Nightgrove Academy

Book 1

Bailey Blackwell

Contents

Nightgrove Academy Book I

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Nightgrove Academy Book I

Nightgrove Academy, where friends might be enemies, and enemies might be deadly...

Seventeen-year-old track star Isabelle Beckett just got plucked from Nowheresville, Wyoming and thrust into a world of magic and secrets, where danger lurks around every corner. She’ll have to deal with more than one bully, including the insufferable Jake Watkins, while learning to master the powers she never knew she had. But when a forbidden night outside the school walls goes horribly wrong, and the Academy’s top students begin to disappear under mysterious circumstances, Izzy wonders if accepting this scholarship might cost far more than she’d ever bargained for…

Chapter 1

You can do this.

Izzy mentally repeated the mantra she had been telling herself all day as she took a final sip of water and began to walk over to the sprinting blocks. The double shift she’d worked the night before at the diner, combined with the fatigue of the two previous races she had run that day, had her stifling a yawn, but she’d be darned if that would stop her from winning the 200-meter on the last track meet of the year.

Izzy shot a glance to her best friend Sam two lanes over. She was stretching her hamstrings and Izzy gave her a thumbs up and a nod as they locked eyes. Sam returned the gesture and Izzy was struck by the determined expression on her friend’s face. Though Sam often came in second place, Izzy had come in first in the race they had run earlier that day, and the vast majority of the races that year. It almost made Izzy want to lay back and let her friend win this one.

Almost.

“Ready,” an official yelled.

She took a deep breath as she put her feet onto the sprinting blocks. A moment later, the starter pistol sounded and she broke into a sprint, losing all sense of the crowd, the noise, even where the other runners around her were positioned. None of that mattered as her arms and legs pumped in counter-rhythm, steady as a metronome. Her gaze was locked on the finish line, a rush of adrenaline coursing through her as she bounded toward it. That feeling made all of her practice worth it.

She had known she would win the race the second she’d found her focus and got in the zone. That almost addictive, heady space of total clarity and concentration, where she didn’t have to think or feel. She just had to let her body do what it knew it had to. When she felt that way, there was no one who could beat her.

She perched her hands on her hips as she slowed to a walk and turned around to see how the others had fared. Sam was just finishing in second place—no surprise there—but typically, Izzy wasn’t so far ahead of the pack. It had been a major feat, for sure, and she’d crushed her own previous best. She glanced up at her father, who was cheering in the stands as always, shooting him a wide grin.

When the runners had all finished their sprint and went to the side of the track, Izzy was nearly knocked over by an enthusiastic hug from Sam.

“I’ve never seen someone run so fast, you must’ve broken some kind of world record,” Sam shouted. “It was like somebody stuck a rocket up your butt or something!”

“Had to close out the year strong,” Izzy replied, cheeks heating with pleasure at her friend’s sweet words. “And you killed it, too, woohoo! I’m so glad you’re my teammate.”

“Great job, girls,” Coach Harris said, beaming at both of them as he approached, “you two put us at a huge advantage over Henderson. It’ll be hard for the other girls to blow a lead like this.”

Their coach winked and continued to make his way over to the people who would be competing in the next event, giving them some final words of encouragement.

Coach was right. Stockridge High would almost certainly take the win now that she and Sam had created such a huge lead by finishing first and second place, respectively, in each event they participated in. Izzy was ecstatic, but she knew that, under it all, Sam was feeling a little deflated. She worked just as hard as Izzy did, only she’d been doing it for the past five years while Izzy had just started running track this year. She could only imagine how hard it had been for Sam to give up her role as the fastest on the team since Izzy had joined. You’d never know it, though. Sam showed not even an ounce of resentment. She understood that Izzy’s only way out of a life of the working class poor was through running, and she didn’t begrudge her an ounce of her success.

“Let’s watch the last few events together,” Izzy said, gesturing to an open spot on a bench near the track.

“I still can’t believe how fast you were today,” Sam marveled, shaking her head.

“You were damn fast yourself, I don’t think anyone else was even close to beating you,” Izzy replied.

“I hope the scouts were watching us, it’ll be our last chance to get any kind of sports scholarship.”

“It wouldn’t be crazy for you to get a late offer after how well you did today,” Izzy said.

“I hope I do,” Sam said with her eyes now locked on the distance running event that was going on as the sun had begun to set.

The last few events passed by quickly, and soon enough, it was official. Stockridge had won yet another track meet, making it a record year for the team. The victory was bittersweet, as it was the last meet in her high school career.

“Great job, Iz!” a female voice shouted as some of her teammates passed her on their way to the locker room.

Izzy smiled and returned the compliment. She didn’t mind the attention but she wanted to talk to her father, who was making his way down the stands toward her. He worked the graveyard shift at a clothing factory and he had gone without sleep to watch her run, as he often did. She stood and slipped into the circle of his arms and gave him a squeeze.

“Great job, Isabelle, I think that was your best performance all year,” he said with a grin. “Why don’t I take you and Sam out for a burger to celebrate your win?”

“Sounds good,” Izzy said, “but I have to go to the locker room first. I’ll meet you at the car in a few minutes and tell her we’ll see her there.”

“No problem,” he said.

Sam was waiting on the bench to walk with her but most of the other athletes had already made their way inside.

“My dad said he’s gonna get us a burger at the diner after we’re done here,” Izzy said as they walked, “wanna meet us?”

“Sure,” Sam said, “I’m starving.”

“We deserve a good meal after how we ran today,” Izzy replied.

As the pair joined the rest of the team in the locker room, one of the cheerleaders, Jessica Taylor, stood up and waved at Sam. Izzy reluctantly allowed herself to be dragged over to where the cheerleaders were opening their lockers, despite the fact that she’d rather eat a bullet than talk to the girl.

Jessica grinned at Sam and reached out to hug her. “Great job today,” she said, “the girls and I are going to my house to eat after this, do you…” she shot Izzy a glance, “guys want to come?”

“Can’t, sorry. Izzy and I are actually about to grab a bite to eat at the diner with her dad.”

“Oh, are you going there because you get free meals for working there, Izzy? I can’t eat that greasy stuff, I’m trying to watch my figure,” Jessica said, blinking in mock innocence.

“If only you were half as concerned about your personality as you were your weight, maybe you’d be less of a garbage person,” Izzy replied in the same sweet tone that Jessica had used towards her.

Jessica put on her best hurt look and turned back towards her locker, saying nothing as Izzy stormed over to the other side of the locker room. Sam followed after a few parting words with Jessica and her friends, while Izzy fought a stab of guilt. She shouldn’t have allowed herself to be baited into sinking to Jessica’s level, even though her reply didn’t come close to making up for all of the times things had been the other way around.

The second Sam had her back to the cheerleaders, though, Jessica turned and gave Izzy a mocking grin, effectively cutting her self-recriminations short.

While the two of them changed out of their track clothes, Sam whispered, “I really wish you could try to get along with Jessica a little better, we used to all be so close.”

“Yeah, in first grade, before she turned into a psycho witch. Why would I want to get along with her? She’s always being awful to me to try to get me to react. You should see how bad it gets when you’re not around. She’s gaslighting you into thinking she’s a good person when she isn’t.”

Sam rolled her eyes. “She’s not as bad as you act like she is. In fact, she’s told me that she wishes you two could be friends again.”

“She’s two-faced and only says that because she wants you to think it’s my fault we don’t get along,” Izzy said as she slipped on her flip-flops. “If she never started acting this way, we would still be friends.” To this day, Izzy still didn’t know what had flipped that switch. At first, it had hurt her feelings because it was so abrupt. Soon enough, though, she stopped caring about the why and tried to focus on avoiding her whenever possible. “Let’s get going, my dad’s waiting in the parking lot.”

“Could you just try to be a little less mean to her, for my sake?” Sam said as she followed Izzy towards the exit.

“We’re about to graduate, and I heard she’s moving away for school, so hopefully it won’t come up,” Izzy said.

“Speaking of which, have you gotten any other acceptance letters yet?” Sam asked as they approached the edge of the parking lot.

“Nope, just Eastern and no scholarship because they won’t spend money on women’s sports.” The other places Izzy had applied had all sent back no’s because she had only been running track for one year. “I haven’t heard back from a couple places still, but I’m thinking I might just stay home, commute part time, and save up some money to try to transfer into a four year school the year after next. I was hoping that a hungry recruiter would ignore my lack of history and approach me at some point for a scholarship, but that ship seems to have sailed.”

And, while she didn’t want to say it out loud, with her dad working so hard just to make ends meet, she wasn’t about to accept his offer to help her get student loans. God forbid she couldn’t get a good job right away to pay them back and he got stuck with the bill. Better to just accept the fact that she’d be in this town, at least for a while, picking up a couple classes at community college while working crappy shifts at the diner to save up enough for tuition.

“How about you? Have you made a decision yet?” Izzy asked Sam. She was sure she’d have already heard, but she was anxious to get the focus off her and her depressing prospects.

“Not yet, unless a full scholarship comes along, I’m still planning on going t-,” Sam stopped short and her face lit up as a man with a pointy nose and chin approached them.

“Hello, ladies,” he said, his smile making his face look even more rat-like than it did at rest.

They both mumbled greetings in return as he turned to face Izzy. The suit and the business card in his hand had her heart pounding a little faster.

“Isabelle, my name is Leonard Richardson. I’m a recruiter with an elite academy in the Northwest. We are very interested in you. You had quite a showing here tonight,” he said with a nasal voice and an accent that Izzy couldn’t place.

“Thanks,” she replied, trying to keep calm. Could this seriously be happening right now, at the eleventh hour? “W-What’s the name of the school?” she added, adrenaline pumping.

“We are called Nightgrove Academy. I’m not at liberty to say much at this time but if you want to talk privately about what we have to offer, give me a call at this number,” he said, offering the business card to her.

Izzy hesitated a moment before reaching out to grab it. He turned and walked away wordlessly, sending a pang of guilt shooting through her when she noticed Sam’s slumped shoulders.

Izzy glanced down to look at the jet black and unadorned card that suspiciously had nothing other than a phone number written on it. No branding, no website. Not even his name. “Don’t feel bad, Sam. He’s just some weirdo and this is probably his idea of some kind of prank. Like, what kind of business card is this?” Izzy asked, showing the card to Sam, who shrugged, eyebrows knit in confusion. “Anybody can get something like this made. Remember when Austin Becker got those cards made in eighth grade?”

Sam’s face cleared and she chuckled. “Ah, yes. Austin Becker, Professional De-virginizer. Low rates, satisfaction guaranteed.”

Izzy snorted as she flicked the card with her thumb and forefinger. “This is probably nothing.”

“Well, I, for one, hope you’re wrong, Iz. But something definitely seems weird about it, now that you mention it. What kind of school doesn’t let their recruiter tell people more about their university to entice them?” Sam added.

Izzy considered throwing the card into the nearby trash can but she couldn’t quite bring herself to do it – she had been waiting on something like this for months. Even if this was a prank or a pipedream, she wasn’t quite ready to let it go yet.

She pocketed the card as they began walking across the parking lot to her dad’s car and decided that she would figure out what to do later. Her phone was out of data for the month and, until she got home and did some research, there was no point in dwelling. She certainly didn’t want to get her dad all hyped about it for nothing.

As they approached the small sedan, with its fender falling off on one side and a missing taillight, Izzy’s dad popped the trunk open from inside for Izzy to stow her bags.

“Meet you at the diner, Sam,” Izzy said, waving as she hopped into the front seat.

Sam waved and walked to the other side of the parking lot where she had parked.

On the way to the diner, Izzy and her father discussed the track meet, school, and summer plans, but Izzy’s mind was only partially engaged.

The rest of it was still thinking of the strange, rat-faced man with the black business card…

Nightgrove Academy.

What a curious name for a college…

Chapter 2

Dinner was nice, but uneventful, and Izzy couldn’t wait for it to end so she could get to the computer. When she and her dad got home, it was 9:30, only two hours before he would have to leave for work that night. He took his standard spot on the couch as she reluctantly took her seat on the recliner while he flipped the television on to begin looking for shows to watch. She shot a longing glance at the desk in the corner, but it was in plain view. If he saw her looking up Nightgrove, he would want to know why, and she hated to lie to him.

To say something or keep her trap shut…decisions, decisions.

Unable to stand the wait a second longer, she cleared her throat. “Uh, so I was approached by a recruiter today after the meet but it was really weird and I wanted to ask you what you think about it.”

“That’s great, honey!” her dad replied, tired eyes lighting up. “What school?” he asked as he turned the volume of the TV down low.

“He just said it’s an elite school in the Northwest called Nightgrove Academy, but that he wasn’t at liberty to say more about it until we spoke in private. I’m worried that it was some kind of crazy prank or something,” Izzy said while taking out the business card and leaning over to show her father.

She wouldn’t put it past Jessica to lob one more parting arrow before leaving for Connecticut. Would she really have gone to these lengths to humiliate her, though?

Izzy’s dad took the card and, after looking at it for a moment, flipped it over. When he saw that both sides were totally blank except for the number, he handed it back with a puzzled shrug.

“I agree. Really weird. Then again, with all these rules for what colleges are allowed to legally offer to athletes and all that, maybe this is a new thing to keep them from violating recruiting guidelines? I don’t know what to think, but you should definitely call and see what’s going on. A full ride would be huge for you, if you could get it, and there’s no harm in trying.”

Unloading her little secret, as short-lived as it was, still felt like a weight off and she let out a sigh of relief. “I guess you’re right, I’ll call him during usual business hours tomorrow and see what’s up. If he’s still weird or won’t offer any information, no harm, no foul,” Izzy said.

“You should use the computer to look the school up and check if it’s legit.”

“Good idea,” she said, as if she hadn’t been thinking of that for the past two hours. She stood and headed to the desk, turned the ten-year-old behemoth on, and went to the kitchen for a glass of orange juice while waiting for it to boot up. When she returned, she logged in and typed the name of the school into the search bar, holding her breath.

None of the results had anything to do with a school, and Nightgrove apparently wasn’t even the name of a town in the Northwest, which made the name seem even weirder.

She shrugged and went to a reverse phone number lookup website and entered the digits. No results again.

What kind of school would have business cards with a cell phone number or an unlisted landline number on them?

“No dice,” she said as she walked back into the living room, sipping her juice and trying to mask her disappointment.

“That’s so strange,” her dad said. “I still think you should call tomorrow, just to be sure. It would suck to miss out on a scholarship.”

“I’ll call before I leave for school tomorrow morning.”

“Sounds good. Now, what do you say we bake something together before I have to leave for work? If you want, we can make some cookies,” he said, rising from his seat on the couch and leading the way into the kitchen.

“How is Sam holding up, by the way?” her dad asked. “She seemed sort of down when we were eating earlier.”

“She was upset but she didn’t really show it until that recruiter approached me, which I think bummed her out. I’m pretty sure she thought he might be there for her, or both of us, when he was walking up,” Izzy replied as her father preheated the oven. “Let’s do chocolate chip today,” she added while grabbing the ingredients and beginning to measure them out to put in a bowl. “You know, Dad, this weird scholarship situation has made me realize I’m torn between staying here and going off to school, anyway. I don’t want to leave you all alone,” Izzy said.

“You’re special, Iz. You have the gifts to go further than your mother and I ever had a chance to, and I want you to take that chance,” he said as she passed him ingredients and he mixed them in the bowl. “Don’t worry about me, I can handle myself. Besides, I could come visit you at whatever school you choose, and you’d be home on holidays and in the summer. Let’s sit down after graduation and fill out some loan paperwork just to see, okay? There are a lot of state schools still taking late registration. With your good grades and athletic prowess, you’ll be a shoe-in.”

Izzy didn’t speak, seriously reconsidering what her dreams really were now.

“By the way, your Aunt Camille called this morning after you had left for your meet,” her father said as he put the cookies into the pan. “She was asking for you.”

“What’d she say?” Izzy asked with a smile.

“She’ll be in California until next week, but when she gets back to Wyoming she wants to come stay with us for a few days.”

“I’ll call her back tomorrow and ask which days so I can see if I can schedule off work,” Izzie said as she put the cookie sheet into the oven and set the timer. “I really miss her.”

Despite her distraction, the thought of seeing her Aunt Camille was a comfort to her. Since her mom had passed away when she was nine, Izzy didn’t have a lot of female figures in her life, but she always enjoyed hanging out and having girls nights out with her aunt.

She and her father cleaned up the bowl and countertop in companionable silence and then headed back into the living room to watch a cooking show while they waited for the timer to go off. The smell of the baking cookies brought memories of her mother to her mind. When she was young, the three of them used to bake together. Especially at Christmas, the whole place smelled like warm sugar, cinnamon and spice.

“I miss Mom being here to bake with us, even though she probably would’ve burned them,” Izzy said, remembering her mother’s poor baking skills with fondness.

“She would’ve been so proud of you getting your grades up this year while doing so well in track.”

Izzy hoped so. Her mom would have been even prouder if she could get into school without driving her father into the poor house.

Izzy shoved the thought away and fell into the mindlessness of reality TV, exhausted from the up and down emotions of the day. By the time the cookies were done and out of the oven, it was almost 11:30.

“I have to go get ready for work,” her father said as he put a half dozen still-warm cookies into a container for work. “Make sure you get some rest. I’ll stay up to take you to your finals in the morning.”

“Have a good night, Dad. I’m going to bed shortly.”

As her father left the room to get dressed, she grabbed a cookie and ate it on the way to the bathroom. The cold shower felt good after such a long day running and being outside in the hot June heat. When she got out of the shower, she headed to her room with a plan to cram in a little last minute studying. But as she sat down on the edge of her bed, she couldn’t help herself.

Acting before she could talk herself out of it, she grabbed her old sliding phone that didn’t even have a touch screen, and dialed the number on the card. Even though it was unlisted, calling this late at night should take her to a voicemail. Hopefully, the outgoing recording on it would provide her with some more information.

The phone rang three times and then, strangely, someone picked up.

“Hello, Isabelle,” the familiar, nasally voice on the other end of the line murmured.

Leonard Richardson, answering the phone in the middle of the night.

Izzy’s cheeks went hot.

Why would he give her a personal cell phone number and no other information, unless someone was trying to mess with her or he was some sort of predator with a scam? In an instant, her best hope at going to school without being a financial burden or being in debt her whole life fizzled away.

“What kind of prank is this?” Izzy said, keeping her tone calm despite her anger. “Are you going to try to lure me into a white van with some candy next, or did you need me to send money to the Prince of Nigeria so he can bestow his fortune upon me?”

“You have the wrong idea,” Leonard said. “I know it’s unconventional, Isabelle, and I’m sorry for all the cloak and dagger stuff, but I swear to you. This is no prank.”

His tone was so solemn that her anger drained away and she found herself listening intently.

“I’m offering you the opportunity of a lifetime. A chance to go further than you thought possible. And it all starts tomorrow night. I’ll be at the train station to catch the 11:00 PM going northwest. If you’re there, everything you need will be provided and your tuition, room and board will be taken care of. If not, you forfeit this opportunity and someone else will take your place.”

Irritation returned, and along with it, came a deep sadness. She’d been crazy to even hope…

“Are you some kind of nutter? What kind of school starts in June? And do you really think that I’m going to meet a strange man at a train station in the middle of the night? So you can, what, take me to Murderville Academy? What’s your mascot’s name there, Stabby the Knife?” she demanded with a harsh laugh.

“Good one. But, unfortunately, I am unable to share information about the Academy with you in order to reassure you. Not until you have signed the non-disclosure agreement. Maybe this will help, though. Do you know that feeling you get when you’re running, Izzy?” he asked softly.

Goosebumps broke out on her arms and she gripped the phone more tightly.

“Where it feels like you’re unstoppable and your entire body is focused only on what you’re doing?” he continued. “The sensation of running? The air filling your lungs…the beat of your heart. Everything feels in sync.”

Izzy’s breath caught in her throat and the blood rushed to her ears as he pressed on, his voice almost hypnotic.

“Like today, when you won that final race so handily? What if I told you that you could feel that way all the time?” he said. “That is the type of chance I’m offering you. When we meet, I will explain everything to you on the train. If you aren’t convinced, you can get off at the nearest stop. I’ll even pay for you to get a lift back home, plus a hundred dollars for wasting your time.”

She wanted to tell him to drop dead, and then hang up the phone. But she was still shocked and reeling from the accuracy of his description.

“Sleep on it, Izzy.”

The line went dead, and she yanked the phone away from her ear and stared at it like it was a live snake.

Sleep on it?

Easy for him to say. She was pretty sure she wouldn’t sleep a wink…

But if she did, she’d likely dream about rat-faced men in fancy suits offering her the world on a platter.

Chapter 3

Izzy woke up at 7:30 after only a few hours of sleep and made a bacon egg and cheese sandwich for herself, and a BLT for her dad as an after-work snack. The call from last night had kept her up for hours, which was totally ridiculous. She shouldn’t even be considering going, but there was a strange feeling inside her that had been testing her resolve.

How could she pass up this kind of opportunity even on the off-chance it was real? If she was being pranked or tricked somehow, it would be humiliating, but at least she wouldn’t be left wondering ‘What if?’

When her father had changed out of his work clothes, she handed him his plate and they sat together in the living room to eat. He thanked her but he was tired, and neither of them said much.

Her last day of final exams passed in a blur, and thoughts of the Academy far overshadowed everything else. Izzy met Sam on the way out and they headed towards the parking lot of the school together. Sam’s new silver sedan was waiting for them near the front of the parking lot. They both hopped in and Sam smiled as she drove them off of the school’s premises for the last time of their high school career. Sam connected her phone to the car’s Bluetooth and started her playlist.

The pair chatted a little on their way home, but by the halfway point to Izzy’s house, they were both singing along to the music and dancing in their seats. Izzy would miss this time with her friend more than anything when Sam left. Sure, she’d still get to see her on random weekends—the school she’d likely be attending was only a two-hour drive away—but Izzy feared that they would grow apart as their lives went different directions. If, by some freak chance, this whacky scholarship thing ended up being real, it would mean seeing Sam even less.

Orrr maybe her mind was conjuring up reasons to make her feel better if and when her dreams were truly crushed.

“Want to come over after graduation this weekend? My parents are putting together a little party for it,” Sam said as she stopped at Izzy’s house.

“Is Jessica going to be there?” Izzy asked, frowning.

“No, she’s got stuff going on, apparently. She isn’t even going to make it to the graduation ceremony,” Sam said, chuckling at Izzy’s now ecstatic expression.

“Excellent,” Izzy said, squashing the guilt already forming in her gut. If she went to that train tonight, she’d miss their graduation and Sam’s party… “I’ll check with my dad and call you later!”

She stepped out of the car and tiptoed into her house so as not to wake her father, who had likely only fallen asleep four or five hours ago. She headed to the kitchen to make a snack, only to find he was already there, frying up a grilled cheese sandwich.

“Hey, Dad.”

He turned and grinned as he handed her a glass of orange juice that he had poured for her.

“Congratulations, Isabelle, you’re finally done,” he said, smiling despite the bags under his eyes. He put the grilled cheese onto a paper plate with his spatula and handed it to Izzy as he started one for himself.

“Thanks, Dad,” Izzy said, “you didn’t have to stay up for that.”

“Don’t worry, I just got up fifteen minutes ago to make this for when you got back. I’m going back to bed soon.”

Izzy felt so warm inside, it was almost enough to make her forget the thoughts that had been racing through her head since last night’s phone call. The grilled cheese was delicious and it had a few strips of bacon mixed in with the cheese, which was her favorite. Since her mother had died, her dad had stepped up and done his best to do enough for two parents.

She was so lucky to have him. She would do well to remember that, instead of wishing for unicorns and fairy godmothers.

“Did you find anything else out about that school?” he asked as they ate.

“Not much. I called and it was the guy’s cell phone. I asked him more about the place and he said he would need me to sign an NDA first. Super weird. I’m probably just going to forget about it.”

There was zero point in mentioning the whole train meetup request. He’d never agree to let her do it, and saying out loud that she was even considering it would only make him think he’d raised an idiot.

Wasn’t this the kind of thing Dateline episodes were made of? Her bones would likely be found two years later in some psycho’s meat-locker in Schenectady and the news would be filled with people victim-blaming her for getting herself murdered.

It wouldn’t be, “What kind of a guy keeps a kid in his meat-locker? Hell, what kind of guy even owns a locker specifically for meat, unless he’s a butcher?”

No.

It would be, “What kind of woman meets a guy she doesn’t know from Adam at a train station in the middle of the night and doesn’t know she’s about to get legit murdered?”

“I don’t know,” her dad was saying, interrupting her macabre thoughts. “With all this newfangled tech stuff, who even has landlines anymore but us?” He popped the last corner of his grilled cheese into his mouth and brushed the crumbs off his fingers. “What was that thing your mom was always quoting? You can’t miss the shots you don’t take?”

Izzy nodded, sinking deeper into her chair. “Something like that.”

“Anyway, you’re smart and you always exercise good judgement. I’m good with whatever you decide to do,” he said as he stood and ruffled her hair like she was five again. “Love you, Isabelle. But, I gotta get some shuteye. Those machines won’t run themselves…yet, at least,” he added, the note of worry in his voice like a knife through the heart.

She knew he’d been worried lately that his skilled labor position would be automated soon enough, and he’d be out of the only job he’d known. Then what?

In the darkness of night, hours later, it was that very thought that hung in the forefront of her mind. And, when the clock read 10:00, she knew it was now or never.

What was that other saying Mom used to quote, when she wanted to buy Izzy’s dad a special treat for dinner they really couldn’t afford?

Better to ask forgiveness than permission.

She snuck downstairs while her father was showering, and packed her bag quickly before going into the garage. Once she got to the train and there was no stopping her, she would call him and explain everything. Nauseous with guilt, she grabbed her bike, rolled it out the side door, and began to pedal.

She hadn’t left herself much of a window. It was crunch-time in a race that suddenly seemed like the most important one she’d ever run. It wasn’t until the scenery began to go by so quickly it was a blur, and her legs started to burn with the effort, that she realized how invested she was in getting there on time.

She spared a glance at her phone and noted that she was still on pace to make it on time. Until, ten seconds later, her pedals suddenly lost their resistance and she slowed to a stop. She looked down in horror to find that her chain had fallen off and would cost her precious moments that she didn’t have to spare.

She hopped off and crouched to put the chain back on with shaking hands, eyes filling with tears as a rusty link snapped and the chain fell to the ground with a clink.

She yanked out her phone and looked at the GPS. Two more miles. It was physically impossible to run it in the four minutes she had left, unless she found a cheetah to ride, but the panic closing over her at the thought of missing the train made it unacceptable for her not to at least try.

She shouldered her bag, pocketed her phone, and then?

She ran. With everything she had, Izzy ran.

She didn’t check the time again until she had arrived at the station and was running up the stairs to reach the tracks. Her phone turned from 11:00 to 11:01 as she watched. The GPS must’ve been messed up because there was no way she could’ve ran two miles that quickly. The men’s world record for a mile was over four minutes and, if her GPS had been correct about the distance, she had run twice that fast.

Still, she was a minute late. Heart in her throat, she glanced down the track to her left and saw a train rolling away in the distance.

All this for nothing?

Tears blurred her vision as she walked into the large lobby next to the track, but she didn’t see anyone except for a few employees of the train company. She looked around frantically, checking outside next to the tracks, as well as the bathrooms, but there was no sign of Leonard Richardson.

She sat on a bench outside and put her head in her hands, wanting to puke. It was so stupid. All of it. Who knew if he’d even actually come, anyway?

She needed to accept her fate. She’d live in this town, work at the diner, and likely die here. But she’d have Sam and her dad and her other friends…maybe that was enough?

“Sorry I’m late,” a nasally voice to her left murmured.

Her head shot up and she looked into the rodent-like features of Leonard Richardson. Her heart felt like it was going to explode. “You’re here.”

“Of course. Our train leaves at 11:30. I wanted to make sure you had a little wiggle room in case you changed your mind last minute,” he reasoned with a smile.

“11:30?” she asked incredulously. “Do you have any idea how much I had to rush to get here?”

“I do, actually. I happened to pass you a few minutes ago, you were really motoring. Your speed far exceeded my expectations. I’m impressed.”

“Why didn’t you pick me up?” she asked, incredulous.

“You looked like you had it under control and I didn’t want to interrupt. You made it here with time to spare, so no harm done, right?”

“I’m going to the bathroom,” Izzy muttered, storming away on shaking legs.

She thought she’d missed it, dang him. But she couldn’t deny it, now more than ever, she knew. Until or unless something drastic happened to change her mind, she was going to see this through to the end. Her future depended on it. Plus, she wanted this. Whatever it was that Leonard was promising with regard to her running talent? She wanted it bad.

Izzy pulled her phone from her pocket and sent a long, heartfelt text to her father, explaining how she had to go and that she was safe. She would contact him as soon as she could, and that he believed in her judgment and needed to trust her on this one.

The guilt at leaving him on such short notice gnawed at her, but she knew she would’ve regretted it for the rest of her life if she didn’t try.

What was this Academy, and how did they know so much about her? How did she manage to run such a distance in such a short amount of time? Nothing made any sense anymore and she knew in the marrow of her bones that this was the only way to get to the bottom of any of it.

Next, she shot Sam a text to explain her situation, as well. She knew she was going to pay for not telling them what she’d been planning, but Sam and her dad were her ride or die people. The people who she could always count on. They’d be mad but, so long as everything worked out, she’d be forgiven.

Eventually.

And if it didn’t work out, that was probably because Leonard killed her and hid her body, in which case, they’d be so sad, they’d forget to be mad.

She hoped.

Once she was done, she made her way over to the bench where Leonard was sitting, eating a bar of chocolate that he must’ve gotten from the nearby vending machine. When she sat down, he handed her a large manila folder with the words “Nightgrove Academy” typed on the front.

“Sign this,” he said, laying a piece of white paper on top with a paragraph of verbiage on it. “It’s just an NDA stating that you won’t share any of the information inside with anyone, for any reason, except the information you are explicitly allowed to share.”

She read the paper and it was as he said. She could be sued if she talked about what was in the folder or what Nightgrove was like once she got there.

It should’ve scared her, but it only intensified her curiosity, and made her more sure that Leonard wasn’t a serial killer. She accepted the pen he extended and signed with a flourish.

“Done.”

He folded the paper into three and slipped it into an inside pocket of his suit jacket. “Now go ahead and look this over. I think it will satisfy some of your curiosity and offer more reassurance about my intentions,” he said. “You can ask me any questions you have when we’re on the train. If I’m permitted to answer them at this time, I will.”

Izzy checked her phone and saw that neither her father nor Sam had read her message yet. She resolved to look through the folder and try to find something to reassure them both with before the inevitable, panicked phone calls.

She thumbed open the folder to reveal a photo of a picturesque castle on a hill with a detailed map of the grounds below. The next page had the URL of a website and a private login that had been created for her, with a statement saying that it was for the student in question and their legal guardians, only. Relief washed over her when she read this. It would likely go a long way in convincing her father that she was safe if she could give him a website to go to and read about the place. Before going to the following page, she asked Leonard if it was okay, and took a picture with her phone and sent it to her father. It wouldn’t help on the whole Sam front, but her friend was likely to be much easier to sway than her father.

