SYMPHONY OF MAGIC (ASHWOOD CHRONICLES #2) Page 2

  Elenora looked offended for a split second, then said, “she hates unfamiliar places.”

  “She hates everything,” Nico retorted dryly. “But anyways my sisters and I are triplets.”

  Ethan extended his hand exchanging pleasantries with Nico and Elenora. When he got to Larissa, she glared at him coldly and he quickly recoiled.

  “Are all of you sophomores?” Ethan asked.

  Nico nodded.

  Kori then reached out her hand and just as Elenora was about to accept her handshake she quickly pulled back.

  Everyone glared at her quizzically.

  “I-I just remembered I sneezed into my hands earlier and need to wash them,” Kori said nervously.

  Melinda’s eyes narrowed and she tutted. “You have to forgive her weirdness...last year she and her brother were forced to help a terroristic trio blow up one of the freshman classrooms. Luckily, no one was hurt, but the poor girl hasn’t been the same since.”

  “Is that the latest rumor going around?” Ethan asked wryly.

  Melinda Tutted again. “It’s not a rumor if its true Hun.”

  “And what about the terroristic trio?” Larissa asked clearly entertained by the story.

  “They’re still students here. Thanks to their wealthy guardian’s influence, the investigation against them was dropped and the grown-ups are acting like it never happened. But we students know and won’t forget.” Melinda answered with a groan. She beamed expansively. “The only good thing that came out of any of this is that Deus Imperium is sponsoring this year’s Breaking Ties festival.” She glanced from Ethan to Kori. “Are you guys going this year?”

  Before they could answer, Nico’s voice sounded. “Shouldn’t we continue with the tour before school starts.”

  Melinda shot him a gaze as if she forgotten he was there. “Right,” she said after a long pause. “Come this way.”

  She took one last look at Kori and Ethan before urging the new students along.

  Once they had disappeared behind a corner Ethan turned to face Kori. “Why did you jerk your hand away like that?”

  Kori sighed. “Did you see their eyes?”

  Ethan shook his head.

  “They’re the same color as Brianna’s.”

  His eyes brow arched. “Is that a terrible thing?”

  Kori looked around the wide empty hall as if what she had to say was top secret. “I don’t know. But whenever I touch anything supernatural weird things happens.”

  “Like your eyes permanently changing to green?” Ethan challenged.

  She didn’t respond searching his face.

  “Our parents may not have noticed, but I have...what aren’t you telling me? What happened to you when you were in the void?”

  Kori’s face flushed red. He knew he had angered her. However, his annoyance was only his love in disguise. He was worried about her. But without another word, he raised his hands in defeat and accepted the fact that she wasn’t ready to talk...for now.

  Chapter-Two

  The classroom walls were decorated with posters of literary characters and philosophical quotes. Through the large windows, the unsubdued light of the afternoon shone brightly as a few strands of clouds trailed the blue skies.

  Inside the classroom, rumors of the new teacher spread like wildfire. Hayden couldn’t have cared less about how beautiful she was believed to be. He solemnly sat at the back already feeling a daydream starting.

  It was then, while lowering his head to his desk that he saw her entering the room.

  Kori.

  She took a moment to survey the classroom, before heading down the aisle in search of a vacancy. She stopped at a desk one row ahead of him and their eyes locked for a fraction of a second. She looked away quickly, embarrassed and sat in the desk, her back facing him.

  He chuckled lightly as he lowered his head once more. The only thing separating him from the dream world was his raucous classmates.

  Then all the noise disappeared in an instant, but not due to any of his own convictions.

  Feeling as if he was stuck between two realities, he allowed his curiosity to get the best of him and lifted his head.

  The teacher had walked in. She had lengthy brown hair, hazel eyes, and a chestnut brown complexion. Though she was beautiful, this teacher was going to need more than good looks to keep his complete attention.

  “Welcome to my English class,” she said. Her voice was engaging. “My name is Ms. Cassidyn.”

  There was a sudden rush of whispers amongst his peers.

  She raised her hands to calm them.

