Fire & Flood (Mythverse #1)

Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Me almost dying pretty much sets the routine for the next few weeks.

I try to keep my head down but Cassie and I are the only non-vamps in the a*s Class, so we kind of stick out. I thought things might be easier in Tracking for Assassins, since it’s an interdisciplinary class. The trackers are mostly shifters, so it seemed possible that I might actually make some friends.

I thought wrong.

“Shifters can be as clique-ish as vampires,” Cassie explains as we make our way outside for our first group project. “Wolves stick to wolves, panthers stick to panthers, merfolk stick to…”

“Merfolk. Yeah, I get it. Everyone here is a bigot.”

The vamps are all huddled in a group, laughing and talking in the sunshine. Cassie told me they wear a special spray-on sunscreen. SPF 200. That must be why it always takes Tina so long in the bathroom every morning.

Our instructor is a fit woman called Artemis—yes, that Artemis, the goddess of wild animals and hunting. I’m finally starting to know these things without having to ask Cassie thanks to a “Dummies Guide to Greek Mythology” book I found in the library. Artemis explains that each assassin has to pair up with a tracker, the goal being to see how well we work together. I’m immediately nervous. No tracker is going to want to pair with me, since I’m a super novice assassin.

But one of the shifters approaches me with a smile.

So far, with the exception of Cassie, everyone else at school has been a little standoffish. Or actually a lot. During every meal Cassie and I sit alone at our giant empty table in the dining room. It probably doesn’t help that I still haven’t been able to release my inner whatever. Not that I’ve been trying too hard. Keeping up with classes has keeps me so busy that I don’t have time for much else. And, there’s also the fact that I’m maybe still a little scared of finding out exactly what those glowing eyes belong to. Still, I can’t forget Themis’ warning—the clock is ticking.

But I don’t exactly want the tracker who has picked me. He’s a bat. Also, a bit batty. He’s always staring at me!

“Greg,” I say, trying to force a smile.

“Edie.” His grin twitches as he approaches me. “I’ve been thinking. We should mate.”

I blink. “Whaaat?”

“You know, have sex.”

“I know what it means. Why would I…”

“Well, there aren’t that many of us bat shifters left, so we should probably procreate soon.”

A few vampires overhear us and start chanting, “mate, mate, mate.” I glare at them and they immediately fall silent. That’s been happening ever since I set Val on fire. Which… I turn, and glare at Greg.

“You do know I breathe fire when I get excited?”

He nods. “Yeah, and I’ll admit that was worrying. But then I realized. We’ll just do it batty style.” Greg mimes like he’s…what is he doing? Pretending to direct traffic while thrusting his hips and—

Ooooh. I got it now.

“We are not having s*x batty style or any other way!” I shake my head. “Absolutely not. No dates. No shacking up. No—”

Greg cuts me off. “Oh, no. Don’t get me wrong. I don’t want to date you or anything.”

“You just want me to birth your bat babies?”

“Exactly,” he says. I try to back away but Artemis appears next to us.

“Great, you guys are a pair.”

“Oh no,” I look around but there’s no one left. I’m stuck with bat boy.

“Greg, your job is to locate the minotaur’s lair, taking Edie with you to complete the assassination.” She stops, turns to me, her mouth a thin line.

“You understand that you are not to actually kill anyone, correct? No more fires?”

I nod. Smart-assing Artemis is not cool. She pinned a kid to the wall last week for it. Like, actually, with arrows.

“You have forty minutes. This is a pass/fail test.” She looks at me. “We’ll see how well you do and determine if you need extra tutoring. I’m thinking you do.”

My stomach tightens nervously with my typical test anxiety. I push it away and turn to Greg. “So let’s…” but Greg is gone. In his place flaps a bat, making awkward zig zagging patterns in the air. A tiny little uniform—complete with wee plaid tie—covers his little bat body.

I close my eyes. Please, don’t let me be a bat.

“Follow me,” he squeaks and flies off. I run after him, hoping that I can keep up.

