Page 30 of Immortal Consequences (The Souls of Blackwood Academy #1)

Masika

The whispers followed them everywhere. Every corner. Every winding corridor and crammed classroom. There was no escaping the fame that came with being one of the chosen twelve. It was like a virus, a slithering current seeping into the veins of the student body.

It began almost immediately after the conclusion of the first trial.

The remaining contestants had returned to their regular routines and been met with curious stares and prodding questions.

Masika had assumed it would die down after the first couple of days, that the other students would eventually get bored of prying, but their curiosity seemed to only grow with each passing hour.

She couldn’t even sit in class without the unnerving sensation of a dozen pairs of eyes watching her.

She felt it now, as she attempted to concentrate in her late-afternoon Advanced Elemental Techniques class, that unsettling sensation that she was being monitored, every gesture and every facial expression closely examined by her peers.

Beside her sat Georgia and Carter. She didn’t usually gravitate toward them, but recent events had brought the remainingnominees together in a way that defied the usual status quo of Blackwood.

Housemaster Marigold had instructed the class to each separately read a passage from Advanced Fire Shifting and Conflagration Essentials.

However, Masika found it impossible to concentrate on anything other than the incessant whispers echoing around her.

The voices pounded against her skull, a dull ache blossoming at her temples.

When it became clear that the cloud of gossip showed no signs of dissipating, she let out a disgruntled sigh and shut her textbook. “I give up. I’ve read the same sentence thirty different times.”

Georgia scribbled something in the margin of her copy. “I find that constantly screaming in my head helps tune them out.”

“Healthy.”

“I actually don’t mind it.” Carter propped his dress shoes up on the desk, comfortably lounging back in his chair. “Personally, I find the attention to be rather invigorating.”

“That’s because you’re an attention whore,” Georgia teased.

He shrugged. “I prefer the term attention aficionado. ”

“I signed autographs today,” muttered Georgia with a grimace. “Autographs.”

Masika groaned. “You’re kidding.”

“Oh, it’s not all bad.” Carter stretched his arms out and winked at a group of girls seated a few rows down. They giggled behind their hands and quickly turned back to their textbooks.

Masika rolled her eyes. “This is absurd. We’re not celebrities.”

Carter leaned his head back into his hands.

“Sure feels like we are.”

“Ignore him,” Georgia said. “He can’t help himself. I’m afraid he loses all of his brain cells the moment a pretty girl looks in his direction.”

As if on cue, Carter blew a kiss to one particularly pretty blonde who couldn’t tear her eyes away from him. She flushed and hid her smile behind her textbook, turning to her friends, who erupted into a fit of giggles.

“It’s not my fault they love me.”

Georgia frowned. “You are unbearable.”

He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and lovingly batted his eyes. “And you adore me for it.”

Masika couldn’t quite pinpoint their dynamic.

It appeared to be solely platonic, though it seemed deeper than a simple friendship.

And then she noticed something. Despite their differing physical characteristics, they shared the same toothy grin.

The same pronounced dimple on their left cheek.

The same birthmark on their neck. The same—

“Wait.” Masika leaned in closer. “Are you two…are you related?”

The pair instantly froze, Georgia’s pencil clattering onto the table. They shared a knowing look, an unspoken exchange stretching out between them. And then Georgia turned to Masika, dipping her voice down low.

“Twins,” she admitted in a whisper. “Fraternal, obviously.”

Masika gaped in disbelief. “But I thought your last name was Lynn?”

“That’s my middle name.”

“How have I not heard about this before?” Masika asked, bewildered.

“We try to keep it quiet,” Carter explained in a whisper, leaning in closer. “When we first arrived, it caused a bit of a stir. It’s happened before…twins crossing at the same time. But it’srare.”

“It’s not a complete secret, though,” Georgia added. “A few of our close friends know.”

“And…me,” Masika added.

Georgia smiled. “Right. And now…you.”

It felt odd, harboring a secret she normally wouldn’t have deserved to know. But she supposed the Decennial had changed more than just their pain receptors. It had completely shifted the dynamic among the contestants. They were connected. Bonded by something beyond their comprehension.