  It worked.

  “Yes, I’m related to Obadiah Cassidyn. He’s my grandfather and though I’m not native to this town, my ancestors are one of the four founding families of Winter springs.”

  Her eyes glazed over the students and she smiled with real warmth. In that smile, Hayden saw a clear expression of excitement. She was happy to be teaching here. However as far as he was concerned, she was just your typical teacher. But, unlike his last year English teacher, she wasn’t a demon and most likely wouldn’t be killed by Dominic.

  “You’re definitely hotter than Ms. Welch.” A brash voice sounded. Hayden leaned around the desk in front of him seeking out the voice owner. Spotting a boy with brown hair fashioned in a tousled quaff, he rolled his eyes.

  Declan Spencer was your stereotypical jock, from his letterman jacket down to his egotistical personality. He high fived another jock sitting next to him. Tyler was taller, much larger and looked as if he was more of a man-child than a student.

  “Didn’t Ms. Welch run off with that one teacher...Mr. Edelweiss?”

  The enquiry brought back the gossiping whispers.

  Hayden smirked. If only they knew the truth.

  Ms. Cassidyn raised her hands again and the classroom settled down.

  “I will not tolerate crude remarks like that Mr. Spencer.” Her voice shifted from excitement to intimidating. “Consider this your warning...you too Mr. Costa.”

  The jocks arrogant smiles drained from their faces.

  “S-sorry,” they said in unison.

  The teacher shook her head and turned towards the board and began to write what Hayden presumed were classroom rules. He let out a small sigh.

  It was the same as every year, on the first day the teachers would go over classroom etiquettes, asks everyone to stand and tell their peers about themselves. But Winter Springs was a small town, and everyone already knew everyone.

  Like an automatic gesture of boredom, Hayden lowered his head to his desk, eyes closed. He could feel sleep slowly creeping up on him when-

  “I must admit it never ceases to amaze me how careless you are boy!” a maniacal voice shouted.

  Hayden’s eyes sprung open, and he sat up wide eyed. He surveyed the room. Most of the students were paying attention to Ms. Cassidyn’s lecture, and none of them seemed to be the owner of the voice.

  “If you keep letting your guard down, I will eventually kill you.”

  It took Hayden a moment to realize the words came from overhead.

  Above him he heard laughter and looked up to see a humanoid demonic beast walking upside down along the ceiling. It had an ebony complexion, with crimson eyes, a snout, fangs, and large sharp claws. long pointy horns, a red mane, and sharp ears, decorated its head.

  Startled by the sight of it, Hayden fell from his desk and onto the carpeted floor.

  His sudden motion caught the attention of his classmates. They erupted into laughter as his eyes darted from fellow pupil to fellow pupil quizzically.

  Maybe I imagined it... maybe there wasn’t a demon standing on the ceiling.

  Hayden took a gander and looked up.

  A few students followed his gaze then glared at him suspiciously.

  “Since you and I have such a special bond, only you can see and hear me.” Its maniacal voice echoed around in his head.

  As if it was tired of breaking the laws of gravity the demonic beast dr
opped from the ceiling landing gracefully in front of Hayden. It stood seven feet tall, its crimson eyes staring deep into Hayden’s amber ones.

  “L- Libitinari?” He choked out.

  Before it could answer, the teachers voice sounded.

  “Mr. Ashwood, is everything ok?” He was so bewildered by the demon he didn’t notice his teacher was kneeling next to him.

  She followed his gaze. “What are you looking at?”

  He glared hard at her, his breath coming in short heavy bursts. All around him he heard whispering.

  Hayden got to his feet. “I-I have to go to the restroom.”

  He shot passed Ms. Cassidyn and into the empty hall. Behind him he could hear the demon’s hoofed feet slapping against the marble flooring matching his pace.

  This isn’t happening right now!

  There can’t be a demon following me!

  The first door he saw was open and empty, so he quickly ducked inside. It was a large room and exceptionally clean. One side contained lockers, with a wooden bench sitting in front of them. The other wall was full of grey janitorial uniforms hanging side by side. Each of them tagged with a Boris insignia: an anthropomorphic muscular brown bear and Winter Spring High’s mascot.

