FAUSTINE (Bonfire Chronicles Book One)
By
Imogen Rose
Copyright © 2011 by Imogen Rose
Smashwords Edition, License Notes
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This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer's imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental.
All rights are reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the author.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I write for Lauren, my youngest daughter. I started writing my first book when she was eight; now, at ten, she’s doing the first edit! Lauren, thank you for being you and for your patience with me while I spend hours at my computer.
While I write, my wonderful team keeps me on the straight and narrow. My awesome friend and Editor, Sue Bernstein, spends many a billable hour pouring over my U.K. English, making sure I sound more and more American with every book. I’m indebted to you, Sue, yet again, for editing this novel. Joining the editing team is Lynn O’Dell (Red Adept Reviews), who made the final edits to this novel. Thanks Lynn, it’s been a pleasure, and I hope that you will be a part of this team for a long time.
I am extremely grateful to my friends Lala Price and Frankie Sutton for proofreading my work so carefully. Thank you, you both are awesome.
I also want to thank my beta readers, Al Kunz and Allirea Brumley for their valuable criticisms and suggestions. Thanks to my Back Room friends, my fellow Cutting Edge Indies (Donna Fasano, Beth Orsoff, M.P. McDonald, Kristie Leigh Maguire, and S.L. Baum) for their invaluable support.
I have the most awesome fans! Thank you. I am blown away by the enthusiastic support from all of you.
-Imogen Rose
A dreamer must dream
A storyteller must tell
I dream to tell
I dedicate this book to my mom
1
I’d have to get used to all the stares. No one had flinched at my red eyes at Bonfire Prep, but here, as I walked through the Newark International Arrivals Terminal, I couldn’t help but notice the curious glances.
“Faustine!”
I looked toward the source of the sound and found my mother waving at me. I walked over and was enveloped in a tight embrace.
“Let me look at you.” She gave me her usual once over, then nodded approvingly. I was still wearing my school uniform–charcoal gray pinafore with a crisp, white blouse underneath, red sash, red and orange striped tie, neatly finished with a red, military-style, wool coat with the Bonfire Prep logo on the lapel. It would be hard to let go of this uniform; it had become my security blanket. It made all the students at the Prep equal, no matter who we were.
Of course, being a demon princess placed me in a different social echelon than the average demon, vampire, or shifter. That, however, hadn’t mattered at Bonfire Academy for Paranormal Preparation, a cozy private boarding school nestled at the foot of the St. Moritz peaks in Switzerland. There, we were all supposed to be socially equal and attended the Academy to learn one thing only–how to control our paranormal powers. Unfortunately, being a demon princess meant that I had more powers to learn to control than the average student. It took a year more than it should have according to the demon charter, but I finally mastered them. Now here I was, on my way back home to Manhattan.
“You look so grown up!”
“Well, it’s been three years, Mom. I am fifteen!”
My mother looked impeccable, as usual. While I noticed a few lines around her eyes, she really hadn’t aged at all. Her hair was, as always, perfect. I wished my hair would stay as straight and in place as hers.
“It certainly took you long enough to complete your studies,” Mom said with her usual directness. “I tried talking the headmistress into letting me visit since it was taking longer than expected, but she wouldn’t hear of it.”
I smiled. Yes, Frau Schmelder, or Frau Smelt, as we liked to call her, was not one to ever bend the rules.
“Your eyes are as red as ever. I guess there is no controlling that?” She raised her eyebrows.
“No. But we’ve always known that.”
“Contact lenses?”
“I can’t wear them; the heat from my eyes melts them.”
“Well, to tell you the truth, I love them the way they are. You’ve grown into a striking young lady. And they aren’t as bright red as they used to be, more... auburn. So tell me,” Mom asked, switching the subject, “are any of your Prep friends based here in the city?”
“A few, actually, but only two are going to my high school, as far as I know. It’s going to be weird being back in a regular school again.”
“What are they, the two coming to your school?”
“Vampire twins.”
“Nice. Perhaps we could have them over for a play-date?”
“Mom! I’m too old for play-dates! Lunch, maybe?”
