Eternity
M.E. Timmons
Copyright 2012 M.E. Timmons
Smashwords Edition, Licence Notes
Thank you for downloading this free ebook. Although this is a free book, it remains the copyrighted property of the author, and may not be reproduced, copied and distributed for commercial or non-commercial purposes. If you enjoyed this book, please encourage your friends to download their own copy at Smashwords.com, where they can also discover other works by this author. Thank you for your support.
ETERNITY
Chapter 1
I entered the room just in time to narrowly avoid getting hit in the head with a flying lamp, which hit the wall next to me and smashed into dozens of pieces. I stood there paralyzed for a second, but when I looked up at Jack’s face I relaxed. There was guilt written all over him.
“Sorry, Juliet,” he mumbled to me. “I didn’t see you there.”
I was prevented from replying by Ms. Holland, who was the head of Pembrook Home, the orphanage in which we lived. She was glaring angrily at Jack, who was starting to look sheepish.
“Mr. Leewood, I don’t care what problems you have with the way I run things around here. I will not tolerate such behaviour.”
Jack buckled slightly under the power of her gaze. Even after living in Pembrook his whole life, he was as affected by Ms. Holland as the rest of us. At least, most of the time. There were times recently, and becoming more frequent, that he lost his temper regardless of who he was with.
“I’m sorry, Ms. Holland,” he said, not quite meeting the older woman’s eyes. “I don’t know what came over me.”
“Well, whatever it was, it’s becoming a problem,” she snapped. “Perhaps a weekend helping Mrs. Jameson in the kitchen will teach you a lesson. I expect you to report to her at seven o’clock in the morning tomorrow and Sunday, and not a minute later. She will decide when you are free.”
With that she turned and started to storm out, but she stopped right in front of me, turning to Jack again. “Don’t forget to clean up that mess,” she barked, indicating the shattered lamp on the floor. With a withering glance in my direction, she finally exited.
“Jack...” I started, but he held up a hand to stop me.
“I know Jules. It just happened again. It’s like I can’t control myself.”
I nodded, deciding not to say anything. I knew he felt bad enough as it was. “I’ll go get the broom,” I said instead.
As I went to the supply closet, I thought about Jack, who had been my best friend since I ended up at Pembrook at the age of three. I was sixteen now, so that was a long time ago. Jack was the only person who was there for longer than me, since he had been living there for almost his entire life.
Jack was the nicest person I knew. Ever since he turned sixteen, however, his temper had been getting worse, and even he had no idea why. He even lost his temper with me at times, and I was his best friend. I knew he felt bad about it, of course, but it surprised me every time his normally soft brown eyes sparked with anger. I had a theory about it, but I kept it to myself. He wouldn’t believe me anyway.
I brought the broom to Jack and sat down on the couch as he cleaned up the pieces of broken glass, since he wouldn’t let me help. We were in the living room, which had scuffed white walls and mismatched furniture. It was normally a well-used room, but most of the younger kids were outside, enjoying the sun after getting back from school. The older kids tended to spend most of their free time in their own rooms, where they had a small measure of privacy. Jack and I both tended to avoid our rooms, though, especially because we couldn’t be together in either.
“You know, this kind of gets in the way of our weekend plans,” I commented, just as Jack finished sweeping the last pieces of lamp into the ancient metal dustpan he was holding.
“If you mean taking a trip to the library, then I’m not going to complain.”
I raised my eyebrows. “You honestly think working in the kitchen is going to be better than going to the library?” Jack’s aversion to books was one of the few things we didn’t have in common.
He shrugged, smiling. “At least there’s something to do in the kitchen.”
I threw a pillow at him.
***
The next day came quickly enough, and I was glad it was the weekend, even though I didn’t get to spend it with my best friend. At least I could go to the library without listening to him complain. I smiled at the thought.
I didn’t end up spending a lot of time there. I went late in the morning, and found several interesting-looking books almost immediately. Once my arms were full, there was no point in hanging around. It was almost time for lunch, which was only available at Pembrook at a specific time, and I didn’t have the money to eat out. I caught a bus back.
When I got to my room, I was careful to put the books away under my bed, which was a bottom bunk. I didn’t want any of my five roommates to touch them, not that they had any interest in reading. I then selected one and curled up in my favourite chair near the window.
Two of my roommates, Jill and Stephanie, sat in another corner of the room, gossiping about George, the newest arrival at Pembrook. There were rumours that he’d set his last foster home on fire, though I didn’t believe that. They didn’t care about that, however. They just thought he was cute.
I was used to their nearly constant chatter, so I blocked it out and read my book. It was an encyclopaedia that went from Jo to Lu. I was sure Jack would have cringed to see me reading such a thing, but I found the section about kings quite interesting. Soon I was lost in a world of ancient wars and bloodlines.
A knock at the door startled me. I looked up and saw Mr. Andrews peeking his head in. He was the maintenance man, but since help was short at Pembrook he had other odd jobs as well, including distributing the mail. I saw a bundle of envelopes in his hand as he shuffled slowly into the room. I waved, and he smiled at me. I had always liked Mr. Andrews, since he had a quiet and peaceful nature, but many of the other kids were afraid of him or just didn’t like him. I didn’t think that was fair, since their only reason was the scars that marred the skin on his arms and the left side of his face, which were the result of a childhood trauma.
