Page 5 of Unshaken

* * *

Closing the door to my bedroom, I lock it behind me and lean against it. I wait for a beat, knowing that my brother won’t be far behind. It’s times like this when we would lean on each other the most. He would come in, we’d binge watch something random and forget all about the troubles in our world. It pains me when after a few minutes a knock doesn’t come, or I don’t hear the deep timbre of his voice as he tells me to open the door.I guess it’s for the best,I tell myself as I push off the door and cross over to my black four-poster bed with black and red bedding. One of a few rebellious acts that I was allowed to get away with in this house. Crisp white walls and dark walnut wooden floors make up the shell of the room, with white furnishings scattered about as if this was some kind of showroom. Dropping the box in the middle of my bed, I pull out some pajamas and throw myself into my walk-in shower. I don’t know why I am stalling, there’s nervous energy in the air as I finally step back into my room and sit cross-legged in the middle of my bed with the box in front of me. Here goes nothing.

Pulling the card with my name on it out from under the flower, I place it on the bed next to me. The black dahlia flower looks as if it has just been cut from the stem. The deep purplish petals are beautiful and vibrant, not a withered mark in sight. I take my hand and gently try to take hold of the flower, my only thought in the moment is to preserve it somehow, when something sharp strikes my hand.

“Fuck!” I whisper. I immediately start looking for whatever has caused the pain radiating through my hand. It reminds me of a snake bite. I try to pull my hand away from what I thought was an innocuous flower, only to find it locked in place by some magical force. I try not to panic as rivulets of blood runs down my hand, painting the flower red. I stare in horror as the blood soaks into the petals hungrily, like some crazy vampire plant. My horror turns to fascination as the invisible force lets me have my hand back. I watch the flower begin to wither and die, turning in on itself as if I am watching its decomposition through a timelapse camera. My bloody hand is forgotten the minute the dead flower emits a bright red light, my uninjured hand shields my eyes, but I can’t help peeking between my fingers as I watch a black shiny skeleton key take shape.

“OK, so now is the time to freak the fuck out,” I say out loud as I push the box away from me and scramble from the bed. This is the moment in horror films when you exit the room and run out of your house to safety. Well, anyone with good sense that is. Not me. At least I manage to put some distance between myself and the box, opting to stand near my walk-in closet and the window. You know, just in case I need to make a break for it. I finally convince myself that I am made of braver stuff. I take a breath, slowly tiptoeing over to my bed and the box with the skeleton key glowing unnaturally black with a white halo effect.

“Look, as long as you don’t jump up and bite me again, we can be cool,” I say to the key as if it can hear me. Yep, I am losing it. If my parents happen to walk by, they’d haul me out of here and straight to one of the elders of our community for sure. I shudder just thinking about it. I remember when my powers first manifested, and I had to be examined and tested by that crazy group of old crones. Thanks, but no thanks.

I move closer to the key. I feel drawn to it, and the next thing I know I am reaching for it with my bloody hand. As soon as I grab hold of it a pulse of power surges up my arm and settles into my chest, causing me to stumble. I take a deep breath, reaching out to one of the posts of my bed to right myself. I rub my chest with my other hand, the power that rushes up my arms isn’t foreign to me, it’s my own, but stronger, more potent than I ever felt in my life. Looking down at the key in my hand, examining it closely I notice the cut in my hand has begun to heal, much to my surprise.

“I guess I should thank you for healing me, a little warning next time,” I mumble to the key again. Instantly I feel a bit crazy for talking to an inanimate object. I am not really a key expert, but I do have a vague understanding of a key's components. The key itself is made of a shiny black metal, almost resembling obsidian in texture. The bow or grip part is shaped in five interlocking figure eight shapes: each shape is made out of its own precious metal. Gold, silver, bronze, titanium, and to be honest one I can't recognize. They each stand out individually but form an intricate flower shape overall. The barrel or the long extension of the key has three tiny rubies set inside it, I run my finger over each one and they all seem to light up at my touch to my astonishment. I don’t know how many more surprises I can take tonight. As I get to the tip of the key or bit, I see it has a serrated edge of tiny teeth, and it too has one large symbol carved into it. I look closer, it's an infinity symbol, not a figure-eight at all. It’s beautiful, and even though this is the first time I’ve ever laid eyes on it, it feels familiar, a part of me somehow. Well, I guess it is considering I bled all over it. I stare at my newly healed hand and the key, clutching it tight in my hand just as the box springs open on the bed.

