Ex Nihilo Academy (4 page)

“Wow. They are all so… beautiful.” I say and Tristan laughs
appreciatively.

“Yeah, we get by. But it’s not they it’s you too. Have you looked in the mirror lately? You’re a total babe.” He stares at me without blinking and I blush. One of the girls from the group cups her hands together
and calls out Tristan’s name and he waves back. “So why have you been appointed as my tour guide?”

“Well, aside from being devastatingly handsome and full of personality I am the student Council president and an all around really great
guy. Which is exactly why you should go to the dance with me tomorrow.”

“What dance? You guys have dances?” I can feel my stomach drop into my toes. I never went to any of the dances back home and the idea of
witches and werewolves crammed into a smelly gymnasium sipping punch just seems too ridiculous for words. “It’s the welcome back dance. It starts pretty early so just bring a change of clothes to school and I’ll meet you on campus.”

“I don’t know. I mean, it sounds great.” Actually it doesn’t sound great at all. It sounds more like Chinese water torture but I decide I’m not going to alienate the one friend I’ve made so far by saying no. I’m about
to tell him yes when I feel something cold running down the back of my neck.

“Oops!” A voice behind me squeals. I raise my hand to my head and come away with a handful of green salad, covered in a wet, gloppy dressing
that is now running all through my hair. “I am so sorry! I must have tripped.” Her voice is saccharine sweet and completely insincere.

“That wasn’t nice, Kennedy!” Tristan scolds her playfully but he’s smiling, which feels immediately like a betrayal. I wipe at my head
with my paper napkin which only seems to make it worse while Kennedy watches me with the corner of her mouth twisted up in a smirk. “You must be the new girl from California?” She says ‘California’ with distain and I can tell from the accent
that she’s British. She has shiny strawberry blond hair that’s styled into a short pixie cut and eyes the color of boiled celery. She is very pretty, with delicate features, a pointed chin and a sports illustrated caliber body which
makes me dislike her even more. She is wearing tight jeans that dip below her navel and a fitted blouse that shows off more cleavage than is probably appropriate for a high school. “I think you’re going to need more than a napkin to get that out, but if it’s any consolation I think it’s an improvement.” She
says and the friend standing with her snickers as they saunter away arm in arm. Tristan looks at me apologetically.

“I’m sorry about Kennedy. Her bark is worse than her bite. You just need to get to know her.” I nod lamely. Something tells me that
probably won’t be happening anytime soon. “She’s a senior and definitely the Queen around here. And she’s probably just testing the waters with you.” Perfect, I think to myself. I already have a target on my back and I haven’t even
been here a full day.

* *

In the bathroom I try and fit my head under the sink to wash away the oily dressing. Water runs down my neck and into the back of my t-shirt, yet I somehow manage to miss the worst of it. I swallow back the tears
brimming in my eyes.

“Please let me help you, darling. You’re getting the floor all wet.” I peer over my shoulder and see Nissa standing behind me.

“Thank you.” I say and in a blink she is at my side picking
mixed greens out of my scalp.

“At least it wasn’t spaghetti like mine.” She says.

“She got you too?” I sniff and wipe at my eyes.

“She got me on my first day here. She is a world class bitch
in case you didn’t already get the memo.”

“But I thought you guys didn’t eat?” I say confused and she laughs out loud.

“Is that what that overgrown child Tristan is telling you?
Look at me. Obviously I do.” She gestures to her curvaceous figure. I think she looks beautiful, like a 1950’s pin up model, and I tell her so.

“Darling, I love you already.” She smiles at me in the mirror,
working the last of the salad out of my hair, then wets a paper towel in the sink and blots my head.

“Where are you from?” I ask.

“Saint-Etienne. It is in the south of France near Lyon. Have
you ever been?” I shake my head no. “Then we will have to change that.” She flashes her perfect white teeth and I manage to find my own smile.

“Thanks again for helping me. This has pretty much been one of the worst days of my life.” I say and she nods sagely.

