Zodiac Academy 4: Shadow Princess

“-do your job correctly or I’ll get a new butler!”

Father’s voice made me flinch and I turned up the volume on my Xbox to try and drown him out. The stomping of his footfalls made my jaw clench and I frantically turned the sound down again as I feared I’d lured him this way.

“Glitterdragon is AFK,” I hissed into my headset before tossing it onto the floor and switching off the sixty inch TV on the wall. I sat upright in my gamer chair just as Father pushed the door open. His eyes swept across the room as if hunting for something to punish me for. I hadn’t done anything wrong so far as I could remember, but if Father wanted me punished, he’d find a reason.

A tremor ran through me as he took a step into my domain and my eyes flipped to the door. If he closed it, that was it. I was getting a beating. But all the while it remained open, there was hope.

His bright blonde hair was carefully styled and he wore one of his finest suits. That meant we had visitors. Or we would do soon.

“Is there something I can help you with, Father?” I asked, working hard to keep my voice from shaking. I hated being afraid of him. And I hated myself for not being stronger. For being unable to fight back.

“Your Aunt Stella will be coming for dinner tonight,” he said. “Have you practised what she taught you?”

I nodded quickly, lifting a palm and urging the shadows to the surface of my skin. With fear running wild in my body, the darkness quickly latched onto it, multiplying it tenfold and dragging me down into the depths of terror. I sucked in a breath, trying to focus on what Aunt Stella had taught me but suddenly the world was suffocating. My father’s eyes were drilling into my head, full of judgement and worst of all, disappointment.

He grunted his irritation as I failed to wield the Fifth Element and my heart stuttered as he stepped even closer. With a flick of his hand, he cast a gust of air to shut the door and my throat thickened.

“I’ll try harder,” I said, my voice surprisingly even despite the fact my shoulders were beginning to shake.

“You waste your life on that piece of trash.” He jerked his chin at the Xbox which was my only companion, my only contact to the rest of the world. Even if I was anonymous and the online friends I’d gathered could never step into my life for real. Father hooked it off of the unit beneath the TV so it hit the floor with a thud.

“Father-” I squirmed, my mouth bone dry, my heart squeezing like it was in a vice.

He stomped his foot right through the centre of it and the strength went out of my body.

Looks like I’m gonna be AFK for eternity now. Fuck my life.

Father lifted his chin, a low growl resounding through his chest. My Order form rose to the edges of my flesh on instinct and I clenched my jaw, determinedly fighting it back.

If I shift, he won’t stop until he’s broken bones.

When I was younger, Darius had taken the brunt of the beatings. More than his fair share. He’d stepped between us a hundred times. I loved him for it and I hated that he’d had to endure it. But now he was at Zodiac Academy, there was no one to get in Father’s way. No one to save me, but me. And still, I didn’t try. I knew it was pointless. Fighting back only challenged Father to break my will. But equally, cowering drove him to madness. He’d call me unFae with every strike until I started to believe it myself. So I lifted my chin, balled my hands into fists and waited. Because I was Fae, dammit.

“You’re glittering,” he spat, sneering at me in disgust and I let my eyes drop to my hands which shimmered like starlight.

By the sun, he’s going to kill me.

His fist swung at my jaw so fast I hit the floor before the pain found me, ricocheting through my cheekbone. His boot slammed into my gut next. I was pinned between him and the end of my bed, every kick driving me into the wooden panel behind me. I protected my head with my hands, curling in on myself instinctively while I waited for it to stop and endured every spike of pain he delivered me.

“You worthless – pointless – embarrassment to our family,” he snarled a word with every kick until I coughed blood onto his expensive shoes.

He wiped them off on my jeans with a tut of irritation before striding toward the door. “Dinner’s at six. Don’t be late.” He slammed the door so hard, the sound bounced back and forth through my skull like an endless echo.

I mentally checked myself over as a low groan escaped my lips. Bruised, but nothing was broken, which was a damn miracle. Mother would come to heal me within the hour. Like always. She’d float in, humming softly, brushing her fingers through my hair while tending to my wounds. Like it was totally normal.

