Split Shift (Abaddon Academy Book 1) Page 2

  “You look so much like your father, I guess this means you’ll be a dragon after all.” Once again, Mum pulls me in for a hug. She pats my shoulder then slowly backs out of my bathroom with the kind of wobbly smile that makes my heart ache. I’m torn between wanting to comfort her and wanting to give her some space.

  Not twenty minutes later I’m standing in the middle of the woods that boarders our property. The smell of the damp earth relaxes me as I step into the heart of the power stones. A circle of, yeah you guessed it, stones. Twelve to be exact, each marked with runes of power. Each stone has the rune of an animal clan. The circle doesn’t actually have any magical influence over anyone’s shift, it’s more like a place where shifters can connect with the powers of our ancestors through meditation. I guess humans would call it an altar.

  Each element has four animal spirits that guide those with elemental affinities. The animals we become aren’t governed by the elements though; there are fire, water, air and earth dragons, the same goes for the other eleven main animals, Griffons, unicorns, phoenixes, – yes, they really do exist – panthers, lions, cheetahs, bears, tigers, wolves, foxes and falcons. There used to be several lesser clans who could shift into rabbits, domestic cats, dogs, etcetera but no one has seen any in decades.

  I take a deep breath and slip off the dark blue satin robe that was hiding my nudity. The cold breeze causes goose bumps to erupt all over my naked flesh and I grit my teeth to stop them from chattering.

  The first time a shifter shifts, they have zero control, which means their clothes get shredded, so I get the embarrassment of being naked the first time I shift. Thankfully only Mum is present tonight. Most shifters have their entire families with them the first time, unfortunately Mum is my entire family. Her and Dad were only children and both their parents passed away when they were in their teens, they actually met at the Abaddon Academy. Mum says they bonded over their mutual losses and fell in love after being friends for four years.

  “Ready honey?” Mum asks me, bringing my attention back to the stone circle surrounding me. My alarm goes off on my phone, I glance back at the offending device lying on the robe that I discarded.

  The air around me begins to move, whipping my hair all over the place and tugging at my skin. The sky opens and rain pours forth, soaking me to the bone. Heat pours out from the ground making me sweat while I shiver from the water and cold winds. Then the ground moves, vines growing so rapidly they wrap around my ankles and before I can even scream, a soft glow comes from all the stones and then an eerie silence falls across the woods surrounding us.

  The birds stop chirping, the leaves of the vines wrapped around me stop their rustling, the heat emanating from the ground simmers down to nothing more than a comfortable warmth and the wind drops to nothing more than a soft caress against my cheeks.

  I swallow the lump of fear in my throat and close my eyes, preparing for the pain Mum warned me of.

  But the pain never comes.

  After several intense minutes of nothing, I open my eyes and lift my hands. The elemental runes beneath my skin emit a soft glow, allowing me to see everything within ten feet outside of the stone circle but nothing else happens. I stare at the ruins, unsure what to make of them. Mum told me that I’d end up with one, possibly two. I don’t have one, or two, no I have more.

  All four of them in fact.

  Four wavy lines representing water, four swirls representing air which glows beneath the flesh of my right hand. A single flame shape with four interconnecting lines and a leaf with four veins running out from the centre. Each individual mark is slightly smaller than the one on the back of Mum’s hand, but the fact that there are four make up for the diminished size.

  Pain radiates out from the middle of my left palm and I turn my hand over as I suppress a scream. Right in the centre of my palm is a fifth symbol, etched into my skin like a brand. An eye surrounded by a half moon, a flame, a rain drop and a closed rose bud. I’m so focused on the new symbol that my own voice startles me. “Mum?”

  Never in the history of shifters has there ever been a shifter with all four elemental runes magically tattooed onto the back of their hands, let alone a fifth branded into the centre of their palm. Mum’s single rune covered hand wraps around mine and as though her touch is a trigger, the words from my dream ring out around us from hundreds of disembodied voices, blending together as one.

