Ex Nihilo Academy (11 page)

“Nah, it was just a messy one that I shouldn’t have got on. It was totally my fault.” I say and he shakes his head.

“I’ve been watching you all afternoon, Lily. You know what
you are doing.”

“Look, Rowan I just want to forget about it. It scared me but I’m fine.” He opens his mouth like me wants to say more, then wisely shuts it.

“I think my board got dinged pretty badly but I can paddle out and get it. I don’t want them to charge you for it.” I sit up slowly.

“Lily, I don’t give a damn about the board. You are not going back into that water today.”

“No arguments here. I’ll pay you for it though.” I stand and test out my legs and arms which I can already tell are going to be stiff tomorrow.

“Lily.” There’s a warming in his voice so I decide not to
press the issue with the board right now and instead change the subject.

“When are your friends coming?”

“They should be here soon. I told them half-five. Come on then, there are outdoor showers by the parking lot that we can use to rinse
off.”

After a freezing cold shower we get back to the beach to find that a large group has gathered around the makings of a fire.

“I thought you said it was a few friends?” I ask and Rowan
grimaces.

“It was. They probably picked up some townies and tourists along the way.”

It turns out that Nissa and Cai are among the group and I’m so happy to see them. A few others in the group are Rowan’s friends and there
are another half dozen students from Ex Nihilo, including Luca. Rowan openly glares but Luca ignores him, his eyes raking over me instead.

“I like the beachy look, Lily. It suits you.” Luca says smoothly. Rowan looks from me to him and I blush. My hair has dried in loose
waves from the salt water and I’m wearing a printed maxi dress with a short sleeved cardigan over top.

“Quite a lot of people you’ve brought!” Rowan shouts over
the noise of the crowd to one of his friends who just shrugs. I introduce Nissa and Cai to Rowan who is polite but I notice that he’s a little short with them. Cai stares at him curiously like he’s trying to solve a puzzle but Nissa doesn’t seem to care that he’s acting weird. When Rowan smiles tightly and
excuses himself to get a drink, Nissa pounces.

“He is absolutely gorgeous! He’s got that tall, sexy, indie-rocker thing going for him. No wonder you spend so much time on the mainland!” She gushes.

“We are just friends, Nissa.” I say and her eyes brighten.

“Is he single?” I try hard to squash the irritation bubbling up inside of me and I notice that Cai flinches slightly when she asks.

“He has a girlfriend.” I say shortly.

No he doesn’t.
Luca’s voice pops into my head without warning and I spin around to look at him.
Rowan. He doesn’t have a girlfriend. Not that I care either way but you should ask him why he lied to
you about it.

I walk over to where Luca is standing by the fire. “Please mind your own business?” I say too sweetly and he smirks. I move away from him and find a comfortable spot by the fire to lay my towel down. Nissa and Cai
decide to take a walk down the shore together and I wonder when they plan on admitting to each other how totally smitten they are. The thought of a witch and a wolf together makes me smile. Why not? Kind of like a fairy and a vampire
together? I squash the thought down just as his voice pops into my head again.

You look beautiful tonight. Though in my humble opinion I don’t think the surfer girl and the ‘Indie-rocker’ as your friend put it are an
ideal fit.
I shoot a dirty look across the fire to where he’s sitting on a log.
Unless that’s your thing? Inhumanly tall Irishmen?
As if on cue Rowan sits down beside me on the towel and spreads his legs out. He offers me a beer from the cooler but I shake my head no.

Look, he’s trying to get you drunk
. The voice in my head teases. I give him the finger.
Did you just make a lewd hand gesture? I think I’m in love.
There is laughter in his voice and I can’t help but
smile. Rowan looks from me to Luca and scowls. Nissa and Cai rejoin us just as one of the guys from town starts strumming a guitar.

“Rowan why don’t you play something? Lily mentioned that you’re in a band.” Nissa asks and some of the others nod in agreement. He
shrugs and leans over to take the guitar.

“What do you want to hear?” He is looking at me when he asks.

“I don’t know. Something Irish?” I say.