Mr. Andrews went over to Stephanie and Jill, and handed an envelope to the former. Stephanie often got letters from her brother, who was with a foster family somewhere in Montana. She squealed in delight and started ripping the letter open, and I turned back to my book.
A shadow fell over me, and I looked up to see Mr. Andrews standing there, holding out an envelope.
“There’s a letter for you, Miss,” he said.
I looked at it sceptically, and then looked back up at him. “For me? Are you sure?” I had never gotten mail before of any kind because I had no living relatives and no friends out in the world other than Jack.
Mr. Andrews smiled and placed the letter beside me on my bed, since I had made no move to grab it from him. “I’m quite sure, Miss. It says Juliet White on it. You’re the only one with that name here.” He smiled kindly and left the room, leaving me with my mysterious letter.
It was a large white envelope, and the writing on the outside was dark green and embossed, which made it look quite professional. It was definitely my name in the address. I wondered briefly if it was some kind of joke, but I was too curious to care.
Just as I reached to open the letter, I caught sight of Stephanie and Jill in their corner, watching me. They had never seen me get mail before either, and were looking at me curiously.
I got up quickly and left the room, taking the envelope with me. I didn’t like the thought of opening it with them watching me, since the letter felt somehow private. I went downstairs and walked through the house. I passed the playroom, where Ms. Holland was trying to gain control over a hoard of young children. The noise was loud, but I was used to it.
As I went by the kitchen I remembered Jack, and had a sudden urge to tell him about the letter. If there was one person I could share it with, it would be him. I was about to go through the door when he walked out, and almost bumped right into me. He jumped back in surprise and grinned. He had a smudge of flour on his cheek, and there were wet spots on his shirt from washing dishes.
“Hey, you got one too!” he said, waving an envelope in my face. It had dark green embossed writing, just like mine. “I was coming to find you.”
“It’s interesting that we both got them. Do you think anyone else did too? Stephanie and Jill didn’t.”
“I don’t know. There were only a couple of others in the kitchen, and they didn’t get any mail. Want to open them together?”
“Of course, but let’s go somewhere private. I don’t want anyone else to see.” We both knew that somewhere private excluded pretty much everywhere in the building, so we started heading outside.
“George was in the kitchen today. That guy really creeps me out. Did you hear that he almost burnt down a house?”
I rolled my eyes. “Yes, I heard. It’s probably not even true. Remember the time when Joe said he killed his stepmother when she really just went to rehab? He was just looking for attention.”
“True. That was different, though. Everyone knew Joe liked to tell stories. George is really quiet and mean-looking, though.”
“I’m sure the truth will come out sooner or later.”
We stepped outside. The backyard was fenced in but large. We had to dodge some kids playing soccer, and then we made our way to the far corner where a giant oak tree stood. It threatened to knock the fence over if it grew any wider, but it had not yet succeeded. The tree had long been a favourite spot of ours, and we each had favourite roots to sit on that had our initials carved into them. That was where we sat.
“Do you want to go first?” I asked. I already had ideas floating around in my head about what was in the envelopes, and they were making my heart pound. I wasn’t sure if it was fear or excitement that made that happen.
“No, you go first,” Jack said. I could tell he was nervous, and probably hoped that the letters were a way out of Pembrook Home. It was a hope that I shared.
I didn’t argue, and opened mine first. There were several sheets of paper inside, and something else at the bottom. I turned the envelope upside down and dumped the contents into my lap. The last thing that fell out interested us both the most.
“Is that a plane ticket?” Jack asked. It was. I looked at it carefully.
“Munich? Why would I go to Munich?” I wondered out loud, and I was getting excited. I shuffled through the papers on my lap, and found something else that interested me. It was a passport. The picture was my school photo from earlier that year.
Jack started to open his envelope then since he couldn’t contain his excitement. He pulled out a plane ticket for the same flight as mine, and his passport. Then we read our letters for a few minutes in silence. I could see that Jack was getting less excited.
“A school? I was hoping for something far more interesting than that,” he complained. He was the kind of person who preferred to be outdoors as opposed to sitting in a classroom listening to a teacher repeatedly telling people to stop talking. I liked school, but only because I liked to learn.
“It sounds interesting to me,” I said. “It’s a boarding school, so we won’t have to live here anymore, and we get to go to Germany. What were you expecting that could be better than that?”
“I don’t know,” Jack grumbled. “Something that doesn’t involve schoolwork. Not everyone likes studying as much as you do. Private schools are supposed to be way harder than public schools.”
“Who cares? It’s in Germany!”
“True...” Jack said. I could tell he was considering it.
That was how we both ended up on a flight to Munich on August 30th. Pembrook had also received a letter, telling them that we had both been invited to attend school in Germany, and we had somehow both become emancipated. With the cost of our travel already covered and no tuition to pay for, Pembrook was eager to get rid of us to make room for more homeless children and teenagers. We were quite glad to be leaving anyway, and excited to be going somewhere new for the first time.
Chapter 2
We were headed to Winterwood Academy, an English-speaking school in the German countryside. I had never heard of it, and no one else had either. During our computer time on Tuesdays I had looked up the school and found nothing. It was like it didn’t even exist.
