Zodiac Academy: The Awakening

AN IRRITATING KIND of jingling noise called me from my sleep and I pushed myself upright with a jerk of surprise as I frowned around at the unfamiliar surroundings. I’d been awake late again talking to Darcy about the screwed up family history lecture she’d been given by Orion and trying to figure out how the hell I should feel about all of it.

I kicked off my red duvet, scrubbing the sleep from my eyes as I glanced at my dorm. It was going to take a while to start thinking of this place as home. Even longer to stop expecting Darcy’s smiley face first thing each day. 

At least I don’t have to endure the cheeriness of a morning person while I drag myself out of my sleep-induced coma. 

Though as that thought passed through my mind, I realised I actually missed her incessant morning chatter and whistling. Well, maybe not the whistling. But I definitely missed the mug of coffee she always offered to tempt me from my pit.

The jingling started up again and I located my Atlas, flicking the screen to shut the alarm off. No way that was staying. I needed something with a much lower pitch to rouse me, especially if I was supposed to be waking up at – I checked the time – six thirty??

“What, the actual, fuck?” I cursed. I only ever saw that time of day if I still happened to be awake from the night before. I never made it out of bed before eight and even that was being generous. Nine was more my style. Ten my preference. Eleven a luxury I afforded for myself most weekends… well shit.

Yesterday I’d been too tired to check the time when the alarm had woken me and now I knew why.

I stepped out of my single bed, which I’d quickly come to realise was the most comfortable bed I’d ever slept in, and ran my fingers through my long hair to tease out the worst of the tangles.

My bare feet met with gloriously warm tiles which were heated from beneath. Everything in Ignis house was kept warm by the fire that gave it its name and I sure as hell had no complaints about that. The apartment we’d left behind in one of the shittiest parts of Chicago had no heating and a window which let in way more than a little draft. I hadn’t been looking forward to surviving winter in that place and even if the only good thing about this whole magical academy business turned out to be this bedroom it still made it worth staying put.

The plaid pyjamas I wore were not to my taste in any way and I plucked at the flannelette material, adding a mental note to my slowly increasing shopping list. Bikini, pyjamas, boots, underwear that was anything other than the Bridget Jones specials they’d given me alongside the matching breast-flattening crop tops which apparently served as bras. And as if the design of the underwear wasn’t disgusting enough they’d decided to go for nude as the colour of choice. I mean, was there a woman alive whose skin was actually that god-awful shade of anaemic peach? Because it sure as hell didn’t come close to matching my bronze skin tone and the effect of it against my flesh was really quite gross looking. 

I needed to have a word with someone about that promised stipend and a trip to the local mall ASAP. Not that I had any immediate plans to be flaunting my underwear at anyone but you never knew when a hot guy might present himself. And so long as he wasn’t of the over-privileged, self-indulging, sadistic, devastatingly attractive Heir variety, I could be tempted.

Luckily, whoever had gathered toiletries for me hadn’t had such horrifying taste as the underwear selector, who I could only imagine was a seventy year old virgin nun. I’d even been provided with a makeup bag stuffed full of more cosmetics than I ever could have afforded before I came here. Not to say that my own collection hadn’t been as impressive – makeup was one of the simplest things to claim a five finger discount on at the local store. But it was a novelty to be given a collection that had actually been paid for.

I made quick work of applying my war paint, ready to face whatever today had in store for me from behind the safety of a generous supply of eyeliner and a sweep of plumb lipstick.

A single chime sounded on the Atlas and I glanced at it as a message flashed up.

Your daily horoscope is waiting for you, Tory!

Just what I’ve been waiting for – a vague set of sentences which might just relate to my day if I skew the meaning to fit whatever random things actually occur.

Good morning Gemini!

The stars have spoken about your day.

Today, you may find yourself on a collision course with a Sagittarius. Though this altercation may bring you peace of mind for a while, try not to forget the true obstacles in your way.