“Stick with me, Lily, and I’ll always help you. This place can be hard at times, so you just need to find the right people.” And yet somehow I feel like I already have.

I am nine years old again and I am watching my mom
through a crack in the bedroom door. She is throwing clothing into a suitcase while my dad paces the length of the carpeted floor. I remember the carpet well. It is a pale green color that matches the rattan headboard and floral
wallpaper and I instinctively know that we are in the old condo in Hawaii. It was my second favorite place we’ve lived despite the lingering smell of gardenia perfume and stale cigarettes. “You’re overreacting, Alura. They
promised to leave us be and I believe that they will keep that promise.” Mom zips the suitcase, puffing out a frustrated breath. “Don’t fool yourself, Ayfred. You saw them watching her at the beach. You know as well as I do that they are coming for her no mattered what was agreed upon.” She brushes past dad
and walks into the cramped living room. The sliding doors to the lanai are open and I can hear the sounds of waves lapping the north shore of the island. Dad follows her out and I duck into the hall so I’m out of sight. “I know the
Council is not the life you would have chosen for yourself but they are still our kind and they still have our best interests at heart.” “I have her best interests at heart! I will not let them have my baby. I want her to have a
chance at a childhood for as long as is possible.” Mom opens the refrigerator and starts throwing food into the garbage. “I’m so tired of running. You see the effect that it has on Lily. You know that she needs more stability than this.” Mom turns away to pour the jug of milk down the sink and laughs harshly.
“You mean the stability and structure that Ex Nihilo can give her.” “All I am asking is that you consider it. We have the house there. We could settle down.” Dad replies calmly. I leave the protective cover of the hallway and find my
mother in the kitchen. I am clutching the stuffed whale again and my ratty nightgown barely covers my knobby knees.

“Mommy, are we moving again?” I whisper and she bends over to run a hand through my hair. “Yes, baby, we are.” “Why?” My lips
tremble. “It will be an adventure. We will go somewhere warm. Somewhere close to the beach where the sun shines all the time.” She ignores my question and instead envelopes me in a firm hug. “You know that we love you more than
anything in the world, right?” I nod into her shoulder and she squeezes tighter. “Never forget how important you are, Lily. Now let’s get you back to bed.” She takes my hand and leads me back down the hall to my bedroom. I can
see the resigned slump of my dad’s shoulders as he unplugs the television from the wall and I know that the discussion is over. Tomorrow I will fall asleep somewhere else. Tomorrow we will start again.

* *

I’m exhausted the next morning from the lucid dreams so I’m
barely awake when I walk into the training room. I take one look at it and immediately see where Ex Nihilo is spending most of their money. It is a huge open space, twice the size of the Gold’s Gym by my old house, and one half of
the room is packed with top of the line gym equipment while the other half is covered in mats. Mirrors line one wall and intricate looking weaponry lines the other. Another wall holds a row of fire extinguishers that seem oddly out of
place.

“Where to begin, right?” I turn around to face the Asian boy with the black and orange hair I saw yesterday in the cafeteria. He smiles warmly and offers his hand. “I’m Cai.” “I saw you sitting with Nissa
yesterday.” I smile back, taking his hand.

“Yeah, she’s pretty fantastic.” He says it with a kind of reverence that makes me wonder if they’re a couple. He is handsome with a slender build, almond shaped eyes that are a unique shade of amber and ears
that are just a little bit too large for his face. He is wearing slim dark wash jeans and a hooded sweatshirt and his fingers are covered in rings.

“Where are you from?” I ask, trying to place an accent that sounds faintly British.

“I was born in Hong Kong but I’ve lived all over. I’ve never been to California though and I hear it’s beautiful. You must miss it.” He says and my smile wavers.

“So what happens next?” I try and change the subject but I
must sound anxious because Cai laughs and slings an arm across my shoulders.