“Did you just talk to me…in bat?” I huff as I catch up to him.

“Yup,” he nods his little bat head as he squeaks yet again. A noise which my brain is somehow able to translate into words. Crazy. “All shifters can understand each other when in animal form. Witches can usually understand a few words here or there. Vampires, though, are big fat zeroes when it comes to animal linguistics. You can shift and talk s**t right to their face and they don’t have a clue!”

Greg squeak laughs at this and I can’t help but join in.

Remembering that we’re in the middle of an assignment, we focus back on our task. We’re supposed to be tracking a fellow classmate, someone Artemis pulled out of first period and sent off into the woods. Greg swoops and swerves a few feet ahead of me, and I’m following dutifully when something occurs to me.

“Hey, aren’t bats blind?”

Greg stops mid-air, then comes to perch on my shoulder. His wing brushes my cheek and I try not to shrink away from him.

“Eh…not exactly blind, no. But I can’t see very well.”

“And you’re a tracker?”

“I’m a bad tracker,” he says, squeaky voice going even higher. “But what I can do is smell.”

“Great,” I mutter.

“It is great, know why? Because werewolves are awesome trackers…and they stink.”

It’s almost funny. I kind of smile, but quickly wipe it off my face in case he offers to impregnate me again.

“And huge,” he adds, pointing to a spot in the underbrush that has been completely flattened.

“Oh, okay,” I say, walking through it, Greg still on my shoulder. “So we just follow the path of destruction?”

“Pretty much.”

We’re the last to make it to the meet up point, but we’re under the time limit. I’m proud of myself–I didn’t freeze up even with a tiny little bat riding on my shoulder. His little bat claws are clinging to my hair; I brush him off and he flutters away, turning back into a boy.

He grins. “We make a great team. We should definitely have children together.”

“Okay, is this weird preoccupation with procreation a you thing, or a shifter thing?”

He shrugs his shoulders. “Not all shifters have to worry about the continued existence of their race. The winged ones, we’re a little more rare. Bats, harpies, owls, ostriches.”

“Ostriches,” I say, waiting for him to c***k a smile, or let me know he’s joking. He doesn’t.

Please, I think. Please don’t make me a bat or an ostrich.

“Have you molted yet?” Greg asks, and I decide I’m done with him. I back away while he’s still talking. “Wait…we should set up a time to…”

I don’t let him finish. I turn and basically run to go find Cassie instead.

“How’d it go?” I ask when I find her.

“Fine. My shifter ditched me so I just saw where to go.”

“You followed the werewolves too?” I ask.

“No, I mean like”—she rolls her eyes back into her head—“saw. Except first my sight took me to the bathroom, because apparently I’m going to develop a urinary tract infection.”

“That’s terrible,” I say. “But at least your shifter abandoned you rather than suggested you two have bat sex.”

Cassie laughs. “Yeah, that’s Greg for you. He’s really into being a bat. If there’s even a chance that you’re one too, he’s not going to leave you alone.”

“Hey, Edie.” Suddenly Val is at my side. He’s so quiet, I didn’t even hear him approach. Vampires definitely have an unfair advantage. “Look, if you’re not busy with Greg—”

“I will never be busy with Greg.”

This actually earns a full smile. A fleeting one, but I catch it just the same. “Anyway, I just wanted to let you know there’s a full moon party tonight.”

“Oh?” I ask, trying to sound cool and hoping that he can’t tell my heart is beating madly. Is Val asking me to this party?

“Yeah, it’s mostly a shifter thing, but vamps and parties. You know.”

I have no idea at all, but I nod like I understand. “Totally.”

“Right.” He nods back. “So I just wanted to ask…” He hesitates and I wonder if beneath the super cool guy exterior, he might actually be a little bit bashful. His eyes meet mine. They are dark and intense, stealing my breath as he asks, “Can you keep an eye on Tina? She goes a little overboard at these things sometimes. If she gets out of hand, I’d appreciate if you’d come get me.”