After sending the message, she flipped to the next page. A waiver that would void her rights to sue for damages, if she injured herself on the premises, that seemed similar to the one she had to sign to do track and field at her high school. Knowing her father would want to get a lawyer or something, even though he couldn’t afford it, Izzy signed the paper and slipped it back in the folder.

“Train 357 arriving on track two. Train 357,” a mechanical voice said over the intercom.

Izzy glanced at Leonard, who stood.

“This is us.”

The chugging locomotive rolled to a stop, and Leonard led the way onto one of the cars.

This was it. If she wanted to turn back, now was the time. She paused and turned just in time to watch as the door whooshed closed behind her.

She blew out a breath and straightened, trailing behind as Leonard chose a pair of seats on the nearly empty train. She set her bag on the rack above them and sat, folder still in hand.

“I’m going to rest my eyes while you read, but feel free to poke me.”

She nodded absently, and cracked open the folder again, flipping to the next page. It was a breakdown of what exactly her scholarship would consist of, and the numbers had her jaw swinging open in shock. It not only included food—which was described as “gourmet”—but it also included housing, tuition, and “specialized one-on-one training”, as well as a small stipend for spending money, to the tune of over eighty grand a year.

At the bottom of the page was a clause that read: “The Administration at Nightgrove Academy reserves the right to retract a student’s scholarship at any time, for any reason. In this case, transportation home will be provided and all benefits will cease.”

For eighty grand worth of school, lodging and cash, it made sense that their eligibility rules were strict and unbending.

Before she could look at the next page, she was interrupted by the sound of their train’s horn and she looked out the window to see the welcome sign of the next town over. She’d left Stockridge for real. On the open road, destination mostly unknown. She should be terrified, but all she felt was elation.

This was her time to shine. Her time to pay her dad back for all he’d done for her, and make him proud. And best of all? If she made it big and could afford to move her dad out of this place?

She’d never have to see that witch Jessica again.

Score.

Chapter 4

It was five hours later when Leonard shook her awake, saying that they’d arrived at their stop. The station, located in a small town in southern Idaho, was tiny and run-down and there was nobody waiting to board as they got off.

He led Izzy straight down a flight of stairs and to the parking lot, where a black sedan was waiting. When she got in, she was struck by the clutter and fast food wrappers strewn about the car because it contrasted so strongly with his well-tailored suit and his general demeanor.

She let out a loud yawn and scrubbed at her gritty eyes. She hadn’t gotten much sleep, as she spent a lot of her time reading the materials in the folder and staring at the picture of the gorgeous castle. The curriculum listed had been super vague, but it seemed like it was a largely sports-oriented school and there would be a lot of gym time. Which was fine by her.

By the time she set the reading material aside, she’d seen she had two missed calls. She returned them both with mixed results. Sam squawked about Izzy not telling her earlier, and made her take a picture of an amenable but eye-rolling Leonard so she could send it to the police if Izzy went missing. From that point on, it seemed like she was as curious as Izzy to find out where this adventure would lead, and Izzy promised to get in touch again ASAP.

Her dad, on the other hand, had been a lot tougher sell.

“Have you lost your fu…freaking mind?” he’d demanded in a voice so angry, it was even worse than the time she’d poured liquid hand soap into his mouthwash when she was four, thinking it would help keep his teeth extra sparkly.

It had taken a half an hour—for which he lost his pay, she knew—and assurances from both herself and Leonard to calm him down, but they’d eventually managed. So long as he liked what he saw on the website and she wrote him regularly—there was an issue with cell service due to the remote location—he wouldn’t make her come home. At least, not this semester.

And now, they were finally here. Or, almost here, at least…

“How far are we from the Academy?” Izzy asked with a yawn.

“A few hours.”

They were surrounded on all sides by rolling fields, with corn in the distance.

Izzy didn’t sleep, even though she was still very tired, because she still didn’t totally trust Leonard. They passed no cities and few towns on the drive. The castle-like structure, now visible, was extremely remote and was surrounded by open land in front and a large forest behind.

He hadn’t been kidding. There hadn’t been a cell tower for miles.

There was a paved parking lot directly next to the castle that seemed out of place in such a rustic location. There were only five other cars parked in the lot, four identical sedans and a full-sized black van. After parking and getting out of the car, he led her towards a metal door that had clearly been added after the castle’s construction, and unlocked it with a key.

“I have a satellite phone for official business you can use to tell your dad it’s legit and we’ve arrived safe,” Leonard said, holding out a heavy silver device.

She made the call, relieved when the answering machine picked up. She left a quick message and hung up, feeling marginally better that he would be more settled now.

They stepped inside and her relief disintegrated as she heard a click behind her.

“The door auto locks. It’s a safety precaution. There are wolves in the woods and there have been a few bear sightings lately,” he said, noticing her alarm.

There was nothing to do about it now, but she was glad she’d sent Sam that picture of Leonard as she followed him down the hallway. This place didn’t fit the bill for your average, “he seemed so normal” kind of serial killer, at any rate. It was super elaborate and had that old money feeling of a place like Yale. The walls were made of old stone and were clearly original, while the floors had been updated and were very modern. Izzy felt totally removed from modern life, as if she had entered another realm that was trapped in time. As they walked, she noticed that most doorways were simple stone arches without a door in place, with a few metal doors like they had entered through scattered around.

“Oh, I almost forgot. I’ll have to take your cell phone. They don’t work anyway, but we can’t have pictures being taken here, either. Information of a very sensitive nature will be shared with you and it would be problematic if people on the outside got wind of it.”

Izzy reluctantly handed him her crappy old phone. Despite it being essentially useless to her here, it felt like losing her last connection to the outside world and her old life, and suddenly her fears returned with a vengeance.

They’d been walking for a good five minutes when Leonard turned and headed towards a small cafeteria. She followed him in, breathing an audible sigh of relief when she saw coffee and breakfast food was being served, and a few older and rather official-looking people talking in front of a large television broadcasting the daily news.

“See? Everything is fine.” Leonard smiled and grabbed a paper plate for both of them, handing Izzy’s to her as he led her over to the counter.

“I’ll have scrambled eggs and a piece of toast,” he said while pointing at the heated tray with the eggs on it that the server sat behind, and then turned to Izzy, “get whatever you want, the food is excellent.”

“I’ll take some scrambled eggs with sausage,” she said, realizing with a start how hungry she was. Her stomach had been in such knots, she’d forgotten she hadn’t eaten since dinner the night before.

The server, a broad shouldered older man with red hair and a scruffy beard, spooned generous portions of the food onto their plates and handed them back with a cheery smile. Izzy thanked him and grabbed a fork, digging in right away, happy to relieve the ache in her stomach.

“No problem, have a good day, sir and ma’am,” he said, cutting the “h” sound off of the word have, adding to the charm of his lilting brogue.

They sat and ate together in silence as Izzy wondered where the rest of the students were. She didn’t have to wait long to find out as, once they were done eating, Leonard stood.

“We’re a little later than a lot of the kids, who got here yesterday. Why don’t I take you to your dorm so you can meet your roommates, hmm?”

He led her in the direction of the dormitories, according to a sign that had been posted at the end of the hall. After passing the boys’ section, they arrived to a section marked “girls”. He stopped at the entrance and told her that she’d been assigned to room two and bed four.

“I have high hopes for you, Isabelle. You’re going to love it here.”

Izzy waved a goodbye, a nervous shiver rolling over her. She was excited to meet the people she’d be sharing a room with, but she was also apprehensive about Leonard leaving. Sure, she’d spent the better part of their relationship thinking there was a good chance he was the next Ted Bundy, but still. The devil you know…

She peered into the room to see six twin beds on the right side, in paired off bunks, and a fireplace with the same number of chairs on the left, four of which had people currently sitting in them. A single large bookshelf sat directly ahead with three medium-sized dressers on each side, looking about as old as the castle itself, that were in stark contrast to the modern flat screen TV sitting behind them. The room also had two fans on the ceiling and an air conditioner that had been rigged to fit into the ancient window on the right side near the beds.

Izzy took a deep breath and stepped in.

“Hey, guys!” she said as she put her bag in the fourth dresser, which was marked with “#4” on the top with permanent marker.

A girl with a blue dress that hung to her ankles, and looked like it belonged in an episode of Game of Thrones, stood up and walked over to her. She had skin as pale as a whiteboard and was displaying a toothy grin.

“Salutations, my lady, my name is Max, what’s yours?” she said with a sweep of her arm, almost tripping as she lowered herself in an exaggerated curtsy.

Izzy looked around to see if she missed the memo about the renaissance fair that was clearly taking place at the Academy today. She wondered idly if dinner would include mutton and, if so, she hoped there would be some mead to wash it down because she would need it. Upon further examination, it seemed like Max was the only one dressed that way, which was good.

“I’m Isabelle but you can call me Izzy.”

“Nice to meet you, m’lady,” Max said, sitting back down and gesturing for Izzy to do the same.

“Nice to meet you, Izzy. I’m Aiko,” said another girl seated to Izzy’s right. She had long, dark hair and wore a black t-shirt with fire and a band name that Izzy didn’t recognize, along with a pair of jeans. Izzy shook her hand and smiled.

“Hi, I’m Ashley,” said a girl with blonde hair and light blue eyes. She wore a yellow camisole and jean shorts, and was smiling warmly at Izzy. Izzy waved and smiled back.

“And I’m Rebecca.” This from the last girl, who appeared to be much younger than the others as she gave a wiggle of her fingers.

“Hi, Rebecca, did you just graduate, as well?” Izzy said, trying to piece together how she could be accepted to higher education at such a young age.

“I just graduated, but I’m fifteen. I skipped a few grades,” Rebecca said and turned her blushing face away.

Whoa. Apparently, they had a genius in their midst. Interesting. Intimidating, but interesting.

“So, how long have you guys been here? Do you know when classes start? Or, more importantly, what they’re going to entail?”

“I was the first to arrive and I got here two days ago,” Aiko said. “The dean said classes will begin tomorrow and there is going to be an assembly about our class assignments later today. From what I can gather, everyone here is gifted in some way or another. I’m gonna be honest, though, short of making a mean cinnamon French toast stick and an astonishing and inexplicable breadth of knowledge about 80’s rock bands, I have no clue why they picked me.”

Ashley nodded her golden head. “Same here. Only, without the 80’s band thing. And I can’t cook.”

“No sports?” Izzy asked, mind churning with more questions.

Max snorted. “Alas, no.”

“Nope,” Ashley said, shrugging. “Tap, jazz, and ballet. But I’m not even that great…”

Apparently, curiosity loved company as much as misery did, because she felt a thousand times better that her new roomies were as in the dark as she was. She wound up spending a pretty pleasant day getting to know them and trying to guess what they all might have in common.

By the time lunch was brought to their dorm room at noon, they were joking like old friends, and by dinnertime, Izzy was at peace and feeling more sure than ever about her decision.

There was a knock on their door and a man poked his head in. “You ladies can go get some food at the cafeteria, but then bring it to the gathering hall to eat. We are having an orientation assembly in about twenty minutes.”

She and her newfound friends hurried to the cafeteria in an attempt to beat the inevitable rush of students trying to get food, but they found they were far from the first to arrive.

Izzy was happy to note that their dinner did not, in fact, feature a main course of mutton. Instead, the serving counter was set up as a buffet style taco bar, where students could make their own tacos with whatever toppings they wanted. She put together two tacos filled to the brim with meat and cheese onto her sturdy cardboard plate, and then drenched it in hot sauce. Tacos were a favorite of hers and she was active enough that she never felt a need to skimp on the meat or cheese. Max put together a taco salad that looked to be more lettuce than meat, while her other roommates put together some normal-sized tacos with an assortment of toppings. Izzy made a point of finding the red-bearded food server, who was bringing a tray of meat out from a back room to replace the depleted first one, and asking for his name.

“You can call me Thomas, or Tom, if you prefer,” he said as he grabbed the old tray and swapped it for the new one.

“Thank you for your hard work, Tom. I know how hard it can be to serve this many people for so many hours in a row.”

“I spend most of the time cooking! This is the fun part.”

“You are the cook, too?” Izzy asked in shock. “I don’t know how you do it while keeping up with all of the students coming in and out to eat. The food is delicious, too.”

“Oh, it’s not as bad as you think. Thanks for the nice words, Miss. I have to be on my way before I get behind, though.”

He turned and headed towards the back room with jaunty steps that belied her initial assumption. Either he was in amazing physical shape under there, or he had some sort of super power. Her feet would be killing her after working a long shift at the diner, and Tom had been at it since breakfast.

She and her new friends brought their plates in search of the gathering hall, following the signs taped to the walls. When they arrived, Izzy was in awe at the scale of the huge room, the ceilings must’ve been thirty feet tall and there was seating for hundreds. Being entirely made of stone, the room must’ve been an incredible example of skilled architecture from the time that the castle was constructed. At the front of the room, there was a large projection screen behind a podium with a single microphone. She and her roommates found seats near the front and Izzy tore into her second taco with gusto.

The chatter in the room ceased as a formally dressed woman with black hair worn in a bob and striking green eyes stepped up to the podium and smiled.

“Good evening, class. We are so happy to have you here! As I’m sure you realize, there is a lot to explain about our special Academy, and we have decided that the best way to do so would be through a video,” she said. “We hope it will answer any questions you may have. If anything is still unclear, you can ask me or a member of our staff about it and we will clarify things for you further.”

The woman stepped down from the podium, and took a seat in the front row with the other academy staff as a video was projected on the screen.

“Welcome to Nightgrove Academy. Distinguished professor and scholar, Dean Cassandra, began this project through the help of generous benefactors in order to help gifted young adults, like yourself, become better than you could ever have imagined. At this time, there will be a brief demonstration of what we’re talking about from Dean Cassandra because we want there to be no doubt in your mind that what we’ll be showing you from this point forward is not a trick,” a man said in the voice of a TV broadcaster.

Izzy inched closer to the edge of her seat as the projection paused and the woman from before stepped back up to the stage. Dean Cassandra, apparently. She stared at her audience silently for what seemed like a long time, but was, in reality, less than a minute. Then, she was gone. Just…disappeared.

Izzy blinked and turned to stare at Aiko and Rebecca, who sat closest to her, before turning back to the stage.

“What the actual hell--”

The students exploded into chatter.

“Good special effects, I’ll give them that,” someone laughed.

“I wonder how they did that, is there some kind of trap door?” said another.

“Is this a school for movie-making or am I in training to be the next Criss Angel?”

As the students shouted and tried to figure out what kind of trick had been done, a woman cleared her throat behind them. Izzy’s breath caught in her throat as she and the rest of the students turned in unison to find the Dean standing behind them, fifty feet or more from her original position.

While Izzy was still trying to process how she had done that, she appeared in front of one of the boys who had shouted before. He sat only a few feet away from Izzy and she didn’t notice any time lag between when Dean Cassandra had disappeared and when she had reappeared with a slight popping noise.

Izzy’s heart pounded with excitement and confusion. This had to be some sort of illusion or hologram. Except, then, she grabbed the hat from the boy’s head and disappeared again, reappearing at the podium with the hat in her hand.

Izzy fell back against her seat, mind reeling, as the audience gaped at the stage in stunned silence.

“This is just one of the gifts we’re talking about,” the Dean said with a smile. “I have the ability to teleport. While my ability is unique to me, you have all been determined to have some sort of ability, as well. People like us have existed for generations, likely due to the beginnings of a major evolution of our species. It’s only very recently that we’ve started to actually acknowledge it, and try to formally train people to use their gifts. We refer to those of us with abilities as ‘Special Talents’. You’re part of a very illustrious crowd. How do you think Newton figured out Calculus? Do you think Rasputin surviving so many close calls was just luck? And what about Harry Houdini? They all had abilities beyond what the average human is born with. We’re looking forward to finding out what yours are!”

Without another word, she walked back to her seat. Her motions were graceful, but it was clear that she was trying to mask some fatigue. Unsurprisingly, disappearing and reappearing took a toll on a body.

Izzy sat in shock, a slideshow of memories about past races and runs flashing in her mind. How quickly she’d managed to get to the train station on foot. The feeling that came over her that she couldn’t quite explain but that she’d never felt before she’d started running.

She wasn’t just fast. She was…magic.

While Izzy was still reeling, the video began playing again. Three of the staff members, two of whom Izzy recognized from the cafeteria, appeared onscreen and were standing in a large field with a boulder behind them.

“My name is Tyson Sloane, but you can call me Professor Sloane,” said a tall man with short, bristly hair, a sturdy build, and a jawline sharp enough to cut steel. “There are three basic types of Talents. Most everyone will fit into one of them, but there are special cases, like Dean Cassandra, who have a unique ability that doesn’t match up precisely with any of the types. One benefit that all Special Talents share is increased durability that makes us more hearty than the average human. Even a bullet might not be enough to kill one of us, although I don’t suggest you test that theory. I belong to the group of Elemental Talents. Powers can vary from person to person, but typically involve earth, water, weather phenomena, and things of that nature. Mine is creating and controlling fire,” he said.

He turned his hand so that his palm was facing the sky, and flames spewed out of it like a flamethrower. The fire changed into a rope-like shape and coiled itself around him, constantly undulating. After just a few seconds, it disappeared. The audience was crackling with unchecked excitement.

“My name is Professor Victoria Kristoff, and I am a Matter Manipulation Talent,” said a gorgeous woman with fiery red hair seated to Sloane’s right. “This category encompasses people who can affect the physical world with their mind in one way or another. Some powers are fairly nuanced, but mine is straightforward. I’m a telekinetic, which is the most common power for Matter Manipulators.” She raised a hand and the boulder behind them shot off of the ground and flew a few feet to the right before dropping back down.

Izzy, impressed by the incredible power of the woman’s magic, found herself wishing that her power belonged to this category but, assuming it had to do with speed, it didn’t seem to fit.

The third person was a much older, nerdy-looking man with taped glasses and a pronounced nose. Izzy felt apprehensive, hoping that his magic was as impressive as the other two because, so far, she hadn’t found a fit…

“And my name is Professor Harold Baxter and I’m an Enhancement Talent. While it’s quite awesome, truth be told, a lot of what I can do is somewhat unusual and would be difficult for me to show on camera. Keep in mind that there’s a vast array of abilities that fit under the banner of Enhancement. Think like, the abilities you have now, but on steroids,” he said with a chuckle. “And, unlike the other types, it’s very possible to have skills other than your specialization. Since my own isn’t nearly as potentially destructive as the abilities of my colleagues, I’ll be giving my demonstration in person.”

The video stopped playing and the thin old man stood up and walked to the podium. He wore a suit and jacket, but it was wrinkled and ill-fitting. He didn’t look like he’d be throwing fireballs at anyone, but he had a certain charm and Izzy’s lips twitched into a grin.

“Some of you will be faster, or stronger than most, or maybe even both. Some of you will have my talent, which enhances senses. To demonstrate, pass this pad of paper and pen back to the boy sitting in the back seat, furthest on the right,” he said, walking up to a student on the right and handing the pad to him.

“Now, write anything you want on it and hold it up.”

The boy looked down and wrote a bit on the page before holding the pad up.

“He just wrote his name, it says Cody Roberts,” the professor said before bowing deeply and heading back to his seat to sit down.

Izzy squinted and, though she couldn’t make out what the words said, she still saw the letters on the page as the boy shrugged.

“Yep, uh, that’s my name.”

There was a long silence and then a smattering of applause.

“Ookay, then,” Aiko whispered, sending Rebeca into a peal of giggles.

As far as Izzy could tell, his ability basically gave him all the power of a hearing aid and a pair of strong binoculars. Compared to the previous two demonstrations, his landed like a wet blanket.

Izzy stared at the ground, slightly disappointed that her power belonged to the same classification as Professor Baxter’s. The other students seemed similarly unimpressed as laughter began to erupt from the crowd after they had fully absorbed the absurdity of the display.

The video resumed and it was explained that they would be tested on their powers the following day, and placed into classes based off of which classification they fit into. Izzy already knew which category she belonged in, and it just happened to be the lamest of the three, but her roommates were abuzz discussing what theirs might be.

“Life will be difficult here at Nightgrove,” Dean Cassandra was saying from the video, her tone grave. “If you can’t live without your cell phone, or miss your parents, or just find the curriculum too challenging, keep in mind that you always have the option to tap out by ringing the bell at the top of the castle’s bell tower. If you do so, you’ll be escorted out and given instructions on what information you’re allowed to disclose about your time here. For the rest of you, good luck, and welcome to the first day of the rest of your new, amazing life!”

After the assembly came to an end, Izzy and her roommates walked back to their room. Despite finding out she essentially had magic powers, she was irritated to find she felt disappointed at how unimpressive her type of ability was compared to the others. What was the matter with her? It was all still pretty amazing. A whole new world had been opened to her, way bigger than the one in Stockridge, Wyoming. While other kids would be studying Algebra, she would be learning how to tap into the ability to run faster than maybe anyone else in the world.

With this newfound knowledge, she should be walking on air.

She lifted her chin and allowed herself to be swept back up into the excited chatter of her new friends and roommates as they piled into their dorm room.

It was going to be a great year.

“What the hell are you doing here?” a low voice snarled.

Izzy stopped short as she turned to look into the face of the one person she’d hoped to never see again, and her stomach bottomed out.

“Jessica?”

Chapter 5

“Time to get up, fair maidens. Testing day,” Max chirped as Izzy blinked blearily up at her.

She let out a groan and flopped back onto her pillow. She was exhausted. While her conversation with Jessica had lasted a total of three seconds, ending in Jessica muttering a furious, “Oh, no frigging way!” before storming out, the ramifications of the short exchange had kept her up half the night.

Had she really come hundreds of miles from home, only to find herself stuck in a remote castle with Jessica?

The irony wasn’t lost on her, and she could only hope that one of her undiscovered abilities turned out to be the patience of a saint, because she was going to need it.

Luckily, the other girl hadn’t come back to the room last night, and Izzy was holding out hope they’d let her switch. At least, if she didn’t have to see her smug, stupid face every morning and night, she could deal. Until she found out otherwise, she was going to cling to that hope and focus on the day ahead.

She and her roommates dressed quickly and headed down to the cafeteria to grab a quick breakfast before a man with a clipboard stopped by to let them all know that the ability testing was about to begin.

Apparently, the testing was set to take place in the courtyard, and the students were to wait in the cafeteria until their names were called. They all ate and chatted nervously as they waited. Max’s name was the first of their group to be called, and Izzy wished her luck. Max had revealed to them the previous night that she was hoping that her ability was the Elemental type. She loved all things medieval, and if she could throw fire like a dragon, or manipulate water like a nymph, she’d be stoked. Unfortunately, when Max returned through the cafeteria, she ran right past them, face in her hands, sobbing audibly.

Izzy wanted to follow and try to help, but just then, her name was called, along with Aiko’s. She breathed deeply, mentally preparing herself for the outcome, even if she knew it was likely to be disappointing. She glanced around and spotted Jessica staring at her from the corner with a look of pure disgust on her face.

Whatever. She wasn’t going to let that witch take this moment from her.

Izzy stepped into the courtyard and saw that only a few of the Academy’s staff were present. Professor Baxter was holding brief conversations with a few of the students, before sending them on their way to another staff member, who was placing a colored sticker on them and writing on a small journal as students passed him. It seemed that Baxter was somehow able to determine what powers someone had with only a brief encounter.

“Dude. I guess he’s like a sorting hat, only with more wrinkles,” Aiko murmured with a puckish glint in her eye.

Izzy grinned and then watched as Aiko was called to go up for her conversation with Professor Baxter. When she was done talking to him, she pumped her arm in joy. Izzy knew that meant she was an Elemental Talent, like she had been hoping. She went and got her sticker and, before exiting the room, Aiko stopped by Izzy’s spot in line, which was second from the front.

“Elemental, and he said it’s likely fire-based. Maybe I’ll get some extra help from that one guy, Professor Sloane, since we have the same power,” she said, doing a little jig.

Before Izzy had a chance to congratulate her, Aiko was already running back inside to the cafeteria, practically vibrating with excitement.

Professor Baxter beckoned for Izzy to come up and she walked up, eager to get the bad news out of the way and start working on making the best of her abilities.

“Name?”

“Isabelle Beckett,” Izzy said as he looked her up and down, and then studied her face. “I already kn-,”

“Shh-,” he said without pausing his inspection.

Izzy waited, glancing at the people around her awkwardly.

“You’ll be with me. I believe your power is speed based.”

Izzy frowned. So he really was like a sorting hat…

“How can you tell that just by looking at me? Don’t you need to ask me something, or do they tell you beforehand when they know ahead of time?”

“No one needed to tell me anything. In addition to my enhanced five senses, I also have one extra. Call it enhanced intuition, if you will. Go get your sticker on your way out,” he said with a smile.

Izzy took the hint. Clearly, they had a lot of people to get through and the time for questions was later. Still, his extra power relit that little ember of hope. Maybe she’d be able to do something cool after all…

She made her way to the sticker guy and was handed a black one with the letters ENH on it.

“Make sure you head back to your dorm if you’re going to leave the cafeteria. You’ll get a note telling you what time to report to your class and what room it’ll be held in once we are done checking the powers of all the students,” he said gruffly.

Izzy walked back into the cafeteria and back to her table, making a point of not looking in the direction of where Jessica had been sitting, even as she heard her name called. Her roommates were staring at her with interested expressions.

“Well?” Aiko demanded.

“What’d you get?” Rebecca asked.

“I am an Enhancement Talent and my ability is speed,” Izzy said. “Like, I kind of already knew, but it’s still disappointing.”

“That sounds incredible!” Rebecca said with the ridiculous level of excitement that had become the norm since her initial shyness had worn off. “You’ll have to show me how fast later. I hope I get that, too, with speed like you, or maybe strength!”

“Good luck,” Izzy said with an encouraging smile. Being around someone like Rebecca, who brimmed with enthusiasm, was contagious, and Izzy found herself grinning again.

A few minutes later, Jessica walked out of the testing room and looked at Izzy with a sneer. On her chest was a purple sticker with a large white “S” printed on it that looked nothing like the others, which were white, gray, and black.

Interesting…Could that mean it turned out she didn’t have a power, after all?

The hope burning in Izzy’s chest chilled to an icy lump as she examined Jessica more closely. The triumphant, sinister look on her face told another story entirely.

Izzy steeled herself as the other girl made a beeline right for her.

Of course. Time to run it in.

“Hey, roomies,” she said, her voice sickly sweet as her gaze flickered between Aiko and Izzy. “Do tell…what powers did they say you had?”

Roomies?

A wave of nausea rolled through her. Jessica had not, apparently, gotten her room changed last night.

Which meant, they’d be seeing each other daily for their time at the Academy.

Kill me now.

She made a mental note to talk to somebody about switching. She didn’t want to leave her other roommates, but there was no way she could deal with this chick for the foreseeable future and not have one of them wind up dead.

“I’m an Elemental, and my power is probably fire,” Aiko said in a proud voice, clearly not picking up on the fact that Jessica had just come over here to gloat about whatever ability she had found out she had.

“As I’m sure you know from school, mine is speed,” Izzy said in a low voice. She didn’t want to make her roommates think poorly of her by being outright rude. Jessica had managed to make herself look like the victim to Sam, and Izzy didn’t need her new friends thinking the same. Still, it was hard to hide the fact that, if given the choice between talking to Jessica and eating maggots wrapped in bacon, she’d have chosen the latter.

Jessica’s smile grew even wider and the disdain in her expression grew even more apparent to Izzy.

“Ohhh, that’s really cool. And, hey, I’m sure that would help with waiting tables if you ever want to pick that up again!” she said, barely bothering to hide the backhanded compliment.

“So what’d you get?” Aiko said with an eager grin, still apparently oblivious to what Jessica was doing.

“Oh, me?” Jessica said, but continued without waiting for an answer, “they said that they couldn’t put me in a specific category because it was so unusual. Professor Baxter said something about my power being related to having control over other people’s perceptions. Seems interesting, but I almost wish it was something a little simpler and more commonplace, like an Enhancement Talent.”

Izzy wanted to punch her right in the chops there and then, but she restrained herself. She couldn’t risk getting expelled and losing this opportunity before she even got a chance to understand it fully. Rebecca, on the other hand, looked like she could barely contain her excitement.

“Neat! Wow, that is so super cool!” She seemed to want to continue her gushing but glanced at Izzy and then closed her mouth with a snap.

“I’m going to go check on Max,” Izzy said as she stood. Anything to remove herself from the conversation, but she was also genuinely worried about her new friend. Rebecca’s name was called as Izzy walked out of the room, and Izzy shot her a thumbs up. “See you soon, can’t wait to see what you guys got,” Izzy called.

She hustled away, letting out a pent up breath and forcing herself to release some of the tension balling up inside her. She’d allowed this girl to ruin a lot of her days in high school. No way was she going to let her ruin her days here, too. She had to focus on the positives. Already, she’d made some friends, and found out about a whole other world that she never knew existed. Surely that trumped having to deal with some ignorant bully?

Feeling a bit better, she continued down the hall into the dorms. When she arrived at the room, it seemed empty, and the first thing she noticed was a pile of dresses on Max’s bed. Was she packing to leave?

Izzy was about to sit down and wait for Max to get back from wherever she’d gone when she heard a yelp from the bathroom.

“Max? Are you here?”

“I’m in here. You can come in.”

Izzy opened the door to find Max facing the mirror in a yellow camisole and sweatpants, a razor in one hand and a pair of scissors on the blood-spattered countertop. Izzy stared, stunned into silence, at the carnage in front of her.

"What did you do?” she gasped.

A large swath of Max’s hair behind one ear had been cut to the quick and it looked like she was in the process of shaving the rest of that section down, with questionable results.

“Gave myself a haircut…not good?” her friend asked, brows knitting in concern. “I plan to dye the stubble purple when it grows in, so that should help.”

“You’re bleeding, honey. Are you okay?” Izzy asked, leaning in to grab a wad of toilet paper and hand it to the other girl.

“Yeah, I’m not great with a razor but the scabs will go away eventually. It’s gonna look cool, right?”

Izzy swallowed hard and nodded. “Yeah. Yep. It’s gonna look…cool, for sure.”

“I just found out my power is to build cool tech stuff and I figured I needed a new image, you know?” Izzy only just realized that Max’s affected medieval accent was gone, and in its place was something that sounded vaguely Dutch?

“What was your power?” Max asked as she dabbed at the blood and then went back to butchering her head.

“Um, I can make myself super-fast. I kind of knew it would be that already,” Izzy said, trying to focus on the conversation instead of the train wreck in front of her.

“That sounds pretty rad,” she said. “Do you know what the others got?”

“Aiko got fire but I’m not sure what Rebecca and Ashley got. Turns out, Jessica is still going to be rooming with us and, of course, little miss perfect got a special power that belongs to none of the groups. She’s able to alter the fabric of reality.”

Max paused, gaping at her in the mirror. “Wow. That’s amazing, what a cool power.”