  The circle must be complete to repair the rift.

  Together they must be or there will be no full shift.

  By their side to heed the call.

  Without the guardians she will fall.

  A wolf, a dragon, and a bear.

  Fire, water, earth and air.

  Complete the cycle of the spirit chain.

  Or trapped within she will remain.

  Trouble comes thrice more.

  Death stalks behind the door.

  If she falls then all will pay.

  Three years to the day.

  As the last word is spoken the symbols begin to fade from my sight, leaving only the symbol of fire behind. The brand on the palm of my left hand remains.

  “I swear that bitch will pay for this!” Mum’s shout scares the shit out of me. She’s normally a soft-spoken woman who never swears. “I can’t believe she cursed my daughter!”

  “Who mum, and what do you mean cursed. You told me yourself that some shifters don’t shift right away, I have the fire symbol, albeit a smaller version than most people, but still, it’s right here on my hand, that means I’ll be a dragon when I learn to shift, just like Dad was... Right?” My nervous smile drops from my face as mum shakes her head, then turns my palm over to reveal the brand on my palm.

  “I’m so sorry Joey, this is all my fault. Don’t tell anyone. I’ll fix it, I swear.” She grabs me by my shoulders, staring me right in the eyes, “Swear to me that you’ll never tell anyone what happened here tonight.” I nod, then watch in shock as Mum shifts into her black wolf and runs away leaving me standing within the now dark stone circle, naked and alone with fear gripping my heart and tears dripping down my cheeks.

  ♡

  Chapter: Joey

  I’ve spent the last four days worrying myself sick over where my mother is. It’s not until two policemen and a child services worker knocks on my door that I find out that my mother hadn’t just disappeared.

  She was murdered.

  The police wouldn’t tell me any of the details. They wouldn’t even let me see her body.

  Two days later, I find myself standing in front of a headstone that shouldn’t exist, both my mum’s and Dad’s names, along with their dates of death written in fancy gold writing sits between a freshly covered grave and an old one. Flowers cover almost the entire mound of dirt. The scent of the roses and Calla lilies fill the air masking the scent of pain and sorrow.

  I wipe the tears from my face in a futile attempt to make them stop, but like a flood, I have no hope of stopping them. I’ve lost everyone now. I was supposed to be starting my first year of Railton Academy; the place where all respectable shifters go to learn how to harness their abilities, but now I’m an orphan with no family and no way of paying for the tuition of such a rich and fancy school. The child services worker had the nerve to tell me the day she met me that I would have to move out of my house and that I wouldn’t be seeing a single cent of my mother’s insurance money until the day I turn twenty-one. Charming how the law only works some of the time huh?

  Said child services worker smiles as she watches person after person patting my shoulder and mumbling platitudes of “Sorry for your loss.” After about a dozen, I finally snap, “She’s not lost, she was murdered!” A hush falls over the crowd of mourners and then the sky opens up, pouring rain that mingles with my tears as I fall to my knees and scream a soundless cry.

  I have no idea how long I kneel upon the muddied earth, crushing the flowers covering Mum’s grave but as I finally look up, I notice that the rain has stopped and only one person rem
ains. A woman who looks to be in her late thirties with dark brown hair pulled back into a bun and piercing green eyes framed by over-sized tortoiseshell glasses. She folds the plain black umbrella she’s holding and walks towards me in a slow, almost cautious manner.

  “Joey Kale, I am Mrs Castle from Abaddon Academy, please follow me.”

  My only thought is, “Just my luck.” I knew my hopes of being allowed to attend my dream school were dashed but the notion of being sent to the one place shifters had for orphans was the last thing I thought would happen to me.

  Mrs Castle led me to a plain black town car with dark tinted windows. Climbing inside, I scrub a hand across my face trying to dislodge the dried tears as Mrs Castle talks about the rules and classes and all sorts of other boring stuff that no one really wants to know about the Abaddon Academy. I let her monotone voice wash over me and steel myself for the void that is beginning to fill my heart.

