Chapter 6-Running Late

Odett’s POV

  “They aren’t the only ones who can be late,” I reminded him with a raised eyebrow.

  “We’re still students too,” I added.

  “Only for one more year,” he responded with a proud smile.

  The four-story main building held shared classrooms, a library, and a dining hall where no species had its own table. The east wing accommodated shifters, while protected rooms for magic practice filled the west. Students still found reasons to divide themselves, but the building did not do it for them.

  Below ground, vampires who could not tolerate daylight had their own classrooms. The water facility behind the main building served sirens and merpeople, and nighttime spells shaded parts of the grounds. Mom and Dad had fought for each of those spaces so belonging would mean more than being allowed through the gate.

  As soon as we entered the main hall, several people turned toward us. Some bowed while others whispered to their neighbors. A few stared openly at the twins, and Zerina moved closer to Zander.

  “Ignore them,” I whispered reassuringly.

  “Easy for you to say.”

  “You’ve had people staring at you your whole life,” Zerina responded nervously.

  “And eventually, you stop caring,” I told her with a comforting smile.

  “When?” she asked hopefully.

  “I’ll let you know when it happens,” I answered honestly.

  Joshy fell into step beside me. Gaven stayed near Zerina, and Sean moved to Zander’s other side. We had stood that way in crowded rooms for years; nobody had to tell us where to go.

  “Princess Odett,” someone called from behind us.

  Alpha Heir Nolan approached with two members of his team. In our first year, he had repeated every ugly opinion his father held about other species. He had changed after years of arguments and a few fights, though I still watched his face when he met someone new.

  ‘Mostly because you argued with him until he had no energy left,’ Lorilie said.

  “Alpha Heir Nolan,” I greeted him with a small smile.

  “Are these the famous twins?” Nolan asked curiously as he looked at Zerina and Zander.

  “They have names,” I reminded him with a raised eyebrow.

  “Sorry,” Nolan said with an embarrassed laugh.

  “Princess Zerina and Prince Zander, I’m Nolan,” he introduced himself politely.

  “We know who you are,” Zerina responded carefully.

  “Nothing bad, I hope,” Nolan said with a nervous smile.

  “Odett said you were an ass during your first year,” Zander answered honestly.

  “Zander!” I scolded him with a warning glare.

  “What?” Zander defended himself with an innocent shrug.

  “You did.”

  “She wasn’t wrong,” Nolan admitted with a laugh.

  “I had a lot to learn,” he added.

  “Do you still think witches and vampires shouldn’t learn werewolf laws or battle strategies?” Zerina asked him suspiciously.

  “No,” Nolan answered firmly.

  “I learned that refusing to understand other species only makes us easier to divide,” he explained.

  “Good answer,” Joshy said approvingly.

  “The instructors beat it into me,” Nolan joked with a grin.

  “I only remember physically beating you once,” I reminded him playfully.

  “Once was enough,” Nolan replied while rubbing his shoulder as if he could still feel it.

  The warning bell ended our conversation. Nolan walked with Joshy and me toward the fifth-year seats, while the twins went with Gaven and Sean to the first-year section. I watched until Zerina found a place among her new classmates.

  Students filled the assembly room by year rather than species. A siren compared schedules with a fairy, and two young wolves saved seats for a vampire they knew. Others kept their distance. The room held both the change Dad hoped for and the work still ahead of us.

  Dad stood onstage beside Mom, Uncle Orian, Aunt Jess, Uncle Evan, and Uncle James. Several visiting leaders took their seats behind them. One looked as if he would rather be anywhere else; Dad noticed and waited for the man to sit before approaching the podium.

  “Welcome to the Southern Supernatural Academy,” Dad said in a commanding voice.

  “Each of you has been chosen because you will have an important role in the future of your people,” he continued seriously.

  “Some of you will become Alphas, Kings, Queens, coven leaders, council members, Betas, Gammas, or commanders,” Dad explained.

  “Others may discover a different path while you are here,” he added encouragingly.

  He paused as he looked around the room, allowing everyone to consider his words.

  “This Academy was created because the supernatural world is changing, whether the older generations like it or not,” Dad continued with a serious expression.

  “You can either prepare for those changes or allow them to destroy everything your families have built,” he warned firmly.

  Several leaders behind him shifted uncomfortably, but Dad continued without acknowledging their reactions.

  “You will learn the history and traditions of your own people, but you will also learn about everyone else,” Dad explained firmly.

  “You will train together, study together, and solve problems together,” he continued.

  “I don’t expect all of you to become friends, but I do expect you to respect each other,” Dad finished pointedly.

  Mom stepped beside him, and the entire room became quiet.

  “Some of you were raised to believe another species is dangerous, weak, or beneath you,” Mom said calmly.

  “I was raised to believe that wolves and witches could never live together, yet I stand before you as both,” she explained.

  “My daughter is a vampire-wolf hybrid, and my closest friends and family include members of almost every supernatural species,” Mom added proudly.

  Her eyes found mine, and she smiled before turning back to the new students.

  “You didn’t choose the beliefs you were taught as children, but you are responsible for what you choose to believe now,” Mom said.

  “Use your five years here to decide what kind of leaders you want to become,” she encouraged warmly.

  The room stayed quiet after Mom spoke. Then Zerina rose, Zander cheered loudly enough to make Dad laugh, and the applause spread. A few leaders remained seated, but the students around them did not seem to care.

  Zerina applauded beside a girl whose species I couldn’t make out from across the room. When Zander shouted again, the two of them smiled at each other. I watched my sister lean over to speak to her and hoped neither of them had been taught to be afraid of the other.

  ‘A chance is more than many of their parents were given,’ Lorilie replied gently.

  “Ready for our final year?” Joshy asked with an encouraging smile as he leaned closer.

  “I’m ready,” I answered confidently.

  The twins left the assembly with Gaven and Sean, already talking to classmates they had met only an hour earlier. I wanted their first year to stay as easy as that walk out of the room, though I knew better than to expect it.

  Joshy nudged my shoulder, and I followed him toward the first class of our final year. We had spent four years learning what Dad expected of a leader. Soon I would have people of my own depending on me, and passing a test wouldn’t be enough. I wanted to be ready when they needed me. I wanted Sam home to see it, too.