“Yeah,” Izzy said, annoyed but unable to deny it.

Shortly after Max finished her haircut, the other roommates returned. Rebecca cocked her head sideways, staring at the side of Max’s head.

“You like it? I’m gonna dye it purple.”

“It’s sweet, I wish I could pull that off,” Rebecca said sincerely. Jessica turned her nose up and scoffed, refusing to look at Max.

“I like it,” Ashley said, trailing off.

“Wanna do me next?” Aiko said, pulling her hair to the side and looking in the mirror. “I wanna dye mine red.”

“I’m not sure you want to let her anywhere near your head with a razor,” Izzy said. “You should’ve seen the bathroom, looked like a scene from the Texas Chainsaw Massacre in there.”

Max laughed and dabbed some blood off the side of her head with the damp paper towel she was holding.

“What’d you get, guys?” Izzy asked, addressing Rebecca and Ashley. She avoided Jessica’s gaze. She knew that she had now decided to make the best of a bad situation and use the chance to make Izzy’s life a living hell.

“I’m an Enhancement type, like you, and my ability is increased speed of thought and intelligence,” Rebecca said. “I wish it was something that made me a little better at beating up bad guys, but I guess I’m okay with it. It also explains all the skipped grades, somewhat.”

“I am a Matter Manipulator and I’m a telekinetic, not what I had hoped for, but it’s not bad,” Ashley said.

“Those sound pretty cool, we actually have a pretty strong combo between the six of us,” Izzy said.

There was a knock at the door and, a moment later, a piece of paper shot through the crack beneath it. Jessica was the closest and she was quick to pick it up. She began reading silently, a sly grin tugging at her lips.

“It’s the note that the testing lady mentioned, our classes are set to start in thirty minutes at 9:00. Izzy and Rebecca can report to classroom 106, Ashley and Max should report to classroom 108, which is across from the cafeteria, and Aiko is in the courtyard,” Jessica said, clearly waiting for someone to ask the obvious question.

“Which class are you in?” Rebecca asked.

“Who, me? It says I am to report to the Dean’s office for a special one-on-one lesson.”

She preened while Izzy tried to keep her expression neutral, but inside, she wanted to tear her hair out. Jessica, of all people, was getting special lessons from the Dean herself.

Just lovely.

Chapter 6

"Welcome to day one of Enhancement class! I'm sure you're all as excited to be here as I am," Professor Baxter said with a wide smile as he sauntered to the front of the room where a blackboard stood behind a massive, mahogany desk. His clothing was as disheveled as ever as he searched the desk, presumably for a piece of chalk, before shrugging. "You all remember my name without me writing it on the board, correct?"

The students nodded and he beamed.

"Already making a great impression on me, kids," he said with a nod of approval. "Now, as you can see, we're starting in the classroom this morning because we have some things that I feel are important to discuss before we head to the gymnasium where there's room for you guys to show off a little. First things first! Let's talk about what, exactly, Enhancement types have the potential to do, shall we? While some of us might have super keen vision, others might have spectacular hearing. I, myself, am known far and wide for my sleight of hand." He turned toward the board again and stopped short. "And, still no chalk," he mumbled under his breath.

A wave of chuckles rolled over the room and Izzy couldn't help but grin. Not to be mean, but Professor Baxter did have a way about him, and the scatter-brained impression he gave off was endearing. Still, as much as she imagined she was going to like him as both a teacher and a person, she couldn't help but wish she had a badass like the Elemental and Matter Manipulation teachers. They were probably learning how to shoot fireballs and make whips out of lightning or something right now...

"Aha!" Professor Baxter said, jarring Izzy from her thoughts. He held up a piece of chalk like a sword. "Victorious!"

There was a sigh from behind Izzy's left shoulder and she turned around to see a guy her age with brown hair and stormy blue eyes slouched in his seat, his would-be handsome face stony.

A kid beside him, this one more heavily muscled with dark skin and dark brown eyes, chuckled and turned toward the other to whisper, "I wanted to learn how to prep for a zombie apocalypse or something cool like that. I don't think showing them a card trick or that I have better than 20/20 vision is going to stop them from eating our brains, am I right?"

The other kid said nothing, his expression chilly.

"Mr...Ross, is it? Trent, is that right?" Professor Baxter asked, his still smiling gaze now locked on the muscle-head. The kid, apparently named Trent, nodded, shifting in his chair a little as the Professor continued, "While I feel certain that, as former human beings with good taste, zombies would surely love a good card trick as much as the rest of us, I understand that there is a time and place for fun. Maybe you'd like to come up and show the class some of the skills you would utilize to best the undead in a more serious way, should the need ever come to pass?"

Trent opened his mouth and slowly shook his head, but then paused and looked around. Everyone in the class was staring at him now, and his cheeks turned ruddy. "Uh, yeah, why not?" he asked, shrugging his massive shoulders.

Professor Baxter pointed to the Buick-sized desk in front of the chalkboard and offered Trent a smile. "First order of business, could you move that out of the way for an old man and give us some room?"

Trent nodded and, with barely a nudge from the heel of his palm, sent the desk sliding across the room to stop mere inches from the stone wall and stained glass window that adorned it.

"Far enough?" he asked with a wide grin.

"Quite!" The Professor applauded lightly and turned to the rest of the class. "Impressive, no?"

Izzy and the others all murmured in the affirmative, but a low frequency tension seemed to be gathering in the room and she found herself wondering what Baxter was up to. Surely, he wasn't just giving a cocky kid a chance to strut his stuff for no reason?

"Now, for our little one act play I'll dub, 'Zombie Smackdown'. Trent, you'll be playing the part of a brash, young hero. I'm sure it will be a stretch, but alas, I think you'll manage. I will be playing a recently turned zombie on the hunt for brains to consume." He held his hands open, "Annnd, five, four, three, two, one...Action!" then clapped them together. He stuck his arms out in front of him and began to walk, dragging one leg behind him as he moaned incoherently.

Trent stared at him, then at the class, then back at Professor Baxter as everyone broke into nervous laughter.

"Come on, then. Make a move, son," Baxter murmured to Trent with an encouraging nod before resuming his moans and groans.

Trent flexed his muscles and stepped toward the Professor before letting loose a halfhearted jab.

The Professor moved only an inch or so, but so swiftly that Trent's blow missed him entirely as he continued to shuffle along, groaning.

Izzy and Rebecca shared a wide-eyed look, and then turned their attention back to the front of the room.

Trent cocked his head, eyes narrowing a second before he fired off another shot, this one meant to be an uppercut with a little more power behind it. Again, swing and a miss as Baxter feinted right.

Izzy leaned forward in her seat, enthralled. Why, that wily old S.O.B.

Trent's jaw clenched as he barreled forward now, massive fist raised as he put all of his weight into a body shot that never connected with a body as Professor Baxter spun away an instant before contact.

"What the--" Trent shook his head in shock before letting out a low growl and backing up to the other side of the room. When he came at the zombie-professor this time, it was with everything he had. Muscular legs churning, arms pumping, as he lunged at him, center mass.

The resounding crash that followed left them all gasping. Rebecca leapt to her feet. "Trent!"

The kid lay face down on the stone floor, the splintered remains of the mahogany desk littering his motionless form. Professor Baxter was still in zombie stance, unharmed in the center of the room.

As Rebecca rushed toward a prone Trent, he stopped her with a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"He's fine. Strong as an ox, that one, and just as stubborn, I'm afraid," Baxter said with a wry smile. "Have a seat, Rebecca, and trust that whatever happens in my classroom is all part of the learning process."

She shot one last, worried glance at Trent and then took her seat.

Just as Izzy was starting to wonder if he might be wrong, Trent began to stir and pushed himself up into a seated position. Professor Baxter walked over to him and held out a hand. To Izzy's surprise, Trent took it and allowed the professor to help him up.

"Can we give Mr. Ross a round of applause for assisting in this demonstration?" he asked with a wide smile.

Trent had the grace to look embarrassed and the good humor to take a bow, which made Izzy like him instantly, despite his initial cockiness.

Trent walked unsteadily back to his seat as the Professor took his place in front of the blackboard again.

"How did you do that?" one of the other girls in the class asked, her voice barely a whisper.

"As you just witnessed, there is more to Enhancement powers than meets the eye," he replied, scanning the faces of his students. "My talents don't just lie in sleight of hand. I can also read people's expressions and process visual and auditory information very quickly, which can help me learn a lot about a person, like when I was able to determine each of your potential powers. On a physical level, it also allows me to forecast what's going to happen next and react before that initial action is anything more than a thought. I know what happened with Trent probably seemed harsh to some, but let it be a lesson for you all. You might think that Elemental powers are flashier and cooler than yours, but understand that they have ONE singular power. Yours can manifest in many, many ways and it’s likely you’ve only scratched the surface of what you can do.” He turned his gaze away from them to glance at the clock. “Class dismissed. You can head back to your dorms where your uniforms will be waiting on your bunks. Change, grab a snack at the cafeteria and some water, and then meet me in the gymnasium in thirty minutes, ready to work.”

Long after they trailed out of the room, Professor Baxter’s words continued to ring in her ears. Was he right...had she just scratched the surface of what she could do?

And, if so, what else might she be capable of?

* * *

By the time Izzy got finished changing into her black uniform and made her way to the gym, she wasn't the only one buzzing with excitement. Rebecca was pretty much ready to jump out of her skin.

"Did you see that, though?" she hissed as they pushed through the wide double doors and stepped into the gym, where some of their classmates were already milling about. "I mean, I still can't believe it. Professor Baxter was all 'hiYAH’, and ‘pew pew’," she added, dipping to one side and then spinning to the other. "Don't get me wrong, I'm super glad Trent wasn't hurt, but that was impressive stuff. Do you think we're going to be able to do that?"

"I wish I knew. It seems like the Professor thinks it's possible, right? Not that there's going to be a zombie apocalypse anytime soon, but surely those kinds of skills have to be worth a lot of money to someone?"

"Yeah," a short, black-haired girl they'd seen earlier that morning in class chimed in from behind them, lengthening her stride to match theirs. "Actually, I heard that Baxter used to make a pretty penny on the carnival circuit. The Great Sabini or something like that? He did a lot of sleight of hand magic as well as fortune telling."

Izzy and Rebecca shared a scrunch-nosed frown.

"Not exactly the kind of job I was hoping for, but I guess that's cool, too," Rebecca said with a shrug as they slowed to a stop beside a row of bleachers. "Money is always nice. I'm sort of hoping to change the world someday, though." She stuck out a hand and the other girl shook it. "Rebecca, and this is Izzy."

"Molly. Don't ask me what I can do yet because, so far, it seems like I just have a really good sniffer," she said, touching a finger to her nose with a wry smile. "Good for letting you know when it's almost dinnertime, bad when my baby brother has the poops. But, hey, it landed me a scholarship, sooo..."

Izzy liked her instantly, and the three girls sat around and talked while they waited for the Professor to come.

When he stepped into the room a few minutes later, everyone stood up at attention.

"How about we get right to it, kids? A good, old fashioned relay race. Let's get into seven teams of three and line up here," he said, pointing to a line on the painted track that circled the perimeter of the gym.

Molly sent a questioning glance at them and Rebecca and Izzy nodded.

"Sure. Sounds good to me," Izzy said. It wasn't like she knew who else had good speed, and, anyway, she'd rather team up with two nice people than two people who were fast but also jerks.

She spared a glance at the irritatingly cute but angry-looking kid from the classroom and found he looked slightly more engaged now. Maybe he just wasn't a good classroom learner and preferred showing over telling.

She turned away and was surprised to find Trent walking toward her.

“Do you want to be on my team?” he asked with a crooked smile.

She returned his grin, and shook her head. "I would, but I've already got my team set here."

“Cool.” His smile wavered and he leaned in closer. "Look, I do this thing when I feel awkward, I joke around to break the tension. Do you think people feel like I'm a jerk for the whole thing that happened with Baxter in class?"

"At first, maybe, but you handled it really well afterward," Rebecca piped in. "And it gave him a really good opening to teach us something. I wouldn't worry about it."

Trent let out a sigh of relief and scanned the gym with a critical eye. "I'd better start asking more people before I get stuck with the one kid I saw picking his nose."

Izzy wished him luck and he walked away.

"I think he likes you," Molly whispered when Trent was out of earshot.

"I think so, too," Rebecca agreed. “He came right over to you.”

"He seems nice," Izzy said, her cheeks going warm, "but I can't focus on guys while I'm here. I need to make sure I'm soaking up everything they have to teach me, like a sponge." She'd basically run away from home, betraying her father's wishes to be here. The least she could do was excel and make it worth it. Hopefully, then, he would find it in his heart to forgive her. She made a mental note to write him a letter later that night.

"All right. Now that everyone has a team, let's have the first runner for each come forward. My advice? Save the fastest for last," Baxter said, tugging a stop watch from his pocket.

"Izzy's a track star, so she should go last. Do you want to go first or second, Molly?" Rebecca asked.

Molly winced. "Is 'not at all' an option?"

Izzy patted her shoulder gently. "Nope. But cheer up. When it comes to testing our sniffers, you'll be the anchor and Rebecca and I will be the ones dragging you down, so don't feel guilty. Just do your best."

Izzy wasn't too concerned about their team performance on the whole. While this was the quickest way to test all the Enhanced students at once without calling attention to any single person's potential failures, their teacher would surely be taking note of their individual times. The decision to handle it this way ramped up her esteem of the already likable Professor Baxter even more.

Molly sucked in a breath and nodded. "Okay, I'll get it over with, then."

She accepted a baton from Baxter, lined up with the other starters, and mimicked their position with minimal success.

"Wow, it looks like she's never even been to Phys. Ed. class or something," Rebecca marveled, but there was no malice in her voice. Izzy was starting to suspect there was no malice anywhere inside the girl.

"You can do it, Molly!" Rebecca called.

"On your mark...get set...go!" Professor Baxter shouted.

The students all leapt forward and began to sprint. Molly fared far better than Izzy had expected, largely because all the teams had clearly put their weakest links first. By the time she'd circled the track, she was in second place as she handed the baton off to a waiting Rebecca. Izzy was surprised to see Trent accepting the baton for his team and realized with a start that he wasn't running anchor.

So, who was?

As she watched the progress of the runners, she scanned the group standing beside the track waiting alongside her. A guy she recalled hearing others refer to as Ivan, a few people she didn't know, and, last but not least, the guy with the chilly aura who looked even more intense now. He clearly thought he was too good to be here and seemed to resent every second of it.

So why accept the invitation?

"Take your positions," Baxter murmured, distracting her from her thoughts as he watched the runners turn the corner toward the starting line.

She lined up and took her mark, noting that Rebecca was a good distance behind Trent now. Which meant, Izzy was going to have some catching up to do.

It’s fine. This is what you do...who you are, she reminded herself. She closed her eyes for a second and drew in a deep breath, letting it out slowly through her nose.

Get there. To the space where nothing else exists. Feel the blood pumping through your veins. The power spreading over you.

She opened her eyes just in time to see Trent blow past her and hand off his baton to Ice-boy. That fit. Trent had already shown his abilities, proving to be both strong and quick—albeit not as quick as Professor Baxter. The fact that this other kid still thought he would reign supreme as anchor only supported her theory about him being too cool for school.

Her feelings of goodwill and not caring about winning as a team evaporated, leaving behind a burning desire to pass that finish line in first. She'd been dealing with snooty Jessica and her snide comments all morning. She wasn't in the mood to deal with yet another person with an attitude.

The wait for Rebecca was probably only ten seconds, but it felt like an eternity. The second their hands grazed, Izzy snatched the baton and took off like a shot.

She sucked in a breath and blew it out, focusing only on the movement of her body. The muscles in her legs. The metronome-like rhythm of her motions. The bleachers went by in a blur as her speed increased and she clicked into the sweet spot with an almost audible snap. Nothing could stop her. She was invincible here, in this space.

A black shirt snagged her attention just a few yards ahead in her periphery now, but she stayed focused as she cut through the air like a knife. Black in front, black in front, black on the side, pass black…

And then she did it. For a single instant, she tipped her head not ten degrees to the right and locked gazes with Ice-boy.

Her steps faltered and, all of a sudden, the piston-like perfection of her limbs in motion felt awkward and wrong. Like someone had thrown a cog in the wheel.

No. No, no, no…

Frantic, she poured it on, willing her legs to cooperate and move faster, but by the time she found her rhythm again, Ice-boy was crossing the finish line with her pulling behind a not-so-distant second.

Bitter disappointment filled her mouth like bile as she slowed her pace to a trot and then a walk, circling back around to where the other runners were still trickling in.

“Good job. If you stayed in the zone, you’d have had him, Izzy,” the Professor murmured, reaching out to pat her on the back. She nodded and set the baton down on the bleachers as Ice-boy jogged lightly back to where Baxter stood.

“Excellent showing, Jake.”

So, Ice-boy had a name.

Jake.

She tucked that away in the event that there was a voodoo doll making class on the horizon and turned away. But not before she caught the Professor’s next words.

“Your mother would be proud.”

She turned back just in time to catch Jake’s steely stare in response. Oookay, then. Apparently, even winning and compliments from the professor didn’t improve his mood.

Duly noted.

“Just FYI, running isn’t my primary power,” a low, husky voice intoned flatly as she began to walk over to where Rebecca and Molly stood on the sidelines, waiting.

She turned to find Jake standing there, brow raised as he looked down on her. For the first time ever, she found herself wishing she was taller than her already above average five seven and straightened.

“Good for you!” she said without missing a beat. “I’m fresh out of medals, though, sorry.”

The corner of his mouth kicked up in a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “No medal necessary. Maybe if you focused on trying to excel and beat your own best time instead of worrying about what anyone else is doing, you’d have more success.”

He strolled away without a backward glance and left her staring after him. Who the hell was this kid, and what was his damage?

“You were so good!” Rebecca shouted as she and Molly crowded around her, eyes wide. “Like, I’ve never seen anything like that. You could barely even tell your legs were moving they were going so fast. It was like real superhero stuff! If we hadn’t slowed you down, you could’ve beaten him.”

But even as she smiled and accepted her teammates’ compliments with grace, a gnawing sense of unrest settled deeper into her bones.

If she wasn’t even the fastest kid in her group, never mind the school, how was she going to be able to maintain her scholarship?

Chapter 7

Izzy was still reeling from her loss when Professor Baxter announced that the strength tests would begin.

“First up will be the bench press. Gather in this area,” Baxter said as he pointed to a large open area in the enormous weight room. There was equipment for any type of exercise that Izzy could imagine in the room, and it was at least triple the size of the one at her high school.

Lifting had never been her forte, so she didn’t feel nearly as much pressure to perform as she had in the race. She had barely been able to keep up with Sam in most exercises when she was back home. How could she expect to beat someone with a physique like Jake’s or Trent’s?

Sam.

She missed her friend and made a mental note to write to her ASAP.

“My assistant, Connor, will record your lift and we will be testing you for improvement as the year progresses,” Professor Baxter continued, gesturing to a man off to the side with a notebook. “I know that some of you aren’t going to be noticeably stronger than a normal person, but you will learn, in time, to use your ability to augment your strength. You should see this as a way to establish a baseline so that you can gauge how much you improve at using your ability. Try to show us the maximum you can lift for one repetition. First up is Isabelle, Jake, and Molly. The weights that are pre-loaded, plus the bar, currently weigh about 100 pounds. You may add some if you already know you can do more. Set up your starting weight and I’ll pair you up with spotters according to strength.”

Jake shuffled quickly over to the bench and nonchalantly added a few hundred pounds to each side. Izzy tried not to roll her eyes and added forty pounds to hers, knowing that her max was 140 pounds but hoping she could push it further. A wary-looking Molly left the bar as it was.

“Trent, you pair up with Jake. Rebecca, pair up with Molly. Ivan, you pair up with Isabelle,” said Professor Baxter.

“How do I even do this?” Molly asked, staring at the bench in bewilderment.

In the moment that it took for Trent to walk over to her bench and show her, Jake lifted his bar, so full of weights it actually bowed in the middle a little.

“Six hundred,” Connor said with a clipped nod. Izzy’s breath caught in her throat.

“Next time, wait for your spotter, Jake, I don’t want any injuries on my hands. The medical team already has their hands full with the Elemental types today,” Professor Baxter said, not looking very impressed.

“Just trying to get the work done,” Jake said, his tone short, “I’ll wait next time, though.”

As Jake casually added more weight to the bar, she got into position, determined to at least beat her personal best. She lifted the 140 pounds with more ease than usual and added five pounds more to each side. As she was putting the weights on, Molly was removing weight from her bar.

“You got this, Molly!” she shouted, waiting to watch Molly lift before she went.

Molly strained, face contorting and arms shaking, but managed to complete the lift.

“Eighty pounds,” the recorder said, recording the weight in the log. Molly pumped her fist in triumph.

“Good job, Molly,” Izzy said. Rebecca patted her on the back, grinning, as she got off the bench.

“Good work,” Jake said, looking sincere, “you really pushed it to your limit. You’ll get better if you keep pushing hard like that.”

Izzy got back into position and gave Ivan a smile, which he returned as he held his hands above the bar, at the ready. It was a struggle, but she managed to lift it. She set it down and raised her arms in triumph at surpassing her personal best as Connor said, “One fifty.”

“Nice,” Ivan said with a nod.

Rebecca came over to give her a high five and Molly said, “Wow, I wonder if I’ll be able to lift that much eventually.”

“I’m sure you will, just a year ago I was maxing out at about eighty.”

Izzy glanced over at Jake and got a thumbs up from Trent. Jake, however, was getting into position wordlessly for another lift. She exhaled heavily, trying not to let her annoyance get to her. At the same time, she couldn’t figure out what he had against her.

Jake kept his face totally composed through the lift and his arms never wavered. Trent’s eyes were wide and he grinned as Jake completed the lift.

“Nice! Seven hundred.”

But he didn’t stop there. To the amazement of the rest of them, he just kept adding. Jake’s final lift, and the weight that was recorded in the book, ended up being eight hundred pounds.

“Can I go next?” Trent asked, his grin gone now and his face a mask of concentration.

“Sure, everyone switch places with your spotter.”

“I’ll start with six hundred, first,” Trent said while taking a few weights off of the bar Jake had been using.

Izzy, along with the rest of the class, was watching intently. She crossed her fingers as Trent began to lift the bar. His face was red and his arms were wobbly, but he managed to lift the bar.

“Six hundred.”

Trent smiled as he began to put more weight on and Izzy noticed him glancing in her direction. Rebecca had removed some weight from her bar but it was still too much. She needed Molly’s help to get the bar back down safely. After removing a bit more weight, she managed to just barely complete one repetition.

“Sixty-five.”

She walked over to Izzy, sweating profusely. “Phew, glad that’s over,” she said with a grin. Izzy gave her a high five. The girl probably weighed less than 100 pounds and was only fifteen years old, so 65 pounds wasn’t bad at all given that she didn’t seem to be the weightlifting type anyways. They both turned to watch Trent when he started trying to lift the bar.

After about ten seconds of grunting and pushing himself to get the bar up, he needed Jake’s help to lower it. “Thanks,” he said, “I’ll get you in the next exercise.”

“I’m not worried about it.”

Of course he wasn’t.

The rest of the strength testing went about the same way. Trent was chasing Jake’s numbers, though he never quite beat him, and everyone else was far behind. By the end of the testing, Izzy was ready to tear her hair out. Jake had done the most in every strength test, in addition to beating her in the race. The words at the end of the Nightgrove contract loomed large in her mind.

The Administration at Nightgrove Academy reserves the right to retract a student’s scholarship at any time, for any reason.

She resolved that she would make the races as one sided in her favor as the strength tests had been in his by the end of the semester.

“Good work, class,” Professor Baxter said after the last test concluded. “Feel free to head to the lunch room to grab a bite to eat, we will resume in an hour.”

An hour should be long enough to soothe her wounded ego with food. Then, she’d be in a better headspace to really compete during afternoon class.

“You should eat lunch with us,” Izzy said to Molly as they approached the cafeteria.

“Sure. Hopefully your roommates aren’t as smelly as mine,” she said, touching her nose with a smile. “I can turn it on and off a little better, nowadays, but since it started this past year, it’s been tough getting used to.”

Izzy chuckled and winced simultaneously. She hadn’t even thought of how everyday scents might be overwhelming for someone like Molly.

As they entered the lunchroom and saw the lasagna that was on everyone’s plates, Izzy’s mouth began to water. Before going up to get food, however, she found the rest of her roommates, with the exception of Jessica, eating at the same table as last time and waved.

“Hey, guys, this is our new friend, Molly.”

Molly looked at Max and her eyes lit up. “I love your hair. Super punk rock. Your shampoo smells nice, too, is that honeysuckle?”

“Yea, it’ll look even better once these scabs go away,” Max said, itching the side of her half-shaved head. “How’d you know what kind of shampoo I use?”

“In high school, they called me The Nose. I have a really good sniffer.”

Aiko, who looked as sweaty and tired as Izzy, asked, “So, guys, how was your class?”

“It was interesting, I’m not as down on my power as I was before. Our professor is really awesome and he told us that, as Enhancers, we will likely be able to build all of our physical abilities up, not just the one related to our primary power. It gives me hope that I will be able to do some amazing things with some time and discipline. How was yours?” Izzy asked.

“It was friggin sweet! Sloane taught us how to force our powers to work. Look!” She put her hand out and a tiny ball of fire rose and puffed out before it got even an inch above her hand. “He says it’s like a muscle that we have to keep using to make it stronger. Speaking of muscles, we had a workout session after he showed us that. He’s sooo strong.”

Izzy laughed and turned to Max and Ashley, who were talking to each other quietly. “How about you guys?”

Ashley’s cheeks turned pink. “See my shirt? She had me and the others trying to move a pen, but I accidentally blew it up,” she said while pulling her shirt up a bit so they could see. “It got on the professor, too, and she let us out an hour early because she wanted to clean it off. She is not happy with me, needless to say.”

“Have any of you seen Jessica? I wonder how her private session with the Dean went,” Rebecca asked.

“We haven’t seen her,” Max said around a mouthful of lasagna, “and we’ve been here for a while.”

“I’m sure she’s fine. The Dean’s room is probably catered with lobster and caviar or something,” Izzy said. “I’m sure she’ll let us know all about it later. I’m going to go grab some food, too. We can go eat at the dorm if you guys want? Show Molly our room...” Avoid having to look at Jake’s smug face or running into Jessica if she happened to show up in the cafeteria late.

The rest of her roommates nodded and Rebecca and Molly followed Izzy up to the counter where Tom was serving food. Molly’s eyes were wide and she was sniffing harder than a hunting dog that caught scent of a duck.

“Lasagna is my favorite, can I get an extra scoop?” Izzy asked, suddenly realizing she was starving.

“You can have as much as you want. I hope you girls like it,” Tom said in his pleasant baritone.

“Me too!” Molly added, almost vibrating with excitement.

Tom served them two large pieces and gave one to Rebecca. Izzy saw that she looked disappointed and turned back to Tom. “Could you get another for Rebecca, too?” Rebecca’s face lit up as he spooned another big piece onto the plate. She came across as bubbly and enthusiastic around her friends, but she was still very shy around strangers.

Izzy led the group back to their table where everyone was waiting to head back to the room. On their way, they ran into Professor Baxter walking towards them. His glasses were in his hands and he was taping the side piece back on, which was apparently taking a great deal of concentration as he almost ran straight into her.

She swiftly curled her arms protectively around her precious lasagna. “Hey, Professor Baxter.”

He stopped short and smiled, blinking as if just noticing them there.

“Hi, Izzy.”

“I’ve been wondering, why do you have to wear glasses with your ability?” Izzy said.

“I don’t need to, I just think it completes the look,” he said with a childlike grin. “I was wondering when someone would think to ask me about it.”

“They suit you,” she said, laughing, “see you in class.”

“It’s going to be cut a little short, by the way. We’re having a mixer this evening with all of the classes in attendance. It will give you guys a chance to talk about your powers and gab about the first day and all. Afternoon class will be a couple hours, then you’ll all have a chance to shower and change before the party. Sound good?”

The others nodded and began to chatter excitedly, but Izzy’s emotions were in knots. She’d been looking forward to a quiet evening to reflect, write a letter to her dad and Sam, and get her head right. She was letting too many things get to her, namely Jessica and Ice-boy Jake. If she wanted to succeed here at Nightgrove and enjoy herself while doing it, she was going to have to figure out how not to let petty little things bother her so much. She wasn’t a kid anymore, and the time for kid games had passed. So be an adult, go to the party, hold your head up high and be the bigger person, a little inner voice said.

She steeled herself and forced a smile. “Sounds fun, Professor Baxter. See you there!”

Chapter 8

"Ho. Lee. Cow."

Rebecca's gasp was echoed by the rest of them as they pulled up behind her in the courtyard that evening. The massive space had been transformed into something out of a fairy tale. A gossamer canopy had been set up to cover a large part of the area. White, twinkle lights hovered overhead, as if suspended by unseen wires, casting a golden light over the makeshift room. Tables were scattered around the space, each with a crisp, white cloth covering them and fancy silverware set before each chair.

A sudden shiver of anticipation rolled through Izzy. Even when they were all getting dressed after class, she’d been wondering if she could find a way to bow out. Now, though, she was glad she came. Who would’ve thought a girl from Wyoming would ever see something like this?

"Wow, look at that!" Max said, jabbing a finger in the direction of one corner where a full band played on a small stage, complete with guitar, drums, and bass...only there were no musicians. The instruments played on their own as invisible fingers plucked strings and seemingly bewitched sticks beat the drum.

"Professor Kristoff is clearly a far better telekinetic than I am," Ashley murmured under her breath as they all looked on in awe.

Victoria Kristoff stood five feet from the “band” in the midst of a seemingly deep conversation with Professor Baxter. She wore a deep crimson dress that hugged her curves and her hair was like flames rolling down her back. She looked amazing, but what was even more mind-blowing was that, as she spoke, she twirled a single finger casually in the air all the while.

“Is she seriously doing that with one finger, mid-convo?” Max demanded in a hushed voice. She was decked out in a pair of weird pants she’d managed to make from the fabric of one of her Ren Fair dresses and a t-shirt she’d distressed. While the hair was still a work in progress, she actually looked kind of cool.

“She seriously is,” Ashley said with a nod as she watched the Professor in awe. “She’s my hero.”

Izzy didn’t blame her for that one bit. It was all still sort of a mind-screw. Like, they were all here and experiencing it together, so it had to be real. But to have gone from a regular school, in a regular town, with regular folks, to this?

Izzy's brain was still coming to terms with it all.

She smoothed a hand over her light blue, cotton dress and tried to remind herself that she belonged here, even if she couldn't make things float in the air with her mind.

In spite of her mental vow, afternoon class hadn't gone all that much better than the morning session. The strength testing had continued as they each tried jumping long distances as well as crushing stuff that, in Izzy's mind, didn't really need to be crushed, like rocks, cans, and other items. She hadn't shown any specific talent in any one of those areas, but, of course, Jake had nailed each one.

