of blazing hot witchery invoke justice upon the lost.”

With a deep inhale, I whispered the final words to complete the spell.

“Holy reviva of ela na ru.”

My eyes opened to see the formation of a thick, bound book. The exterior with red and gold incantations began to bleed light, seconds before the book opened up and the pages lit up and swiftly turned at an uncontrollable pace.

My eyes rolled back as energy pulsed through and out of me in waves. The first ball of light hit directly into Clara’s body before multiple balls of white flames burst out of me and shot towards their destinations.

I could feel each ball of flame reach its destination, embedding into the bodies of the dead and igniting breath into their once corpse bodies.

That’s when the rush of indescribable pain hit me, my body unable to even scream as it felt like I was being burned alive. I fought against it, trying to endure every speck of unimaginable pain that robbed me of breath, but it was devastating and unbearable.

All I could do was look up, and for a flashing moment, it felt like I was now looking among the starry sky, chants of victory and joy of my downfall pulsing all around me while Mother Flame mourned my approaching death.

None of it made sense, and yet everything made sense - the deja vu in this serial predicament made me wonder if this was a part of the destiny I was born to face.

The destiny I was reborn to face.

“Alice!”

Words shot through the chants of death and cheering.

“She’s dying!”

“Not on my watch, dammit.”

“Fuck, move!”

“Westley!”

I felt like I was fading away, the warmth I once felt began to fade at a rapid pace. The loss of warmth made fear trickle in me, and for the first time, I was afraid of death.

All the times I thought of suicide. All the fleeting moments I wished to just be rid of my existence and be gone from the world that clearly didn’t want me.

Yet death was finally knocking on my door and I was frightened to go alone.

If I could cry, I would have done that. Sobbed and begged to stay a little longer. I hadn’t gotten to learn more about Gabriel, Keru, or Westley. Nor did I get to have some time with Dad, or even try to find the truth about my mom.

The threat that represented my life was coming to an end, and yet, I had far more regrets than I did accomplishments.

That was saddening.

When the world seemed to finally be cloaked with black, something warm touched my frigid cheeks. My eyes that were on the verge of closing caught a glimpse of the light, one that grew bigger by the second, until I was washed with the comforting warmth.

“We weren’t brought back to life for you to die without me, my princess.”

The soft voice was followed with a press of one’s lips. The tender kiss to my lips giving me the breath of life.

I gasped when my body let me, my eyes opening slightly to see silver blazing eyes and ocean teal hair that was flooded with golden strands. What caught my brief attention were the massive wings, one of gold, orange, and white. What made me reach up with a trembling hand was the relieved expression on the man’s face.

My hand pressed against his cheek, and the words left me before my eyes came to a close.

“My king.”

I allowed myself to fade away, but this time, I knew that I’d fall into the arms of my guardian angel.

My destined path continued its way towards an unknown future.

PROVEN HORSEMEN OF BLAZING FIRE

“Am I actually grounded?”

From the six pairs of eyes that landed on me, I knew that was a definite yes.

“Woof?”

“I know, Cyrus,” I muttered and stroked her head with my bandaged hand. “They’re being bullies.”

“I’m so tempted to lecture her,” my dad muttered, but Mrs. CloverSpell sighed. “Let’s leave the lecturing for when she’s fully recovered.”

“Or we can skip it?” I suggested.

Another staring moment that made me pout.

“Meanies.”

Professor Daily was the one to sigh next, but he gave me a small smile. “As much as we’d love to lecture you for what you did, Alice, it’s also thanks to your bravery that we had zero casualties after that mix-up madness.”

“Did I really…um…” I was trying to find the right words. “Revive the dead?”

“Used an extremely rare and forbidden spell with Holy Thunder Flame,” CloverSpell elaborated.

“Ah.” I nodded and tried to hide beneath the blanket. “Okay, bye.”

Gabriel groaned. “No one is suspending you, so get out from under there.”

“Make me.” I poked my head just slightly to glare at him. His scowl deepened and Keru shook his head. “Just let her be for now,” he encouraged. “And Gabriel’s right. You’re not getting suspended.”

“Are you sure?”

