9. Ivy
IVY
W ith a deep sigh, I close my eyes and let myself fall.
Arms spread wide, my stomach plummets for all of two seconds before I’m greeted by the plush bedsheets.
Flopping down on my new bed is impossible to do with a huff when it envelops me in a warm embrace.
The kind I’ve longed for my entire life.
It’s like a cocoon, keeping me safe, and when I rise, I’ll be someone new.
Someone free. I don’t know what it is about this bed that feels different to back home, but I can’t deny it.
Maybe it’s the freedom it represents. There are no rules or expectations from my parents in these four walls.
Another sigh parts my lips as I tilt my head toward the window, where the late afternoon sun shimmers inside, offering the promise of hope. I breathe it in.
After a much-needed shower and a sprinkling of self-care, I feel more like myself again. The remnant droplets of the ocean water that tried to claim me are gone, replaced by suds infused with the essence of honey as I attempt to pretend as though almost drowning never happened.
Not the glimpse of hesitation in Baron’s eyes.
Not the fall from grace.
Not the tight band of Teddy’s arms around me.
Not the grueling walk back to my dorm.
And definitely not his parting words.
My lips purse as my nostrils flare, but I quickly redirect my thoughts, refusing to let them win again. I need them out of my mind so I can focus on me and my future. A future they will have no part of, not even in anger.
Rolling over, I run my hands over my fresh outfit, and smile at the frayed shorts and pale-pink blouse.
I bought them in secret after visiting a local school to give a speech.
I stood before those children in a ridiculous dress, talking about hope, intelligence, and peace, while they beamed up at me in plain t-shirts and shorts.
It didn’t matter if I had inspired them that day; they had infused me with happiness. By the end of the day, I found my own variation of their outfits, but they had remained stuffed at the back of my closet so my mother wouldn’t find them.
Hugo did.
Of course he did.
A pang of sadness squeezes my chest. Despite the mess we’re in and the uncertainty and confusion I feel about the one dependable person in my life, I still miss him.
I’m no stranger to loneliness; it’s how I’ve spent most of my life, especially once Hugo left for Neverbound Academy, but I feel it now more than ever.
Maybe it’s the new surroundings or the fact that I never really got to say goodbye to my past, but that’s the reality of it all. That’s my past, and this is my future, and the only person in charge of whether I feel lonely or not is me.
As exhilarating as it is, it’s also a little scary, and I’m not afraid to admit it.
I thought Ember would be here when I got back, but I’m starting to wonder if she was simply a figment of my imagination because there’s no trace of her at all.
It might help if I looked beyond the four walls of my dorm room, but that would require an air of strength I’m still trying to harness.
All this freedom and the idea of a solo adventure is throwing me off kilter a little.
Pressing my palms into the sheets beneath me, I shuffle back in bed until I can lean against the headboard.
As I nestle into my spot, my gaze falls to the large device laying on the pillow beside me.
It’s almost the same as the one I had back home, but larger and bulkier.
Pulling it into my lap, I press the button and the screen comes to life.
Welcome to Neverbound Academy, Ivy Hayworth.
May the next three years fill you with hope, magic, and endless possibility.
I frown.
Three years? It’s supposed to be five. My eyebrows pinch further as I re-read the words, when an answer comes to mind. Unless they gave me credit, even though I wasn’t here.
My nostrils flare as emotions battle inside of me.
I don’t know whether to be happy or sad about the matter.
Those two years are gone, whether I like it or not, but I feel a sense of loss, a gaping hole in my chest at the opportunities I’ve missed because of actions that weren’t my own.
On the other hand, at least I will have classes with people my age.
Pinching the bridge of my nose, I steady my breathing, refusing to let this get me down. Not when I’m finally in the place I’ve always wanted to be.
With a slow inhale, I refocus, swiping my finger across the screen to find folders already awaiting my attention.
Academics.
Academy Rules.
Extra Curricular Activities.
The Fates.
Contacts.
Pressing on Academics, the screen shifts to reveal more folders.
Schedule.
Classes.
Coursework.
Test Results.
Opting to check out my schedule, I open the folder to find an array of classes waiting for me tomorrow. My first lesson of the day will be Fire, and whatever that entails, while the rest of the day includes a class about The Fates, History of the surrounding Kingdoms, and Offensive Warfare.
