Conflicted: Elemental Academy - Book 1, page 15
At first he offered to carry me, but I rejected that idea right away. In the end, he draped my arm over his shoulder so that I wouldn’t put weight on the injured knee. He walked as slowly as possible, but the effort still left me feeling exhausted. Eventually, I had to stop and sit down on a nearby bench to catch my breath. Despite my insistence that he return to his dorm, Aaron sat down next to me.
It was during moments like these that he seemed somewhat tolerable. His arrogance and infuriating attitude often overshadowed his genuinely kind nature, and I wished he would bring out his pleasant side more often.
As I was lost in thought, Aaron suddenly spun around, scowling. Before I could ask him what was going on, I too heard the sound of someone sobbing.
Just then, a boy and a girl emerged from the bushes a few feet behind our bench. My jaw hit the ground when I recognized them.
“Jenna! Cole?”
The color drained from both their faces. Cole rubbed the back of his neck, his cheeks flushing deeply. He mumbled a “See you later” and gave Jenna a peck on the cheek before darting off in the opposite direction. That explained why he’d been asking about my library schedule: so he could close the library early and have a secret date night with Jenna!
After the awkward encounter, Aaron seemed eager to make a quick exit as well. To give him an opportunity to do so, I offered, “Jenna’s from my dorm. I can go back with her.”
Aaron cast a glance at Jenna, who gave him a nod. With a visibly flushed face, he bid us goodbye and left.
“You and Cole, huh? Since when?” I asked as soon as we were alone.
“Shh! Can you keep your voice down?” Jenna whispered, scanning our surroundings warily.
“Of course not! This is huge news, Jenna,” I said with a wide smile as I draped my arm over her shoulder and we headed to our dorm. “You’re dating an upper-class student.”
She released a weary sigh. “We’ve known each other since before we started at the academy. We’ve kinda liked each other since kindergarten.”
I stared at her in awe as she blushed deeply. “Does anyone else know about this?”
“No. And I’m begging you not to tell anyone,” she said.
I looked at her in confusion. “Why not?”
She took a deep breath and, with a worried expression, checked to make sure we were alone. “Cole is from the House of Water. If I don’t join the same house then we can’t be together.”
“Is it because of all the Fusion nonsense?” I asked, the word weighing heavily on my mind and bringing forth dark visions.
“If the word gets out, we may not even have a future together long enough to have children,” Jenna said. “Cole says the Coven is very strict about nipping these things in the bud. That’s why we’re keeping our relationship a secret until we know which House I’ll be assigned to.”
“What will you do if you aren’t claimed by Water?” I asked, feeling sorry for her predicament.
“No idea. I can’t even imagine breaking it off with Cole,” she said, her voice trembling as she turned away from me.
Not wanting to cause her more distress, I stopped prodding her, and we walked the rest of our way to the dorm in silence, wishing her misery would end soon.
Chapter twenty-one
Strengthening Bonds
Before I had fully adjusted to the fast-paced academy life, midterm exams were already around the corner. Since the end of term was only a month away, I often questioned why they were called “midterm” exams, since they didn’t actually occur in the middle of the term.
As each day passed, more and more students were moving out of the frosh dorm after being claimed. Helen had also joined the House of Fire, and I hoped she and Elara would finally reconcile.
Kristin was a nervous wreck with every passing day she hadn’t been claimed. She was the smartest and most diligent student in our dorm. But unfortunately, getting claimed by an element had nothing to do with intelligence or hard work. I tried to reassure her to take it easy and let her internal elemental energy flourish for a better chance of being claimed soon.
“You seem pretty calm,” she countered, her agitation growing despite my efforts to comfort her. “But you haven’t been claimed yet either.”
“Get her!” Riordon meowed next to her, as if encouraging her to continue her verbal bashing.
But Kristin caught herself and appeared flustered by her own behavior. “Ugh! I’m such a mess,” she groaned as she crawled over to my bunk and slumped her head onto my shoulder. “Why can’t I be more relaxed like you?”
“I guess that’s the problem when you never receive anything below an A-plus,” I said teasingly. “I’m more used to things not going my way.”
“Don’t even get me started on that,” she said. “The last time I got an A-minus, I locked myself in my room for a whole day. If I hadn’t been starving by midnight, I would have stayed in there forever.”
Riordon approached us and lay down with his paw on Kristin’s lap, revealing his soft side in a rare moment of vulnerability. When our eyes met, he growled, telling me to mind my own business.
As usual, I disregarded his words, as I preferred not to share my ability to communicate with animals with anyone. Riordon made it easy for me to ignore him by being rude to me every day.
If Kristin could hear even half of what he said, she would have kicked him out of the dorm a long time ago. Then again, maybe not. For some reason, people tended to be more lenient with their pets than with their friends and family members.
“What are we going to do, Al?” Kristin asked. “You’ve already shown that you have magic during your sparring. It’s only a matter of time before you get claimed by an element. But I have no idea if I’ll ever be an elemental. I don’t want to get booted out after just one semester.