I knew from my letter that you could not apply to the school. The students were specifically chosen by the school, and only those chosen were allowed in. The programs lasted for four years, past the normal age when one finishes high school, so the last two years were considered to be university level. Other than that, there wasn’t really much in the letter, but that didn’t stop me from speculating.
I believed that the school was for those with magical abilities.
I didn’t share that thought with Jack because I didn’t think he knew what he was, and I had never told him. Jack was a werewolf.
I knew this because I could see people’s auras. Everyone radiates energy in different colors, depending on their mood. I spent my whole life observing people and finding out what the colors meant. I also noticed that some people have very distinct auras, and some have none at all. I learned when I was seven that those without auras were vampires. I learned when I was eight that those who had a gold ring surrounding their auras were witches. I learned when I was twelve that those with a gold ring around the inside of their auras had special powers, like the ability to fly. I didn’t learn about werewolves until I was fourteen, though I had always wondered what Jack’s silver aura meant, since he had been the only person I had ever seen with one.
I found out the same way I found out about the rest of them – by following them. Ms. Holland took a bunch of the older kids out to the park one day to see the waterfall. I was walking in the back behind some of the more eager people, Jack included, when I saw them behind us. There were four of them, a family, all older than me. They all had silver auras. They were talking and laughing and not paying attention to our group. I looked back at Ms. Holland, who was discussing the different types of pine trees with Jack, who was hanging onto her every word. No one was looking back at me, so when I saw the family slink off the path and into the forest, I followed them.
By the time I got back to the group only about ten minutes had passed and no one had noticed I was gone, but I had seen all that I needed to see. About a hundred yards into the forest the family had stopped, looked around, and then took their clothes off. I was considering leaving at that point, thinking something really weird was going on, but then they changed, right before my eyes. I had read enough books to know what had happened, and I already had a strong belief in the supernatural.
When Jack’s temper started to flare up about a month after his sixteenth birthday, I knew that it might happen soon. He got more and more touchy, especially around the time of the full moon, but it didn’t happen. I knew Jack, and I knew he was freaked out. We talked about it, and I knew that he would tell me if he actually transformed. I should have told him what I had seen, but I didn’t want to make him even more worried, and there was still so much that I didn’t know myself.
Sitting in the plane on our way to Germany, he still didn’t know what he was, and I hoped that I wouldn’t be the one to have to tell him. I could tell by his aura that he was both nervous and excited. I could also see a color that always made me feel guilty around him. That color was pink.
Pink can mean a few things. It can mean caring or compassion. It can also mean love.
It was one of the annoying things about my ability. It was so hard to shut it off that most of the time I didn’t, which meant that I knew a lot of things that I shouldn’t, especially about people’s feelings for each other. For example, I knew that Jill had a crush on Henry, and that Mr. Andrews had a thing for Ms. Holland. I also knew from a young age that all of the other girls at Pembrook hated me, which was how I ended up being best friends with Jack. I also knew that Jack was in love with me, and he wasn’t the only one.
He never said anything about it and he always acted normal around me, probably because we had been friends since we were five. I could catch it every now and then anyway, no matter how well he tried to hide it. Sometimes it was the way he was looking at me, or the way he defended me around the other girls, and there was always his aura, and how it would go almost completely pink when he was around me, but not with anyone else.
I felt guilty because I didn’t feel the same way. He was my best friend, and I loved him, but I just wasn’t in love with him. When I was around him my aura was generally its usual shade of white. It wasn’t that he wasn’t attractive, because he definitely was. He had thick dark hair that started to curl when it got too long, and sweet brown eyes that contrasted his strong features. Still, his friendship meant the world to me, and I just couldn’t lose that. He was like family to me.
“Are we there yet?” he asked, waking up from a nap. He stretched and peered out the window, which was beside him. He groaned when all he saw was the sky.
“We’ll get there eventually,” I said, yawning. I hadn’t managed to fall asleep, though I wanted to. It was going to be early morning when we landed, so there wouldn’t be much time for sleep.
“I had no idea that plane rides felt so long,” Jack commented. “I feel like I’ve been in here for days.”
“It’s only been a couple of hours, I think. It does feel like a long time though, especially because I can’t wait to land.”
“Me neither,” Jack said, yawning. He curled up to go back to sleep. “I hope where we’re going is better than where we’ve been.” He closed his eyes, and in minutes he was snoring softly. I watched him for a little while out of curiosity. Auras are interesting when people sleep.
We didn’t land until two hours later. After we found our luggage, we saw a man with a sign saying Winterwood Academy. There were already two people around our age standing with him from another flight, and when we joined them he said he was waiting for three more from a flight from Australia, which should be landing any minute. He introduced himself as Paul, and explained that he was a teacher at the school. He didn’t really look that old, maybe mid twenties, and he had messy blond hair that almost covered his eyes. The two others were Sydney and Kyle, from Ontario.
We ended up waiting half an hour for the flight from Australia. During that time Paul explained that people had been coming in for about a week, and there was still another week before classes would actually begin, as people were still coming. The school was actually quite far from the airport, so Paul was going to drive us all there, which was a journey that would take about half the day.
Sydney and Kyle didn’t know each other, but I could see that they both had gold rings around the insides of their auras, which meant they had special abilities. Sydney was a returning student, back from spending the summer at home, but Kyle was new like us. Paul was a werewolf, and he looked at Jack with interest.
“Are you related to the Sawyer family in Oregon?” he asked Jack.