It was fine. Tomorrow was a new day. Strength tests were complete, for now, as they moved on to other senses like sight, hearing, and smell in the morning, followed by mental acuity tests. Izzy was excited for both Rebecca and her new friend Molly to have a chance to shine, and she did her best to remain hopeful for herself.

You belong.

"Wow, look at Tom go!" Molly said, pointing to the kindly chef who had a huge station set up in one corner. His hands were busy dicing and slicing at lightning speed, but all around him, disembodied spoons swirled in decadent smelling sauces as tiny plates were adorned with shrimp puffs and what looked like miniature crab cakes. He was like a master up there, and Izzy went flush with amazement just watching him.

"Let's get seats before we wind up stuck with someone we don't like," Max said, gazing around at the tables.

Some were already full, but a couple of them only had one or two kids seated with lots of empty chairs left, enough for all of them.

"Oh! That guy is in my group," Aiko said, pointing a scarlet-tipped finger toward one table near the food prep station. "His name's Miguel and he's super nice. His hands can make lightning! Let's sit there."

Izzy took a quick glance around and saw Jake a couple tables away, but no sign of Jessica. She let out a pent-up breath and nodded. "Sounds good to me."

Maybe she really could relax and enjoy herself a little tonight.

They picked their way over the soft grass to Miguel's table and his lips split into a grin.

"Hey, Aiko. I'm so glad to see a familiar face. My roommates are all still at the dorm primping in the mirror and putting on cologne, but you know me, too much energy to wait around." He wiggled his fingers and Aiko rolled her eyes and chuckled.

"Ah, good one. Get it guys, energy? And his power is lightning?"

Izzy and the others groaned in stereo, except for Ashley, who laughed like it was the funniest thing she'd ever heard.

"Oh my god, Ash, don't encourage him," Aiko said as she took a seat beside Miguel. "He's not even a father yet and he's full of dad jokes."

"I think he's funny!" Ashley protested, toying with the ends of her hair as she took the seat on the opposite side of him.

Izzy, Rebecca and Max all took their seats as Izzy bit back a smile. If the expression on Miguel's face was any indication, Ashley had made a good impression on him, as well.

"I think someone has a cru-ush," Max whispered in Izzy’s ear before giggling.

"No doubt," she agreed from the side of her mouth, covert-like.

They all sat for a few minutes, chatting amiably about their classes, as a server brought around glasses filled with pink and green swirled punch.

"Okay, just putting it out there, but am I the only one who is, like, seriously homesick?" Rebecca asked as she took a sip of her drink.

The youngest of the group, it made sense that Rebecca would miss her parents, but Izzy couldn't deny she was struggling with that, as well. It was a relief when everyone else answered in the affirmative.

"My mom sent me here with a bag of my favorite cookies that she made. I ate 'em all last night in bed like a ten year old who smuggled contraband into fat camp," Miguel admitted, shaking his head. "Embarrassing but true."

"I don't think that's embarrassing," Ashley said, giving him a warm smile. "I think it's sweet."

Miguel looked like he'd been hit in the head by a brick at the sight of her infectious grin...or maybe more like struck with Cupid's arrow straight in the heart? Izzy thought with an internal chuckle.

"Oh, look, the Dean is walking up on the stage," Aiko said, jerking her chin toward that side of the courtyard.

They all watched as she took a spot and lifted a microphone to her lips. "May I have your attention, everyone?" The murmurs and low chatter ceased and she swept a hand toward the tables. "Welcome, all, once again, to Nightgrove Academy. Now that you've gone through your first day and know what you're in for, I wonder if we should hide the tap out bell, hmmm?"

Everyone laughed as she continued. "Seriously, though, we want you to feel at home here. If you're having troubles, or questions or concerns, I want to know about it. My door is always open...unless it's closed, in which case, just knock."

That got another wave of chuckles and Izzy glanced around, catching sight of Jake who sat stone-faced, per usual. Figured. She briefly entertained the idea of suggesting he call a proctologist to remove whatever had crawled up his butt and died, but then reminded herself that she was being the bigger person.

Even if it killed her.

"Drink. Eat...Tom is whipping up some amazing creations. Dance, if the mood strikes you. Our courtyard is meant to be a haven for you all to enjoy, even when it’s not set for a party. You’re permitted to come out here anytime you have a break. But please remember that this is where we go to enjoy the fresh air and outdoors."

Her smile dimmed and her face took on a serious expression.

"This is especially important now, as one of our staff members saw a bear just outside the walls of the Academy. It was behaving very aggressively and we have to be extra cautious. We are deep in the woods here, and surrounded by miles of mountains. I know we're an unconventional house of learning, but we have a responsibility to your families to keep you safe, just like a regular college campus. I cannot stress enough how important that is to us. We'll be taking monthly bus trips into town a couple hours away, in case there are items you just need to have that we don't provide. We'll schedule in some sightseeing then, as well, all right? Aside from that, for the foreseeable future, we’ll need to stay inside the castle walls. Understood?"

Izzy glanced around the table. No one looked particularly nervous, and why should they? The courtyard was in the center of the castle, surrounded by high walls on every side. A bear would have to either disguise himself as a student or be pretty freakin’ agile to get in, but Izzy still found herself taken aback. Less about the whole bear thing, more about the unintentional escape room experience she’d apparently signed up for.

She shoved away the sudden claustrophobia threatening to drag her under and tried not to think about it.

"Let's go get some of those shrimp puffs," Aiko said as she stood.

The others followed suit and headed toward a grinning Tom, who was using his mind to pipe some sort of mousse into half of a hard-boiled egg white as he sprinkled salt into a bubbling pot. "This is going to be the base of my caramel apple tart, so you do not want to miss dessert," he said with a deep laugh.

Izzy was still pretty full from double lasagna lunch, but that didn't stop her from snagging a golden fried shrimp puff and popping it into her mouth. She crunched down and it was like a flavor explosion that had her groaning. "Tom, you are a culinary genius. So good!"

She parked herself in front of the food, leaning lightly on a large, stone fountain that featured a pair of fat cherubs spewing water from their mouths.

“Who’s Cecil and Lucretia Abernathy?” Aiko asked around a mouthful of pig in a blanket.

“Great question. You tell me,” Izzy replied with a shrug.

Aiko pointed to a spot on the fountain a few inches from Izzy’s hip.

“Right there, it says their names. Just wondered who they are, is all.”

“Ahhh, so you haven’t heard the story of the Abernathys yet, eh?” Tom boomed with a grim shake of his head.

Molly frowned. “I haven’t, have you, Rebecca?”

“Nope. But I want to. Tell us, Tom!”

Miguel and Ashley even stopped mooning over each other long enough to tune in.

Tom’s spoons slowed to a halt and the action behind his cooking station ceased as he focused on weaving his tale instead of the food.

“Cecil and his wife Lucretia built a little log cabin just a quarter mile from here back in the late 1800s. But Lucretia, who had her head full of fairy tales, wanted a castle. Cecil worked his fingers to the bone for ten years, leaving the homestead for months at a time, working as a trapper, selling furs and panning for gold, until he saved up enough to hire a team of men to come and build his beloved her very own palace. It took a decade to complete. But by the time it was done, fickle Lucretia had fallen for one of the stone masons and left Cecil with nothing but a note of farewell, a broken heart, and an empty castle.”

Izzy shifted her weight away from the fountain, suddenly feeling like she’d been disrespecting poor Cecil.

“That’s awful,” Rebecca said with a sniffle.

“Right?” Max said, tossing her head back with a snort. “I’d have blown the whole thing to bits.”

“Cecil didn’t take it well, either,” Tom admitted with a sad smile. “It’s said that he hanged himself from the rafters of the old cabin at the stroke of midnight, precisely a year after she left, when he was sure she wasn’t coming back. For more than a century, this place and the cabin both lay vacant until our benefactor purchased the property for the Academy. Some say he still haunts the surrounding woods today, waiting for Lucretia to return home to him.”

“Wow,” Aiko whispered. “That is so amazing. We’re, like, standing on a piece of history and possibly one of the saddest love stories ever told!”

Izzy wasn’t nearly as stoked about the concept. Cecil had given far too much of himself to the woman he loved, who had clearly never really loved him in return. Izzy had never been a big cryer, but it was hella-sad and her throat ached with unshed tears.

Yet another symptom of being overtired and homesick, she was sure.

She shook off the sense of unrest and reached for another shrimp puff to eat her feelings. Sure, maybe Tom was telling the truth about old Cecil Abernathy and his wife Lucretia, but the fact was that none of that mattered. Ghosts weren’t real and whatever pain this place might’ve held for Cecil had died with him.

Tom held up his hand and waved them off. “Anyways, that’s just a silly old legend, but it’s a fun one to tell. You kids want to try my stuffed mushrooms?”

They all nodded and continued to mill around the food station, trying every morsel Tom created while they talked amongst themselves and listened to music. It took a while but, eventually, Izzy’s tension had finally started to drain away and she actually began to enjoy herself.

Until a shrill voice sounded behind her.

"What's up, roomies?"

The hair on the back of Izzy’s neck stood up as she turned to find Jessica standing there, a cool smile perched on her lips. At first glance, she looked perfect, as always, in a mini-skirt and a crop top that showed off her enviably tanned stomach. But as Izzy looked closer, she noted the other girl’s face was pale, and purple smudges marred the skin under her eyes.

Could she be struggling to come to terms with their new reality like the rest of them? Maybe she wasn’t a cyborg witch from hell after all...

“Izzy, you’re looking...cute,” she said, wrinkling her nose in a way that clearly broadcast she thought Izzy looked anything but. “Did you borrow that dress from a fifth grader?”

Annnd cyborg witch from hell, reporting for duty.

“I was actually going to say the same thing to you,” Izzy replied with a smile as fake as Jessica’s as she studied her tiny skirt and top. “Everything looks so little…”

Jessica’s blue eyes went icy as she turned her attention to the others. “How was today for everyone else, learn anything interesting about yourselves?”

Ashley was deep in conversation with Miguel, and Aiko, Rebecca, and Max seemed hesitant to answer. Who could blame them? She’d surely just shoot them down.

Eventually, Molly spoke up. “It was a strength testing day for Enhancers, so some of us didn’t do so hot. But Aiko can make fire!”

Jessica raised one, golden brow as she stared down at Molly. “Who even are you?”

“This is our new friend, Molly,” Izzy cut in. “She’s got amazing senses and can smell a bitch a mile away,” she added, her tone sweet as pie.

“Good for her,” Jessica said, either too dumb or too pre-occupied to pick up on the insult. “Does anyone want to see what I can do?”

Molly shrugged as Max and Rebecca murmured noncommittally. It was Aiko who finally said, “Yeah, sure.”

Jessica closed her eyes for a second and then waved her hand over her face. In an instant, her hair changed from blonde to emerald green, and bunny ears popped from the top of her head. She opened her eyes again and Izzy was floored to see that they now matched her hair.

“Holy crap!” Aiko said, taking a step back. “That’s awesome.”

Izzy blinked hard and focused in more closely. As she did, Jessica’s hair began to morph back to blonde and the ears disappeared.

She blinked again and there stood regular Jessica, smiling smugly.

“Weird. So you can only keep it up for a few seconds at a time, or...?” Izzy asked, interested in spite of herself. Being able to change your appearance was a pretty neat trick.

“What are you talking about, Izzy?” Molly asked with a frown.

“Well, for a second her hair and eyes changed color, but now they’re normal again.”

Jessica laughed. “No they’re not,” she said, lifting a hand to her hair. “They’re green.”

Izzy was about to argue when the others nodded in agreement.

“Yeah, they’re still green,” Aiko confirmed.

Izzy cocked her head and studied Jessica closely. It took a long moment for her to realize that, if she looked a certain way, letting her eyes go out of focus, she could actually see a hint of green there.

Fascinating.

“So, to clarify, your power isn’t to change your appearance, is it?” Izzy asked. “You’re able to create an illusion, right? So that other people see it that way.”

AKA a professional mind-screwer.

Jessica’s thousand-watt grin wavered and she glared at Izzy. “Wow, sour grapes, huh? I’m pretty sure being able to control other people’s realities is a lot cooler than being able to make my hair change color. But don’t get me wrong. Your powers are super helpful, too! Why don’t you run over there and grab us some more punch, real quick-like, hmm?”

Izzy opened her mouth to argue, but what was the point? She didn’t give a rip what Jessica thought about her, and she could go for some more punch anyway. She had much bigger fish to fry now. Because, if Jessica’s time spent with the Dean resulted in these mind control powers becoming stronger than just illusion-magic parlor tricks?

Then her arch-nemesis was about to be one, bad-ass adversary.

The next couple hours went by in a haze as the good vibes that had started off the night faded into fear and worry. There was no question now why Jessica had been separated from the rest of them. Her power was different. Special. She couldn’t just move things with her mind, or lift heavy objects, or see five hundred yards away. With enough training, she could become a frigging veritable superhero...or supervillain.

The thought plagued Izzy for the rest of the night. She wound up begging off early and heading back to the dorm room alone.

With a weary sigh, she grabbed a paper and pen and flopped onto her bed, still in her stupid dress. Then, she began to write.

Dear Dad,

Things are going great at the new school. I can’t wait until break so I can tell you more about it. I miss you a lot, but don’t worry about me. I’m 100% sure I made the right decision in coming to Nightgrove Academy.

The words blurred before her eyes as one, fat tear plopped onto the page.

If only she had the power to make her words the truth...

Chapter 9

The next morning was a slog. Izzy had a rough night’s sleep, peppered with dreams of a green-haired succubus riding a broomstick, chasing her through a field of poppies and into a haunted castle. Still, she put on her big girl pants, fueled up with a delicious mocha latte courtesy of Tom, and vowed to do her best anyway.

“We’ll be covering the remaining enhancement abilities in today’s class,” Professor Baxter said, diving right in with a zeal that was exhausting as they all took their seats. He grabbed a large device with a small screen and a single button like a piano key in front of it.

“We’ll start with reaction speed. This is something that can be enhanced with your powers, and though fractions of a second may seem insignificant, it keeps you a step ahead of your opponent. When combined with enhanced speed, projectiles can be rendered useless. In fact, for the rest of the semester, I welcome you all to throw your pencils at me. If just one of you manages to hit me, which I seriously doubt, I’ll cancel the following day’s class and take you on a field trip into town for ice cream sundaes,” Baxter said with a confident grin.

That woke her up a little as a rush of adrenaline shot through her. Not just because she would get to pelt her teacher with pencils—although that did sound fun. But what if she could grow to be fast enough to dodge like that?

Party-pooper Jake interrupted her thoughts with an exaggerated exhale. She had the sudden urge to throw the pencil at him, instead, but managed to hold herself back, taking a long pull from her to-go mug for strength.

As the chatter over Baxter’s challenge finally subsided, he continued. “Today we will be testing you on your reaction speed, as well as your senses. We’ll do the vision exam at the same time as the reaction speed one to save time,” he said as he pulled one of those eye exam posters out from behind his desk.

Everyone groaned as they prepped for another boring day of tests. For the next three long hours, they sniffed and listened and looked and touched. Apparently, Molly was the Jake of the sensory exams as she did the best in each and every one. Izzy fared pretty well, over all, despite the monotony of the task, so she couldn’t complain. When it came time to test their reactions by playing a simulated game not unlike Whack-A-Mole, though, she really excelled, getting the best time by a fair margin, not that anyone seemed to notice. By the time noon came around, they were all getting punchy and irritable, more than ready for a break, but it seemed like breaks would be tough to come by today.

“The rest of the afternoon will be spent on an obstacle course, so go grab yourself a quick lunch and meet back here in twenty,” Baxter said.

Izzy and her friends barely had time to scarf down their lunch. When they returned from the cafeteria, just as the period was about to start, Baxter was waiting by the door looking just as eager to get to work as he had that morning.

The man had energy to burn…

“The course should be ready for us soon, we can head over there now,” Baxter said.

“I wonder if I’ll even be able to get through it,” Rebecca murmured to Izzy as they walked down the hall, “my ability kinda sucks for this sort of thing, compared to someone like you.”

“Have you ever noticed a feeling you get when you’re taking a test or doing a puzzle, where it feels like everything comes easily and naturally? Try to put yourself into the same headspace, except while running or doing more physical tasks,” Izzy said. “Maybe you’ll be able to use your ability for speed like I do if you try hard enough. I managed to apply mine to the reaction speed test earlier, and it even helped me with the senses testing a little.”

As Rebecca opened her mouth to reply, a pencil flew by, whizzing past Izzy’s head, straight at the Professor’s back. Baxter didn’t even slow his pace as his arm shot out and he plucked the pencil from the air without turning around.

“Holy crap,” Rebecca whispered.

“You’re going to need to do better than that,” he said with a laugh. “I could hear it coming.”

Izzy’s jaw dropped. Could she learn to do that someday? As she contemplated that thought, she also made a mental note never to talk bad about Professor Baxter behind his back unless she wanted him to hear her.

As they all filed into the obstacle course room, the chatter of the class ceased like the air had been sucked out of their collective lungs.

Izzy stopped short and marveled at the enormous room. It was far bigger than even the gymnasium, and must’ve been hundreds of meters in length. There were huge sheets of wood with door-sized holes covered by black tarps, likely to keep them from seeing the course itself and planning their strategy before they started. The walls of the room were covered in hundreds of mirrors, which only added to the strangeness of the situation.

Perfect. This way, if she failed, she got to watch her own humiliation at every angle.

She tamped down the sizzle of nerves and tried to focus on being positive. She was hella-fast and pretty strong. She had this.

“The course is being set up for Enhancement types, as we speak, the Elementals finished a few hours ago but, as you can imagine, there are a lot of moving parts to set up,” Professor Baxter said. “I’ll explain the test to you while we wait, I doubt it’ll be much longer. Behind those sheets of wood there are ten starting positions for you to begin the course. When the whistle sounds once, the first ten to be tested will line up at your station and wait for the second whistle to begin. Your only goal will be to get by every obstacle in front of you. Things to note: You aren’t allowed to go around any of them. If you fail on any obstacle, use the space on the side to go back and retry it as many times as you need. The course will be identical for each of you, but you will be separated by lines that indicate the path you each are to remain on. There will be containers with supplies along the way that may be helpful in getting over the obstacles, for those of you with less physical-based abilities.”

Rebecca’s face turned from worried to relieved when she heard about the supplies. Izzy was happy that she would at least have a chance to get through the course and maybe even succeed.

“While I don’t put much stock in these, the Academy does. You’ll be running these periodically throughout the semester and your performance improvements will impact your grades heavily,” he said with a heavy sigh. “This test doesn’t result in perfect data, especially compared to the controlled ones we did this morning. The course favors some abilities over others and, if I’m being honest, I personally think it’s a waste of school funds.”

“Agreed,” Jake muttered under his breath.

“With that said, we try to keep it more fair by including some non-conventional ways to succeed if you aren’t well-suited to the task at hand, so keep your mind and your eyes open. Most of all, try to focus on yourself and what you’re capable of rather than trying to compete with other students.”

Izzy’s excitement turned to irritation as she remembered the similar comment that Jake had made to her after the relay race. She would keep the Professor’s advice in mind...but if she happened to beat Jake in the process, so be it.

“Your final time will be recorded when you press the button at the end of your lane. That’s pretty much all there is to it. I’ll choose which ten of you are set to go first,” Baxter said.

Baxter walked around and brought ten people—including Izzy, Jake, and Molly—to their assigned starting position.

“Good luck, Iz!” Rebecca called, as Baxter led Izzy through one of the curtains to position six, which was near the middle of the ten starting positions.

There was a good fifteen feet between her and the person next to her on each side, with Molly to her left and Jake on her right. She shot Molly a thumbs up and readied herself for the first obstacle, which appeared to be a balance beam. This would be an excellent chance to gain a head start on Jake, whose heavier, more muscular frame would make crossing the narrow beam more difficult. She stared into the mirrors on the massive wall to her right and took in a deep, calming breath. Getting into the right headspace was everything.

When the second whistle sounded, Izzy was already in the zone. This was not going to be the same as the race she had lost to Jake. She reached the balance beam in less than a second and barely slowed as she skimmed across it so lightly, her feet barely seemed to touch it. She heard a grunt and a splash to her right, and was amused to see Jake, who was now covered in mud, jaw clenched, storming back around to try the balance beam a second time.

So far, so good.

The next obstacle was a long set of monkey bars that hung over a large pool of water. Without thought or consideration, she was swinging from bar to bar, skipping a bar in between each jump. When she threw herself from the final bar, she turned to her left while running and caught a glimpse of Molly moving from bar to bar about halfway through, forehead scrunched in concentration.

That was good. She didn’t need to worry about Molly. She could just focus on the rest of the obstacles. She reached the next one in no time at all. It was a giant treadmill on a forty-five degree angle upwards that was moving towards her. She grinned as she sped up it. Another obstacle that suited her perfectly. It really wasn’t moving that quickly—compared with her own speed, at least—and she bounded up it in less than thirty seconds. She wondered how some of the other, less quick students might make it up when her thoughts were interrupted by a loud creaking sound to her right. She slowed for an instant and glanced behind her to see Jake wedging a metal bar from one of the supply bins into the massive gears that made the treadmill move. His treadmill came to a grinding stop and his lips tilted into a rare grin, showcasing a never seen before dimple. Izzy was momentarily stunned, as much by the dimple as by the incredible strength it must’ve required to stop that machine, but she quickly continued moving.

Stay on task and focus.

She looked ahead to see a platform overlooking a huge drop. Near the edge, a rope waited for her with a small sign in front of it that read:

Rope is for safety in the event of a fall only. Sensors will note if it is pulled taut, an alarm will sound, and you have to go back around and start again.

She strapped herself up and began the descent. The face of the wall was covered in hand and foot holds like the ones at an indoor rock climbing gym. She wasn’t an expert at climbing, so she moved slowly down the wall, by her standards. When she was about halfway down, her foot slipped, knocking her out of the space of intense mental clarity she had been in for the whole test, up to that point. She paused to re-enter the state of focus before continuing the descent, knowing it would save more time in the long run.

When she reached the bottom, she immediately broke into a sprint to the next obstacle, which was a huge metal door with a button towards the top of it and a pit of water between the door and the platform she stood on. In front of her sat a small crossbow with a pile of blunted bolts. She grabbed one and struggled to pull the string back to load it. She heard Jake’s door opening as she finally got the bolt loaded after half a minute of grunting. Readying herself, she fired and missed the first shot. After wasting more precious seconds loading it a second time, she managed to hit the target as Jake was swimming through the massive door on his side.

She dove into the water and made a beeline towards the open door, swimming at a speed that would make a shark envious. She zipped through the door opening and dragged herself out of the water and onto the ground, rolling to her feet and immediately breaking into a sprint in one, smooth motion.

You got this, girl.

The next obstacle, a wall that must have been twenty feet tall, loomed ahead. She closed most of the distance that Jake had managed to gain on her during the run to the obstacle, but he was still in the lead. None of the other eight students had even gotten their doors open yet, she observed as she approached the wall. A backpack lay in front of it with a sign that said: Must carry over the wall.

She put the pack on and staggered under the weight. It was heavy enough to give her a hard time running, never mind climbing. A large, unknotted, rope hung down from the wall so she tried to climb it by pulling with her hands on the rope and putting her feet against the wall, but it was covered in some sort of oil or grease. She had climbed up a rope using her hands and feet before in gym class, but never with a weight on her back.

She made it only a few feet up on her first try before her arms gave out, causing her to slip, burning her palms raw on the rope. Despite the pain, she took a deep breath and grabbed the rope and began to ascend, digging deep and focusing on the repetitive movement of her muscles. Somehow, it had become so easy that she had forgotten to even use her feet. She no longer felt her own weight or the weight of the pack. She was finally getting some real control over how to tap into her deeper stores of strength, at will.

As she finished the climb, she realized she could see the finish line now. She set her sights toward the button, glowing like a beacon in the distance, with renewed determination. She began her descent, scaling down the wall like lightning.

She glanced to her right as she broke into a sprint down the football field-sized straightaway, realizing with dismay that Jake was nearly at the halfway point. She turned and faced her objective—the damned button—and all thoughts of winning or of Jake faded into nothing.

When she slammed her fist down on it a moment later, the connection to her inner ninja broke and she shifted jarringly back into her normal everyday state of mind. She sucked in a breath and saw Jake bringing his hand down on the button just as she turned.

She let out a whoop of excitement, pumping her fist in sheer joy, as she faced the rest of the course to check on the others’ progress. But when she turned, her excitement turned to horror.

Molly hung by her fingertips at the top of the twenty-foot high wall, the rope hanging uselessly by her side.

“Help!”

Izzy’s feet moved faster than her thoughts as she raced back toward the wall. She was halfway there when Molly’s fingers gave way and she came crashing to the ground in a bone jarring tangle of limbs.

“Molly!”

Chapter 10

"No!" Izzy yelled, her hands going clammy as she covered the last of the distance between them.

Too slow, Izzy. Too slow.

She dropped to her knees beside a crumpled Molly, her heart in her throat.

"Molly? Molly, can you hear me?" she pleaded as she hovered over her, afraid to touch or move her for fear of making it worse.

Her petite friend lay, pale and motionless. Swallowing back a rush of bile, Izzy leaned in and pressed her still wet fingertips to Molly's neck, murmuring a prayer she'd thought she'd long forgotten under her breath.

"Step back, Izzy, I've got her, now," Professor Baxter murmured gently as he approached, with Jake trailing behind. "I can hear her heartbeat. She's alive, but I think she must've bumped her noggin."

"Do you want me to carry her?" Jake asked, pulling up beside Baxter, his voice full of concern.

"No, I can take care of it," Baxter said as he swept his hands gingerly over Molly's limbs and head. She groaned and blinked blearily up at him.

"Nana? Is that you?" she murmured before letting her head loll to the side again with a sigh.

Professor Baxter's lips twitched as he let out a sigh of relief and then scooped her gently into his arms. "I don't think anything is broken, but she likely has a concussion, so I'm going to take her to get looked at. I'm sure you're all going to be too distracted, so why don't you take ten minutes, get dry, and collect yourselves. Whoever wants to, can meet me up at the infirmary on the second floor and get a status update before we continue, hmmm?"

Izzy watched helplessly as Baxter stood and carried her friend away. Maybe if she'd been paying attention instead of trying to compete with lunk-head Jake, she could've caught her in time…

"It's not your fault," a muddy Jake said, his tone matter of fact. "We were instructed to focus on ourselves and our time. This was a freak accident and could've happened to any one of us. In fact, similar things are bound to happen. Just be glad she's going to be alright."

Izzy wheeled on him as she shot to her feet, swiping the wet hair from her face. "How about you don't tell me what to be glad for, okay? I'm sick of you acting like you own this place."

He stared at her, his face unreadable, as she continued to glower at him. She knew she was overreacting, but her emotions were near point break and he was the closest target.

By now, several of the other kids from their group were finishing the course, as well, and came rushing over.

"Is she going to be okay?"

Izzy stalked away, leaving Jake to field their questions. Professor Baxter was right. She needed a few minutes to get her head right.

She went out into the hallway and scrubbed a hand over her eyes. What was it with this place? Couldn't she go even a few hours without something shocking, weird or terrifying happening?

At the root of it all, though, she couldn't help the nugget of guilt lodged in her chest. Granted, it hadn't been her fault directly. If she'd been just a little faster, though…

"I'm heading up to see Molly now, in case Professor wants those of us who haven't gone yet to come right back down and do our tests. I won't be able to concentrate if I'm worried about her. You coming?" Rebecca asked as she stepped into the hallway.

"Yeah, I'm coming."

The two of them made their way to their room and Izzy quickly changed her clothes before they headed over to the infirmary. They were met by a closed door with a red cross emblazoned across it.

Izzy lifted a fist and rapped on it lightly.

"Enter," a low voice called.

They walked in to find a row of hospital beds that looked super high tech, which made Izzy feel slightly better. At least, this far out in the boondocks it seemed like they still had good equipment in case someone was seriously injured.

Molly was stretched out on one as a pretty female doctor bent over her, peering into her eyes with a flashlight.

Professor Baxter strolled over to the door and gestured for them to come forward.

"As you can see, she's more alert now," he said, the relief evident in his face.

"I'm fine," Molly said as she pulled away from the doctor's grasp and lifted an arm up to give them a wave. "My pride is wounded and I have a headache, but that's about all."

Izzy and Rebecca moved to flank either side of the bed as the doctor stepped back.

"She does have a concussion, but it seems to be relatively mild. I'm going to keep her here for the day so I can make sure she isn't vomiting, and run the concussion protocol, but barring any changes, she will likely be able to go back to her room later tonight and she’ll be ready to start weapons training with you guys next week."

Molly managed a grin and thanked her as she and Professor Baxter moved away to talk privately. Just when Izzy was thinking Molly might have said she was all right, but she didn't look so hot, Molly lunged for a pen perched precariously on the chart in front of her. She scooped it up and hurled it at the Professor's retreating form. An instant before contact, his arm shot out and he snagged it from midair with his fingertips.

"Nice try, kiddo. Now rest," he said without turning around.

"Dang it," Molly mumbled as she laid her head back on the pillow.

Izzy and Rebecca both laughed and Izzy settled on the bed beside Molly. "Well, clearly you're not feeling too bad if your priority is still to bean Baxter with a writing utensil."

"Oh, my head is pounding, but I want that field trip," Molly said with a wry grin.

Rebecca patted Molly's hand and let out a sigh. "I'm so glad you weren't seriously hurt. That would've been awful."

"I don't even know how it happened. I figured out a way to get up the wall, and was just so excited, that I didn't think about how I was getting down until I was already over. I saw the hand holds too late and just couldn't hang on or figure out how to get to them."

Izzy hadn't even thought about how Molly had gotten up the wall. She, herself, had nearly failed and Molly was even less strong than Izzy…

"How did you manage that, anyway?" she asked.

Molly perked up, eyes flashing. "Well, at first--"

"Rebecca," Baxter called, pausing his hushed conversation with the doctor to look toward them. "Head on back down to the testing area with the others waiting their turn. No spoilers for those who haven't done the obstacles yet," he said with a wink toward Molly. Rebecca nodded, clearly disappointed, and stood.

"See you guys later," she mumbled as she trudged away, shooting us a longing look the whole way back into the hall.

"Anyway," Molly continued, undeterred, "I kept trying the traditional way. But then I remembered what Professor said about using our gifts and that all of us would be able to get through the obstacles if we tried hard enough. So I tried my sniffer, and that didn't help. What did help, though, was my vision. I let go of the rope and stood back from the wall, and just studied it. Wouldn't you know, there was an anomaly in the wood. A part that looked different than all the rest. That's when I realized there was a whole path up the wall that hadn't been oiled. It was even a little tacky to the touch. I grabbed the rope again and was able to use my feet to pull me up."

"Interesting," Izzy murmured. She tucked that information away to chew on later, and scanned her friend’s still-ghostly face. “You should really relax and try to get some rest, now, Molly. I just wanted to make sure you were okay. And I’m really sorry. I tried to run back and catch you, I just--”

“Are you kidding?” she cut in with a weak chuckle. “You’re not Wonder Woman yet, Izzy. I’ve got to learn how to rescue myself. And, anyways, I get the rest of the day off. Already the doc said Tom is going to make me a hot fudge sundae. I’m pretty sure I’ll have a more pleasant afternoon than you will.”

