Chapter 7

7

Abrand-new semester and a brand-new set of tests to try and pass. This time, our results would change the course of our educations and our lives.

Mike and I gathered with Nora in the large assembly room once again, the rest of our first-year class talking in small groups around us.

“Don’t be nervous,” she tried to tell us, blinking behind her thick glasses.

“Says the girl with the twitching fingers.” Mike gestured down to her sides and the way her hands ticked without pause.

“I’m trying to bolster myself, too! Make no mistake, I’m terrified.”

I rubbed tiny circles along her back. “It’s not going to be bad,” I soothed. “There’s nothing for us to pass this time.”

Then I found both hands busy when Mike shifted closer, using his nose to gesture in a clear indication he wanted a back rub too. My throat went dry the second I touched him. I savored every moment but tried hard not to look like it.

Pathetic much?

Several teachers I recognized were gathered on the stage with Headmaster Leaves, including my favorite, Professor Marsh. She stood tall and willowy with a fiery waterfall of red hair cascading down her back and feline eyes lined in black kohl. Wearing the customary school robes, she chose to complement the obligatory professors’ uniform with slender pencil skirts and brightly colored blouses which could be peeked through the folds when she moved.

Marsh taught my favorite class, divination, despite the fact I was hopeless and couldn’t touch the quartz crystal balls thanks to the potion I took.

She caught the look I sent her way and winked, the cat-eyed woman who’d claimed with utmost confidence I’d make it through to graduation without issue. I wished I had even half of her confidence in me.

Melia had assured me this afternoon’s assembly—a test to discover our innate fae powers—was no big deal. Certainly nothing to stress about because it wouldn’t impact our overall score for the semester. Every student began with a set number of points which the professors could add to or subtract from depending on behavior, test scores, and any other parameters they decided, all completely at their discretion.

I had my thousand points and another new worry. Even though I was half fae, what sort of power would I manifest? And how would my shifter nature—the other half of me—impact this test? Sure, I’d told Nora not to worry, but it didn’t mean my heart slowed down. At. All.

I caught sight of Persephone and her meanions gathered close to the stage, with their identical blond heads ducked together as they whispered. Although I didn’t think pettiness could be labeled an innate power, I knew the four of them were certainly masters at it. What else did they need? Between their attitudes and their looks—carefully refined as a weapon—they would get far in life.

“All right now, students, settle down,” Headmaster Leaves called out, clapping his hands for order. He had no need to raise his voice. The first-years together didn’t fill even the first twenty tiers of seats in the auditorium. “Quiet, please. It’s time to get these proceedings started. No more delays. I’m sure you are all very excited for what is to come and what your results will be today. Everyone take your seats and we’ll call you up to the stage one by one in alphabetical order.” He clapped a second time and the auditorium fell silent.

A girl in the second row raised her hand in the echoing hush of the room. “What happens if you have more than one innate power?” she asked.

Headmaster Leaves cleared his throat. “No, it is quite impossible. Although our kind receives our magic from the earth itself, each Fae, even if they are only half blood, will manifest a singular innate power. It is their one power they will hone to perfection and wield with infinite mastery. Two would be overkill.”

His joke went over well and the professors behind him let out a low rumble of shared laughter. Staring at each other like they knew better and the rest of us were dummies who would soon find out which side of the bread was buttered.

Since my last name began with an A, I was one of the first students called up to the stage. Fine, great. I’d taken my potion that morning, a fresh batch to assure none of my wolf snuck through, and felt confident if somewhat nervous.

This is not a test, I reminded myself. This wasn’t something I could be graded on. When it was done, I’d have a better understanding of where I fell in the spectrum and what my magic power could be.

Nothing wrong there. Or at least nothing I could mess up.

I walked sedately—more sedately than I felt—onto the stage when it was my turn. One of the teachers stepped forward with a sterile package containing a slender silver needle. This was my least favorite part.

Swallowing hard, knowing the rest of my class watched me from the dimness of the auditorium, I took the package, unwrapped it, and used the needle to prick my own finger. A quick flash of pain accompanied the puncture.