“I’ve been waiting forever to move in with my family at the Coven’s hive. But I can’t do that unless I make it past our second year here. My mom works for the Coven and I’ve only seen her a few times since I was eight.”
“Who do you live with, then?” I asked, squirming under the weight of her head on my shoulder.
I hadn’t shared my personal background with Kristin or anyone at the academy. Rupert was the only one who knew, though Aaron and the other students who had come to the police station might know a few more embarrassing details about me. If Kristin also had a similar childhood, perhaps I could open up to her.
“I live with my dad,” she said with a sigh, and I pushed away any thoughts of sharing my own past with her. Not that she wouldn’t understand, but I wasn’t proud of how I had lived for the first eighteen years of my life. “Dad works with farmers. It’s a low-paying job, so he doesn’t have to move into the Coven’s safe house. But if I get claimed and make it past the second year at the academy, he and I can move in with my mom.”
I felt a pang of empathy for her. Although her life might not have been as difficult as mine, I could relate to her yearning to be with the parent she couldn’t visit.
“How about you, Al? Are your parents elementals too?”
I took a deep breath, not wanting to lie to her, but also not ready to share about my parents. Before I could rack my brain to come up with a response, Riordon jumped off my bunk and ran out the open door.
“Rio!” Kristin leapt off the bed to chase after him.
I followed, confused as to why the cat, who had never left the dorm before, would suddenly run out.
Kristin was able to catch him and bring him back to the dorm.
“You’re welcome,” the cat said with a sideways glance, and it finally dawned on me that he had done that to spare me from having to share my story.
With my mouth agape, I stared as Riordon swished his tail in Kristin’s arms. Not only had he sensed that I was uneasy about where the conversation was headed, he had also tricked Kristin in order to help me.
A small smile spread across my face as I took in his haughty posture. Perhaps he wasn’t so bad after all. In a way, he reminded me of Aaron. Just when I thought they couldn’t be more arrogant, they would show a side of themselves that warmed my heart.
And in Aaron’s case, even make my heart flutter.
On the morning of the midterms, the atmosphere in the frosh dorms was tense. The exam center was renowned for bringing out the elemental magic within students, and most of them hoped this would be their last day in the dorms. My roommates and I hoped for the same.
While Jenna sat quietly on her bed, looking worried, Kristin kept bringing up the fact that Jenna had the perfect circumstances even if she wasn’t claimed. Her elemental genes had skipped a few generations in her family, and neither of her parents was an elemental.
If Jenna wasn’t claimed, she could simply return to her family. Kristin wasn’t aware that Jenna’s biggest concern wasn’t about not being claimed, but about being claimed by an element other than Water. If that happened, she and Cole could no longer be together. Keeping my promise to her, I hadn’t said a word about her relationship to anyone.
Mira was eager to join her twin at the House of Fire, but the possibility of being unclaimed and returning home alone loomed over her. Despite being academically superior, she had always been overshadowed by Elara’s outgoing personality throughout her life.
On the morning of the midterms, Mira was on the brink of tears, staring at her candle flame in a final attempt to bond with it before testing started.
I’d been reading the third Harry Potter book for the umpteenth time in an attempt to calm my nerves. Since the exam center was known to be the best place to awaken elemental magic within students, I figured there was no point in worrying about connecting with an element in the dorms.
All four of us skipped breakfast, our nerves getting the better of us.
We ran into Rupert outside the dorms and wished him luck. He looked like he’d barely slept the night before, just like us. We all had something to lose if we had to return to the normal world. For Rupert, it would mean the end of his hopes of recovering from his paralysis. For me, it would be losing my best chance of finding my parents.
Along with a few more first-year students, we headed to the Enchanted Examination Hall. It was on the way to the portal lab, so we had passed by it several times before, but never stepped inside.
We walked through the large oak doors and joined a group of other first-year students. Despite our diverse backgrounds, one thing was evident: none of us looked remotely cheerful.
“Greetings, students!” a robotic voice announced as the words appeared on the room’s wall monitor. “I hope you had a restful night and are ready for your exam. When your name is called, please proceed through the white door. The heads of the elemental houses will be waiting for you inside to provide further instructions and reveal your result once the test is over. If you pass the test, you’ll be immediately claimed by your dominant element. Good luck and may the elements be with you.”
The hall buzzed with murmurs as the robotic voice called out the first name. A tall and slender girl walked over to the white door and stepped inside. Ten minutes later, she emerged with a huge smile on her face. The crowd erupted in cheers as she jumped with joy and hugged her friends. She then ran out through the oak doors, still beaming.
When the second name was called, a boy stepped forward from the crowd and entered through the white door. About ten minutes later, he too ran out, pumping his fist in the air.
The scene repeated as the crowd thinned.
“Rupert Grimes.”
Rupert made his way through the crowd in his wheelchair, with several students patting him on the back. He went inside the white door and was in there longer than anyone before him. Nearly forty minutes later, he emerged with a sullen expression.
No one said a word as Rupert silently wheeled himself toward the oak doors with a frown on his face. I was about to follow him when the robotic voice called out the next name.
“Kristin Grant.”
