003: FATE OR MISTAKE?

MAYA'S POV

I put my hands over my mouth, coughing at the sour, tangy salt. I struggle to my feet. I can feel a slight trembling beneath my bare feet. Where am I? I look around; I'm standing in the middle of a stone balcony. I try to look towards the staircase, but I'm way too high to see its end. So I move to the sides instead, gripping the railings for support as the wind hits me. I go completely still.

I'm standing on a building above the sea. A bloody red sea. What the fuck? Bubbles burst in the sea, and I can see steam rise up. Is it boiling? I look again, and it seems the building is floating. I tilt my head sideways; the building looks like it's on a rock that's emerging from the sea. What?? I crane my neck upwards to see the top of the building, but all I can see is clouds and thick mist.

"The Grandmistress of the academy is expecting you." One of my abductors says. He doesn't wait for a response; he's already heading inside the building.

"Where am I?" I follow him in. The room is wide with so many branches, staircases, and rooms above. This is one hell of an academy. Inside is dimly lit, with lamp stands burning at a few strategic places to light it up. Everywhere is made of stone. They're ancient symbols in the walls and ceiling and... this is a bad idea.

I turn and quickly run back to the entrance of the building, but I come to a quick halt, stepping back immediately I notice the stairs and balcony breaking and vanishing into the sea below.

My breathing becomes unstable as I watch everything that drops into the sea melts. Should I fall into that hot red sea, and if by a miracle I survive, find my way back home?

But how could I do that when I have absolutely no idea where I am? Should I go into this academy, learn about it, and find a safer route back home? Just as I'm still weighing my options, the door snaps shut in my face, pushing me to backwards to the ground.

And in the weirdest moment, everything goes still and extremely quiet. My skin prickles; the mark on my arm is glowing again, just like the first time he appeared to me. I feel the shift in the air before I turn. He's here—the wolf man.

"Are you okay?" A deep baritone asks, with heavy footsteps rushing to my side. He puts his hands around my waist, helping me to my feet, and I turn to jelly.

I turn around to face my helper, and my breath hitches. I gulp and stare at the pretty face hidden under a wolf's cloak. He's the one who stepped through my mirror. I try to calm my nerves. I'm suddenly too hot. My thighs are burning.

The hot stranger stares intently at me. There are so many emotions in his eyes, which I can't make out. His fingers massage my waist, sending wrong signals to my brain. He bends his head, leaning his nose to my neck.

Help!! I can't breathe.

He closes his eyes and sniffs in, but when he reopens his eyes, something shifts in those vertical amber slit eyes. He quickly lets go of my waist and steps back, now looking at me like he hates me. "Why are you here?" He asks in a low tone.

I stumble back, narrowing my eyes in shock. "What are you talking about? Who are you?" I whisper back.

He shakes his head, glaring at me. "You shouldn't have come here." That's all he says before sprinting off.

"Wait." I try to go after him, but a loud voice stops me. "Maya Carter, in the office now!" The voice is so deep, it literally shakes the foundation of the building. My dress yanks up. A gust of wind blows in my direction, causing my body to twirl around, and then seams slide into fabric I don’t recognize. I look down; I'm now wearing a clean, white shirt with an attached badge, a checkered skirt, and black combat boots. "Magic." I gasp as the mark on my arm cools off.

I turn in the direction of the voice and quicken my pace to catch up with the guardian as I catch a glimpse of his robe. He takes a left turn, stopping in front of a door. Even the doors look like something from the medieval age. Where the hell am I? He knocks once and leaves.

The door opens, and I look around in confusion before stepping in and jerking as the door nosily shuts behind me.

The office is neatly arranged with ornaments on the desk, books on the shelf, and portraits on the wall. It looks pretty fashionable compared to every other archaic part of this place I've seen so far.

Behind the desk is a woman who's really big with muscles and tats. She's wearing a sleeveless showoff shirt. Her blonde hair is packed in a ponytail and shaved at the sides. Okay, she's a badass. She smiles; she doesn't look like the kind of woman who should be smiling. "I'm Kylie, Grandmistress of the academy." That deep voice... Was that her in the hallway?

Grandmistress? I would have pictured her in a robe, funny looking hat and sitting behind a pot of hot spell.

She goes on. "Welcome to the blood valley academy. The session will be very tough..."

"Hold up!" I lift my hands and stop her. "I think there's been a mix-up here, because I'm just a regular normal girl, and everyone I've seen here so far are all freaks. I'm not one. So just send the guys with the rope to come back and return me home."

"No, the guardians couldn't make a mistake. They sense your powers before bringing you to this academy. It's the best place for training supernatural beings who will protect and lead their different realms."

I laugh. "You see, I don't have any realm. I live in a small town in California, and I just want to go home. If this is all a joke, it isn't funny! Just stop!" I bang my hands against the table. Then, I try to lift my hands from the table, but they're stuck. I feel a burning pain on my fingertips, moving up to my arms. I grit my teeth to stop myself from screaming.

She simply smiles and calmly says. "Don't ever talk to me in such a manner again, okay?"

I nod because I'm in so much pain, and I'm guessing playing along will be my key to freedom. "Yes, ma'am."

She snaps her fingers, and the pain disappears. I fling my hand in the air, checking it for any injuries.

"So you, Maya, are here to strengthen your abilities and lead the..." She trails off, tapping against her temples like there's a button there. She stops and looks at me with wide eyes. "There's no record of you."

"See, I told you it's a mistake." I bite back on the words when I see her reaction.

"This can't be possible. I can sense you, but the academy doesn't know you?" Kylie places her hands on the desk, leaning in. "We had no idea who tampered with the sealed box—but we felt a gate weaken," she says in a low voice. "Our wards scream when someone summons magic reckless enough to break time. What are you?"

I shrug, covering the glowing thing on my arms, but she notices it and grabs my arms, staring at the purple mark. "This sigil... How did you get it?"

A sigil? So that's what it's called. "A stupid spell I cast." I sigh.

She rubs her fingers on it, and I notice things in her office begin to come to life with a purplish glow—the books, the ornaments, the... Her eyes grow wide, and her breath catches. "You're... not simply human." She whispers, interrupting my thoughts. There's a stretched silence. "You're... a hybrid." She finally adds, and the object returns bland.

"Of what?"

She smiles. "An unknown species." She presses her temples again, flipping through pages of books stacked on her desk. "We'll find out soon, but you'll need special training to enable you meet up with the already enrolled students; you'll be assigned to your dorm room and handed a student's handbook to guide you through. I'll put you under strict supervision and training by the academy's top three students. Malek, the werewolf. Miles the incubus and Morien the dragon shifter. You must reach the 10th rank, which is the highest rank in the student body, before the session expires; if not, you'll never be able to save your realm."

What the hell is she talking about? "When do I get to go home?"

"In a few months. If you can survive the academy, you can go wherever you want." She turns to the side, tapping on a metallic object attached to her desk. "Yes." She nods. "Let the transfer student into my office."

I tap my fingers against the desk, my eyes darting around the office for the fastest way out. Then, I feel a spark on my arm, which happens whenever the sigil on my arm is glowing. My eyes land on one of the glass paintings hanging on the wall.

In it is a woman dressed in the finest royal attire and jewelry. It looks like a painting from a thousand years ago; the woman has fair skin, with beautiful gray eyes and even more beautiful hair, a perfect hue of dark chestnut and ember orange, and there's a big crown on her head.

My breath stops as I stare at the portrait...those eyes...the face...my face, only stronger, nobler. I clean my eyes. "That's me?" I whisper in a low tone.