“You look like you’re waiting for fire and brimstone to fall from the rafters. It’s not at all like that I promise. This really is just an
elite private school with classes to attend and rules to follow. Trust me when I say that it’s all very pedestrian.” He leads me over to the treadmills. “Once we change we can start by taking a warm up run. Then I believe its weapons training today. If you go through the back door there you will find the change
rooms and a regular old gym with scuffed floors and basketball nets.”

“And what’s in there?” I point to a bolted steel door just behind the cardio area.

“That is the powers training room. It has a fireproof door.”

“Why?”

“You’re a fairy - you’ll find out soon enough.” He winks.

Ten minutes later I’m changed into navy blue shorts and a
shirt with the Ex Nihilo crest emblazoned on the chest and standing in front of Lucinda, who is demonstrating how to properly use something called a foil. There are just five of us in total: Cai, a male witch, two female vampires and myself. My eyes search the room for Luca but he is not here and I am filled
with a strange mixture of relief and regret.

“Fencing? I thought you said it was weapons training.” I whisper to Cai who just shrugs. While yoga and surfing are sports that require
the use of certain muscle groups, hand-eye coordination has never been my strong suit. Lucinda motions to one of the bored looking vampires to join her in the circle.

“What other kinds of weapons training do you do here?” I ask
as I move to stand behind Cai but he puts a finger to his lips to silence me. “Come on Cai! I feel like no one will tell me anything!” He sighs and leans over to whisper in my ear.

“Firearms training, knives, stick fighting, boxing, mixed
martial arts… the list goes on.” “That sounds like military training. Why would supernatural’s need all of that?” My question is cut off by Lucinda who I turn to see standing beside me wielding a sword. I whisper an apology and shrink
away from her.

“It is quite alright, Lily. I can imagine that it is frustrating only knowing what you don’t know. I simply would ask that you come to me with your questions instead of interrupting my class.” I nod, embarrassed, and she moves back into the fighting circle. “Class, can we help
Lily out by sharing with her why it is important for our races to be skilled in the art of war?” The witch, whose name turns out to be Wrath, answers first.

“In peace prepare for war; in war prepare for peace.”

“Exactly. Being in a constant state of readiness is to our advantage. We prepare you for life outside these walls both mentally, physically and metaphysically.” Lucinda puts down her sword and sits
cross-legged on the floor, motioning for the rest of us to do the same. “Cai, please share with Lily what the powers of werewolves are.” Cai sits down beside me awkwardly, his tight jeans preventing him from fully bending his legs. “Intellect, an eidetic memory and the ability to shift into wolf form that
gives us agility, speed, strength and enhanced vision.” He lists off quickly and Wrath goes next. “Witches have spell casting, telekinesis and necromancy.” Lucinda shoots him an angry look. “But of course necromancy is a dark art not
practiced anymore. Not that I’ve even heard of a witch being able to do it if they tried.” He mumbles.

“Excellent.” Lucinda clasps her hands together. “I can enlighten Lily as to what the fairy powers include. Primarily our power
consists of elemental manipulation which is the ability to control fire, water, air and earth all in varying degrees of course.”

“Is that why you have the fire extinguishers?” I add.

“Yes, that’s the primary reason. In addition we have charms
that we can exercise. As an example there is one we use for concealment that makes us invisible and another we use for thought planting, although ethically we shouldn’t be altering someone’s perception unless it is absolutely
unavoidable. Jewel, would you like to share with the group what the vampire powers are?” Jewel, who couldn’t look less like a ‘Jewel’ if she tried, rolls her eyes at me.

“We have speed, strength, enhanced hearing, flight and
glamour. The glamour is a form of telepathy we use to mind wipe humans after a feed. And there’s mind-speak as well, like talking in somebody else’s head, though most of us can’t really communicate that way at all.” The room is quiet
as I sit and process everything that’s been said. It sounds like a lot of power to me already, so much so that the swords and the knives and the treadmills seem a little overkill to me.

“What about the trolls’ powers?” I ask and Lucinda answers.

“Precognition. They can see the future, though the future can always change.” She looks distracted as she says this. “And they also have mind-trickery though they are encouraged not to use it and are prohibited from
doing so on campus. It can be very alarming as they can cause you to hallucinate and see things that are not there.”