Today could well send you spiralling down various paths so be sure that each decision you make is one you want to stick with. Whatever stance you choose to take today will set the dice rolling and take the control out of your hands.

I rolled my eyes as I tossed my Atlas aside dismissively but it instantly started up its merry tune again. I grabbed it, jabbing it vaguely in an effort to shut it up permanently. That’s a strong hell no to your jingly morning bullshit. My efforts were rewarded as it fell quiet but I also somehow managed to open the FaeBook app.

I hadn’t really given it a look yet aside from a quick glance when Diego had told us about it. Social media participation insinuated the user had a social life and as of yet I could claim no such thing here at Zodiac Academy. Aside from Darcy I’d only really had semi-decent interactions with a few students and we certainly hadn’t made it to the pouting for the camera, taking a selfie stage of our relationship yet. Not that I’d ever really been the type for that anyway.

I gave the newsfeed a quick scroll and my heart leapt as I spotted a picture of my bare ass as I stood in the middle of the common room after Darius’s initiation prank. I guessed it would have been too much to hope that no one had thought to snap a pic while I was exposed like that but I’d spent every second since my exposure trying to pretend it had never happened and being confronted by it again made my pulse quicken.

There were three hundred and fourteen reactions and ninety-five comments and the post had only gone live an hour ago. I glanced at the name of the student who’d posted it. Milton Hubert. The name meant nothing to me. My finger hovered over the comments tab. I knew I shouldn’t tap it. It was better off not to know. Just close the page and forget it even exists. I tapped it. Idiot.

Milton Hubert: Things got hotttttt during the Ignis hazing! #wouldntsayno

Comments:

Marguerite Helebor: Looks like the unwanted Heirs are already learning their place at the bottom of the pecking order. #whoresgohairless

Damian Evergile: Are you saying you’re a hairless whore or are you hiding a full bush beneath that pleated skirt, Margeurite?

Marguerite Helebor: As if you’d ever get beneath my skirt to find out, Damian Douchebag.

Damian Evergile: Not a whore then. Just sporting a vagina sweater. #muffscruff

Marguerite Helebor: Shut your face Damian! #basicbastard

Terrance Bonnerville: If both Vega girls look that good naked then I’ve just found my latest fantasy threesome. #idtaketwofortheteam

Barry Gurra: Nice on Damian!

Tyler Corbin: Next time he’ll get her on her knees too. #gaggingonit

My lips parted in a mixture of disgust and outrage as I read through more of the comments discussing me like I was a piece of meat. There were plenty of scathing and mocking responses from girls as well as the many, many lewd comments from the male students. There was more than one mention of a threesome including me and Darcy which made my lip curl back. Why did guys think that would be hot? If I told them to start making out with their sibling they’d be disgusted but because we were twins that somehow made that twisted idea of a fantasy okay?

I was a little surprised to see that none of the Heirs had commented, though I noticed Darius had given a laughing reaction to the comment about getting me on my knees. I guessed they thought they were above adding comments to other people’s posts.

My fingers poised above the comment bar as I tried to figure out whether or not I should respond. I knew deep down that anything I said would only stoke the flames but sitting back and taking this crap was just so not me…

Before I could make the decision, the post and all of the comments that went along with it suddenly disappeared. A message flashed up in its place and relief spilled through me.

FaeBook Admin: Students are reminded that this social media site is not intended for sharing pornography.

Milton Hubert you have been docked ten house points for Ignis. In future, please share naked photographs privately and not on the public page.

I blinked at the message. Ten house points? That was all the teachers were going to take from the boy who had posted a naked photograph of me for the whole school to see? And there was no mention of punishing Darius for the hazing. That was it. In fact, as I read it again, I realised they weren’t even telling him not to share that photograph – just to do it via personal message.

Screw that.

