The next day, Theo and his smile were waiting for me right outside the medical ward. I slipped out of the hospital doors as soon as I’d changed into the new school uniform.
“Don’t most college students wear casual dress?” I asked him. He shrugged and pulled at his shirt, which looked far more worn than my freshly pressed shirt. Instead of a pair of navy slacks that Theo wore, I had a perfectly hemmed skirt that fit nicely. It was by far the preppiest thing I’d ever worn. My old high school—my heart gave a painful throb—never had uniforms. The local college that I was looking at certainly didn’t have a dress code like this. All I saw were hoodies and jeans when I’d gone to visit the small campus.
“Beast Academy is a special place,” he said with a wink. Now, out of the haze, I could see exactly how handsome he was. A gorgeous boy that could’ve lived next to me back home…minus the bear-shifter part. I stared at the patch on his shirt.
“Do I need one of those?”
He pawed at the emblem as if he’d forgotten it was there. “Sure. What kind of shifter are you?”
I cleared my throat. “I’m a late-bloomer, and I didn’t know my family had shifter blood.” My voice cracked. “I can’t really ask them now.”
His eyes grew soft. “Don’t worry. We can get them to put an Academy patch on it. Some people prefer that. You don’t always want to advertise your shifting spirit.”
“Shifting spirit?”
“Your animal, of course.” He grinned. “Bear for me. Duh.”
My cheeks went warm. Theo’s sweet nature was refreshing. My mind wandered away from thoughts of fire and my parents, who were most definitely human. There was no mistaking that. But if I wanted to survive and be protected in this “academy,” then it would be better if I acted along…
“Sometimes, I suspect I might be bear, myself,” I lied and instantly regretted it. His gorgeous green eyes lit up with passion. Somewhere, there was an athletic clothing catalogue missing their cover boy.
“How cool. I hope it’s true. I’ll get one of the staff to add the Academy symbol for now to all your shirts. They’re all in your room.”
“My room?”
His eyebrows knitted together. “Did Greta tell you anything?” I shook my head, my wild hair flying around me. I wanted a shower desperately, feeling oddly dirty in my stark new clothes. In an effort to tame my dirty hair, I’d braided it and added a few drops of essential lavender oil from Greta’s medical cabinet. Still, my hair was big and messy, even in braids.
We stepped out of the medical wing, and I gasped. As soon as the medical area ended, the gorgeous gray stones that I’d spent the last few hours staring at shimmered in the sunlight. It was if the stones themselves were alive in the hallway with us.
He laughed, a wonderful rumbling sound. “Yep. Beast Academy resides in a castle. The stones are a bit too much for me, but I’m pretty sure the construction was magic or enchanted or something.”
“Enchanted?” I took a pause. “Wait, we’re in a castle?”
He chuckled. “You got it, Miss Mystery.”
“Mystery?” My sole job lately was to ask stupid questions, I guess.
His eyes twinkled mischievously. “You never told me your name.”
I blushed fiercely. “Fiona.” I kept my last name for myself...even though Theo seemed like he was someone who could be trusted. I needed to be careful. Exactly how much did he know about me? And the people who brought me here…I wasn’t sure who I could trust here.
We exited into a grand hallway that arched upward. I craned my neck back to admire the light spilling through an intricate stained glass that contained various depictions of animals. I stopped and tried to make the shapes out. It was breathtaking work, something worthy of a museum. Theo’s breath brushed my ear as he spoke, “Bear, wolf, lion, fox, and dragon. Those are the main houses.” I turned and nearly smacked my nose against his chest. He grinned down at me, blissfully unaware of that his close proximity was doing to me. Beads of sweat pricked the back of my neck.
“All these types of shifters live here?”
He nodded. “The young ones. We’re a college for elite shifter youth. The youngest here is 18, and the oldest is 25. Our dear Dracus is the oldest among our dorm house, but you’ll meet him.”
“Our dorm?”
I wondered if he ever tired of grinning at my questions and shock. “Yes! Our dorm. You’ve been assigned to the Core Council, Fiona.” He patted my back. His light touch was so powerful that I nearly flew into his chest from the force of it. “Oops, sorry. Don’t know my own strength. I’m always breaking stuff. Ren says I’m the most annoying person in the world. Well, he said it once, but that’s big for him since he never talks.”
My mind reeled. “Is this Ren like Dracus? He lives in the dorm house with us?”
“Yes,” Theo said brightly. “We’re all on the Core Council because—” His voice hitched. “Well, we were elected by the student body, mostly. It’s like a student council. I think you’ll like our dorm. It’s nicer than most of the other dorms. You’ll have a private room.”
“Don’t I need to be elected?” Maybe it was better to ask questions around here. More questions meant less talking about myself.
“You can be assigned if it’s been decided by the big bosses,” he told me with a simple shrug of the shoulders. “The Officials said you had to live with us.” He snapped his mouth shut for a moment. “Look, I’ll explain it later.”