  And that was how I end up in the Abaddon school for outcasts, orphans and downright delinquents of the Shifter community. A school that looks like a huge sprawling castle on the outside, complete with columns flanking the front entrance.

  Lucky me.

  ♡

  The room I’m shown to that night is nothing special. Plain white walls, dark grey carpet with unknown stains and only a single bed, wardrobe, study desk and chair to furnish it all made of plain unvarnished pine. All of my belongings were put into storage until I turn twenty-one, the age shifters are considered legally old enough to look after themselves. I have no idea what happened to Mum’s things, nor what happened to the box of My Dad’s stuff that Mum hung onto. The only thing I now own from my old life is the black dress and matching shoes I wore to the funeral and I get the feeling the second they go out to be washed, they too will disappear.

  Starting a new school is never easy, but starting a school year half-way through at an Academy filled with orphans, delinquents and outcasts is even worse. I know the reputation of this academy; from everything I’ve heard, only the dregs of our society are sent here. The shifters who find themselves without family are the only normal ones. The shifters whose powers are so unruly they can’t control their shifts are scary but then there’s the delinquents, the underage shifters who broke our laws and are sentenced to attend Abaddon Academy, nicknamed Hell’s Academy by the bulk of the shifter community.

  ♡

  After spending the entire weekend in my shithole of a room, ignoring everyone and everything, including the trays of food that kept appearing on my bedside table, I emerge Monday morning wearing the school uniform. It’s the kind of uniform that you wish you could burn; consisting of a form fitted white blouse that I swear the buttons will pop off of if I breathe too deeply. A red and black plaid skirt with the most annoying pleats that flare with every step I take and white socks under black boot style school shoes with a two-inch heel. I hold my hands to my sides and groan at the fact the skirt barely meets the school uniform standard of length. My guess is that most girls who are my size either have shorter legs or less curves.

  As if the fit of my uniform wasn’t bad enough, the white blouse is so thin that you can see my baby-blue lace bra beneath it. I’m not the only one with their bra on display though, every girl I see is wearing a brightly coloured bra beneath their white top.

  I breathe a sigh of relief as I pull my map out and make my way to the cafeteria.

  The school building is huge, comprising of four floors. The third and fourth floors house the girl’s dorms on the left, the guys on the right. Each with their own small en suite bathrooms, according to the map, both floors have identical layouts; A common lounge area in the middle, then a shared stairwell leading to the back and front of the building. The second floor is where the cooking and science classes are located. The ground floor has administration offices, classrooms, cafeteria, kitchen and recreation rooms. The rear of the school has a gym and indoor swimming pool built into an open plan glasshouse.

  For an old building it has a fairly modern interior and amenities. As I wander through the halls trying to find my way, I can’t help admiring the style that’s been chosen for the inside of the school; The pale blue walls give the place a calm feel, while the stone floors provide a more authentic castle feel.

  And as if trying to memorise all of the layout isn’t bad enough, they have us attending eight classes a day in seventy-minute blocks. I’ve never seen a schedule so full before.

  The second I step into the cafeteria; all I want to do is walk right back out. It’s like walking onto the set of a teen movie. Everyone looks perfect and beautiful. The kind of beautiful that models and movie stars strive to achieve. Whether I want to admit it or not, I actually fit in with this crowd, especially since I now look just as glamourous without the need for makeup, although as my gaze moves around to the faces before me, I notice a lot of the girls are wearing enough makeup that I’m not entirely sure anyone knows what they really look like underneath it all. Unsure where to sit or what table to approach, I grab a couple of apples and head off to find my first class.

  ♡

  Chapter: Angel

  I try not to think about the past too often, it hurts too much to remember the things I’ve lost but looking at my ex-best friend talking to a girl, one who I know from experience is just a power-hungry bitch, makes me want to drag him away. Especially when the bitch is the same girl who tried to trick me into thinking she was pregnant. Claire laughs at something Raine says and I roll my eyes. My friend is being lured in and there’s nothing I can do to stop it.