Jack looked surprised, since we lived in Washington, near the border to Oregon. He shrugged his shoulders. “My last name is Leewood, not Sawyer, but I don’t know who my relatives are. I was given up at birth. Juliet and I are both orphans.”
“Ah, well, just thought I’d ask. You look kind of like Dexter Sawyer. He was in my year when I went to the Academy.” He looked at me. “I can’t say you look like anyone I’ve ever met before,” he commented, looking at me with interest. I could feel my face grow hot with embarrassment, even though I was used to such things.
Once the Australians were with us we went out to the van that would take us to school. It was white and fairly large, with four rows of seats, so there was plenty of room for us and our suitcases. There was already a cooler and a few bags of food in the back to keep us satisfied during the journey.
The Australian students were all returning, and they all knew each other, so they kept to themselves and sat in the back of the van. I was sitting near the front between Jack, who got the window seat yet again, and Sydney. I asked her shyly about the school, and luckily she didn’t hate me right away, like most girls did.
“It’s the best school in the world,” she said, with enthusiasm. “I’m really excited to be going back. There’s the opening ball to look forward to, which was awesome last year. It’s really formal, so you get to dress up and they even had an orchestra, so it was kind of like stepping back in time. The classes are generally really interesting, even though they have boring names. The names are just so that if someone on the outside sees a transcript, they won’t be able to guess what the classes are actually about, or they’ll be misled into believing it’s something else. The teachers are all really cool, and they -”
“Why would other people not be allowed to know what our classes are about?” Jack interrupted, looking confused. “Is there something special about them?”
“What, you don’t know?” Sydney asked, looking startled. Then she relaxed. “Oh, that’s right, you’re an orphan. I guess I shouldn’t expect you to know already, since they don’t say anything in the letter in case someone else reads it. Most of us grow up with parents who have gone to Winterwood, so we know what the school is for and we expect our letters when they come.”
Jack waited a minute for her to continue, but she didn’t. “So what’s the big secret?” he finally asked.
Sydney turned to me, looking nervous. “Do you know?” she asked.
“Not for sure, but I have a pretty good idea,” I answered. “I’m assuming it’s some kind of school of magic.”
Jack laughed. “This isn’t a J.K. Rowling novel, Jules. There’s no such thing as magic.”
“Actually, Juliet’s right. That’s why you can’t apply to attend the academy. Only those with special abilities get letters.”
“You can’t be serious,” Jack said, looking somewhat stunned. I could see the whirls of his emotions in bright colors. “If you knew all this time, why didn’t you say something?” he asked me.
“It’s not the kind of thing you make casual conversation about,” I replied. “I wasn’t sure how you would react.”
“We’re best friends, Jules. We’ve had conversations that weren’t casual before.”
“It must be weird to grow up not knowing what you are,” Sydney said, resting her head of black curly hair against the seat. “I’m a hero. That’s what they call people with one special ability.”
“I wondered what they were called,” I said.
“Yeah? What are you, then?”
“Actually, I don’t know,” I said honestly. “I’ve never seen anyone else like me before. I can see auras. I know that people like you, heroes, have a gold ring around the inside of your auras. Witches have a gold ring on the outside, vampires have no auras, and werewolves have auras that are predominately silver. I have none of those things.”
“Huh. So is your aura, like, normal?” Sydney asked.
“No,” I answered. “It’s predominately white. I’ve never seen anyone else with a white aura. Do you know what it means?”
“No. Heroes don’t really learn about auras, and I’ve only heard a few basic things. They teach that stuff to the witches and wizards, but not until later years because it’s a pretty advanced skill just to be able to see them, and they’re generally the only ones who can anyway. Maybe you’re a witch or something.”
“What am I?” Jack asked. “I’ve never been able to do anything special.”
“You’re a werewolf,” I told him.
He turned away from me to try to hide his reaction, but I could still see it in his aura. He believed me, and he was terrified. He stared out the window, obviously deep in thought.
I talked to Sydney a bit more, but didn’t learn much else. She told me a little about some of the classes she had taken the previous year, and also about some of the events that occurred. After a while I closed my eyes, listening to the sound of Jack’s soft breathing beside me. I didn’t even realize that I had fallen asleep until I felt Jack roughly shaking my arm.
“We’re there,” he said sharply, and I looked out the window.
Chapter 3
The school seemed to consist of only one building, but it was big and spread out. I could only really see the front, and there was a tall section in the middle, connected to shorter sections, and then the corners were even taller than the middle. I counted six floors of windows in the corners, two in between, and four in the middle. The red brick facade had a timeless quality, and I wondered how long the school had been there. There was a lot of open space around the building with stone paths, benches, a field, and a tennis court, and the open area was completely enclosed by forest except for the long driveway that led up to the building. It looked more like a mansion than a school, and I couldn’t help but find it beautiful. It was like nothing I had ever seen before in my very sheltered life.
I followed Sydney out the door of the van, and Jack came out behind me. He was clearly mad at me, but there wasn’t much that I could do about it at that point. We gathered our suitcases and followed Paul to the front doors in the middle of the building, which were already open. We stepped through the doors, which led to a beautiful foyer. He told the returning students to go ahead and get settled in their old rooms, and then he turned to the three of us who were remaining.