“Now the test strip,” the teacher said.

It was similar to the prick of the finger from my first night at the academy. The same one I’d taken to prove my halfling status to the school. Most students gained access to the schools in a similar way by showing they possessed faerie blood.

Except this time around, I didn’t have even a tenth of the anxiety I’d felt previously. Then, I’d almost passed out in fear of discovery. Because if I didn’t have this school…

If I didn’t have a place here, my bloodthirsty fated mate would be my bloodthirsty husband. And I would rather die than see Kendrick Grimaldi’s ring on my finger.

I pressed the pooling blood down on the slender strip and watched tiny sparks fly in a shower of red and gold. Holding my breath, I watched a sigil appear against the white paper. It grew clearer with each passing second.

Innate power, huh? I definitely didn’t feel powerful.

The teacher looked down, saw the sigil, and stepped back with a gasp. She grabbed the paper from me and held it up for the headmaster to see.

A rock dropped into the pit of my stomach as the two of them had a short, hushed discussion before turning to me.

Oh God. What had I done now? I didn’t think I could mess this up, and yet—

“Cognitive manipulation, Miss Alderidge,” Leaves called out. His eyes searched over me and I couldn’t tell if he was pleased or scared. Maybe both. He inclined his head.

“This is a rare gift,” the teacher told me with a wide smile. “Rare and beautiful. Well met, child. Well met.”

I let out a breath but it did nothing to calm my galloping heart.

“What does it mean?” I asked through numb lips.

“You can make people see things. Whatever you want them to see.” The teacher handed the strip back to me. “Congratulations, Miss Alderidge.”

Congratulations?

A hand took hold of my elbow to guide me off the stage to make room for the next student. When I looked up, I saw Professor Marsh at my side, her gaze fixed at some point ahead.

“I’m not surprised, you know, about the cognitive manipulation,” Marsh said without looking down at me. “You’re rumored to be excelling at your magic. Not simply in my class but with all your classes.”

“I wouldn’t say excelling,” I tried to correct her.

“I would.” Her tone told me it was senseless to argue. “Cognitive manipulation does not manifest often, and those with the gift usually go on to accomplish great things in their lifetime. You will have a lot to live up to, Tavi.”

Groaning, I told her, “Because yeah, I need more pressure on me.”

“I’m also extremely excited to see how you fare with your new obsidian gazing ball this term.” Marsh stopped at a long, low oak table filled with brochures. She swept her hand over the material then pointed to one. “Take your booklet. It has information on cognitive manipulation for you. You’ll have a better understanding once you read through it.”

I shook my head before grabbing the indicated booklet. “I’m not sure how I feel about the word manipulation.”

“You’ll get used to it.”

Marsh said nothing more, swiveling on her heel to get back to the next student. Instead of returning to my seat in the auditorium, I stayed in the darkened wings off the stage for a moment more, fingering the brochure. It was thicker than I’d thought. When I glanced down at the table, noting the other booklets pertaining to certain gifts, I saw there was very little literature on my innate power compared to some of the others.

Rare. The teacher had called it rare. And beautiful.

You will have a lot to live up to.

No, no. Not me. I wanted a quiet life under the radar.

Another groan shook me and I let my head drop back on my neck. I didn’t want this to put a magnifying glass over me any more than I already had one.

It took a while longer for Mike’s name to be called for his test. I watched him strut onto the stage with all the confidence befitting his status as Crown Prince. More than a few sighs came from the audience, along with a handful of claps and whistles, and I wondered if his fan club had grown or if I was just becoming more aware of it.

Either way, I didn’t like what I heard.

Calm it down, girl.

The teacher walked Mike through the same blood test and I watched the strip spark, changing color with the results.

“Time manipulation,” Headmaster Leaves called out for the benefit of the assembly. He must have recognized the symbol from his perch. “Very nice.”

The teacher holding the strip let out a low whistle. “A notoriously difficult power to master, Mr. Thornwood.”

Mike blanched. I wasn’t sure the rest of the gathered students saw it, but I did, catching the way his breathing hitched. “Difficult?” he repeated.