She was probably right on that front, but Izzy found herself feeling even more determined than ever to work on exploring her strengths and correcting her weaknesses, just in case something like this ever happened again.

She stood and wiggled her fingers at Molly, and then made her way out the door. The doctor and Baxter offered her a smile as she passed, heading for the hallway. She closed the door behind her and leaned against it with a sigh.

No big deal. This could’ve happened at a regular school. People got hurt in field hockey and football, too. It wasn’t the end of the world.

With that in mind, she started back toward the testing area when a low sound caught her ear. She stopped short and listened harder, but there was only silence. She hadn’t scored top marks on the hearing test, so it was no surprise. But, then, there it went again, like a low moan.

She turned and saw a second door, just a few yards down from the infirmary. Compelled by the sound, she moved toward it and lifted her hand to the knob.

“Students aren’t allowed in there,” the doctor snapped, standing in the infirmary doorway. Her lips were smiling but her eyes were icy cold. “That’s for staff members only.”

“Sorry, I didn’t know. I thought I heard someone moaning in there…”

“You’re mistaken. Go back downstairs to continue on with your classes. The Professor will join you shortly.”

Izzy turned and hurried down the hall, cheeks burning.

Ookay, then.

Apparently, someone didn’t get enough sugar in their corn flakes this morning. Izzy pushed aside her embarrassment at being scolded like a child and forced herself to focus on the positive.

She’d done pretty dang good at that brutal obstacle course, Molly was okay and, if her results on the wall were any indication, her other physical powers were increasing. All in all, a great day.

So then, why did she feel like her life was spinning out of control?

Chapter 11

The next two weeks passed in a blur of testing, training, and showers hot enough to soothe the constant muscle aches and soreness. Still, despite all her fears and strife, Izzy wouldn’t have traded it for the world.

She’d been growing by leaps and bounds—they all had—and she was starting to get really excited about the future here at Nightgrove. Before, she’d harbored hopes of getting a scholarship running track and hopefully being able to afford to buy a house of her own one day in Stockridge. Now, she harbored hopes of being asked to join the FBI or something cool like that.

Something that could change the world.

Molly had been given a clean bill of health and was back in class just a few days after her fall. Jake was still a thorn in her side but, like her, his focus had been more on improving his scores each week. Even Jessica had been less crappy to her, although that might have had more to do with the girl’s own exhaustion rather than her newfound apathy for Izzy. Best of all, though?

Izzy had gotten a letter from both her dad and Sam. They were doing great, and her dad swore he wasn’t mad at her, so long as she was happy. She’d been lying the first time she’d said she was, but now? It was basically the truth. Everything was coming up roses, and even her terrible dreams had stopped. She was in the middle of a lovely one, in which Tom was building a castle out of his famous sausage bread, when a sharp tug on her arm jerked her awake.

“Get up! The scores should be posted by now,” Rebecca hissed.

Izzy’s eyes shot wide and she sat up straight.

“Get out?!”

They’d been told days before that all of their test scores to date would be totaled and the students would be ranked, first to last. Not everyone was excited, but everyone was definitely interested in the results. Izzy had been improving every day, and butterflies exploded in her belly as she rolled out of bed.

She glanced around and noticed that Jessica wasn’t in the room. Max, Aiko, and Ashley were sitting in their joint living room chatting, dressed in their personal clothes rather than the typical school day uniforms because morning class was cancelled due to the posting of the testing results. Tom would be holding a large celebratory brunch after everyone had a chance to look at their scores.

Izzy got dressed and brushed her hair before going to the bathroom to put on a little mascara and lip gloss. Aiko and Rebecca were waiting impatiently when she got out.

“Ashley and Max said they’d meet us at the table,” Aiko said. “Now let's get going or we’re gonna be the last to know!”

When they got to the cafeteria where the rankings were being posted, there was already such a large crowd of students around the screen that they had to squint to even see their scores. Aiko pumped her fist, no doubt seeing her overall ninth place finish.

“Hell ya!” she said. “I thought I did a lot worse.”

Izzy’s heart sank when she saw Jake’s name in the first place slot followed by her own in second. She knew she should be happy that she did so well, placing second out of nearly a hundred students was still a big deal, but her real target had been Jake.

Rebecca shot her a sympathetic smile. “Don’t worry about her, you did really well.”

“You did pretty well yourself,” Izzy said, looking at the younger girl’s respectable twelfth place finish, “but who do you mean? I only lost to Jake.”

“What do you mean?” she said, pointing at the screen. “Jessica got first.”

Izzy glanced back at the screen. She was surprised to see Jessica’s name in the first place spot where Jake’s had been a second before. She blinked and the image went back to how it had been moments earlier. Jessica’s name was all the way down in seventy-fifth place.

“Hey, roomies,” Jessica said in an overly sweet voice from their right.

Izzy turned and greeted her with a fake smile that could rival Jessica’s own. “I hope you’re getting along fine after such a low finish.” Izzy never did have the same skill at disguising her insults that Jessica did.

Jessica’s face turned white as a sheet. “What do you mean? I got first.”

Rebecca and Aiko shot quizzical looks at Izzy. “Blink your eyes a few times, don’t you see it?”

They blinked and looked, but their expressions didn’t change when they looked back at Izzy.

“Are you feeling okay, Iz?” Rebecca asked sincerely.

Before Izzy could open her mouth, the commanding voice of Dean Cassandra rang out across the cafeteria. “Jessica, you’ve had enough time here, get a plate of food and meet me in my office.”

Jessica cringed and quickly moved to the counter to get a plate of food. “Yes, Dean Cassandra.”

“Wonder what that was about? I thought morning classes were cancelled,” Aiko said.

Aiko and Rebecca began to walk over to the cafeteria but Izzy put a hand up to stop them. “Wait a second, when she leaves, you’ll see.”

Jessica stared at Izzy angrily as she left the cafeteria. A few seconds after Jessica left, Rebecca’s mouth dropped open.

“She was using her powers to make it look like she did well?” Aiko said with a look of shock. “She’s so strong.”

True. But apparently, there was one mind she couldn’t screw, and it was Izzy’s. She sent a prayer of thanks to the gods and tried to retain her excitement.

Molly suddenly walked up. “Good job, Izzy! You’re lucky I got hurt or you would’ve actually been in third.” She let out an infectious laugh that ended in a snort.

“Let’s go get some food now, I’m starving,” Izzy said as she noticed the smell of pancakes and bacon, suddenly feeling a whole lot better.

Lunch and evening classes passed uneventfully. When Izzy was about to leave the gym, where she had been practicing her newfound skill at archery, Rebecca wandered in with a defeated look on her face and slumped shoulders. “I guess I should get a few hours of this out of the way now that they’re moving our weekly exercise quotas up.”

Izzy stayed and worked out with her for half an hour or so, but she was already exhausted. After waving her goodbyes, she headed back to the room, almost eager to see Jessica for once after what she had tried to pull earlier.

When she got to the room, she was surprised to see Ashley sitting by the fire. “Not hanging out with lover boy Miguel tonight?” Izzy said jokingly.

“I told him I wanted a night with my girls,” she said, blushing.

Izzy looked at Jessica, considered calling her out again on her behavior, but thought better of it when she saw the huge bags under her bloodshot eyes. She looked exhausted. Clearly, things weren’t going as well in Jessica’s world as they were in Izzy’s right now, and despite her dislike of the girl, she wasn’t the kind of person to kick someone when they were down.

“Guys, I have the greatest idea,” Aiko leaned in to whisper, “let’s sneak out and take a look at the cottage that Tom told us about.”

“Are you crazy?” Izzy hissed.

“I just feel so cooped up, not being allowed outside at all. My class has been so boring lately, I just want to do something spontaneous and fun for once.”

“Count me out,” Jessica said, not even bothering to sit up. She was lying in bed and staring vacantly at the upper bunk. It wasn’t like her to be so docile just after she had been humiliated. She must’ve been seriously stressed.

Max and Ashley shook their heads and continued putting on their pajamas.

“Hard pass,” Max said shortly.

“What, are you guys afraid of the dark or something? We have veritable superpowers, what is going to hurt us?” Aiko asked, perching her hands on her hips.

“We aren’t allowed. I’m doing good here, I don’t want to get into trouble,” Izzy said resolutely.

“Suit yourselves, but just FYI, I’m going to go with or without you guys. It’s up to you whether you come with, or you leave me to get eaten by the wolves,” Aiko said as she walked towards the door. “Max, I’m a little surprised that you don’t want to. We would be sticking it to the man. Screw authority, right?”

“It would be pretty punk rock,” Max said pensively as Aiko slowly moonwalked out of the room.

Izzy stared at the door, sure Aiko would come moonwalking back in when none of them followed, but a few more seconds passed and she sighed.

“Sooo, we’re going, right?” Ashley said after a prolonged silence.

“I know I’m not,” Jessica said, pulling her blanket over herself and closing her eyes. “You dumb-dumbs have fun, though.”

“We can’t just leave her out there alone,” Izzy said with a groan. Ashley nodded and began putting her shoes on to go.

Izzy jogged out the door with Max and Ashley close on her heels. She nearly ran directly into Aiko, who was leaning against the wall a few yards down the hall with a smile on her face.

“Excellent. Let’s go, it’s not far.”

“Okay, but we can’t let Rebecca see us when we pass. She’s too young and too slow. I don’t want her going and wind up getting hurt, and she won’t let us go without her,” Izzy said as they approached the gymnasium.

“Don’t worry, we won’t even pass the gym, it’s right here,” Aiko said as she pointed to a small room a few doors away. It had an unbarred window in the back that was just large enough for the girls to squeeze through.

The forest was only a short walk from the castle, but it took a long time to reach it because Izzy led them in a curved path around the lit parking lot, just in case there was some kind of guard or camera near it. The mournful howl of a coyote broke the quiet of the dark night, lit only by a tiny sliver of moon.

When they got to the forest, Aiko put her hand out and created a small flame in her palm. “I’ve been practicing this every day. I can keep a fire like this going for a few hours now,” she said with a self-satisfied grin.

Aiko led the way straight ahead, occasionally sending her fire forwards as a ball of light to extend their visibility. It wasn’t long until they caught sight of the abandoned little cabin.

“Okay. Happy?” Izzy asked when they got close enough to see it clearly, itching to head back to the dorm.

“What, do you believe in ghosts or something? We’re here, so we might as well see what it’s like inside,” Aiko said, laughing.

Izzy rolled her eyes and overtook Aiko, leading the way to the dilapidated structure. The walls were made of old logs and the door, which had fallen on the ground, was mostly decomposed and covered in plant life. Izzy jumped as an owl hooted in the distance. She turned back to see Max and Ashley huddled together and shaking.

“Just an owl, guys,” Aiko said with a grin, as if they hadn’t noticed the gasp she’d let out right along with them a moment earlier.

Izzy stepped into the cabin, crinkling her face at the moldy smell that greeted her inside. The walls and floor were rotted and covered in moss. The group stood and waited at the entrance as Aiko’s ball of flame danced around the cabin, revealing a kitchen to their left and the hallway to their right.

“Let’s check out the kitchen, first,” Aiko said, leading the way.

Old, cast iron pots and pans sat in a pile on the floor, having fallen long ago from where they must’ve hung on the wall next to the large hearth that was the centerpiece of the room. There were pieces of rotted wood all around the room, which had likely been chairs and a table. It would’ve been pretty cool in the daytime, but Izzy was too on edge to really appreciate it.

“Sweet. I wonder what the bedroom is like,” Aiko said.

As they made their way past the bathroom to the other side of the house, there was a loud rustle in the trees outside that caused Ashley to let out a loud yelp. Aiko’s flame flickered out and reformed a moment later, revealing her terrified expression.

“Do you think it’s Mr. Abernathy?” Max whispered.

“I’m more worried about a bear. Whatever it was, I’d rather not stay here long enough to find out,” Izzy shot back, wishing she’d never agreed to this ludicrous scheme.

Max and Ashley quickly voiced their approval and even Aiko nodded in reluctant agreement after a brief pause.

Aiko’s flame didn’t reveal anything dangerous in the area around the house, but it didn’t help Izzy to shake the intense feeling of dread as they began the walk back to the school. When they had trekked for a few minutes and their fear had begun to fade, they heard a soft whimpering sound in the woods that came from directly in front of them. Izzy’s blood seemed to freeze in her veins as they all stopped in silent unison.

Whatever it had been wasn’t visible in the glow of Aiko’s fireball.

“Aiko, if anything comes towards us, make as big a fire as you can to try to scare it off, we just need to keep moving forward. For now, I think you should keep the fire small and far ahead of us to keep its attention away,” Izzy whispered.

The others nodded and they continued walking as Aiko pushed the fire to light a few yards ahead of them. When the school was just barely in view, Izzy heard a pained noise over her shoulder that sounded somehow familiar. Judging from the volume, it couldn’t have been very far away.

What kind of animal made a sound like that, especially if it was going to attack? What if it was just an injured creature in need of help?

She motioned to Aiko to send her fire in the direction that the sound had come from. A huge, dark shape briefly appeared before dashing away with the loud crack of a tree branch and a frantic rustling of leaves.

“Bear! Run, you guys!” Ashley screamed, standing her ground and gesturing wildly for them to hurry.

Izzy stayed for a moment longer, straining to see deeper into the woods. When she saw nothing, she began to jog toward her terrified friends, still trying to determine where the sound had come from. She had her speed to bail her out if it got too close…

She stopped in her tracks when she saw pale green eyes staring at her from no more than ten feet away. Her terror grew as she noticed where its eyes were positioned in relation to her own. This bear must’ve been huge. Her mind raced as the pair of eyes moved slowly towards her.

“Hurry, Iz!” Ashley called, spurring Izzy into action. If Ashley wouldn’t go on without her, she had to move. Her friend wasn’t nearly as fleet of foot, and Izzy didn’t want to be responsible for something happening to her, no matter how much she wanted to check on the massive animal.

She sprinted toward where her friend waited, but couldn’t resist one last glance behind her. She was stunned at how close the creature was still, given her speed. She could just about make out its massive silhouette just a few strides behind her, and her stomach heaved with dread.

Suddenly, she stumbled and the creature let out a low, terrible snarl.

“No!”

Suddenly, a loud thump echoed through the forest, followed by a whimper and then the shouting of an infuriated, male voice.

“Run, Izzy, run!”

Chapter 12

Izzy ran, glancing over to find a super-pissed-looking Jake keeping pace beside her.

"Don't look at me, go, go, go!" Jake shouted, gripping Izzy's arm and dragging her back toward the castle.

"Wh-what was that?" she demanded, heart in her throat as they sprinted to catch up to the others. She may not be a zoologist or anything, but she was pretty sure that whatever had been in those woods was no bear.

"Not now, Izzy, just go," Jake shot back, crashing through the brush. The branches slapped sharply at their faces, but she didn't care. She'd happily have skewered every limb to get away from whatever had been back there.

They caught up with Aiko, Max and Ashley quickly, and then slowed their pace as they reached the school grounds and rushed to the small window.

"Um, he's definitely not going to fit," Aiko hissed, jerking a thumb at Jake's broad shoulders.

He shot her a dead-eyed stare and gestured for them to follow him toward one of the side doors. They all crept behind him as Izzy glanced over her shoulder, straining to hear if whatever had been in the woods was still following them, but all was still and quiet, except for the sounds of frogs and insects chirping.

When Jake reached the door, he rapped on it lightly twice. A second later, it swung open and Trent stood there grinning.

"So you found the little runaways, did you?" he asked with a low chuckle.

"Yup. And just in time, too."

They all filed inside behind him and when the door closed, they let out a collective sigh of relief.

Rebecca poked her head out from behind Trent's massive frame, her face pinched with worry. "Is everyone all right?"

"Yeah, fine," Max murmured, looking as shell-shocked as Izzy felt.

Ashley nodded, her cheeks leached of all color as she surveyed the rest of them. "We're okay, I think."

"Well, that was a good idea," Aiko said, raking a shaking hand through her inky hair. "Tell me that wasn't fun, you guys?"

Izzy gaped at her, and then realized she was kidding.

"That wasn't fun, Aiko," Izzy, Ashley and Max replied in stereo, making Trent's grin grow even wider.

"I'm sorry I told Jake, but when I got back to the room, you guys were all gone. I waited for a while and then woke Jessica up, and when she told me where you'd gone, I got so scared." Her eyes were full of worry as she stepped forward and reached for Izzy's hand. "I kept thinking, what if I don't tell anyone and something happened to one of you. Are you mad at me?"

Izzy shook her head and sucked in a steadying breath. "No, I'm not mad. It was wrong of us to put you in that position. We were being reckless and silly. We're the ones who are sorry, right, guys?"

The others murmured apologies, except Aiko, who let out a noncommittal grunt.

"The cabin was kind of cool," she mumbled under her breath.

Trent shoved her playfully on the arm and shook his head. "You're a bad ass and all, but they told us it's dangerous out there. Don't make me put you in a headlock, Aiko."

One brow shot high on her forehead as she conjured up a tiny flame. "Try it, muscle-head."

Their banter lightened the mood a little, and just when the knot of terror and dread in Izzy's chest began to unfurl, she remembered.

"You guys, about what was in the woods back there--"

"I, for one, am not about to stand here yammering with you idiots so we all get caught and I have to take the fall for this along with you," Jake interjected, his tone icy. "So why don't you all head back to your dorm and talk about this later, amongst yourselves, yeah?"

Trent's grin dimmed and he nodded briskly. "You heard the man, let's head back before we get in trouble."

They skulked through the halls until they reached the dorm, and wordlessly broke off toward their respective rooms.

"Man, he's pissed, huh? You'd think he was one of the Professors the way he acts sometimes," Aiko said with an indignant sniff.

"He is super cute, though," Max said, shrugging. "Sometimes you gotta take the good with the bad."

"Seriously, you guys," Rebecca murmured, slowing to a halt just outside their door. "I know I seem like a tattletale, but I was so worried. Please don't do that again...or, at least, wait for me next time. I'd be less scared out there with you than in here imagining you all getting eviscerated by a bear."

"The words you come up with sometimes," Aiko said, shaking her head.

"Eviscerated?" Rebecca asked, drawing back with a frown. "That's an everyday word. People use it all the time."

"Oh yeah, when?" Aiko demanded, cocking her hands on her hips.

"Like, 'Oh, be careful playing with those knives, Timmy. You might get eviscerated’."

Aiko crossed her arms over her chest. "Try again."

Izzy blew out a sigh and pushed through the door, leaving them to bicker. When she stepped into the room, she was surprised to find all the lights on and Jessica's bunk empty.

"Rebecca," she called softly over her shoulder. "Didn't you say Jessica was in the room sleeping before you went and got Jake?"

Rebecca broke off her debate mid-sentence to turn toward Izzy. "Yeah, why?"

"I don't know. She's gone."

Rebecca shouldered past her to step into the room and stare at the empty bed.

"Huh. Weird...maybe she got worried and went to look for you guys, too?"

Aiko snorted. "Hardly. She'd be more likely to start pawing through our clothes for what she wanted to take if we didn't make it back."

The others chuckled, but Izzy stepped closer to Jessica's area, gaze narrowed.

"Where are all her pictures and stuff?" she asked, moving toward the dresser. Jessica had displayed a few framed images of herself and her cheer friends, and both were now gone. Izzy reached out and opened up her dresser, peering inside.

"Empty. What the..."

Suddenly, a loud bell began to peal and the girls all stared at each other in shock.

"Are we busted?" Ashley asked, eyes wide.

"Little late for an alarm now," Rebecca said, her tone matter of fact.

Suddenly, the screen above their door blazed to life. Across it, ran a ticker-like message.

We regret to inform you that we've had our first tap out. We at Nightgrove Academy wish Jessica Montgomery all the best in her future endeavors.

They all stared in silence for a long moment until the tolling of the bell ceased and Aiko let out a low whistle. "Ding dong the witch is dead, guys. I never saw that one coming."

Izzy hadn't, either. Of all the people she'd have thought would tap, Jessica wasn't even on the top fifty of her list.

Lists…

"Do you think she was humiliated because of her placement on the testing ranks? Especially once Izzy called her out on the mind tricks she was trying to play," Max said, tucking a strand of now-purple hair behind one ear.

She'd been right. Now that the scabs were gone, she did look a lot better, but Max and her "do" were the least of Izzy's concerns right now. Just when she'd thought she'd settled into a routine and things were looking up, it was starting to get weird around here again.

"Why do you look like you were just sucking on a candy-coated cockroach, Izzy?" Aiko asked, plopping down on Jessica's mussed but empty bed. "You couldn't stand the girl and the feeling was mutual."

Truth.

And still... "It just seems super strange that she would pass up an opportunity to learn more about how to mess with people's heads and master her power so she could go back to life in Wyoming."

"More likely, she felt like she was too smart for us and wanted to go use her magic in the real world. Find some orphans to rob or puppies to torture," Max said.

"Maybe." And, now that Izzy thought about it, she had seemed really tired lately. Really, since the first day of classes. Her one on one's with the Dean lasted at least an hour, if not longer, than everyone else's classes, and she'd been looking drawn and pale for a while now. Maybe that, on top of not doing well in testing, had been point break for her. She was number seventy-five here at Nightgrove, but back home in Wyoming she was numero uno. Big fish, small pond.

Izzy nodded slowly. "I guess this place isn't for everyone," she concluded as she shut the dresser with a click.

She was going to stop looking this gift horse in the mouth and get on with business, which currently consisted of trying to figure out what the heck they'd seen in the woods.

She padded over to her own dresser and tugged out her night clothes. "So, which one of you guys got a look at the creature out there?" she asked, carefully schooling her tone to sound super casual.

"The bear?" Ashley asked, dropping onto the bean bag chair in the corner. "I did. Like, sort of, anyway. That thing was huge."

"I'm not gonna lie," Max said with a wince. "I closed my eyes and just started running. I'm not proud of it, but that's the truth."

"And you're sure you saw a bear, Ash?" Izzy said.

Ashley's golden brows knitted together. "I mean, yeah. I think so. What else would it be? Too big to be a wolf."

Aiko let out a bark of laughter. "Tell me you're thinking Sasquatch, Izzy."

"I don't know what I'm thinking, to be honest, Aiko," Izzy said, rubbing at the bridge of her nose as she walked into the bathroom to change. "Maybe I'm just overtired, is all."

She stepped into the bathroom and closed the door before slumping against it with a groan. This was all good. No one got hurt, Jessica had tapped out, and she was top of her class. She had to stop looking for problems where there weren't any.

She changed into her night clothes and made quick work of washing her face and brushing her teeth. With one last look in the mirror, and a resolute nod of encouragement to her reflection, she flicked off the light and headed into the bedroom.

Max was reading as Aiko and Ashley talked about their excursion in hushed, giggling tones. It really had been so silly. Thinking back on it in the brightly lit room, safe behind these stones walls, it seemed like any old camp story told around a fire.

Izzy made her way toward her bed and pulled out a sheet of paper and a pen before climbing in, balancing a book in her lap to write on.

Dear Sam,

When this letter finds you, you'll obviously already know the good news. Jessica--

She paused, pen hovering over paper, as she thought how to word it. No one outside of Nightgrove, and maybe cage fighting, thought of it as "tapping out"...

Jessica dropped out of the Academy today, so you'll have her back in Stockridge soon. I'm sure it will be nice to have a friend in town again, even if that friend isn't me. Anyway, just wanted to tell you that I love you and miss you and can't wait until I can come home to visit.

P.S. Send me back a picture of us together! I forgot to pack some and I sure would love to see your face.

XOXO Izzy

She folded the letter into thirds and slipped it inside an envelope before laying it on the little desk beside her bed, making a mental note to mail it the next day.

Aiko and Ashley were still up talking when she flipped off her bedside lamp and rolled onto her side.

Like most days, her body was tired. There was no way a person could use up as much energy as they did each day and not feel fatigued by the time they climbed into bed. If only her brain was as sleepy. Instead, it was flipping and dipping around like mad, jumping from thought to thought. Jake’s fury as he dragged her crashing through the woods. Rebbeca’s worried gaze as she stood waiting at the door. Tom’s bushy-bearded face sharing the story of poor old Cecil.

But no matter how chaotic and frenetic her thoughts were, they kept landing back in one spot.

Those eyes. Those preternatural, green eyes reflected back at her in the woods. That massive form, with a shape that resembled no bear she'd ever seen.

Stop it. You're just imagining things.

Probably like when she was a kid and had thought the coat-rack in the corner of her bedroom was a giant stick monster because its shadow was so creepy in the moonlight. She was grown now, though, and had long since learned that monsters weren't real.

But that reminder didn’t stop the nightmares from coming...

Chapter 13

The knock at the door the next morning came two minutes before they were prepped to leave for breakfast. When Izzy opened it, she was stunned to see Dean Cassandra, herself, standing there, her features impassive.

"Ladies, gather round. I'd like to speak with you all for a moment."

Ashley and Aiko had already left for class, which was ironic, because Izzy had a very good idea why the Dean had come and she was pretty sure Aiko was at the root of it.

She, Max, and Rebecca all gathered around the Dean, who stared at them for a long, uncomfortable moment that had them all fidgeting like nursery schoolers.

"Let’s cut right to the chase. Who was behind this plan of yours?" she asked, flicking a gaze across them each before letting her eyes settle on Izzy. "Was it you, Isabelle? Wanted to see if you could outrun a bear, did you?"

Izzy swallowed hard and shook her head, cursing Jake to the fiery depths of hell in her mind.

Snitch.

“Actually, ma'am, it was--" Izzy elbowed Max in the gut, cutting her off before nodding.

"Me. It was my idea. I know it was stupid and I won't let it happen again, Dean Cassandra. I can't believe how foolhardy it was. I put my roommates at risk, and I'm so embarrassed."

The others fidgeted even more aggressively, but didn't out her, despite the Dean's intense scrutiny.

"And you? Izzy's little minions? Did you think that was a good idea?"

Rebecca held up a finger. “To be fair, I…” The Dean sent her a quelling look and Rebecca cleared her throat. “I think it was a terrible idea. It was wrong of us, and like Izzy said, it won’t happen again.”

To Izzy’s surprise, the Dean’s face softened.

“Well, I must admit, I’m heartened that you all are standing up for one another, girls. That’s commendable. But don’t think that gets you off the hook,” she said, wagging a manicured finger. “If I let you get away with this, then it will be pandemonium and someone could do the same and not be so lucky. Until the rogue bear has been captured, we need to be extra diligent. Izzy, starting tomorrow, your class will be upping your weapons training to five days a week. You’ll stay after class for the next two weeks and clean all the weapons for your team and prep them for the following day before you’ll be allowed to join the others in the cafeteria for dinner. Next time you break the rules, and put any of your classmates at risk, you’ll be expelled.”

Izzy bit back a groan. That would cut into her extra training time, for sure. She forced a tight smile and nodded. “Of course, ma’am. Happy to do it.”

The Dean turned and started to sweep from the room when Izzy called after her, unable to help herself.

“Dean Cassandra, did Jessica say why she tapped?”

The Dean turned and met her gaze. “Unfortunately, she didn’t have what it took to stay the course. Her ego was a major issue and curtailed her learning. It’s for the best.”

With that, she exited the dorm, leaving the three girls staring behind.

“Phew, she’s one tough cookie,” Max murmured, slumping from her extra militant stance.

“But fair,” Rebecca said. “I mean, things really could’ve gone horribly wrong out there. I just feel bad you took the rap for all this, Izzy. Why did you?”

“Because I’m top of the class right now out of all of us and felt like I stood the least chance of being expelled if it came down to it,” Izzy said grimly. “I didn’t want any of you guys to lose your scholarships.”

Max’s eyes welled up and she threw herself at Izzy. “You’re the best, Izzy. And I’m gonna make it up to you. Aiko and Ashley will, too, once we tell them. And Rebecca, you didn’t even come with us. You guys are the best friends I’ve ever had.”

Izzy returned her embrace, and then pulled away. “It’s been really great having you all here for me, too. Makes it a lot less hard to be away from home,” Izzy admitted.

“Group hug!” Rebecca shouted, and then came in to wrap her arms around both of them until they were all laughing.

They broke apart a few seconds later and headed to breakfast. Izzy’s mind wasn’t on food, though. She had already been burning the candles at both ends to get to the top of the class, and now she had this extra work that would only make it harder to get in the additional practice and training she needed to bridge the gap and overtake Jake in first place.

She managed to force down some eggs and oatmeal, but only because food was fuel and she needed as much of that as she could get. Morning classes began a few minutes later with the class heading right to the gym.

“Today, we’ll be doing hand-to-hand combat sparring to break up the days of weapons training,” Baxter said as he pulled out a piece of paper.

Izzy wanted to weep with relief. She loved weapons training, so far, and was pretty good at it, but hand to hand meant no cleaning and prepping the weapons for the next day tonight. More time for an extra training session later.

“The sparring matchups are written on this paper, so come and take a look, pair up with your partner, and get in line,” Baxter continued.

In the weeks since his challenge to the kids, no one had managed to hit him with a pencil or pen yet, and all but a few stubborn souls had even ceased trying.

Izzy considered getting one out of her bag and taking a shot. She was getting lightning fast, but then Jake walked into the gym and her playful thoughts evaporated under the flaming heat of anger.

Izzy glanced at the sheet. Part of her hoped she was about to get a chance to give that snitch Jake some stitches. The other part hoped she didn’t have to even look at his stupid face right now, and also knew that Jake had a very good chance of beating her, which could affect her rank.

In the end, she got the worst of both worlds in Trent. She couldn’t—or wouldn’t, at any rate—get to take out her anger on him, and he still had a good chance of beating her to a pulp.

She glanced for Jake’s name on the list, out of curiosity, and noted he had been paired with Rebecca. She felt a little sizzle of apprehension and then shoved it away. This was sparring, not MMA. He’d go easy on her, and hopefully teach her a thing or two. As mad as she was at the jerk, he wasn’t a total monster that he would hurt a kid so much younger than them.

Izzy strolled over toward Trent, who was still waiting to see the paper, and waved him over. He smiled and walked with her.

“Seems like you got the short straw, buddy,” Izzy said with a wide grin. “I apologize in advance.”

Trent laughed. “I could say the same to you.”

The pair waited to line up for Rebecca, who was walking with Jake to join them. “Tattletale,” Izzy muttered under her breath.

If Jake heard, he didn’t let on, but Izzy was surprised to see that Rebecca wore a face of determination completely contrary to the terror she had expected to see.

When everyone lined up, Baxter stood in front of the line and motioned to the single large painted circle that was set up for them to spar in.

“Your goal is simple. You must force your opponent out of the ring. There’ll be a timer on this screen, here. If, after five minutes in the ring, no one has managed to do that, the match will be called a tie. If you’re injured and can’t continue, you can also tap out and the match will end. You’re allowed to use striking, as well as grappling but, obviously, there’s no eye gouging or intentional hits to the… nether regions, allowed,” he mumbled awkwardly. “Remember, we’re fighting, but don’t get crazy. Pull your punches a little. We’re expecting bloody lips, not concussions, all right?”

