Chapter 4

4

My assigned mentor Melia Haversham and I sat next to each other at the morning assembly, and my stomach hadn’t gotten any better. If anything, the pit inside of me yawned wider, colder. I still didn’t have a clue what was going on.

Maybe I had control issues. But control issues had saved my life in the past.

“Girl, I can hear you shaking from here,” she joked, her voice like honey to match her hair. “You are going to need a serious calm-down. What’s got you so worked up?”

I didn’t know how to explain it to her so I kept my mouth shut and glanced around the assembly hall, a large auditorium-like space with seats done in supple red velvet. My first time here, those seats had reminded me of a grand old opera house, the fabric lush, inviting. A sloping floor divided the seating into four tiers so everyone had a good view of the stage.. Antique red carpeting lined the aisles, and the walls were covered in a thick red brocade fabric. On the stage, gilded columns flanked either side, with silver electric chandeliers lighting the space. The plaster designs on the ceiling depicted cherubs and vines. Students were filling the seats, all chatting animatedly. Good. Maybe the noise would drown out the worrisome thoughts in my head.

“Tavi?” Melia touched my arm gently, pulling my attention back to her.

Melia had arrived back to school an hour earlier, and when I finally saw her, I accosted her in the hallway. Yes, accosted, as in arms wrapped around her neck and nearly choking her kind of accosting. Melia didn’t care. She returned the hug and more. I could barely breathe by the time she leaned back to study me. We’d only spent a few weeks apart so nothing had changed during her absence. Visibly, at least.

Still, her presence was a comfort. A knot of tension I hadn’t realized I still carried had loosened at the sight of her familiar golden-brown hair, the soft caramel of her skin, and the liveliness in her eyes when she saw me. Slender and strong, she stood tall, giving off an intelligent confidence I could only hope to match one day.

Friends for sure, no matter how different we were.

I hadn’t realized what my life was missing until I met Melia. Until she took me under her wing as my school-appointed upperclassman mentor and quickly catapulted into bestie territory.

“Does this have something to do with your Christmas break?” she asked me, searching my face as if for clues. “I know we didn’t keep in touch a lot but I figured you couldn’t get into too much trouble for three weeks. I mean, you stayed here, with the staff watching over you and all. Please tell me you at least had a little fun.”

I shrugged. “I was here because I didn’t have anywhere to go, so I dug out an old miniature Christmas tree and made do. I wouldn’t exactly call it fun, and no, my sky-high anxiety has nothing to do with break.”

Melia rolled her eyes. “You should have come home with me, you know. You could have tried some of my mother’s famous gooseberry tarts. She makes them every year. You would love them.”

We had chosen seats in the center at the rear of the hall to give us a panoramic view of the proceedings. Other students occupied the remaining seats, all dressed in the school’s uniform: navy blue blazer, white button-up, and black skirt or pants.

Melia never asked why I wanted to sit near the doors with my back to the wall, and I never supplied the information, but it always made me feel better to keep an eye on the room and an escape route in sight.

“Don’t tease me with gooseberry tarts,” I told her as I settled down into the plush velvet seat. “You’re going to make my mouth water. Pastries would be considered a treat at this point.”

“Oh, your meals haven’t improved?” She knew the drill.

“No way. Chef has taken it upon himself to give me the most disgusting meals he possibly can. I mean, they aren’t gross as in ingredients, but he doesn’t go out of his way to make sure what he prepares is fresh, either.”

Melia considered the statement, biting her lower lip. “Do you think he pulls the same stunt with Nurse Julie and her meals?”

“Probably not. Maybe she’s found a better way to bribe him. I’ll have to ask her about it. Besides, I figure no one would try to cross Julie because she’d totally kick their ass.”

Melia smiled. “True.” She smoothed her blazer with the Academy logo on the front. I noticed she was wearing a bright white button-down blouse with the placket and cuffs accented with ruffles, and black trouser pants. “Another semester, another assembly, another hour of my life wasted listening to Leaves blather on,” Melia said under her breath, flashing me a wide grin and tugging at her cuffs.

“No kidding,” I replied.

Soon she wouldn’t need to sit through any more of these things because she’d be out of here. Her last semester, I thought with a start, immediately wanting to burst into tears. Melia was more than likely going to Faerie at the end of the year, and then I wouldn’t be able to see her for several more years until I made it to graduation.