“You guys won’t get your final room assignments until after orientation, which isn’t until tomorrow night. In the mean time you’ll have temporary rooms in the north wing, which is generally pretty empty. I’ll take you there now to dump your suitcases, and then I’ll give you a tour. After that you’ll be pretty much free to do what you’d like until orientation.”
We followed Paul down a hallway to the left, which was lined with doors that led to classrooms. After putting our suitcases in the north wing, which was at the end of the hall in one of the corners of the building, we went back to the marble foyer. There was a grand staircase with large double doors on either side at the bottom. There was also a large portrait on one wall of a stunning African man, his clothing suggesting that the painting had been made a few hundred years earlier. There was something familiar about him, yet I couldn’t remember ever having seen him before, and I had a perfect memory. That was another weird thing about me. I was hoping that Paul would explain the portrait, but apparently history was not his favourite subject. He led us through the double doors by the stairs instead.
We entered what appeared to be a cafeteria, but it was not like any cafeteria I had ever seen before. There were twelve tables, all made of sturdy wood with delicate carvings of flowers and birds, making them look almost medieval. The chairs were of similar design and featured plush red cushioning. The ceiling was flat and not overly high, but there were grand chandeliers spaced out along its wood panelling. The walls were also covered in wood panelling, but the floor was covered in grey stone with red accents. There were no windows, but the soft yellow glow from the chandeliers bathed the large space with just enough light. There was also a platform and podium at the far end of the room.
“This is where you’ll eat every meal,” Paul explained. “Meals are served from 7:00 to 8:30, 11:30 to 1:00, and 5:00 to 7:00. The schedule will be posted in the wings. If you miss a meal there are always snack foods in the wings as well, as you’ll see later.”
Paul then led us to a door off the side of the room, which led to a twisting set of stairs that disappeared below ground. He told us that there was a pool down there that we could use during our free time, but we didn’t go down to see it. Instead we went back to the foyer and then up the grand staircase, which led to a pair of intricately designed gold doors that were open to reveal a room that was even more magnificent than the one below. It nearly took my breath away.
“This is the ballroom. The opening ball is held in here every year, and it will be in two days time, I believe. We also use the room for plays and other shows when we have them.”
“It’s incredible,” I said, in awe. We stayed a minute to admire its grandeur.
In this room the floor was made of different types of wood laid out in an intricate pattern of diamonds, and it was richly polished. The ceiling was high and vaulted, and the beams seemed to be covered in gold leaf. There were sections between the beams that had been painted to realistically look like an image you would see if you looked up at the trees from a forest floor. Two of the biggest chandeliers I had ever seen hung from the ceiling and were made of what seemed like a hundred tiers of sparkling crystals. This room did have windows, and they took up most of the wall space. The far wall was completely glass and also featured glass doors that led out to a balcony. The wall on the left had no windows but featured a stage with heavy red velvet curtains that were drawn back to reveal a grand piano. The walls were mostly panelled and were white and gold, though the wall beside the door featured a mural of people dancing. The room looked better fitted to a royal palace than a school.
After we left the ballroom we went to each of the four wings, all of which were similar. The bedrooms had four beds each, and each bedroom was paired with a bathroom that had four of everything. There were separate floors for the male and female rooms. There was also a large common room in each wing that contained televisions, computers, and plush chairs. There were small kitchens off each common room that were full of healthy snack foods. All of the rooms were in similar style to the ones we had gone to first, so it was almost like taking a step back in time. The bedrooms were wallpapered and the bathrooms full of marble, and the furniture had the same sturdy yet elegant design as the tables in the cafeteria.
Paul didn’t show us the classrooms, but he said they were numbered and not too hard to find, and were found on both the first and second floors along the hallways between the wings. He did show us a few of the special rooms. There was a dance studio, a music room, an art room, a library, an infirmary, and a gym that was below ground, like the pool, that had a weight room off to the side. He also showed us something that I didn’t expect to see, and which freaked out Jack.
Even further below ground than the pool and behind three heavy locked doors was a hallway. Along the hallway were small rooms that also had very secure doors. Paul opened one up with a key he had in his pocket so that we could see inside.
“These rooms are used by the young werewolves at the time of the full moon for everyone’s protection. Most of the older students have enough control to spend that time free in the woods, but young werewolves are dangerous and unpredictable. I won’t lie; most of the injuries that occur here are caused when a young wolf loses his or her temper and turns. I’m not telling you this so that you’ll live in fear. I’m telling you so that you understand and use a measure of caution.” Paul looked at Jack while he said this. “No one is forced to come to these rooms, but most do so willingly to avoid hurting others. Those who refuse and become a danger to the school are usually kicked out, but that’s a last resort. We want to help people here, and it would be hard to do that if we gave up on all of the difficult students.”
The room was white and padded, though the padding was torn in places, littering the floor with bits of white fluff. There were a few random objects in the room that were torn apart or chewed on. Paul explained that they were used as an outlet for anger and energy.
“What if you haven’t actually started changing?” Jack asked softly.
“You will soon, trust me. Being around others of your kind will trigger it. You’ll probably want to come down here just in case during the next full moon,” Paul answered, which only worried Jack more.
“Do problems ever happen with the other students?” Kyle asked, shifting his weight from foot to foot. “Surely there are lots of heroes and witches and wizards who have dangerous powers. Do they ever hurt anyone?”