“Okay, lunch it is.” She beckoned a man in a smart-looking cap–the chauffeur, I guessed–to take my cart as we walked toward the exit. I didn’t have a lot of luggage with me, despite having been away for three years. Bonfire Academy required us to wear their uniforms, both day and night. Yes, we even had uniform pajamas. So, the only outfit I had with me was the one I wore for the trip. I had left the Prep clothes behind, as required. I was, in fact, going to have to send the uniform I was wearing back to the Academy. My bags were mostly filled with books, photos and other mementos from my time at the Prep. Shopping was going to be a priority, though I had a feeling that Mom would have stocked up on the basic necessities.
To be clear, my mom’s just a regular human, well, as regular as an Upper East Side heiress can be. She hooked up with my father, a demon king–which she was unaware of at the time–during a night out with her fellow debutantes. Apart from my red eyes, I inherited my mother’s looks. Her eyes are a striking emerald green. She is two inches taller than me at five foot ten. We both share the same athletic build, chestnut straight hair, arched eyebrows, full lips, and slightly upturned noses. She’s very attractive. I share my red eyes with my father, who has several different... uh, looks, so of course, I prefer my mom’s! Thankfully, Mom didn’t freak–which I probably would have–when she found out that she had become a pregnant debutante. Of course, she didn’t know then that I would turn out to be a demon. I don’t know how or when she found out. My eyes weren’t red when I was born; they were purple. They were different, but not weird enough to worry her.
“So, tell me everything, Faustine!” Mom demanded as soon as we were comfortably settled, sipping our hot chocolates in the back of the limo. She sat back, flicking her hair over her shoulders.
I shrugged. “Mom, you know I can’t tell you much at all. I can’t break the rules.” The Prep had a strict non-disclosure policy.
“Well, what can you tell me?” She sounded slightly annoyed. “What am I supposed to tell all my friends about your stay in Switzerland?”
“Can’t you just keep telling them... Wait. What exactly have you been telling them, anyway? Where am I supposed to have been for the past three years?”
“I’ve kept it vague and just told them that you were away at an exclusive, private boarding school in St. Moritz. They think that I visited you regularly,” she added wistfully. “I can’t for the life of me understand why that couldn’t have been arranged.”
“Mom, it would be too dangerous for a human to enter the school. It’s filled with a bunch of paranormals who can’t control their powers yet. No, it wouldn’t have been a good idea for you to come.”
“Why couldn’t you have been given leave to visit me, then, especially when I was on my ski vacation in St. Moritz? It would have been lovely to have seen you.”
“They don’t let us out until we graduate, you know that. But, here you go!” I proudly handed her my gradation scroll. As she read it, I watched a smile transform her face. Not wanting to spoil her good mood, I carefully omitted telling her that my dad had been at my graduation.
“With distinction! Well done, honey! Let’s stop at Barneys and get you something nice as a treat.”
“Maybe later, Mom. I really just want to head home and laze around for a while. You live at the same place, right?” The same place was a two-story penthouse apartment in a building on the Upper East Side.
“Yes. I redecorated your room, but apart from that, almost everything is the same as before. Well, I guess not totally the same. I updated the kitchen and the entertainment system. I also replaced the terrace pool with an infinity pool, so much easier to keep in shape.”
“Sounds good. Is Tessa still with us?” Tessa was my old nanny. I sure hoped that Mom had found her something else to do while I was away at school and hadn’t fired her. Tessa’s daughter, Neave, and I had been best buddies for a long time. It would be nice to connect with her again.
“Didn’t I tell you? Tessa got married!”
“Awesome! When? Are they living in the city?”
“Two years ago. And yes, they are living in the city, in our building, in fact. Tessa’s husband is a broker.”
Perfect, that meant I could hook up with Neave whenever.
“Tessa told me that Neave will be attending the same school as you.”
“Great!”
Neave is only a few months older than me. Tessa and she had lived with us when Tessa was my nanny, which was right up until I left for the Academy three years ago. I had always assumed that Neave would come with me. I had figured that witches needed formal paranormal preparation, too. I mean, can’t have them throwing random spells around! It turns out that witches are trained by their families. Needless to say, I was devastated when I found out that I was heading off to the Academy all on my own, after having been cocooned in the safety of the Upper East Side. Being suddenly thrust into the midst of a bunch of unruly paranormals was not my idea of a fun time. Give me an afternoon of rollerblading in Central Park any day. Obviously I had coped, but it would be fantastic to see Neave again.