He shot a glance at Molly, who gave him a thumbs up.

Baxter grabbed gloves and headgear that had been sitting on the ground, and handed them to the first two students in line.

“Rebecca,” Izzy whispered, motioning her over as she stepped a few feet away from the line.

“What’s up?” she asked.

“Don’t be a hero. It was an unlucky matchup and it isn’t worth getting hurt over, so if it gets too intense, just let him push you out of the ring.”

“I’ll never learn if I don’t try. I’m going to do my best,” Rebecca replied with a brave smile as she stepped back into line.

Izzy shrugged as she walked back over to Trent. The first match had just ended and they were now second in line behind Molly and a tall girl named Sarah. Molly was way outsized, but since her injury a couple weeks before, she’d been improving at the physical stuff by leaps and bounds.

“You got this, Molly!” Izzy said, patting her friend on the back as she walked up to the ring. Molly turned around and shot her a toothy grin.

Baxter blew the whistle and Molly was off like a shot, rushing at Sarah, legs churning, head down. She hit the other girl center mass and Sarah was so thrown off by the speed and suddenness of the attack, Molly easily knocked her out of the ring in less than two seconds flat.

“Go, Molly!” Izzy and Rebecca cheered. “You’re getting so good, it looked like you were tapping into your ability for strength there,” Izzy said, high-fiving Molly as she walked past the line.

“Yep, I was. I only learned how yesterday, so I was hoping I could get it to work. I’ll never be as strong or as fast as some of the others, but at least I’m not a total wimp now!” she said with a grin.

“And you’ve got that stellar sniffer,” Rebecca reminded her, touching her fingertip to her own nose.

Baxter motioned Izzy and Trent to the circle, and she eagerly put her headgear and gloves on and stepped in.

Trent smiled and shook her hand before Baxter blew the whistle for them to start the match. She was getting stronger by the day, but if he got his hands on her, she knew she’d be dead meat. Luckily, the ring was just large enough for her to try to outmaneuver him. She stepped cautiously around the perimeter of the space, waiting patiently for him to make the first move. After a few moments of doing the same, he lunged at her, going low for her legs. She easily sidestepped to the right and ignored the potential opening for a blow to the back of the head or neck in order to continue circling. His endurance ability made it a waste of energy to try to land strikes on him. There was only one way to win, and that was speed.

He walked slowly towards her, hands raised. She lifted her own in a defensive position, suddenly feeling very small as he towered over her. Geez, he was like a brick frigging wall.

She was still sizing him up as his ham-sized fist snapped out. She used her forearm to block his first punch, but it came at a price. She staggered as pain shot up her arm like she got hit in the funny bone. This fight was going to be even harder than she thought. There was no way to easily get around his massive frame and arm span, and continuing to block those crushing blows was going to be a study in pain.

Come on, Izzy, think.

But there wasn’t much time for that as Trent lurched forward, sending another heavy punch towards her face. This time, there was no block needed as she dipped it easily. She continued circling the ring as they boxed, trying to create an opening to slip around him. She avoided a few more of his punches before Trent got wise to the fact that it was going to take more speed than he had to hit her. He grinned, hunkering down, and then came rushing at her the same way Molly had done to Sarah, only with his hands extended to shove her bodily from the ring.

This was her chance.

On a dime, she tapped into all of the speed she could muster as she crouched low and darted under his right arm. He tried to stop short, but momentum was on her side. That, plus a swift, strength-enhanced shove to the back, and he was face-planting onto the gym floor…

Outside the ring.

The place exploded into whistles and shouts as Izzy made her way over to Trent and held out a hand.

“Holy shit, that was a good move you pulled there. I got too impatient,” Trent said with a chuckle as he shoved himself to his feet with Izzy’s help.

He was an anomaly, she marveled, as she stared up at his still-grinning face. Almost impossible to hurt. Nothing kept him down for long.

“You did well, too, I’m not sure I’d win if we went again,” Izzy said, giving his hand a squeeze.

Baxter patted Izzy on the back as she walked back towards the line. “Excellent display. You’ve really improved a lot at enhancing your strength. Don’t think I haven’t noticed the hours you’ve been putting in to get there,” he said.

“Thanks a lot, Professor Baxter,” she replied, her heart swelling with pride.

Rebecca shot her a nervous smile from her place next in line, her bravado from earlier clearly dwindling now that her match was upon her. “You killed it out there!”

“Don’t be scared. Like you said, just do your best.”

Secretly, though, she hoped the younger girl took her advice and ceded the match. Rebecca was brilliant and had many gifts. But, while her strength was more developed than the average girl her age, due to her Enhancement abilities, to date, she’d shown nothing to suggest she could match an all-around beast like Jake.

It was going to be a slaughter out there. Thank god for the pads and headgear.

She watched, stomach pitching, as Jake silently walked into the ring. He donned his gear and then squared up. Rebecca did the same but the whole scene looked ridiculous. A pretty scrawny fifteen-year-old kid versus a veritable man nearly twice her weight, made of sheer muscle and a solid six inches taller. Izzy sent a questioning look at Baxter, hoping he would see how silly this was, but he was already blowing the whistle for them to start.

Jake leapt off his mark like a shot and tried to grab her to throw her from the ring, but Rebecca managed to duck and move sideways, landing a kick to his thigh, albeit an ineffectual one. She was making progress at using her ability for speed, but strength was clearly still an issue.

Jake was a shrewd fighter, and didn’t allow her to escape his range as he continued trying to grab her without success. Izzy stared at the timer on the screen, willing it to be over.

When a minute had passed to no avail, Jake’s jaw flexed as he dropped back into fighting stance and Rebecca gulped. He threw a lightning-quick jab at her chest, which she managed to dodge, but then followed up with a massive right hook aimed at her middle. It was slow enough that she got both arms in front of the blow in time, but it was enough to send her sailing into the air.

Izzy watched in shock as Rebecca landed in a heap a good three feet over the red line.

Chapter 14

The class of students, that had been chattering excitedly a moment earlier, went completely silent and watched in shock as Jake yanked his gloves off and bent to help her up. “Good job, Bex,” he said.

“You too,” she sputtered after she finally found her breath again and stood.

“You too? You too?” Izzy snapped as she stormed past the line of students and over to where he was standing, rage making her whole body shake. “No, it wasn’t. It was terrible,” she said to Rebecca before turning her outrage on Jake. “What the hell was that, you jerk? She’s only fifteen and weighs as much as a wet mop, and you throw punches like that at her? If your ego wasn’t bigger than your stupid muscles, maybe you’d realize how silly that just made you look.”

Jake’s nostrils flared and his throat worked, but he said nothing. Instead, he pushed past her without a word and it took everything she had not to follow him.

Her murderous thoughts were interrupted when Rebecca approached and put her hand on her arm.

“It’s okay, Iz. I wanted him to go all out, and I’m fine. I just want to get treated like everyone else,” she said as they walked back to where she had been standing, Izzy glaring at Jake’s retreating back the whole way. “Besides, the punch didn’t really hurt that bad because I blocked it. It was more the landing that stung a little,” she said, rubbing her bottom with a wince.

Izzy didn’t want to make her friend feel bad, so she didn’t press the issue, but she made a mental vow. The next time she and Jake went toe to toe, there would be no holding back. If he whooped her butt, so be it. At least she could get some of this ever-building frustration out on that stupid face of his.

* * *

By the time classes had ended and the day was over, Izzy's anger hadn't cooled even a single degree. Despite the grueling day of hand-to-hand combat, she was scarfing down dinner as fast as she could, already looking forward to some one-on-one time with the heavy bag.

She wondered if she shouldn't draw a picture of Jake's face on it, just for extra motivation.

"I still can't believe you did that for me," Aiko was saying as she shoveled a meatball into her mouth. "If I didn't think it would get you into more trouble for lying, I'd go into Dean Cassandra's office and fess up. I feel like a piece of garbage."

"I went willingly along with you," Izzy said with a sigh. "We all did. No point in everyone getting punished. What good will that do?"

Miguel slung an arm around Ashley and squeezed. "So long as my girl didn't get hurt, I'm not mad at you, Aiko."

Ashley's cheeks went pink and she leaned into him. "It was definitely scary, so you don't have to worry. I won't be going out there again anytime soon. But thanks, Izzy. We'll find a way to make it up to you."

Jake picked that moment to prowl past their table and out of the cafeteria, his perma-scowl in full effect.

"Want to make it up to me? Figure out how to get that kid to tap. He's worse than Jessica, I swear," she said, shooting a glance at Rebecca. "How's your abs feeling?"

Rebecca laughed and forked up a piece of pineapple from her fruit salad. "As fine as they ever were. I told you, it wasn't as bad as it clearly looked. And did you hear? He told me I did a good job and called me Bex." She let out a dreamy sigh and held her hand to her heart before plugging the chunk of pineapple into her mouth.

Izzy groaned as the others laughed. "First of all, Bex, he nearly five-finger-death-punched you. Second of all, I'm pretty sure, if he returned your crush, he could go to jail. And third of all, he's a douchebag of the highest order. Cocky, annoying, and what's with all the brooding? Not to mention, I'm pretty sure he was the one who ratted us out."

"Hmmm," Aiko said, exchanging a furtive look with Ashley, who just smiled.

"What?" Izzy demanded, dropping her fork with a plunk.

"Nothing. It's just...we thinks the lady doth protest too much," Max piped in with a giggle as she reverted back to her old renaissance persona for an instant.

Izzy glared at her and then at the other smiling faces in turn. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"Dunno...could it be that you like him? Maybe that's why everything he does rubs you the wrong way. Unrequited passions?" Max added with a snort-laugh.

"I liked you better as The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo wannabe," Izzy muttered, scooping her tray up and standing. "All of you are crazy. I don't have a crush on Jake. In fact, I can't stand him. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to punch an inanimate object and pretend it's his face for a while. Later.."

“Bye, Izzy. Say hi to your fake Jake doll for us all!”

Izzy rolled her eyes as she returned her empty tray and pushed her way out of the cafeteria, blood already humming in anticipation of her workout. Weird, she’d always liked the feeling of exercise and moving her muscles, but now it was a must. She felt like a caged lion if she went too long without moving and sweating a little.

She made her way to the gym, stopping off at her room to grab her headphones. When she shoved the door open, she let out a sigh of relief to find it empty. It usually was in the evenings, but the way her luck was running today, she had been holding her breath the whole way.

She took a minute to stretch, reveling in the elastic feeling of her muscles and tendons as she did. Then, she pulled out her iPod and plugged her headphones into her ears as she headed to the punching bags. For the next hour, she cranked up the tunes and let it rip. Uppercuts, jabs, hooks, and vicious roundhouse kicks, one so hard she actually split the seam of the heavy duty bag.

She paused, just long enough to strip off the hoodie she was wearing down to just a tank top and her leggings, and took it up a notch. By the time she was done, her body was bathed in sweat and she was gasping.

Now that was a workout. She felt better already. Jake's face would've been pulp by now if he'd been where that bag was.

She felt a tap on her shoulder and wheeled around with a gasp.

"Done there, Rocky?"

Speak of the devil, Satan himself stood there, one hand cocked on his lean hip. His own face was slick with sweat and she looked around the gym in surprise.

"H-how long have you been here?"

He shrugged, his gaze impassive. "Probably an hour. You were really focused so I didn't want to interrupt, but I need the bags if you're done."

Her already over-warm cheeks burned at the thought of him watching her this whole time, and she crossed her arms over her chest.

"Actually, we need to talk," she said, lifting her chin.

His jaw clenched and he blew out a sigh as he took a step back. "You know what, forget it. I don't feel like getting into it with you right now. I'll use the bags tomorrow. Have a good night, Izzy."

He turned and walked away, but she was far from done with their conversation.

"How do you hit a kid like that, Jake? Are you some sort of psycho masochist or do you just not care that you could've seriously hurt her?"

His steps didn't falter and Izzy's fury came back tenfold.

She bent and scooped up one of her discarded boxing gloves and hurled it at Jake's head.

Weapons training had made her aim balls-on accurate, and the glove connected with a thwack.

Jake turned and glared at her.

"What's your problem?" she demanded. "I want to know why you have to act like you're the star of some war movie where you lost all your friends in battle or something. But you don't even have that excuse. You're just a jerk and a snitch."

He moved so fast, she didn't even see him until he was in her face, so close that she didn't even need to engage her super senses to smell the spearmint on his breath and the sandalwood scent of the soap he used.

“I didn’t snitch. And anyway, this isn’t a damn game, Izzy. I went way easier on Rebecca than I should’ve. Not pushing herself hard enough could wind up getting her killed someday.”

"What the hell does that even mean?" she demanded, brain scrambled as much by his proximity as his cryptic reply. “Killed doing what? It’s not like we’re training to be Army Rangers or assassins or something.”

He scrubbed a hand down his sweaty face and scowled. “Look, I’ve said too much already. Far more than I should've when I don't even have it figured out myself, yet. Just keep your head down and try to stay out of trouble, Izzy."

With those strange and chilling words of warning, he walked away and didn’t turn back.

Chapter 15

The next two weeks were the busiest weeks of Izzy’s life as Baxter ramped up weapons’ training in preparation for a school-wide exhibition. Between that, her normal workout routine, and the extra tasks Dean Cassandra had given her, it was nothing but work work work. It was probably for the best. Her mind was too busy to dwell on the disturbing conversation between her and Jake.

Jake.

He had been even gloomier than usual lately, and had been avoiding everyone for weeks, especially her. He took all his food to his dorm, trained with over-ear headphones blasting, and was even more silent than usual in class. She crossed her fingers, hoping he could perform the way he was supposed to tonight in their demonstration.

Despite all that drama, she could barely contain her excitement. Tonight marked the end of her punishment, and she also would have then to show off her new skills. She knew her long hours practicing was finally really paying off.

As she pulled her uniform shirt over her head, Rebecca walked into the locker room.

“Hey, Iz, you feel like you’re ready? It’s almost time,” she said as she opened her locker and began changing.

“As ready as I’ll ever be,” she said with a shrug. “Are you going to tell me what you and Max have been up to these past two weeks, yet?”

“Nope,” Rebecca said with a sly smile. “You’ll see in a few minutes, no need to rush it.”

Izzy waited for Rebecca to finish putting her uniform on and they left together, headed to the large room where the obstacle course had been.

“I wonder how much it costs to change the whole room around like this,” Izzy said, marveling at the open space and bleacher seating. “It’s like a damn coliseum now.” The huge mirrors on the walls were even more off-putting and noticeable now that the room was so open, and Izzy had to remind herself not to let them distract her.

They made their way toward where Professor Baxter was standing in front of a bench, where the rest of their classmates sat, waiting for the event to begin. They took their seats next to a grinning Molly and waited a few minutes as the final stragglers got into the arena.

Dean Cassandra entered the room to a smattering of applause, and then made her way to the center of the arena, microphone in her hand. The students went silent before she even began to speak.

“First off, welcome to our first exhibition!” The place rang out with cheers and Izzy’s blood began pumping. It wasn’t a large school attendee-wise, less than one hundred people, but with all the staff and teachers present, she felt a little like she had at her first dance recital, age three.

“We will be having one per semester and they should be looked upon as the best opportunity for each class to show off what they’ve learned,” the Dean said. “As I’m sure your professors have told you, it will have an impact on your grade, as well as the rankings, but you should still treat it as a time to enjoy yourselves and show off a little, all right?”

Izzy was bristling with excitement now, and couldn’t wait for her to finish her speech so they could get started.

“Every class has had a chance to prepare a short presentation that will show off the skills of your group, but we will begin with a short bout between our very own professors, Victoria Kristoff and Tyson Sloane.” Izzy caught sight of Aiko and Max hooting and hollering on the other side of the room, cheering for their respective teachers as the Dean swept her hand to the right. “The man off to the side of the ring is a water Elemental, under my employ, that will be on standby in case anything catches on fire so that Tyson—Professor Sloane, to you—is able to use the full extent of his abilities. Now, let’s sit back and enjoy the show!” she said with a wide grin. This time, she didn’t walk off stage. She just winked off, only to appear sitting regally in a huge throne-like chair off to the side.

Apparently, show off time had begun.

Izzy saw Aiko’s face light up on the other side of the massive room and she pumped her arm, yelling words of support that Izzy couldn’t hear. The two teachers stepped around the large boulders that were scattered around the arena, presumably to be used as cover until they reached the center. Kristoff wore a tight floor-length dress that had Trent staring at her, mouth gaping, drawing a scowl from Molly. Sloane wore a white tank-top that nearly had Izzy open-mouthed, as well.

“This is gonna be friggin sweet. I wonder who is going to win,” Molly murmured from Izzy’s left.

“My money’s on Victoria,” Baxter said, turning to look at them, looking almost as excited as they were, “she is incredibly talented.”

The two professors shook hands in the center of the ring before turning and standing at the ends, one on each side. After a few moments, the Dean shouted “Go”, which prompted Sloane to charge forward toward his opponent.

“Ah, a good plan,” Rebecca said thoughtfully. “He wants to remove the disadvantage of the fire being delayed by having to come from his body.”

Kristoff raised a hand, and the massive boulder to Sloane’s right shot towards him like it had been launched from a catapult. He agilely leapt behind another nearby rock, which seemed to come to life and began to pursue him. He continued moving towards her, but the massive boulders were closing the distance. Izzy’s jaw dropped as he spun around to face them head on, put his hands together, and unleashed a monstrous torrent of flame. Before the speeding boulders could reach him, they melted into bright red magma.

“Holy shit!” Rebecca said, eyes opened wide in awe.

Holy shit, indeed.

Kristoff just smiled and backed up, using the opportunity to create more distance between them. Unfortunately for her, Sloane was faster. When he was within ten yards, he put his right hand up and shot a huge gout of flame into the air that split into dozens of snakelike whips of fire that shot towards Kristoff. She dodged them while moving boulders towards him to counterattack, but the massive whips deflected them whenever they got close. Izzy gasped as she realized he was attacking in such a way that she had no choice but to close the gap between them, rather than run further away.

She was almost within arm’s reach when he pulled his hand down and began to charge her once again. Her formerly distraught expression turned to an ear-to ear grin as she raised a single hand in his direction. He stopped like he had been frozen in time. As she stepped closer, his legs began to wobble and shake, until he gradually dropped to his knees, every muscle in his body tensing, bulging in stark relief. But resistance was futile. Kristoff was just too powerful. She reached out and, pressing a finger gun to his forehead, pulled the “trigger” with a grin.

“Look!” Molly shouted, pointing behind Kristoff. A small but growing fireball was flying towards Kristoff from behind, unbeknownst to her. The fireball changed shape as it moved closer, until it resembled a massive bull. She turned to see it, eyes widening in terror, but there was no time to dodge such a huge attack. “That’s enough,” the Dean, who was now standing right beside the combatants, shouted. The bull did a 180 and ran into the distance, shrinking back into nothing. The crowd erupted in a roar of applause and chatter.

“That was incredible, she’s so cool!” Molly said enthusiastically.

“I told you she was good, and keep in mind it apparently takes way more skill and effort to use her ability on people than just objects. Most telekinetics could never hope to achieve such a feat,” Baxter said.

“I thought Matter Manipulators could only use their abilities on objects?” Izzy said.

“No, they can influence anything in the physical world, they’re just not able to affect the mind with their abilities,” he said as he turned and motioned to Rebecca. “You’re up next, kiddo.”

Rebecca nodded and shot Izzy a thumbs up. Then, she stepped into the ring, red-faced. Max met her at the center from the opposite side, followed by Sloane and Kristoff, who brought a microphone and handed it to Rebecca. Sloane carried a small log and placed it beside him.

“Max and I have been working on some devices that are meant to counter the abilities of telekinetics and fire Elementals. I came up with the designs and Max implemented them and made them more practical,” Rebecca said, stuttering all the way through.

She grabbed a baseball-sized sphere from her pocket and gestured to Sloane. He activated his ability by setting the log ablaze. She put the device next to the fire and twisted it before quickly running back.

“This device eats oxygen in a small area around it, making it impossible for a fire to stay burning,” Rebecca said as the fire fizzled to nothing. “The current version works for a few minutes, but Max thinks she might be able to construct it to go longer.”

Rebecca signaled awkwardly to Professor Kristoff and pulled out a second sphere of the same size. Kristoff used her powers and lifted a boulder a few feet away as Rebecca twisted the device, rolling it in the direction of the boulder.

For a few seconds, nothing happened, and Izzy’s heart fell. But as the little ball came rolling to a stop, suddenly, the boulder came crashing to the ground so hard, the bleachers seemed to tremble.

“This one traps its surroundings in a sort of invisible bubble that telekinesis can’t seem to reach through,” Rebecca said, gesturing again to Kristoff. The professor moved towards the boulder until she was a foot away, and activated her ability again, lifting it.

“Notice that she is still able to affect things inside the bubble but would now be unable to lift anything outside of it,” Rebecca said with a bow as Kristoff waved her hand at a distant boulder in demonstration. “Thank you, that’s all.” She awkwardly jogged back towards the bench as the Enhancement students erupted in applause and the other two classes began chattering.

“Simply incredible,” Dean Cassandra said into the mic. “This could change how magic is used forever! Revolutionary in terms of defense.”

“Not sure how anyone could possibly top that, was it just the two of you working on it?” Izzy said, shouting over the applause and compliments coming from the rest of their classmates.

“Yea, they gave us access to a few studies and let us do some trials with the professors, but it was just us working on it,” Rebecca said, cheeks still crimson but now glowing from the attention of her classmates.

“Next up, Professor Sloane and his class will show us what they’ve been working on all this time,” the Dean said.

The Matter Manipulators and Elemental classes did an awesome job. Aiko did the choreographed battle against Miguel that she had been talking about, and they both showed excellent control of their powers as bolts of lightning and fire tangled in the air between them, culminating in an incredible clash of their abilities that had nearby rocks turning red with heat.

When it got to Ashley’s turn from Professor Kristoff’s group, she did a stunningly graceful ballet, tutu and all, while spinning rocks all about her, and ended by jumping onto a huge board she was levitating and landing on the tip of one, pink shoe, en pointe.

Again, the crowd went nuts, but no one more so than Miguel, who kept pumping his fist, yelling, “That’s my baby! Get it, girl. Show ‘em what’s up!”

Before she knew it, it was Izzy’s turn. Her anticipation was like a razor’s edge, so fine she nearly shook with it. She might not be able to throw fire, but she had gotten damn good at the stuff she could do. Hopefully, she’d impress.

She sucked in a breath, and stepped towards the small case of bows that had been wheeled into the entrance of the huge hall and picked hers up, aggressively ignoring Jake in the process. She needed her focus if she wanted to nail this. She’d been consistent in practice, but how she controlled her nerves would be a serious factor in her success. Jake and Molly pulled up beside her, grabbing their own bows.

A large platform, sort of like a stage but with metal bars on the front and sides, was brought in next, and Trent took his position in front of it as they walked over.

“You got this Trent, keep us steady,” Izzy murmured, flashing him a smile as they stepped onto the platform.

Trent rolled over onto his back and used his arms and legs to lift the huge platform with all three of them on it. It quickly steadied once he got it up into the air. The crowd roared in amazement at the feat of strength. The platform alone must’ve weighed at least a few hundred pounds, and to be able to keep it steady with the three of them on it was incredible.

Baxter and a few other staff members stepped up and placed three huge wooden boards on the far side of the room, which must’ve been at least a hundred yards out. When they were out of the way, Baxter shot them a thumbs up and Molly drew her bowstring back.

Molly nailed the board, making a perfect circle of a dozen arrows and then aiming her final shot at the center. While she was firing her last shot, Izzy was leashing her first, just like they had practiced. She was moving so quickly that the next arrow was knocked before the first had even reached the target. Just like in practice, her arrows laid out a perfect pattern.

Now, so long as Jake doesn’t screw his up, they’d-

Her mouth dropped open as she noticed that he had fired his shot at her target instead of his. He had split her first arrow right down the middle and another was already soaring through the air. One after another, he split each of her arrows until he reached the final one in the center. He sent his last shot flying and stood back with a nod, not even bothering to look and see if he hit his mark.

Needless to say, he did, and the crowd went wild as Izzy’s final arrow was decimated. Molly clapped wildly and high-fived him.

“Wow! That was super cool!”

Super cool? It was cocky and arrogant and selfish, is what it was. That wasn’t what they’d practiced at all. Could he really not stand to be out of the spotlight for one second? It was supposed to be a team exhibition to show off what they had been practicing, but he had totally stolen her and Molly’s thunder.

“Jake!”

Jake hopped off the platform, either ignoring or not hearing her. She jumped off the down as well and reluctantly accepted Molly’s high-five. Trent rolled out from under the platform, and Izzy heard Molly complimenting him, but Izzy’s sole focus was in front of her as she stormed after Jake.

Before she could reach him, the Dean warped into the space next to him.

“Excellent display, Jacob,” she said into the microphone as she held his arm up into the air.

She flipped the microphone off and exchanged a few words with him that Izzy couldn’t hear, while she stalked back to the stands where much of her class was preparing for the sword display that some of them had prepared.

Baxter looked at her sympathetically and she slowed as he lifted a hand.

“You have to admit, it was pretty impressive.”

“Right,” she scoffed, her whole body tense. “At the expense of the rest of us. You think there aren’t things I could’ve done to showboat? And anyway, he’s just a jerk, in general. He nearly punched a hole through Rebecca a couple weeks ago when he should’ve held back, and he’s been mean to everyone the whole semester. Whatever his problem is, I’m not here for it.”

Professor Baxter pursed his lips, his gaze full of sympathy, before he turned to watch the sword fighting display, the last of the evening, as he spoke quietly. “You think he didn’t hold back with Rebecca, Izzy?”

She swallowed hard and shrugged. “Sure seemed like he didn’t.”

“The boy has been training his whole life. You haven’t even seen half of what he’s capable of.”

She blinked, suddenly shaken. What was it with the guys here and the cryptic talk? “What does that mean?” she asked, sick of feeling like she was in a maze with no exit.

“I mean, he could’ve put his fist straight through her and skewered her if he’d wanted to. He’s pulled every punch he’s thrown since you all arrived. His mother will only allow him to be so soft without reprimanding him, though.”

“His mother?” Izzy said, swallowing hard. Why did she get the feeling she didn’t want to hear this?

“The Dean. Cassandra is his mother, didn’t you know that?” Baxter asked, turning his attention from the display with a frown.

Blood rushed to her ears and she stared at Jake’s retreating back as he stalked toward the locker rooms as the final exhibition came to an end.

More secrets.

Enough was enough.

Chapter 16

Izzy shoved through the locker room door, barreling in like she was going to battle. And maybe she was. When she found Jake, bare chested as he rifled through his locker, she didn't hesitate to unload on him.

"I'm done with you. Done with all of this nonsense. What was that out there? It was nothing like we'd practiced. Why? Just to hurt me?" Izzy demanded as she glared at him, trying not to notice his ripped physique and failing miserably. She wet her suddenly dry lips and looked away as she waited for his answer.

"We're on the same team. I would never go out of my way to hurt you," Jake finally answered, closing the locker door with a snap.

"Yeah, well, I'd hate to see how you treated someone on the other team, then," Izzy shot back, "because that was a garbage move you pulled. I'm here on a scholarship and you went out of your way to humiliate me out there." Her throat went tight with emotion, and the resulting shame that she'd let him get to her like that made her even angrier. "You might have your rich mom, the Dean, to pay your way for everything, but some of us aren't so lucky."

A muscle in Jake's jaw ticked and he stepped closer, hands balled into fists. "Lucky?" He let out a hard laugh. "You think having the Dean as my mom makes me lucky? Do you have any idea what my childhood was like, Izzy? While you and your little friends were playing tea party and hide and seek, I was in testing, hooked up to a monitor like a lab rat, so you don't know what you're even talking about."

“Powers don’t even manifest until late teens,” she murmured through numb lips. “Leonard told me that when he first recruited me…”

“Yeah. If there isn’t someone forcing the issue. And, believe me, my mother was all about dragging them to the surface as early as possible.”

Izzy's stomach bottomed out as her mind provided a flash of a younger Jake. A less jaded, more innocent version of himself running against a stopwatch. Every move he made being measured and recorded. That must've been awful.

As bad as she felt about that, though, it didn't make his behavior toward her or the others okay.

"Two things can be sad or bad at the same time, you know," she replied, a little more calmly now. "My mom is dead. It's only me and my dad now. He's worked nights for longer than I can remember, and money is a constant issue. It's been really tough on a lot of levels. You can't tell me not to make assumptions about you and then do the same to me. Not to mention that you told me we weren't out here trying to best each other. We were here to compete with ourselves and try to improve. Then you upstage me in front of everyone for no reason. Face it, Jake. You're a class A hypocrite."

Jake turned away before returning his gaze to study her face.

"I didn't split the arrow to show you up or embarrass you," he said finally in a defeated tone she'd never heard him use before. "And don't ask me why I did do it, because I can't tell you. Not without putting you in danger."

She snorted and rolled her eyes. "Right. That again. The mysterious danger of Nightgrove Academy," she said, adding jazz hands for maximum snarky effect. "Where, apparently, murderers lurk around every corner and only Jake knows about them." She crossed her arms over her chest and shrugged. "Spill it or stop with the mind games. I don't have time to play Sherlock with you, Jake. I've got too much to do here if I want to ensure I keep my place at the top of the class. I'm not going back to Wyoming until I've learned and grown enough here to get a great, high-paying job that I can use to support my family, and I refuse to let you ruin it for me."

"You're asking questions that you don't want the answers to. Leave it, Izzy. For once, can you just trust me?"

"Why should I?" she shot back.

"Because I'm asking you to, damn it," he shouted, the last thread of control finally snapping as anger rolled off him like a brewing storm. "And you owe me one for the other night, outside. If for no other reason, do it for that."

"Why do you hate me so much?"

As soon as the words were out, she wished she could snatch them back. Asking meant she cared...that his feelings about her mattered.

But as he padded toward her, nostrils flaring, she knew it was too late. In one, smooth motion, he grabbed her and pushed her hard against the lockers, making her gasp.

"I wish I hated you, Izzy. It would make my life a whole lot easier. I--" He broke off with a low growl. He dipped his head closer, only to jerk away when chatter echoed down the hallway.

"Let it go, Izzy," he murmured, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear with such gentleness, it sent butterflies flapping in her belly. "For now, at least. If, and when, I have something to tell you, I will."

The locker room door slammed and Max and Rebecca came in, chattering excitedly as Izzy and Jake broke apart.

"Hey, guys..." Rebecca said, her gaze flicking between them, a grin tugging at her lips. "Should we come back or…?"

"No," Jake said with a tight smile. "We're done talking."

Adrenaline still pounded in her veins as Jake opened his locker again and grabbed a shirt.

"I've got to go. See you back at the room?" she said to Max and Rebecca. She didn't wait for a reply as she hightailed it out of there.