I knew she wanted to save me from this life, but like me, she was too much of a coward to do it.  She’d tried though. For the first time in her life, she’d been brave. She’d blackmailed Father, ensuring that if he ever killed either of us, the story of my Order would be released to the press. Then she followed Darius’s request to take me to the human world on the Lunar Eclipse to save me from Father’s ritual. But it had all been for nothing. Stella had caught us before we left the house, stealing the air from my mother’s lungs until she’d nearly passed out. But Aunt Stella hadn’t left it at that. She’d bound Mother’s arms with vines and sewn her mouth shut with another, leaving her there to bleed onto her own tongue before taking me to that clifftop by stardust.

Guilt clawed through my chest at the thought of that night. I was the leash that bound my brother to Father and kept him in check.

Without me, Darius would be free.

By the time Mother arrived in my room, I’d managed to get myself into bed. She lay down beside me in her usual way, the comforting scent of lavender sailing from her skin. She pulled my shirt off and healed my wounds, her eyes the only one of her features which betrayed the pain she felt at seeing me this way.

Her dark hair was pulled into a bun, wrapped with a white ribbon and she wore a soft pink shift dress which hugged her figure. I caught her hand as the soothing magic ran through my body, healing away the marks he’d left on me.

“We could run,” I breathed. “Fetch Darius and go.”

She cupped my cheek, leaning in to press a kiss to my forehead. She lingered there, a slight shake of her hand the only sign of her inner terror. “Don’t be silly, my love. Dress nicely for dinner, won’t you? The family are coming.”

She slipped away, taking her floral scent with her. The family. That meant Stella and Father’s band of loyal followers. We’d be practising using the shadows again tonight and I wished I didn’t have to go. The only thing worthwhile about it was that I could keep Darius up to date with how well Father was handling the Fifth Element. So far, he was still struggling to get a grasp on the darkness. The worst thing about that was they seemed to feed on everyone’s deepest emotions. So Father was in a rage even more regularly than before. If he was home, there was a ninety percent chance of a beating these days. Whereas before it had been more like fifty.

My phone pinged and I slid across my bed to pick it up from my nightstand.

Darius:

I’m coming home tonight. I’ve been invited to funsville. See you soon.

Relief swept through me in torrents. The only thing that made anything better in this house was Darius coming home. Though even better than that was if he was bringing his ‘friend’ Tory Vega with him. Bullshit was he not obsessed with her. I knew my brother better than anyone. And though I got why him dating one of the Vega Twins was waaay off limits in this family, I still hoped he plucked up the nerve to rebel against Father. Because he deserved a bit of happiness, even if it couldn’t last forever.

Xavier:

Yes! Bringing anyone with you……..?

Darius:

Yes…

Xavier:

Are they hot? 😉

Darius:

Dark hair, legs that look great in short shorts and a smile to die for.

Xavier:

Drool. If you don’t date her, I will.

Darius:

Great. I’ll let Lance know you’re interested. The stars only know he needs some action.

I huffed, rolling my eyes as I shot him a reply.

Xavier:

Jerkface.

Darius:

Vamp humper.

I snorted a laugh, dropping my phone into my lap before slowly picking it up again. I supposed it had been pretty stupid of me to think he’d actually bring a Vega home uninvited. But at least I’d have my brother for tonight. And I liked hanging out with Lance too when Father allowed it.

There was one thing circling in my mind as I lay there. Darius was no doubt gonna ask me whether I’d texted the Pegasus girl. He’d given me her number ages ago but I hadn’t plucked up the nerve to message her yet. What was I supposed to say anyway? And did Darius really trust this girl? What if she figured out who I was and told the press?

Even though my brother had given her a fake name, could I really risk the wrath of my father if he found out that I’d told someone what I was?

But then again, I was so damn lonely in this house. And now I didn’t even have my Xbox to distract me from that. If I didn’t make contact with the outside world, I’d go mad.

I tossed the phone back and forth between my hands before finally figuring fuck it and tapping out a message to Sofia Cygnet under my fake name.

Phillip:

Hi Sofia, this is Darius’s cousin, Phillip. Just wanted to say hey.

How’s it going?

I wonder if she’s hot…

I brought up FaeBook on my phone and searched for Sofia, using Zodiac Academy as a filter and tapping on her profile. My heart beat harder as I took in the snapshot of her life. At the top of the page was her star sign – Sagittarius – which meant she was a Fire Element like my brother. I scrolled down to the photos she’d uploaded and the first row showed images of a Pegasus herd with the caption Had a quick fly through the clouds before breakfast – there’s no greater way to start the day!