I looked out the limo window with sadness at the altered Manhattan skyline as we approached the Lincoln tunnel. I couldn’t get used to seeing the altered skyline. Mom took my hand and squeezed it.
There’s nothing like exiting the Lincoln tunnel on the Manhattan side–home at last. I slid down the window to breathe in the city air. Yuck. My nose was still used to the fresh mountain air of St. Moritz. But the pleasant familiarity was a relief, as were the stores and skyscrapers along Madison Avenue. Our limo stopped right outside our building. I jumped out and rushed in through the door held ajar by an unfamiliar doorman.
“Good afternoon, Miss Faustine and Lady Annabel,” he said, as I half smiled at him.
“Hold on, Faustine,” Mom instructed. I turned back impatiently. “This is Bill, one of our doormen.”
“Nice to meet you, Bill.” I shook his hand. He must have thought me awfully rude. I wasn’t; I just needed to use the facilities rather badly, which I rushed to do as soon as we entered the apartment.
“Mom,” I said, returning to the kitchen where Mom was making some tea. “Would it be okay if I went to my room for a bit? I’m wiped out.”
“Of course. You must be tired after that long flight. I’ll come and wake you for dinner. I had Manuel–he’s my personal shopper–select a wardrobe for you. I was told that you’d need everything. Pity you didn’t get to go shopping in St. Moritz; there are some wonderful boutiques there. We’ll obviously go on a spree, but at least you’ll have something in the meantime. Dinner will be informal tonight; it’ll just be Tessa and Neave joining us.”
I was glad to hear that. I wasn’t the least bit opposed to dressing up and meeting new people, but it would be nice to have some time to unwind and catch up with Neave.
Once I was in my bedroom, I rushed to my closet to retrieve my old scrapbook. I was relieved to see it sitting in its usual place surrounded by a substantial collection of new handbags. Manuel was definitely not handbag-shy. I slumped down on my new king-size bed and leafed through the pages of the scrapbook, stopping when I found the page with the locks of hair, Neave’s and mine. Underneath, Forever Friends was scrawled in red marker; we had decided that blood was a bit over the top.
I had been so envious of Neave’s looks when we were younger. Her blond curls and deep violet-blue eyes were striking, so much so that people would stare at her rather than me, despite my red eyes. I’d be thankful for it now. The last thing I wanted was attention, and if Neave could pry some of it away from me, that would be great.
I lay back on my pillow remembering some of the great times Neave and I had spent together. I used to be able to tell her everything, but now I was restrained by the rules set by the Academy. I wouldn’t be able to share everything with her anymore. I closed my eyes, recalling the rules from the Academy. They needed to be followed at all times.
The Academy had three Golden rules. The first rule of the Academy was the same as the rule from the movie, Fight Club: You do not talk about the Academy. This one would be a major challenge. It would definitely be difficult not blabbing to Neave. I would have to be totally upfront with her about this rule. There was probably witchy stuff that she wouldn’t be able to share with me, either. Thankfully, this rule didn’t cover those of us who had attended the Academy together. So, I’d be free to talk to the vamp twins, Audrey and Viola, for instance, which was a huge relief. The last three years had been very intense, but also fun in many ways. I had made some close connections, which was another point of attending the school, and it was important to be able to nurture these.
The second Golden rule of the Academy was: Trust no one. You’d think that I should be able to trust my mom completely. And I did, as much as one can trust any other being. However, people, and other beings, could be tricked. The Academy had instilled in us how easy it was to be manipulated. Beings could be drugged or subjected to pain, magic, and all kinds of external forces that could render them helpless and in a position where they would impart information they shouldn’t. So yeah, trust no one.
