Page 15 of Misfit Monsters (Pack of Outcasts #1)

Periwinkle

I don’t resent the cage-like room. If anything, I’m grateful for it.

As long as I’m in here, pinned by the piercing lights that reflect off the shiny walls, I can’t harm anyone.

The academy’s administration already forgave me once, and I screwed up even worse just a couple of days later. Maybe I’m not safe for the human world, no matter what I do.

Maybe I came into existence with powers too erratic to be controlled… or maybe my crimes before I came here broke something that can’t be fixed.

A voice crackles from a speaker mounted somewhere I can’t see. The intoned syllables carry a current of sorcery that winds through my essence.

Follow me to the meeting room. Don’t move except to walk where I lead .

As the commands take hold, a door opens in front of me. Squinting against the stinging light, I hurry toward the gentler glow outside.

It’s only after I step into the hall that I recognize Jonah as my escort. He motions me down the narrow, pale gray corridor, his expression tight.

I keep pace, my stomach knotting at the thought that he’s angry with me. But just before he pushes open the door at the end of the hall, he glances over. “I’m sorry about this. It’s a mandatory safety precaution. I know you wouldn’t try to hurt anyone.”

I swallow thickly. At least someone believes that no matter how badly I’ve bungled things. “I understand.”

We step into the dwindling daylight of the late afternoon. The building where I was held is a squat beige cube set apart from the two much larger stucco buildings that hold the two divisions of the academy side by side.

As the dry desert air prickles in my nose, we go through the back entrance of the sprawling reform building. It’s only a short trek down that hallway to a meeting room I’m too familiar with.

The other five administrators are already poised behind the kidney-shaped table, their faces as grim as Jonah’s or worse. Even Pearl’s blond curls look deflated.

A vibe of disappointment and uneasiness wafts through the air from all around me, sour as curdled milk.

Jonah leaves me in the center of the room to take his spot at the end of the table. All six pairs of eyes study me.

Gnash speaks first, his voice a low growl. “You were already on thin ice, and now this. You’ve barely been at the academy for a week, and you’ve hurt several students.”

I can’t give up. Pushing through my doubts, I lift my chin. “I’m learning a lot. There’ve just been… incidents I didn’t avoid fast enough. I’ll get better at it. ”

Jonah raps his hand against the tabletop. “We have to take into account the behavior of the other students toward Peri. You all saw what they did to her room. We’ve heard what happened at lunch.”

Toni shakes her head with a swish of her dark bob. “Embarrassment and vandalism aren’t the same as an outright physical attack. And the students Periwinkle hurt weren’t even the ones who harassed her.”

Shanty’s mouth twists into a slanted line. “And when you’re out among humans, you need to be prepared to face situations that upset you. Mortals can be cruel and selfish. If even more of them start hunting us… Lashing out puts all our survival in danger.”

My head droops. “I tried so hard to stop it, I promise.”

“That’s part of the problem,” Pearl says softly. “Your powers are out of control—our control and yours. If you’re not getting a better grip on them even when you’d really like to… I’m not sure what we can teach you.”

I suspect the outcome of this meeting is already decided, but I make a last-ditch attempt, putting on my best winning smile. “I’ll keep practicing—more one-on-one sessions. I’ll stay in the confinement building as long as you want so I can’t hurt anyone.”

Al speaks up in his flat tone. “You can hardly practice if there’s no one around to provoke you. How would we know that we wouldn’t see the exact same result as soon as you returned to regular classes?”

A very good question I wish I had the answer to.

Gnash stands up and glowers at me. “In light of all recent events and your inability to control your powers, the only choice we can make for the security of the academy and the shadowkind community at large is?—”

The whoosh of the door opening cuts him off. A casually commanding voice rings out. “You started without me. ”

I stare at the shadowkind man who strolls inside, but that must be okay, because all the administrators are staring at him too.

He isn’t especially impressive to look at, with polished features that are handsome enough but a body that’s not quite as tall or bulky as Gnash’s. All the same, my skin quivers with the aura of power he emanates.

Whatever kind of being he is, he’s one I’d give a wide berth. If I had the choice.

The new arrival has just reached the chair at the middle of the table when Shanty finds her voice. “Rollick. I didn’t realize you’d decided to join us.”

So this is the mysterious founder of the school, the one who wanted to give all shadowkind a chance to adapt to the mortal world. I peer at him more closely, as if his tawny hair and gleaming teeth will give me a clue about how he’s going to handle my case.

I can’t catch any emotions trickling off him. Either he’s very good at moderating his internal reactions or he’s very calm about what’s going on.

That makes one of us.

He sinks into his chair in a laidback pose and folds his hands over his stomach.

His dispassionate gaze takes in his colleagues.

“I had an inspiration but wanted to make sure everything was in order before I proposed it. And I spoke to the other involved parties first. I assumed the one in confinement was the least urgent.”