I nodded numbly, not having enough strength to argue. The halls were oddly quiet as he dragged me along for a tour. The castle itself was immense. It seemed like he’d shown me at least eighteen different corridors on three floors. He explained that the professors had offices in the four towers of the castle, but those were off-limits to student. I admired the worn stone pillars which held up arched ceilings. The walk was making my head dizzy. Even so, there was something oddly nice about his tour, packed with random bits of trivia. Finally, he led me through the last hallway— he promised with a grin— we finally came across another person.
Where Theo was handsome and boyish, this young man had the perfect features of a hero from a Romantic painting, the kind I’d studied in art history in senior year. His soft blue eyes landed on us. There was no change in his serene expression. He was a head shorter than Theo but still taller than me by at least a foot. A violin case hung by his side.
“Theo.” His voice was as serene as his features, nearly angelic.
“Jasper,” Theo greeted and then proudly gestured to me. “This is our new Council member, Fiona.”
Jasper nodded and briefly glanced at me. It was only three seconds, but it felt as if he’d seen my entire soul with those faraway eyes. He certainly noticed my shirt pocket, void of any symbol. I wished that they’d brought me a blazer to cover it. Jasper was wearing a blazer and looking every bit like a preppy artist.
“Nice to meet you. I must be going.” Without another word, he passed us. His movements were elegant. While my footsteps echoed through the castle halls, I realized that his steps scarcely made a sound. I felt the strongest urge to ruffle his wavy blonde hair, tinged with red, as he left. Theo caught me staring at the retreating figure.
“That’s Jasper, our resident fox shifter in the Core Council.” His grin stretched across his face. “He gives off a mysterious vibe, I know. It’s the nature of the foxes.”
“Fox,” I repeated and nodded, turning my attention back to Theo. “Is he always so quiet?”
“Sometimes,” he said and shrugged. “Not as bad as Ren. Jasper is calm, quiet, almost unnerving. He’s an incredibly gifted musician though. Piano and violin mostly.” Something shadowy passed over his eyes. “Just don’t underestimate him, ok?” A shiver passed through me. I didn’t ask anything more as he finally led me to a grand archway which led out to an immaculate courtyard. I nearly gulped as we came through the entryway.
So, this was where everybody was. It was evidently lunchtime. Hundreds of students were sitting or sprawled throughout the extensive gardens and manicured lawn. In between gorgeous marble statues of strange beasts, figures lounged on blankets and benches throughout the courtyard. My new uniform shirt felt suddenly itchy on my skin. I wanted that shower desperately.
It wasn’t my imagination that every single head turned towards us as we walked down the smooth cobble-stone path. I kept my eyes forward as Theo waved and greeted a few brave souls, who dared to say hello. I made sure to stay close to Theo as we walked along. Soon, we strolled past the last few students, who were braver with their staring. I stumbled on a stone that was jutting out of place, and Theo grabbed my arm to help steady me. I accidentally met the gaze of two women as this happened, two brunette goddesses with long limbs on a picnic blanket. They glared at me.
“I bet she did that one purpose,” one of them muttered.
OK, wonderful. I suppose the nuances of being kind to the new kid weren’t exactly popular among the shifter people. I turned away from them, hiding my pink cheeks and pained eyes.
“It’s because you’re the strange new student,” Theo said suddenly next to me. He smiled down at me and winked. “Don’t worry. Let me know if anyone bothers you. Shifters are so competitive; it’s in most of our natures. Don’t take it too personally.”
I nodded. At the end of the path was a white gated area with a handsome-looking manor hidden behind lush trees. I inhaled the scent of flowers; they were the same pink kind that my mother kept in her own garden back home. A lump settled in my throat. As if sensing my unease, Theo hooked his arm with my own. He made a grand gesture as he opened the gate for me and cried, “Honey, we’re home!”
I laughed. A real laugh. It was nice. He sniffed the air and smiled but said nothing as we charged forward. With a silent movement, he held his hand in front of the intricately carved front door. On it was a door knocker, a beast holding a heavy ring in its open jaws. After a moment, the beast’s eyes lit up with a red light, and the door swung open.
“A nice touch by Dracus, I’ll admit. Dragon magic is a bit cool for theatrics. Not that he’d ever admit to being theatrical. He’s too proud,” he muttered as we came into the front room. Dragon magic? I’d have to ask later. My head was pulsing with all the new information from our tour.
Although we’d left behind the medieval digs of the castle, there was a certain old-world charm to this place as well. This manor was three stories by the look it. The floors were polished wood, and the wallpaper was a vibrant red color with gold-leaf leaves climbing up and down. It reminded me of a photography book of British manors that my father used to own, a book proudly displayed on our old coffee table. A coffee table that now was certainly ashes.
The Academy was beautiful, but it wasn’t home.
In the grand entryway, there was a magnificent staircase that curved down from either side of the second-floor. Before the stairs, a grandfather clock sat against the wall. It let out a bellowing sound to announce the daytime hour. As Theo launched into the history of the clock, my mind wandered to the smoke and to my parents’ screams. I missed my old house. I would give anything to be back in our middle-class home in our boring suburb. Anything.
“Hey bear brain,” a voice called out as a hand came clapping down onto my shoulder. “Girls don’t care about clocks.”