Chapter 10
CHAPTER 10
I walked into class late. I slid into my seat next to Grayson. The professor picked partners at random on the first day of class and somehow, probably because I’ve been on the universe’s shit list, I was paired with Grayson.
“Morning beautiful. I’m glad you showed up for class. Super sorry to hear about your dad. Did they find out what happened?” He ran his hand through his dirty blond hair and propped the collar up on his jacket.
I glared at him coldly, hoping it would deter him from asking more questions. “No.”
He didn’t seem to notice. “A few of us are going to this party thing at the dorms later if you want to come.”
“Thanks, but I have plans.”
He opened his mouth to say something, but Mr. Rodriguez strode in and greeted everyone. He then asked me to hand out the pop quiz. I handed them out and finished my test in silence. I tapped my pencil on the table.
Grayson leaned over to look at my answers. “I didn’t do well,” I told him and folded my paper in half.
He bit down on his bottom lip. “I wrote to you over the summer. You never replied.”
“I didn’t reply to anyone,” I said flatly. I couldn’t have replied even if I wanted to. Between suffering through grief and my mother guilt tripping me into moving home…
“We went out for two months and that’s all I get?”
“I’ve just been busy,” I said through gritted teeth. The men attending Ghost Rose needed to leave me the fuck alone.
He relented. “It’s all good. Let’s hang out soon, yeah. I’ve missed you.”
“If you two are finished wasting mine and the rest of the student’s time,” the professor boomed, his voice echoing off the vaulted ceiling.
When the ancient grandfather clock with miniature sharp spires, meant to look like a bell tower struck 2pm, I hurried out of class before Grayson could catch up to me. I was so grateful to be outside. Today had gone so slowly. I found Lalita sitting at the stone tables below the gargoyles near the dean’s office.
Eleanore walked off as I sat down. “Sorry girls. I have something I need to do. I’ll be back.”
We both knew that meant we wouldn’t see her for the rest of lunch. Lalita tucked into her salad.
My hands were clammy. I saw Jax walking over to our table. Three days have passed since we fucked in the library. For once, I gave into the temptations constantly plaguing me—and the prick didn’t have the decency to reply to my text. I still haven’t told Lalita everything that happened.
Lalita gave me a look and finished her mouthful of salad; most likely so she could give Jax a mouthful.
“Can we help you?” Lalita asked venomously.
“Lalita. It’s a pleasure. What were you both talking about?” he asked.
“Nothing you’d be interested in,” she replied.
“You don’t know that,” Jax replied, smirking.
I let go of the breath I had been holding in. “I need to talk to you.”
His eyes sparkled. “I know. I saw your text last night.”
Jax leaned back and looked coldly at Lalita.
“Wait, so you’re the reason she’s been out of sorts for days? What did you do to her?” She pointed at him, her cheeks turning pink.
She didn’t faze him—or he didn’t show it if she did. “I did nothing she didn’t ask for. Perhaps I know the person she is now better than you.” Jax took a step closer, then glared down at Lalita. “I see you on your high horse, judging everyone with even an ounce of phantom blood,” Jax sneered.
Lalita scoffed. “It has nothing to do with magic, you prick. You’re the one who picks fights and is an asshole to your flings.”
Her comment seemed to throw him off a little. “Zellie and I are paired together for a group project, not romance.”
She scoffed. “Oh please. You’re just trying to get in her pants because she’s vulnerable now.”
I couldn’t dislodge the lump in my throat. I’d had enough of it. “You know what—screw you both. I’m not doing this.”
“Wait, Zellie,” Lalita ordered.
I stood. “I don’t need this.”
Lalita calmed down quickly. “Don’t go. He can go.”
I looked between them both. Jax hadn’t even bothered. It could have been the dream version of Jax or whatever wacky thing we called it. I felt ridiculous and to find out that my best friend thought I was a train wreck on top of it all.
“I’m going to eat alone.”
I packed up my lunch and headed away from the benches, and bumped right into Jayde and Amara. Just what I needed. I looked up at the sky. What had I done that was so bad in a previous life to deserve this?