My heart sinks so slowly, I can almost trace its journey. “Sure,” I manage to say at last. “of course I’ll keep an eye on her.” Somehow I fake a laugh. “Vampires and parties, right? What can ya do?”

Val’s mouth curls in that slightly mocking way that seems to suggest he sees right through me. He holds out a piece of paper. “My room number. In case you need me.”

Our fingers brush as I take the paper. And then finally, Val walks away.

“Wow,” Cassie shakes her head. “For a minute there I was worried he was getting ready to ask you to the party. That would’ve been terrible.”

“Yeah,” I agree. “Cause vampires get totally wild and crazy at parties, right?”

Cassie gives me one of those looks that means I’ve got it totally backwards. I’ve gotten to know that look too well over the past few weeks. “No. They like to just stand around looking above it all and making fun of everyone else.”

“Sooo, what do you think Val meant about Tina getting out of hand?” I ask nervously.

“Oh, he’s definitely worried she’s gonna bite you,” Cassie replies.

“Great. So nice of Val to warn me.”

“Actually, it kinda was.” Cassie gives me a searching look. “Do you think he might sorta like you?”

I roll my eyes. “Definitely not. And I for sure do not like him,” I lie, hoping it will help make it true. “He’s just a guy I once set on fire.”

Cassie doesn’t look totally convinced. “Okay, well, that’s good. It’s better to stay away from that one,” she tells me. “He’s got a reputation.”

“What, as a heartbreaker?” I ask, watching him walk away in his floaty way. That is actually the saying on the sparkly purple t-shirt he’s wearing today. It still blows my mind that Tina makes them. Usually the only creativity she shows is in finding new ways to insult me and make my life miserable.

“Um, tear your eyes away from his torso, Edie. That guy is more than just a heartbreaker. It’s more like he’ll rip your heart out of your chest and dance on it. Seriously. There’s a second year who quit because he broke up with her.”

I shake my head. “I’m not going to let some guy make me quit. I need this place.” I’m almost surprised by how true this has become. It’s not that I’m happy here. There’s too much that’s new and weird and stressful and just plain difficult for me to even imagine enjoying myself. But unlike when I was living with the foster people, I have a purpose here.

And also, okay, there are a lot of hot guys. I’m not gonna pretend that isn’t a perk or that it doesn’t brighten my days, because it does.

She nods. “Okay, well, let’s get lunch and I’ll walk you to remedial flying.”

As we head to the dining hall I can’t help but search for Val in the crowd. With that purple shirt he should be easy to find. Also, I’ve noticed over the past few weeks that while he’s always with the vampires, he tends to stand slightly apart from them.

“Looking for anyone in particular?” Cassie asks in an arch tone.

“Um, no, I was just wondering…” I search my brain for something I might’ve been thinking, but I’m saved by Cassie’s eyes rolling back in her head.

She throws her arms out and falls to the ground proclaiming in an eerily loud voice, “The tuna will be bad. The tuna, the tuna. Beware the fish, for it will make you—”

“Hey!” I actually interrupt her vision by shaking her, even though the damage is already done.

“Wait, I wanted to hear more about the bad tuna,” Tina mocks. “Sounds like a campus-wide food poisoning issue. Which end will it come out of? It’s such a mystery!”

Cassie only shakes in my arms. I wish she’d stand up for herself—like, actually, but also literally. She’s getting heavy.

Tina’s friend Jenn hops up and does an impromptu reenactment of Cassie’s vision, throwing herself on the ground and writhing, gripping her stomach. Too bad there’s no drama club here; she’s really good. If only it wasn’t at Cassie’s expense.

She’s finally standing on her own, but she’s got her face covered, like she can’t stand to watch Jenn’s antics.

“Jenn, you are hilarious,” Tina laughs.

“Yeah, sounds like a good time at dinner tonight,” Marguerite, another of Tina’s cronies, adds and they laugh. “Real shits and giggles.”

“Just ignore them,” I tell Cassie.

