Spells of a Supreme

Chapter 4: Cassandra

"Pretty much. All the rich, snobby kids come here. The ones who have no skills or were probably too dumb to get in have their parents pay under the table to get them admitted." It was her turn to sneer. "Used to be you couldn't do stuff like that."

"I think you and I need to stick together."

"'Cause they don't like you f*****g four guys?" Meg laughed, and I laughed right along with her. "It's okay, nobody would touch most of these prudes."

I leaned forward. "You have a boyfriend?"

Meg nodded. "He couldn't get in, though. He had the skill but someone black-balled him. His parents didn't have the money to buy his way in."

"Okay, let's get this over with," the male voice said as he entered the room.

The thing about being Cassandra Clarke was everyone knew my face. So when the instructor stopped and looked at me, I wasn't surprised at his eye rolling. Not just the students were assholes.

"Your syllabus is online. You'll get no paper in this class." He sat on the desk and crossed his legs at the ankles. "And just in case one of you might be in the wrong class, this is Advanced Magic." He looked at me, hoping I'd get up and leave. "Fair enough. Let's begin."

I glanced toward the window and at the squirrel watching me, sitting in a tree, nibbling a nut. One of us liked being at the academy.

"You'll spend all semester practicing magic element combinations. Your final exam will judge your use, control, and creativity of the combination you create. Because you are in your final year, your spell will be one of the most dangerous you attempt while you're at the academy." He glared at a couple of the guys. "Meaning don't f**k around."

"You okay?" Meg whispered. "You don't seem like you want to be here."

I shook my head. "Honestly, I don't want to be here. I didn't ask to come here. And until I find the guys, I won't be a happy camper."

"You miss them?"

"I do. I just hope they're okay." I closed my eyes and searched for their energy across the campus. Again, I came up empty. Something or someone was blocking my ability to extend my energy.

The class ended early, and I walked out with Meg, none of the other students bothering to speak to either of us. Meg and I would stay friends for the rest of the year. We both knew what it was like to be an outsider.

I showed Meg my class schedule. "You know where this is?"

"Down the hall and to the right. I'm going that way too."

We walked side by side, the other students making a wide arc around us. "These people are going to have to change their attitudes," I said. "I won't put up with their crap much longer."

"When you have to save their asses, they will have a different attitude." She pointed ahead. "Those your guys down there?"

I hoped she didn't think I was being mean for leaving her behind, but I ran toward the guys waiting outside one of the classrooms, Kyler the first to grab me into his arms. He smelled and felt delicious.

"You shitheads," I began, "where have you been?"

Kyler stopped hugging me, and Dash pulled me in for a long, juicy kiss. He grabbed my ass and squeezed, causing me to cry out, getting the attention of the prudes passing by. Dash gave them one look, and they hurried away.

Oliver worked his way between Dash and I and kissed me on the cheek, his hand pressing into the small of my back, moving me against him.

"You're hard," I whispered in Oliver's ear.

"Every time I see you." He stepped back, and the three of them looked at Braeden.

"Cass," Braeden said, giving me a luke-warm hug. He stepped back and bowed his head, playing with his fingers. The others shrugged.

"What happened to you guys?" I felt Meg by my side, and I introduced her to everyone.

"We landed here but couldn't find you." Dash glared at a passing student. "All these shitheads knew exactly who we were but claimed they hadn't seen you." He nodded at Kyler. "His crazy ass said he sensed you."

"I shifted and walked around. At times it felt as if you were right next to me." He motioned over his shoulder. "I thought I saw you from the corner of my eye when I was in the admin building. I ran into the reception desk and the receptionist told me no dogs allowed, so I left."

"Aeden." I smiled. "He was separating me from everyone else."

"You adding to our group?" Oliver asked, a frown on his face.

"Our new mentor. I met him in a field beyond the campus. Never seen anything like him. He had full control over every element." They all looked guilty of something as they ignored what I was telling them. "What's going on?"

"You going to tell her?" Dash asked Kyler.

"It's kinda stupid." Kyler shoved his hands in his pockets. I missed running around in the forest with him and hoped we'd be doing it again soon. "I saw a beach and stuff. The five of us hanging out."

"Sounds like a wet dream." Dash laughed. Students around us snarled. "f**k off." Dash turned and briefly followed two guys who'd mumbled something not nice.

"That was after," Kyler said.

The three of them looked at Braeden and waited.

"What's going on?" I glared at Braeden. Up until that point everyone but Braeden had been dealing with some kind of emotional issue.

"I had a vision as well. Not one I really want to repeat, but I think it's important. You need to know." His eyes shifted to the floor. I f*****g hated waiting.

"Out with it. Were we all screwing around?" Nobody smiled with me. "Quit stalling, and tell me what's going on, Brae. These games are bullshit."

"As soon as we teleported and our feet hit the ground, I had a vision of you." Braeden's eyes saddened. I searched his energy and found it pulsing in an odd way. I searched further, and I felt him trying to push me away.

"Finish," Dash ordered.

"I saw you die, Cass."

I stood silent for a few minutes, waiting for the punchline. There was none.

"Okay. I'm sure it wasn't anything to worry about."

"Maybe not," Braeden said, "but I think we need to hide you away until we find Edius."

I shook my head. "You know damn well I'm not hiding."

"Which is why I'm having such a hard time dealing with what I saw. You won't do what's necessary to protect yourself." His jaws clinched. "For once can you just listen to what I'm telling you?"

I moved my hands to my hips and stared in disbelief that Braeden would speak to me in such a way. "I ..."

"Good, you're all here together. That makes it easier." Aeden nodded at Meg. "How's Meg today?"

"Good, thank you." Her eyes lit up, infatuated with our mentor. He put his hand on her shoulder, and I thought she would crumple to the floor.

I introduced Aeden to the guys, keeping an eye on Braeden who refused to make eye contact.

"I've got to head to my next class," Meg said, staring at Aeden and ignoring us, rightfully so. She turned back to look at Aeden before she rounded the corner.

"We have some business to attend to if you five would please join me." Aeden started down the hall, and we followed.

"Now what did you do?" Kyler asked Dash.

"This isn't about me." Dash's surprised look suggested he knew nothing about this business.

We followed Aeden down the steps and into another room where we stopped in our tracks. The admin staff stared at us from behind their table. Aeden joined the admins and then asked us to sit in the chairs facing the staff.