Dragon Fire Academy 1: First Term: an RH academy romance Page 6

  “Ugh! That smell!” Toni choked, losing her train of thought as her face twisted into a scowl. Right after, she tossed her pizza back into the box in dramatic fashion. “I think I just lost my appetite.”

  The odor that swept in on a breeze wasn’t hard to place as Blythe and crew passed through.

  Marcella eyed them, and then shifted her gaze to Toni with a laugh. “Seriously? I’ve never heard a witch complain about the stink of another. Isn’t that you all’s thing?” she teased.

  Toni tilted her head, clearly offended. “For your information, all witches don’t smell like that. Hence the reason we were all able to enjoy our meal until just now. I’m not funky like that bunch.” With the comment, she eyed the back of Blythe’s head. “There’s a reason I don’t do dark magic, and it ain’t just because of the negative energy that comes with it. It’s a well-known fact that if you dabble on that side of the realm, it rots you from the inside out, hence the reason some smell like walking corpses.”

  That wasn’t exactly true about the rotting, but I understood where she was going with it. Heck, based on the way some smelled, you’d think it was true anyway.

  “And how come I’m the only one getting picked on?” Toni snapped, smiling when she asked. “Noelle’s part witch, too.”

  Marcella waved her off. “Noelle’s part everything, so it’s different.”

  “Well, my aunt Hilda always smells like incense,” I added with a smile. “But I’ve been around a few who reek of grade-A toe cheese.” It was the only thing I could think of on the fly.

  “Toe cheese?” Tristan nearly choked on his food when he laughed. “I’m afraid to ask.”

  I nodded with a smile. “You can thank my brother for that little gem. Kid has a knack for coming up with random insults. Telling someone they smelled like toe cheese, boiled quarters, or hotdog water were his go-to comebacks from ages seven to ten. I guess that one stuck with me.”

  The offensive odor calmed down and Toni’s appetite had apparently returned when she went back to eating.

  “Well, if anyone’s interested, I got the scoop on the northern hemisphere of Sanluuk.”

  Blinking at Marcela when she made the claim, my thoughts went back to the sinister warnings we all heard when we arrived several weeks ago.

  “Well, spill!” Toni urged.

  “So, get this. The big bad danger lurking about, waiting to prey on innocent co-eds like ourselves is just some volcano.”

  Manny reared his head back when he scowled. “Like, is it active or something?”

  Marcela shrugged. “Beats me. All I know is that’s the answer we were given when some kid in my group asked why they were getting all butt-hurt about people going to the northern side of the island.”

  “I’ll bet it’s a lie,” Tristan countered, raising his brow in suspicion.

  Agreeing, I nodded. “Besides, if someone’s dumb enough to walk up to an active volcano, that sounds like a pretty fair outcome to me. I say let the stupid ones weed themselves out.”

  “Player eliminated,” Manny added.

  “Exactly. Natural selection, right?” Toni laughed.

  Marcela shook her head at all of us, only cracking a dim smile.

  There was something important I needed to take care of before nightfall, and glancing down at my watch, I remembered time was running out.

  “Hang with you guys later?” I asked, taking one last bite as I stood.

  “Sure, but where you running off to?” Toni asked.

  Breathing deep, I thought of an excuse, seeing as how telling the truth wasn’t really an option. My birthday was closing in on me—and so was my inevitable first shift. With my workload, I had to take action while I had the time. Honestly, I was afraid to put this off until the last minute. Even with two months to spare, I was on edge.

  The strange dream I had before my first day of class turned out to be a recurring one, and I hadn’t ruled out that it was a sign I was changing. If that was true, it made what I had to do today even more necessary.

  “Uh, just a … thing,” was the only answer I could come up with. Real smooth, Noelle. That didn’t sound suspicious at all.

  Toni tilted her head curiously. “Would this be a thing you’re doing with a boy?”

