Alchemist Academy: Book 1 (19 page)

Someone had attacked us. Not just someone, but a student’s dad.

Carly rushed to our side. She smiled and pulled me away from Mark and Jackie, moving close to my ear. “The halls can change some when we jump. I think we should explore them tonight. You in?”

“Um … sure.” Curiosity overwhelmed my common sense.

Carly smiled and scurried off toward the Red house.

“Well, that was awesome, wasn’t it?” Jackie said. “I mean, that dude dropped through the ceiling in a flippin’
stone
. I had no idea a person could do that.” She gazed at the ceiling in astonishment.

“Pretty strange, though, you know, with him being that guy’s dad and all?” Mark said.

“No. I bet my mom was a dark alchemist.” Jackie shrugged.

“You think Verity is okay?” I asked, and glanced at the closed teachers’ door.

“Please. That bird is immortal as far as I can tell.” Jackie laughed. “I knew your stone would send her to the plunge. Man, she is one tough woman.”

“Where are we now, do you think?” Mark looked at the ceiling.

I searched for the hole in the ceiling and thought I saw something, a black hole where everything else was gray. Nighttime, I thought.

“Who knows, and who cares. This event probably just sparked enough in me to keep it going for days.”

The hub started to clear out as everyone went back to their houses. I assumed there wouldn’t be any more classes. There wasn’t a teacher in sight.

Jackie brightened. “Oh my god, I just realized we get to have a jump party now.”

I started to feel as if she found a reason to party every night. She bounced around me for a little bit before running toward the Red house. The party didn’t interest me, but finding Carly and figuring out where we moved did.

A hand touched my shoulder. I turned to find Mark.

“Don’t you think it’s weird that that kid’s dad dropped in to say hi?”

“Yeah, I think this whole place is pretty strange.” I leaned closer to Mark. “Carly wants to go exploring down the tunnels I told you about. She says things change when we jump.”

“Fine, but if I find a way out of here, we’re gone. Deal?”

I nodded, looping my arm through his.

Jackie didn’t mess around when it came to a jump party. I don’t know how she got it together in less than an hour, but from my window I saw how the entire spoke in front of the Red house had turned into a street party.

The Blues hadn’t emerged from their houses … at least not in force. A few mingled near the fence line, probably waiting for a person to get too close.

Mark leaned on the windowsill next to me. I stared at him while he took in the jump party below. He would probably be the life of the party back in Summerford, but he was standing next to a window, an outsider, much like I used to be at school.

I didn’t get too close to the window because they called for me each time I did. Part of me wanted to join in and another part of me wanted to stay in the room with Mark.

“I can see you looking at me,” he said, not turning his head until after he spoke. “Do I have a booger or something?”

I smiled and took a step closer, inspecting his nose area. “Nope, shipshape! You know I’d tell you if you did.”

“A true friend. Thanks.” He turned back to observing the party.

Digital music was playing and I peered over the sill to see the bodies dancing.

“You think over time, they just get used to it?” he asked.

“Used to what?”

“Being here.”

“Oh, I suppose most people can get used to just about anything.”

“I suppose.” He rubbed his chin and stepped away from the window.

“Something’s bothering you. Why don’t you just say it?” I asked.

He turned to me and opened his mouth.

The bedroom door was flung open and Jackie strutted in. “There you bitches are.” She walked to the bed, sat down, and proceeded to rummage through my nightstand drawer.

I raised an eyebrow, but she didn’t seem to notice.

“Why are you two in this room? I thought you might have been naked when I came in here, but here you are, fully clothed and not at my party.”

My mouth hung open. If she thought Mark and I were naked, why would she have just flung the door open? The idea of her thinking we might have been naked warmed my cheeks and choked the words in my throat.

“Please, don’t be all shy about it. It’s not like I don’t see you checking out his junk every chance you get.”

I didn’t think I could be more shocked. I had never checked out anyone’s junk, ever. Great, I’d just checked out Mark’s junk.

“What do you want, Jackie?” Mark asked.

She sighed and looked at me. “I need you down at the party, and you can bring your man if you want to. Maybe you can get him to loosen up a bit with a little dancing. Plus, I have a plan for the Blues in a little bit and I know you won’t want to miss it.”

