Chapter 3: Cassandra

We entered the auditorium, and I immediately felt claustrophobic. Nearly two-thousand students filled the space, leaving only a few seats open for us to take. The stage was empty save for a lectern awaiting a speaker. I still hoped it would not be the headmaster. Faculty sat in the front row in front of the stage, and I noticed a lot of new faces. Rumor had it that sixty percent of the faculty left the academy for safer jobs.

"This still doesn't feel right," I said. "We need to evacuate the building."

"Stop!" Nicolette whispered. "You're going to create a panic, and then we'll really be screwed."

"I need the guys here. Now."

I thought maybe the guys would show up at the entrance, but they'd obviously made other plans. I knew they were meeting with Aurelius for a bit to discuss training ideas. Oliver wanted to show Aurelius a spreadsheet he'd created to track training, spells, hexes, and even possible locations for Edius. I was cool with them meeting without me as I needed a break to think. Sometimes I just wanted to sit outside and soak up the sun. Especially today. Something bad loomed over the campus.

There was something odd going on with Oliver. He wasn't exactly acting paranoid, but his demeanor had changed a bit. Like Ruby, his aura said things weren't right.

"I'm just in a funk," he'd said.

"You know I'm here to help with that." I gave him a knowing nudge and smile.

He'd accepted my offer, and we returned to the room that day. But even afterward he seemed to be distant.

"Hey, Cassandra," Tisha said as she passed by. Tisha had remained on campus over the summer after she found out her parents had been evicted from their home. Her dad drank too much booze, and her mom danced around a pole four nights a week. She was better off at the academy.

"Hey, Tisha. Stop by later. I found that spell we were researching." I was doing my best to make as many friends as possible. I still felt an undercurrent on campus as to my ability to keep my magic under control. I needed all the friends I could get.

"Right after dinner." Tisha joined a few other students in the stands, girls I didn't know but needed to sometime introduce myself to.

I searched the crowd for the guys, but they were noticeably absent.

"Going to be standing room only if we don't sit," Ruby said. She still refused to make eye contact with me. I wouldn't give her too much more time before we had a little talk. The longer the issue festered the worse it would become.

"This bites," Nicolette said and started to lead us to three empty seats near the back. "At least we'll be close to the door. And look how damn excited some of these students are." She let out a loud sigh. We could always count on Nicolette to have a fresh view of things. She would never be selected to give a commencement speech.

"I don't like any of this." I grabbed their arms and stopped them from climbing the stairs to the seats. "Do you hear the buzz?"

"You're losing your mind." Nicolette tried to leave, but I held her back.

"It's there. Something is waiting."

Ruby held my hand. "Admin brought in extra security for the event. There are people stationed all around the perimeter of the campus. There's nothing to worry about." She finally looked me in the eye. "It'll be okay. Let's go."

"Good morning, girls."

We stopped in front of a face we didn't recognize. Nicolette started to say something stupid, so I stepped forward. "Cassandra Clarke."

The woman's eyes grew wide. My reputation had obviously preceded me. She stuck out her hand. "Professor Jasmine Rowling. I'll be teaching Creative Hexing this semester." She looked at Nicolette and Ruby. "Nicolette Myers and Ruby Thompson?" She wore normal street clothes which totally went against academy rules for professors who were supposed to wear school robes or cloaks. I thought we'd get along just fine.

"It's nice to meet you," Ruby said. Nicolette slinked behind us. Ruby shook the woman's hand, and I felt like something pass between them. That was when a different negative vibe started. Maybe we wouldn't get along just fine.

Ruby and Professor Rowling spoke for several minutes while Nicolette and I listened, me still trying to figure out the negative energy. I watched Ruby. It bothered me that we had somehow grown apart. I was sure Nicolette had something to do with whatever was going on.

"Look at your arms," I whispered to Nicolette. The hairs on our arms were standing up. I looked around the auditorium. Students laughed and talked, ignoring the impending doom.

"It's just all the electricity in the air. You're overreacting."

"Bullshit." I studied the crowd and the teachers near the front. "We need to be ready for whatever's about to go down."

"Your hands." Nicolette nodded and then looked away. "Hide them."

My hands were beginning to glow. "We need to go outside and see what's going on. The entire fucking campus is in here!"