The third and final Golden rule of the Academy: Never miss a meal. Yeah, strange, I know. One would have thought that this final rule would be a grave blah-di-blah about not using one’s powers unless absolutely necessary. I guess it was assumed that we knew this after our years of training, and it didn’t have to be written down as a Golden rule. However, regular feeding was something that was a challenge for all of us. It’s so easy to miss a meal when busy, and the repercussions to paranormals could be scary. Vampires, for instance, would just end up snacking on the first human they encountered when hungry, certainly not something one would want to witness halfway through math class. No, keep those vampires fed! The effects of my skipping or delaying a meal were less drastic. The first thing that happened was that my eyes shined a brighter red. It was probably best to avoid that. When hungry, I also became restless, impatient, and easily angered, but so did Mom, so that probably had nothing to do with being a demon. Unlike Mom, my anger manifested in unexpected ways, ways that I had learned to control, but regular eating made it all easier. So, no missing any meals.
I looked up at my new chandelier and watched the crystals shower the walls with beams of light. This was all so princessy. I had become used to the strip lighting that illuminated the rooms and hallways of Bonfire Academy. This attention to creating an ambient aura was something my mother excelled at, though a decorator had probably helped. I closed my eyes and settled into the luxurious feather pillow and yawned. My mind floated back to my graduation. Three years of intense training had culminated in a grand, but weird, event.
My dad had been there, in his human form, thank goodness; he was much easier on the eyes as a human. I could see why Mom had been attracted to him; although, she must have been a bit tipsy not to have noticed his red eyes. His human form would be the envy of most Hollywood stars. Think a young George Clooney, from his ER days. However–rule two, trust no one–behind that disarming smile lived a demon, a demon king, to be precise, the Demon King of London.
Much like vampire politics, demon politics is conducted territorially. Dad had been visiting New York on some royal protocol blah-di-blah when he bumped into Mom and her friends. She has always been very vague about what happened, probably because she can’t remember half of it.
Of course, Dad came to visit over the years, although he never stayed too long–just long enough for my mother to stay completely head-over-heels in love with him. She has never dated anyone else.
Dad always arrived in his human form, so I never noticed anything strange about him. That is, not until the Demon King of New York tapped on the front door of our Manhattan apartment one cold, winter evening. Mom told me to wait in my room, but that was the last thing I wanted to do.
As I waited in my room, I strained to hear what was going on outside. I heard faint sounds of whispering, which gradually turned to aggravated hissing and strange, animalistic growling. I couldn't help myself; I had to take a peek. I did so, just in time to catch a glimpse of my dad’s arm, which had transformed into a glowing, fork-like appendage. Before I could even process what I had seen, Tessa appeared in the hallway and gently pushed me back into my bedroom, telling me to shush.
Dad had left in a hurry. I asked my mom what had just happened. That’s when she told me. I was only five. I still believed in Santa, so I had no problem buying into the demon revelation about my dad. It was slightly more difficult for me to buy into the idea that I was half demon myself. I felt much better when Mom told me that I was, in fact, a demon princess and handed me a tiara.
Mom and Tessa spent an endless amount of time teaching me the importance of not sharing my lineage with anyone. Like anyone would have believed me, anyway. Knowing that I was a half demon didn’t make any difference to my life at that time. I hadn’t yet displayed any demon qualities–apart from my reddish eyes, and I think Mom hoped that I never would.
Unfortunately, that changed around my tenth birthday. I began to have bad moods that sometimes resulted in fits of rage. At first, Mom thought it was just pre-pubescent hormones. However, once the rages showed signs of physical transformations, my mom called Dad. The transformations weren’t drastic to start with–no horns or forked tail–mostly, it was a burning sensation in my hands accompanied by a red glow. When it first happened, I was taken back to what I had noticed that night with Dad and worried that my arm would transform completely. Once Dad arrived, Mom and he decided to send me to the Academy. I wasn’t overjoyed, but how bad could school in Switzerland be? As it turned out, it wasn’t too bad at all, after I got settled in, anyway.
I didn’t know that, however, when I first arrived there with my dad. I was very anxious. It helped that we were greeted at the door by the headmistress, who practically trembled in Dad’s presence as she led us to the left wing. Once I was settled, Dad left. I felt somewhat comforted knowing that he scared the living bejeezus out of the headmistress, so I thought my chances of having a pleasant time were practically guaranteed. I smiled as I remembered the look of relief on Frau Smelt’s face as Dad disappeared from the halls.