I grabbed my uniform out of the closet, pulling it on as fast as I could before jamming my books into my satchel. I picked up the Atlas again and tapped on Milton Hubert’s profile picture so that I could get a look at him. He was a jock type, well built with a prominent brow and thick eyebrows that almost ran into each other.

I shoved the Atlas into my bag and headed out of my room before marching straight downstairs towards the common area.

No one noticed me as I arrived and my gaze was snagged by a large group in the centre of the room. Darius was leaning back in an armchair beside the fire which apparently never went out. His black hair was dishevelled in an I-just-rolled-out-of-bed way that should have made him look like shit like it did for the rest of the population but instead made him look hot as hell. If he wasn’t such a grade-A asshole I would totally be okay with waking up to his bed hair. But as he was, the sight of it just pissed me off more. An ugly soul deserved to be housed in an ugly vessel.

A girl with vivid, blood red hair and legs that went on for days dropped into his lap and claimed his attention with a kiss that crossed the line from uncomfortable into inappropriate as she began dry humping him in front of the whole room.

Ergh.

I quickly scanned the faces of his fan club while they still hadn’t noticed me and a savage smile pulled at my lips as I spotted Milton Hubert to the left of the group.

I knew I had very little chance of matching anyone in this room in a straight fight but with my anger burning hot and fast in my veins, I could feel my power raising its head like a prowling beast readying to strike. And with the element of surprise coupled with the raw brutality of my power, I was hoping to teach this douchebag a lesson.

As luck would have it, his Atlas was sitting on the table beside him which meant that photo was within reach too.

Magic flared inside me as I strode into the room and I felt Darius’s posse turning their attention my way but I didn’t spare them an ounce of attention. My gaze was set on Milton Hubert and his monobrow raised in surprise as he realised it.

“Oh hey, it’s Tory, right?” he asked but he’d forfeited the chance for an introduction when he’d plastered a naked a picture of me all over the internet.

My magic rose to my fingertips and I grinned as I realised I’d summoned water. Of course I had, what better way to punish a fire-hungry masochist than by giving him an ice cold shower?

I raised my hand and a torrent of water slammed into him, knocking him flying back off of his chair and crashing to the floor. I increased the pressure of the water bursting from me, rolling him across the wooden floor and pinning him to the wall.

The rest of Darius’s crew all leapt up in shock and the redhead practically fell out of his lap as Darius stood too. But to my surprise, no one stepped in to intervene on Milton’s behalf. I guessed their screwed up Fae way of doing things meant that these kinds of disagreements were handled personally and I tried not to show my relief at that fact.

Milton was shouting something between gargling on the water which pummelled his face and I lowered the deluge a fraction so that it slammed into his chest instead, making sure I pinned his arms down so that he couldn’t aim any magic back at me.

“Delete the picture,” I snarled, grabbing his Atlas and holding it out towards him with the hand that wasn’t directing my magic.

The power inside me purred with satisfaction and I couldn’t deny the swell of pride that came with holding my own like this.

“Piss off,” Milton snapped.

With a flick of my fingers, I switched the water for air and Milton was lifted and slammed against the wall upright by a gust of wind so powerful that even his bushy eyebrows were fluttering in it. I wasn’t subtle, I was just using the full force of my power to immobilise him but that was fine by me. It got the job done.

I stalked forward and jammed his thumb down on the Atlas to unlock it before quickly opening up his photo album and locating the picture of me. There were actually over twenty of them, though he’d chosen the clearest one to share on FaeBook and luckily for me, his position in the room had only offered him a view of the rear. I deleted all of them, double checking the trash folder before tossing his Atlas at his feet.

I released my magic and he stumbled forward, raising a hand at me. Before he could recover enough to attack me, I threw my power at him again, this time summoning earth though I hadn’t planned it. Milton was wrapped tightly in vines which sprang to life as my rage channelled itself into the shape that came most naturally. I didn’t know what I was doing but my magic seemed to. The vines pinned his arms to his sides and encircled his mouth to make sure he stayed quiet. Milton fell to the ground with a resounding crash and I finally let my magic fall still. The swell of it within me felt a little less full than it had but I still had plenty to go around.