“Positive,” CloverSpell declared. “I’ve already talked with the other professors. All of you have received perfect scores on the written exam, as well as this unexpected exam. Obviously, we’ll go into the exact details of what occurred and how this all came about once Alice is in stable condition, but the four of you have officially passed semester one of Blazing Academy.”

That was a mega relief, and I looked to see the smiles of the others. Westley looked my way, and he reached out to slip his hand beneath the blanket to grasp mine. I squeezed his hand back, my eyes growing a little tired.

“Um,” I began and gave a sad smile. “Sorry to try and cut this short, but I think I need another nap,” I admitted.

Mrs. CloverSpell, Mr. Daily, and Dad nodded in understanding, looking a little relieved that I was willing to acknowledge the need to rest.

“Tonight you’ll stay here, but tomorrow we’ll transfer you over to a special medical department to analyze your magic levels. I allowed you to stay here so I wouldn’t have to deal with Violet’s lectures,” CloverSpell explained.

“Which is stupid,” Dad huffed.

“Do I have to stay alone?” I inquired.

“No,” Mr. Daily responded. “We only need two of your team members. You three can work out who’s coming with me so we can start filling out the witness reports.”

“Westley can stay,” Gabriel concluded.

“Ya. He deserves it and probably will need a nap in ten minutes,” Keru reasoned.

Westley gave them both a glare, but I smiled slightly at their intriguing decision making.

“So…just to make sure, Clara’s-”

“Alive and recovering well,” CloverSpell assured me. “Once everything is over, Alice, I’ll offer you some therapy sessions if you’d be willing to attend them?”

I thought about it and slowly nodded.

“That would be nice.”

Dad looked relieved with my agreement, and the others nodded.

“Let’s make our way out,” CloverSpell encouraged. “Please make sure you rest, Alice. We’ll handle things from here,” she encouraged.

“Okay,” I replied, watching them begin to exit. Dad came over to my bed and leaned down to press a kiss to my forehead. “Make sure you rest. No arguments or trying to climb out of bed.”

“What if I need to pee?”

“Westley will help you,” he replied.

“The amount of trust you now have worries me,” I muttered, but smiled. “I’ll be good, Dad. Don’t worry about me.”

“I always worry, silly.” He flicked my forehead lightly. “Rest up, my dear.”

He was the next to leave, and Gabriel walked over and looked at me with a deep frown.

“Couldn’t you at least give me a smile?” I suggested. “I did well.”

“After going against what we said,” he pointed out the obvious.

“Yes, but it saved many students, and I only died for like ten minutes.”

“Thirty,” the three of them corrected.

“Same thing.” I brushed it off like it wasn’t a big deal.

“I swear, you’re truly something else,” he whispered, but leaned down and gave me a soft kiss.

“Oh?”

“I like you,” he bluntly declared. “Now I won’t say it again, so you better remember that.”

I blushed and then grinned. “I’ve suddenly forgotten what you said, can you repeat it?”

“Hmph.” He turned right around and was already down the ladder.

“Gabriel!” I whined.

“Go to sleep and stop being cute!” he huffed on the rest of the way down.

I smirked and looked to Keru, noticing his conflicted gaze as he tried to avoid my eyes.

“Keru,” I whispered. “Stop beating yourself up. I’m not mad at you.”

“I’m sorry for what I said,” he apologized, moving closer to the right side of my bed. “It was inappropriate and selfish.”

“You said what you said based on your past experiences, right?” I felt there was more to his past than what he’d already revealed to me, and I’d have to wait for the right moment to discover those sealed doors.

I wouldn’t judge him for his words, and his obvious regret proved that he truly didn’t mean them.

“Ya,” he replied.

“Then it’s fine. You already apologized,” I comforted and let out a yawn.

He gave me a sad smile and reached down to give me a hug. “Get some rest, Blazing Queen.”

“Okay,” I replied tiredly.

With a kiss to my cheek, he quickly said bye to Westley and headed down the ladder.

Glancing at Westley, my eyes fought to remain open.

“Then…there were two,” I whispered.

“That’s when you know it’s bedtime.” Westley chuckled.

“You’re supposed to be tired.”

“Only when I don’t use magic for a long period of time,” he revealed. “Used far too much, so I’m energized.”

“I wanna cuddle.”

“Do you now?” he inquired. “Will you stay awake long enough to enjoy the cuddling moment.