“Faustine! Hon, wake up, it’s time for dinner.” Mom gently shook me back into consciousness. Demons sleep like they are dead.
“Hey, Mom. What time is it?”
“It’s almost six thirty. Tessa and Neave will be here in about half an hour. Could you get dressed and come through when you’re ready?”
“Sure, Mom.” I yawned sleepily, as she turned to walk back out. “Hold up, Mom.”
She stopped as I clambered out of bed and went over to give her a hug. It was so nice to be home again.
2
I felt strangely shy walking into the dining room. After all, it was just Mom, Neave and Tessa, no need for me to be anxious. I guess I felt a bit self-conscious in the pretty, purple dress I had put on for the occasion. The purple dress was simple enough–cut to just above my knees with a full skirt and three-quarter length sleeves. I pulled the look together by adding a gray belt. It wasn’t the least bit fancy, not even a hint of sparkle. It was just that I was so unused to wearing anything other than my school uniform that I felt awkward. I slipped on a pair of ballet flats to help keep me grounded, and then walked through to greet Tessa and Neave.
“Hey, Faustine!” Neave practically knocked her chair over in her rush to get to me. She was at my side in what seemed less than a heartbeat, pulling me into a tight hug.
“Nice to see you, too,” I laughed when she loosened her grip. I looked her over, shocked to see that the blonde knockout had gone Goth! Dark hair, heavy liner, dark lips. Don’t get me wrong, Neave was still a knockout, but in an Avril Lavigne sort of way.
Neave did a turn and half bow. “Like it?” She pouted, accentuating her ruby-stained lips. “I thought I’d buy into the witch thing completely,” she explained.
I was too shocked to speak. No, I didn’t like it, even though she looked okay. It was just... not her. Not one little bit. She looked at me gravely, waiting for a response.
“Well?”
“I guess it’s good. It’s just really different. It’s going to take some getting used to.”
“Neave, honestly! Give Faustine a break.” Tessa laughed, coming up behind her. She grabbed Neave’s hair and yanked it hard. Really hard. As Tessa pulled at the long strands, Neave’s dark hair fell away, revealing golden curls.
Neave erupted into full-blown chuckles, as she shook out her golden curls.
“You little w...” I started, but then laughed.
“Be right back. Gotta take this Goth gunk off my face.” Neave turned and walked toward the bathroom.
“Sorry about that.” Tessa smiled. “She insisted.”
I sighed. Yes, there was no stopping Neave once she got fixated on playing a practical joke. It was her thing. I should have remembered and expected something.
“Come sit down.” Tessa took my hand and pulled me toward the dining table, where Mom was watching me bemusedly.
I looked down at the offerings–sushi. Not my favorite.
Mom smiled. “Not to worry, dear. I’ve got a steak ready for you. I’ll go get it.”
“So?” Tessa asked, smiling at me. “Did you accomplish everything you needed to at the Academy?”
“I did,” I replied vaguely.
“I know you can’t tell me anything, and that’s okay. The main thing is that you’re home. It’s really good to see you. Both Neave and I have missed you terribly.”
I squeezed her hands. “I’ve missed you, too–a lot. I’m glad to be back. So, tell me about you. I heard you got married!” I pointed to the silver band around her finger.
“I did.” She nodded.
I had never really noticed how similar she was to Neave, right down to her mannerisms. In response to my question, Tessa gave a slightly crooked smile and her cheeks flushed as though she was embarrassed. It occurred to me that Neave looked exactly the same when she got embarrassed. “Oh, that’s funny, Tessa,” I teased. “I don’t mean you getting married, but that you’re so bashful about it.”
“Well, I guess I never thought it would happen at my age. When it did, it was all so fast. I haven’t quite become used to it myself. Can you believe it? I am married!”
“She sure is,” Neave said, returning to the dining room and sitting down next to me. She looked like her normal self again. Mom came in as well, carrying a steaming plate, which she carefully placed in front of me.
