Shifters and Secrets: GRIMM Academy Book 1 Read online

  I smiled at his words and moved on to the warm buttered rolls. By the time we made it to the end of the line, my plate was overloaded with food. We sat down at a two top in the back near the exit. I dug into my salad as Javi went to bring us back drinks. I let the distinct flavors of the dressing and nuts mix in my mouth.

  “Good?” Javi smiled as he handed me a tall glass of iced tea.

  I took it and nodded in thanks. The tea was sweet and mixed with lemonade and it was good. I gulped it down way too fast. Even their tea was better here than at my old school.

  After lunch, we headed back toward the office building to meet up with my tío. My stomach was close to bursting and my body protested the long walk. I just wanted to crawl into bed and take a long nap. Or check out the beach which I still hadn’t done yet.

  When we got to the office, a thin young woman was locking the door.

  “My dad left?”

  She jumped at the sound of Javi’s voice and faced us. Her eyes were large and wide set, but I couldn’t tell if she was startled or if she always looked like she’d just seen a ghost.

  “Hello, Javier. Yes. I’m sorry. Your father just left, but he told me to wait for you to tell you that he will see you back home.” She fidgeted with her fingers. “He said to come straight home.”

  Javi’s nostrils flared. “But I didn’t get to show her House Dragon yet.”

  Her mouth parted. “I… I’m sorry.”

  He waved her away. “It’s fine. Thanks, Myra.”

  She blinked at me and clutched her folders to herself as she walked past us.

  “Your dad couldn’t have called or texted you?” I held my stomach and groaned. “Now we have to walk all the way back to the car?”

  Javi stared at the locked door, a strange expression on his face. Disappointed at his dad’s departure?

  I frowned. “You okay, cuz?”

  He sniffed and relaxed, fixing me with a smirk. “We don’t have to walk. Let’s take the portal.”

  I froze. “The what? Did you just say portal?”

  He gave me a mischievous grin and scurried down the hall. I followed, close on his heels. My heart pounded as he led me down the stairs.

  “Javi, stop. What are we doing?” I hissed as he leapt the rest of the way down.

  He didn’t stop. Instead, he picked up speed and led me to what looked like a cleaning supply closet.

  “You can’t tell anyone we used this, okay? It’s supposed to be only for emergencies.”

  I huffed. “Yeah, this is an emergency. If I have to walk all the way back, I’m going to puke. All over your car.”

  He made a face at me and glanced past me. “Come on.” He motioned me forward.

  I stepped closer as he laid his hand on the knob and muttered something I didn’t understand. The metal turned blue. My eyes bulged.

  “What was that?”

  He shrugged. “A chant to unlock the ward.”

  The door popped open and I blinked in surprise. It was a supply closet. Javi took a step in and pulled me along with him. The door slammed shut behind us, plunging us into darkness.

  “Grab my hand,” Javi called.

  “I can’t even see my own hand.”

  I yelped as he grabbed my wrist. There was a strange whooshing noise and he chanted something under his breath. A light exploded, making me jump back.

  My skin crawled and my teeth rattled in my skull. As quickly as the sensation hit, it left. I stood, clinging to Javi and trembling.

  We were in front of the Dragon House. Students were out of classes. Not one of them batted an eye as we magically appeared on the sidewalk.

  “Did you like it?” Javi grinned at me.

  My teeth were still chattering. I shook off the weird feeling and straightened to my full height. “You could have warned me! I wasn’t ready for… that.”

  His grin widened. “That was nothing! Wait until you try the bigger portals.”

  “Not happening,” I grumbled, stalking toward the car.

  Of course, it was locked, so I stood beside it and waited for Javi. He took his sweet time, stopping to chat with some friends. I huffed, leaning against the door.

  Why couldn’t he hurry the hell up? I wanted to go back and… plan an escape? My mind was on overload with all the things I’d seen.

  “Ready?” He smiled, finally breaking away from his friends.

  “Mr. Popular, huh?” I smirked at him.

  He unlocked the car and shrugged. “Can’t help it if the people love me.”

  I pretended to gag. We slid into the car, and I watched as he opened the console to retrieve his sunglasses once again. Though he didn’t say it, I could tell he was arming himself. For when we went back to face his dad. Suddenly, his arrogance didn’t seem so much like pride.

  No. It was his armor. At school, he fought so hard to be seen and tried to be someone people liked because he knew he would never measure up to his father’s expectations.

  I felt sorry for him. The pressures he must have felt all his life. Did he ever get the chance to make his own decisions?