  Behind him in the hallway he could hear heavy footsteps and seconds later the demon was behind him.

  Hayden swirled around with Delilah materializing in his grip. He raised the silver over and under barrel revolver at the creature. “How did you manifest into a physical form!”

  The beast laughed. “I couldn’t before today. But you’re so weak it was easy for me to siphon your own energy to manifest into the form you see before you.”

  He said jubilantly. “You’re no way near as powerful as your old man, but the two of you are a lot alike when it comes to the ladies.”

  Hayden Lowered his handgun allowing it to vanish in a puff of black smoke. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “What do you want?”

  The demon only snorted as if he hadn’t given it much thought. Finally, he said, “I want to inflict pain. Lots of pain the way I was intended to...just like the night you used me to kill Giovanni. I want to feel that pure uncontrollable rage of yours again.”

  Hayden scoffed. “That wasn’t exactly me...and it’s not who I am.”

  The beast paused. “...you’re definitely not your father.” His maniacal voice had softened. “Since we are bonded, I’ll let you in on a little secret.”

  Hayden eyebrows arched.

  “Forget about the girl, forget about your family, forget about everyone you love and just give into my power... then you’ll be able to control me.”

  “Nice try.” Hayden retorted. “But you’re right I’m not my dad... when I used you to kill Giovanni, I wasn’t myself... I went berserk to save-”

  “You did it for the girl,” the creature intervened before Hayden could debate the matter. He continued with. “I loved a woman once.... she was the most beautiful creature I’d ever seen.” He glared into Hayden’s eyes. As he did, Hayden’s head jerked back, his face pale.

  A tall woman with a slender body of a super model flashed across his mind. Her icy blue eyes were calm and emotionless. Her Long, wavy black hair, so smooth and silky, almost as if it were tailored from ebony fabric tousled in the wind. She was standing in the middle of a golden sandy beach looking out at the sea. Hayden backed up, shaking the image away from his mind. There had been a clear connection between them for a moment, albeit an unexpected one, at least on Hayden’s end.

  “Why am I seeing this woman?” He fought to keep from reacting to the unexpected intrusion.

  “She’s the reason why my soul is sealed within a sword.”

  “Who is she?”

  “Her name is Lilith, queen of hell and wife to that asshole grandfather of yours.”

  Hayden sat in the middle of the wooden bench staring at the beast.

  “I was once a loyal soldier to Lucifer, and we both wanted the same woman. I was in love and he was in lust. Because of the love I felt, I believed I could defeat Lucifer and take her for myself.” He chuckled. “The bastard beat me to within an inch of my life...leaving me for death.” He smiled showing off his fangs. “Luckily, Death was my best friend. Seeing me dying, he plucked my soul from my body and placed it within his scythe.”

  Hayden hopped from the bench. “You were death’s scythe?”

  “Yeah, until your dad stole me from him years later as a prank. I grew fond of you father’s ambition and eventually Death decided to let Raiziel keep me as a reward for beating him in combat.”

  Hayden shook his head. “Then how did you end up as a sword?”

  “Raiziel said scythes are terrible weapons to wield in battle. He had me reforged and changed my name to Libitinari.”

  Hayden nodded staring at the floor as the silence between them grew slightly uncomfortable. “Why are you telling me this?”

  The beast sighed and shot Hayden a look of frustration. “Because you and I are bonded. If you die, I die and if you can’t get a handle my powers, they will kill you along with me. And kid, I promised Raiziel I wouldn’t let his sons die if either of you managed to free me.” He chuckled lightly. “But I think I chose the wrong brother.”

  “Shut up,” Hayden shouted. “I’m bonded to Delilah and she doesn’t manifest into creatures only I can see.”

  The demon laughed. “That’s because your stupid revolver doesn’t have a demon soul trapped inside it.”

  His words seemed to snap Hayden’s head back as if the demon had hit him.