“Your wish is my command, lovely Lily. This is called ‘The
Parting Glass’.” He smiles and starts to strum.

An acoustic guitar serenade on the beach - how original.
I try my hardest to focus on Rowan while ignoring Luca’s mocking tone.

* *

Of all the comrades that e’er I had

They’re sorry for my going away

And all the sweethearts that e’er I had

They’d wish me one more day to stay

But since it fell unto my lot

That I should rise and you should not

I gently rise and softly call

Good night and joy be to you all

* *

His deep gravelly voice is both haunting and beautiful and he has the full attention of everyone by the fire but he only watches me while he sings. I can feel the heat spread through my face at his unwavering gaze, so
when he finishes I get up and walk to the shore to get some fresh air. I feel Luca’s presence behind me the same way I feel electricity in the air after a storm but he doesn’t speak, at least, not out loud.

I could sing to you in Italian if you like. ‘Per Me Per
Sempre’ by Eros Ramazzotti. It means ‘Mine Forever’. Infiniti voli del cuore infinita felicita'quando penso che tu sei per me per sempre.

Luca doesn’t sing but he whispers the words in my head like
a caress that despite my best efforts to ignore him still sends shivers down my spine. I spin around and lash out.

“I’m not sure why you are so set on tormenting me tonight. I appreciate how you helped me at the dance and again at the pub and your
kindness when I found out about my family but you’ve made it very clear how you feel about fairies and you’ve told me to stay away from you, so I have. You made the rules so why aren’t you playing by them?” His face falls and his brows
pull together and for a moment I regret that I’ve made my point so well. That is, until he recovers himself and smiles.

“Rules were made to be broken, Lily.” I roll my eyes at him and head back to the fire, plopping down on the towel next to Rowan. The
now-black sky is filled with stars so I tilt my head back to get a better look at them.

“You can lean against me if you like. It’ll be easier to see them that way.” Rowan doesn’t wait for my response and instead pulls me back
against his chest. I can feel Luca’s eyes on us from across the fire. I feel awkward pressed against Rowan’s chest with everyone here but I don’t know how to move without hurting his feelings. Today has been confusing and he’s been so
good to me but I sense that something has shifted this evening. I don’t know what has changed but he seems restless and on edge.

“Lily, can you come here for a minute?” Luca’s silky voice floats toward us.

“She’s fine right where she is.” Rowan growls and there’s something territorial in his voice.

“I have something I want to tell her.” Luca adds with mock innocence.

“She has nothing to say to you.” I sit up and move away from
Rowan.

“I didn’t ask you to speak for me. I know Luca from school and if he wants to talk to me for a minute it’s not a big deal.” We’ve caught the attention of some of the others around the fire. Cai looks perplexed and
Nissa looks amused.

“I’m taking you home.” Rowan jumps to his feet. It is not a question and I’m surprised by his outburst. I’ve never seen him act like this before.

Overbearing isn’t he?
I suppress a snort and shake my
head.

“Takes one to know one.” I say loud enough for him to hear and he just chuckles. “Sit down, Rowan. You’ve barely seen your friends all night.”

“We’re going, Lily.” He says through clenched teeth and I’m
too stunned to do anything but follow him.

I could make him let you stay.
Luca’s mouth curves into a smile. The last thing I want is some testosterone fuelled fight so I wave an apologetic goodbye to the group as I rush to keep up with Rowan. Once we are at the truck he gets in and motions for me to do the same, then slams his door and peels out of the parking lot. Anger rolls off of him in waves and I don’t know what to say. I know he doesn’t like Luca but I have no idea what
has set him off. He pulls over to the side of the road and unbuckles his seat belt before turning toward me.

“Are you with him?”

“With who?” I raise my eyebrows.

“Don’t play stupid, Lily, it’s not a good look for you. You know who.”

“You mean Luca? No. I’ve talked to him like two times at school. Not that it’s any of your business.”

“He seems to be very interested in you.” He runs a hand
through his hair, clearly frustrated.

