Shade Academy

Chapter 14

I did exactly as I said I would. I went back to my room and packed for break. I was still nervous and a little shocked that Axel was coming along. Until now he has never really shown an interest in being alone with me, he hardly even spoke to me. Now don't get me wrong, I was happy he was coming, I wanted to spend time with him, explore whatever this mate thing entailed and what it meant. I liked Axel, even though he was a total d**k at times I liked him. I believe his reaction to me was more of a defense he used to keep me at arms length. That seemed to go out the window. 

Axel was supposed to meet me in my room, where we would portal from here to the mansion. We couldn't portal into the mansion itself since it was warded but we could portal to the gate outside the mansion. A knock at the door startled me, causing me to stumble over my bag. I fell, hard, almost knocking my head on the floor. I groaned as I stood, pain shooting up my arm from where I caught myself. Pulling the door open Axel saw the pained look on my face. "What happened?" His face was grim, concern was in his eyes. I smiled, my heart swelling in my chest with the thought that he cared and worried about me. 

"Your knock startled me and i tripped. I'm fine." i told him reassuringly. He nodded curtly and stepped passed me into my room. I shook my head as I shut the door. Will he be like this the whole break? His mood swings were giving me whip lash. One second he seems like he cares and is concerned and the next he is distant and cold. I couldn't handle two weeks of his mood changes. 

"Are you going to be like this the whole time?" I asked him as I grabbed my things. Axel took them my bag from me and slung it over his shoulder. "Like what?" He asked. "So hot and cold with me. Can you not just choose one mood and stick with it?" Axel closed his eyes and sighed. "We can talk about this once we get where we're going, ok?'  I looked at him suspiciously but nodded. 

The portal was easy and didn't take much out of me. The destination was only an hour drive. Now once you tried portaling across country or international was when you drain every drop of your magic. But once you get the hang of it and your power grows it gets easier. 

The portal spit us out at the gate where I had a car waiting. I called ahead of time because the drive way was long and I didn't feel like walking for an hour just to get to the house. "Welcome home Miss. Ashford. Who is your friend?" The guard kept his eye on Axel as he looked him up and down, searching for any sign he meant harm to me or anyone else on the grounds. "This is my friend Axel Hale from the Academy. Axel this is one of my guards, John." Axel reached his hand our to John, who shook it. "It's nice to meet you John." Axel said formally. "Likewise." John still never took his eyes off Axel, even in the car he kept glancing back to him through the rearview mirror. 

"He doesn't seem to trust me." Axel leaned over and whispered. I just shrugged. " can you blame him after what happened last time?' Axel grunted and crossed his arms over his chest. "I'd never hurt you." He grumbled. I snickered at his childish behavior. 

As we pulled up to the front of the house I got out of the car and grabbed my bags as I made my way to the front door. It was never locked seeing as how so many of the employees worked here during the day and were in and out all day. The door only ever got locked at night. Though I'd love to see someone try and get through the front gate, that would be fun to watch. The guards would have a field day. 

We were greeted by an array of servants as we entered the mansion and I couldn't help but smile. All of them were so happy to have an Ashford back in the mansion. Turning to one of the women I smiled. "Could you take my bag to my room please?" She nodded and took the bag from my hand before heading up the stairs. "Could you show my friend to his room for the next two weeks please?" I asked another staff member. He bowed his head and took Axel's bag from him before ushering him up the stairs. 

Even after what happened I felt like I could finally breath here. My every move wasn't being watched, I wasn't stared at and there were no whispers behind my back. I was free to be me, and do and go where ever I wanted. 

I didn't even go to my room. I asked the staff to bring me my lunch in the library and told them that I'd probably be there all day so to bring me a snack and dinner there as well. They all happily agreed, eager to serve another Ashford. I loved their enthusiasm and eagerness. Though I really didn't agree to having servants and maids and butlers. But they were paid with housing, food and any other need they may have. They did get days off but there was always someone there to take that persons place. The Ashfords had helped so many vampires have children that I might as well have an army of vampires and hybrids living here. 