After her discussion with Jake, she wasn't so cocky as to think she was right about everything, but she knew for sure he was wrong about one thing.

They definitely weren't done talking.

Not by a long shot.

* * *

Half an hour later, Izzy stood by her desk, staring down at the letter in her hand, brain whirring like a motor. She read it again, more slowly this time.

Dear Izzy,

First off, I missss you! The summer is dragging by and this town is just as boring as ever. I did kiss Patrick McKenna at a bonfire by the lake the other night, though. Not sure if it's going to be a thing or not, will keep you posted. Speaking of which, what's up with the no phone thing there? Gulag, much? I guess you guys must be getting a lot of studying and running done, since you have no way to communicate with anyone besides Pony Express.

Anyway, I got a summer job at the Bethany Farms produce stand, and I'm already running ten minutes late, so more later.

But it wasn't the top part of the letter that had Izzy in a tailspin. It was the postscript…

P.S. You mentioned in your last letter that Jessica dropped out, but if she did, she didn't come back to Stockridge. I saw her parents at FroYoOnTheGo last night and when I asked about her, they said she was doing great at her fancy school in Idaho. I'm wondering if she lied to them because she was too humiliated to come home? I tried to call her a few times, just to check on her, but it went straight to voicemail. Weird. Hope she's okay.

Izzy gnawed on her lower lip as a dozen scenarios ran through her mind. In the end, though, none of them sat well enough with her that she could just put it out of her head. What if Jessica had been sent home via train and never made it? Her parents might not even have known she'd tapped out, and she could be lying somewhere dead, or in some wackos basement chained to a dirty cot.

She pushed herself to her feet, resolved. There was no love lost between her and Jessica, and she'd been thrilled when the girl had left, but if something happened to her because Izzy kept this information to herself, she wouldn't be able to sleep at night.

She left the room right as the others came piling in, giggling madly.

"Ohh, there she is. Were you in here daydreaming about you and a half-naked Jake in the locker room?" Aiko said with a chuckle.

Izzy rolled her eyes and shot a grinning Rebecca a thorny glare. "Seriously?"

"It was big news, Izzy. I'm sorry, but I couldn't keep it to myself."

"Well, for the record, nothing happened." At least, almost nothing. "I can barely stand the kid and the feeling is mutual, so don't start with all this shipping nonsense."

"Right," Max chirped with a nod. "Got it. Because none of us can feel the tension between you two every time you're in the same room."

Izzy blew out a sigh and shook her head. "Whatever. Think what you want, I have bigger things to think about."

"Like what?" Aiko asked with a frown.

"Apparently, Jessica never went home when she left Nightgrove."

Aiko blinked and then shrugged. "Okay. And?"

"Don't you think that's strange? She's eighteen, doesn't have a job, and has always lived with her parents? Where else would she go?" Izzy asked.

"Don't know, and frankly, don't care."

Ashley winced and wrinkled her nose. "Frankly, I'm with Aiko. Jessica seems pretty capable of looking out for herself. She probably has mind-screwed a bunch of hot guys to carry her back home on a chariot like some Roman empress or something. She's like a cat. She always lands on her feet."

Izzy thought back to how pale Jessica had looked the past couple of weeks and shouldered her way past her friends. "Be that as it may, I'm going to talk to the Dean about it. I'd never forgive myself if something happened to her."

"Okay, see you later, then?" Max called as Izzy made her way down the hall.

"See you later."

When she reached the Dean's office, she was surprised to find her there. She'd been thinking she might still be dealing with the aftermath of the exhibition, but instead, she was behind her desk, typing away at her computer. She looked up as Izzy rapped lightly on the doorframe.

"Hello, Isabelle. Good show out there today!" Dean Cassandra said with a wide smile. "We were all very impressed."

"We?" Izzy asked with a nod of thanks.

"Myself and the staff. We spoke afterward about all of you, at length. Professor Baxter feels like you're something special."

Izzy flushed and shifted her weight from foot to foot.

"That's really nice. I'm a big fan of his, as well. Um, and speaking of special, I wanted to ask you...Jessica? She tapped out a couple weeks ago and we're actually from the same town. I wrote to a mutual friend, who just wrote back today and mentioned Jessica didn't go back home. Did someone from the school make sure she got there safely or…?"

The Dean stopped tapping on the computer keys and settled more deeply into her expensive-looking leather chair. For a long moment, she was silent, and Izzy wondered if she was going to answer at all. Like mother, like son, apparently. But then, she finally spoke in a slow, measured tone.

"This is a...sensitive topic, Isabelle," the Dean said, pursing her lips. "And one I shouldn't even be speaking to you about, but given your personal connection with her and her family, and your worry, I'm going to give you what information I can. I'd ask that you not share any of it outside these walls."

Izzy nodded slowly. "Ok. I won't say anything."

"Jessica has been struggling for quite a while now. The curriculum in our one-on-one sessions was grueling, but necessary, in order to ensure that she used her powers in a way that was safe for herself and others. This particular type of gift can be very destructive. Despite our efforts, it got to be too much for her and she had a bit of an emotional breakdown. When she rang the bell and came to my office, she asked that we help her find a mental health facility to go to for a time. Both to discuss her feelings and work through her emotions, as well as to try to acclimate herself to the idea of going back to regular life. She requested that we not inform her parents until she was ready to tell them herself."

The Dean splayed her hands and shrugged.

"She's eighteen, and an adult, so we had no choice but to honor that request. That said, the letter you received could've been from a week ago or longer. She may have already spoken to them by now."

Izzy let that information marinate for a minute before replying.

"Has anyone actually spoken to her since she left? My friend said she couldn't get through on her cell phone."

"That's true," Dean Cassandra confirmed with a clipped nod. "They don't allow phones, either. Social media is a detriment to therapy. But I've been making daily inquiries about her status and have talked to her doctors. She's doing very well."

Izzy let out a breath and tried to will the knot of worry in her stomach away. It made sense. Frankly, even if Jessica had contacted her parents by now to tell them what happened, they wouldn't have shared that information with Sam. It was a sensitive topic, to be sure.

"I hope she gets the help she needs," she murmured.

"She will. And might I offer you some advice for your own mental health, Isabelle?"

"Sure," Izzy said, knowing the question was rhetorical but replying anyway to be polite.

"It's better to adjust your expectations here at Nightgrove. This isn't like a regular college. We expect to lose a good 10% of the class to tap outs before year one has passed. Not everyone is cut out to be superhuman or handle all the responsibilities that come along with it."

The Dean paused and then peered down at her watch. "You'd better head to the cafeteria. They’ll be locking up for the night and putting away the snacks, and I'm sure you're hungry after that display this afternoon."

The Dean began tapping on her keyboard again and Izzy knew she'd been dismissed.

As she made her way down the hall, she couldn’t help but wonder if she hadn’t gone off the deep end a little. Maybe Jake and his conspiracy theory ramblings had gotten the better of her. Sure, there were things that seemed strange here at Nightgrove, but it was a school for genetically gifted human beings. Likely the first of its kind, at least, that she knew of. It was bound to be strange, wasn't it?

She pushed aside her reservations and headed to the cafeteria as her stomach let out a rumble. Jessica was fine and that was that. She needed to stop letting herself get distracted from her goal. To make a better future for her and her father. End of story.

It was time to stop playing Nancy Drew, forget about Jessica, forget about Jake, and most of all? Forget about that almost-kiss in the locker room.

Somehow, though, she had a feeling all of that would be far easier said than done...

Chapter 17

“How you feeling, sleeping beauty?” Aiko said as Izzy rolled out of bed super late the next morning while the rest of them were getting ready to leave for lunch. “Thought you were waiting for Jake to come wake you up with a kiss or something.”

“After that stunt he pulled yesterday with the arrows, he’d be more likely to get a kick than a kiss from me,” Izzy said, cheeks flaming hot. She would count herself lucky that none of her roomies were as good at reading micro-expressions as Professor Baxter was. If they ever found out about her conflicting, love/hate feelings for Jake, she’d never live it down.

Those thoughts and a million others had kept her up late the night before, and she wished things could just go back to whatever passed for normal around this place.

“Well, hurry up, we’re almost ready. We couldn’t stand waiting any longer, I’m starving,” Aiko said.

When they got to the cafeteria, the lunch rush had apparently already passed, as it was nearly empty. They made their way up to Tom, who was standing in front of trays full of delicious-looking roasted chicken, mashed potatoes and fresh peas.

“How you girls doing?” he asked jovially. “Max and Rebecca, I was really impressed by your ball-ey things at the exhibition.”

“We’re feeling awesome,” Max said. “I think I can still make big improvements on the construction of those and Rebecca had an idea for something that would work against electricity that she wants to try out with Miguel. We’re gonna go to the lab after lunch and put a few hours in.” Rebecca nodded eagerly as Max spoke.

“I’m still trying to figure out if it’s better to go with a strong conductor or some kind of dampening field,” Rebecca said, scratching her chin, deep in thought. Izzy laughed at the contrast between the shyness the younger girl had initially shown towards Tom and her enthusiasm now.

“Incredible,” Tom said as he served Izzy a piece of chicken. “I’m looking forward to seeing what else you two will come up with.”

Tom served the rest of the girls their chicken and they made their way over to the lunch table. Miguel was waiting with a now-empty plate and Ashley took a spot beside him.

Molly walked in shortly after they started to eat. “Hey, girls, I’ll be over in a sec. I could smell that chicken when I was working out and it was all I could think about!”

“She can smell that far?” Aiko asked incredulously as Molly scurried away toward the food. The gym was a good three-minute walk from the cafeteria.

“Yea, she’s our sniffing expert,” Rebecca said with a laugh. “She could make good money digging for truffles someday.”

Aiko laughed and went back to munching on her chicken.

“Are you gonna be free to come down to the lab with us tomorrow after class, Miguel?” Max asked. “We are gonna be working on a few prototypes for that device we talked about.”

“Sure, I already talked to Ashley about it,” Miguel said, pulling Ashley closer.

“Delicious!” Molly said through a mouthful of food as she sat down.

“We can always rely on Tom,” Ashley agreed.

When they finished their meal, the group headed to the auditorium and hung out for about an hour, waiting for the movie to begin. Izzy took the end seat and stopped paying attention to her friends’ conversation as her mind shot back to the situation with Jessica.

Operation: Forget About It All had been an abject failure, thus far. It made her want to puke but she was still actually worried about how the poor girl was doing. If she could just get access to a phone to talk to Sam about the whole thing, she’d feel better. Who knew? Maybe Jessica was already back home now? After Izzy’s talk with the Dean, she’d gone back to her room and checked the postmark to find that it had been sent six days ago…

Still, she’d be much more settled if she didn’t feel so in the dark. She briefly considered asking Professor Baxter to use his phone, but she doubted that he even would, since it was forbidden. And she’d already gotten a warning for sneaking out. She’d be risking punishment or even expulsion if she decided to slip into one of the teachers’ offices and use their phone.

“I love comedies,” Rebecca said from Izzy’s side, breaking her concentration. “It’s gonna feel so good to just shut my mind off for a bit after these past few weeks.”

“Same, except mine hasn’t been working quite as hard,” Molly said, laughing. “I’m just happy to get a day to rest my arm after pulling that bowstring back so many times. I hope Trent gets here before it starts. He was still at the gym when I left to come and eat.”

“I think having Jake around makes us all push it that much harder,” Rebecca said.

“Of course, you’d think that, Bex,” Aiko said, laughing at their friend’s red face.

The movie took Izzy’s mind off of the crazy situation with Jessica and the almost-way her conversation had ended with Jake. By the time the film credits were rolling, the tension knotting her muscles had finally unfurled some.

The group headed over to their dorm, seeing Professor Sloane walking down the hallway with a man Izzy didn’t recognize. He was dressed in a sharp-looking charcoal suit and he and Sloane were walking towards one of the exits.

“Hey, Professor,” Aiko said with a wave, “what are we doing in class tomorrow?”

“It’ll just be back to how it was before training for the exhibition. Blowing stuff up and causing mayhem, as usual,” he said with a quick grin over his shoulder without slowing.

“Wonder who that guy is with him, he looked real official,” Molly said. “Anyone seen him before?”

The group shook their heads in unison as Sloane held the door open and led the gentleman out of the school.

“Probably someone from the government or somewhere? With so many of us on scholarship, the school’s gotta get its funding from somewhere,” Izzy said. In fact, now that she thought about it, she didn’t know a single person who had paid for their own tuition…

"Trent didn’t come to lunch or the movie. I’m worried he’s putting in too many hours. Like, what kind of weirdo skips a movie day to work out more?" Molly said.

"Yea, what a weirdo, probably trying to catch up to me after that beatdown I put on him a few weeks ago," Izzy said, jokingly flexing her muscles.

"I'm sure that's it," Molly said with a laugh.

They were walking past the cafeteria when Professor Baxter stepped out with a plate of food.

"Busted,” he said with a grin. “Tom is making enchiladas for dinner, and I figured I’d test them out for him since I missed lunch.”

The girls all chuckled and stopped to chat.

“You all enjoying your day off?" he asked. "I have some awesome stuff prepared for us this week. We're gonna stop the weapons training for now and move into focusing on intuition and sensory-type stuff. Your time to shine, Molly," he said, smiling pleasantly.

"Sweet, can't wait to stick it to Jake and Izzy, here," Molly said, grinning as she tapped her finger on her nose.

"We'll see. I've been practicing a lot," Izzy said with a chuckle.

Baxter smiled at them and turned to walk away, but a bell sound reverberated through the cafeteria, stopping him in his tracks.

It took a second for the sound to register, but when it did, Izzy’s heart gave a squeeze.

"Somebody tapped, I guess," Rebecca said, standing and leading the way over to the screen on the side of the cafeteria to see who. "Holy cow...it was Trent," Rebecca whispered, clearly in shock.

"Trent?" Aiko said. "I thought you guys were just saying how he was putting in extra hours to pass Izzy and Jake, but now he taps?"

The room seemed to dip and whirl as Izzy soaked in the shocking news. How was this even possible?

"Excuse me, students. I...I need to go find out what happened," Baxter said, looking as shell-shocked as Izzy felt. He strode out of the cafeteria with plate in hand.

“I was just in the gym with him. He was going to stay back and do a few more sets, but he seemed fine. He never said a word about tapping…” Molly said, tears brimming in her eyes.

He was big and strong, her, not so much, but the two had bonded and become what Izzy would have considered fast friends. That he made no mention of his tapping to Molly seemed more than a little strange.

"Some guys like to be macho on the outside, even when they’re struggling on the inside. Maybe he just felt like he accomplished what he needed to after that exhibition?” Ashley offered.

"He would never give up for no reason, something must've happened," Rebecca said. "Maybe there were issues with his family and he just found out or something? Did he seem off to you, Molly?"

"No, I am as surprised as you guys. He seemed fine to me when we were working out earlier. I can't believe he would leave without saying anything to me, to be honest," she replied with a sniffle.

Izzy said nothing while her friends discussed the strange event. She couldn’t seem to find the words. Plus, she still hadn’t mentioned to any of them what the Dean had told her about Jessica. If it was true, that Jessica had a mental breakdown, it hardly seemed appropriate to gossip about it. But the fact that Jessica and Trent had both tapped out within a couple weeks of each other was weighing on her heavily. Jessica leaving made some sense, given her exhaustion in the days leading up to her leaving, but Trent? He was the most steadfast, determined person Izzy knew, and he’d been so enthusiastic at the exhibition. She could hardly imagine why he had chosen to leave.

Unless the choice hadn’t been his…

The tension creeped back up her neck and a ball of cold fear formed in her stomach.

"Let's head back to the dorm," Izzy said, leading the way before waiting for a response.

Once they’d reached their room, conversation about Trent continued as the others theorized what had made him go. A family emergency? Or maybe, like Ashley had said, some deep, hidden sadness or insecurity?

But Izzy couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. She barely listened as her friends chatted. Because now, she knew the truth, deep in her bones.

Jake's mysterious words, Jessica's mental breakdown, and Trent's abrupt decision to leave were all connected.

It was time for one more conversation with Jake. Only, this time, she wasn’t leaving until he told her everything he knew.

"Alright, we’re going to leave you guys for a while. Max and I are working on some new tech and we’re obsessed.” Rebecca turned her attention to Max. “Ready to head to the lab?" Rebecca said.

"Sure," Max said as she stood and got ready to go.

"Actually, can I join you for a bit?" Izzy asked suddenly, the germ of an idea beginning to form in her mind.

"Sure," Rebecca said, looking confused.

Izzy spent the walk to the lab figuring out how to frame her request in a way that wouldn't cause needless worry, get them into trouble or, worst case, put them in harm’s way.

"So, guys, if I asked a favor, but I couldn’t tell you why, would you trust me enough to do it for me? So long as I swear my intentions are good?" she asked.

"Uhh, sure," Max said after a moment’s pause. Rebecca nodded solemnly.

Izzy let out a relieved breath. "Okay. What I need is a small camera that I could hide somewhere that wouldn't be too conspicuous. Is that something you could make at the lab?"

"Trying to spy on Jake in the locker room?" Rebecca said, her serious face turning to a mischievous grin. "Consent is a serious topic, Izzy."

Izzy’s lips twitched into a grin. "I can promise it's not for that.”

"Okay, sure. We'll have it to you by the end of the night. We have access to cameras that are already made, it'll just be a matter of disguising it," Max said.

"Thanks, guys, sorry that I can't fill you in at the moment," Izzy said with an apologetic smile. She was lucky to have such reliable friends in this crazy place.

"No worries, I'm sure you have your reasons," Max said as she opened a nearby toolbox.

"I'll let you guys get to your work, then, thanks."

Rather than heading straight to her dorm, she veered off, anxious to get the conversation with Jake out of the way, first. She considered what she was going to say during the walk to the boys’ dorm, but she dreaded the apology that she'd inevitably have to give him, most of all.

She knocked on his door and a short boy that she recognized from the Elemental exhibition opened it. "Hey. What's up?"

"Is Jake here?" she asked.

"Jake, some girl's here to see you," he called over his shoulder.

She heard him roll out of bed and, a moment later, he was standing in the doorway, eyeing her warily. "What do you want, Izzy?"

"I have something important to talk to you about," she said, gesturing for him to come with her.

"Not here to scream at me?"

"Look, Jake, I'm sorry about that, I shouldn't have done that. You were being sort of a dick, though. And the whole arrow-splitting thing--" She broke off and held up a hand. “Not important right now. I’m over it. There are more serious matters at hand.”

He drew back but then inclined his head with a sigh as he followed her out of the room. "Fine. What’s up now?" he asked once they were in the hallway.

"Did you hear that Trent tapped?"

"Yea, it's a shame. He was a hardworking dude." His face was a mask of indifference, not giving away even a hint of emotion.

"He was. And a good person and teammate. That's what I'm here about. He was the last person I'd ever expect to tap.”

“Sometimes, you think you know someone…” Jake trailed off and suddenly seemed reluctant to meet her gaze.

“Stop.” She tried not to let the desperation leak into her voice. She needed to convince him through calm, clear logic, not emotion. “You and I both know there’s more to this, Jake. I also got a letter from home yesterday saying that Jessica hasn't returned home. Don’t you wonder why are all the best people leaving? Sure, Jessica wasn’t ranking well, as far as stats, but that’s only because her powers aren’t suited for the type of tests we’d been taking. She was strong, Jake. Really formidable, and she loved lording it over everyone. It just doesn't add up.”

She took a step closer and dipped low until his downturned eyes met with hers.

“You know more than you're letting on, and, unless you talk to me now, I’m going to take my concerns directly to your mother.” It was a bluff. She wasn’t sure the Dean wasn’t in on whatever was going on, but Jake didn’t have to know that. “So, I’m going to ask you one more time. What’s going on here, Jake? Why are our strongest classmates tapping without warning when no one else is around? And what the hell was that thing in the woods?"

He let out a muffled curse, grabbed her hand, and tugged her down the hallway, slowing as they reached a door. He shoved it open and pulled her inside before closing it with a snap.

It was only the sliver of light from beneath the doorway and her enhanced vision that allowed her to see they were in some sort of supply closet.

“You can’t be talking about any of that in public,” he whispered.

“No one was even around,” she countered, yanking her hand from his and rubbing at her tingling palm.

“They don’t need to be around, Izzy. A couple of the students at Nightgrove can hear a hundred yards away, and that’s with less than a semester’s worth of training. What do you think some of the professors can do?”

The heat poured off her cheeks and she nodded. She hadn’t been part of this magical world even two months ago, and she was still getting used to the idea that things were different here. “Point taken.”

“I'm telling you this against my better judgement and because, if you go poking around on your own, you're likely to be in a lot of danger. If there was any chance I thought you'd drop it--"

"I won't," she cut in.

"Of course you won't," he muttered with a groan. "So here's the situation. That thing outside the castle walls? It's a person, Izzy. Martin Phipps. An enhanced human being with powers like ours, except not just like me and you. He is also a bit of Aiko, and Ashley. Or, he was, at least."

"He’s an Enhancer, an Elemental, and a Matter Manipulator all in one person?" Izzy asked, brain churning as she tried to imagine such a thing.

"Yes. He was one of the first trial students here at the Academy six months before our class came in. My mother and a couple of the professors tried to work with him, help him control his powers, but something went terribly wrong. Once all his strengths began to grow and manifest, it happened so quickly, it literally cracked his mind. Something inside him shifted and he became more animal-like than human. Our team of doctors here was trying to help him, but he escaped in the middle of the night and, since then, he's been missing. There have been sightings of him nearby, but in spite of his mental state, he's managed to elude capture. Until he's brought back, he's a danger to himself and others."

She tried to process all that information but she found herself reeling. "The day Molly fell, I heard a moaning in the infirmary...the doctor seemed annoyed when I mentioned it. When did he escape?"

"Before then. That's why my mother was so adamant about no one going outside," Jake said, his tone grim. "But what you heard in the infirmary confirms one of my other suspicions."

"Which is?" she asked, half-dreading his answer.

"He isn't the only one. There were seven trial students here. Maybe another of them struggled to adjust to their powers."

She swallowed hard and pursed her lips, trying not to think about the eerie, haunting sound of the moan she'd heard.

"And what does all of this have to do with Jessica and Trent?"

"I don’t know, yet,” Jake admitted, the frustration clear in his voice. “Maybe they were both breaking, as well, or on the brink."

“Jessica, maybe, but not Trent,” Izzy said. She’d never been more sure of anything in her life.

She let all this new information rattle around in her mind a bit, and was about to ask why the Dean or any of the professors had never mentioned any of this, but the answer came right on the heels of the question.

“They didn’t want to tell us about it because they were afraid it would send us all into a panic or make us quit,” she breathed. “Is that right? Is that why they haven’t warned us about the potential danger?”

“When I first found out about Martin Phipps, I asked my mother the same thing,” Jake replied. “Shouldn’t the students be told about the dangers of training and expanding their powers? She said that the mental breaks can happen whether a person is being trained or not. If a mind can’t handle the awakening of a dormant power, it will fight back and sometimes snap. She felt that the school was the safest place for us all to be if and when that happened. Imagine being at home and all of a sudden, powers like what you’ve seen here start to come to light? That would be terrifying.”

It would, and clearly she believed that was the truth, or she wouldn’t have her son at Nightgrove along with the rest of them. And, still…

“We have the right to know. To make our choice with all the information available,” Izzy said stubbornly.

“She was afraid it would cause a panic that could even trigger an episode, Izzy. I’m not saying I agree with her decision, but I do understand it…” He trailed off and she got the impression he had more to say.

“This is the time to put it all on the table, Jake. I’ll buy whatever your mother is selling in regards to this Martin dude and even Jessica, but Trent doesn’t fit the profile at all. So what gives?”

To his credit, he didn’t even try to argue this time. “I don’t know, yet, and I don’t know who I can trust that can help me figure it out.”

“I’ve got a plan that might help expedite that process, if you’re interested.”

The silence stretched between them and Izzy said a little prayer under her breath. This was scary enough to do with a partner, never mind to consider going it alone. And, if she was wrong, and Trent really did tap out, Jake was the only student in school with immunity. He might get reamed out for being nosy, but he wouldn’t get expelled by his own mother. If he would even agree to help here…

“Okay. Let’s hear it.”

Chapter 18

The next day of classes crawled by. Partly because Izzy was again exhausted due to a fitful night's sleep, and partly because she couldn't wait to put her and Jake’s plan into motion later tonight. It didn't help that the mood in the room was positively maudlin. No one could understand why Trent would've left. Even Professor Baxter wasn't himself, and seemed pale and distracted.

Every so often, she would shoot a glance toward Jake, but he was in his own world, consumed by his thoughts that were likely about as terrifying as hers.

What if Trent had been fine one minute, and then something inside him just snapped? Could that happen to any of them?

Could that happen to her?

She shuddered and laid her head on the desk in front of her for a second, suddenly overwhelmed with everything that was going on.

"Izzy?"

She looked up to find a pinched-looking Professor Baxter standing over her.

"Sorry, Professor, I'm paying attention, I just have a headache all of a sudden."

"That's all right. I'm about to call it a day, but I'd like you to stay back for a minute with me. I just have to ask you something."

She nodded, and stayed in her seat as the others filed toward the door, some of them, include Jake and her girlfriends, shooting worried glances.

Once it was only her and Baxter left in the room, he closed the door, slumping against it with a sigh.

"I value your opinion a lot, Izzy, and you seem as broken up about Trent as I am. Did I push him too hard?"

She blinked up at him and frowned. "No, no. I don't think you did, sir."

He shrugged and shook his head. "Such a bright future, such a sweet kid. I don't understand why he would leave. I can't help but think back to the first day of class when he was so brash, trying to show off a little. And how, when I bested him, he took the humiliation with such affable grace," he said, a fond smile tipping his lips. "How did we go from that to this? What did I miss?"

Izzy tried not to let her fears show to the preternaturally perceptive professor as she rose from the desk and made her way toward him to give him an awkward pat of comfort on the shoulder.

"If you missed it, we all did, too," she said softly. She knew he must be feeling horribly guilty right now, but there wasn’t much else she could say. She was as clueless as he was when it came to Trent, at this point. “Maybe you can ask the Dean if he gave his reasons?” She eyed him carefully to see his reaction to that, but his face remained as solemn and sad as if she’d said nothing.

“I did. I even asked if I could speak with him before he left school grounds, but she told me that it wasn’t possible. She said he told her he’d been homesick for a while, and had left a girl back in Colorado, where he’s from, that he was anxious to get back to. He felt he had a good handle on his abilities and could manage them well enough on his own going forward. Something just...doesn’t feel right, you know?”

Oh, she knew.

She tucked the information he’d shared in the corner of her mind to discuss with Jake when they met up later, and turned her attention back to the Professor.

“The Dean said he was happy to go and I guess we have to accept that. And, if it’s any consolation, I know he really liked you a lot. He told me he thought your powers were the coolest.”

Baxter offered her a bittersweet smile and then straightened, stepping away from the door.

“I appreciate that, Izzy. And I’m sorry to keep you. It’s not your job to comfort me, but mine to comfort you all.” He clapped his hands together and blew out a sigh. “This is part of the gig, I guess. I suppose I just didn’t realize how attached I’d become to you all.”

It was true. In regular life, friendship took time to develop. People were busy and constantly multitasking. Even when they were together, they weren’t necessarily together, checking phones, taking selfies, posting pictures on Insta. Here at the Academy, all they had was each other and the thread of something amazing tying them together in a profound way. It made for quick bonds that seemed to hold fast.

She couldn’t imagine her life without her roommates now, and she suspected that they’d be friends long after graduation.

If any of you get to graduate, a little voice in her head whispered.

She forced a tight smile and gave him one last, sympathetic pat. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Professor. And sorry you’re sad. We’re all going to miss Trent a lot.” With that, she made her way out of the classroom and down the hall toward her dorm, her mind already on the evening to come.

Just another few hours until it was time to put their plan into motion. And it couldn’t happen soon enough, as far as she was concerned.

She headed back to her dorm room and found Max and Rebecca there waiting for her, both glowing with excitement, which was a nice change from the heavy melancholy of the rest of the day.

“You ready to see it?” Rebecca asked, a sly grin on her face.

“More than ready,” Izzy replied with a start. “You guys are the best! I didn’t expect you to be able to finish until later tonight.”

“Yeah, well, we worked on it late last night and we were just waiting for the glue to dry and to test it out before we showed you,” Max said, pulling her hand out from behind her back. “Voila! Meet Orville.”

Izzy stared down at what looked like a massive cockroach sitting in Max’s hand.

“That’s...you guys fit a camera in that?” she asked, wrinkling her nose.

“You wanted unobtrusive. What’s more unobtrusive than a fly on the wall...although, a fly would’ve been too small,” Rebecca amended with a chuckle. “But still. Pretty awesome, huh?”

“Yeah. So awesome. It’s just, um, do you guys think if someone sees it, they’ll just stomp on it, maybe?”

The two exchanged a glance and Max scratched her nose absently. “Don’t look at me. I’m the tech person, you’re supposed to be the brains of the operation.”

Rebecca’s shoulders sagged like someone had let the air out of her. “I guess I was so excited we’d found something that fit in stealth-wise, it didn’t occur to me that someone might stomp him. Look how cute he is? Why would anyone want to do that?”

Izzy took the tiny camera from her and smiled. “It’s great. Seriously, I’ll just hide it really well to make sure no one squashes the little fellow. Thank you both so much, you have no idea how much this means to me. How do I access the video feed?”

Max reached behind her and grabbed what looked like a tiny monitor off her desk.

“The picture isn’t great, but it’s the best I could do in a short timeframe.”

She flipped a switch and the miniature screen came to life. Izzy gazed down and grinned when she saw the front of her shirt displayed there. She lifted Orville to eye level and nodded as her face filled the monitor. “Okay, cool. So it’s in real time. And the screen can be far from the camera without any issues?”

“Up to half a mile,” Max said proudly. “And it records, in case something is happening when you’re not watching.”

“Like Jake taking a shower or something,” Rebecca chimed in helpfully.

“You’ve got to stop with that. There is nothing between us.” But even as she said the words, her cheeks went hot.

“You could’ve fooled us. The tension between you two in that locker room was thicker than the smog in L.A.,” Max said with a snort.

“Be that as it may, he’s just a friend. Actually, not even that. He’s someone I have to work with, is all.”

More so now than ever…

“Anyway, thank you both again. I owe you guys one.”

“We were happy to help. Plus, you took the blame for our little night excursion, so now we’re even,” Max said with a smile.

“By the way, what did Professor Baxter want?” Rebecca asked as Izzy put the monitor on her desk and slipped Orville gingerly into the pocket of her uniform shorts.

“He wanted to talk about Trent. He was feeling guilty, I think. I told him none of us had any clue, either. We were as blindsided as he was.”

“That’s for sure,” Rebecca said, shaking her head. “Just promise me that if you guys ever even think about tapping, you’ll tell me first so we can discuss it, okay?”

“Pinky swear,” Max said, and held out her finger.

Izzy felt a little silly, but at Rebecca’s pleading stare, she extended her own digit with a sigh.

“Pinky swear.”