“Trust me when I say I’m the last person Luca is interested in. But he seems like a decent guy so what if he is interested?” I challenge, crossing my arms over my chest. “HE IS NOT A DECENT GUY! Just stay away from
him!” He erupts, slamming his hands down on the steering wheel. The silence that follows is palpable. I’ve never seen this side of him and I’m not digging the overbearing vibe at all. He exhales slowly and starts the truck up again.

“Sorry.” He mumbles as he pulls the car back on to the road.

“Forget about it.” I say the words but I know I don’t mean them. It’s not something I can so easily forget and I start to think that some
time away from Rowan is long overdue.

Monday rolls around and I’m in the training room once again.

“Don’t hop around! You need to shuffle from side to side,
but don’t bounce, and keep your hands up to protect your face.” I’m hammering my fists into the punching bag over and over while Cai shadows me. “Keep your hands up!” He yells at me and I let my arms fall to my sides.

“I can’t do this! I’m terrible.” I stare at the white hand
wraps looped around my palms and wonder what it would take to get me excused from martial arts training. Cai snaps his fingers in front of my face to get my attention.

“You can, Lily. You are more than physically capable but
your mind won’t let you succeed.”

“My mind? Right, there’s no way it could be the eighty pound bag.” I say sarcastically and he shakes his head.

“The mind is an incredibly powerful tool. In some ways it’s
almost magical, I mean, how is it that I retain all of my memories and thoughts when I shift into wolf form? How is it that you can will yourself to be invisible? The mind is everything; what you think you become.”

“It’s that saying yours?”

“No, it’s Buddha’s.” He laughs.

“Since you seem to be an expert on the subject of the mind can I ask you something?”

“Of course.” He follows as I walk over to sit on one of the
wooden benches flanking the wall. He sits down beside me and I try to think of the best way to phrase my question. “Do you think it’s possible that a dream could be more than a dream?”

“I think almost anything is possible.” He replies, his amber
eyes serious. “But please elaborate.” I flex my palms and take a deep breath before answering.

“The night my parents died I dreamt about them, but it felt like more than a dream. It felt like I was right there with them on that plane.
I heard them talking about me. I felt the wind on my face when the plane ripped apart.” I stop myself, swallowing back my tears. “I can’t explain how, but it felt real. And now Professor Winters is telling me that their death wasn’t an
accident - it can’t be a coincidence.” Cai pauses to unfasten the sparring pads he’s wearing.

“It could be another one of your abilities. Fairies are complex and I’ve always believed that there’s more with your kind yet to be
discovered.”

“You mean like the ability to see the future?”

“No, not precognition, I’m confident that’s left to the trolls. It is more likely a flicker of the past. Fairies are very in tune with
their surroundings, hence the elemental control, but they are also in tune with each other. Even though he’s probably not your first choice for a dance partner you must notice how at ease you feel around Tristan?” I hadn’t noticed but now
that Cai mentioned it I did feel instantly comfortable whenever in Tristan’s presence, but I’d always assumed it was his easygoing personality. “And do you ever notice when all the fairies gather together in the cafeteria they take on a sound, like a buzzing or a hum not unlike a hive?” I nod. I had noticed and
rather than find it comforting or ‘in tune’ I found it creepy. “Even their powers are stronger and vaster as a group. Take a time stop for example. It is said that a group of twenty or more fairies gathered together can manipulate
the fabric of time and freeze it in place. There are rumors that it has been done before with great success though not here at Ex Nihilo. But I’ll bet that Kennedy and her minions have tried.”

“How long does time freeze for?” I ask shocked that
something like that would even be remotely possible.

“I haven’t seen it myself but my quantum physics guess would be mere seconds to a few minutes. Anything longer then that could be seriously
disruptive to the fabric of time.” I shake my head in awe.

“But what does any of that have to do with my parents?”

“Well, it’s possible that your parents, both of whom were incredibly powerful, were in tune enough with you to share a flash of the past
present just long enough for you to see something that they wanted you to see.”

“I guess it’s possible. They sheltered me for so long maybe it was a warning of the danger ahead, knowing that they couldn’t protect me
anymore.”

