The headmistress’s words were friendly enough, but something about her had me on edge. I wasn’t sure if it was the way she had spoken to Logan before he left, or just some strange vibe I was getting from her.
“I will send the necessary paperwork to the state, informing them of your decision to enroll here,” she said, shuffling through a stack of loose papers on her desk. “I’ll also send a letter to your foster parent explaining the situation as I doubt you told him.” She glanced to see if she was correct. The expression on my face must have been enough to let her know my foster father would have no issue getting rid of me. “As I suspected. All right, now that you know what I have to do, I’m going to let you know what you’ll be doing.”
She picked up a clear crystal ball that sat on the opposite side of her desk and stood. The ball was cradled in a metal holder, each leg that of a different animal. I spotted a dragon and some sort of winged bird on the side nearest me. What would the other two be? I wondered. Something told me it would be an animal that represented the other two houses—water and earth.
She handed it to me, holder and all. “This crystal can tell me which type of shifter you are, though Logan has already informed me you are woodland. Fox, I believe he told me. Lift it up and stare through it. I’ll need to be sure before I assign you to a house.”
I did as she instructed and lifted the orb in front of me, moving my hands enough to see the other two legs on the holder. Wolf and snake. I’d been right. Well, there wouldn’t be any doubt about it. My fox would land me solidly in the earth house.
The crystal clouded immediately with rolling purple fog that filled it completely. My skin began to prickle, as if it were charged with electricity, and I felt the fine hairs on the back of my neck stand up.
“That’s…interesting…” the headmistress said in an odd tone of voice.
I was afraid it was going to show my secret—that I thought I could pick up on the magic of others—and my nerves got the best of me. The push of the fox as she came to the surface was strong, ever my defense mechanism for fear.
Instantly, the purple fog lifted and a small red fox appeared in the glass.
“Yep! Earth House,” I said in an extremely chipper voice as I thrust the globe back into the headmistress’s hands. Her gaze narrowed, clearly not sure whether to trust me—or her crystal—so I gave her a huge grin. “Is that all I needed to do, ma’am?”
She stared at me for a long moment and said nothing. Turning, she sat the crystal on her desk. “There are two rules you must obey at all times or you will be expelled from Imperium, regardless of how well you may be doing with your classes.”
Only two rules? I can handle that.
“The first is that you are never to shift in the presence of a human, whether you are here or in the city. The second is that you are not to take the life of another student. This school has a reputation to uphold, and I expect the same amount of control from new students as those who have been here for months. Is that understood?”
“Yes, ma’am,” I managed. Don’t shift in front of people and don’t kill your classmates. Really? A nervous giggle, one that had nothing to do with humor and everything to do with nervousness, welled up in my throat. I squelched it back down and smiled.
She picked up a sheet of paper and handed it to me. Most of it had already been filled out with my name and my foster father’s address. Silently, I read.
I, Claire Pratten, do in good conscience give Imperium University and its instructors charge over me during my time spent at this university until such time I should graduate. Should I disobey the rules in any manner, I give them the right to reprimand or discipline me by whatever means should be necessary. If, for some reason, it is found that I will not graduate, I give Imperium the right to expel me from its grounds, and I will not hold them liable of the consequences. During any occasion that I break the rules, I understand I will be banished…
Banished. That was definitely an odd term for a contract. I scanned the rest of it, which basically told me in half a dozen ways that I was giving the rights to “myself” to Imperium and if I couldn’t make the cut, they’d kick me out. I wondered if the parents to the other students had to sign such a paper. But where else would I go if I refused to sign? Definitely not back to my foster home.
“Okay,” I said, agreeing to the terms.
The headmistress gestured for me to come to her desk, then handed me a strangely shaped gold pen that reminded me of a quill, but without the feather. I set the paper down and leaned forward to sign my name, feeling a quick stinging sensation in my fingertips.
As I scrawled my name, I noticed the pen’s ink was red and thick.
My stomach turned when I felt the warmth between my fingers and saw the crimson staining the page. I had signed with my own blood.
