Page 6 of A Taste of Torment
None of that is news to me, but I let her ramble on.
“I mean, they might be cool as hell,” she continues. “I doubt it—I just wouldn’t know—but they’re so powerful it’s not worth the risk for those of us considered lesser, ya know?”
“But,” a high-pitched voice chimes in from my right. I spin but don’t see anyone. “If you can get on their good side,” the voice continues around the other side of my head, “you’re set for life.”
“Hey, Lola!” Janet says to no one, so far as I can tell. Something buzzes in my ear, and I automatically duck away from it. Luckily, I know better than to swat at what I assume is a pixie.
“Stop, Lola. You’re freaking her out.”
“A new human?” the pixie says, darting around again. I twist but then hear athwapagainst the door just past Janet, and a tiny body drops to the ground.
“Oh my god!” I drop to my knees immediately and help the tiny pixie into my palm. Janet stifles a laugh.
“Yep. Never better,” the pixie says as she stands. Her wings begin vibrating and pick up speed until she lifts off my hand, hovering right in front of my nose. Her shiny purple wings flutter so quickly they blur together. She’s maybe six inches tall, with dark brown skin and black hair pulled into two puffy pigtails on either side of her head. “Oh, hmmm, I smell something else. You’re not totally human, are you?”
I swallow and shake my head slowly. “I’m like one-tenth fae.”
“Oh, fun! What species?” Lola asks.
“High fae,” I tell her. Which are basically elves but with stronger magic. I’m not a big fan of even those kinds of creatures. They don’t treat humans as equals.
“Of course.” She pouts, and I shrug.
High fae are the most common fae species to breed outside of their kind. I mean, imagine a six-inch fairy breeding with a six-foot creature? And trolls, minotaurs, and centaurs are all a bit too animalistic to be attracted to humanoid beings. Usually.
“I don’t have any magic at all, though.”
“No biggie. What’s your first class?” Lola asks.
“History of Worlds,” Janet answers for me. “Super easy if you’re already up on the supernatural world. You’ve got a lot of newbie classes, actually. Next is astronomy with Mr. Kovit in the planetarium—best place on campus for a nap. Then, potions. You should be good at that, right? That’s your parents’ profession.”
I nod.
“Hey, so,” Janet says, her arm wrapping in mine again, “let’s meet back at the main office for lunch hour. Don’t worry about today; it’ll be a cakewalk. They really just want to make sure people can find their way around. After classes are done for the day, we’ll show you around Minor Hall and to your dorm and stuff.”
“That’d be great.” I force another smile.
I don’t tend to make friends very quickly— apparently my resting bitch face game is a little too good— so it’s an incredible stroke of luck to find two sweet girls that want to be my friend this quickly. But even so, the knot in my stomach remains. I never wanted to be part of this world. And yet, here I am, taking History of Worlds, potions, and Occult Ethics.
I just have to hope enrolling in this magical school isn’t the worst— and final— mistake of my life.
3
Dealing with Supernaturals 101
Janet was right,the classes so far have been basically nothing. In Portals 101, the teacher gave us a handout about basic portal safety and then gave a quick run-down of the worlds that have portals directly into this school.
That part made me feel super icky, but it is what it is.
Earth is sort of a neutral territory for the supernatural world. Since there are no massively strong magic users native to this world, most supernaturals feel safe traveling here for trade, education, and political alliances. And there are only a few schools even on this planet where creatures from different planets co-mingle.
Next, I had astronomy, which was a bit extravagant for a high school class but in a good way. We sat through a presentation in the planetarium, lounging in cushioned chairs in a completely dark room, craning our necks to stare up at a domed ceiling that’s spelled to show the stars while the teacher rambled about space facts. It was great.
In my potions class—chemistry, according to my public records—the teacher went over basic supplies, which I know backward and forward. I’m in a beginner’s class, which means I can pass that class in my sleep.
In the second half of the day, I will wade deeper into the magical aspects of school here. Not that my schedule has much more than the basics, but I do have one self-defense class in the arena.
My only stressful moments, so far, have been trying to find my way between classes. Most of the time, Janet or Lola would show up to nudge me in the right direction.