“You need to learn to respect women,” I snarled, resisting the urge to kick him while he was down.

I turned and headed for the exit but Darius’s voice halted me.

“He sent me copies of those photos, you know,” he said calmly.

I turned to look at him, my teeth clenching as I forced myself to meet his dark gaze.

He didn’t make any move against me and I wasn’t foolish enough to attempt anything myself. I may have just taken down Milton but I knew full well that without the element of surprise, I couldn’t have done it. And Darius was an entirely different kind of beast. I knew my chances against him ranked at less than zero even if I snuck up on him while he was blind drunk and fast asleep.

“Teach her a lesson, baby,” the redhead cooed and I offered her a moment of my attention. Suddenly her face clicked together with a trout-pout picture I’d seen on FaeBook as I trawled through my most vocal haters and tried to put names to faces.

“You’re Marguerite right?” I asked, my face making it clear that her angular features and pouting lips weren’t going to intimidate me. “Or do you go by muff scruff now?”

More than one of the onlookers laughed in response to that and for half a second I thought that Darius had to suppress a smile too. But as my gaze fixed on him again I was sure I’d imagined it. There was nothing in his expression beyond a bored kind of loathing.

Marguerite’s eyes flared with rage and she made a move towards me but Darius flicked a hand at her, making her back down like a little whipped puppy. How pathetic. She needed daddy’s permission to play with me and he wasn’t giving it.

“So are you going to try and make me delete my copies?” Darius pressed, holding his Atlas out as if he were offering it to me.

My heart thumped steadily in my chest and I let out a breath before replying.

“Keep them,” I said dismissively. “If you’re that desperate for material to jerk off to then be my guest.”

“As if he’d be turned on by pictures of you!” Marguerite spat as Darius scowled, clearly irritated that I wasn’t going to try and reclaim them. At this point they were probably all over the school anyway. Anyone could have saved copies and I’d punished the guy responsible for distributing them. There was no point in me trying to hunt down each and every copy so I was just going to have to make my peace with the fact that those images were out there.

“Don’t worry, Marguerite,” I said soothingly. “It’s not your fault that he needs them to get his motor going. I’m sure your hairy bush does it for him once you start bouncing about on his lap.”

Marguerite looked about ready to scratch my eyes out but Darius still hadn’t given her permission to act. “You jumped-up, two cent alley-whore!” Marguerite screeched at me but Darius cut across her before she could go on with what was shaping up to be a beautiful rendition of mean-girl hysteria. 

Top marks for making more friends, Tory.

“I can have any girl I like. Why would I be interested in looking at images of you?” Darius growled, his deep tone sending a shiver down my spine.

I raised my hands in mock surrender. “Hey dude, you’re the one with naked photos of me, not the other way around. And you can’t have any girl you like. Because that’s a hard no from me. But you may as well enjoy the fantasy you’re creating with those images because I can assure you that you’ve got zero chance of getting your hands on the real thing.”

A couple of the guys sniggered in amusement before quickly schooling their expressions.

Darius’s lips pressed into a thin line and I backed out of the room before he decided to burn my clothes off again or humiliate me in some other way. Did I actually manage to get the last word there?

I ran down the steps with a smile tugging at my mouth and headed straight out into the sunshine before heading for The Orb where I was set to meet Darcy for breakfast.

When I arrived in the huge bronze dome, I looked around until I spotted my sister sitting at a table slap bang in the middle of the room. It was to the left of the huge fire pit while the Heir’s favourite red couch sat to its right. For a moment I wondered why the hell she’d chosen that spot then noticed the tall A.S.S. girl sitting beside her. 

Darcy smiled knowingly as she noticed me, her usual morning perkiness a welcome reminder of all the breakfasts we’d always shared. She beckoned me over to join her and I navigated the sprawling layout of couches and tables which filled the circular space.