  When she asked, Tristan shifted in the seat he occupied beside the one I just left. He lifted his head, clearly listening, but trying to pretend he wasn’t. Over the past few weeks, it dawned on me that, while he was friends with us all, he’d shown signs of being interested in me in other ways. The clearest signs were him volunteering to carry my books from the classes we had together, and also the bagillion questions he asked about my guardians. He wanted to know things like whether they had ever made a pass at me, or if any of them were my type. I always answered with a resounding heck no, and I think he was finally starting to get the hint that they had been assigned to do a job, and that was all there was between us.

  “Nope, no boys,” I said chipperly. “You know me, happily single and whatnot.”

  The side-eye Toni gave made it clear she hadn’t bought that last part. “Fine, but I’ll be in the room when you get back,” she sighed, doing a terrible job hiding how badly she wanted to know where I was off to.

  “We’ll probably stop by there, too,” Marcela decided, speaking for herself and Manny. “Maybe we’ll binge on movies or something. Or we can just find some random trouble to get into,” she added with a smile.

  “Sweet.” I laughed and then got caught in Tristan’s heavy stare. “What about you? You dropping in later?”

  He seemed pleased I asked, but was far too cool to let it show that he was eager. “Uh … yeah. Most likely,” he answered, keeping his tone low and even.

  Part of me wanted to tell him he could relax around me, because I only saw him as a friend, but I couldn’t stand the thought of hurting his feelings.

  “Perfect,” I sighed. “Guess I’ll catch you guys in a few.”

  With that, I turned to head toward the thick line of greenery beyond the high brick wall that formed the academy’s border, accepting the fact that I’d have to venture in pretty deep.

  Hopefully, Marcella was right. If there was only a volcano this tribe was weary of, I could handle that. Not that I had a choice other than to venture out into the wild. If I didn’t make this journey, I couldn’t guarantee things wouldn’t get bad.

  For me. For others.

  Still, if something was lurking out there, something this tribe hadn’t spoken of, I could only hope not to cross its path.

  ***

  There had to be at least three miles between me and the academy. Making a trek of this magnitude, in the sweltering heat, hadn’t been a small achievement.

  Sweat poured down my neck and chest, dampening the collar of the tank top I wore. One thing I hadn’t accounted for, however, was the bugs. I’d been bitten so many times I lost track. But I suppose I could have counted the red splotches on my arms and legs if I really needed to know. My only solace was knowing I could whip up a concoction to heal them before anyone would notice.

  At a glance, the pathway I created was clear, but not to the naked eye. A quick spell—taught by Aunt Hilda, of course—ensured that I’d be able to find my way back to this very spot. She was the only one who knew my plan, that I intended to make camp out here alone until I knew I could be trusted around others. All it took was a whispered incantation as I let my fingertips graze the trunks of the palm trees I passed. What remained was a network of glowing, turquoise markers wherever I laid my hand. Not even another witch could detect it. Only me.

  The soil was warm and damp in my fingers when I scooped handfuls aside, making a decent sized hole at the base of a tree. I’d brought the small pouch that had been stashed in my drawer. After removing it from my pocket, I dropped it into the space I cleared and covered it carefully, placing a rock the size of my fist on top to mark the spot.

  Standing to my feet, I glanced around and took in the location I’d chosen. It was near a narrow stream—an endless source of water for my indefinite stay. But most importantly, I was far enough from the academy that no one would hear me scream.

  From what I’d been told, shifting was brutal—as a wolf or a dragon—and lucky me would get to experience both at the same time. Aunt Hilda taught me a pain removing spell, but she couldn’t guarantee it would work at the height of the transition, due to the likelihood of me not being able to focus.

  I guessed I’d find out when the time came.

  Tired from the hike, I brushed the dirt off my hands and onto my shorts. It didn’t take long to decide I’d chill before returning to the dorm, choosing instead to rest in this beautiful spot I’d found for a little while. Even with the heat, it was amazing there. At every turn, there was vibrant color, lovely sounds. Hard to believe I’d get to call this place home for the next year, assuming things went according to plan.

  Think positive, Noelle. Think positive.

  I leaned against a strange, oblong rock with names etched into the north-facing side. It sort of jutted up from the soil out of nowhere. Running my fingers over the letters, I noted that they hadn’t been carved in the same handwriting. So much time and care had gone into each one, which made me wonder what purpose the stone served.

