Supernatural Academy: Year One (Supernatural Academy #1)(38)

“Blessed and cursed it,” Asher said. “He gifted them with advanced technology, but when they took it too far, growing bloated with greed and power, he sunk them to the bottom of his precious water to ensure they never abused his gifts. Some of my people believe he will return one day and offer us a second chance.”

“Are you one of the ones who believe this?”

Asher’s expression hardened; his voice became much less open. “I’m more of a live in the now. Searching for Atlantis and Sonaris destroyed my family, and I won’t waste my time on the same venture.”

I was dying to ask him what that meant, but I could tell by the set of his jaw that he’d given me all the information he was willing to reveal.

Thankfully, someone shouted then, drawing his attention, and when that student all but collapsed into the water, Asher turned and hurried away. He reached the student in seconds, hauling him up out of the water and dragging him onto the sand.

“You okay?” Asher asked.

The student was very pale. His thin ginger hair stuck up in wet strands as he breathed rapidly.

“I … it … there was something in the water,” he finally choked out.

More than one student gasped before hurrying from the water as well. Asher straightened to his full height, sending a dark glance around. “There’s nothing in this ocean that will hurt you. If you want to stay in this class, you’re going to have to learn to accept and love the water and all of its inhabitants.”

A few looked ashamed, but a lot still seemed terrified. This was a great way to weed out the students who were only in this class because Asher was the teacher. I moved closer to the water, wanting a glimpse of what was out there.

My gaze ran across the long expanse of ocean, and I realized that there was no end in sight. How big could it really be? Or was this some sort of Mary Poppins’s bag of a building, and it magically went on forever?

Rolling up my jeans, I strode forward. Being this close to the ocean—magical or not—and not going in was a crime. I wouldn’t waste my chance. The sunlight above was warm and soothing, and the water felt and smelled as real as the oceans back home. Cool water lapped at my feet and ankles, and I pushed through it until I was knee deep. A large wave washed the water up over my rolled-up jeans, and I froze as cold tingles started in my feet, moving up my body in a rapid rate.

At first I thought the tingles were just the contrast of warm skin to chilly water, but then they pushed further, up my legs and stomach, before enclosing me completely.

“What’s happening?” someone screamed from behind me

Fucked if I knew.

The water continued to swirl across my body, almost completely surrounding me.

“Maddison, step out of the water,” Asher said calmly.

Right. Water. I had to get out of the magically possessed water.

Focusing with everything I had, I managed to lift one leg, and then the other one, stepping back slowly. As if it was reluctant to let me go, water swirled around me for a few more seconds, even after I was back on dry sand. Eventually, though, it returned to the ocean, and I was left shaking, soaked, and confused.

“Class is dismissed,” Asher said softly. “Spend your time learning about Sonaris. There will be a quiz on him next lesson.”

He might have been speaking to the class, but he was staring at me. As everyone started to file out, I also moved, but when I got closer to Asher, he reached out and dropped his hand on my shoulder. A strong heat burst to life, licking across my skin, the same as the last time he’d touched me.

“Has that ever happened in the ocean before?” he asked softly.

I tried not to breathe too deeply, because inhaling that intoxicating scent of his was a surefire way to make a very bad decision. “No.” I shrugged lightly. “But then again, I’ve never really gone into the ocean before. I’ve walked across the sand, but there was no time to swim.”

“What about a pool?” he pressed.

There was something there in his gaze, like he knew more than he was letting on. “That’s never happened in the pool before. Or the shower.”

Luckily, because I’d probably have had myself committed if it had. Whatever weird events had happened to me had always been small enough for me to dismiss with some sort of excuse. But water defying gravity as it rose up to wrap around me … yeah, not as easily excused.

“What are your other skills? You must have done something to bring your power to the attention of the school?”

I shrugged. “I really don’t know how they found me. Princeps Jones said that my power flared every now and then, and that was enough for them to keep tracking me. The only thing I can remember was shoving my mother’s boyfriend into the wall of our trailer when he tried to hurt me, and he was a lot larger than me, so this was not a normal strength to display.”

Asher’s face darkened, the silvery threads in his eyes starting to slide further into the sea green. “Why do your eyes do that?” I asked, honestly curious. “The silver … it moves.”

His words were harsher, as he spoke through a clenched jaw. “The element of silver—and gold to some extent—is linked to Atlantis. My ancestors were all silver-haired, silver-eyed, with dark golden skin.”

Now that he mentioned it, I’d noticed a silvery-gold sheen on all five Atlanteans.