“One more question—does everyone within the race have all the same powers?” I look around the group who all look like they are ready
to move on. Cai is playing with the rings on his fingers and Wrath is staring at the ceiling.

“The powers are all there more or less but in varying degrees. One Witch can be great at spells but not have the power to cause a flutter
with their telekinesis. Or one fairy may be able to create a wave in a swimming pool while another can only swirl the water in a glass. Does that answer your question?” Her eyes are friendly and searching and I am so grateful to her for
doing this so I nod. “Great! Then let’s get back to it. Wrath and Jewel you are up next so grab your foils. After you go we will move on to more cardio and weight training. Get ready to sweat class!”

* *

Lucinda wasn’t kidding. By the end of the day sweat runs
from my hairline and drips down the back of my shirt in rivulets. Because I’m not living on campus the only showers available to me are the communal ones in the gym so I head to the change room to clean off. It is empty when I arrive
because the bell rang close to an hour ago — apparently there is no set end time with training and it ends when the instructor thinks it should end no questions asked. I rest my bag on the bench and strip down before stepping into
the shower. The hot water feels incredible beating down on my already aching muscles and I know that my body is going to pay for today’s workout tomorrow. When I am done I grab my towel from the hook and walk back to the lockers but my bag isn’t there. I look under the bench, in the locker across from it, then
I check back in the shower stall but it’s nowhere to be found and I’m more than a little freaked out. That bag contained my favorite green sundress for the dance, my limited supply of makeup and even my dirty gym clothes so I have
nothing to change back into. I know instinctively that someone must have taken it and I have a feeling I know exactly who that someone is.

“I’m not going to cry, I’m not going to cry.” I chant to
myself, my breath hitching. I sit down on the bench and pull the towel that barely covers my butt tightly around me. I consider what options I have - breaking into another locker won’t work without bolt cutters and the shower curtains are see-through so ripping one down and wearing it is out. After
sitting hopelessly for about fifteen minutes I hear someone come in.

“Lily?” I’m surprised to see Nissa walk in. “I thought you might be here.”

“How did you know?” I sniff.

“These are the only public showers on campus and I imagined you’d need one after training. I was coming to see if you were ready so we could head to the ballroom together.” She says eyeing me speculatively and a
sob escapes me.

“I’m so glad you’re here. I’m sorry to ask but I need your help again. Someone took my bag with everything in it and I don’t know what to do. Do you have a spell or something that can make me look like I’m wearing
clothes?” I ask hopefully and she laughs but not unkindly.

“Sadly no, but I do have these.” She spins her locker combination and pulls out gym shorts and a baggy t-shirt and hands them to me. “I’ll never understand why the school feels that supernatural’s need gym class.
I suppose that teenage humiliation is universal. Do you know that they even make us square dance?” She looks horrified and I laugh out loud. It amazes me how she seems to know exactly what to say to make me feel better.

“You lie.”

“Cross my black heart and hope to die.” She replies as I fold the shorts over a few times to hold them in place and pull the t-shirt over my head. It slides off one shoulder but I’m covered enough to make it
home.

“Thank you for the clothes and for cheering me up. I guess I should head to the dock. I’m sure my ride is long gone and next student ferry doesn’t come for another half hour.” I’m saying all this more to myself than
for her benefit but she watches me closely, her mouth quirked up at the side.

“Come with me, darling. I may have something you can wear to the dance. I have many cute outfits that I used to wear before I decided to go dark and gothic. I know we’re not the same size but I have an eye for fashion
and I’m surprisingly good with pins.”

* *

It turns out that Nissa is surprisingly good with pins. Within twenty minutes she has my hair and makeup done and has me pinned into a
black party dress with a ruffled skirt that is made of shimmery chiffon. She isn’t much taller than me so it hits at the right place just above my knees and the top is a tube style that she folds over to secure in place. Even though I
rarely wear black I have to admit that it looks good.