Assuming the Academy kept me enrolled. There were always more hoops to jump through. Always another worry to stress over, a point system to beat, people waiting to stab you in the back—

“This semester, there might be some surprises in store,” I told her.

She tilted her head to look at me quizzically. Instantly on edge. “Yeah? What have you heard?”

“It’s not what I heard. It’s what I saw. Last night. Some new arrivals.”

Although I kept my hands knotted on my lap, I did my best not to overly fidget. But anxiety and anticipation had me wound up. I wondered what Leaves would say about the bus from last night, because surely this assembly would cover our mystery guests.

Just after he’d finished speaking to Headmaster Cote—whoever he was—Leaves had shooed the rest of us lowly first-year students back inside and sealed the door behind us with a well-placed spell. No matter how Nora tried to bang on the wood or tug the handles, it didn’t budge, cutting us off from whatever excitement was going on outside.

We’d all walked back to the dorms whispering among ourselves about what we’d seen. I had almost forgotten my missing shoe and had to run back to grab it.

“Hey, ladies.” Mike plopped down on my other side with a wink, his golden hair slicked to the side to reveal those delicate ears. I wanted to nibble on them.

Down, girl.

“Thanks for saving me a seat. I’m a little late.”

“Of course.” Melia said it like it was obvious we would have saved him a seat and he should know better. At least she’d gotten used to being around him without her initial awkwardness. Or should I say her initial fan-girl enthusiasm for the Crown Prince of Faerie.

“I don’t want to start classes,” he groaned. “It’s too soon. Melia, did you tell them we need another week to acclimate to being back here? Maybe someone will listen to you.”

She leaned forward and dropped her head into her hands, massaging her temples. “Seeing as I only got back a little bit ago, no, I haven’t had a chance to plead for a respite. But I totally agree with you. It’s too soon. I could have stayed at home for another few weeks and been perfectly fine.”

“Hey, be happy. You won’t have to worry about schoolwork for much longer.” Mike spoke like he offered her a look on the bright side.

My happy expression soured.

“I guess so,” Melia said. “Once I make it through my last round of exams I will be out of this place. Stop looking sad.” The scold was for me. “You know you’ll be joining me shortly.”

“Thank you for the vote of confidence,” I mumbled.

But I was staring at Mike, wondering what would happen if he didn’t pass through at the Academy. I mean, he was the Crown Prince of Faerie. He would always have a place there, at the castle, in line to rule one day when his father finally relinquished control of the monarchy. Would his pass or failure at the Halfling Academy make a difference? Would he be treated better if he aced all his tests? Worse if he botched them?

“She has a right to be confident in you, you goober,” Mike teased when he caught me looking. “You didn’t make it into the top of the class for nothing. I think I picked the best person to tutor me. Yes, I’m sure of it now.”

“Wait a minute. You’re going to tutor him?” Melia asked me.

“Apparently I am. I’ve made it a personal mission,” I told her. “He is not going to crack open a book without me being there.”

When Melia had first seen the two of us together, she’d gawked and acted awkward, tugging me into the ballroom to show me the painting of the royal family because she couldn’t believe my cavalier attitude about my new friend.

I couldn’t believe he hadn’t told me about his royal genes.

Now, he was just Mike. Not Michael Thornwood. Not the prince. Mike, my friend and confidant.

I was glad we could finally all get to this point. A point where being together felt natural instead of forced. Where I didn’t have to worry about how to act around him, and Melia didn’t get an awkward fan-girl smile whenever she saw him.

Nora hurried into the hall and plopped down on Melia’s other side just as Headmaster Leaves stepped up behind the podium. No one applauded. We all knew better.

I remembered the first time I saw Leaves’s photo on the school website. To me, he’d looked young, kind, with a large smile, slanted ears halfway hidden by hair. Today he’d clothed his lean body in a simple pair of black pants and a sleek gray sweater, although I knew from experience once classes started, he’d also don the obligatory Fae Academy for Halflings robe over his clothes.

We were like a school for witches in terms of our dress. Except only the teachers wore the robes while the rest of us were confined to tight blazers and overly starched shirts thanks to the Academy’s launderer.