“Come on, young man. Let’s not dawdle.” Marsh had to practically haul Mike backstage when he stood rooted in shock.

I waited for him with a wide smile because he seriously looked like he’d deflated several inches. His cheeks were pale with a slightly green tint.

“Hey, great! Time manipulation? Look at you go. A difficult power,” I said, infusing as much enthusiasm and excitement into the statement as I could. “It couldn’t have manifested in a stronger person.”

“Oh, stop.” Mike moaned and stared down at his palms. Like a drop of blood had somehow betrayed him.

Professor Marsh reached for a book—not a booklet—at the corner of the table and dropped it into Mike’s limp hands. He nearly dropped it. “Read this and then get back to me if you have any questions,” she said.

Short and sweet, that was Marsh, and one of the things I appreciated about her. As the professor strode off to help the next student, Mike stood staring at his literature, the size of an old-fashioned encyclopedia volume.

“Hey, are you okay?” I asked him when he didn’t say anything. “I meant what I said about you being strong. Talk to me.”

He opened the book and ran a finger down the table of contents. Landed on a line explaining the “rules of time manipulation.” I saw from the numbers that the chapter went on for more than one hundred pages.

Damn.

“There are so many guidelines with this power,” he muttered. “How am I going to manage it? I’m going to fail. There’s no way I can keep up with the rules without messing something up. I could hurt people. Change things I’m not supposed to change and create new timelines…” His lips opened and closed as he floundered for something more to say.

I wasn’t sure how one could fail at their innate powers, but the more I thought about it, the more worried about him I became. Time was a fickle thing, and having power over it had the potential to be very good. Or very bad.

“You aren’t going to fail,” I said firmly. “Everything is going to be fine.”

“You promise?”

“No,” I answered with a chuckle. “I just know those extra study sessions we talked about are going to come in handy. I’m not sure what kind of help I can be but I’ll be happy to read with you and offer moral support.”

I turned back to my own brochure. I didn’t want to think about rules yet. While my literature wasn’t nearly the size of Mike’s, I knew it would take a lot for me to memorize everything. The power to make people see what I wanted them to see…

My memory was ridiculously bad. At least, it had been until now. Mike wanted to talk about messing up and hurting people? I had the power to go into people’s minds and alter their perceptions of reality. If I messed up, could I cause permanent brain damage, or bodily harm? Could I make someone hurt themselves? Kill themselves?

I was still holding the test strip in hand, the bright red symbol which apparently affirmed cognitive manipulation shining bright in the gloom.

My stomach sank further when I moved my thumb and saw the outline of something else on the opposite side. With Mike leafing through his information book, I turned my back slightly and flipped over the test strip.

There, in blue, glowed a second symbol.

Oh. No. Dear God, no.

A second symbol…a second power.

I hurriedly tucked the test strip in my pocket and scanned the table in front of me for anything showing the symbol, feeling my own face turn a bit green under a swell of nausea.

Do not panic. Do not panic!Get yourself together, Tavi, or someone will know!

I skirted the edge of panic for a few minutes longer, nearly going over the edge when I saw nothing even remotely similar to the blue symbol.

A second power and a symbol I didn’t recognize.

This couldn’t be happening to me.

“Hey, what’s up? You look a little weird all of a sudden.”

Mike had noticed my reaction. Was I sweating?

“Nothing. Hot flash,” I supplied.

Leaves had said during the assembly: having a second power wasn’t possible. More than likely the strip was malfunctioning and I should request a new one, take a new test.

And then the thought occurred to me…

What if the test was picking up both of my halves? My fae half with its cognitive manipulation, and my—gulp—wolf half manifesting another, different power?

The Fae Academy for Halflings only admitted half fae, half human students. I’d glamoured my way in by causing my wolf shifter half to go undetected. That didn’t mean it was dormant. Headmaster Leaves had declared two powers impossible because humans possessed no such powers. Whereas I—

I struggled to get my breathing in check, especially when my heart rate galloped and the organ threatened to explode in my chest.

I had a bad feeling about this.