Zodiac Academy: The Awakening(56)

“Thank you,” Tory sighed and I smiled gratefully at her. Well that was something.





By the time we headed to Tarot Class in Mercury Chambers, my heart was still pounding with all the adrenaline of the morning. It was only a short walk from The Orb and we soon arrived at the ancient-looking building with high walls that were painted with strange murals. One appeared to be a man hanging from a tree, another a jester. We headed into the gloomy interior with faded stone walls, the low lighting giving the place a creepy feeling. A dark stairway led down to another floor and a silver sign directed us that way toward Tarot.

“My grandma was a Tarot reader,” Sofia said as we followed the other freshmen down the steep staircase. “She taught me about the cards but I was never that good at it.”

“What are you good at?” Kylie asked as she shoulder-barged past her, tossing her hair back to slap Sofia in the face.

Tory scowled at the back of Kylie's head as Sofia dipped her head, her cheeks reddening. Diego rested a hand on her back and she glanced at him with a small smile.

I glared after Kylie in anger.

Bitch.

“In you come,” a hoarse voice called from up ahead.

A hazy purple light guided us forward and we soon arrived in a vast room that resembled a cellar. A circular wooden table filled nearly the entire space and the centre of it was completely hollow. Within the ring the table created was a tall man with a long grey moustache which hung right down over his chin. His almond eyes swiftly landed on us and a glimmer in his gaze told me he knew exactly who we were. But then again, who didn’t?

“Take a seat,” he instructed as we filed around the edges of the table and the four of us dropped down to sit together.

“I'm Professor Astrum and today I'll be giving you an introduction to Tarot: the telling of fates through the mystical cards of the stars.” He reached into the pocket of his tweed blazer and produced a deck, fanning them out between his fingers with perfect skill.

He threw them into the air, waving his hand so they spread out in a wide circle around him on a mystical wind, the images facing the class. They started spinning in a slow circle and I gazed across each of the cards in fascination.

The Professor spent the first half of the lesson naming each of the twenty one cards and describing their meanings. I had my Atlas propped up on my desk and my notes sprawled around each of the cards' images, enthralled by everything I was learning.

Sofia knew all of them by heart and Astrum called on her more than once to explain the meanings behind each card. She might have thought she sucked at this but it seemed like she was an expert to me. My mind was boggling by the time he finally let us do a prediction. And I couldn't remember which card meant what beyond a few of them.

Astrum passed out decks and split us into pairs. I turned to Tory as she shuffled our deck and laid them in a fan between us as the Professor had instructed.

“That's it, now one of you pick a card and interpret it using your notes,” Astrum said, twirling one end of his moustache around his finger.

“Do you wanna go first?” Tory asked and I shrugged, slowly moving my hand above the cards as the Professor had taught us.

When I felt an instinctive tingle in my fingers, I plucked up the card I'd paused above.

I turned it over and Tory leaned in close as we gazed at it. The High Priestess. She was sitting in a golden throne, her body clad in blue robes with a veil over her face.

“What does that one mean?” I asked, thumbing through the notes on my Atlas.

“Err...it means...” Tory scrolled through her own notes.

Sofia pressed against my shoulder, leaning over to look at my card. She gasped sharply and I turned to her in alarm.

“What?” I demanded.

She shook her head apologetically, plucking the card from my hand. “This means someone's being dishonest with you or withholding information.” She turned the card over then grabbed my hand, placing it flat against the back of it. “What do you feel?” she whispered, her tone making goosebumps rise on the back of my neck.

“Ummm...” I looked to Tory who was trying not to laugh.

“What do you mean, Sofia?” I hissed, trying to pull my hand away but she was weirdly strong for a beanpole. Several other students were turning to watch and my cheeks flushed with heat.

I glanced at Diego for help but he was gazing glumly at his own card. Death.

“Shut your eyes and feel it,” Sofia pressed. “Sometimes the cards can give you a sense of who they’re referring to.”

I shut my eyes and heard Tory cluck her tongue with disbelief. But I had to have an open mind. With my horoscopes seeming more accurate every day, how could I deny that this was possible too?

I focused on the card, the back of it cool against my heated palm.

Light danced at the edges of my vision and the noise in the room suddenly fell away. Strange whispers replaced the sound of my classmates but I couldn't catch anything they were saying.

My blood turned icily cold as I got the strangest feeling I was being watched. It was like yesterday in The Wailing Wood. Eyes on me. Darkness pressing in. Then fire licked at my feet and closed in all around, burning, burning, burning-

“Darcy!” Tory shook me and my eyes flew open. She gazed at me in alarm and I found my mouth desperately dry and sweat beading on my brow.