“Usually only by accident,” Paul told him. “The heroes and witches were given their powers by the gods, and as a rule, only those who are pure of heart are given powers in the first place, which is why there are sometimes members of magical families who have no abilities. Vampires are well regulated by their own kind and hierarchy. Werewolves are the least regulated of all the magical species, so they tend to be the most dangerous.”
“Gods?” I asked curiously.
Paul looked at me. “Don’t worry. You’ll learn about stuff like that in your classes once they start.” He left it at that, and I was disappointed.
Chapter 4
When the tour was over Paul left to pick up another group at the airport, leaving us to do whatever we wanted. We had passed plenty of other students on our tour who seemed to be enjoying their temporary freedom. Kyle decided to go outside and enjoy the beautiful weather. I turned to Jack to ask him what he wanted to do, but he was already walking away.
“Where are you going?” I asked, jogging to catch up.
Jack didn’t look at me. “I’m going to go lie down. I think I have jet lag,” he lied.
“Jack -”
“Don’t, Jules. I just want to be alone, okay?”
I let him go. I could see the swirling torrents of emotion in the colors all around him, and I knew he needed some time to sort out his feelings. He had been overwhelmed by what he had learned, and I couldn’t blame him. I couldn’t help but feel guilty for not telling him anything sooner.
I was then alone, standing in a hallway between the north wing and the front entrance. Since I had nothing else to do at the time, I walked toward the grand staircase. Before going up the steps, I stopped to once again study the painting on the wall. There was something so familiar and so comforting about the man’s noble features. He was probably the most beautiful person I’d ever seen, which almost made me think that the painting wasn’t of a real person, but of someone’s idea of perfection. I didn’t really believe that though. This man was real, and out there somewhere, which made my heart swell. After pondering for a minute as to why that was, I gave up trying to figure it out and went up the stairs.
The door to the ballroom was still open, so I went inside. I could imagine hundreds of people in magnificent gowns and suits dancing on the gleaming floors, and felt a desire to do so myself, even though I didn’t know how to dance. Soon, I thought, remembering that there was to be a ball. Too bad I had nothing to wear. There was nothing in the letter mentioning the need for a ball gown, and I couldn’t have been able to afford one anyway.
The room was empty. I walked to the glass doors at the far side of the room. Through the panes of glass I could see that there was a courtyard in the middle of the school. The balcony that was on the other side of the doors was fairly large and made of stone. There were stairs on both sides leading down to the gardens below, where I could see a fountain and a gazebo and stone paths trailing through patches of beautiful flowers and trees. There were posts along the paths that were connected above by strings of lights, though they weren’t on. I could tell that it would be beautiful at night. There were people wandering around on the paths that went through the gardens. Most of them looked like students, but a few were obviously teachers, and all were enjoying the beautiful day outdoors. I thought of how much Jack would enjoy such a place, and made a mental note to tell him about it later. He had always loved plants of every type.
Instead of going outside to join the happy people, I walked over to the stage. There were no stairs leading up to it, so I had to climb up to be on the platform. From that height I had an excellent view of the entire room and all of its magnificence.
Back at Pembrook Home, there had been a piano in one of the rooms downstairs. Only the children who were receiving lessons were allowed to touch the instrument, as the rest just created noise that drove the staff crazy. When I was seven I really wanted to feel the keys beneath my fingers and make beautiful music like one of the older girls, so I asked Mrs. Jameson for lessons. She agreed to start teaching me that evening after supper.
She wouldn’t let me touch the instrument at first. She explained the notes and showed me which keys made which sounds. Then she showed me sheet music, and how it worked. The lesson took up the entire evening, and I had not had a chance to play. Tomorrow, she said.
The next night we sat down together in front of the piano. “Do you remember what I taught you yesterday?” Mrs. Jameson asked. I nodded. She asked me a few questions to test my knowledge, and I surprised her by answering all correctly. I believed she thought she would have to teach me everything all over again, like with most of her students. She didn’t know that I had a perfect memory because I tried not to flaunt it. People disliked me enough already.
Finally she let me play. She set out some sheet music for me, and it was a very simple song. I played it without mistakes, but I thought it was rather dull. Mrs. Jameson was ecstatic.
“That was amazing!” she exclaimed. “I have never heard anyone play so flawlessly on their first try!”
“Could I please play something more interesting?” I asked, rather bored.
“Oh, of course, dear. I will go get some more sheet music for you.” She sped off to the library, eager to see how much I could do, leaving me alone with the instrument.
Having no one there to tell me not to play, I decided to try playing a little on my own. I let my fingers dance across the keys, and somehow it made a melody. I picked up the pace and added more depth to the song, giving it multiple layers of high and low notes, pouring my heart into it. I was so absorbed in my playing that I didn’t notice what was going on around me until I finally let the song end, which was a hard thing to do. When I looked up the room was almost full. It seemed like more than half the people who lived there were in that little room, standing or sitting and listening to me play with wide eyes. Embarrassed, I quickly got up and went to my room before anyone could talk to me.
From that day on I often had other people begging me to play for them. Sometimes I did, and I always enjoyed it. Mrs. Jameson called me a prodigy and tried to get me interested in signing up for a school of the arts, but I always refused, saying I only played for the joy of it, and didn’t want that ruined. The real reason was that I didn’t like playing other people’s music, which I would undoubtedly be forced to do.