Her face is beet red. But Tina won’t give it a rest. She marches over and gets in Cassie’s face. “You know, if your prophecies actually mattered maybe you wouldn’t be bounced around from one discipline to another. Everyone knows you’re only here because of your mom.”

“Whoa,” I say. “Back off.”

Tina flashes her fangs at me, a strand of green hair slipping out from behind her ear. “And you…why are you here at all? Swamper.”

One of the teachers walks over to us, all imposing and god-like, and to my relief Tina actually backs off. She rejoins her crew but before she sits she takes her tie and makes a hanging motion. The meaning is clear. I’m on her s**t list. Well, not really a surprise.

Cassie looks mortified, so I try desperately to change the subject.

“So what’s the deal with the vamps not wearing their uniforms to regulation, anyway?”

“What? Oh that.” Cassie shrugs. “You know vamps.”

“I’m starting to.” And one in particular who I’d like to know more… I quickly shut down that train of thought.

I’ve got her on a new thought track though and she rolls with it. “I mean, they’re sorta anarchists at heart. And deeply, deeply selfish. Which is why dating one would be a bad idea.”

“Well yeah. Obviously.” I force a fake laugh. We get our lunch and walk to an empty table in the corner. No need to call more attention to ourselves.

She’s full steam ahead now. “My mom actually remembers when they were first debating about letting them into the Academy. Shifters and witches were here from the beginning, and vampires always seemed like a perfect fit. I mean everyone knows vampires love to kill. They’re natural assassins and they have no conscience or respect for life.”

“I don’t really see the problem there,” I can’t help observing.

“Right. You’d think so. Except vamps have this weird thing where they’ll get super attached to someone and it’s like no matter what happens after that,they’re loyal to the very end.”

“Again, that seems not so bad.” I say, playing with my food.

“No, it’s awful. The gods want us to be loyal to them first. Above friends, family, and even ourselves. But a vampire…well, like Val, for instance. He was super attached to his old roommate. They were best friends. And the roommate wasn’t even a vampire. He was a werewolf. But then—” Cassie suddenly stops talking.

Flustered, she laughs. “Why am I talking about this? You asked me about uniforms. So anyway, the vamps don’t shift so they add other, non-magic apparel stuff. The shifters are essentially practical and pragmatic creatures, so they appreciate that the uniforms are made to magically shift with them. And the magic types are unbending rule followers. They think the world will dissolve into chaos if they don’t do everything by the book. And if it’s a book of magic we’re talking about—well, that could be true.

“Oh, and Tina’s hair. I mean, they could have just let her in for her hair, am I right? I mean, like wow. Her punk look is totally awesome, jives with her whole I might kill you thing.”

Cassie is so very obviously trying to change the subject, but it’s a good time for me to ask something I’ve been curious about.

“Seriously,” I agree. “I wish I could get highlights like that.”

“Isn’t that a thing in the real world?” Cassie asks, clearly confused. “They’re called salons, right?”

“No, I mean, I wish I could get them like she does.” I pick up a piece of my hair and pinch it, pulling downwards like I saw Tina do, turning her tresses green. “Pretty cool, right? She just like wills her hair to be the color she wants.”

“Um, no,” Cassie shakes her head emphatically. “That would be a shifter trick, and there’s no way Tina’s got some shifter in her. Nobody is more proud of being pure vampire than that girl.”

“But…” I’m going to argue, but decide not to. I thought I saw Tina tweaking her hair, but that was my first day here. I was a mess, and I also thought her Venus fly trap was breathing so it’s possible I’d just had a really long day.

I open my mouth to go back to the whole Val and his roommate story, certain I can get Cassie to spill everything. But before I can, she looks down at her wrist. There’s no watch there, but that doesn’t stop her from saying, “Oh wow, look at the time. I gotta go be somewhere else that isn’t here with you. So, okay, catch ya later. Bye!”

And with that she runs off, leaving me alone at the table.

I watch her go, stunned that for the first time Cassie has had enough of me before I’ve had enough of her.