  I’m not gay, so don’t take that to mean I’m jealous or anything. I just miss my friend and wish he’d stop pushing everyone away. I know why he does it, but one day he’s going to wake up and find himself alone.

  A sudden silence falls over the entire cafeteria and all eyes turn to the entrance, even mine.

  Whoever this new girl is, she’s gorgeous. The kind of gorgeous that screams trouble.

  Just my style.

  She ducks her head, embarrassed and her long dark hair falls over her face, hiding it from view as she speed walks across the room to the line-up where the food is.

  I want to get a closer look.

  No, I need to get a closer look.

  I move up to the line to grab some food, I’m right behind her but she doesn’t turn or glance around. I cough, but she doesn’t even show any reaction. I do it again, “Ahem.”

  She grabs a couple of apples and leaves the line. Not wanting to appear the stalker I’m wanting to be, I continue through the line, grabbing a plate of bacon and eggs. I figure she’ll go to the only vacant table in the room, my table. I turn with my tray in hand, but she’s gone. My face falls at the thought of not getting to talk to her.

  The entire time I eat my breakfast, all I can think about is that tight little ass peeking out from under her short plaid skirt and her long black hair. I wonder what it would feel like if I ran my fingers through it, or if she brushed it against my chest while she rides my….

  “Hey, Angel, are you going to Sam’s party tonight?” Chase, my other ex-best friend asks as he sits down at my table. I frown up at him, half pissed that he ruined my fantasy, half curious about why he’s sitting here.

  “I don’t know, why?”

  “I uh, was wondering if you knew if the new girl is going to be going.”

  The party might not be mine, but everyone knows that I’m always in the loop. Not this time though. I don’t know anything about the new girl. Well, except that she has dark hair down to her waist and an ass that looks perfect. “New girl?” I ask, playing dumb.

  “You didn’t notice her? She was standing right in front of you in line.” He gives me that ‘don’t bullshit me’ look he always used to give me and I sigh.

  “Yeah, okay, so I noticed her, doesn’t mean I know if she’s going to be at the party.”

  “She’s cute.”

  Is he crushing on her? Shit that would make things awkward. I plaster a fake bored
expression on my face. “If you like that type, personally I prefer blondes. They have more fun.” Of course, if a certain dark-haired girl actually paid attention to me, I’d probably fall head over heels.

  The bell rings and everyone scrambles off to class.

  English Lit kind of sucks, but the second she walks into the room, I can feel it. It’s like the entire world stops just for her. I turn to face the front of the class, my eyes roaming over her from head to toe. She’s perfect, curves in all the right places, bright eyes, high cheek bones… this girl is, well, she’s perfect… for me.

  “Ahh Miss Kale, please take a seat beside Mr Leones.”

  I smile smugly as Mr Grey tells her to sit with me. It’s like he heard my prayers from across the room. She glances around the room, searching. My smirk grows bigger as she spots the only empty seat in the room. No one ever sits next to me; they always want my attention and I can’t stand to be interrupted while I’m working.

  For her though, I’m happy to make the exception.

  Sapphires, her eyes are sparkling sapphires and her hair, I thought it was black, but as she sits down beside me, the sunlight filtering in through the windows shines through the strands, highlighting the gold and chocolate tones. Those sapphire eyes drop to my lips and I deliberately play with my lip piercing, drawing her attention to it. Most girls go crazy over the lip ring. She bites her lip and I’m hit with the strong scent of strawberries.

  My lips twitch with the effort it takes not to moan at the smell of her. She’s any guy’s wet dream made flesh and if the boner I’m sporting is any indication; she’ll be mine before the end of the day.

  I’ve never had a girl refuse me.

  I hear the rest of the class whispering about her and the fact that I haven’t kicked her out of the seat next to me. Feeling the need to make sure the entire room knows she’s mine, I lean back in my chair with my arm draped across the desk in front of her.