“I’ll try to,” I mumbled, my eyes already closed.

I felt the shuffling of the blanket, and the warm hug that followed.

“Alice?” I didn’t reply, my mind beginning to wander away. Something pressed to my lips, and a soft whisper drifted into my ear, “Good job, my Blazing Queen. You saved a lot of people. Mother Flame is proud.”

I fell asleep with a smile on my face.

A LOUD BOOM startled me awake, and I noticed Westley was sitting up and looking around with sleepy eyes.

“What was that?” I muttered weakly, my eyes fighting to remain open.

“GRR!” Cyrus’s sudden growl was followed with her racing off the bed, down to the floor, and across the room, where she clawed at the locked door. Westley was still for a moment before his eyes shifted silver and he was rushing out of bed and unlocking the door to the ladder.

“Westley?”

“Call 911 now!”

His sudden order had me looking for my phone, my eyes landing on the nightstand, and I quickly reached for it and dialed the emergency number.

“911. What’s your emergency?”

“I-I’m not sure. I-I think there’s been a break-in at my hous- EEP!”

The house suddenly shook, and the bolt of energy that surged into me had me up and scrambling down the ladder. Running to the living room, I immediately heard Westley groan and raced to where I heard the sound.

My eyes landed on his body. Cyrus was already on his lap while a silver flaming shield began to fade, the majority of it filled with cracks that suddenly shattered at the last second of its disappearance.

Running to his side, I dropped to the floor; the phone sliding across the wood as I checked to make sure he didn’t have any major wounds. I immediately wanted to heal him, but he stopped my hands.

“I’m fine. Did you call 911?”

“Ya. W-What’s going on? Was someone here? Where’s grand…”

My words trailed off as the two of us looked forward at the eerie sight.

There was my grandma, on the floor in pool of blood with a gun next to her right hand. The sight should have triggered a reaction, but my eyes merely looked up to the large sign that hung above her dead body.

“Welcome to the club, Blazing Horseman.”

It was then that I realized that semester one at Blazing Academy was the trigger to unfolding the first set of lies my mother had left behind.

TO BE CONTINUED.

COMING SOON - July 17th, 2020:

https://books2read.com/BLAZINGACADEMYB2

COMING SOON - Oct 16TH, 2020:

https://books2read.com/BLAZINGACADEMYB3

TURN THE NEXT PAGE TO READ THE FIRST CHAPTER OF DAGGERS AND SMOKE!

https://books2read.com/WILLASILVERS

DAGGERS AND SMOKE BLURB

Willa Silvers.

Academy Investigator.

Top agent at the Magic Elite Investigators Department.

If only my real biography were half as glorious as the one in my head.

Instead, I’m Willa Silvers, a clumsy, disaster-prone eighteen-year-old and daughter of two powerful M.E.I.D. agents. Naturally, expectations are high as I, the Infinite Level Mageri Mage, embark on my investigatory career, but I’m already running into complications.

With my unwieldy magic that has a mind of its own, and being paired with the powerful, sexy, rich jerk who couldn’t care less about “partnership”, I hope completing our assigned mission is no problem. Silly assumption.

Our mission? Locate four ancient daggers, hidden in the depths of four of the most elite academies in the world. It’s our job to dedicate one year to the search for each mystical dagger by attending the various schools and blending in as students.

The catch — because there’s always a catch — is that we’re not the only ones after these legendary weapons and if each one isn’t retrieved within the designated year, the entire world will be annihilated by eternal life-sucking smoke.

Daggers and smoke…a lethal potential future for all of us if I make a single mistake.

PROLOGUE: DAGGERS AND SMOKE

“Hurry! This way!”

“Run!”

“Fire! Fire! Evacuate all the students on the premises!”

“Willa…are you seeing what I’m seeing?”

How could I even answer when I was still in a state of shock?

I had spent a year within the walls of Smokeywood Academy, one of the four major institutes of magic and combat.

Smokeywood Academy, one of the four carriers of a collection of four sacred daggers. We needed these daggers before the biggest crime organization in the world used them to destroy all aspects of life.

I was watching its very core be engulfed by blazing flames and black smoke. Screams echoed around me as I stood at the golden gates, unsure whether to stand and watch the rest of the academy fall or dive into action and attempt to claim the first set of daggers that we’d been attempting to locate all year long.

