Core Council.
A generic title for a strange band of young men. Boys, really.
One of them was currently shoving his face into my neck.
“You’re wearing L’amour #4?” Enrique asked me at breakfast. Before I could answer, he leaned in towards me, his nose nearly brushing my skin. Theo is seated next to me, and Dracus is at the end of the table. I’ve learned that this is Dracus’ “spot,” a veritable serving place for a throne at the dining table.
“Don’t start,” Theo chided from beside me. His cheeks were turning a shade of pink, the same shade as the peach that he was currently biting into. Enrique smirked at his comrade as he pulled away from me.
“I stocked your bathroom,” he announced proudly. “My girlfriends have excellent taste. They recommended everything that you have.”
I raised an eyebrow. “They were fine with a strange girl coming to live with you and even suggested beauty products?” I couldn’t hold back the snort that came from my nose.
“Enrique’s ladies know that he shares everything,” Theo said with a biting grin. “Including himself.”
Enrique leaned back in his chair and threw his hands behind his head. “What can I say? I’m not one to deny my great company among our fine women at Beast Academy.” He grabbed his orange juice.
“I hear shifter syphilis is a terrible thing to catch,” Theo said in a sing-song voice.
“Children, the whole lot of you,” Dracus muttered. He picked up his black coffee and took off from the table through the kitchen. Enrique had said that the kitchen had a shortcut to Dracus’ office. What other reason would a prince march through servants’ quarters? The pompous tones of the shifter boys were making my head hurt.
I wished Dracus would’ve taken me with him as Enrique launched a sweet bread roll at Theo’s skull. As they descended into their banter, I slipped out of the room and nearly tripped right into Jasper’s solid chest.
“Everything ok?” he asked.
“A chaotic breakfast,” I explained. “Are you going inside?”
“No, I skip breakfast.” His violin case was by his side. “Do you want to walk to the castle together? I usually go earlier than the rest.”
“Theo was supposed to show me my first class,” I said, “but an all-out bread war sounded like it was taking place behind the closed doors. He can catch up later.”
“That was my eye!” came a muffled cry from behind the doors. I laughed as we made our way out of the manor. Even on the second day, the majesty of our manicured garden struck me. Jasper caught my look and smirked.
“Dracus demands the best for the Core Council. You’ll find him doing walks throughout the gardens when he needs to think about something.”
“I’ve seen Ren sleeping in the garden,” I informed him. He opened the green gate, and we were on the cobblestone path from yesterday that connected us to the castle.
“Ren is a funny one,” he said.
“Funny isn’t the word I would use.”
“You may have more in common with him than you think.” He shrugged. “But that’s not my place.”
I scowled, feeling a sudden irritation scratching at my chest. “Everyone speaks in riddles at this school.” He let out a barking laugh. No matter how much I look at him, laughs still sound strangely un-serene coming from him.
“That may be true, but I won’t say anything more.” Something devious settled in his eyes. “Isn’t life a bit more fun with some mystery?”
Secrets could be dangerous too.
I almost opened my mouth to remind him that I was here under extremely morbid circumstances and still reeling from the tragedy, but I thought better of it. I wasn’t sure if Dracus had a chance to talk to the guys yet. Part of me figured that the boys would’ve been much kinder today if Dracus had told them, but another part of me was grateful that they weren’t treating me differently. Maybe life could regain some semblance of normalcy.
“What’s your first class?” I asked him. He lifted the violin.
“Private practice. We’ll have Shifter History together later on. Did they give you a schedule?”
I held up the small slip of paper, and he plucked it elegantly from my grasp. He glanced it over. I shifted my backpack onto both of my shoulders as we made the trek up to school. At least I would get a mild workout from walking to all my classes every day.
“Fairly basic, but it makes sense. They don’t know what kind of shifter you are yet,” he muttered. His sharp gaze settled on me. “You really don’t know what kind of shifter you are?” If he’d had a fox tail, I’m sure it would’ve been swinging mischievously from side to side. He was digging for information.
My cheeks heated and I shook my head emphatically. “Not at all.” The mischievous look came back over his handsome face once more. My stomach flipped wildly in my stomach.
“Time will tell,” he promised with a vague air. Part of me wished I could’ve been a fox-shifter. I liked Jasper’s guarded mystery. If I could act more like him, then maybe I could survive in a place like Beast Academy. Gone were the nervous butterflies from admiring his handsome face as we made our way to the outer gardens of the castle. Only a few students were mingling about, but I felt their stares like arrows into my skin. I wish I’d thought to take my calming agents with me to class today.
Dressed in my new school uniform with only the Academy symbol to my name, I wondered if I looked every bit a fraud as I felt. I swallowed the painful thought and charged forward by Jasper’s side. He didn’t seem to notice the looks, or if he did, he didn’t care. I wondered if this was usual for Core Council members.
They lived in a separate dorm and acted like they were the kings of campus.
He showed me to my first classroom for a course called Shifter Mechanics. It was a small auditorium-style class with stone benches and wooden tables. The room was empty save for a pretty proper girl in a sweater vest at the front of the class. She looked over her shoulder, and her eyes flashed with interest behind her glasses. At Jasper or me, I wasn’t sure.
“Good luck, new kid.” He was gone, with nothing but that secretive half-smile left to haunt me. I turned around to see the young woman from the front of the class had made her way to the middle of the classroom where I’d settled.
“Hello,” she said brightly and stuck out her hand. “My name is Priscilla.” She used her other hand to tap a manicured nail onto her emblem: a dragon wrapped around a sword. “Pleasure to meet you, Fiona.” A dragon-shifter.
She knew my name. I shook her hand and was delighted to find that there wasn’t the same distrust from the other students on her face. Instead, it was an odd sort of curiosity. She clapped her hands together.
“I’m one of the Academy’s top students. Is it true that you’re a late-shifter?” Her eyes sparkled with interest. I let out an embarrassed laugh. How should a late-shifter act?
“It’s true,” I informed her with a shrug, clutching the blank notebook that Theo had gifted me at breakfast.
“Fascinating.” She crossed her arms. “If you need any help with anything, don’t hesitate to reach out. The other students are probably ogling you all the time. We have some petty politics here.”
“Yes,” I said slowly. “I’ve noticed that. Is it strange for shifters to settle their arguments with fights?”
She cocked her head to the side. “It’s completely cultural. Don’t be surprised to see people shift into their symbol animals to duel something out. The teachers or other students will interfere if it gets too bad. We’re not savages, but it’s natural to want to shift into your animal.” She laced her hands together as her eyebrows scrunched together with concern. “Have you gotten your copy of Shifter Cultural Traditions yet?”
“Uh,” I glanced down at my notebook with my schedule slipped inside the pages. “I have a notebook so far. Will I get my books in classes?” At that moment, we heard someone panting as they came into the room. I turned to see Theo wiping sweat from his brow.
“Sorry! Enrique wrestled me after I accidentally dunked his phone into his coffee.”
Accidentally? I wondered.
Priscilla shook her head, her tidy twin braids flying. “Typical Theo. She hasn’t even gotten her books yet.” He smiled at her, and a cold chill came over me. Theo seemed to know everyone. I had to stop being so possessive over my new friend. He was a social butterfly, after all.
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