I stood in the doorway of the library, stunned and overwhelmed with it's size. Where was I even supposed to start? It would take months if not years to go through all of this and I only had two weeks. "Ugh!" I groaned rubbing my temples. "Is there something I can help you with?" A chipper voice asked. I looked up into a cheery young girl's face. Her smile was bright and her eyes shinned. She was a happy girl, that was for sure. 

"I need to find books on my family history. Photographs, books, any information there is." The young girl smiled as she jumped up and down clapping her hands. I couldn't help but laugh at her. "I finally get to help an Ashford." She beamed. "Please come with me, I'll show you everything there is." I followed the enthusiastic girl through the library. We passed rows and rows of books. It was much bigger than I realized. 

We finally stopped in the back of the library at a door that was nestled in the back corner. "Only an Ashford can access the room." She informed me. "All you have to do is put your finger in the scanner, it will prick your finger quickly analyze your DNA and will open if you have Ashford blood." Well that seems a bit over the top, but I guess it was one way to keep your most valuable tomes and information safe. 

I shrugged and did as I was instructed. The prick was quick and painless. No sooner than I stuck my finger in the scanner did the door opened. I walked into a large room. Old tattered books were scattered across a table in the center of the room. Book shelves lined two of the four walls, both filled with some ancient looking books and some newer ones. But one thing that caught my eye was the photo album that was opened up on the table beside the old books. I slowly made my way over picking up the album. There was a picture of a beautiful woman, her hair long and brown, her almond shaped eyes held such an intense color of grey eyes they took my breath. She stood beside a handsome man. His hair was dark and his eyes were the same silver as mine. But what pulled my attention was the tiny baby they held in between them. The baby was no more than a few days old and was swaddled in a purple blanket as she slept peacefully. 

Then my eyes landed on the words underneath. Marie Annabella Ashford. Zander Xavier Whitemore. Anna Marie Ashford. My eyes filled with tears as I looked at the photo. It was me, with my mother and father. They both looked down on me adoringly, their faces filled with joy as they smiled. They did love me and they wanted me. Something dire must have happened for them to have abandon me. But what could it possibly have been?" 

When a knock came at the door I wiped the tears with the back of my hand before opening it. Axel stood outside with a stony expression, but as soon as he saw how I looked his features softened. "What is it?" He asked as he gently wiped a stray tear from my cheek. I gave him a small smile and led him to the table before pointing at the photo. Axel examined it then his body froze as he read the names. "Anna, this isn't good." He said. His tone was low, almost as if he were scared. "What? Why not? It's my parents, I finally know who they are and what they looked like." I argued. 

"No Anna you don't understand." He said looking back up at me. I furrowed my brow. "Then explain." I said sternly. Axel ran a hand down his face. "The Ashford clan was not the only one wiped out. All the original families were targeted. A lot of powerful and influential people were killed. The group of rouges that attacked almost succeeded in wiping out each clan. Leaving the Ashford clan for last was what must have given your parents the time to hide you, but by the time the rouges got to the Ashfords, they were able to take out every last rouge with them." I was more confused than ever. "So? What does that have to do with my families photo?" Axel sighed. "The night the rouges hit the Ashford home, the Whitmore clan was with them. They were having some kind of gathering. The whitemore clan was killed with them." 

My eyes grew wide. No, how? How could I be the last living descendant of two of the original families? I started to feel dizzy as nausea threatened to overwhelm me. Axel gripped me around the waist and led me to a chair. "What does this mean?" I whispered. Axel sighed as he grasped my hands in his. "It means you're more powerful than anyone could ever have imagined. No one can know bout this." He warned me. "What? Why?" I asked astonished. "Anna, do you know how a witch gets his or her powers?" I looked into his eyes and shook my head. "In a sense it is genetic, but what makes the power grow generation to generation is that the magic is passed down. So what powers your grandmother had your mother would have inherited which would add to her own power making her more powerful. So imagine when the entire clan is killed, leaving only one living witch."

I thought about it for a minute before it dawned on me. "Are you telling me I have generations worth of power, from two families running through me?" I asked. My mind was running so fast I was sure smoke was coming out of my ears. "Yes, Anna. All the power both families have ever accumulated and passed down is now all within you."  How is this even possible? And what did it mean for my life?