Divination

RORY

“Am I early?” I ask as I approach Professor Xander.

“You’re just on time,” he replies, moving behind his desk and toward the blackboard. “Please, take a seat.”

He gestures to a chair in the front room of the classroom.

“It’s just…I thought there would be other students.”

I start to wonder if this is some cruel prank the other kids are playing. Maybe they got together and decided not to show up to class if I came.

Or maybe this is Dean Fang’s doing. Maybe it’s some sick addendum to our agreement. Like she doesn’t want her werewolf students mixing with the human exception.

I linger by the tables in the front row, feeling unsure.

“I’m sorry,” Professor Xander says. “When I heard that you’d been accepted, I moved my schedule around so that we could study one-on-one.”

“Oh, this was ~your~ idea?”

“Maybe I should have said something.”

He moves closer and reaches out a comforting hand to stroke my arm.

“It’s just—this has all happened so quickly, and I wanted to make sure you had the best studying environment possible.”

I glance around the empty room, at all the seats that should be occupied by students but which are gathering dust instead.

“I can see you’re disappointed,” Professor Xander says. “Please don’t be. No other student at this college can do what you do. None of them have the kind of power you have, or the potential.”

His eyes are staring into mine, and I can tell he only means well.

“The other kids would only slow down your progress.”

I take a breath. The shock of being the only student is starting to wear off. And perhaps—if Mia and her friends are anything to judge by—it ~is~ for the best that I study one-on-one with Professor Xander.

“I suppose you’re right,” I say, slipping into my seat.

“Shall we begin then?” he asks, and I nod in response.

Professor Xander moves behind the long bench in front of me. I haven’t had much time to take in what’s laid out on it.

A vase of dead flowers sits at one end, and in the center, a glass bell jar sits empty…or is it…

I lean closer to get a better look and notice a few flies, lying motionless.

“In this class,” Professor Xander begins, “you will learn how to charm objects by channeling energy.”

He whips the glass dome off the bench with the flare of a magician.

“But the magic you will learn isn’t easy, not like simple trickery. It’s complex and comes from a spiritual place.

“You are able to perform magic because of your connection to the spirit realm. With my help, you will be able to use your powers to their fullest extent.”

With a swift gesture, he wafts a hand over the flies, and all of a sudden their wings start beating fiercely.

One by one the dead flies come back to life and lift off the bench, buzzing around in the air.

“That was amazing,” I say, my mouth hanging open in shock.

“And you will be able to do the same. By the time we’re finished here, I will have shown you how to raise the dead.”

Professor Xander comes alive when he’s teaching. His eyes light up and his words are paired with energetic gesticulations.

I press my back against the seat, ready to take in everything this passionate professor has to teach me.

“Magic is all about the transference of energy,” he says as the flies flicker around his head. “Energy cannot be destroyed, only changed from one form to another.”

Xander whisks his hands beside his face and all of a sudden the flies stop, frozen in mid-air. They drop like—well, like flies to the floor.

“You are special in that you can channel energy from both the plane of the living and the plane of the dead. I can teach you how to transform that energy.”

I stare at the dead bugs on the ground. It’s never occurred to me before that with the power to give my loved ones the gift of life, I may also have the power to take it away again.

“Where did you learn all this?” I ask, leaning forward eagerly.

“I spent some time out west, studying with witches.”

“Witches?!”

Professor Xander leans on his elbows, laughing softly.

“Well, other people call them witches. They were a coven of kindly women who taught me a few things about the spirit world.”

“Wow.”

“They also taught me how to brew the most amazing chamomile tea you’ve ever tasted.”

“So they taught you how to bring people back from the dead?”

The room, which is already pretty quiet, feels suddenly deathly silent.

A small shiver runs down my spine.

“Unfortunately, I cannot actually bring anyone back,” he says.

~What?~

“What about the flies?” I ask.

He clicks his tongue and looks at the floor. “Anyone could reanimate a few flies,” he says quietly. “It’s a simple charm.”

“So why not use it on people then?”

“Bugs aren’t the same as people,” he says, moving around to the front of his lab bench. “People have souls and only someone with a connection to the spirit realm can bring back a soul.”

“Right.” My shoulders slump a little as a bit of my excitement ebbs.

I thought Professor Xander would be the one to teach me how to bring people back to life. Now I’m not so sure if he’s up to the task.

He glances at me with a smile and pulls the flowers from their vase. He comes to kneel beside my desk.

“I know what you’re thinking,” he says. “‘This sideshow act can’t teach me anything.’”

I scrunch my lips together, not wanting to give him any sign that I kind of was thinking that exact thing.

“Well, I promise you, Aurora, even if I can’t bring people back from the dead, I ~can~ show you how. With your power and my knowledge, we will succeed in making this happen.”

I furrow my brow, still a little unsure. I thought I was coming here to be taught by someone with experience.

Still, he’s the only one who claims to know how to teach me the right techniques. ~Should I believe him?~

Professor Xander holds out the bouquet of brown and wilted peonies, and with a wink, they suddenly come back to life.

Color returns to the petals, which fan out, revealing the yellow pop of pollen within. The stems stiffen and the leaves lift until they look pert and freshly cut.

“Will you let me help you access your power, Aurora?” he asks.

I pause for a second, considering his soft, earnest expression.

Then I take the bouquet from him.

“Yes,” I say.

***

EVERETT

All day I’ve been staring at my computer screen, unable to focus.

The only thing I can think about is how Aurora’s first day at college is going.

~What is she learning in class?~

~Has she made any friends?~

~Will she run into that couple from the clock tower?~

~That~ was an unexpected twist in our romantic moment.

I rub my temples and am trying to turn my attention back to the computer when there’s a knock at the door.

“Come in,” I call out.

The door opens and I’m surprised to see Amber stomping toward my desk.

“Amber! I haven’t seen you since…since…”

“Since you killed my mate,” she says matter-of-factly.

I knew Amber had returned to Shadow Blood with the Red Moon people. After all, she was their luna for a second.

But we’ve both kept our heads down and avoided each other. I thought she was laying low but here she is.

I clear my throat.

“I know things turned out badly for you, but it was your decision to betray this pack.”

“And it was yours to let humans onto our territory.”

I sigh and rub my forehead. This is going to go in circles unless I stop it.

“I thought we were keeping our distance out of respect,” I say. “Why are you in my office all of a sudden?”

“I…,” she starts and falters. “I’ve come to reach out to you.”

I can’t help but scoff.

“After what you did to Freya? You tried to kill Aurora.”

“I know, but we need to put that behind us now.”

“I could never put that behind me,” I sneer.

“Well, you’re going to have to,” she says and grins. “You asked the wolves of the Red Moon Pack to vote on a representative to attend your council meetings.”

I nod. “I did.”

“We’ve voted.”

“And what has the pack decided?”

Amber raises an eyebrow, looking incredibly smug.

“I’ve been elected as your newest council member.”

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