My heart hammed as I drank in the sight of her herd, something deeply ingrained in me longing to unite with them. I simply sat there staring until it was difficult to breathe. I needed this. My Order was meant to have companions. We were one of the most sociable Orders next to Werewolves and it wasn’t just a desire, it was a damn necessity.

I groaned, scrolling away from those images and finding a picture of Sofia in her Fae form. A smile tugged at the corner of my mouth at the selfie she’d taken as she sat between the two Vega Twins. They all had brightly coloured ice creams in their hands and Sofia was sparkling with her joy, her eyes seeming to drink me in right through the screen. Her hair was softest hazel and her lips palest pink. Six freckles dotted each of her cheeks – I counted them twice to check.

My phone pinged and I nearly dropped it as a message flashed up from the girl herself. My tongue felt heavy as I tapped on it, a grin tugging up one corner of my mouth.

Sofia:

Hey Phillip. I thought you weren’t ever going to text me – I’m glad you did though 🙂

How are things since your Order emerged?

I took a measured breath. Darius had told her about my situation and she was clearly dancing around the truth. But she didn’t know all of the details. Like the fact that I could only go outside when supervised, that I couldn’t leave the grounds at all, that even leaving my room for a piss felt like taking my life into my own hands sometimes.

Phillip:

Honestly, Sofia? Things suck. But I’m glad you replied.

It makes things a little less shitty already.

I laid back against my pillows and the time slipped away as we messaged back and forth. She answered all of my burning questions about my Order and it felt so incredibly good to talk to someone about it who didn’t judge me for it. She invited me out with her but I had to decline, vaguely explaining that leaving the house wasn’t an option for me. Not unless I stole some stardust from Father’s office. And as that idea occurred to me, the thought was so tantalising I almost got up to try my luck. But fear still kept me in place. If he beat me for sparkling, he might just kill me for stealing from him.

Better plan: Darius has his own supply of stardust. So maybe he’ll give me some.

I’d just have to wait until Father was at work in the city then slip away to Zodiac Academy for a few hours. Yeah and show your face to Sofia and give the game away.

Shit. I was all out of possibilities. The stars rarely shone on me these days. Sometimes I wondered if they’d forgotten about me altogether. My daily horoscopes were almost identical day in, day out. Nothing changed. And I was terrified that they never would.

At quarter to six I headed downstairs in smart trousers and a shirt, my dark, curly hair swept back and my phone tucked in my pocket on silent. If Sofia texted again I would feel it buzz and could slip away to the bathroom to read it. It was something to make this night more bearable anyway.

I headed down the large staircase into the entrance hall and made my way to the kitchen to grab a glass of lemonade before dinner. Father only ever served water or wine at the table and I hated both. When he was away at work, I could guzzle lemonade all day long and I was hankering for my fix before I had to endure the dinner from hell.

As I reached the door, voices caught my ear and I paused. Stella was talking to father’s colleague, Alejandro, in a low tone that suggested they didn’t want to be overheard.

“-have any more insight than I do, Alejandro?” Stella whispered. “All I can gauge is that this Shadow Princess is drawing closer.”

“We have received the same message,” Alejandro said in his soft accent. “I don’t know anything more than you do.”

“Liar,” Stella hissed and a strange rattle filled the air. “Ah! Don’t you dare.”

“The shadows only provide the information they want to give,” Alejandro said in a calm tone which somehow carried a dangerous edge at the same time. “But she is coming.”

“And who is she?” Stella demanded, her voice rising an octave.

A hand suddenly slid over my mouth and I lurched in surprise as I was half carried across the entrance hall and planted on the stairs. Lance Orion released me and half a second later my father strode into the hall.

Shitballs, I’d have been caught if it wasn’t for his bat ears.

Darius appeared behind Orion and we turned to Father as one, tension pooling in the air between us.

“Uncle Lionel,” Lance said in a flat tone.

“Lance,” Father said curtly before turning to Darius and pressing his lips together.

Mother appeared behind him, seeming to float across the hallway before embracing my brother. “We missed you,” she said in an empty voice.