Jack often sat and listened when I played. I tried to get him to take lessons himself, but he said I played well enough for the both of us. He wouldn’t even try learning to play another instrument. I was a little disappointed because I thought it would be a fun thing to do together, but I knew he feared being overshadowed and wanted to find something of his own that he was good at. I ended up always playing alone, but I loved it anyway.
And so, of course, when I saw that beautiful grand piano on the stage I couldn’t help but go over and study it. It was a much more majestic instrument than the one at Pembrook, and it was kept in such good condition that it looked like it was brand new, though I didn’t believe it was because of the style. Since there was no one in the room I figured it wouldn’t bother anyone too much if I played a little bit.
The sound that came out of the instrument as I played was as beautiful as the instrument itself, and I quickly became absorbed by it. I let my feelings flow through my fingers, pouring out my joy into the song.
I sat playing for what felt like an eternity before I realized that I was no longer alone. I stopped playing immediately and looked around, but I didn’t see anyone at first.
“Wow,” I heard from the wings of the stage. A figure stepped out from behind the curtain that revealed itself to be that of a young man, clearly another student. He was surprisingly handsome, with neat brown hair and bright blue eyes. He was wearing black pants and a black sweater that had a dark green pattern knitted in.
“Sorry, I didn’t realize that anyone was here,” I said, standing to leave. I hit my knee on the piano in my haste, and it hurt, but I ignored the pain.
“Don’t apologize. I’ve never heard anyone play like that before,” he said. He had a strong English accent.
“Well, it’s not something I do very often,” I said, silently cursing my own clumsiness. “When I saw the piano I couldn’t resist. It’s the nicest one I’ve ever seen.”
“You must be new here then. Do you like it so far?” He came and sat casually on the piano bench that I had just vacated. He looked like a model posing for an ad, though I knew he wasn’t consciously trying to appear that way.
“I’ve been here less than two hours, but the place is certainly beautiful. I’ve never seen anywhere quite like it before.”
“Don’t worry, you’ll get used to it. I hope you don’t think me rude for asking, but is music your ability? I mean, are you a hero?”
“Oh, no it isn’t. To be honest I don’t know what I am.”
“That’s unusual. Most people know because we’re like our parents. Do your parents have different abilities?”
“I don’t know,” I told him. “They died in a car accident when I was three. I was at home with a babysitter at the time. I still remember them perfectly, but I don’t remember them ever doing anything unusual.”
He looked away, and I could see his sympathy in his aura. “I’m sorry to hear that,” he said softly. “I don’t know what I would have done without my parents. They helped me a lot with understanding what I was when I was growing up.”
“You’re a wizard, aren’t you?”
“Yes, how did you know?” He seemed quite surprised.
“I can see your aura,” I told him.
“Ah. And I don’t even know your name,” he said, laughing to cover his discomfort. He knew what an aura was, so he knew what my ability meant.
“I’m Juliet,” I said, smiling. He relaxed.
“That name suits you well. I’m sure you break hearts every day,” he joked. “My name is Michael. This is my third year here, so if you ever need help finding anything, feel free to ask me.”
“Sure. I’ll see you around,” I said, and I jumped off the stage. I could feel his eyes on me as I walked toward the door. I was a little eager to get away because I could tell he was attracted to me. I had to deal with that enough as it was, though at least he was the polite type.
“Wait!” he shouted, and I heard him jog toward me. I turned, inwardly sighing.
“It’s time for lunch,” he said when he stopped in front of me. “Care to join me?”
“Yeah, I guess,” I answered. He was a nice guy, so I figured it couldn’t hurt to get to know him better. I wouldn’t mind being his friend, I thought.
Chapter 5
We went downstairs to the cafeteria. There were already a few people sitting down, and there was hot food in serving dishes on the tables and empty plates in front of the chairs. I looked around for Jack but didn’t see him. I saw Sydney and waved to her. She was sitting with a tall dark girl with black hair who looked annoyed at something.
We sat at an empty table and filled our plates with food, which looked healthy but good. I noticed a lot of people looking at us, and many waved or said hello to Michael. He smiled and waved back, always friendly.
“You seem to know a lot of people here,” I commented before taking a bite of salad.
“I guess I do. I know almost everyone in my year, and quite a few in other years. I’ve been involved in a lot of school activities.”
“Like what?” I asked.
“We have a play here every year and I’ve been in it both years I’ve been here, and I’m on the swim team. I also started a band here with a couple of friends last year, though we only played a show once.”
That was certainly interesting, I thought. I didn’t know too many other people who played music. “What’s it called?”
“Light’s Kingdom. Don’t ask me why; I didn’t come up with it,” he said smiling. “It was Pat’s idea. He’s the drummer. He’s good at what he does, so I couldn’t argue too much with his choice. Have to keep the talent happy.” He laughed.
“Oy, are you bragging about our band to this beautiful young lady?” asked a tall gangly blond guy who had come up behind Michael. “Just because you’re the lead singer doesn’t mean you get all the credit, you know.” He winked in my direction and sat down beside me and immediately began piling his plate with enough food to feed a family of four.
“I’m trying to bulk up a bit,” he explained when he saw me staring.
Another guy, who had just sat down beside Michal, laughed. “You’ve been trying to bulk up for years. Don’t you think it’s time you gave up?”