  During this short break, I admitted to myself how overwhelmed I’d been lately. The past month had been busy, and full of distractions, but I still had plenty of time to think of home. Plenty of time to wonder what trouble the twins had gotten into, or how long Mom cried after letting me go. To put it plainly, I missed them all like crazy.

  Glancing up, I tried to push thoughts of home aside. The overtones of coral and lavender taken on by the clouds meant the sun was beginning to set. Which also meant I needed to head back if I wanted to
get there before dark.

  Lush green hills rolled across the landscape, raising the heights of the tall trees until it looked like some reached the sky. They seemed endless, like they went on forever. I scanned them, and it became harder to believe the tales told to us by the tribe, that there was something to fear here. It dawned on me that maybe they had only said those things to scare us off, to keep us outsiders from stumbling onto their island’s best kept secrets.

  Pushing my weight off the rock, I stretched, anticipating the long walk I had ahead of me. And that’s when I spotted it, the crest of what looked like a dark mountain. Only, it bottlenecked to an opening. There, several miles from where I stood, was a massive volcano. Possibly the mysterious one Marcela mentioned.

  Mouth gaping open, I couldn’t tear my eyes away. It existed.

  “Well, well, well. What have we here?” The deep voice coming from behind just about startled me out of my shoes. I turned abruptly on my heels to find all four of my mentors hovering.

  And they didn’t look very happy.

  “Having a good time out here, Princess?” It was Paulo who asked. “You know … NOT following directions and staying on campus grounds where it’s safe?”

  Instead of answering, I just swallowed hard, wondering if they’d been following me this whole time. Wondering if they’d seen me bury the satchel a mere foot away. My gaze settled on the rock I placed on top of it, and then shifted back toward the guys.

  “I thought our orders were pretty clear,” Ori spoke up.

  That word—orders—didn’t sit right with me, snapping me out of the daze I slipped into when I was first caught. Suddenly fuming, I folded both arms across my chest. Was this guy serious?

  “Orders?” I scoffed. “You can’t tell me what to do.”

  The hard glare I kept trained on Ori panned left, but only for a moment when Kai lifted his arm a little, placing it over his stomach. I hadn’t realized it before, but he didn’t look good. Compared to when I’d seen him a few hours ago when they trailed me to my dorm after class, he seemed pale, weak.

  “On the contrary,” Paulo interjected, stealing my attention. “You’re not in Kansas anymore, which means you don’t step foot off academy grounds unless we say so. And trust me, we’ll never say so. Besides, shouldn’t you be in your room, shining your tiara or something?”

  I wanted to scratch his eyes out, the smart-mouthed bastard.

  These four, in general, just rubbed me the wrong way. I looked them over, feeling the overwhelming urge to take my fist to someone’s face. However, considering their enormity, I thought better of it.

  “Look around,” I stated, gesturing around the space I’d selected, “seems pretty safe to me.”

  “Well, I’m sure you know looks can sometimes be deceiving,” Rayen jumped in.

  Tell me about it. My first impression of them had been deceiving. I foolishly allowed myself to fantasize they’d be sweet, as appealing on the inside as they were on the outside.

  No dice.

  They sucked.

  “Whatever,” I sighed. “Save the lecture. I was just heading back anyway.”

  “We don’t lecture. It was on your parents to teach you to follow directions. Not us,” Ori scolded with a shrug. “If you wanna get yourself killed out here, be our guest. Can’t say we didn’t warn you.”

  It was clear he wanted me to believe they didn’t care, but the fact that they were present contradicted that idea. While, no, I wasn’t stupid enough to think they cared about me, I imagined they did care about being scolded by their chief. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have followed me.

  “Why’d you come here? Just to harass me?” I sighed, certain they knew I was beyond frustrated.

  “Actually, we only intended to find you on campus to let you know we wouldn’t be around for a few days, but it turns out us dropping in was a good thing. Otherwise, we never would’ve known that you can’t be trusted.”