Sofia and Diego sat with her, the latter wearing his trademark beanie hat and I couldn’t help but wonder why he was allowed to couple it with the preppy uniform.

The A.S.S. girl perked up as she spotted me coming and suddenly I was surrounded by a flurry of scraping chairs as people at all of the surrounding tables scrambled to their feet. 

I fell still behind the chair across from my sister, frowning at the group of around thirty students who now all stood staring at me. 

None of them seemed inclined to do anything other than stare and I slowly sank into my chair, looking to Darcy for an explanation. 

As soon as my ass hit the seat, the onlookers all sat down again too. 

“What the-”

“I’m Geraldine Grus,” the tall girl gushed, lowering her head as she reached for my hand across the table. “And I am so delighted to meet you Queen Roxanya!”

I withdrew my hand before she could claim it. “Oh hell no,” I began but she cut me off again. 

“The Almighty Sovereign Society just want to make sure that you are afforded the proper respect and courtesy as you navigate your return to the Fae world,” she explained, her voice prim and proper despite her muscular build which could give a lot of men a run for their money. “If you need anything at all, you need only ask.”

“Right.” I offered her a tight lipped smile before raising an eyebrow at Darcy. 

My sister smirked knowingly before pushing a plate she had filled for me across the table. It was piled high with croissants and fruit and I reached for it with a groan of longing. I decided I’d ignore our current company in favour of demolishing my food.

“I dunno if I tell you often enough how much I love you, Darcy,” I said.

She smirked, pushing a mug of coffee my way too and I descended on it, sighing in total bliss.

“You know you make sex noises over your food, right?” Sofia teased.

“No I don’t,” I countered as I placed my mug down and lifted a pastry to my mouth. “I’m a lot louder than that in bed.”

Diego spluttered on his coffee, hacking his guts up as Darcy laughed. Geraldine seemed caught between looking scandalised and smiling but my opinion of her went up a notch when she released a snigger.

“Too much information, Tory,” Diego said in disgust once he’d recovered and I laughed.

“I could put that information to the test if you like?” a voice came from behind me and Sofia looked over my shoulder with wide eyes.

Before I could turn to face him, Caleb’s hand landed on my shoulder, his fingertips walking up my neck.

I jerked away from him, facing him with a scowl.

“Let me guess, the leech is here for breakfast too?” I snarled, trying to front him out despite the trickle of fear that his touch elicited. A rustle of tension went through the A.S.S. crowd around me but they seemed unsure about getting involved with the Heir.

“Tempting.” Caleb brushed my hair over my shoulder delicately and I pointedly ignored the shiver which danced over my skin as his fingertips caressed me. 

He leaned down and I refused to flinch away as his lips brushed my neck and he inhaled deeply. There was no point in me trying to fight him off despite how much I wanted to, he’d only pin me to the ground in front of everyone again. As I’d turned this situation over in my mind last night, I’d come to the decision to weather his attacks with as much dignity as I could muster. I’d put up with him biting me until I could figure out how to stop him for myself. Until then, running or trying to fight him off only made me look stupid. 

“But I’m still full from yesterday,” he breathed before placing a kiss against my skin. I flinched at the weirdly intimate gesture and turned to glare at him as he stayed put in the space three inches away.

“If you’re not after my blood then why are you still here?” I asked icily, pinning his dark blue eyes with mine.

“I just didn’t want you to think I’d forgotten you,” he purred, patting my neck like I was a good pet. “Keep it warm for me. I’ll leave you outcasts to your meal.”

Caleb walked away and we released a collective breath of relief.

“I half expected him to flip the breakfast table up or something,” Darcy muttered as we watched Caleb weaving his way between the crowded space. Everyone moved aside for him. Some people even bowed their heads in deference. What the hell was up with that?