“Steak for the demon?” Neave chuckled.
“Yes, witch.” I grimaced at her, and then dug into it. It was cooked to perfection without any unnecessary garnishing–plain, rare and juicy. Perfect. I ate in silence, a habit I had acquired at the Academy–we never spoke during mealtimes. Mom watched me in amusement as I chomped down on my steak. Once I was done–third rule obeyed–I turned back to Tessa. “So, you were saying that you are married. Congrats! Who is he? A wizard?”
Tessa shook her head and smiled. “A human.”
“Really? Just a human?” I asked in surprise. “No offense, Mom. You know what I mean....”
“No offense taken,” Mom reassured me.
“Just a human?” Tessa laughed. “I guess you could say that.”
“Does he know you’re a witch?” I asked curiously. That couldn’t have been an easy nugget to share. A sure deal breaker for most humans, I’d imagine.
“Yes, he knows,” she responded.
I was surprised, and just about to ask her how, how in the world she had shared that gem with him, when the doorbell rang.
“Girls, you’re done eating, aren’t you?” Tessa asked, then continued without waiting for an answer. “I need you to excuse yourselves to Faustine’s bedroom and stay there until I come and get you. Okay?”
I shrugged and got up. Tessa had a no-nonsense look in her eyes, so Neave and I quietly made our way to my bedroom and closed the door. Well, I actually tried to leave it ajar, but Tessa must have spelled it shut because it closed firmly behind me.
“Geez, what’s that all about?” I asked Neave.
“Not sure. Something weird is going on. Has been, for the last few days.”
“What sort of weird?”
“There’s a kind of darkness....”
A kind of darkness? That didn’t sound good.
Neave continued. “I can’t explain it very well. It’s a feeling, a heavy feeling. Something bad is going down, but I don’t know what.”
“Is that why we were sent to my room?”
“Don’t know. Whoever came to the door didn’t have a positive aura, that’s for sure.”
I went over to peek out the door, but the knob wouldn’t turn.
Neave sighed. “That’ll be Mom making sure we do what we’re told.”
No problem. I could listen from behind the door. My hearing was exceptional, even for a demon. I signaled Neave to be quiet as I concentrated on listening. Not a sound! It was like there was no world outside the door. I looked over to Neave and shrugged.
“Yeah, I bet Mom remembered your enhanced hearing and included a sound shield.”
Brilliant. “So, now what?”
“Nothing,” she replied. “Well, there’s nothing we can do about what’s going on out there, but we can catch up. I want to know everything. So, spill. What was it like at the Academy?”
“It was cool. I learned a lot and made some friends. You’ll get to meet some of them.”
“What did you learn? What kind of special powers do you have?”
I really did want to tell her. In all honesty, she could probably cast a spell over me and make me. But, I knew I’d better stick to the rules. “I’m not allowed to tell you, which really sucks, because I want to.”
“It’s okay. I’ll find out when I need to, I’m sure.” She winked. “Best not to break any rules. Wouldn’t want any weird stuff happening as a consequence.”
I nodded. “What about you? Got anything you can share with me?”
“Pretty much anything you like! What do you want to know?”
Much as I wanted to know about her witch powers and spells, I was even more interested in knowing what she’d been up to all the time I had been away. “What’s been happening here?”
She laughed. “Lots! You’ve missed out on a lot! For starters, Mom got married. Totally unreal! His name is Robert, a total nerd, but nice. He works at the stock exchange.”
“How did they meet?”
“Mom ran into him in the elevator. He started chatting with her and asked her out and that was that. Very boring, really.”
“And your mom said that he knows you guys are witches?”
“Yeah, apparently she told him. He’s never said anything about it to me. I bet you he didn’t get it. It’s never come up in front of me.”
“How about you? How do you feel about sharing your mom with someone else?”
