The safety it offers.
The power it will teach me.
I’ve been here all of a minute and already, this place is home.
Tabatha straightens up and extends her hand. “Come along, Callie. I’ll take you to your room and will draw you a nice warm bath that will cleanse that negative energy from you.”
“Will I be alone?” I ask, bringing my stuffed animal to my chest, cuddling it against me. I’ve been alone for so long. I don’t want to be alone any longer.
“No, you will have roommates, other girls your age. But don’t worry about any of that now, darling. Let’s get you settled, cleaned, and get a good meal in your belly.”
“Okay,” I say meekly. We go down a long corridor, up a flight of stairs, and down another hall, where the sound of a choir singing echoes through.
“That’s the Academy’s choir,” Tabatha tells me when she sees me looking in the direction of the voices. “They’re quite good this year, aren’t they?”
I just nod and hurry along after Tabatha, squeezing her hand. We walk through another long corridor, up a spiral staircase, through a common room, and finally get to the dormitory. Tabatha shows me my bed and tells me to sit while she gets me clothes and fills the tub with warm water.
I set the stuffed cat on my pillow and apprehensively sit on the bed, expecting it to be hard and cold like the cot I had back in the lab.
“Wow,” I whisper and fall back. This is the most comfortable bed in the whole world. I lie back and stare up at the crown molding around the ceiling for a minute, blinking quickly.
Kids run past, talking and giggling, and go into a room down the hall. The door slams shut, and I blink, suddenly feeling like I’m back in the experiment room, huddled on the floor. The door opens, and a man, strung out on mind-altering drugs, is shoved in. And then the door is slammed shut.
My entire body starts to tremble, and I sit up, balling the thick comforter in my hands. My heart races and sweat breaks out along my brow. Pain radiates from the inside of my elbow, where I’ve been poked and prodded by needles and injections so much both of my arms are bruised. I don’t inhale. Don’t exhale. My chest starts to hurt and my ears begin to ring.
And then a dark shadow passes through the open window, landing on the foot of my bed. Dark red eyes glow against the black, billowing shadow, and somewhere in the back of my mind, I know I should be afraid.
But I’m not, because I’ve seen him before. It was he who alerted Tabatha of my situation. It was he who saved me.
My lips part and I let out a breath. “Hello,” I say and hold out my hand. “I’m Callie.”
The shadow circles around me, and I can feel its power coming off in waves. It stops, floating in the air at my eye level for a moment before lurching forward, shifting from a shadow to a black cat.
The cat meows and jumps onto the bed. Tears sting my eyes, and I reach forward, running my hand over the cat’s sleek fur. We’re instantly bonded, and I know, without a doubt in my mind, this thing—this cat—would lay down its life for me.
And I’d do the same for him.
The cat steps into my lap, purring as he rubs his face against me. I laugh and hug him, letting his soft fur absorb my tears.
The door to my room opens, and I whirl around.
“Oh, sorry,” a girl with big blue eyes and a blonde ponytail says. “You’re the new girl, right? I’m Kristy and—you’ve got a familiar?” She gasps and rushes forward. “I cannot wait until I get mine, but my mom said I need to pass my sixth year first. Seven devils, he’s pretty!” She stops a few feet from the bed, staring at the cat in my lap. “What his name?”
I take a deep breath as the cat rubs against me again. “This is Binx.”
“Callie,” Ruby snaps, and I blink, tearing my eyes away from hallway leading to the dorms.
“Sorry,” I rush out, trying to shove my emotions away. I hug Binx a little tighter and walk briskly the rest of the way to Tabatha’s study. The fireplace is lit and the smell of lavender and sage hits me before Ruby even opens the door.
“Grand Master,” Ruby says, bowing her head out of respect to Albert. He led my trial; I suppose it’s only fitting he question me as well. He’s sitting at Tabatha’s desk and is wearing a dark gray dressing robe with the planetary symbols embroidered along the breast.
The study has been rearranged a bit, and Tabatha and Sister Selena—the Academy’s counselor— are seated to the left of the desk. There’s one other chair to the right, for Ruby, and one across from the others for me.