Supernatural Academy: Year One (Supernatural Academy #1)(18)

I needed more adjustment to this new life before I crossed that bridge.

Walking through the commons, I moved at a pace that got us back to the magic users’ wing and up the stairs in no time. When we were finally in my room, I slammed the door and leaned against it.

A burst of laughter drew my attention, and I turned to find Larissa doubled over, holding her stomach. There was something a little funny and pathetic about what we’d just done, but I wasn’t quite sure where her hysteria came from.

“That would be the first time,” she said, trying to breathe, talk, and laugh at the same time, “that any girl has run from them. You’re going to shake up this school, I can already tell.”

I snorted, crossing my arms over my chest before I relaxed and threw myself back on the bed. “I didn’t even finish high school. It’s insane to me that I’m back in this situation again, navigating cliques and … supernaturals.”

“You’ll get the hang of it soon enough. I’ve never been to human school, but I watch television. I think we have the same basic fundamentals and setup. It’ll be fine.”

She patted my hand and turned to leave. “I’ll be at your door at around 7:00 A.M. That way you’ll have time to talk to Dad before class.”

“See you tomorrow,” I said, pulling myself up to a sitting position. She was almost out the door when she paused. “Oh, and your uniforms would have been delivered while you were gone. They’ll be in the wardrobe.” She pointed to the hanging space above a set of drawers and I felt shock creep over my face. I had not expected uniforms to be a requirement here. I mean, this was basically college, and they were supernaturals, but … whatever.

“Wait,” I called, stopping her one last time. “Do those five all live here? In the magic users’ wing?”

She curved her lips into a smirky grin. “Still thinking about them, hey?”

I wanted to deny it, but that would be a massive fucking lie.

Her pretty face screwed up. “You know, I don’t actually know. I’ve definitely seen all five of them in this building before, but … who knows.”

Knowing my luck, they definitely all lived here. And why couldn’t I get Asher’s perfect face out of my freakin’ mind … his full lips, the five o’clock shadow…

No! No more.

“Asher is like the king of the Academy, so they probably do live here,” Larissa said. “My dad loves him and gives him anything he wants. Those five always stick together. Asher and Jesse especially seem really close.”

“Which one is Jesse?” I asked.

“The tallest one. He’s a lion shifter.”

“The one with the icy blue eyes?”

She shook her head. “No, that’s Rone.” She blushed a little. “He’s a vampire, and a moody asshole.”

Rone, the one who glared at me when Calen grabbed me earlier tonight. Moody was one way to describe him. “Isn’t dressing in black a bit of a vampire cliché?” I asked, feeling snarky toward the cranky bastard.

Larissa tried to hide her smile. “He’s always preferred black. For as long as he’s been at the school anyway.”

“What year are they in?”

“Second and third, but they went to the last few years of the junior school as well. It’s not on the same grounds as our Academy, but it’s in this area.”

“So which one is Jesse, then?”

“Jesse has green eyes and dark skin,” Larissa said.

I couldn’t remember if I’d seen him, but then again, Asher had been taking most of my focus.

Larissa left and I changed out of my clothes and into a tank top and panties, ready to crash into the soft bed. My mother always told me I was born at the stroke of midnight on New Year’s Eve. I’d never known if that was true or not; she was off her face and full of shit most of the time, but I still celebrated my birthday starting from midnight.

This birthday would definitely go down as the weirdest of my life.

And maybe the best.





8





I slept surprisingly badly considering how amazing the bed was. I couldn’t settle. My mind was awash with information and my body was filled with nerves. Being on my own allowed all the doubts to creep in. All the thoughts of not being good enough, of trying to wrap my head around the new fantasy world I’d somehow found myself in.

If the barrier hadn’t let me into the school, I’d have almost convinced myself by now that this was all a mistake.

At 5:00 A.M I gave up trying to sleep and dragged myself into the nearest bathroom. It was quiet in the hall, no one up and about yet, which allowed me to sneak in and out unnoticed.

Once I was back in my room, my long hair dry, I went in search of this uniform. It was exactly as Larissa had said, six sets, neatly hanging in my wardrobe. They were literally the only things hanging in there, because the rest of my clothes filled half a drawer.

Maybe I could find a part-time job here and earn some money to get new clothes in Queensborough, the nearby town. I’d ask Ilia when I saw her today. I also wanted to know how her date went. The thought of dating a supernatural sent a twirl of intensity through my stomach.

I mean, he was a shifter. What if he went furry while you were having sex or something? That felt really weird to me, but it might be normal in their world. I was definitely intrigued by the prospect of learning more about the four races. Hopefully I could “keep my human from showing” today.