I don’t know what I expected. Maybe I should have quizzed Hugo about it long ago, but I was so hellbent on getting as far away from my home as possible that I didn’t care what it entailed.
Excitement buzzes through me as I move on to the next folder, where the Academy Rules are listed.
It’s basically what Ember and Professor Viola have both mentioned already, but I’m sure I’ll forget something along the way.
I’m an overachiever when it comes to academics; maybe my concern should be with the girls who stopped me on the way out of the gathering earlier.
They didn’t care that I was deemed a Fire Protector, just like them; they had an instant hatred for me.
I’ve spent my whole life wishing to be a wallflower, but it seems my ridiculous nickname will follow me no matter where I go.
There’s nothing I can do about that, so I’m just going to have to embrace it.
Saying it and doing it are two completely different things, but that’s beside the point. I’m going to think it into existence.
Diving into the extracurricular activities folder, my breath hitches as I find an array of options, but my heart flutters with excitement at the sight of two in particular: fencing and swimming.
The first is because it has a piece of my heart, and my brother made sure I had my kit with me; the second is because I refuse to find myself in that same mess again.
Although I guess the swimming club would be for confident swimmers who are already excelling at it, and not those who need to learn.
With that in mind, I click into the fencing form and quickly fill it out with my details.
Happy, I carry on through the folders, curiosity leaving me to press into The Fates file.
“Ivy Hayworth, we have been expecting you.”
“Are you ready to stand for Neverbound Academy, for your people, for your Fates?”
“Great things will come of you, Ivy Hayworth, the Angel of Heaven’s Ridge.”
“Your path won’t be easy, but where will suit you best?”
“Unfortunately for you, Angel, they’re spread across all four. Our job is to allocate you where you will best benefit your bond with them.”
“I have it.”
A chill runs down my spine at the few lines scrawled across my screen. Those are the exact words they spoke to me as they blessed me with magic. It’s jarring, but it makes it very clear that I wasn’t going insane. They read my thoughts when I said I wanted to be assigned away from my mates.
I close out of the file quickly, confused why it’s even there, when my finger slips across the contacts button.
Shaking my head, I poise my finger, ready to hit the back button so I don’t have to look at the empty list of contacts, but before I can press a single thing, six names form down the left hand side of my screen.
Francesca Cohen - Fire Leader.
Archer Bowden - Fire Protector.
Theodore Lupus - Water Protector.
Baron Linton - Air Protector.
Sax Linton - Land Protector.
Hugo Hayworth - Air Protector.
I click on my brother’s name so hard I almost snap a nail, hastily rushing to reach out to him as the gentle ringing tone quickly filters through the air.
My breath lodges in my throat as my eyelids close, preparing for the familiar tone of his voice to come through, but to my disappointment, all I’m greeted with is emptiness when the call cuts off.
Repeating the motion twice more, it dials out every time, leaving desperation to gnaw at my gut as I give in to defeat.
Frustration gets the better of me as I toss the device to the side with a huff at the same time as a red orb blusters through my closed door. She whizzes through the air until she’s at the side of my bed, drawing closer with her eyebrows creasing together as she stares at me.
“What’s got you so mad?”
I blink at her. “I was starting to think I made you up.”
She rolls her eyes, waving me off as she sits cross-legged in the air.
I take a moment to really look at her. She looks like a miniature person shaped orb, with red hair falling around her shoulders and thin limbs wrapped around herself as she assesses me.
“I was conversing with the other sprites in the building. I wasn’t overly happy with how those girls acted earlier.”
“You didn’t have to do that,” I fluster, shaking my head in disbelief, and she shrugs.
“We’re a team, Ivy. I have your back, and you have mine. Although I don’t know what good I did. I forgot how mean some of these girls can be.”
“The other sprites?” I ask, and she hums in agreement. “Is there anything I can do to help?”
She smiles at me. “The fact that you’re asking is already enough, but how about you stay strong among the other Fire Protectors, and I hold down my own with the sprites?” she offers, and I nod. “Excellent, so, how did the uniform fitting go?”
I inhale sharply as I bolt from the bed. “Dammit. I forgot.”
“How?”
I grimace as I turn to her. “I found myself in… a situation,” I mumble, and she scoffs.