“To every single one of you, I say welcome back for spring semester,” Leaves began, his magically amplified voice booming out across the auditorium. “It’s a pleasure to see you again. Hopefully your Christmas break was uneventful and you got your rest, coming back prepared to tackle our next round of classes. For our fourth-year students, congratulations. You’ve made it to the final leg of your journey. I’d like to remind everyone that our thousand-point system restarts tomorrow and you will each be well advised to remain on your best behavior. Your professors take not only your classwork into consideration but your attitude as well, and points can be given or taken away as deemed appropriate.”

His statement was met with halfhearted applause this time around and I wondered if the other students knew about the bus and felt the same way I did, their excitement and nerves getting the better of them.

Leaves shifted forward with his hands gripping the sides of the podium. “I do have some very exciting news for you all. This semester, the Fae Academy for Halflings is proud to serve as host for a special group of exchange students from our sister school in Ontario, the Canadian Halflings Academy. I want you all to greet them with open arms and open hearts. These students are those with faerie blood who have already completed the necessary schooling and await the trip to Faerie. They are where you hope to be by the end of your stay with us. I want you to treat them and their teachers with the utmost respect.”

“So why are they here?” I heard Melia ask in a whisper. A glance in her direction and I knew she’d put together the pieces, my cryptic statement earlier with Leaves’s news now. “I don’t get it.”

Leaves was still speaking. “As you know, at the end of the year the Academy opens a portal to allow for safe passage into Faerie. Our exchange students are simply waiting for the ceremony. They will be sitting in on your classes and living on campus with us for the time being. However…” Headmaster Leaves paused and held up a finger to emphasize his point. “They are not your competition. I’m going to repeat for those of you not paying attention. They are not your competition. I want you all to remember why they are here and extend your warmest welcome. They have already secured their spots to Faerie through their own Academy. Any name-calling or bullying will not be tolerated, and should any such situations come to light, the guilty parties will be immediately expelled without hesitation.”

I sat back in the chair and considered his words. The students we’d seen on the bus last night…had already passed the necessary requirements to make it into Faerie. I had assumed, since they belonged to a separate Academy, their school had its own portal.

So why did they have to come here to wait for our portal ceremony at the end of term? Why didn’t they use their own portal?

Mike nudged me on the shoulder and said, “Something about this is too weird.”

“You think?” I replied with equal softness, hissing from the corner of my mouth. “Wouldn’t all the academies have their own portals?”

He nodded. “As far as I know, they do. But I’m not positive. I haven’t read much about the other schools. I don’t even remember any of their names.” He tapped the side of his head. “Doesn’t speak too well to my capacity to lead, huh?”

All self-esteem issues aside—

“And the name of their academy wasn’t written on the side of the bus last night,” I added. I would have remembered seeing a name. It might have gone a long way toward easing our anxiety about the strange newcomers.

“Maybe something is wrong with their portal. It’s the only thing that makes sense to me. Like, maybe it’s broken.” This from Nora. “You never know.”

We must have been speaking louder than we thought for her to overhear us.

Mike and I drew apart, returning our attention to Headmaster Leaves as he continued his welcome speech.

His piercing gaze swept across the assembly and although he didn’t make eye contact with every single student, I had the distinct feeling we all felt its weight regardless. “In summary, I want you to make our new guests feel welcome,” he told the assembly. “And as a reminder for our first-year students this semester, please keep in mind the second culling. Your numbers will be cut in half.”

My eyes bulged. In half? Again? Hadn’t we already lost most of the first-year students?

“There will be a cutthroat competition,” Leaves was saying proudly.

“Half?” Nora squeaked. “Can they cut so many?”

Melia nodded, her lower lip poking out as if remembering her own experience. “Can and will. Trust me. It’s not going to be pretty. I suggest you all work on your defensive spells because people will do whatever it takes to stay. This is when people start freaking out.”

“For good reason. I’m freaking out right now! I’m never going to sleep again.” Nora let out a groan.

But Leaves continued to address the crowd, smiling like a fool as though we should be happy about this news.

“Do your best, keep your chins up,” he said. “And always remember this is a competition. This is all about the end goal—your citizenship in Faerie. Not all of you will make it through.”

Murmurings in the crowd of students began to grow. We were expecting answers from the assembly but only ended up with more questions.