The words finally loosened from my throat when she led the conversation away from discussing me and Mark. “What plan?”

“I don’t know what’s up with them, but after a jump we usually have a party, sort of a competition to see who can get louder and rowdier. I win at parties, but they’re just sulking in their houses. I aim to raid their stone room.”

“You want to go into their houses?”

“Yeah, if we do it as an all-out assault, they shouldn’t know what hit them. We could be in and out in a few minutes.”

I shook my head and glanced out the window to the Blue houses across the street. What were they doing in there? The last time we had a party, they’d gathered in force outside and everything had ended in a stone war.

“I don’t—”

Jackie jumped from my bed and grabbed my wrist. “I won’t allow you to be up here, fully clothed, with Mark.” She stopped and turned to him. “Unless you were going to get naked. I mean, he
is
cute.” She eyed him up and down. “For a Malki.”

“We weren’t going to get naked.” I glanced at Mark and wondered what he was thinking. It wasn’t as if I didn’t wonder what was underneath his shirt. I felt his hard body from time to time and from what I could tell, he’d look incredible shirtless. More heat entered my cheeks as Jackie pulled me out the door.

“Guess we’re going to the party,” I called to Mark, and he followed.

We descended the stairs.

“When I whistle once, we’ll all be attacking their main house and going straight to their stone room. Cover your face and watch for stones, ‘cause they’ll be tossing them like crazy and they have some nasty ones. Don’t let them get a hold of you….” She looked back and raised an eyebrow at me. “They’ll do more to your body than throw stones.”

“Why don’t we just leave them alone? Maybe that kid’s dad freaked them all out or something,” I said.

Jackie stopped at the front door of the house. “What?” She squinted and crunched her mouth to one side. “You just don’t get it. The second we let up is when they attack.”

“I thought we weren’t allowed across the fence,” Mark said.

Jackie brightened up and a wicked smile hit her face. “This is the beauty of a jump, and that dark alchy showing up makes it even better. There won’t be a single teacher anywhere. We can get away with a full frontal assault. Plus, I want to get into their stone room.”

She pulled me out the front door and into the thumping party. People cheered as I stumbled onto the street. Many faces turned to me and Jackie held up my arm like a victorious prize fighter. They cheered again.

I felt sick. Did they all know we’d be attacking the Blues?

“Here she is, the finest acquire we’ve had since … well, me.” Jackie curtsied. “Five minutes, people.”

They cheered again and went back to dancing. The music got louder and made it hard to hear Jackie as she leaned closer to my ear.

“Why don’t you get stick-in-the-butt Mark out on the dance floor? Maybe moving will thaw him a bit.”

I took a deep breath and glanced at Mark. My instant reaction was to defend him, but he’d been different since we’d come to the Academy.

Jackie jumped away and hollered with her arms flailing as she entered the party.

“You want to dance? You know, just to satisfy the masses,” I asked. He could use a thaw. He seemed wound tight.

“Sure. But I hope you can keep up with my skills.”

“You dance?”

“A little bit.” His smile led me to believe he knew a great deal about dancing.

He took my hand and led me into the fray.

I was nervous about my first dance with another person, and my heart beat faster. I’d danced, but I wasn’t sure if it counted when you’re by yourself in your bedroom. “Freaking out” is what Janet called it when she walked in on me dancing one day. She’d teased me for a month about taking me to the doctor for my “condition.”

Mark found us a space. He hovered near me and started moving. He moved along with the beat and kept inching closer to me. I laughed because I realized I couldn’t dance, and he really could. The thought of moving my body in any way close to the skill of Mark sent me into another laugh.

“Here, let me help you.” He touched my shoulder and stepped behind me. Whispering in my ear, he guided my body along with his. “It’s easy. Just move with me. This isn’t the waltz, it’s club dancing. The sole purpose is getting closer to the person you’re dancing with, so the movements are slow.”

I controlled my laughing and felt my body sync with his. My breath slowed and I zoned everything out but the music and Mark’s body brushing against mine.

“There you go. You’re a natural,” he said with a hot breath on my neck.