“I see Jax has downgraded to trash.”
I shrugged my way past them. “You don’t know what you’re talking about, and besides, I’d call it upgrading if there was anything going on. Which there isn’t.”
“No? That he broke up with Amara…” Jayde said sourly. “For you.”
Amara placed her hand on her bony hip. “You don’t know Jax. Trust me, he’s just going to use you.”
“Broke up with her?” I laughed, then turned narrowed eyes on Amara. “You can’t break up with someone you weren’t even dating. I tapped a black painted fingernail on my chin. “Oh, I see. You’re jealous.”
“Jealous, “Amara laughed. “of some nobody who dropped out of school without so much as a goodbye, takes pills like they’re candy, and has easily put on ten pounds over the summer.”
“Get out of my way. I don’t need this today.”
“Aww, she’s going to cry,” said Jayde.
I was getting a headache. “This is ridiculous. Move.”
Amara took a step toward me. “Or what, you’ll get your daddy to talk to mine like you used too… oh, wait.”
Anger rushed through me like hot lava. Everything was spinning. I just wanted them out of the way. “I said fucking move.”
The ground beneath our feet trembled, softly at first but quickly gaining intensity. Jayde got out of the way in time, but Amara didn’t. The windows on the building across from us smashed outward. Wave after wave of pure, dark power left my body in waves—and I didn’t want to stop it. I craved the destruction my powers would bring.
I glared at Amara as my limbs trembled as all the fury and rage I kept leashed for months boiled in my veins. That bitch just had to bring up my dad. I’ve had enough.
My lips curled as I grinned, then cut the last thread within me, holding my magic at bay.
Gray dust clouded the air and covered my black sweater. The buildings around us came tumbling down. Extensive areas of the building trembled, then fell. One student pulled another to safety, and I felt myself being dragged back as I watched Amara’s skull pop from my magic, funneling forcibly into her body. Blood splattered around us but was quickly coated with dust.
I snapped out of my trance and froze, unable to move or speak as I watched the horror unfold in front of me. Jax rushed to my side. “What happened?” He pulled me back further, to avoid any leftover falling debris. Students hurried away, but Jayde remained, rooted to spot, looking at me with the deep hatred I now deserved.
I shook my head in disbelief. I didn’t know what to say. “Go.” He ordered, and I did. He hurried to help move the bricks off Amara, but I knew it was too late. I saw her eyes go blank. Jagged lines crack across her face as her skull fractured, then exploded in a spray of brain matter and blood.
Sirens wailed, and paramedics ran into the academy. Everything moved in slow-motion. They’d covered me in a scratchy blanket, but it didn’t stop the shaking.
Students cried, holding each other. They were saying it was a mini-earthquake—but no one knew I’d caused it.
A stretcher was rolled out, the body bag on top glaring. It was the conclusive proof I needed that Amara was dead. My boots slammed against the ground as I ran as fast as I could away from the academy; my tears drying in the wind. I killed Amara…and I think I might have enjoyed it.
I wailed as I sat in the desolate room at the top of the tower. The temperature in the room plummeted as the spiritual entities surrounded me. My skin prickled as their energy surged—inviting me to join them. My hand shook as I held a shard of broken glass over my wrist. I couldn’t live with myself. Mother was right all along; my powers are much too dangerous to be around anyone. I killed someone. She was dead because of me.
I couldn’t breathe. I took several deep breaths, craving oxygen, but my lungs were tight and the air didn’t give me what I needed. My heart felt as if it would crack my ribs and beat right out to flop onto the dusty floor.
“Zellie! No!” Jax sprinted to me from the stair landing and dropped to his knees in front of me. He grabbed the glass and squeezed it as he ripped it away from me. Blood dripped down his fingers to puddle on the floor before he threw it to the other side of the room. The shard smashed against the wall in a cloud of shimmering dust.
Jax wrapped his arms around me and rocked me gently. “Shhh. It’s okay.”