  Wrapping my arms around myself, I turned to stare out the window as we drove past the guardhouse.

  Javi played his music, leaving me to my own thoughts and fears. If this was who they’d turned their own son into, what did that mean for me? How could I get away before it was too late? And did I just leave my cousin to his fate?

  9

  We arrived back at the house and dread built inside me. Something was going to happen. I just knew it. A bad taste filled my mouth as we left the car in the garage and headed inside.

  Tía Teresa was there to greet us. “How did you like the school?”

  My eyes shifted from her to Javi, unsure if this was the trap they’d been setting up for me. They stared back at me, dark eyes drilling into me. I shrugged off the eerie feeling and started walking up the stairs.

  “It was fine. Nice school,” I answered.

  “Good.” Tía nodded. “We should discuss—”

  A ring interrupted her words. She apologized and excused herself, heading back to the kitchen.

  Javi continued to stand at the entrance and stare at me. “Sorry you didn’t get to tour the classrooms. You’ll have to discover them as you go. Classes start tomorrow.”

  I paused on the steps. “What did you say?”

  Javi beamed up at me. “You start classes tomorrow. I got my dad to put you in House Dragon with me. You are going to love it. Best house there is. We have a game room, a pool, snack pantry…”

  I held up my hand. “Stop. I’m not going to that school.”

  Anger flared inside me. Who in the hell did they think they were signing me up for classes without asking me?

  Javi gaped at me. “What?”

  I walked toward him and paused on the step above him. “I’m. Not. Going to that school.”

  He scowled. “You have to. You’re already signed up.”

  The air was knocked out of me. For a second, I envisioned myself flying at my cousin fists first. The next vision I was marching to my tío’s study to scream at him.

  Neither happened.

  I stood, stunned, and then sank onto the stairs like a deflated balloon. A hollowness filled me. My mind raced as my heartbeat roared in my ears.

  No. It was happening. They were forcing me to become one of them.

  Nausea rolled through me.

  Javi’s concerned gaze followed me, his mouth moving, but no words came out. At least not any that I could hear. My throat burned. It felt as if I’d been screaming, but I couldn’t muster a single sound.

  It should have been obvious, right? Why hadn’t I expected this scenario? I stifled a sob and pulled my shoulders back. No use crying about it now. It was time to act. Soon.

  That night, I ate dinner with Javi and his family at the giant dining table. For the most part, I ignored the conversations and focused on eating. Eating and scheming. If I moved to campus, they wouldn’t be able to keep an ey
e on me. I could find a way to break the bracelet and escape.

  This idea gave me hope. I could play at obedience… for a while. Go to school. Do my work. Plan my escape. It was my best option seeing as I still didn’t have any solid plan of where I would go. If I took this course—leaving—I would have to break all ties to my past.

  What would I do then? The idea of getting a job and running for the rest of my life didn’t sound appealing, but at least I would be free.

  Free to make my own choices.

  After dinner, I retreated to my room and took a long hot shower. My mind raced, going over my choices again and again until I felt as if my brain would burst. Turning off the water, I took a deep breath and squared my shoulders back.

  For now, I had no choice but to play along. There were still answers I needed. My dad’s killer was still running loose. I needed to see him get captured and I needed to find out more about my parents.

  There would still be time to plan my escape. Let them think I accepted this new life and then when they relaxed their hold on me, then I could make my move.

  I threw on my giant T-shirt and ignored the knock on my door as I slid under the covers. It was probably Javi checking on me. To make sure I wasn’t ready to bolt. He finally gave up, and I pulled the blanket up and gazed up at the ceiling.

  Moonlight trickled in from the giant window, making my room look creepy and strange. Try as I might, I couldn’t shake the images of Manny’s transforming face out of my mind. Would I be faced with more monsters like him?

  My skin crawled as I tried to focus on sleep. Tomorrow was my first day at the school, and I wanted to be prepared for whatever they threw at me next.

  The morning was bright and sunny. I groaned as an alarm blared from an invisible source. Forcing myself to stand, I stretched my arms above my head and walked over to my closet to choose the perfect outfit. I rummaged through my clothes, frowning.

  I needed something that would not get me into too much trouble but also wasn’t boring. If I was going to be stuck at their secret magic school, I sure as hell would be dressing the way I wanted.

  Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case. Before I could get undressed, Tía Teresa came in with a pair of black slacks, white button-down blouse, and a red tie. My hackles rose.

  Oh. Hell. No.

