Semua Bab Destine Academy: Bab 11 - Bab 20

This time Eloise smiled and attempted a more precise explanation, “If you were to trial each faction, then it might cloud your instinct. You make friends, find things interesting, and then the reason for selecting a faction becomes less about your path and more about who and what you like.”Caroline shrugged, “If you say so.”“I do.” Eloise walked over to the desk where the information on the academy sat forgotten from the night before. Opening the folder, she withdrew the piece of paper with the four symbols on it and held it out.  Caroline hesitated, recalling her reaction the seeing the symbols on the plane. Not wanting to give herself away, she accepted the paper.“Now spend a few moments looking over each symbol. Pay attention to any sensations or thoughts that crop up as you look at them. Hopefully, your intuition will indicate one faction over the others.”Caroline stared down at the symbols, taking a deep breath as she let her eyes fall onto the r

Caroline sunk down into her seat to avoid any attention as Nadine stood up beside her, “Tempeste Barrere was one of the most talented and powerful students in the history of the academy, but she went rogue after her graduation. She believed if she could unite all the factions under one, she could tap into all sources of power and essentially become the most powerful person on the planet.”“In the universe!” A voice shouted from the other side of the room. Nadine sat down. Caroline watched as the Headmistress placed her hands on either side of the podium and leaned forward, as though burdened by the weight of the memory. The longer the silence stretched out, the more Caroline became uneasy, and she fidgeted in her seat. Finally, her aunt looked up, and Caroline could have sworn in that brief moment, she’d looked straight at her.“That is correct. Who can tell me what happened during Tempeste’s pursuit of power?”“She formed a cult of sorts,” came a voice from a g

When Caroline opened her eyes again, she was back in her own bed, propped up on a pile of pillows. The curtains around her bed were closed on either side, leaving only the end open. There, on the chair, he’d moved from beside the window into the middle of the room, sat Aldrick. His head was tilted back and his mouth slightly open, and as Caroline watched the slow rise and fall of his chest, she realized he was asleep. Frantically she pulled back the cover to see if she was wearing anything embarrassing and was relieved to find she was wearing pajama pants and a tank top—and hoped it was her aunt or the doctor that had changed her out of her uniform. Tentatively raising a hand to her throat, she could feel the bandages were still in place, but her neck didn’t feel as sore to touch. With a gentle swallow, she tested out her throat, thrilled to find the pain had significantly reduced. Caroline realized she felt fantastic. What did they inject me with at the infirmary?

Caroline sat at the desk next to Nadine, her head still spinning after unlocking her first key. She was a Magique. The word still sounded foreign to her and it felt surreal that only a couple of days ago, she’d never heard of Destine Academy or a faction. Now, to her surprise, she’d already unlocked her key, confirming she’d made the right choice in joining the Magiques. Before she could discuss her plans with Nadine any further, students flooded the classroom. Caroline tried to pretend like she wasn’t watching for Aldrick to walk through the door, but the minute he did, she felt a flutter in her chest. Biting her lip to try and hide her smile, she pretended to look down at the textbook in front of her while secretly watching his legs to see where he’d sit. Her heart skipped a beat when he walked over to the desk in front of them and sat in the seat in front of Nadine. Caroline looked up and was surprised to find him looking at her.“Testing out the factions, hey?” He gave he

Caroline stared at her aunt for a moment longer, but the woman turned back to her computer screen as though her niece had already left. Getting to her feet, Caroline tasted a trace of bitterness in her mouth as she tried to swallow her anger. Eloise still waited obediently at the door, staring down at the carpet as though it somehow made her invisible. As Caroline stormed past, Eloise looked up briefly with what appeared to be sympathy, only infuriating Caroline further.“I can make my own way, thanks,” she stated, stepping past the woman on her way out into the hallway. Caroline didn’t slow her pace as she hurried towards the stairs, not wanting to turn back in case she found Eloise shadowing her. With each angry step she took, a plan unfolded. Striding straight past the turnoff to her room, she followed the corridor she’d watched Nadine walk down earlier. The sound of her hurried footsteps echoed off the walls, and for a moment, Caroline thought she could hear a second set of footst