“I missed you too, Mother,” Darius said in an equally hollow tone.

“Walk with me, won’t you Lance?” Mom’s eyes became hooded as she stepped forward, holding out her arm for him to take. Lance’s jaw was ticking as he hooked his arm around hers and she guided him away towards the dining room.

I stood on the stairs, nervously shifting from foot to foot as Father looked between the two of us, his gaze fixing on Darius at last.

“How are your Fifth Element lessons progressing with your Guardian?” he asked and Darius pressed his tongue into his cheek.

“I can’t wield the shadows yet. But we’re getting there.”

“You’ll demonstrate what you’ve learned tonight in front of us all. I want to see you every two weeks to determine how you are developing. If I see no improvement I will ensure both you and Lance regret not working harder.”

“Yes Father,” Darius said and Father nodded stiffly before walking away toward the dining room.

I blew out a long breath as the pressure of his company eased from the air. Darius clapped me on the shoulder before pulling me in to a tight embrace.

“How’s Tory Vega?” I whispered in his ear, serving me a thump on the shoulder.

When I stepped away, his expression was taut in a way that said things weren’t good at all, but before I could ask him, Jenkins appeared, ushering us into the dining room. “Dinner is served, Master Darius, Master Xavier.”

I sat through dinner in silence, eating the pretentiously small portions on my plate, trying to ignore Stella’s animated conversation about an advancing magic called Order Selection.

“It’s a fantasy, Stella,” my uncle Cyril waved a hand, his double chin wobbling as he sipped another large mouthful of red wine. “How can they predict Orders which are chosen by the stars? Not even the best diviners in Solaria are capable of that.”

“They’re getting closer to achieving it,” Stella pressed, receiving a few hopeful nods from around the table. “Imagine if you could pick and choose the offspring you brought to term? There would never be any room for mishaps again. It’s fabulous!” Her eyes lit up and I clenched my fork so hard it hurt.

“Yes wonderful, it’s a shame the magic hasn’t been available for years. I’m sure it would have saved many couples the disappointment of unwanted Orders,” my father said dryly, not looking at me, though his words were intended to burn. And they did, all the way through to my core and back out again.

“Maybe your mouth would be better served eating, Stella,” Lance said lightly, fixing her with a sharp stare. He never called her Mom anymore. I hadn’t been there when his sister Clara had died, but Darius had told me about it. Ever since that day, Lance didn’t refer to his own mother like she was related to him. I wished I could get away with that with Father, but if I called him Lionel he’d probably knock me through a wall.

“Oh don’t molly coddle me, baby boy. Go on, give us your opinion on Order Selection, we’re dying to hear it.” Stella looked slightly tipsy, though she was always on the crazy spectrum. She just tended to be even more dangerous after a few glasses of wine.

“I think it’s barbaric,” Lance said firmly, his eyes remaining on her.

“It’s no different to mating at certain times of the year to achieve Elemental star signs,” Stella countered and Mother nodded her agreement.

“We only tried on the months that would ensure our boys had Fire Elements when they were born,” Mom said and I shared a look with Darius, wanting to crawl under the table and disappear.

“As did my husband and I,” Stella said, her eyes glittering.

Cyril rested a hand on her arm as she released a sob and Lance groaned almost inaudibly.

“We wanted Lance to be an air sign, but we never considered how difficult Libras can be to raise,” she said with a dramatic sniff.

“How disappointed you must be,” Lance deadpanned like he gave no shits in the world and Lionel shot him a dangerous glare. He turned his head, scraping his fork across his plate as Darius shifted closer in the chair beside him.

“My second born was a Libra,” Aunt Fiona supplied, her nose upturned, giving her the appearance that she always had something rotten beneath it. “Terrible demeanour. Once they’ve decided what’s right or wrong, there’s no shifting them. We had to send her to a Star Sign Correctional Centre in the end.”

Lance growled and I caught Darius sliding his hand onto his arm under the table. As Father’s eyes flipped onto my brother with a warning in his gaze, Lance fell quiet.

“Did it work?” Cyril asked curiously.

“Absolutely,” Fiona answered brightly. “She identifies as an Aquarius now.”

By the stars, my family are insane.

