Page 17 of Validus Vale Academy 1
My twins, but different. Pale and drawn, as if the very life had been bleached from them. Not how they looked in real life. Wes and Donovan aren’t identical twins, but close to it. The same dark, untamed curls and dimpled cheeks that would make my stomach do a little flip. Those crooked, disarming smiles that could melt glaciers. And their scent, oh, their scent. A mix of sunshine and salt spray, underscored by something deeply, panty-tinglingly musky.
Goosebumps prickle my flesh as the last whisper of that bright, sea smell drifts through the room, then vanishes entirely.
Gods, I will never get over them, no matter how much I try to convince myself otherwise. They’ve ruined me for anyone else. I willneverlove again.
Those bastards. I can’t let them see the wreckage they've made of me. I will erect the highest wall imaginable around my heart, top it with shards of broken glass, and project nothing but a glacial disinterest.
With that resolve burning inside, I pull myself up from the thin mattress, stretch the stiffness from my limbs, and grab my washbag. I am going to attempt the near impossible: making myself look cute despite the hideous uniform and my jetlag.
As I exit my basement sanctuary, a box waits for me on the floor by the door. Ooh, it’s a tablet like the one I had assigned last year. That’s a relief. I wasn’t sure if I’d have to pay for my own or if one was included with the scholarship. I skip down the basement steps and leave the tablet on the bed before heading to the bathrooms.
Just outside the communal showers, I literally bump into Willow. “Oof, sorry.”
She’s wearing a brown plaid wrapper, and her sandy brown hair is frizzed in a chaotic halo around her head. A beaming smile splits her face. “Theo! Good idea to get in here early, gives us the best chance at hot water.” Willow leads me into the shower block, a depressing space containing four cramped cubicles where the tile grout is speckled with black mold. Limescale has hardened like gnarly barnacles around the faucets and showerheads. Willow glances down at my sneakered feet, a grimace twisting her features. “You might want to get shower shoes,” she gestures to the floor.
She’s not wrong. The drains are clogged with hair and Gods knows what other unidentifiable debris. Grumbling inwardly, I extract a washcloth and place it gingerly on the slimy tile floor as a meager form of foot protection, then kick off my shoes. When I turn the water on, it comes out in warm dribbles, but it’s enough to work with. Using shampoo and conditioner from industrial-size bottles mounted on the cubicle wall, I scrub myself thoroughly and try to feel zen about whatever is to come.
“I’ll see you downstairs, Theo,” Willow yells as she heads out.
Ten minutes later, I’m back in the basement, trying my best to avoid a walking-dead appearance. I put a generous amount of concealer under each eye, then a black slick of liner on the lid. Really should have brought a mirror and a hairdryer. I guess a long, wet braid will be my signature look for the foreseeable future. Once I’m as glammed as I’m going to get, I shake out my uniform several times and then put it on.
Using my phone for a fit-check, I cringe at the result. Rumpled polyester. Gods. What a mess I am.
With the new tablet under my arm, I close the door to my little room. “I need a desk, some hooks or hangers, and maybe a mirror…” I mutter to myself. I’d noticed the rest of the basement held a chaotic jumble of discarded furniture. Maybe I can scavenge something to make my ‘apartment’ slightly less depressing? But there’s no time for exploration now; a glance at my phone confirms I’m already running late.
Once again, Duncan and Willow are at the entrance so we can all walk together, strength in numbers. “Thanks for waiting, guys.”
“Morning, Theo,” Duncan says, his energy already buzzing. “No worries. Sleep OK? I didn’t, the guy in the room next door snores like a rhino.” —Rhinos love mud/I love mudpie/Yum, ice cream for breakfast—
“Yeah, I slept fine,” I reply, trying to keep my head separated from Duncan’s ADHD brain; my thoughts are already racing enough.
Is this the day I come face-to-face with the twins?
Probably. I might even see them in the next few minutes. Oh, Gods.
“Are you OK?” asks Willow. —What’s she stressing about?—
I give her a half-hearted smile. “Just something and nothing,” I tell her vaguely. “Old baggage from the last time I was here.”
Duncan and Willow come to a halt. “Last time?” Willow yelps, her voice a startled squeak. A small group of passing students turns to stare, and she quickly lowers her voice. “What do you mean, last time?”
Oh yeah, I hadn’t filled my new friends in on the thrilling Theo Wilson backstory. “I was one of the lottery students last year. You know, the ones who come for the six-week intensive?”
“You were?” Willow looks bewildered, her brow furrowed in genuine confusion. “And that didn’t awaken your spark? That…that never happens.”
I give her a wry smile. “It had never happened…until...” I gesture at myself and shrug like it’s no big deal. “Frankly, I think they used me as a control group. You know, 'Exhibit A: This is what magical ineptitude looks like.”
“But you still got the Guggenheimer Scholarship,” Duncan says, frowning and looking confused. “They don’t award that to just any rando.” I hear a flash of his inner voice. —She’s gotta be something special—
The only truly remarkable thing about me is the weird ability I was born with, a secret I can’t afford to share. Instead, a weak, self-deprecating laugh escapes my throat. “I’m running with the theory that I’m the most feeble unawakened admissions has ever come across, and they want to test the ability of the Academy. If it can wake pathetic Theo, it can do it for anyone. You know, ‘Queer Eye for the AUA guy’. Just with magic instead of make-up.”
Willow ignores my attempt at being funny. “Don’t think like that. We’ll all be Ordinarii before Halloween, mark my words.”
A sudden burst of laughter erupts from behind us. I turn to see a couple of Ordinarii girls, their expressions smug and superior. “In Communis by Halloween? Who are they kidding?” one sneers. My shoulders tense, and beside me, Duncan staresintently at the ground, like the gravel is the most interesting thing he’s ever seen.
I give the two Ordinariis a timid piece of stink-eye.
“Who do you think you are, remedial?” The second girl wrinkles her nose, as if I smell bad. “Show some respect.” Her thoughts project out of her sharply. —Thank Gods my power came in. Shit, I was so nearly a dud—