The music stopped. Mark walked around me, looking at the speakers they had pulled into the street.

“What’s going on?” I spotted Jackie and realized I had forgotten about her plan. I wanted to yell at her to stop, that I needed more time with Mark, but her hand was already in motion. A stone flew to the four Blues walking nearby, hitting one in the chest and igniting in a green cloud. The group fell to the ground coughing.

Jackie pulled a section of fence open, put her fingers in her mouth and whistled.

The Reds around me jumped and ran toward the opening. They funneled through and ran toward a Blue house door with Jackie leading the charge. Reds pushed past me and Mark as we stayed behind.

The girl with the ferret, Ira, pulled on my sleeve. “Some people will get hurt over there and need our help.”

Mark nodded and moved forward. I dragged my feet at first, then caught up to them as the raucous crowd pushed through the narrow fence gap. Once on the other side, everyone spread out, running toward the Blue house.

I felt as if I was running into a battlefield when I crossed the fence. I was on enemy territory. Ira was right, though; if we could help, we should.

Jackie and a few others breached the Blue house door and stones flew out around the Reds who were entering. She led the charge and dodged a few stones while entering the Blue house. She covered her eyes and threw a stone to the floor. It exploded in a bright flash. She screamed in laughter as as many Reds as Blues fell to the ground, grabbing at their eyes. Jackie disappeared deeper into the house. I shook my head. We’d been led over here by a lunatic.

Mark and I stuck to the outside and watched Blues gathering down the street. Only a few were outside, but more joined them, putting their shoes on or going shirtless. Many were holding small black bags, but they knew we had them outnumbered, ten to one. Then another group of Blues gathered. Five to one.

The Blues continued to pour out of the houses. It was only a matter of time before they had the numbers to feel brave enough to repel us.

“We’ve got to go,” I yelled through the doorway, hoping Jackie heard me. She came running out with a large black sack, smiling. She held it up to me as a stone flew near her face. She lifted her arm and batted it away.

Putting her fingers in her mouth, she blew two loud whistles.

The tide turned. The blinded Reds staggered from the building even as Jackie stepped over one of them. Mark rushed to the side of a girl stumbling away from the door. I saw another girl frozen on the floor. I ran to her and gripped her under the arms. She weighed more than I’d thought, but I dragged her toward the opening in the fence.

“The Blues are coming,” someone yelled.

I glanced down the length of the spoke and saw what must have been all one hundred of them. They had gathered their forces. The sight pushed me to find the strength to drag the heavy girl across the street. Ira moved next to me and grabbed the frozen girl’s arm. After we’d dragged her to the fence, Ira turned and ran back toward the Blue house.

“Ira, no,” I yelled, but she was already gone. I pulled the frozen girl to the other side of the fence. “There’s a few more over there.”

“No.” Jackie slammed the fence closed. “They were slow and allowed themselves to be caught.”

“Ira’s out there,” I said.

Jackie grimaced and looked over the fence.

A blinded Red stumbled out the door. Ira put her arm under his shoulder and guided him toward the fence. She wasn’t going to make it. A stone landed near her feet and skittered across the street. It rolled toward the fence and into a hole.

The first Blue got to Ira and the blinded Red. He tackled them to the street. Ira got to her feet as the blinded Red punched at the air around himself.

“We’ve got to help,” I said.

Leo grabbed Ira and turned to face us with his hand clutching her hair. His wicked smile made me want to throw up. He grasped the front of Ira’s white shirt and ripped it down to her stomach.

“Help me,” she screamed. Her bra and chest were exposed.

“Help me, help me,” he mocked.

I moved to the fence, but Mark got there first.

“Don’t.” Carly grabbed my arm, but I yanked it away. “They’ll do the same to you, or worse.”

“She’s right,” Jackie said, but I had my hand on the fence with Mark. She looked over the fence and then at me. Taking a deep breath, she stared at the bag in her hand. “Dammit,” she whispered under her breath. “Trade!”

The Reds and Blues both stopped at this scream.

The leader of the Blues marched Ira toward the fence. Tears fell from her eyes as she tried to put back together her torn shirt.

“I want everything you took from our house,” Leo demanded.