That was when it really hit home that Imperium wasn’t a normal run-of-the-mill school.
“Very well.” The headmistress gave a decisive nod, as if nothing was amiss. She took the pen and the contract from me, then handed me a different sheet of paper. “This is your class schedule, along with your housing assignment. You will be in Earth House, room nineteen. Your roommate is Lacy Jennings. There is also a map to show you the different locations of each class. The mess hall will be serving lunch in an hour. You should have plenty of time to get settled into your room and meet Lacy.” From her desk drawer, she pulled out a long cord with a metal disk attached and handed it to me. “This is your medallion. You are to keep it on you at all times, even when you shift. When you are in the forest behind the university, it will mark you with the house to which you belong. It also serves as your key. When you get to your house, press it into the pad on the door and it will open.”
“Thank you.” It was a medallion with a tree in its center. I looped it around my neck, then picked up my suitcase to head out and find my new room.
“Oh, and Claire?” the headmistress said, just as I was about to shut the door.
“Yes?”
“You would do well to watch yourself while you are here.” Her tone was hard again, though I noticed her attention was on the crystal globe.
“Yes, ma’am.”
My finger throbbed. I shook my head as I walked to the end of the hall and let myself out. My brain was still trying to make sense of the strange meeting, and I accidentally made a right turn instead of going left. I ended up at the front of the main house. Immediately, I recognized the scenery as that of the main page on the school’s website. Giant white pillars decorated the front of the university, and the two concrete gargoyles sat near the steps.
Imperium was beautiful in its own strange way, I decided, walking out onto the front lawn in a dual effort to not only soak up the ambiance, but also to calm my shaky nerves. I went to the center, where the steps ended, and placed a hand on a gargoyle’s head as I stared up at the enormous wooden doors.
“I don’t appreciate that. Just because I’m here, it doesn’t give you a right to touch me,” a grumpy voice said.
“Cut it out, Frank. We aren’t supposed to talk,” a second voice piped up. I jumped and backed up a few steps. “Now, see, she definitely knows you were talking.”
“Well, she shouldn’t have touched me. I don’t like being touched, you know that. I didn’t touch her, so she shouldn’t have been touching me.”
“Who said that? Who’s talking?” I asked, whirling around. No one behind me. No one around me. Only two gargoyles in front of me. But concrete statues do not talk, my brain insisted, but I noticed one had its arms crossed and seemed to be scowling more than it had been before.
“Not me. I wasn’t talking.” It hadn’t moved, but I could have sworn the voice came from it.
“Frank, will you just shut up?” the other voice said, sounding exasperated.
I glanced at the other gargoyle. It was looking straight up at the sky, as if frozen in the middle of rolling its eyes.
“I’m going crazy,” I mumbled, picking up my suitcase and retracing my steps to go back around the side of the school.
“That’s right, fox girl, keep a moving. Nothing to touch over here,” the grouchy voice said loudly as I left.
“Frank, you really shouldn’t heckle the new students. Poor girl has enough on her plate coming here,” the other admonished.
“But she was touching me!”
I’m losing my mind. I’m losing my ever loving mi— I plowed right into something as hard as a rock and fell backward, my suitcase flying over my head.
Cackles of laughter came from where the gargoyles were.
“Are you okay?” Logan reached down and grabbed my hand, helping me up before retrieving my suitcase from the nearby bush.
“Yeah, just took a wrong turn,” I replied, rubbing the sore spot on my back where I had landed. “Um…those gargoyles? They talk?”
“Bob and Frank,” Logan said, knowing exactly who I was referring to. “Ignore them. They’re supposed to be security for the front grounds, but they’re there for looks more than anything else.” He lifted his voice, clearly so the two little concrete monsters would be sure to hear him. “But they’re the worst. We’d be better off putting the centaur out here to watch over everything. Benny would do better.”
Instantly, the two voices squabbled and fussed, no doubt not liking the idea of a centaur taking over their job. Logan grinned, then he saw the medallion at the base of my neck and his grin widened. “Come on, I’ll take you to Earth House.”