“Hey, I’ll have you know I’ve gained a whole kilogram in the past two months,” he said indignantly. He turned to Michael. “Aren’t you going to introduce us to your new friend?”
“Sure. This is Juliet. Juliet, that’s Leon and this is Patrick, both my band mates.” Leon was the gangly guy sitting beside me, and Patrick was the guy sitting beside Michael. He looked Native American, but I couldn’t be sure.
“Pleasure to meet you,” Leon said, sticking out his hand. I put my hand in his thinking he’d shake it, but instead he brought it to his lips and kissed it. I pulled my hand away, embarrassed.
“Leon, behave yourself,” Patrick scolded, but he was grinning.
“Hey, I was just being a gentleman,” was his reply. He winked at me again and then started devouring his plate of food.
“Do you play any instruments?” Patrick asked me.
“She’s a musical genius. She can play the piano in a way I’ve never heard before,” Michael answered for me before I had a chance to respond.
“You should try out for our band, then. We need a new keyboard player. Our last one graduated last year, and we’re planning on holding auditions next week.”
“No thanks,” I answered. “I don’t really enjoy playing other people’s music.”
“Why not?” Leon asked between bites.
“I play to express my own feelings,” I explained. “I have a hard time doing that when I’m playing a song that’s about someone else, or in some cases about nothing at all. I find it kind of boring.”
“Well, just think about it,” Michael said. “We really could use you.”
“Do you ever write music?” Patrick asked.
“Not really. I only ever did once, and when I finished writing the song I gave it to my piano teacher to play, but she couldn’t do it. She couldn’t play it fast enough to get all the notes in, so it ended up sounding pretty bad. I never bothered to do it again.”
Jack walked into the cafeteria then. He looked much calmer than he had before, though his anxiety hadn’t disappeared completely. He saw me at a table with a bunch of guys and frowned, and then he sat down next to Kyle, who had been sitting alone. He looked quite determined to ignore me.
I quickly finished my meal and excused myself. I walked over to Jack, who didn’t see me approach since he had been determinately not looking in my direction.
“Jack, we need to talk,” I said when he noticed me.
“I’m eating,” he said. “Maybe later.” He turned back to his food and commented on it to Kyle. I sighed and left. He was right; there was always later.
“Juliet!” I heard from behind me once I was in the hallway. I turned, hoping it was Jack, but it was Michael.
“Um, I was wondering if you had a date for the ball? I know we just met and all, but I’m not going with anybody and I was wondering if you would go with me?” He was talking fast and was clearly nervous. He looked kind of cute, but I wasn’t really interested. I didn’t feel anything special when I was around him.
“If you don’t mind I think I’ll go by myself,” I answered, as politely as I could. “I haven’t really had a chance to meet very many people yet.”
“Oh, okay,” he said. He looked disappointed, but not offended. “Well, I’ll see you there then. Save a dance for me?”
I smiled. “I can do that.”
After he had walked away I walked back to the cafeteria. Instead of trying to talk to Jack again I went to the staircase at the side of the room and went down to the basement, if it could be called such. I wanted to see the pool, since I liked to swim, though I hardly ever had the chance to do so. The stairs led directly to the pool, which appeared to be the average size and depth, though the atmosphere made it look more like a decoration than an actual swimming pool. Everything seemed to be covered in patterned tiles that were mostly turquoise and gold in color, and there were statues of mermaids frolicking along the side of the pool. The water was exactly level to the floor around it, which gave the impression that one could step off the side and onto the water instead of into it, like it was made of glass. There were doors that led to showers and changing rooms on one side, and a door at the back that led to the gym and weight room.
There were two people swimming laps in the water, so I didn’t linger. I went back upstairs and to the north wing common room. There were a couple of vampires there watching television. They both looked a lot older than most of the other students, and they sat very still. One of them looked up at me as I walked by. She was beautiful, and I felt like her bright blue eyes were looking directly into my soul, though the blank expression on her face didn’t change. It was unsettling, so I hurried by and went to my room.
Vampires were the exception to the rule at Winterwood Academy. While everyone else got letters, the vampires had to apply to get into the school. This wasn’t because they were dangerous, because they really weren’t. They were more closely regulated within their own ranks than any other type of people. The reason was because they weren’t born; they were made, so they didn’t age. The rest of us went to the school at the age of sixteen, but vampires were all sorts of ages, and only came to the school to further their education and learn things about the magical world that they couldn’t learn anywhere else. They made up the smallest portion of students at the school, which was why a lot of the new students were staying in their wing before we were sorted into our appropriate groups.
The rest of the day passed by rather uneventfully. I met no one else and spent most of the time by myself exploring the school and the grounds, trying to become familiar with the layout. With my memory it wasn’t very difficult. I tried to find Jack but I didn’t see him anywhere. I ended up eating dinner with Sydney, who had been sitting alone when I entered the cafeteria.
I woke up the next morning in an unfamiliar bed to the sound of other people breathing around me. It took me a moment to realize where I was, and that the past day was not a dream, though it still felt like it was. I had been in Pembrook for so long, it felt unreal to be living somewhere else.
I was quite accustomed to having roommates, so I was careful to be quiet as I got up and showered. The other people in the room, whom I hadn’t even met, were all still asleep when I slipped out.
Download this book for your ebook reader.
(Pages 1-27 show above.)