I barely made it through the final courses without wanting to puncture my eardrums just so I didn’t have to listen to the Orderist bullshit spewing from all of their mouths.

We were soon corralled into the ballroom and Father had Jenkins lock all the doors, then he cast a silencing bubble before speaking a word.

“Stella has graciously offered us all a lesson in wielding the Fifth Element. I’m sure you have all experienced the deep power that now lives within your veins.”

Everyone nodded their agreement and Darius shot me a frown that made my insides churn. I hadn’t had a chance to apologise about what had happened on the Lunar Eclipse. I didn’t want to say it in a text message. I needed to talk to him one on one. Brother to brother.

“Come here, my boy,” Stella beckoned her son.

Lance moved toward her, his shoulders stiff. She brushed her knuckles across his cheek with a sad frown. “The shadows are going to bring you back to me, do you feel the call of their dark power, cherub?”

“I haven’t gone anywhere,” he muttered.

“Oh but you have. I don’t recognise this boy who stands before me.” She turned away sharply as if Lance was too painful to look at and he rolled his eyes.

Stella breathed in deeply, collecting herself. “You must all give in to the shadows just the right amount.” She turned, sweeping her gaze across the room. “Let their divine power flood your veins and rush from you like your Elements do.” She opened her palm and obsidian smoke coiled in her hand, a shadow in magic form dancing around her skin.

Fear licked its way up my spine at the sight of that dark power. The air seemed to get thicker and the lights above us flickered. Everyone began to practice and I opened my palm, recalling Stella’s lessons to try and draw that magic to the surface of my skin. But deep down, I knew I was fighting it.

I’d dreamed about being Awakened my whole life, but everything about this power felt wrong. Twisted. I’d never even experienced Elemental magic pouring from me so I had nothing to compare it to, but I knew in the depths of my bones that this wasn’t natural. It felt like living with a demon wrapped around my soul and I was one slip away from it devouring me.

“Are you alright?” Darius asked in a low tone as chatter broke out around the room.

“Yeah,” I breathed. “Are you?”

He nodded, then frowned sharply as a ball of pure shadow built in my palm. I inhaled at the intoxicating sensation flooding through me, begging me to fall deeper into it.

Darius wrapped his hand around my wrist and I blinked back the pull of its power with a sigh.

Stella clapped her hands to get everyone’s attention. “Are you ready for the demonstration, Lionel?” she asked hopefully and Father smiled one of his eeriest fucking smiles.

“Stella has achieved something quite remarkable with her new power,” he explained to the room. “Xavier has volunteered to succumb to it for you all to witness it.”

“I have?” I murmured.

“Father,” Darius said sternly but he ignored him.

“How very brave,” Uncle Cyril said, giving me a look of approval.

Father lifted his chin with something that resembled pride and I might have been a fool, but that made me feel too good to ignore. I stepped forward willingly despite Darius’s eyes burning into the side of my head.

 “Try to fight it off, Xavier,” Father said and I nodded, swallowing the lump in my throat. He nodded to Aunt Stella and she stepped forward with darkness swirling in her eyes.

Stella raised her hands and a tunnel of shadow collided with me, seeming to pour through the walls of my skin and bind to every nerve ending in my body. Where it touched, it burned. And it wasn’t just any fire, it was propane washing through every cell in my body and bursting into flame. I was half aware that I was screaming, but all I could hear were whispers pressing in on my ears in a language I didn’t know.

“Help!” I called to them in my mind as the fire intensified. But no one was coming to save me. Not here. Not ever. I was a slave to my family’s new power. And all it meant was that Father had a new toy to hurt me with. Another way to break me.

But somewhere between the pain and the darkness, I found something to hold onto. A pretty girl with bright eyes and skin that sparkled like rhinestones. And as the image of a Pegasus rode through my mind amongst a tumbling sea of clouds, I swore on everything that I was, that I’d join her in the sky one day. The shadows receded and I gasped, finding myself on my knees, panting and slick with sweat.

“He did it,” Stella said appraisingly. “He fought them off. And quickly too.”

“Well whatever helped you fight them, hold onto it,” Father said firmly.

I nodded, having no problem with that at all. I smiled because it felt like I was quietly rebelling against my father. My anchor was a Pegasus like me. So suck on that, Dad.