In the back, set away from the table in front, there were four smaller tables. These held what looked like groups of students. At each table, many had similar features, and they wore cloaks of similar colors. A cluster of deep red hair on one. Several students with gleaming black eyes on another. And then there was the table up front, full of nervous-looking students, cloak-less and confused. That would be where we wouldsit.
Sophia and I eased onto the wooden bench and waited while one powerful female fae stood and stepped to the edge of the stage. Magic shimmered across her skin, and her deep golden hair gleamed underneath the overheadlights.
“Welcome to Otherworld Academy. I’m Alwyn Aldair, your Head Instructor,” she said with a wide smile that felt more eerie than welcoming. “As always, we have sixteen new recruits with us this evening, from four different origins in the human realm. So far, you may have realized that four is a common theme here. And that’s because we have four courts. From each human origin, there will be a Spring, a Summer, a Winter, and an Autumn amongst you, giving each Court four new changeling fae ayear.”
We all nodded and murmured. The fae who had saved—or captured, depending on how you looked at it—me had explained most of this to me, though they hadn’t gone into much detail. I guessed it made sense, though I still didn’t understand the how or the why of it. It was also one more point in the Not-Spring column, since I was pretty certain my new roommate was the embodiment of all thingsSpring.
And that disappointed me far more than I wanted toadmit.
“For some of you, it will be quicker to determine your Court. Fae in each season tend to have certain coloring and certain dispositions. That said, it’s not always the case. Many times, a changeling recruit will start her first year believing she’s of one Court and find she’s of entirely another. It’s a process, one we’ll determine through training andchallenges.”
A hand shot up near the end of the table. With a frown, Alwyn nodded at the student. “Yes?”
“Why don’t you know what we are?” the guy asked. “I mean, you guys keep saying we’re changelings, and that we were swapped at birth. So, we were born here, right? Are we not in the same Court as our, uh…” He trailed off, swallowinghard.
Our parents.My skin and neck began to tingle, and a heavy rock tumbled down into my gut. I still hadn’t come to terms with the fact that my mother wasn’t my birth mom. And I had a feeling that most of the new recruits here felt thesame.
“Excellent question.” Alwyn steepled her hands underneath her chin and smiled. “Yes, your Court is hereditary. Only in rare—and I do mean rare—cases does the son or daughter not fit within their natural born Court. And yes, we do keep meticulous records on each of our changelings. Unfortunately, Magnus Farrow, our previous record-keeper, died in a fire seventeen years ago. With him went all of his records and knowledge about the changelings. We don’t know who each of you are. That knowledge was lost. So, that’s why we must perform these tests. The changelings who come to the Academy two years from now will no longer need to undergo the introductory first year since our current record keeper is alive and well, and the files are routinely backed up. We won’t make the same mistakeagain.”
Well, that was certainly interesting. And, in response, a half of dozen more hands shotup.
The Head Instructor held up her hand with an irritated sigh. “Let me guess. Your next question is why we’ve been swapping out human babies with fae. Well, here is the very long answer made short. There are more realms than just the human and the fae. There is a realm of darkness, of demons. Each year, we must pay a Tithe to that realm. Sixteen fae babies must go into the human realm, and sixteen human babies must come here. If we do not keep up our Tithe, the darkness will not only descend upon us but it will descend upon the humans as well.” A heavy silence followed, and she smiled. “So, you see. We must do this. Or else we would cause the Apocalypse to arrive in both ourrealms.”
Every single one of the new recruits stared at Alwyn with a mixture of confusion, horror, and fear. Includingme.
“Luckily,” she continued as her face slightly brightened, “we can make the swap back during the Summer Solstice. You will each be trained in the ways of the fae, and you will each be trained to fight. Once your training is complete, you will join your Court along with your fae male or female mate, those of which are on this stage and will be working with you throughout your time at theAcademy.”
Hold up. My eyes widened. Had she just saidmate? The words from Finn began to tumble over me.By my side. I swallowed hard, and my heart began to race. Murmurs began to echo all around me, the rest of the changelings as thrown by this new information as I was. In fact, it almost felt more shocking than the reveal about the demons and the Tithe tohell.
A girl stood from the table, her long fiery hair swishing around her shoulders. “You can’t just assign us mates. Don’t we get some choice in thematter?”
“No,” Alwyn said coolly. “You’re from Manhattan, yes? Then, one of these four males here will be your mate. Finn, Rourke, Liam, or Kael. And trust me when I say that you’ll be happy for it, as strange as it may seem to younow.”
“But wait,” another girl said, standing from the table, her voice a heavy Irish accent. “First, you’re telling us that we were taken from our homes at birth. Then, you’re telling us that we have no choice in what we do from now on, including what Court we join, and the person we end up mating with? You can’t honestly expect us to have sex with someone just because you sayso.”
Alwyn let out a low chuckle. “We’re not forcing you to do a thing. At the end of the year, you’ll be so bonded to your male, naturally, that you will be glad he is your mate. And if you’re not, then you are welcome to go your ownway.”
The girl narrowed her eyes. “I’mgay.”
“Oh.” Alwyn’s lips twisted up as she glanced over her shoulder at one of the female fae behind her. “Well, then your Court will certainly be easy todetermine.”
When another round of questions rose up, the Head Instructor clapped her hands and frowned at us all. I’d quickly determined that she was either Autumn or Winter. She didn’t have the temperament to be one of the sunnier types of fae. “There will be plenty of time for more questions, and plenty of time to learn what you need to know. But first, what better way to introduce you to life at the Academy than through your first challenge? You’ll divide into your origin groups and go outside where your instructors will lead you through a test with the bow and arrow, to determine whether or not you’re a natural shot. That will give us some indication about the strength of your powers. Now,go.”
* * *
We stoodin the expansive lush gardens behind the Academy’s main building. Rolling hills tumbled in the distance, meeting the orange and red colored sky. For a moment, I stared at the dying glimmer of sunlight, wondering at who and what I had suddenlybecome.
Bree would love it here, I decided. She’d dive headfirst into training, and she would without a doubt have her eye on one of the fae, hoping he was hers. She’d be a Spring or a Summer, most likely. Nothing about Bree was dark orcold.
“Alright,” Liam said, clapping his hands as he stood before our little rag-tag group. “Time to get started. Who wants to gofirst?”
On the way over, I’d introduced myself to the two other Manhattan recruits. All girls, all wide-eyed, and a little shell-shocked. So, kind of like me. The girl with the fiery hair was named Lila, and a quieter girl with golden eyes was named Sam. She watched the entire group, sizing things up with a quiet kind of intelligence that suggested she wasn’t the kind of person to miss much, even if she never really spokeup.
“I’ll go first!” Sophia said, her hand shooting high in the air. Finn chuckled from where he watched from the side, and he shook his head. His laugh was such an annoying sound, mostly because I couldn’t get it out of my head once I’d heard it. It was so lyrical, so poetic, almost, like a song that kept repeating over and over again in the most perfect wayimaginable.
But that wasstupid.
It was a laugh, an annoying one atthat.