“Well, HellNight has a flare for the dramatics, like literally,” I say to myself as a scroll begins to float up out of the box, opening slowly, revealing a letter. I know I should be freaking out, but damn, I just turned a flower into a key with what feels like my own magic. I don’t know what else is in the box, but I doubt it will kill me.

Suddenly, the letter begins to read itself out loud. My mouth opens in shock as a haunting feminine voice greets me.

Congratulations Miss Jones,

If you’re hearing my voice, you indeed did not die and you managed to form your own Anchor Key. Please take great care of your key, it is specific to your own magical signature and your blood. Never let it out of your sight. It gives you access to everything within HellNight Academy. It is literally your lifeline. You’ve been warned. Every key is one of a kind and the loss of your key can lead to your death or immediate expulsion from HellNight Academy. You will learn more about your Anchor key once you arrive and you’ve been properly assessed.

Inside your box you will find your school issued cell phone and tablet. You will learn quickly that outside technology does not work within our grounds. We will arrange communication with your family as soon as you arrive. We want your transition to be as seamless as possible. Once you’ve been assessed, your schedule and finances will be sorted. Your assessment will determine your magical strength and the access you will have to various places on campus once you arrive.

I want to assure you that HellNight Academy is a highly prestigious Supernatural Academy, and you have been chosen for a reason. I will schedule a meeting with you after you have settled in. A chaperone will be waiting for you once you arrive.

You will find the directions to the gateway within the box as well.

We are expecting you tomorrow. Please arrive on time or you will face the night alone.

On your first night, you definitely don’t want to be caught unaware.

I look forward to your contribution to our magnanimous school.

I want to personally welcome you to HellNight Academy.

Sincerely,

Lucretia Larrieux

Headmistress, HellNight Academy

I finally shut my mouth as the letter comes to a close. It disappears in a puff of smoke. I look down at the key in my hand and cross over to my desk. The Headmistress's words about my key's importance has me opening the top drawer and sifting through my jewelry box until I find a gold chain my father gave to me for my eighteenth birthday. The delicate chain was forged by one of the Angels at the Academy and I know it can withstand just about anything. Sliding the key onto the chain, I place it around my neck. As soon as the key touches my skin, I feel another pulse of magic, a warm tingling sensation, not painful, but it definitely catches me off guard.

“Hello, Micah.”The voice has me turning towards the door of my room, searching for its origin. I’m on high alert, my adrenaline spikes as I turn in a circle, only there is no one in my room but me.

“Hello,” I whisper, inching towards the box again just in case something else jumps out of it.

“It is a pleasure to meet you, Miss Micah Jones. I am your Anchor Key.”The voice sounds almost amused as I turn in a circle frantically. I’m sure I look like a dog chasing its tail.

“Wait, you can talk?” I ask nervously. Yep, I am officially going nuts,yet I lift the key to my mouth and speak to it. I wait for it to respond, but after a minute I let it fall against my chest again.

“Yes, I can talk to you inside of your head.”I shriek and stumble back into my walk-in closet where I lose my balance on the ornate pouffe behind me, and land on my butt, hard.

“Damn it!” I say, hoping all this noise is not registering downstairs. I don’t need my parents or Marcus coming to check on me. This night has gone from one extreme to the next within a blink of an eye. I sit for a minute as I stare at all of my clothes hanging all around me trying to calm my nerves and pounding heart. I need to be at the gate tomorrow.

“Am I really going to do this?” I say out loud.

---