His attention slides to me with a hint of what might be… amusement? Pearl did hint that he has an odd sense of humor.

Gnash clears his throat. “I’m not sure there’s anything more to discuss. This being admits she can’t control her powers. She’s inflicted wounds on several students. Keeping her here endangers all her classmates, so we have to move to banishment.”

I knew that was where he was going before Rollick interrupted him, but my heart lurches anyway. Another protest rises in my throat.

“Hmm.” Rollick continues studying my face, directing his answer at me. “From what I’ve gathered from my staff’s reports, you would prefer not to harm anyone, and you’ve expressed ample dedication to getting a grip on your powers. Is that right, Peri?”

The fact that he uses my preferred nickname sets me slightly more at ease. I square my shoulders, demonstrating my dedication as well as I can while standing here. “Yes, that’s absolutely right.”

“And you’re also very concerned about staying out of the shadow realm.”

I dip my head. “Yes, um, sir. I wouldn’t mind going back for a little while! But I don’t absorb much emotion in the shadows… I can’t get enough nourishment without coming to the mortal realm.”

“It sounds like you have a strong motivation, then. Excellent.” Rollick looks around at his colleagues. “In that case, I have a unique proposition.”

Pearl arches her eyebrow. “What are you up to now, Your Demon-ness?”

Rollick’s lips twitch with a smile at her irreverent tone. Okay, he might wield enough power that he could disintegrate me with a snap of his fingers, but I don’t think he’s a bad guy.

He leans farther back in his chair. “We’ve had reports of strange shadowkind activity up north. Lesser beings acting in unusually destructive ways… The few associates I’ve already sent to investigate have failed to return—or in one case, returned so injured I hesitate to send him again. ”

Toni frowns. “You’ve mentioned this before. How does it relate to Peri’s situation?”

Rollick’s smile grows. “We have a few beings here at the school with potent powers but behavior so erratic they pose a threat to the other students. As an alternative to banishment, I suggest that they might benefit from some hands-on learning. They’ll investigate the strange occurrences as a team and, if possible, eliminate the problem.

If they succeed, we have proof that they can corral their impulses when the stakes are high enough. ”

And if we fail, we… disappear? Or possibly even die?

Not my preferred outcome, but I can’t say it’s any worse than being banished to the shadow realm to starve.

At least this way, I still have a chance to make things right.

“I’ll do it!” I pipe up before anyone needs to ask. “I’ll take up whatever mission you want if it means I might get to stay here in the mortal realm.”

Rollick beams at me. “Excellent. Your three classmates felt the same way. We can get started almost immediately.”

Al’s near-translucent skin has somehow paled more. “You’re going to send a group of unpredictable, destructive shadowkind off on their own?—”

“To deal with an unpredictable, destructive problem,” Rollick says. “It seems fitting. I have other concerns that prevent me from delving in for a sustained period myself.”

He swivels. “And they won’t be alone. Jonah, I’d like you to accompany this ‘team’ as their commanding officer, so to speak.”

Jonah’s mouth opens and closes again before he finds his voice. “Me?”

Rollick’s tone turns droll. “Who better? In a case like this, your sorcery may prove invaluable, both for tackling the unknown threat… and keeping our wayward students in line as need be. Unless you don’t feel up to the task.”

Jonah looks queasy, with a pang of defiance that hits me like a spicy dumpling. He sits up straighter in his chair. “Of course I can handle it. Who are the other students?”

Rollick gets up. “Three troublemakers who’ve been on the verge of banishment for ages—and who’ve been making a particular nuisance of themselves lately. I think they should make an interesting squad.”

He saunters over to the door and calls into the hallway. “You can come in now.”

The three figures stalk through the doorway one by one. My heart drops—and then plummets even farther.

First is Mirage, with a flash of his fangs through his grin like he’s thinking of snapping at me again. Even when he comes to a stop, he keeps shifting on his feet as if he can’t stay still.

Next comes Raze, who I last saw accusing me of defiling our dorm room. The massive shadowkind stares at me and then jerks his gaze away, his sinewy shoulders hunching.

Last to enter, with nonchalant strides as if the mission we’re about to be sent on means nothing to him, is Hail. The chill that follows the winter fae thickens when he sets eyes on me.

His lips draw back in a sneer. “You’re sending the pipsqueak with us? This is a joke.”

“No one’s laughing,” Rollick says smoothly. “You can figure out how to work together—and how to work your powers without them going haywire—or you can take a one-way trip to the shadow realm. If you’ve changed your mind, feel free to say so now.”

The men remain stubbornly silent. My hands clench at my sides, but I keep my mouth shut too .

I can fulfill this mission. I’ll prove I can do more good than harm.

As long as the men on my team don’t demolish me first.