“Well, I was a bit put out to start with. Just the thought of having someone else living with us and being in our stuff was seriously annoying. We moved into his apartment–which is cool, and here in this building!–before they got married, in order for me to get used to it. I’m not going to pretend it was easy. It wasn’t. Even just having him in the kitchen at breakfast felt intrusive. Breakfast time had always been when Mom and I connected for the day. It felt wrong to discuss witch biz in front of him, even though he apparently knows. So, we basically had to transition into pretending to be a normal family. It still feels kind of fake, even after all this time. We just sit around the breakfast table and talk about normal stuff. Weird. Anyhow, after only two days of living like that, I cracked. I’m talking major tantrum. Major tantrum with a few spells thrown in. Luckily, it happened after Robert had left for work.” She smirked.
“I’ll bet.” Neave did throw some whoppers!
“Anyhow, once we got the apartment back to pre-tantrum mode, Mom and I decided that we would have witch time after Robert left for work in the mornings, which is very early. So now we sort of have a second breakfast, and I get to prepare myself for the day with just Mom before I head off to school.”
“Middle school? I missed all of that. What was it like?”
“Much harder than I thought it was going to be. I ended up in all the advanced classes, so I had heaps of homework and multiple projects pretty much all the time. It was all right, though. I thought it would really suck, especially since you weren’t coming with me, but I made some new friends pretty quickly, especially when I got involved in the school musical.”
“Boyfriend? Boyfriends?”
“There have been a few. Nothing special enough to mention, and I’m starting high school single and free to play. What about you?”
“At Bonfire Academy? Hardly! Although....”
“Although, what?” she prompted.
“There was this one guy, a Wanderer, his name is Ryker. I kinda liked him, though it didn’t amount to much.”
“What’s a Wanderer? I don’t think I’ve come across one of those before, or even heard of them. And what do you mean didn’t amount to much?” Neave demanded.
“Wanderers are paranormals who can transport themselves between time and dimensions,” I began.
“Cool! That’s flipping awesome! Real time travelers. I’d love to be able to do that!” Neave exclaimed enthusiastically. “And they can travel between dimensions as well? Double cool! Imagine how awesome a date that would be! So where did he take you?”
“Well, nowhere. I never really got to talk to him much.”
“That’s pathetic! Why not?”
“I don’t know! It just didn’t happen. I don’t know why I even mentioned him! Forget about it. Tell me about high school,” I said, changing the subject swiftly.
“Did you see the uniform?”
“No. I only had time for a quick look through my new clothes.”
Neave went over to my closet and came back with a blue and green skirt and a white blouse. “This is it,” she said. “There should be a tie somewhere,” she added. She sat down on my bed and studied me intently.
“What?” I stared back at her.
“You’re totally unprepared for high school, aren’t you?” she mused.
“I don’t think so. Although we had a lot of paranormal prep work to do at the Academy, we kept up with all the academic stuff. If anything, I’m more than prepared,” I boasted. After all, I had graduated from the Academy with the highest academic honors.
“That’s not what I meant,” Neave explained. “I mean you’re not prepared socially. You haven’t had the three years of middle school here–not that that really prepares you, but it’s better than nothing. There’s a lot of politics to take into consideration. There’s a hierarchy, which we’ll have to fit into.”
“I’m a demon princess,” I scoffed. “Hierarchy? I’ll be at the top.”
Neave raised her eyebrows and pursed her lips. “Faustine, my sweet little demon, that’s not how it works at an Upper East Side high school. You may have had that status at the Academy, but now you’re entering high school as just another freshman. It’s going to be hard.”
“Well, I’m never going to be just another freshman, ever. I’m Lady Annabel Spencer’s daughter, after all. That’s got to count for something, right?”
“I don’t know, maybe. Best to make plans not taking that into account, just in case.”
“What kind of plans?”
“Well, we have to establish ourselves as leaders. We need to make sure that we aren’t swallowed up, or worse–targeted.”
Targeted? I wasn’t the least bit worried about that. After all, one jab from my glowing finger would put a stop to that sort of nonsense in a hurry. However, I could see the sense in making sure early on that we were at the top of the pecking order.
“The easiest way would be to cast a spell on everyone,” Neave giggled, “but Mom nixed that idea!”
“Very unsporting of her,” I laughed. “So, I guess we’ll have to use our natural charm–”
“Yeah, maybe. I think it’s going to be a bit more complicated. But don’t worry, I’ve set things in motion to help us,” she hinted.
“Like what?”