“I don’t think that’s his style,” I grumbled. “He just wants us to be afraid of him. To remind us that we’re at his mercy.”

“Well let’s hope we get the opportunity to give his toothbrush the Pete treatment,” Darcy suggested and I snorted a laugh.

“What does that mean?” Diego questioned. Him and Sofia had practically shrunk into the shadows when the Terra Heir had arrived but I could hardly blame them. I wouldn’t have chosen to be on his radar either given the choice.

“I’d just like to give it a dip in the toilet, that’s all.” Darcy shrugged innocently.

Sofia opened her mouth, seeming unsure whether to laugh while Diego gave a bark of laughter before quickly checking around to see if anyone had overheard.

We demolished our breakfast like a pack of starving beasts and I couldn’t help but feel happy about the food in this place. Months of surviving on essential items and basic meals had left a lot to be desired and the cooking in The Orb was exceptional. If I didn’t watch out I knew I’d be gaining weight pretty quickly.

When the bell sounded to tell us to get to our first class of the day, Darcy and I said goodbye to our new friends and the A.S.S. and headed towards our first Water Elemental lesson.

Geraldine had told us she’d be in our class, but luckily for us she’d forgotten something in her room so we wouldn’t have to walk there with her. 

After Darcy’s run-in with the Heirs last night, I could tell she wasn’t looking forward to taking a class with some of them present but there wasn’t much we could do about it. And at least this time we’d be facing them together.

We followed the directions on Darcy’s Atlas which led us to the west of the grounds. We began to follow a winding stream before crossing over a stone bridge into an area filled with burbling brooks, ponds and swaying reeds. The path weaved between the various water sources and the sound of dripping and gurgling filled the air alongside a heavy layer of moisture which misted against my skin.

We passed by Aqua House on the lake and I eyed the floating island made up of glass pods with interest. There was a symbol above the entrance stopping anyone without the Element of water from entering but that wouldn’t keep us out. The urge to explore the building filled me and I filed it away for a later expedition.

The path drew us on, passing over more bridges with iron railings and moss clinging to the stonework.

At the end of the trail, we found ourselves looking at a waterfall which fell over a tumbling rock face. The path disappeared beneath it and I glanced at Darcy in confusion.

“Is this some kind of mistake?” she muttered, looking at the map on her Atlas again. A flashing star indicated that we were standing right outside our classroom but there was nothing here aside from the waterfall.

“Come along girls, no time to dilly-dally. The rest of your class have already headed in,” a deep voice came from behind us and I turned to find a man striding towards us. Although ‘man’ wasn’t exactly the right word to describe him. He only wore a pair of super small black shorts to cover his junk and every inch of his exposed, muscular body was covered in iridescent blue scales.

He stepped towards us, placing a hand on each of our shoulders as he looked down at us. “I’m Professor Washer,” he said kindly. “Are you worried about the class today?”

“I am a little,” I admitted, immediately wondering why I’d been so forthright with this stranger. The place where his skin met with mine beneath the fabric of my uniform felt warm and oddly comforting and it tingled a little at my admission.

“And how are you girls settling in? I heard the other Heirs have been giving you a bit of a hard time?” he said, concern lacing his voice.

I was so surprised to hear one of the teachers acknowledge the awful behaviour of the other students that I didn’t even know how to respond but Darcy beat me to it anyway.

“They’re horrible,” she admitted, her voice catching a little. “It’s so much to take in, we’ve been ripped out of the life we’ve known and we’re struggling to figure this place out and fit in. And then on top of that to have to deal with the four of them…” Darcy trailed off, looking like she was going to cry and I felt tears spring to my eyes too.

“There, there,” Professor Washer said as he pulled us both into a hug.

It should have felt weird to embrace a teacher who was wearing skin tight, tiny trunks and had scales covering his flesh but it was oddly comforting.

I pressed my cheek to his bare chest as I exhaled deeply, letting go of a whole host of the anguish which had been building up inside me since our arrival.