“Willa. You have to get out of there. Help evacuate anyone in front and leave! That’s an order from the heads.”

“We can’t leave the dagger, Adam. I know exactly where it is. I feel it.”

“You must be feeling the smoke inhalation! Willa, I’m dead serious. Get off the property and return to headquart…this…”

The signal to my earpiece suddenly lost connection, only confirming my suspicions.

I’m not the only one here to claim the powerful twin blades.

Pulling the earpiece from my ear, I allowed it to drop to the ground like a piece of trash. Stepping on it and squishing it like the end of a cigarette butt, I let my beating heart calm as I zoned out the screams and cries for help.

Only one voice mattered now, and even though I still hated his guts, he’d somehow laid his mark within my heart.

“You do you, Willa. I’ll always be there to pave the way out.”

“If only he was here now,” I whispered under my breath as I took off the teal blue and gold blazer and tossed it behind me.

Where it landed, I would never know. My body jolted forward into a sprint as I raced right into the burning institute.

I knew the exact location of the item in question, and the closer I got to it, the stronger the buzzing in my ears grew in expectation.

The daggers of chilling power and prosperity. The weapons that ended wars and brought peace with the four leaders that placed them within the academies they built in honor of their victory.

Dying here would potentially leave them wide open, but I wasn’t going down that path unless I knew those daggers would be in the right hands.

Turning a sharp corner, I immediately skid to a stop - a second away from impaling myself on a pile of broken wooden beams.

“Shit,” I breathed heavily, looking for another way around the cluster of debris. There was no way I’d get through it, but who said I couldn’t just fly right over it?

With a playful smirk, my body tingled with delight and began to lift with ease, like a fairy godmother slowly ascending into the air to grant one’s wish.

This place always reminded me how “magic” was on the down-low. It was the only school that carried a one percent population of magic users, and we were called the gifted elite.

Except for me. I was Willa, the Academy Investigator, but only the admins knew that minor detail.

Landing on the cement floor that was filled with cracks, I pushed off the ground to run at full speed, the buzzing sound almost unbearable.

I was ready to rush past the chamber room, but my body seemed to forcibly stop, my legs giving out before I could process what happened.

“What the hell?” I stared at the ground, the buzzing now a piercing siren sound. It made me feel woozy, and I clenched my stomach in annoyance, but one look to my right and there they were.

My eyes widened, realizing that the chamber looked to be the only thing still intact. It made no sense because the rest of the building was burning. But then again, do magic artifacts that can potentially save the world really make any sense?

I think not.

Forcing my body to rise up, I urged my legs to work. One shaky step after another, I walked towards the daggers like I was walking down the aisle of a church to confess my sins.

The calm before the storm, as the silence wrapped around me and the serenity of those shining blades made the world grow silent in admiration.

They were placed admirably on a stand in the middle of a platform like an altar, the blades crisscrossed.

The resonating glow of engraved scribbles told me it was reacting to my presence, but I couldn’t think properly to know if that was a sign. The daggers we’ve desperately been searching for to complete this part of our case were almost in my grasp.

All I had to do now was claim them.

Taking the three steps up onto the mini platform, I walked right up to the stand, my eyes glued on the prize.

All the struggles. The hardships, broken friendships, bullying, and fighting to keep my rightful place as a Gifted Elite was finally worth it.

Reaching for them with shaky hands, the slight touch filled me a shock of energy. Ignoring it, I wrapped my hands around their base and lifted them off their stand to admire their metal beauty.

“I got you,” I spoke to the weapon as if it could hear me. “You’re going home with me.”

“Willa!”

I turned to the call of my name, surprised to see the very man I admired looking at me with fear in his eyes.

“Get out!”

My brows scrunched together as I registered the two words. Why was he so afraid when this was the one place that resonated peace?

A loud crack made me flinch, and like a light switch, the tranquil sight was no more. It was replaced by the eerie sight of the rest of the burning building.

Now I realized that I was surrounded by smoke and the flames were inching in on me. My eyes looked to the daggers and back down the pathway where my teacher/partner stood.

I could tell he wanted to run right in, but he couldn’t. The build-up of debris at the entrance made it almost impossible for him to do a flying spell like I had, and the burning flames were growing taller by the second.

