Page 12 of Faerie Gift

“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 theyhere?” 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.

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