I could feel a strange tugging sensation in my chest, kind of like I was using my power reserves somehow but that didn’t make any sense.

Darcy squeezed Professor Washer tightly beside me and I smiled at her tear-stained face as she glanced at me.

A bark of laughter pulled me to my senses and Professor Washer released us with a smirk. Max Rigel was looking at us with a highly amused expression on his face and my cheeks flushed with embarrassment as I realised he’d just seen us cuddling our nearly nude teacher. What the hell just got into us? To make matters worse, Darius Acrux sauntered up behind him, his face falling into an amused grin as his gaze turned our way.

“Thanks for that girls,” Professor Washer said, his voice a little mocking. “Anytime you need a shoulder to cry on, you can come my way.”

I frowned in confusion as the sense of safety and warmth from his embrace abandoned me and I suddenly realised that I’d been hugging a half naked stranger in the middle of the path.

“What was that?” I demanded, feeling sure that we’d just fallen prey to something but unsure what.

The Professor only chuckled, parting the waterfall with a wave of magic as he headed beneath it, leaving us alone with Max and Darius.

“You two really don’t know anything about our world, do you?” Darius asked, his disgust at that fact clear. “How can you expect to rule over a people you know nothing about?”

I frowned at Darcy in confusion. All this talk of Heirs and birthrights and claiming power was great but no one had actually asked us what we wanted to do.

“The Professor is a Siren like me,” Max explained in a tone which suggested he was talking to a pair of children. “We draw energy from our hosts by feeding on their emotions. So I wouldn’t go feeling all mushy over him caring about you. He just drained a shit-load of your power while you cried your little eyes out for him.”

“You steal people’s energy by sucking out their pain?” Darcy asked.

I hugged my arms to my chest feeling slightly violated by what had just happened to us.

“Any emotion will do it so long as we’re maintaining physical contact.” He stepped forward suddenly and I tensed as he reached out to grasp Darcy’s arm. She tried to jerk back but he held her firmly. “I quite like the taste of fear,” Max said darkly as my sister’s eyes flickered uncertainly.

“Get off of her,” I demanded but he ignored me, shifting his grip on her so that his hand brushed across her chest for a moment.

“Lust will get the job done too,” he added with a smirk.

“In your dreams,” Darcy snapped, batting his hand away.

The two Heirs started laughing as they turned away from us, heading into the space beneath the waterfall, parting the gush of water with their magic just as Washer had.

“Well that’s screwed up,” Darcy muttered, rubbing her hands over her arms as if she was still trying to banish the feeling of our Professor’s embrace.

We stepped towards the waterfall and I raised my hands hopefully, trying to make the water part at my command. For a moment nothing happened then suddenly a spray of water slammed into us. I squealed in surprise, jumping back as I stopped trying to harness the magic.

The waterfall resumed its normal course and I turned to Darcy, laughing as I noticed how drenched she was.

“Well at least I’m making a habit of this,” she said ruefully. “Maybe I’ll make it my signature look.”

“It definitely makes for a change,” I agreed, swiping my wet hair back out of my eyes.

“Shall we just run through as we’re already soaked?” she suggested.

“May as well,” I agreed, offering her my hand.

She took it with a grin and we ran beneath the water together, screaming as we were doused with the freezing flow. We emerged in a cave on the other side and I released my hold on Darcy as we headed for the patch of light at the far end of it.

Professor Washer was waiting for us as we squelched out of the cave in our soaking uniforms. “Minus five points for Ignis and Aer for failing to navigate the waterfall. It’ll be the same every time you two fail to make it to my class dry. Although those transparent shirts will give the boys a thing or two to look at…”

I arched an eyebrow at him. Turned out Mr Touchy-Feely wasn’t one for genuine emotional connections. He’d taken what he wanted from us and fallen straight into pervy douchebag mode. It kinda reminded me of a few guys I’d dated who seemed great all the time that they were trying to get in my pants and then turned out to be straight-up assholes come sunrise. Note to self, no more emotional donations to Siren Dickwad.

