Page 10 of Overwhelmed By Magic

I remember quite a few incidents when some of our classmates thought it was funny to steal it from him, his essence exploding with a rage that very few professors were able to contain. No one touches it anymore. Serves them right.

“Stop staring at him,” I blurt out when I catch Ambrose’s attention shifting to Jade. The Incubus tolerates the mage as much as I do but is slowly laying back down under the covers as if that’ll save him from whatever unruly magic Ambrose is excited to deal out today.

“Why? He’s a sex demon. And gorgeous. It’s kind of hard not to.” Ambrose pushes off the wall and takes a step forward so he can close the door. “Now, we going or not? Ceremony is in a half hour.”

Jade sighs from beneath the blanket. “I hate that you two do that. There’s no reason to go there when we’ll see the new rejects when they show up. One day, you’ll get caught.”

Ambrose bursts out laughing, his green aura beating around him as if it’s alive. It’s a little terrifying to watch, knowing that he holds so much power. I have an inkling that he knows how to use it as well, which makes him the smartest Magila here. “And then what, Jade? They’ll lock us up? We're already in a prison. Besides, if the Magila council paid any fucking attention, they would realize they’re just piling people up in here with really weird ass and strong abilities. I mean look at your lover here, he can transport whole people across rooms and locations! Just imagine-”

I cut the mage off before he falls into one of his fantastical rants. “I’d rather not. Let’s go or we’ll miss my favorite part.” A troublemaker through and through, I always have a little something planned for my uncle to deal with. He never fathoms that it could be me because he believes Grimrose Academy is flawless and can contain our essence completely.

I also don’t think he’s expecting me to still be alive.

“Hasn’t it gotten old playing pranks on your uncle?” Jade whispers from beneath the blanket. He wouldn’t understand but I wouldn’t expect him to. Every Magila at Grimrose has sat through that awful meeting with Dmitri and other members of the council, telling them they are not enough but I suffered through the disrespect of that vampire not even having the balls to truly say it to my face.

The vampire still can’t see that his archaic rules and rigid understanding of Mother Nature have trapped us all here without any way to learn who we are. I just want to inconvenience him until that changes.

In reality, I want to be the one to open his eyes and show him just how he’s discarded Mother Nature’s gift and then let her deal with his selfish ass.

“Jade, it never gets old watching him panic as his perfectly manicured graduation goes awry. And yes, I’ll be safe.” I hesitate, nearly bending down to kiss his forehead when I change direction at the last minute and head over to Ambrose to transport us to Astral Academy.

Ambrose isn’t able to get a word out until we appear in a small alcove just outside the main building. “You ever going to tell him? Don’t give me that look. You have feelings. Sue me for noticing how soft you go around a fucking sex demon.”

“I’m not telling him shit. He’s terrified he’s going to kill me one day. Telling him that I want more than that would have us taking ten steps back.” A real relationship with Jade is impossible but I’ll keep him close for as long as I can. Ambrose opens his mouth to shoot another smart retort at me but I just head for the side door, not ready to deal with the revelation that someone else might come along and snatch Jade from under me.

6

HARLOW

The gym is just how I remember it, everything carved out of ancient wood from the forests that used to surround the academy hundreds of years ago. Essence whispers through the walls, whisps of green aura spiraling in and around the wood. I’m sure everyone has tuned that aspect of this academy out, that the walls seem to be alive with essence but I’ve always found it slightly unnerving.

It also makes it feel like I’m being watched, especially when I slip through the veil and end up in the void. There’s no way to explain what it is—just pure darkness, thick enough to almost be a substance. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel so to speak but there’s no pull to cross over. The part I despise is the incessant screams from those who weren’t saved or the ones who want a little more time.

Feeling their ghastly touch on my skin as I wade through the darkness makes me hate this part of my existence and yet sometimes I can’t help sliding in there to escape my reality.

A reality where I technically don’t exist.

A reality that no longer includes Skye.

My attention settles on the seats lined up perfectly throughout the venue, Skye and I sitting in the back corner to keep from being discovered. No one will immediately know that Skye is human but I’m not taking any fucking chances. The stage sits up ahead, a few inches higher than the gym floor so that we can all see the graduating class of Magila waltz across the stage to receive their diplomas and their first official ID.

Vampires, Versipelles, and elementals are the most common Magila but the occasional nymph, fairy, and demon-type stroll through. There’s very little variety when it comes to second forms. Then again, I think that’s just a product of the Magila council demanding that we conform rather than what Mother Nature truly gave us. I’d love to see something different, fantastical one day.

Families bustle in, proud parents and excited siblings squealing and clapping to witness another group of Magila stepping into the world. Maybe I’m jealous that they get to enjoy their new life. That could have been if I was merely a spirit but that would also mean I had a life expectancy and I would essentially die again.

I won’t break Skye’s heart a second time.

Turning to look at him, I choke back a laugh.

Skye’s pout is the sexiest fucking thing I’ve seen in a while. It’s also the most terrifying because I have no clue how to tear his concentration away from whatever heavy thoughts are swirling around in his head. Those big brown eyes of his are darting all over the open space, cataloging each Magila, his lips moving soundlessly as he details auras, abilities, and designations.

He’ll never admit to it but I know he can see our aura, the physical representation of our essence. It’s hard not to notice the way his eyes zip around me, trying to follow the aura that has a mind of its own. It’s almost like a living, breathing piece of my soul that holds the essence from within. It becomes a haze that most of us tune out until we barely notice it.

Not Skye, though.

He notices everything.

I still remember the first day my father moved us into their house, demanding that I treat my new mother with respect. I couldn't have cared less about her, though; my entire attention was on Skye. The shy but gorgeous scholar with big doe eyes and a curious mind. He wanted to know everything about me and it didn’t take long to fall in love with him. I just wish I had had more time with him as a human rather than a Magila.

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