“Thank you…” I mumbled.
I stepped out from behind the counter and hesitated before going to the front door and opening it.
“I expect you to clean this up tomorrow!” she called out after me. “I’ll leave the broom out.”
I didn’t want to tell this woman she’d never see me again. I kind of liked the idea of her thinking that I lived in The Gilded City, even if she thought I was from the poor part. So, I thanked her again, and left the shop in search of a healer for my father.
What I didn’t realize was that I’d find a whole lot more than I bargained for.
TWO
The Academy was a mesmerizing building made of black brick, with golden spires and domed arches. But the building was the only thing of darkness, for clinging to nearly every outer wall was a colorful flower or vine of some type. My favorites were the purple ones that dripped around the windows, framing them; they looked to be almost glowing in the moonlight. It was as if the building itself was alive, breathing and living through the flowers that clung to its edges. It stood over five stories high, the tallest structure I’d ever seen. The front gates were wide open, so I walked right into the well-lit courtyard, where some students were laughing as they sat on a bench talking.
I’d decided that I was going to play up this “West Side” fae thing and act like I lived here. As I approached the students, they quieted and one of them looked over at me with disdain.
“Far from home, Westie?” a blond girl sneered, and her friends snickered at her comment.
Okay, the more I learned about these people, the less I liked them.
“I need a healer. It’s urgent.” I tipped my head high and acted like I knew what I was talking about.
The girl laughed. “Then go to the West Side clinic like you’re supposed to.” Her upper lip curled, and she stared at my shoes.
Wow, so there was complete isolation between the rich and the poor? That disgusted me for some reason. I’d always imagined The Gilded City was full of fae with great power, all created and treated equal. That only those banished to Isa without magic were the ones treated as outcasts.
“I need a student healer who will work for free. My father is dying!” The panic caused my voice to sharpen.
The girls on the bench said nothing, but a fae who’d been silently leaning against the far wall and watching us the entire time, cleared her throat. “I’ll take you to the student healing clinic.” The girl pushed off the wall and approached me. She had short, wild, curly red hair and a determined look in her eyes.
“Thanks,” I muttered.
“A Westie? Come on, Eden, you know she’s not allowed to be here,” the snotty girl said to my new guide.
Eden cut the bully a glare. “Like you’ve never broken a rule,Blair.”
Blair shut up then and Eden waved me over to a long walkway between two giant buildings.
As soon as we were alone, she gave me a small smile. “Sorry about her. It’s not your fault you were born with weak magic. I never understood the division between the city.”
Oh…so Westies lived on the West Side because they had weak magic, while the powerful fae got to live on the East Side of the city and go to the fancy Academy. It was all making sense now. A hierarchy built on power.
I just nodded, not wanting to say too much and blow my cover.
As we traversed the halls, I couldn’t help but take it all in. The doors to classrooms were open and I found myself peeking inside. Clean desks, brand new books, a wall full of weapons, and what looked like a padded training room. Students were doing some type of drill, and a gasp ripped from my throat when a fireball flew from one student’s palm and slammed into the metal chest plate of the other student before dissipating.
Eden chuckled next to me. “The boys here at school do love to show off.”
“Do you live on campus?” I asked her, grateful the school seemed to still be open so late.
She shook her head, sending her wild curls flying around her face. “We had a field trip today, so we’ve all stayed late to catch up on classwork, and the student clinic is always open late.” She continued past the big room and towards a building in the center of the school campus.
I didn’t respond, just allowed my gaze to flit around the space, taking it all in.
“So, listen, it sounds like your father is in bad shape, yeah?” Eden asked.
I nodded, trying to focus on the task at hand.
“Good, play that up. The more you make it sound like a life-or-death situation, the better odds you have of getting a powerful healer willing to travel to the West Side for your father.”