“Are you staring at me for a reason?” he asked. “Because if you want another cuddle I’m up for it.”

“Ergh, no thanks,” I said, not bothering to hide my disgust as Darcy recoiled beside me. 

Washer’s mouth fell into a thin line. “Well then, if you’re not changed and in the pool in three minutes that’ll be five more points off each.”

We hurried past him, entering a door to his left which led to the female locker room. A couple of girls were leaving as we entered and I upped my pace as I realised we were the last ones.

Once again bags hung on the hooks with our training outfits awaiting us and I quickly shed my saturated uniform for a deep blue bathing suit with the Aqua symbol emblazoned across the midriff. It had a plunging neckline which showed off way more cleavage than seemed appropriate for lessons and rode high over my hips as well as revealing a good chunk of my ass.

“Do you think the Professor chose this uniform?” Darcy asked, wrinkling her nose in disgust as she attempted to cover her chest with her hair.

“I think I’ve worn bikinis with more material,” I agreed.

“Thirty seconds!” Washer’s voice came from outside and we ran from the locker room before he could dock us any more points.

I slowed as we emerged outside. The ‘pool’ was in fact a huge area filled with crystal blue water interspersed with caves, islands, bridges and even slides. It looked like something from a luxury holiday brochure and yet seemed weirdly natural too, the banks lined with bright green plants and trees swaying around the outskirts.

Professor Washer was standing in the water, his blue scales glimmering wetly as it lapped around his shins. The freshmen were lined up along a sandy shore before him and we hurried to join them as he began to speak.

On the far side of the pool, the older students were practicing wielding their water magic and I watched them firing bursts of liquid at each other and creating shapes which danced across the surface.

Geraldine spotted us and bowed so low that her face ended up underwater. I wasn’t sure whether to laugh or cringe and I quickly gave my attention back to the Professor.

“Today we are going to focus on building your understanding of our Element,” Washer was saying. “In many ways, water is the most unpredictable and changeable of all the Elements. When subjected to different temperatures it can range from solid to liquid to gas and each of these forms can be used in multiple ways.” He began to explain the various ways that those forms could be put to use but my attention was snared by two figures who were scaling a cliff face at the rear of the pool.

The cliff was sheer and rocky and I couldn’t quite work out how they were managing to climb it. I nudged Darcy to point them out to her too and a slight frown pulled at her face as we watched Max and Darius make it to the top. Even from this distance I could tell that their bathing suits left as much to the imagination as ours did and the tight shorts clung to their flesh in an indecent way which gave my imagination plenty of ideas. Ideas based on a fantasy of them having decent personalities and not being utterly abhorrent.

They stood at the top of the cliff and started wrestling with each other. My heart skittered at the idea of them fighting so close to the edge and I couldn’t tear my gaze away as I waited to see what would happen.

“They’re going to fall,” Darcy breathed.

“Maybe they’ll do us a favour and hurt themselves badly enough to be forced to leave the Academy,” I joked.

As we watched, Max managed to get the upper hand, slamming his shoulder into Darius’s stomach and making him stumble back. He lost his footing on the cliff edge and fell, his arms cartwheeling and a whoop of laughter leaving his lips. He somehow managed to flip himself around so that he hit the water feet first, disappearing beneath the surface with a huge splash.

A second later, Max took a running jump and dove from the cliff too. He entered the water like an Olympic diver, barely raising a ripple and I couldn’t help but be a little impressed.

My attention was snagged by the freshman class as they began to move into the  shallow water and my sister and I hurried to follow.

It was surprisingly warm and I smiled as I waded out, running my fingertips across the surface as my power called to the liquid that surrounded me.

I wasn’t sure what exactly we were supposed to be doing after I’d let my attention waver but I was more than ready to begin.