“It’s not implausible.”

“Do you think they suffered? I mean, with the crash?” I ask while focusing my attention on a piece of tape stuck to the floor.

“If you want my scientific physics-based answer… ”

“On second thought I don’t think I do.” I cut him off before he can finish.

“I was just going to say that I’m sure they are in peace now
with the confidence that they’ve raised such a strong and capable girl. It must have been nice to experience that kind of love, however brief it was.”

“You aren’t close with your family? Are they wolves as well?” I ask.

“Werewolves are born not bitten and there are many of us,
though very few in Hong Kong. My parents were extremely ambitious and only interested in politics and amassing power and unfortunately a child can be seen as a barrier to that. Let’s just say that I had every want met, every luxury at
my disposal, I had everything except my parents’ attention as they were much too busy to be bothered.”

“I’m sorry, Cai.” And I am sorry. I feel bad that I’ve been dumping all this on him instead of trying to learn more about him. In a way I
am lucky to have experienced the kind of love my parents had to give.

“It’s nothing for you to apologize for Lily.”

“I know that but it doesn’t make me any less sorry.”

“We should get back to work. You have another five rounds to go, Lucinda’s orders.” He stands abruptly and I follow him back to the boxing area and wait as he slips the large sparring pad over his arm. “Let’s practice
your front kicks.”

“If we must.” I sigh. I kick the target half-heartedly and he glowers at me.

“You should take this more seriously. Your life is in danger and it would seem that the threats are escalating. We are all here to support
you but you need to be able to protect yourself.” He’s right of course and I immediately feel selfish for not trying harder. I kick again with more enthusiasm this time and he grins. “That’s it. Just imagine that the sparring
pad is Luca Morello’s face if that makes it easier. Or maybe it won’t. Maybe if you think that and I turn my back you’ll have it in a lip lock.” He teases and I smirk. “Are we seriously going to do this right now? While we are on the subject Cai… when exactly are you planning on telling Nissa that you’re madly
in love with her?” His face immediately reddens and he drops his arm.

“I don’t know what you think you know.” He sputters and I cut him off.

“Oh I know. And if I had to guess I’d say that the feeling
is mutual.”

“Really?” His eyes light with hope for a moment before his shoulders sag. “Even if that were true there’s nothing I can do. We’ve cemented ourselves as great friends and making the jump to a romantic relationship is
nearly impossible. Believe me I’ve looked at the statistics.”

“You said yourself that nothing is impossible. ‘Three things cannot be long hidden; the sun, the moon and the truth.’ My opinion is that
it’s better to tell her the truth before she guesses it for herself.”

“That is very wise. Is it yours?” He asks and I laugh.

“Nah, just throwing your Buddha right back at you. Tell her how you feel. Be honest and if she’s unsure about making the move then tell her
to give it one date. And give her a real date where you get dressed up, buy her flowers, hold the door open and hold her hand. I guarantee by the end of the night you’ll both be all butterflies and sweaty palms.” I wink and he leans
over to pick up the target before righting himself.

“Lily, you are a genius.”

“No, technically you are, but I appreciate the compliment all the same.” I say before launching my foot at the target as hard as I can.

* *

I head to the library after the gym and I’m still aching from the last few rounds with Cai. I find a table at the back and open my book to read up on the ‘Council of Five’. I wandered the halls a bit before making
my way here to look for Luca, who I’m weirdly excited to see again. And I have an ulterior motive - I want to ask him about Rowan and why things are so tense between them. But if I’m honest with myself I want to ask him anything just to
see his lips move. He has such a sensual way of speaking, it’s very distracting. Every time I close my eyes all I can see are his lips. I hear someone coming so I slam my book shut. It’s not the type of book I can let any
of the other students see so I figure it’s a perfect opportunity to practice the invisibility charm. I’ve been working on it daily with Lucinda and there’s no better time than the present to try it out. I close my eyes and focus on the shimmer. I place my hands on the big square table and concentrate, and when I
open my eyes and I can see the shimmer all around me so I know it has to be working. Luca and Kennedy are standing opposite my table and she has herself pressed against him with her arms slung around his neck. She’s once again
wearing next to nothing and her strawberry blond razor-cut hair is styled into a textured perfection. “You must know how tired I’m getting of hearing about that girl just because she’s fresh meat. We all know who the real fairy
princess should be.” She pouts at him but Luca removes her arms from around his neck and steps back.