I didn’t really need an escort, since he had already shown me the houses, but it was nice to have someone to walk with. I felt eyes watching us as we crossed the courtyard.
“Ignore them, they’re just curious is all,” Logan said when he noticed my cheeks getting red as someone made a remark about the dragon’s new girlfriend.
“Okay, let’s see your medallion and I’ll show you how it works. This side of the hall is for the girls,” he motioned to the right door, “and we’re—the guys, I mean—are on the other side.”
“You’re in Earth, too?” I asked, taking the loop from over my head to hand him the medallion. “I figured you would be in Flame.”
He shrugged. “It’s where she put me.” He’d wanted in the other house; I could tell from the sound of his voice.
“So, the mess hall is in the main house?” I asked, changing the subject as he pressed the emblem of the tree into the pad at the door and it opened.
“Yep. Lunch will be soon. I’ll see you later,” he said, giving me a smile as he held the door open for me.
“Okay, see you.” I left him and started up the steps.
Number nineteen was at the top and down the hall. The very last door. I held my hand up to knock, but it swung open and I was greeted by a girl with brown, curly hair. “Hi, I’m Lacy,” she said, putting out her hand. “You must be Claire. Nice to meet you.”
“Thanks. Nice to meet you, too.”
“I’m glad to finally have a roommate again. Alexis graduated last semester, and I’ve had the room to myself ever since. This side is yours,” she said, pointing across the room where a bed and dresser sat. The mirror on the dresser had a sticker that stated “I love tattooed boys.”
I snorted as I laid my suitcase on the bed.
“Yeah, she really did. Paul had quite a few tattoos. They graduated at the same time,” Lacy said, seemingly more to herself than me. Then, she added, “Paul was Logan’s best friend. I guess he still is, though they aren’t around each other much anymore.”
I didn’t say anything as I started unpacking.
“Can I help?” she asked.
“I’m good, but thanks,” I said, giving her a warm smile. I glanced over her shoulder, noticing her side of the room. A big poster of Adele hung over her bed. I gestured to it. “I love her music.”
Lacy grinned. “Yeah, me too. She’s my idol. I could listen to her sing all day.”
“Me too.” As I continued to shove the rest of my stuff into empty drawers, I kept talking, wanting to know more about my roommate. “So how much longer do you have to go to graduate? And if I can be nosy, what kind of shifter are you?” Something in my head gave me the impression of waves…and an ocean.
“Oh, I’m Water. I’m a mermaid. Actually, a selkie, but I like my mermaid form better,” she replied, proving my guess correct.
“You mean you can turn into both?”
“Mm-hmm, some shifters have the ability to shift partially. Like mermaids…”
“And centaurs,” I added.
She laughed. “I see you met Benny. He’s a nice guy. Totally stuck on himself, but he’s okay. Oh, and for the other part of your question, I’ve only been here for two semesters. I’ve got quite a bit to learn before I leave Shifter’s. I have to learn better control in the ‘do not enamor and charm the humans’ department.”
I stuffed my t-shirts into a drawer and shook my head, “I don’t understand. What’s that?”
Lacy waved her hand, dismissive. “Humans as a race have a weak subconscious, and selkies are known for being able to charm them. Not that big of a deal; I just have to learn how to concentrate on making my magic more subtle when I’m around humans.” She sat down on the end of my bed and curled her legs beneath her. “Okay, my turn for a question. Rumor is running all over the place about you. Everyone is saying Logan flew you into the courtyard on his back, and he’s been with you ever since.”
“Yes and no.”
“Yes and no, what?”
“Yes, he flew me in, but it was because I missed my taxi, and no, he hasn’t been with me the entire time.” Most of the time, but not all of it.
“Logan is the hottest guy on the entire campus. You’re going to be the envy of every girl in Imperium,” Lacy predicted.
I winced. I didn’t want to be the envy of anyone. If anything, I would have loved to just melt into the background with no one the wiser.
“He’s pretty aloof,” she continued. “Dragons are like that. They look out for themselves and those closest to them, but that’s about it. He hasn’t had much to say to anyone since Paul left. They were pretty tight. I think he misses him.”