“No, it’s not. I killed her.” I sobbed. “She’s dead.”
His face contorted as he grasped for the right words to say. “She…It’s not your fault.”
I looked at him with bloodshot eyes. “Yes, it is. I was so angry. Everything was too much. Rage bubbled up inside of me and I couldn’t stop it. I knew what I was doing. I knew I was causing the earthquake, and…” I broke down, crying.
“And what?” He questioned softly, but there was no denying the underlying anger beneath his words.
I sniffed loudly. “I wanted to kill her. This magic, it’s evil.”
“Your magic is not evil, pet. You just need practice controlling and harnessing it,” Jax said, his voice husky.
I didn’t respond. I had nothing left to give.
His warmth moved through me as he rubbed circles on my back and continued speaking. I loved listening to his deep tenor—it soothed my jagged edges, but nothing could remove the bloodstains.
He turned me around after some time and gazed into my eyes. My mind throbbed as he stared at me, his eyes taking on an unnatural sheen. Jax stretched further into my mind than ever before, then picked it apart one brain wave at a time. I drifted in and out of consciousness as he poked around in my brain matter,. It was probably for the best.
“Zellie, after this you won’t remember what happened. You will remember that it was an earthquake and Amara died. You were standing with me when it happened, and it was not your fault.”
His words attached to the memories from the day and pulled them from my mind one by one until I couldn’t recall why I was crying.
I blinked several times and looked around us. “Why did we come here?” I couldn’t remember the last few hours. Only that I was upset and… oh my God. “Amara, is she dead?”
He looked at me cautiously and hesitantly nodded.
“What happened?”
I saw relief soften his features. I furrowed my brows. “What happened?” I repeated.
“There was an earthquake at Ghost Rose. The ground shook, and some buildings fell.”
I gasped. “Is anyone else…”
He shook his head. “A couple of students went to the medical wing with mild injuries. But Amara...”
I felt his caution as I held onto him. “Is that what really happened?”
“Yes.” He replied coldly. “I should get you home. It’s late.”
Panic froze my veins. No. Anywhere but there.
“Can you take me to Lalita’s dorm?”
“Whatever you prefer,” he responded curtly.
I tried to search my memories for something… it was all so foggy. I remembered the buildings falling, and I was standing next to Jax. I think I was anyway. Yes, I must have been, because he dragged me away from getting hit with debris.
We walked to the dorms in silence. I didn’t know what to say to him, or if I should say anything at all. He seemed so distant now. Amara was his ex-girlfriend, I reminded myself. He was probably in shock. Hell, he was probably only offering to walk me home because of my siren lure.
I shook my head. Jax was slowly becoming obsessed with me. And maybe on top of everything that happened, he regretted giving into my fucking obscene beauty.
My steps slowed, then stopped completely in the middle of the entrance to the female dorms. He stopped with me.
“What’s wrong?”
“I’m sorry, Jax.”
He nodded slowly. “Things like this happen.”
I teared up. I was an emotional wreck, and I wasn’t sure why. “You must be upset. You dated her.”
He said nothing for a moment, then ran a hand through his dark hair. “To be honest, Zellie, I didn’t really know her. Sure we fucked a couple times, but saying we dated is a massive stretch.”
The silence of the night surrounding us spoke volumes. It’s as if every creature around knew to stay away from the dangerous abomination I was becoming.
My boots echoed off the stone softly as I paced back and forth. I thought back to all the other incidents that happened at our academy, let alone what we uncovered about the tower.
“Why do these things keep happening at our academy? This isn’t the first-time students have died.”
He scrunched his hand into a fist at his side until his knuckles turned white. “I don’t know. I think for now it’s best if we lie low and put the research into the Black Lily Coven Massacre on hold. We all need some time.”
“Okay.” I hesitated. The last thing I needed was time off. “But we really can’t take too much time off from the project. I doubt a school with regular deaths will have much of a grace period.”
Jax turned on his heel, then left without uttering another word. His anger was palpable, and I couldn’t help but feel like it was directed at me.