Another loud crunch made me worry that the entire building was about to collapse, and my heart skipped a few beats with an important realization.

We’re out of time.

With one last glance at the blades, I looked at my teacher with courageous eyes.

“Now or never,” I whispered, and with a twirl of the blades in my hands, I lifted both of my arms up and behind me, throwing them forward with as much strength as possible.

Outstretching my hands, I proceeded to draw out my magic, adding a wave of wind to give the daggers enough momentum to reach their destination.

His wide golden eyes quickly blinked in understanding, and just like that, the daggers were in the hands of one of the few people I trusted in this business.

That was really saying something when we had only known each other for eight months.

“Wil-”

“Go! Hurry!” I screamed. Suddenly, there was an ear-deafening sound.

My head immediately looked up instinctively, but the thickness of the smoke covered the high ceiling.

I knew what was coming, and I braced myself - my body growing stiff as I clenched my fists. Either I’d die right here or I would somehow manage to survive this ordeal with a few broken bones and a concussion.

If only my chances were fifty-fifty.

I expected wood or cement to reveal itself from the thick smoke that I now realized was a glowing blue and not a rich grey.

However, to my bad luck, that wasn’t what appeared and headed straight for me. Nothing close to debris or wood.

A sheet of golden swords emerged from the thick smoke, and I now hoped I’d die instantly, with the thought of the daggers being in the hands of the man I’d come to love.

Maybe this was the end of my life as an academy investigator.

WITCHLING ACADEMY - OUT NOW

https://books2read.com/WITCHLINGACADEMY

SUPERNATURAL SPY ACADEMY - OUT NOW:

https://books2read.com/SSS1

THE TRACKER HIVE ACADEMY - OUT NOW

https://books2read.com/TRACKERHIVEACADEMY

ABOUT AVERY SONG

Avery Song is a reverse harem author who specializes in paranormal, fantasy, and urban romance.

She especially loves writing strong main characters and is excited for all the books that are approaching.

~Books by Avery Song~

THE SUPERNATURAL SPY ACADEMY SERIES:

S.S.S YEAR ONE

S.S.S YEAR TWO

S.S.S YEAR THREE

S.S.S YEAR FOUR

S.S.S FIVE (May.29.2020)

SPELL TRAVELER CHRONICLES

Witchling Academy- Semester One

Witchling Academy- Semester Two

Witchling Academy- Semester Three

Witchling Academy- Semester Four

Witchling Academy- Semester Five

Witchling Academy- Semester Six

Witchling Academy- Semester Seven (Jun.12.2020)

Witchling Academy- Semester Eight (Oct. 23.2020)

JADE STORM TRACKER SERIES

The Tracker Hive Academy- Semester One

The Tracker Hive Academy- Semester Two

The Tracker Hive Academy- Semester Three

The Tracker Hive Academy- Semester Four (June 5th 2020)

The Tracker Hive Academy- Semester Five (Nov.27.2020)

BLAZING ACADEMY

Semester One (Apr.5. 2020)

Semester Two (Jul.17.2020)

Semester Three (Oct.16.2020)

COWRITTEN WORKS:

SUPERNATURAL CAPTIVITY SERIES

Supernatural Inmate

Supernatural Outlaw (May.22.2020)

Supernatural Villain (Oct.9.2020)

SUPERNATURAL MARKED MONARCHY

Psychic Prison - Book One

Psychic Royalty - Book Two (Jul.24.2020)

Psychic Monarchy- Book Three (Nov.13.2020)

DESTINED IMRISONEN TRILOGY

Arrested By Magic (Apr.10.2020)

Escaped By Destiny (Aug.7.2020)

Freed By Power (Jan.8.2021)

FOR THE FAEIRY ABSOLUTES

Celestial Prison (May.8.2020)

FOR THE PURELY DIVINE SERIES

Fae Rose Academy - Year One

Fae Rose Academy - Year Two (Jul.31.2020)

WILLA SILVER ACADEMY INVESTIGATOR

Daggers and Smoke - Year One (May.3.2020)

THE SUPERNATURAL VAMPIRE FAE CHRONICLES

Bloody Rosary Academy (May.1.2020)