Zodiac Academy: The Awakening(60)
From the example sheet she’d given me to peruse while she worked, I got the feeling that this was going to work out well for both of us. Though she clearly didn’t want to be directly involved with me more than absolutely necessary she was more than happy for me to contact her with any questions - strictly online - and the information she’d provided was thorough and easy to understand. I just needed to stop by her office every now and then so that she could sign off on our lessons together so that it looked like I’d physically attended. Simple.
She’d even given me a credit card with access to my sizeable stipend, emailed me a map and shuttle bus timetable for the local town and thrown in some advice on the best shops there for free. And judging by her outfit, her advice was well worth taking.
We were going to get on just great.
“Okay then, Tory,” she said with a flourish as she hit send. “I’ll have a meeting with you after The Reckoning once you earn your official spot in the Academy and we can discuss the new classes which will be added to fill in your timetable then. Other than that, I have a date in town and I’m already running late.”
She got to her feet and I followed suit as we moved towards the door.
“Well I hope you make him work for it,” I said, eyeing the tight fitting black dress she was wearing with a smirk.
“I always do, don’t worry,” Prestos replied with a grin before locking her door and strutting away from me in her three inch heels.
Well that was a lot less painful than I expected. What to do with my evening of freedom?
After spending half the afternoon traipsing back through the woods soaking wet and missing most of our following class, I had no desire to face The Orb for the dinner rush where no doubt all of the Heirs would be holding court and laughing about Seth’s prank.
I made my way down the steps of Neptune Tower where the brief meeting with Prestos had been held and looked up at the sky where the sun had begun to set. It was just eight-thirty and I wondered if I should try to contact Darcy. We'd had a Coercion practice session with Sofia after our last class of the day and I already felt slightly more confident at fighting it off but now I wasn’t sure what to do with myself.
The campus was massive and there were countless places we hadn’t seen yet. I opened my satchel to search for my Atlas to call my sister but after a good few minutes of rifling through I had to accept that I’d forgotten it back in my dorm and I gave up with a sigh.
The evening was warm, a breeze filled with the memory of summer washing around me.
I crossed the path which led back towards The Orb and headed the other way, following the curve of the hill into the trees which marked the edge of The Wailing Wood.
I hesitated, after spending so much of the afternoon in those trees I wasn’t exactly keen to go in again but if I went the other way I’d have to pass The Orb and all its merry occupants. Where we’d grown up there was very little in the way of forests or any kind of nature at all. It was all stone and steel, urban and boring, the idea of heading into the silence beneath the trees was tempting enough as an alternative to any further interaction with my classmates today.
I glanced over my shoulder, making sure no Heirs or anyone else were coming my way but the path behind me was totally clear.
I moved further into the trees and followed the winding path up a hill which grew steeper the further I went. This would be a good place to run just as soon as I bought some workout clothes with the credit card which was burning a hole in my pocket already. Running always helped me clear my head and I could definitely use a bit of clarity these days. There was a huge leisure centre beside The Orb with every workout machine known to man but the one time I’d popped my head in there I’d spotted the Heirs lifting weights and decided against it. Besides, I’d always liked running in the fresh air.
As I made it to the top of the hill, I noticed a thin trail which led away into the woodland.
In all of my years in foster care I’d never had the opportunity to spend a lot of time in the great outdoors. And though I was a city girl through and through, the joyful cries of the birds heading to roost filled me such a sense of peace that I found myself wanting to just sit and admire it for a while. Besides, my only other option was returning to my room for the night and it was still so early that that idea was practically tragic.
I stepped off of the path, following the trail until I came to an open patch of ground on the top of a rock face which overlooked the campus below.
The dirt beneath my feet was well trodden and I could tell that this was a spot favoured by other students. There was a ring of tree stumps in the widest part of the clearing which had been set up as a seating area but I ignored them in favour of a more sheltered spot. There was no sign of anyone nearby so I took a seat by an uprooted tree at the far left of the space, away from the well-used area where I could look out over the view with my back pressed to its trunk and just hide from the world for a little while.
The view over the valley was beautiful. It was an endless sea of green treetops with countless birds swooping back and forth. As I watched, a huge eagle burst out of the trees, shooting high into the sky with a cry of triumph. My heart leapt as I realised it wasn’t just an eagle - it had the hind legs of a lion which kicked out behind it as its powerful wings lifted it higher and higher into the sky.
My lips parted as I watched the Griffin circling above the forest and my brain struggled to accept the unbelievable sight. I guessed that it must have been one of the students who had shifted into their Order form but learning about such things and seeing them in the flesh were insanely different. That creature defied nature and yet as I watched the movements of its powerful body, I couldn’t help but appreciate the beauty of it too.