I finished putting my clothes away, then plopped down opposite her on the bed.
“So what about you?” Lacy asked. “Have anyone at home you’ll miss while you are here?”
“Just my brother,” I replied. “But I plan on seeing him on the weekends. How about you?”
She shook her head. “Not me. Parents are both dead, and I don’t have any siblings. Honestly, I’m not all that much in a rush to graduate. At least here, I feel like I belong.”
I smiled. “You know what, Lacy? I think we’re going to get along just fine. I’m starving. Want to head down with me and grab some lunch?”
The mess hall was a giant room on the first floor of the main house. Lacy led me to the corner where a pile of pizza boxes were stacked.
“Ms. Huccabee is the one who takes care of us, but she’s out of town for the weekend, so we’re making do with pizza,” my new mermaid friend explained as she handed me a paper plate.
I tossed a couple of slices on the top, then grabbed a soda from the adjoining table and followed Lacy to sit down. We must have just beaten the rush, because as soon as we took our places, a large group came in and headed toward the food.
My skin prickled as I felt their magic. Every one of them was a shapeshifter. Somehow, I knew if I focused on any one of them, I would figure out what creature lay hidden beneath their human form.
I picked up a wedge of pepperoni pizza and forced myself to take a bite.
“Hey, it’s not that bad, is it?” Lacy asked, biting into her own slice. “Geronimo’s typically makes really good pies.”
“No, it’s good,” I managed, giving her a fake smile as I dug into my food again with forced gusto while attempting to keep my attention either on her plate or mine instead of the people around us.
Focus, Claire! You’re in a school where different is normal; no need to make it worse by flipping out now.
Someone sat on the table beside Lacy, and my train of thought completely derailed. “So, I’m thinking about going out to the lake tonight.” A boy with longish blond hair and eyes such a light blue they seemed nearly white was giving my friend what I assumed was supposed to be a disarming smile. “You and your friend should come, too.” Instantly, I felt myself go rigid. Everything in me told me this guy was no good when I spotted his eyes. He ran his hand through his hair, brushing it away from his face. While his tone was easy enough, there was something calculating and predatory in the way he was looking at Lacy. I didn’t like it, not one bit.
I didn’t know enough about Lacy to know if this guy was her boyfriend, so I stayed silent, though I was more than ready to tell him I wasn’t going to go anywhere with him.
“No thanks, Victor.” Lacy sounded small and frightened. Had I not known she was a mermaid, I would have pegged her for something much smaller and timid.
“You’ll come,” he told her in a commanding voice that made me wonder what else he’d forced her to do. Then he looked at me. “You’ll come, too. Be there at eight, and we’ll go for a swim.”
“We’re not coming,” I replied. “She said no, and I don’t want to go to the lake.”
Something slithered in his eyes. I immediately got the impression of a giant snake, coiled and ready to strike.
“So Logan’s newest conquest has a mind of her own,” he said, reaching out an index finger to touch a strand of my hair that fell at my chest. “I like a challenge.”
“No means no,” I said, standing up. I turned, ignoring when his hand brushed against me. “Come on, Lacy. Let’s go.”
“Sit down,” Victor commanded just as she started to stand. Like a puppet without strings, Lacy dropped back into her seat, cowering.
“And you,” Victor said, eyes locked on me again. “You’ll learn that whatever I say goes around here.” He gripped my arm, squeezing a little too hard. I did the first thing I could think of; I lifted my knee, aiming for the soft spot between his legs.
He anticipated my move and expertly dodged. His fist pulled back, ready to punch. I was pinned between the table and Victor, with no way of getting free. I wouldn’t be able to shift fast enough, so I tensed, ready to take the hit.
Just as he threw the punch, there was a sudden blur. Logan caught Victor’s fist in his hand before it hit me. The air felt scalding hot. Smoke rolled out around Logan in a thick wave that covered the mess hall floor.
“You heard her,” Logan said as his eyes took the shape of a dragon’s, slanting to ovals. “No means no, asshole.”