Aiko walked in a moment later, with Ashley following shortly behind. After chatting and chilling for a while, they made their way to the cafeteria for dinner, but Izzy’s mind wasn’t on food.

In just one hour’s time, she and Jake were going to meet up in the courtyard and head over to the bell tower to plant Orville in view of the tap out bell. If there was something fishy going on, or the kids were being forced or coerced to tap, they’d be able to see it first hand. At the very least, they’d be able to tell if the students tapping displayed erratic or unusual behavior that would support Jake’s theory.

Soon enough, they’d have some answers. In the meantime, she had a plan of her own. She was going to scope out the wing of offices to see which of the professors had a phone she might be able to sneak in and use so she could get into contact with Sam. The more information she could get about Jessica’s current whereabouts, the better.

She glanced over at Jake’s table and tried not to let her gaze linger. Part of her was still surprised he’d agreed to go along with her plan. He had always been so rigid and unwilling to bend. The fact that he thought she’d come up with a good idea, that might actually assuage their fears and answer some of their questions, had gone a long way to alleviating some of her perpetual irritation with him.

“Take a picture, it’ll last longer,” Miguel teased as he slid in between Ashley and Max.

“Stop it, babe. They’re still in the denial stage of their relationship,” Ashley said, giving his arm a playful shove.

He responded by dropping a kiss to the tip of her nose. “I’m glad we didn’t have to go through any of that crap.”

Izzy didn’t even bother to argue this time. She was too busy trying to think up an excuse for why she was in one of the professor’s offices if she got caught.

“She’s still shook over Trent tapping,” Aiko said with a sage nod. “Let’s knock some back for our homies who can’t be here.” She held up her chocolate milk carton and the others followed suit. “To Trent.”

“And Jessica,” Izzy said softly.

The others mumbled noncommittal, incoherent replies before taking a slug of their respective drinks.

“I’m actually going to head back to the room a little early,” she said, grabbing her untouched tray as she rose to stand, itching to get on with it. “I’ve got a wicked headache and I still have to get to the gym for a run before bed. See you guys a little later.”

They all waved her off and she slipped out of the room alone, aggressively ignoring Jake as she passed his table, just in case anyone was looking.

She made her way down the hall, mentally ticking off the staff she’d seen at the caf. Dinner was in full effect, and Baxter, Sloane, Kristoff and the Dean had all been there, along with most of the assistant staffers who helped with testing and recording data.

There was likely no better time to take a quick traipse down the faculty corridor and see if anyone had left their door unlocked. If she could just talk to Sam for two minutes, half of her worries could be laid to rest before bedtime.

She moved quickly and quietly down the hall, shooting a glance behind her as she slipped down the hallway that led to the Dean’s office. As swiftly and stealthily as she could manage, she stopped at each door and tried to turn the knob.

Baxter.

Nope.

Kristoff.

Nope.

Sloane.

Score.

The knob gave way in her hand and blood roared in her ears.

“Hey there, Isabelle. Can I help you with something?”

She froze and turned, pasting an apologetic smile on her face. “Professor Sloane! Exactly the man I was looking for. Do you, um, do you think we could talk for a quick sec?”

His laser blue gaze was so intense, it was a wonder it didn’t burn a hole through her, but she managed to keep it together.

“Sure, I have a few minutes. Come on in my office.”

She stepped back from the door and he pushed his way in, gesturing for her to follow.

Her thoughts raced as she tried to come up with a feasible reason to speak with him that made even the tiniest bit of sense. They were cordial, but it wasn’t like they were close or had much cause to interact.

“Everything okay?” he asked as he rounded his desk and took his seat. She lowered herself into the chair opposite him and blew out a sigh.

“It’s going all right, but I’m struggling to come to terms with Trent leaving so soon after Jessica. I tried to talk to Professor Baxter about it, but he was just as upset as I was. I was hoping that you, a tough and stoic soldier, might have some words of wisdom for me to help reconcile with losing a teammate.”

It was thin, as far as excuses went, but his ego was big enough that he seemed to take it at face value. He leaned forward on his elbows and steepled his hands together as he considered her words.

“It’s not easy to ask for help, so I’m honored you came to me, Isabelle. I think the first step is acknowledging that you can be sad that your friends didn’t succeed here, while also still being invested in your own success. That doesn’t make you wrong or selfish. You giving up won’t bring them back to Nightgrove.”

“Wise, wise words,” Izzy said with a sage nod.

Sloane snapped his fingers and then stood. “I actually have a book that might help you with this. It deals with how to master your fear and deal with pain and loss in your life like a true soldier. Let me grab it for you.”

He made his way around the desk to a bookshelf and began rifling through the selections. Izzy scanned the room for a landline telephone and found it tucked next to a plant that sat on a window sill behind his desk.

Sloane seemed none the wiser about her true intentions. If she could get the balls to try again, she could come back at night…

She smelled it before she saw it. A cloying, chemical smell that brought her thoughts to a screeching halt as she wheeled around to find Sloane hulking over her, a dripping cloth in hand.

“No!” she shouted as she took a second to dig down to find her strength, then let her fist fly.

She never knew if she hit her mark or not, though, as her vision flickered and darkness closed over her like a shroud.

Chapter 19

Harsh light filtered in through Izzy's lowered lids, crimson and jarring, and she jerked her head back with a start. It was a bad move. Her temples throbbed like they each had their own heartbeat.

"Ah, there she is..." The mocking male voice sounded familiar but Izzy's head was too muzzy to place it. It seemed as if her cranium was full of wet cotton.

"I have to admit, you had me worried there for a minute. I thought maybe I overdid it with the chloroform gag. The second I took Trent's off, he woke up. Although, I suspect that's due to his enhanced immune system. He truly is special. At any rate, glad to see I didn't kill you."

Izzy blinked furiously as her eyes began to adjust to the light, and Professor Sloane stepped into view, his bloodied nose bringing it all rushing back.

Her in his office. The smell. Him coming up behind her. Closing his hand over her mouth and squeezing. Apparently, she’d gotten one shot off before he’d subdued her, and despite the fear, that realization gave her a moment of dark satisfaction.

Bastard.

She moistened her parched lips, wincing at the chemical taste as she looked around the cavernous, unfamiliar room. The space was dank and smelled like mildew. She couldn't be sure, but something told her, if not for the extra-high watt bare bulb hanging from the ceiling over her head, they would be in utter darkness.

"Where are we?" she asked, her voice low and raspy.

"That's the awesome thing about castles. So many hidey holes and secret passageways," he said with a wide grin that didn't quite meet his eyes.

She shifted in the hard seat and tried to lift her heavy arms, but was stopped short, the clank of chains echoing through the room.

"Why?"

She wished she could make her sluggish brain move faster and form the words she wanted to say, but it was all she could manage. Turned out, it was enough.

"Money. Why else?" Sloane asked with a shrug as he lowered himself into the folding chair across from her. "Turns out, some smaller, underground paramilitary operations both here and overseas no one likes to talk about are always on the lookout for new...talent."

"Weapons, you mean," Izzy said, anger beginning to eclipse her fear and confusion.

"Commodities to be exploited by corrupt people for their own gains."

"I don't get involved in all that. I'm here for my own gains, know what I mean?" he said as he rubbed his thumb and fingers together in the international gesture for cash before folding his arms, a motion that made his biceps bulge.

"Why Trent?"

"He's strong as an ox, his endurance is unmatched, and he even heals faster than most. They'd have paid more for Jake, but taking the Dean's son would never fly. I should've picked someone less well liked than Trent, though. It was a misstep I won't repeat next time."

Next time.

"You're going to keep doing this?"

He shrugged his wide shoulders, eyebrows raised. "Why wouldn't I? By the time kids’ parents start calling, I'll be on my way to Turks and Caicos with my millions." He spared a glance down at the watch on his wrist and rolled to his feet. "I've got to go. I am supposed to meet up with some of the other Professors to discuss some new timed obstacle courses. I'll bring you back some food and water."

Panic clawed at her chest as she strained against her chains.

"Wait. When will you be back? How long will I be here?"

"That's the cool part. My client was still in town after purchasing Trent. I just got off the phone with him and he’s thrilled with the bonus offering. Especially one as tough as you,” he said with a wry grin as he swiped the blood from his nose with his sleeve. “I'll be taking you to him before sunrise tomorrow. I can get back before anyone knows I'm gone. In the meantime, you might as well try to get some sleep. You won't be able to escape. The chains are made of triple reinforced titanium made in our own labs. Trying to break them will only get you injured. Even Trent couldn't snap them." He prowled toward the door like he didn't have a care in the world. "Don't worry, Isabelle. Your new owners won't hurt you. In fact, it's in their best interest to keep you healthy. I'm not a monster..."

"I don't know how you think this is going to work," she croaked, her breath coming in short gasps as she fought against the sudden rush of claustrophobia. "Don't you think the others will notice I'm gone soon?"

"Yes. I do." Sloane grinned. "Which is why it’s a good thing I have the note you left on Professor Baxter’s door letting him know you’ve opted to leave. I plan to keep an item of your clothing to plant outside the castle walls so the others will assume you’ve been killed by...whatever lives out there. Sorry you couldn't hack it here at Nightgrove, Isabelle. You'll surely be missed."

With that, he exited the room, closing it behind him with a snap. The clang of locks tumbling sounded like doom as she slumped deeper into her seat in despair.

She considered screaming, but her lungs already ached and who knew if her hollers would only bring Sloane back even faster?

No. She needed to try to escape before he returned. It was her best chance.

For endless minutes, she tested the chains, only to give up in frustration as she realized he’d been telling the truth about at least one thing. She wasn’t breaking out of them anytime today.

Surely, the others would eventually come looking for her. No way after their little pinky swear pact the girls wouldn’t know something was amiss if she tapped so soon after their conversation. Not to mention her meet up with Jake. He would eventually go check on her in her room if she was a no-show.

Jake.

A spark of excitement shot through her as she hunkered lower into her chair and used her hips to twist and turn until the chair rocked so far to the right, she almost flipped over. Just as she righted herself, she caught sight of a little black insect as it skittered across the floor.

Orville.

Excitement welled up inside of her as she spoke soft and slow. “I don’t know if you can see me, but it’s Izzy. Max, Rebecca, please get help. Sloane has me held captive somewhere in the castle. I think it’s somewhere below ground because--”

An echoing sound had her turning toward the door. Footsteps?

Sloane was back. But no...multiple footsteps. A whole squad of people. “Hello?” she called, pulse hammering as she tried to scuttle her chair closer. Another noise sounded at the door and sparks flew from the lock. She watched in awe as the whole thing lit up like a Christmas tree. A second later, the knob fell away, blackened and useless as the door swung open.

“Izzy!” Miguel tumbled into the room with Ashley, Aiko and Jake hot on his heels. Half of them were dressed in their pajamas, but they were armed to the teeth like some ragtag band of teenage assassins. She didn’t care how silly they looked as relief hit her like a one-two punch.

Her eyes filled with happy tears as Jake tossed a rucksack on the floor and began to rifle through it, and the others crowded around her.

"How did you find me?” she asked, voice trembling as the girls rushed forward to hug her. “I just remembered about Orville and then you were here!"

"Jake came to our room and said you were supposed to meet him somewhere and didn’t show. He got worried, which made Rebecca think to check Orville’s video feed. We couldn’t see you, but we heard the audio and a lot of what Sloane was saying. We started looking for you, without any real direction until you were able to knock Orville out of your pocket. Rebecca noticed that the walls looked damp, which made us go into the lower levels of the castle. Molly picked up the scent of chloroform the second we walked down the steps and we made tracks here as fast as we could," Aiko said, her words coming in a breathless rush as she jerked a thumb behind her. "We have them, along with Max, looking for the Dean to lead her here in case we needed back up."

"Perfect. I need to get out of these chains, fast, so hopefully no backup will be necessary. Sloane is tough and ruthless. I’d feel much better with some distance between us and him."

Jake straightened and held up a tiny device that looked like a common refrigerator magnet. He wore a bow on his back that made him look like an oversized medieval bowman. "Courtesy of Max and Rebecca."

"What is it?" Izzy asked as he moved behind her and began fiddling with the titanium restraints.

"Your wrists are going to get really cold for a second, but the girls assured me it wouldn't damage your skin or tissue, even though it might feel like it, ok?"

She couldn't very well argue in her current situation, so she nodded as she squeezed her eyes closed.

“Hold my hand,” Ashley murmured, as she laced her fingers with Izzy’s.

Jake hadn’t been kidding. The sensation of the chains against her skin went from cool to icy-hot in an instant and she had to bite back a groan of pain. Ashley made low, soothing sounds and then suddenly, it was over, and the chains crackled into shards and clinked to the floor.

“It worked!”

Jake rubbed briskly at her wrists for a second and then released her to stand. She shot him a grateful smile. "Thank you, guys. We've got to get out of here before your collective good deed is punished.”

“How did you know Sloane was a part of this?” Jake asked, his gaze probing hers as if looking for a sign of her deceit.

“I didn’t,” she said, and she stood on still-shaky legs. “I went to see if I could sneak into one of the offices to make a phone call. He caught me about to walk into his, and I guess he assumed I’d figured out that he was behind Trent’s disappearance. We need to hurry, now. I don't know how long we have. He said he was coming back soon with food and drink."

"He certainly did. And look how you repay my kindness."

Their heads all whipped toward the door as Tyson Sloane stepped in, looking as cocky and assured as ever.

Jake stepped to the front, pulling Izzy out of the way, and let out a primal growl.

"You hurt my friend!" Aiko shouted, the hurt and betrayal evident in her voice. She didn't wait for Sloane’s response as she lobbed a fireball straight at his chest.

Sloane laughed and a wall of flame appeared before him as he put his hand up. Aiko’s attack puffed into nothing with a pitiful fizzle. “Your power compared to mine is like a campfire’s is to a volcano,” he said as he casually blasted a fireball the size of a minivan at them.

Izzy dashed sideways, tackling Aiko to the floor with her. The fire winged past them, so close, Izzy could smell the singed tips of her hair as she rolled them both to their feet.

Jake was advancing on Sloane now as Sloane retreated to the other side of the room. “You won’t be able to get close enough to hurt me with those fists, boy,” he said as he sent a massive rope of flame towards his legs. Jake jumped and was nearly clipped by a second whip that would surely have sliced his head off like a laser beam, just as surely as it had melted a boulder during the exhibition.

Jake pulled back towards Izzy and the rest of the group. “I just need an opening to get close enough to get my hands on him and I’ll be able to beat him. Miguel, Aiko, Ash, make sure you do any of your fighting from afar,” he murmured, tossing Izzy the bow that had been on his back and three strange-looking arrows. “Another gift courtesy of Rebecca and Max. If we can get past his fire shield, they’ll neutralize his powers for at least a minute.

That was a big if, but Izzy nodded, letting her fingers curl around the weapon that felt like home in her hand.

From across the room, a huge sheet of flame shot towards them, clapping downwards towards the floor like a hammer. Her roommates and Miguel were far enough back that she didn’t have to worry about them as she dashed backwards with all of her speed and, now a considerable distance away, nocked an arrow.

When the sparks faded, she saw that Jake had run forward and feinted right to avoid the attack, and was now trying to close the distance between he and Sloane in the massive room. Off to the side, Aiko and Miguel were trying in vain to get an attack past the massive whips of fire he had summoned to deflect them. Ashley was next to them, shooting fallen stones from the walls at him like bullets, but his shield of fire was melting them on contact.

Izzy held her ground, arrow at the ready, as she waited patiently for a shot. As Jake leapt and dodged each of Sloane’s attacks, he moved inexorably closer and Izzy began to pray under her breath. Because Sloane had been on the move, too, albeit slowly, and had managed to put himself between Jake and the Elementals. She had to make a move, or else it would be open seasons on Miguel, Aiko, and Ashley, who didn’t have the speed to avoid a full on Sloane attack.

A moment later, she saw her chance as she was focused on deflecting a rock that Ashley had pelted at him from the front. Izzy sprinted to the side until she had an angle and quickly released her first arrow, aiming for his center mass.

Her jaw dropped in shock as the arrow dropped much quicker than expected and skittered across the floor a few feet in front of him. This was nothing like shooting a normal arrow and the weight difference made it like learning to shoot for the first time.

And now, she only had two shots left.

Sloane turned towards her and grinned. “You just wasted the one and only chance you’re gonna get, little girl,” he said. Then, he charged Aiko and the others, burning the floor into a melted field of magma as he ran. Jake began to make his way around the massive field of molten rock, but Izzy knew he wouldn’t make it to the others in time.

Izzy nocked another arrow but was dismayed to see that he had wrapped his fiery shield around him like a ball. She cursed under her breath.

No openings or breaks in concentration at all. Expelling power in those doses like that was draining. Surely, he had to be getting tired, but he was like an endless supply of stamina. How could they hope to beat someone like him?

“Fall back!” Izzy shouted to the Elementals.

Miguel and Ashley nodded and ran toward the far wall, but Aiko stood her ground, veins bulging as she shot a massive whirlwind of flame towards him from her hands. It was a true spectacle, and just enough. His barrier wavered for a moment in the wake of the huge attack and he put his hand out and obliterated it with a gout of flame that was entirely blue. While his barrier was still down, Izzy loosed her second arrow. She felt a rush of excitement as it flew straight towards him. But that joy turned to dread as his barrier returned, turning it to ash an instant before it would’ve landed. She readied another, refusing to give up. If she failed, she and her friends would all die here today, of that she had no doubt.

One chance left, make it count, girl.

Sloane clearly realized he would have to neutralize the Elementals if he didn’t want Izzy to get another shot at him. He moved to finish off Aiko, who was wobbling groggily after letting out so much power at once, but was interrupted by a massive bolt of electricity from Miguel slamming into his barrier with a loud crack. The collision nearly knocked Sloane on his butt and bought enough time for Aiko to scramble over to Miguel and Ashley, where they drew her between them.

Izzy looked up to see that Jake had taken good advantage of the distractions and had made his way around the field of molten rock to join the others. He must’ve figured out that time was on their side. Despite seeming like he had an endless well, eventually, Sloane’s fire would burn out. If the four of them could keep some pressure on him to give Izzy another opening without getting themselves killed, they had a chance to win here.

As expected, Sloane turned his back to Izzy and ran at her four friends, provoking a smile from Jake that quickly faded when Sloane put both hands in front of him and unleashed a whirlwind of fire that made Aiko’s previous display look like a joke.

Jake dragged Aiko to the left as Miguel and Ashley moved right. Izzy felt like she was going to puke as her four friends rolled to their feet, unharmed. That was way too close for comfort, but she only had one arrow left and she had to wait outside the fray, even if it meant watching as her friends got pummeled until she got her opening.

You can do this.

Before the raging inferno he’d unleashed had even fully subsided, Sloane was already moving toward Miguel and Ashley while the others watched helplessly.

“Run!” Miguel shouted, grabbing Ashley’s shirt to pull her along with him.

And run she did. Away from Miguel and right towards the hulking fire user. Her face contorted as she stretched her arms towards him and, for a moment, Izzy almost thought she saw Professor Kristoff standing there instead of her friend as Sloane skidded to a halt, frozen in place like he was made of stone.

She’d done it. Ashley had immobilized him, but she couldn’t hold him long.

Izzy closed one eye, tightening her draw on the bowstring as his barrier of fire fell. She released the arrow and watched as it sailed towards him in what her enhanced senses made seem like slow motion.

He turned at the last moment, and the arrow struck him in the shoulder instead of the back of the head as she intended, but it didn’t matter. She’d scored a hit. He gasped for air in the oxygen-less bubble that now surrounded him courtesy of Max’s special arrow, as Jake closed the distance between them.

Sloane reached behind him and managed to rip the arrow out and toss it aside an instant before Jake got within an arm’s length of him, but without fire for at least a while longer, he was just a man.

“Let’s go now, tough guy,” Jake snarled as Sloane tried frantically to back away, putting an arm up in an attempt to blast Jake back.

Izzy’s heart sank when she saw the orange glow beginning to form in his hand, but Jake, with a display of speed that rivaled Izzy’s, knocked his hand aside with his left hand, sending a barrage of sparks flying, and hit him with a hard right to the face. Sloane’s already battered nose exploded like he’d been hit with a hammer instead of a fist, but he stumbled forward and managed to grab Jake’s arm.

Undeterred, Jake landed a crushing kick to Sloane’s kneecap just as Izzy saw the fire that would’ve burned Jake’s arm clean off beginning to form. He tried to regain his balance but his shattered leg bent like rubber beneath his massive frame. Jake landed one last left hook to Sloane’s face as he fell, for good measure. A moment later, Sloane’s stiff and clearly unconscious form hit the ground like a ton of bricks.

Jake slapped him a few times until Sloane’s swollen eyes shot open.

“Where is Trent, you bastard?”

“I have no idea, my client was going to come to the school,” he said, wheezing with every breath.

“Tell us who it was,” Jake said, circling him with barely repressed rage.

“Secrecy is paramount to my clients. I don’t know anything. End me if you’re going to, but you’ve got another think coming if you think killing me will solve your problems here,” he croaked, head lolling to one side.

“What do you mean?” Izzy demanded, stepping forward.

Suddenly, Sloane’s eyes widened and his face contorted in pain. He gasped for air and reached towards the ceiling, as if trying to fend off the Grim Reaper himself, before letting out a final, rattling breath.

“No!” Izzy dropped to her knees and felt for a pulse, but there was nothing. She shook her head and punched the floor. No Trent. No Jessica. No answers.

Izzy heard several sets of hurried footsteps as Rebecca, Molly, and Max arrived on the scene. The Dean poofed into the room a moment later and hurried over to them.

She stood over the slumped and bloodied Tyson Sloane, nostrils flaring, eyes bright with fury as she lowered a trembling hand.

“He’s dead. Oh, thank god. Is everyone all right?” She turned and scanned their faces. “Jake? Izzy?”

“I’m fine,” Jake shot back, the paleness of his cheeks standing out in stark relief against the orange flames that still licked Sloane’s body.

“Me too, thanks to you all,” Izzy managed, her adrenaline still pumping fast and hot.

"That was amazing. I’m so proud of us." The soft, breathy voice sounded so labored that Izzy's heart stuttered in her chest. It wasn't until she turned that she saw Ashley seated against the wall, wheezing a few yards away from an exhausted Miguel and a gasping Aiko. She moved her hands away from her stomach to reveal a charred, gaping hole there.

“I’m sorry. I don’t think I’m gonna…” Ashley slumped to the side as her beautiful blue eyes drifted closed.

Bile rose to Izzy’s throat as she and the others rushed toward their friend. Miguel dropped to the floor beside her and let out a wail so primal, it made Izzy’s knees go weak.

"Please god, no!”

Chapter 20

The sky was crying that day.

Fat, cold drops of rain that splattered off the coffin and skittered away to soak the already sodden ground. They were saying goodbye to a friend under the most awful circumstances, and Izzy’s mind still hadn’t fully accepted the finality of it all. She could still hear Miguel's screams that night. Raw, brutal, gut-wrenching howls of agony, followed by weeping pleas that nearly split her in two.

Even now, five days later, the memory played again and again in her mind on a vicious loop, along with a mantra...

Your fault.

Your fault.

"How you holding up, kiddo?"

She swallowed past the knot in her throat and looked up to see Professor Baxter there in a black raincoat and matching bowler hat. The older man's cheeks were chalky and his eyes were rimmed in red.

It had been a tough week for all of them at Nightgrove Academy, students and faculty alike. Victoria Kristoff's usually flawless face was ravaged and swollen from tears, Tom had been randomly bursting into loud sobs in the midst of preparing most meals, and even the usually impassive Dean looked like she'd been through the ringer.

"Not stellar," Izzy finally replied with a shrug as she gazed back over at the casket. Miguel had been knelt in front of it for what seemed like forever, and he seemed in no hurry to get up. Their romance had been short, but the pair had been inseparable, like they'd known each other forever. Two pieces of a puzzle that had just clicked into place.

Izzy cleared her throat and tore her gaze away. "It's going to be a rough road to recovery, I think. She was a great person, a great friend, and she's leaving behind a massive hole in all of our lives. It just seems so unfair."

“And all because of greed and the desire to weaponize not just objects, but human beings,” Baxter said, the venom in his voice unlike anything Izzy had heard from him in the past. “Children. Disgusting, vile man.”

Izzy nodded miserably but the sound of tapping on a microphone caught her attention. She and Baxter turned to see Victoria Kristoff standing a few yards from Miguel, and Ashley’s casket. Rain continued to pour down around them, but she held a hand in the air, deflecting the water, shielding the three of them now as she cleared her throat.

“Students of Nightgrove Academy. It’s a dark day here for us all as we say goodbye to our beloved Ashley.” She gestured to the ink-stained red dress she wore with a trembling smile. “This is some of Ash’s early work, actually. But you know what? She didn’t let that stop her. She practiced and pushed herself to the max, each and every day. I believe she could’ve been one of the strongest Matter Manipulators in the world had she been allowed to reach her potential before having it all snatched so cruelly away. She wasn’t just a great Talent. She was a great person and was instrumental in saving her classmates in the terrible battle in the dungeons. I will never, ever forget her, and I hope you won’t, either--”

She broke off and covered her mouth as she let out a sob as she handed the microphone to the Dean.

“Thank you, Professor Kristoff, for those lovely words. We are privileged to have this opportunity to say our last words of farewell to Ashley before she is laid to her final rest with her family in Minnesota. They have been informed of her unfortunate passing and are arranging a service there to honor her.”

Izzy swallowed back a slick of nausea as she tried to imagine how that conversation had gone. Surely a lot of spin and cover up, but a family had been decimated by what Sloane had done here. Nothing was going to change that.

“Now it’s time to heal and prepare to protect ourselves. According to Isabelle, Professor Sloane had a deal with at least one black ops military organization, whether it was a U.S. faction or an international one, that means they’re going to notice when he stops communications and they will come looking. Several students have since reported seeing a strange man in the building the evening of the Exhibition, and they are currently trying to determine if he was a part of this. Rest assured, now that we know there is a threat, we are on high alert. It is our sacred duty and goal to protect you.”

“Like you protected Ashley, Jessica, and Trent?” Rebecca shouted from Izzy’s left. Izzy had never seen such rage from the young girl.

“Jessica’s leaving us was unrelated. She is going through a personal crisis, but she is safe and accounted for. I spoke to her yesterday. If any of you would like proof of her well-being, come see me privately. I won’t allow gossip to force my hand into airing a student’s troubles publicly.”

Izzy didn’t need to bother. When Sloane had mentioned Trent during his villain speech in the dungeon, he’d neglected to mention Jessica at all. In the wake of Ashley’s death, she’d gone to the Dean and demanded a phone call with the other girl directly, in order to stem her fears that she had been killed or harmed in some way. While she’d sounded tired and withdrawn, Jessica was very much alive and confirmed everything the Dean had told Izzy.

“With regard to Trent, it is our mission to create a task force to retrieve him from the military faction that purchased him from Professor Sloane. To meet that end, and to provide you all with the maximum amount of protection, we’ve arranged for an international collaboration of Special Talents here at the Academy. Folks with gifts like ours will be coming in from around the world in order to form a unified front. If you decide to leave, we can’t and won’t stop you. Just remember, you’ve signed an ironclad non-disclosure agreement, and we will aggressively prosecute anyone who violates that. And believe me, we’ll be watching. The safety of your classmates who choose to stay depends on it. Remember that before you start chatting to friends and family.”

She scanned the faces in front of her, expression grave.

“And speaking of friends and family, once you do leave here, understand that we cannot split our focus and offer protection outside of school grounds. Not for you, or for your loved ones. We need every hand on deck and all manpower here and accounted for to protect this stronghold where the largest concentration of Special Talents reside. I know this may sound harsh, but I’m on a mission to ensure that what happened to Ashley, and whatever is happening with Trent, never happens again. Not on my watch. I haven’t slept a wink since it happened, and I won’t rest until the guilty parties pay for what they’ve done. I know you have something private planned to celebrate Ashley’s beautiful spirit, so I’ll let you get to it. Thank you.”

The Dean shuffled back into the castle, waving solemnly to them as she left.

Jake walked over to Miguel and shared a few soft words with him before helping him to his feet. Miguel shook him off and looked at the ground with vacant, dead eyes.

Izzy and the rest of the group waited silently until Miguel stood up and began the walk over to the courtyard. It was decorated with twinkling lights and had sausage bread and lasagna laid out, courtesy of Tom, on fine china plates.

“Ashley’s favorites,” Molly mumbled solemnly.

Izzy made her way to the front of the group to say a few words like they had planned. Miguel was beyond grief and had decided to leave the speaking to Izzy.

“She was truly the bravest of us all. From when she waited when we saw the bear in the woods, to make sure we all got out, to when she stood her ground against Sloane in order to protect us, her courage was undeniable. Even in her last moments, there was no crying and no fear in her eyes. She just wanted us to know how proud she was that we had beaten Sloane. I knew her for a short time, but I loved her. And I will never forget her sacrifice or take it for granted. We should remember her as having saved not only us, but countless other Talents that Sloane won’t be able to get his hands on now.”

Izzy walked back to the group, not able to bring herself to look at Miguel, and gestured to the two lanterns designed like tiny hot air balloons, made by Max, that were sitting on the ground nearby. Aiko put her hands up to them and lit them each with a small flame. As they rose, Miguel, who was still weeping, raised his arms and shot two massive bolts of lightning into the air on each side that lit up the night sky.

Nobody said anything until the lanterns had long since disappeared.

“What now?” Aiko murmured, eyes still glued to the heavens.

“What do you mean?” Izzy asked, her chest feeling like one, giant ache.

“Are you staying?”

Izzy nodded slowly. “Yup.”

She had no choice. Until she found Trent safe and sound, and avenged Ashley’s death, she wouldn’t sleep a good night. “You?”

“I’m staying.”

“Me, too,” Molly said.

“I just don’t know what to do,” Max added quietly. Rebecca looked at them pensively, appearing unsure.

“We owe it to Ashley to stay and figure this all out. We can’t just let her death be in vain. Think of what she would’ve done if she were here,” Miguel said, wiping tears from his eyes.

“We still have to get Trent out of all of this mess, too. I can’t see how we could just leave this unfinished,” Izzy agreed. And she and Jake hadn’t even told them about Martin Phipps yet…There were more mysteries to be solved at Nightgrove. “I’m here to the bitter end, come what may.”

"Me too. Who's with us?" Miguel demanded, dark eyes blazing fire even as his skin crackled with barely leashed electrical power.

Max and Rebecca nodded as they got into a circle and put their hands in like a football huddle. “We’re in.”

“Me too.”

Izzy turned to find a rain-soaked Jake standing there. He’d missed the lantern ceremony, but not because he didn’t care. He was clearly as broken as the rest of them by Ashley’s loss and was handling it the best way he could.

She motioned him forward and they all locked arms.

“For Ashley!”

They would be forever bonded, now. The Magnificent Seven, on a mission. Together, they would avenge their friend’s death.

Or they would die trying…

Stay tuned for Book Two in the Nightgrove Academy series, coming 9/12/19, free with KU!