Page 37 of Magical Academy for Delinquents
I didn’t get to answer that question, because someone kicked my arm.
Fucking hell!
I sat up and yanked my throbbing arm to my chest. I looked behind me to see Laura standing in the aisle. She sniggered down at me, her plum lipstick pursed in the universal, snotty kiss-face that bitches seemed to agree upon as their calling card. Her skirt was rolled so that it just covered her crotch.
“Grayson needs you to take on his fights for him, huh?” I asked.
Behind me, Malcolm cleared his throat. I clenched my fingers into fists and turned around to face him, frustrated. Did he seriously expect me to back down from that?
Laura’s hand yanked on my hair and wrenched me backward.Oh shit!My hands flew to my head and a sour taste filled my mouth. I didn’t recognize it until I swallowed. I’d bitten my tongue and it was bleeding. I thought she’d try to rip out my hair and let go, but I saw ice flash in her hands.
The bitch was gonna try to cut me.
I didn’t have a choice. Light started to brighten my palms. Hopefully, she’d feel the burn and back off and everyone else would just think it was close range fire.
Laura growled and gasped. But she didn’t back off. Dammit. I’d have to do more. The professor still hadn’t come in, so I couldn’t count on his help. Suspicious. Either I’d have to out myself as a Darklight or … “Dad,” I whispered, trying to be subtle.
Dad materialized by Ho’s desk, glancing around the classroom. As soon as he saw me, I knew today was a bad day. My heart cracked when he tilted his head and squinted, hand raising to his lips, tapping as he tried to work out that feeling of déjà vu when he looked at me.
Shit.
The ice blade reached my neck. Adrenaline spiked. I had to take low, deep breaths to counteract my racing pulse and ensure I didn’t pass out. Laura left me with no choice. I had to use my power more. With one hand, I blasted Laura’s hand holding the knife with burning hot white light. With my other hand, I shot darkness at her eyes.
“Argggghh,” she screamed as the skin on her hand turned red, then bubbled with a second-degree burn. My light melted her blade and it soaked my chest as she pulled away and stumbled to the back of the room.
I stopped the light as soon as she moved but kept the shadows over her eyes as I swiveled in my seat.
She tripped into a low cabinet by the back wall and fell to her knees on the off-white tile floor. She started to sob as she cradled her burnt hand.
I stood and walked over to her. I held out a hand to help her up. And only then did I stop blinding her. I stared at her. “You are not my enemy. Don’t become one.”
Her eye makeup was smudged, and her lip twitched. I could just see her aching to lash back at me.
Luckily, Professor Ho walked in just then.
“Good evening all, sorry, I got caught up in the hall with a student question—”
I raised a brow at Laura. She’d planned her attack then. She got points for that. But she needed to save her wrath for someone else.
Ho was immediately at our sides when he saw us standing at the back. “What happened?” he asked sharply.
“Laura was trying to show me how to hold a fireball and it got a little bigger than we expected,” I said, tossing on my ‘sincerely regretful’ face.
Ho turned to Laura for confirmation.
Her eyes flashed and then she stuttered, “Yeah. Um. Yeah, can I go to the nurse?”
Ho nodded before turning to me. “Ms. Dunemark, you’ve earned yourself another detention. A Sunday detention.”
I swallowed the snarl in my throat and nodded. I glanced at Dad, who was wandering aimlessly around the room, trying to pick up books he couldn’t touch. I wanted to tell him to disappear, but I couldn’t. The room filled around us and my view of him became only the occasional glance between students as Ho started the class. I stayed trapped in the room with the memory of my father, hidden in the crowd, feeling forsaken. He hadn’t meant to leave. But still, here I was, alone.
It was a sobering hour.
The only saving grace was that Dad disappeared before the final bell of his own accord. It gave me a second to collect myself before Malcolm grabbed my hand and stared into my eyes.
His hand was warm and soft and twice the size of mine.
“What you did … don’t do it again. We’ll talk Monday.” With that vague order, he let go of me and disappeared.
