“That's not true. You're insane. Why would they do that?” I demanded.
“My guess? You were in danger,” he said with a shrug. “Or maybe you just annoyed them as much as you're annoying me right now and they decided to swap you for less irritating twins.”
Tory looked like she was about to punch him and I wouldn't have stopped her in the slightest.
“Get out,” she said in a measured tone.
“Fine, I tried.” He took a small silk black bag from his pocket and untied the strings. “Shame to lose out on your inheritance though. Your real parents were the wealthiest family in Solaria.”
“Right,” I muttered, fighting an eye-roll. This was like one of those scam emails where an African Prince had randomly chosen to give us two million dollars. Except this time the email had walked in the front door looking like a sport's model – the balls on this guy!
“Wait…wealthy?” Tory asked, stepping closer, her anger seriously lessened.
“It can't be true Tor,” I said under my breath.
She shrugged one shoulder. “Let's hear him out.” She gave me a look that said jackpot but I wasn't convinced.
“Yes. Hear me out,” he insisted and suddenly I nodded, wanting him to go on. He tugged the photo from my grip, eyeing it for a moment with a vague frown. “Look, I'm not trying to shatter your little daydreams about this couple but they're just two random humans who got caught up in something much bigger. You don't know them from Adam. And neither do I for that matter. The fact that they're dead is a tragedy but they aren't your blood. And blood's all that matters in my opinion.” He shrugged, glancing between us. “You two would do anything for each other, I hope? Because this shitty life can go away like that.” He snapped his fingers. “All you have to do is agree to enroll at Zodiac Academy. You'll get full board, have your own beds-” He gave the couch a pointed look, “-and your inheritance will cover the cost of your stay plus you'll receive a monthly stipend from it. Once you graduate, it's all yours. But only when you graduate. That's the law.”
“So you want us to go to some school?” Tory asked.
“Yes. But not just any school. The best school.” His eyes glittered with his belief in that. “So what do you say?”
“I say you're crazy,” I said.
“Yeah… but I do want the money.” Tory elbowed me in the ribs and I frowned.
“It's full board?” I looked to Orion.
“Every meal,” he swore. “So?” He tapped his foot impatiently.
Neither of us answered.
“Just say yes and come with me,” Orion growled.
“Yes,” we both said in unison without a moment's hesitation.
Wait – what just happened?
Orion grinned from ear to ear. “Should've done that in the first place.” He jerked his chin at me. “Go get dressed, if you show up like that at Zodiac you’ll be eaten alive by the other students.”
My legs moved of their own accord and I cursed myself inwardly for obeying yet another of his commands. When I returned from the bathroom in jeans and a black vest, some of my fear had kicked back in.
“You mentioned magic…” I said, changing tact to see if I could break through Orion’s hard walls.
“Yes,” he said. “Water, air, fire, earth. You will both possess one Element, perhaps two. Your parents were very powerful, so I expect you will be immeasurably gifted.” Something about his tone told me he wasn’t happy about that.
He prised open his small silk bag, pinched something between his fingers and sprinkled it in his palm.
“What’s that?” Tory whispered as I inched closer.
“The rarest substance in Solaria and the quickest way to travel: stardust.” He lifted his head with a demonic smile. “Welcome to your Awakening.”
He blew the stuff right into our faces and I gasped. Thick, black glitter cascaded over us and I prepared to splutter, lifting a hand to shield myself, but instead my body felt like it had turned to vapour. Our apartment faded away and all I could see was the sparkling black substance clouding around me. It seemed to spread out and out until I appeared to be floating within an entire galaxy of the stuff.
My body reformed and my feet hit firm ground. I staggered forward and my forehead bumped into a hard body. I blinked as my vision restored and found myself face to chest with Orion. My hand was pressed flush to his stomach and I realised it much too late as he took hold of my shoulders and jerked me around to face the opposite direction.
My heart bolted into top gear as I found myself in a sprawling meadow beneath a crystal clear night sky, the stars brighter than I'd ever seen them. Before us were over two hundred people all around our age, standing in a huge circle in an expansive meadow surrounded by trees.
Tory sucked in a breath and I moved nearer to her, goosebumps lining my skin as I promptly stepped away from Orion. I was tempted to reach out to my sister in a gesture of comfort, but my hand balled into a fist instead, knowing she probably wouldn’t appreciate it.
I glanced back at Orion in alarm. “What's going on?” I asked, panicked.
“Did you just drug us?” Tory rounded on him.
“What is it with you and drugs?” he muttered. “Remember to keep calm,” he commanded a second later and that wishy washy feeling stole away my fear again.
A female voice rang through the air but I couldn't see who it belonged to beyond the circle of teenagers.
“Get in the ring.” Orion pointed and we reluctantly moved forward to join the masses.
Two girls parted to allow us to stand between them, their eyes roaming over us curiously. They took our hands and Orion caught hold of mine and Tory's wrists, pushing our fingers together to link the circle. Then he stepped back into the night and disappeared into the darkness.
At the centre of the ring was a tall woman in flowing blue robes. She had her arms raised in the air as she gazed up at the heavens and everyone else in the ring was watching her attentively. I had no idea what was about to happen and I shared a quick look with Tory to confirm she felt as lost as I did.
The long meadow grass tickled my knees and a cool wind pushed at my back. The woman dropped her arms and the wind fell deathly still, the whole world seeming to hold its breath.
“Welcome to Zodiac Academy. I am Professor Zenith of the Astrology department and it's my greatest pleasure to Awaken your Elements this very night. Please lift your faces to the sky, students. It's time for the stars to rouse your inner power.” Her tone was slow and dramatic and even though this whole thing sounded ludicrous I couldn't help but hang on her every word.
She pushed the hood back from her head and midnight locks tumbled down around her. She was middle-aged, her skin pale and glimmering and her lips painted in a dark red lipstick. Her eyes fell on Tory and I and she jerked her finger toward the sky in an order. I realised everyone in the circle had looked up and we promptly followed suit.
The navy quilt above was aglow with stars and the milky way weaved through the centre of it all like a shimmering band of pink and purple dust. My mouth parted at the beautiful sight. In Chicago, you were lucky if you saw one star at night, let alone this spectacle. It was as if every other light in the world had been extinguished to allow the sky to dominate. There was no sign of the moon but even without it the stars were bright enough to cast a hazy silver glow over the meadow.