“Any ideas what the second trial will be?” asked Carter, leaning his elbows against the table.

Masika shook her head. “None. You?”

“I heard a rumor,” Georgia admitted with a sheepish grin.

Carter smacked her elbow. “I thought we weren’t going to tell anyone—”

“We can trust her,” Georgia countered, smacking him back. “Plus, we already told her our biggest secret. What’s one more?”

Masika looked between them.

“What did you hear?”

“Well…” Georgia dipped her voice down lower. “I heard from Kashvi Bal, who heard it from Theodore Harding, who heard it from Gigi Castello, who heard it from—”

Carter cleared his throat.

“Georgia.”

“Right. Sorry.” She offered him an apologetic smile and continued. “Kashvi told me that they apparently rearranged everybody’s reaping schedule. A bunch of students who were meant to enter the Ether tonight have been moved to tomorrow.”

“What does that have to do with us?” Masika asked.

“Think about it. They must be moving around everyone’s schedule for a reason. And my guess is that they are going to send us into the Ether for the second trial. Tonight.”

Masika mulled her words over. It made sense. There would be no other logical reason to shift the reaping schedule. In fact, it was unheard of.

After class was over, Masika parted ways with Georgia and Carter and headed for Ivory House.

If the rumors were true, then that meant they only had a few hours left to prepare for the second trial.

And despite Irene’s stubborn need to close herself off from everyone around her, Masika refused to leave her in the dark.

Masika kept her head down and eyes forward as she traveled through the grounds.

She’d expended all of her spacial magic earlier in the day when she’d dodged an eager group of students attempting to corner her with questions, so now she was forced to walk halfway across campus during the late-afternoon traffic jam.

Throngs of exhausted students made their way out of class, huddled together after finishing their final assignments.

Most of them eyed her with palpable intrigue, their whispers echoing all around her.

She quickened her pace and wrapped her arms protectively across her chest.

Their whispers and gossiping were meaningless to her. She needed to focus on getting to Irene and preparing for the next trial, whatever it might be. But she was only a few yards away from Ivory when she spotted someone in the distance.

The new girl, Louise, stood by herself beneath a willow tree.

The wispy leaves rustled in the breeze, brushing the top of her head.

She was whispering to herself, soft murmurs that were barely audible over the whistle of the wind.

Masika edged closer, careful to keep her steps light.

When she was close enough, she noticed that Louise’s face was uncharacteristically blank.

Her eyes devoid of emotion. Her face expressionless.

In fact, the only thing that seemed to be moving was her lips.

A chill raised the hairs on the back of Masika’s neck as she came to an abrupt halt. She cleared her throat, ignoring the warning bells ringing in her head.

“Louise?”

The new girl jolted at the sound of her voice. She spun around to face Masika, hand over her chest.

“ Jesus… you scared me.”

“I’m sorry. You were talking to yourself,” Masika said, eyeing her carefully. Louise seemed fine now, warmth pooling back over her face.

“Oh. That. I was practicing for my defensive exam tomorrow. I find that reciting my study guides out loud helps.” She smiled sheepishly and blushed. “Sorry. That must have looked a bit weird.”

“Yeah…just a bit.”

Louise stared at her for an extended moment. “Wait. You’re Masika, aren’t you?”

Masika hesitated before nodding. “Yeah. I am.”

“Wren has mentioned you before,” Louise said. “She’s been helping me adjust. Tutoring me between classes.”

“Really?” Masika asked, genuinely surprised.

“Actually, I’m on my way to meet with her now,” Louise said, stepping forward. “I should probably hurry…don’t want to keep her waiting.”

“Right.” Masika mustered a cordial smile in return. “Of course.”

Louise nodded, walking past Masika, her ice-blond hair whipping in the wind.

“See you around!”

Masika wasn’t sure why, but as the girl walked away, disappearing into the horde of students congregated on the main path, she felt a cold trickle of dread travel up and down her spine.

A horrible sensation swept her body—a feeling that something terrible, something irreparable, was lingering on the horizon, just beyond what she could see.

But maybe it was just her imagination.

Maybe.