Page 11 of Poison

How are they ticking?

I look down at it, my eyes widening when I see a blue shimmer swirling its way around it. The light from the window catches particles inside that make it looks like it’s filled with glitter—someone’s using magic on the device. I thought the Academy was warded from such things, well that’s what I’ve heard about this place anyway—it’s supposed to be the magical equivalent of Fort Knox. But I guess some of the rumours aren’t true, unless… Could it be the Academy is warded against outside magic or some sort of magic that wishes harm.

A wailing fills the air, making me cover my ears as the sound picks up in volume and a red light flashes. I search the room, trying to find where it’s coming from when my eyes get drawn to the tablet again. The screen is flashing harshly as the air raid sound comes from the speakers. Words flash across the screen, and dread fills me as I see the words LATE pulsing like it’s the end of the world. The sound cuts off abruptly and a window opens up on the screen; a young-looking woman with almost white hair and green eyes stares as me with a pinched expression, and my hands drop away from my ears.

“Any particular reason why you are late to my class, Miss Draken?” she says with a glower. My heart beats frantically in my chest as I tilt my head.

“Well…” I rub my hands together, my nerves getting the better of me. “Um…” My words break off as she scoffs, quirking a brow at me as she looks down the length of her nose in disgust. How is she managing to make me feel so small through a screen?

“I suggest you move. Because if you aren’t here in the next five minutes, don’t bother coming at all. Go straight to the headmaster’s office,” she snaps, and the screen goes dark at the finality of her words.

I scramble to grab my book bag and my tablet, stuffing it into its own compartment before rushing out the door like the fires of hell are chasing me. Students are milling about outside as I rush past the water fountain to the main building that houses most of the classrooms. Some of the students eye me with curiosity, while others look disgusted at my actions. I see a friendly looking girl and I slow my chest heaving.

“Excuse me,” I manage between pants. “Do you know where Miss Havendoom’s class is please?”

The girl purses her lips, annoyance clear on her face. Then it softens just a touch as she points to the big gothic looking building.

“Top floor,” she says, and I take off, throwing a quick, “Thank you,” over my shoulder.

It takes me a minute to get into the main area of the building, stone corridors leading off in all directions, when I notice one that has stairs in it. I rush forward, with more speed than I anticipated when I crash into a wall in the stairway, the impact has a grunt passing my lips as I charge up the stairs trying not to knock any one over in the process.

“Hey, watch it,” a girl shouts as I knock into her, I don’t stop to see if she’s okay. My heart’s galloping like a herd of wild horses running from a predator and sweat beads down my back as I spot the door to the classroom. The woman from the tablet is pacing beyond the door, watching into the corridor through the little window. I crash through the door, my chest heaving as I try to suck in air, but the action has me sounding like a walrus out of water—one who may or may not have a nasty case of asthma.

“So glad you could join us, Miss Draken,” the woman chides. I turn my head to take her in, gasping when I notice the pointed edges of her ears poking out of her hair. “Take a seat.”

I turn to the class… great, the others students’ eyes are all on me. My face flushes instantly as I spy the only empty seat at the back of the room. Whispers fill the air as I trudge up the steps feeling like I’m on my final walk.

“Ew, have you seen the colour of her hair?” A couple of girls giggle behind their hands. “I know, right? What a fail.”

“Bet she’s the dud everyone’s talking about,” another voice says. “Why is she even here? She’s not one of us.”

With each harsh word, my chest gets tighter as I fight to hold back the tears pooling in my eyes—I refuse to let them fall; I won’t let them see how much this is bothering me. My feet thud heavily on the steps as I make my way to my seat, and the whispers get louder as I drop my bag on the floor, sit down, and curl in on myself. The lines in the wood of the desk before me draw my eyes in, and I tune out the rest of the class. I breathe a sigh of relief as the noise becomes a low hum, and my fingers trace over the bleed lines.

“Welcome to Clan history.” The teacher’s voice pulls my focus as she commands the attention of the whole room. “Now, who can give me a rundown of what we covered last week?”

A hand shoots into the air, waving eagerly to catch Miss Havendoom’s attention. I slump, trying to make myself as small as possible, and a chuckle builds in my throat when I see a couple of students do the same thing. The teacher’s green eyes scan the room slowly, her gaze pausing on a few random students, making them shuffle uncomfortably in their seats

“None of you can give me one thing we covered?” she says as she folds her arms across her chest. Her eyes narrow as the hand of the only person with it up, waves even faster. Miss Havendoom looks over this person again, and the guy in front of me starts mumbling under his breath. But my eyes are on the girl trying her hardest to get the teacher’s attention. She has scraggly blonde hair and, from what I can see, her clothes as frayed and look ancient. She turns as the teacher walks up the isle through the tables, giving me a view of her front. Huge black rimmed glasses frame her face, her hair is sticking out from behind the arms of them, and while I’m taking her in, our eyes connect. Hers widen when she realises; she looks horrified, gulping before she turns away, and my brows scrunch together.Rude.

“Any particular reason why you are assaulting my table with the end of a pencil, Miss Draken?”

My head whips up at the sharp tone, eyes widening when I find her glowering at me with a look of disgust. She lifts a brow, my head drops, and there is a pencil in my hand, grinding into the desk.What the hell?I drop it like it’s just electrocuted me.

“This wasn’t me,” I blurt, horrified at the action.

Her posture is tense as she tuts.

“Miss Havendoom, this wasn’t me,” I protest again. “I never took a pencil out of my bag.”

“Your aunt may be the strongest person in history, but you will not destroy anything in this room. Do I make myself clear?” she spits through gritted teeth.

I grind my teeth when I notice two girls sitting in the middle of the room smirking at one another as the teacher berates me.

“Yes, Miss,” I say. If my eyes could kill someone, these two would be six-foot under by now. Miss Havendoom turns her attention back to the class and makes her way to the front of the room. The blonde girl is still waving her hand in the air trying to catch her attention. Miss Havendoom’s eyes narrow on the class as she huffs out a harsh breath,

“Well, since none of you would like to participate,” she rumbles. “We started off by discussing why there are twelve clans and how it became that way.”

The teacher’s words wash over the top of my head as I pay her no attention. Instead, my eyes are drilled onto the back of the heads of the girls who controlled me, they have to be from one of the witch clans. That’s the only explanation I can come up with because only a witch can press their will on someone and take control without the other person’s consent. It’s then that I take in the room, trying to work out who is who in the class, and which clan they’re from, because I need to know everything about this place if I’m going to survive.

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