The Academy was unchanged in the months since Iris had left on the many scattered missions Marcus had begun sending her, Hulio, and Julio on. She'd possibly been gone longer than I had. Marcus was always on the scent for new witches and other immortal beings left alone or unchecked. The Academy had become a sort of safe haven for anyone that has never had any sort of home or who like Hunter, had been chased by one group of people or several. Iris spent her time mostly in the Academy and occasionally in the water for missions for the Court of Circe. She loved being able to come and go as she pleased. She loved that she no longer was bound to the Bermuda Triangle. I walked behind Iris through the doors leading to the headmaster's office she ignored my muffled mutterings as I cursed the closer we got to the headmaster.
"Present for you, oh headmaster of mine," Iris said as she walked into the elaborate study that served as Marcus's office.
Marcus had his feet up on his oaken table, reading an old tome, half-moon spectacles perched on his nose. He looked up at Iris unimpressed.
He rose from his chair closing his book and putting his hands on the table leaning forward. "Katherine. Why is it, that you of all the Witches we have in this school seems intent on causing me the most trouble?" Marcus said, as he spoke the binds that held my wrists together and the one covering my mouth disappeared in a wisp of smoke.
"I guess you are just lucky that way," I said shrugging. "Why did you leave little one?" Marcus asked gazing at me with storms swirling in his sad grey eyes.
I hated being called 'little one' I wasn't even little. Not anymore. And I hadn't been little for a very long time. "I know you don't exactly like it here but it's much better than other places you could've been," Marcus said his eyes darkening.
I knew he was thinking again of the witches that had once taken to ripping away newborns and training them from when they were babies to hone their gifts. Irina had suffered at their hands and had relished in taking them down with Marcus at her side.
"I'm grateful for all that you've done for me. It wasn't my intention to leave forever. I would've come back. You didn't need to send your lackeys after me." I said glaring at Iris before turning back to Marcus.
"I am more than aware of all that you went through to ensure that we the children of high-born witches were given a safe haven where we could develop and hone our powers in a safe manner," I said watching as Marcus looked taken back for a moment.
"How would you know that?" Marcus asked running a hand down his vest a nervous tick he had developed since becoming headmaster. "Because my aunt told me," I said.
"Your aunt." He said blinking. "She was the first stop I made when I left," I said simply.
"And why did you leave?" Marcus asked. "Because I received a letter. From my mother." I said, watching as Marcus sat down. "Explain."
So I did. I explained that on the eve of my sixteenth I received a letter that my mother had arranged for me to get when I turned sixteen. I had been so happy to receive the letter from the mother I had only ever heard stories about, but as soon as I opened the letter I had found out that every story I had ever been told about my mother had been lies and falsehoods. The letter explained how my mother had realized that I would be taken away from her from birth. The terror she had felt at losing a child she had never met but already desperately loved.
So she had run, from everything she had ever known, the only thing she had taken was an ancient relic that had been in her family for generations that had belonged rightfully to her as she was the firstborn of the family. A Witches Talisman. A necklace with a Carnelian stone. A necklace she had sold so she would be able to buy food for her daughter. The necklace had belonged to my mother and was the only thing left of her. So I went to retrieve it.
"The necklace belonged to my mother and now it is rightfully mine. I will take any punishment you deem fit."
"Oh you will, will you?" Marcus said rubbing his forehead and looking aggrieved. "Go to your dorm room. I have to figure out how exactly you should be punished." Marcus said sighing as he shooed me away. I gladly went, happy to not immediately be punished. I knew that whatever the punishment would be I would not care for it.
The headmaster's office was at the top of the Academy so in order to get to my dorm I went past the library and into what was known as a greenhouse hallway. The plants were on either side of the corridor and they weaved into each other making the whole corridor feel like it wasn't a corridor at all but a forest. Raena had always said it reminded her of the forests of the Amazon where the Fae people lived, far away from any mortal beings. As I walked past the hallway I saw two figures tall and lanky lounging in front of the entrance of the Dorms.
Daniel Le Costa was every bit as beautiful as you would expect from a male siren. With his dark hair and pale complexion, he could've been mistaken for a vampire. But a vampire never had the silver irises that swirled intricately with whatever emotions Daniel was currently feeling. Oliver was handsome but not as deadly with his soft curling brown hair, and thick shoulders. I grimaced inwardly. Daniel was the last one I would ever want to see. Especially on my first day back.
"Katherine," Daniel said straightening up as he saw me. The hairs on the back of my arms stood up as the rest of my body tensed at the way he said my name. I had always loved the way he said my name as if it was a caress. Now all I could think about, was Daniel's mouth moving over someone who wasn't me, his arms around some other girl, like the night I had found him draped over Siena.
My eyes darkened, "Daniel." I spat out. He cringed, probably already sensing where my thoughts had gone.
Oliver whooped, chuckling at Daniel's discomfort. I glared at him. "Shouldn't you both be in class?" I asked.
"Now where's the fun in that?" Oliver asked.
"I was beginning to think you weren't coming back," Daniel said his voice quiet. "I was always coming back," I said tiredly. It had been a long week of Ninjas and extremely angry Warlocks. I hadn't wanted to be dragged back by force to school despite all I said about coming back. Daniel stared at me with his sad silver eyes making my stomach torn. "Well unlike you, I actually want to get to class. So." I said trying to walk past the boys.
"Katherine wait. We never talked about---"
"There's nothing I want to talk about with you," I said firmly. Crossing my arms for emphasis I heard Oliver snicker beside us and I scowled. "I'm extremely not interested in talking with Oliver Strigoi listening in over there," I said pointing at Oliver. "I could leave," Oliver hedged.
"But it's just so much fun to watch you squirm," Oliver said. I felt the last vestiges of my patience disappear, instead of letting my magic go haywire like I had been the past couple of weeks. So I lashed out physically and punched Oliver straight in his jaw watching with some satisfaction as he fell backward and hard against the doorway.
"Unless you want to be next," I said turning my gaze to Daniel's silver gaze. He smirked, "You would never hurt me." He said with absolutely no hesitation. I felt the side of my lip twitch and before I had even realized I had moved Daniel was sliding down the corridor.
"Never say never, Daniel!" I said walking over Oliver and into my dorm. I ran up the stairs and pushed the door of my dorm open. Thankfully my dorm was a single room so there were no nosy roommates to bother with. Although I did notice someone had tidied up. More than likely it was Jaz our resident genie who often got bored and would visit other people's rooms whenever she felt like it. I glanced at my schedule and immediately groaned before grabbing my gym gear.