I stared at Rowling while she and Ruby spoke, the bad vibe around me growing. What I wouldn't give for a good night's sleep without having to worry about the next disaster to befall the academy. Sometimes I just wanted to be a regular student at a regular academy, enjoying things students my age should be enjoying. Sure, the nights with the guys were awesome, but every time we walked on campus it seemed we were waiting for something to strike. Maybe all the new faces and the new faculty would help?

"I believe I have all three of you ladies in class this semester," Professor Rowling said. "I think you'll find my curriculum exciting. I do my best to make everything hands-on." She looked at me. "I hear you have some impressive skills."

For once I decided to stoop to Nicolette's level. I glanced at her and winked after Rowling's comment. "Thank you. I appreciate that. And I'm sure we'll learn some great things in your class."

"Or we'll teach her," Nicolette added. She way too much enjoyed being a pain in the ass. I was beginning to understand why so many of the guys on campus avoided her.

Rowling dropped her smile and glared at Nicolette. "It was nice to meet you three."

"Thanks for the advice, Professor," Ruby said and Nicolette and I looked at each other. Ruby's face was a bit brighter, but I still felt the negative energy among us.

"I should take my seat with the other faculty. I hope you enjoy assembly." She looked back at me and nodded as if I should know a shared secret. What the hell was wrong with everyone?

Though Rowling left, the negative energy stayed. I studied the students around us, eyeing every student watching us. So much for an uneventful start to the semester. "Do you guys feel it? The energy in the room doesn't feel right."

"You started drinking over the summer?" Nicolette laughed and nudged Ruby. "Too much testosterone has pushed her over the edge."

"Negative energy hit me as soon as we entered the auditorium. I know you guys feel it." I glared at Nicolette for not taking it seriously.

Ruby shook her head. "Not me." Her eyes told a different story, but I let it go. Starting an argument would make things worse.

Nicolette had one of her facial expressions she used when she wanted you to feel stupid. I looked back at Rowling as she took her seat. We were all in trouble, and it was just a matter of time before we found out why.

Ruby took the seat on the other side of Nicolette, leaving Nicolette between us. Not where I preferred sitting. Whatever the problem was, definitely beginning to look like Nicolette had something to do with it.

There were some old faces in the crowd, but a lot of the students from last semester who weren't graduating moved on to other academies they thought were safer. But as long as Edius lived, nowhere would be safe. He would, if he hadn't already, be visiting those academies someday if we didn't stop him.

"Hey Cassandra," Turquoise Lee said as she sat next to me. Turq, as we called her, was one of the few students who remained from the incoming class of two years ago. She'd been lucky enough to be out of town the night of the poisonings. Of course, I had to ask her how she got her name. Her parents were a couple of hippies who loved to smoke weed, lived in an old school bus, and made jewelry to make ends meet. Their specialty was turquoise jewelry, so it was only natural they name their daughter Turquoise. She didn't seem to mind and actually loved to tell the story. She said everyone should embrace the weirdness of their parents.

I hugged Turq and said hi to the girl joining her. "Have a good summer?"

"Yeah, I rode around with my parents and helped them setup and sell at festivals and fairs. People love their jewelry. We also visited some spooky hotel in Colorado in the mountains. Spent the night in the bus in the hotel parking lot." She laughed. "I couldn't wait to get the hell out of there."

"At least you got out of here." I gave her an exacerbated look. "It's going on three years of never leaving this place. I can tell you about every nook and cranny on this campus."

"Oh, I almost forgot. This is Ling Xu from China. It's her first semester. We met a couple of years ago during a student exchange in high school. She's got some mad skills. A combination of earth and water elements." Turq patted the girl on the leg. "She's a brainiac like your Oliver."

"It's nice to meet you," I said, and she said likewise.

"How are the guys?" Turq loved to hear dirty little details. She told me she was living vicariously through me.

"So far they don't mind playing in the same sandbox. None of them have taken their balls and gone home." Turq and I laughed; Ling Xu looked confused. Turq noticed my perplexed look.

"She's a freak," Turq said of Ling Xu. "She's into some strange shit they teach in the Far East. It'll rock your world."

"I can't wait to hear." Nothing wrong with spicing things up a little, or a lot.

"I did meet a guy while on the road with my parents." Turq smiled.