“Everyone knows how powerful and popular you are Kennedy. I doubt her presence has changed that.” His voice is neutral, bored even.

“She needs to know her place and I’m just the person to show her.” She grins wickedly, running a finger down the tip of his nose.

“I’d leave Lily alone, Kennedy.”

“Why? Do you have a thing for her?” She whines.

“Please.” Luca snorts. “She’s just a little girl. I simply don’t think it’s worth your time to antagonize her.”

“Well, she’s certainly built like a little girl, but what else am I supposed to do for fun?” She sticks her hands in her back pockets and
thrusts her chest out suggestively. I can see her yellow thong peeking out above her low slung jeans and I am confounded that this is what Luca is, or was, attracted to. I mean, she’s sexy, I’ll give her that, but maybe I read him
all wrong. Clearly I read him all wrong if he thinks of me as a little girl not worth his time. My face is hot with embarrassment and the shimmer is starting to fade and I don’t know how much longer I can hold the charm.

“I mean it, Kennedy, leave her alone. As a favor to me. I made a promise a long time ago to look out for her and I keep my promises.” He narrows his eyes at her and she relents. “Fine, but if she gets in my way again
all bets are off.” She sashays out of the library with Luca trailing after her, shaking his head. I feel the charm fade away before I see it and I’m back in the flesh at the table with the Council book resting in front of me. I muffle a cry with my hand as it dawns on me. All I am to Luca is a favor he promised to
my parents. Some little girl he’s saddled with to look after and nothing more. I’m angry with him for taunting me and making it seem like more. What is this messed up game that he’s playing? Well, games are designed for more than one
player, and I know exactly what I’m going to do about it. I’m going shopping. But first I have to get the message to Tristan that I’m in for Belfast tomorrow night. Little girl. I’ll show him little girl. I hoist my bag over my shoulder
and head out to enlist Nissa’s help with a makeover. Get ready to meet the new Lily Hughes.

* *

“For the record I do not condone what you are doing at all. I think you are belle bijoux as you are and all of this is too much even for a
nightclub and look how I dress! That is saying a lot.” Nissa throws up her hands in defeat at my outfit of choice. We are in a boutique in nearby Downpatrick and I am wearing a sleeveless black corseted top that ties up the
back and actually gives me some cleavage. I have it paired with an ultra short silvery skirt that shows off my legs. Nissa has reluctantly selected a pair of silvery stilettos to match. “Why are you going to this club with Tristan? You don’t even like Tristan.” She is uncharacteristically subdued and I wonder if
everything with her and Cai is okay.

“Why don’t you and Cai join us?” I try and she makes a face.

“You say that like it would be a date.”

“What would be so wrong with that? The two of you spend practically all of your time together: you eat lunch together, you train together, and you hang out in your room together. And I see the way you look at each other when you don’t think the other is watching so why is it so hard to
imagine it evolving into something more?” I say and she laughs shortly and points a finely manicured finger at me.

“We are not talking about my love life right now we are talking about yours. Does this silly nightclub field trip of yours have
something to do with Rowan?” “

This has nothing to do with Rowan or Tristan. I’m not going with Tristan; he’s my ride and there’s a difference. I just want to live a little for once. I never do anything.” I whine and Nissa bites her lip
thoughtfully.

“Okay, as long as you know what you are doing.”

“I know what I am doing.” At least I’m pretty sure that I know what I am doing but I’m not going to tell her that.

“Then I think that you should put your hair up and show off your shoulders.” She puts an arm around me. “And we are going to have to teach you how to walk in these shoes.” “Now there’s the girl I love.” I smile back as
I slip on the super high heels to practice.