I wished her luck and decided to wait for her results. After several students were successfully claimed, Rupert’s failure had dampened the mood in the room.
Pacing back and forth, I waited along with Jenna and the remaining fifteen or so other students. Mira sat in a corner, nervously biting her nails.
Just a few minutes later, Kristin emerged from the white door with the biggest smile I had ever seen on her face. A weight lifted off my shoulders, and I felt relieved. She ran over and gave me a tight hug, lifting me off the ground.
“I got into the House of Earth!” Kristin exclaimed, her joy contagious. Everyone around us cheered and clapped for her. Jenna gave her a warm hug. Kristin looked at least five years younger.
“I’d love to wait here for you three,” she continued, “but Professor Medoza told me I need to move into the House dorms today. I’ll pack my things and get Rio ready, then I’ll wait for you to come back. I want to hear about your tests before I leave.”
I nodded as Kristin left, skipping with joy.
Two more people took their test, and then it was Jenna’s turn. “Jenna Hawkins.”
I gave Jenna a double thumbs-up as she bit her lip, trying to hold back tears. In my anxiety about my friends’ fate, I had forgotten about my own uncertain future. While it wouldn’t be the end of the world if I didn’t pass the test today, it would be a huge relief if I was claimed.
None of us waiting for our turn felt like talking to each other. I leaned against the wall next to Mira, waiting for Jenna’s results. If she didn’t get into the House of Water, it would be better if she wasn’t claimed at all. At least then she and Cole could still be together, even if it wasn’t ideal for Cole’s career aspirations given the Coven looked down upon marrying a non-elemental. But at least he wouldn’t have to give up on the love of his life.
After about twenty minutes, Jenna emerged from the white door and threw her arms around me as she cried her heart out. My chest ached for her. Had she not been claimed, or had she been claimed by a different element?
It took her a while to regain her composure and answer my questions. “I got in, Alya,” she said, her tears barely contained. “I got into the House of Water.”
I let out a loud squeal, drawing some annoyed looks from the other students. “Congratulations, Jenna!”
She hugged me again and started to cry once more. After she had cried enough—much more than I ever had in my life—she took several deep breaths and composed herself.
“Cole must be waiting for me,” she said. “I’m going to go talk to him first.”
“Of course, see you later at the dorms,” I said, and turned to meet Mira’s gaze. She was on the verge of breaking down from the stress.
As the room steadily emptied, Mira and I sat silently waiting for our turn. It wasn’t until another two hours had gone by that the robotic voice called my name and my stomach did a backflip.
Mira gave my hand a squeeze as I stood up. Ignoring the stares of the other three students left in the hall, I gave her a nervous look and then walked through the white door.
Chapter twenty-two
Cruel Fate
In the large, brightly lit room, the heads of the five houses stood at five stalls placed close to each other in the center of the room.
“Alya Reed, come on in,” Professor Medoza called out, smiling warmly.
The only other person I recognized in the room was Professor Li, the head of the House of Air, who taught our Elemental Science class. Although I vaguely remembered the other three heads from orientation, I couldn’t recall their names.
I walked closer to the stalls, letting the fresh, musky scent in the air calm my nerves. Professor Medoza introduced everyone.
“You already know me, but for the sake of formality, let me introduce myself. I’m Arthur Medoza, head of the House of Earth. I also teach Portal Science to the first-year students and train the upper-class students in Earth magic.
“You know Professor Chang Li, head of the House of Air, who teaches Elemental Science to the first-year students and trains the students in Air magic in later years.
“This is Professor Stella Tuffin, head of the House of Aether, who trains students in Aether magic and also teaches the Portal Magic class.
“Professor Rhea Sturgis is head of the House of Water. She trains students in Water magic and Healing.
“And lastly, this is Professor Hilda Thomas, head of the House of Fire, who trains students in Fire magic and is also a member of the Coven Council. She is one of the key members responsible for creating elemental Coven legislations.”
I nodded to each of them.
“We usually start testing students based on their elemental genes,” Professor Li said. “Do you know if either of your parents had their elemental genes activated?”
I shrugged and shook my head.
“Okay, what about your grandparents or any of your ancestors?” Professor Li asked.
I shook my head again, pursing my lips.
“Well, in that case, we’ll have to do this the hard way,” Professor Li said with a soft smile. “We’ll randomly pick an element and start your test in that element. If you fail, we’ll move on to the next element.”
“You’re the girl who faced off against Aaron Song in the sparring ring, aren’t you?” Professor Thomas from the House of Fire asked in a stern voice. She was a tall, attractive woman with a fierce warrior-like stance and medium build.
I could only nod, words caught in my throat.
“I heard you threw everything in the gym at him,” she said with a hint of appreciation in her voice, although it didn’t show in her hard gaze.
Gulping down the knot forming in my throat at the memory, I managed to say, “I didn’t mean to.”
“Did you use Air magic or Earth magic at that time?” Her interrogative tone made me feel like I wanted to cower into the shadows. She sounded irritable and seemed like someone who was used to working only with the sharpest and quickest minds.