  “Trust me or don’t,” I scoffed. “Your opinion of me is a complete nonfactor.”

  That was mostly true. Aside from the fact that I did care a little that I was sweating like a pig at the moment. A small part of me hoped I didn’t look and smell gross.

  Tired of my commentary, Paulo rolled his eyes.

  “Anyway, don’t let me interrupt,” I said with a smile. “It sounded like you had good news to share. Something about not being around for a few days?”

  The corner of Rayen’s mouth quirked with a smile when my eyes caught his, and I accidentally smiled right back at him.

  Ori sighed, glancing toward Paulo before his gaze eventually landed on me. “We have tribal business to handle. Think you can behave yourself without supervision?”

  “Obviously not,” Rayen chuckled, letting his eyes slip up my legs, settling on my hips. Having his attention made the temperature seem to soar even higher.

  “I’m an adult,” I asserted, letting my stare settle on Ori once again. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I was on my way back to campus.”

  Pushing past the four once I had enough, I stormed toward the academy with them trailing behind me.

  “What were you doing out here anyway?”

  Oddly enough, I’d gotten to know their voices without having to turn to see who asked. It was Paulo again.

  The circumstances were the same as with my friends, where I couldn’t just come out and reveal the truth; however, my reasoning in this instance was totally different. With my friends, I simply didn’t want them getting involved, didn’t want them to get hurt trying to help me. But with these four, it wasn’t their help I avoided. It was their judgment.

  “Just sightseeing,” I lied, keeping my pace. “But you’re worrying for nothing. The volcano isn’t even close to here, so no need to wet your pants over it.”

  I’d taken a few more steps before realizing the ones that trailed behind had stopped. Despite myself, I turned to find them lingering around Kai. He’d gone from holding his stomach, appearing to be uncomfortable, to completely doubled over and groaning.

  Ori moved in closer, placing a hand on Kai’s back as he gave the others a knowing look. Their expressions showed their deep concern. At first, I stood there watching, thinking this was the perfect opportunity to put distance between me and them, but … for some reason I didn’t move.

  Maybe it was the agony I heard in Kai’s voice when he yelled out, or the way the other three stood by, helpless.

  Trudging back toward them, I nearly growled with frustration.

  “Move,” I asserted.

  An attempt to shove Rayen aside was laughable, seeing as how the only thing I displaced was myself. My body ricocheted off his, and into the tree trunk a few inches away. Pretending I hadn’t failed at manhandling him, I stepped closer to Kai.

  Ori peered up from where he knelt beside Kai, and there was no missing that he was this groups protector. I recognized it because, when it came to my younger siblings, I’d given that same look. No, I hadn’t always defended myself, but I would have killed for them.

  “Is he sick?” My tone was gentler now, considering the circumstances.

  It was on the tip of my tongue to add that I came in peace, but it seemed Ori finally understood that when the hard look he wore faded.

  “Something like that,” he answered, speaking for Kai. I was still somewhat confused, but guessed he wouldn’t elaborate.

  Lowering to my knees, I was at eye-level with Kai, and the pained look he gave told of his agony. These four had been a thorn in my side from the day we met, and I didn’t owe them anything, but I could hear my mother inside my head, loud and clear. If she’d been here, she would have told me to put our differences aside and do what needed to be done.

  So, despite how easy it would have been to let them fend for themselves, I did what would have made my mother proud.

  The stares of the other three could be felt, but I stayed focused on only Kai. “I can help,” I sighed. “Where does it hurt?”

  “Everywhere,” he answered. Even if the others didn’t fully trust me, his desperation seemed to cause him to have a sudden change of heart.

  Several deep breaths left my mouth and I studied his dark eyes as I tuned the rest of the world out. In that moment, it was only him and me. My lids lowered, and I lifted my hands, letting both settle at either side of his face, feeling the smoothness of his skin against my palms. Another breath filled my lungs, and I exhaled words that flitted through my thoughts like text etched in light. The meanings of the phrases I spoke over Kai were somewhat of a mystery to me, their ancient intonations lost in translation, but I believed in their power.