Shadrie frowned and motioned for me to head to her room, shutting my bedroom door for me. She waited as I slipped into her room and closed the door to change.
“Is Geordie supernatural?” her voice called through the door.
“No,” I called back as I pulled the jeans on. “I’m not even sure I believe I am.”
“B, you are most definitely a supe. But if Geordie isn’t, the Academy would have made sure to leave a cover story for your absence, so the human authorities don’t get involved.”
I pulled the sweater on and slipped my feet into my shoes before opening the door. “Geordie knows I wouldn’t up and leave him behind, no matter what cover story the Academy spins. Ihaveto get back to him, Shadrie. We’re all each other has.”
Shadrie opened her mouth to reply, and my stomach growled loudly, causing her to laugh instead. “Listen, let’s get some dinner and then I might have a way for you to check up on Geordie.”
“Really?! Don’t play with me, Shadrie.”
“Really, really.” She beamed, linking her arm through mine and dragging me from our dorm.
I let Shadrie lead me across campus to a large dining hall. Long tables with bench seating sprawled across the cavernous space. My eyes nearly bugged out of my head as I took in the high arched ceilings and stained-glass windows depicting various supernaturals I’d only heard about in myths. The dining hall wasn’t as crowded as the cathedral for orientation had been, and I couldn’t help wondering if most of the new students were still there as Shadrie tugged me toward the far wall lined with buffet tables.
“Look at this spread! My sister always raved about the food here.” Shadrie squealed.
I followed her to the line, and we grabbed our trays. Each buffet spread offered something different. There were foods I recognized, like pizza and fries, and things I didn’t—like the strange purple mushroom that was the size of a plate. I settled on what looked like a club sandwich and a small salad. Shadrie, on the other hand, had something that looked like purple rice and orange flowers. I couldn’t help scrunching my nose at her meal.
“What?” she asked, arching a brow at me. “Your human realm food looks just as weird to me.”
Shaking my head, I followed her to an empty table and sat down to eat. Shadrie filled the meal with talk about her family and the various types of supernaturals she spotted in thedining hall. I tried my best to listen, but my mind was trying to process everything that happened while I worried about Geordie. It was a relief when we finally returned to our dorm, and I could ask her what she’d meant about having a way to check on Geordie.
“My sister taught me this when we were kids. We were always pretty close, but as she got older, she decided she preferred spending summers with her friends instead of our uncle.” Shadrie babbled as she slipped into her room and grabbed a hand mirror from her vanity. “Anyway, it only goes one way, but you’ll be able to see and hear Geordie.”
“A mirror?” I asked skeptically. “How is a mirror supposed to do all that?”
“Well, I mean, not yet. I have to spell it first.”
“Right, so a magic mirror, like some Beauty and the Beast shit. You have got to be screwing with me.”
Shadrie smirked. “You’d be surprised how many of the fairytales in the human realm hold some truth. If I remember right, that one was actually based on a wolf shifter and his mate. It doesn’t have a very happy ending, though. Our version was basically a warning against the dangers of exposing our true nature to the human realm.”
She shuddered before moving to the couch in the middle of our living area and placing the hand mirror on the table in front of her. I moved closer to watch over her shoulder as she produced a fine-tipped pen and began to draw symbols I didn’t recognize on the top, bottom, and each side of the mirror, mumbling something I didn’t quite catch as she worked. After a moment, she leaned back with a grin on her face.
“Done, now all you have to do is ask it to show you Geordie!”
Shooting her another skeptical look, I moved around the couch and sat down beside her.
“This feels ridiculous,” I muttered, picking up the mirror with the handle and holding it at face level. “Show me Geordie.” Geordie’s face filled the mirror, and I gasped, dropping it. “Holy fucking shit.”
“Magic, B.” Shadrie giggled, nodding for me to pick the mirror up again.
I grabbed it from where it landed on the floor and took a calming breath before looking into it again. Geordie was there, but he wasn’t anywhere I recognized. He leaned against the trunk of a strange colored tree; his hands folded in his lap as if he were waiting for something. Narrowing my eyes, I took a closer look and noticed the sharp point to his ears.
“What the fuck?” I breathed.
Geordie’s eyes popped open as if he’d heard me. “Bechora, I know you’re watching. I saw it in a vision.”
“How?”
“There’s a lot I can’t explain right now, but whatever you do, do not leave Blackthorne Academy.”
“What the fuck, Geordie? What is going on?” I demanded.
Shadrie nudged me with her elbow. “He can’t actually hear you, B.”