  “You’ve been trying to control me for over a year now. And it’s been fun toying with you. But I’m getting bored, so here is a tip. If you feed me, I will sleep, and my powers will be easier to manipulate. Plus, you won’t have me constantly fighting against you for control.”

  Hayden scratched the back of his head looking about the sterile room. “And how do I do that?”

  “Simple...” The demon began. “You must use me to take a life.”

  THE HIGH SCHOOL CAFETERIA was a cacophony of loud chatter. Each of the twenty odd tables were a cosseted huddle of people raising their voices to be heard above one another. The food, though edible, was served soggy, and bland. She considered it depression served cold with a hint of sneer.

  As Kori cut across the open space to reach the only exit, she felt the eyes of the cafeteria’s regulars watching her. She’d grown to regard them as the school’s outcast...the students that no one wanted to be around. The cafeteria was their domain, their sanctuary and she was once again trespassing just to take a shortcut to the courtyard. She waved nervously as she hurried through the exit.

  Outside, the beautiful day felt spring like in its warmth. A few teens, including Melinda and the three new students were sitting on a stone wall above the courtyard, eating and talking. She knew, after the way her peers had treated her last year, she shouldn’t try to join them. It was back to being just her and Ethan. She smiled. He was the only friend she needed...if only she stopped being so cold to him. Her smile faded, realizing she and Ethan didn’t share the same lunch break this semester.

  Kori walked past the group on the wall, looking for a place to sit in the courtyard. But no space was open. Behind her she could hear a few of the kids whispering loudly. She knew they were whispering about her. She moved out of the square toward the basketball court. A group of jocks were playing a pickup game. Declan stood to one side with four others. He looked up and saw Kori, then turned away, making it noticeably clear that she couldn’t join them. She felt as if it was just yesterday he was flirting with her. Today he hated her. Feared her.

  All because of a rumor. She should have listened to Melinda and stayed away from the Ashwoods...yet she couldn’t. She felt drawn to them, especially Hayden.

  Kori moved away from the game, down a path leading into a garden. There she found a small stone bench and sat, her mind relaxing on Hayden’s strange behavior during last period. wondering why he left in a
panic and never returned to class.

  “Kori?”

  She spun around to see Brianna moving up the path around the vibrant colored flowers toward her. She turned back hunching over pretending to tie her shoe.

  “Kori,” Brianna said, “are you ok?” She had stopped and was actually talking to her.

  The first student besides Ethan to do so all day.

  “Yeah, I’m totally fine,” Kori said. She could feel her resolve slowly crumbling, and the tears threatening to flow.

  “I love being called a terrorist and having everyone afraid to talk to me.”

  Brianna joined her on the bench. “This school is brimming with assholes, jerks and wannabe queens and even if their words hurt, or make you feel hopeless, at the end of the day their words aren’t what matters, it’s what you do about it.”

  Kori gave Brianna a small smile. “I’m sorry.”

  Brianna’s face wrinkled. “For what?”

  Kori took a moment to study Brianna’s gentle features as if preparing her next choice of words.

  She was olive-skinned, with a slender figure and magenta eyes. Her long, wavy, honey blonde hair was tied in a ponytail. She didn’t wear makeup, nor did she need to. She was beautiful without.

  Maybe that’s why Melinda hates her so. Kori thought to herself.

  “Are you going to tell me why you apologized?” Brianna said with a chuckle.

  Kori jumped at the sound of her voice. Then recomposing herself said, “sorry for being so cold to you and Hayden. The two of you risked your lives to keep me and Ethan safe so many times while we were in Purgatory and once we were back, I shut you both out.”

  Brianna shook her head. “I don’t blame you...everything you two went through must have been like a nightmare.”

  They sat in silence for a second. “Weird thing is, I think I might be a witch.”

  This time it was Brianna who stared at her for a long moment without saying anything.

  Kori continued with, “I was able to cast a spell with your wand. For a while I thought it was because of residual magic, but over the summer I got curious.” Kori held out her hand, palms facing upwards. She squinted her eyes as if she were in deep focus.