  “I didn’t see anyone wearing uniforms yesterday.” My words tumbled out.

  “Yesterday was different. A casual day.”

  I frowned. “On a Thursday? That makes no sense.”

  She didn’t respond. Instead she laid out the clothes for me and turned to leave.

  “Be ready to leave in an hour.”

  I gaped at her. “An hour? I don’t need an hour to get ready. I could have slept in!”

  Shrugging a shoulder, she saw herself to the door.

  Terrific. It wasn’t even 8:00 a.m. and I was already in a bad mood. I rubbed my forehead as a dull ache began to grow. Coffee. I needed coffee and lots of it to survive the day.

  After pacing back and forth, I gave up and put on the horrible, tasteless outfit. I stared at myself in the mirror, horrified.

  I looked like I was going for a job interview. Maybe this was all part of their calculated operation to make the students conform right away.

  My lip curled. Not this girl.

  Rummaging through the closet, I pulled out a tight, cropped black leather jacket and threw it on over my shirt. I smiled.

  Much better.

  After running a brush through my hair, gelling it up, and painting on some black eyeliner and mascara, I felt a little more like myself. Just needed the lipstick and jewelry to accessorize.

  “Rose? Are you coming down for breakfast?” Javi’s voice made me jump.

  I growled in irritation as my lipstick got smudged. “Coming.”

  With a quick fix and final look in the mirror, I was ready.

  Ready as I’d ever be.

  “Here we go.” I flung the door open.

  Javi stood on the other side dressed in black slacks and a white collared shirt with a red tie that showed off his muscular arms. His eyes widened at my appearance.

  My hands went to my hips. “What? You can’t tell me you’re surprised. You’ve seen how I dress.”

  He gaped at me. “Yeah, but you can’t dress like that for school.”

  My eyebrow arched. “Why not? I’m wearing the stupid uniform. What the hell kind of school makes its students dress like servers, anyway?”

  Popping his collar, he rolled his eyes at me. “Yeah. I know. They suck. But that’s the rules. And that jacket”—he pointed a finger at me—“is not part of the dress code.”

  I snorted. “Too bad.” I pushed past him and headed for the stairs.

  He groaned. “And neither are those boots. What are you trying to do to me?”

  Glancing over my shoulder at him, I smiled. “Get used to it, Javi. You should be happy I didn’t burn this uniform. Compromise. You’re supposed to listen and empathize, remember?” I snickered.

  I turned back around to find Tía Teresa standing on the landing, one hand on her hip.

  My cheeks reddened. “Tía.”

  She made a shooing motion with her hand. “Vamos. Go eat. You said you didn’t need an hour to get ready!”

  Javi snorted as he followed, close on my heels.

  I shot him a dark look before stepping off the stairs and heading for the kitchen. The smell of peppers and onions hit me full force. My stomach rumbled in anticipation as I sat down to the scrambled eggs and toast.

  Javi sat across from me at the small table and scarfed down his breakfast. With little time left, we threw our plates in the sink and went to brush our teeth.

  “Joe will drive you to school,” Tía Teresa announced as we returned downstairs.

  Javi scowled. “But it’s her first day of classes!”

  She arched a brow at him. “You’re grounded, Javi. Maybe next time you will make it in before curfew.”

  “But, Mama, today is the last day of my punishment.”

  “Si. I know, so tomorrow you can drive. But not today.”

  I bit back a smile as he huffed and marched out the door.

  “Rosa.”

  I turned at my tía’s call.

  Her dark eyes softened on me. “I know all of this is so sudden for you. And that you don’t have a choice, but if it’s too much for you today, call me. I will come and get you.”

  “Okay. Thank you.”

  She smiled and folded her fingers in front of herself. “Have a good day. Stick with Javi and you’ll be fine.”

  It wasn’t much, but her promise warmed my heart. Though I appreciated the sentiment, I wasn’t one to run and hide. I refused to give them the win.

  We waved goodbye from the car as Joe took off.

  Javi leaned forward and grabbed a black box from his backpack. He opened it and showed it to me.

  A black medallion hung from a silver chain. The circular face was inscribed with a full bloomed rose and a border of thorns along the edge.

  It was beautiful.

  “This is to protect you.” Javi handed me the necklace.

  I frowned. “I thought I already was protected.”

  “You are, but this is an added protection. So, when you leave, you’ll be shielded.”

  My eyes snapped to his. “Leave?”

  I tried not to let the hopefulness show on my face. My heart pounded in my ears. They were letting me leave?

  He nodded. “Yeah. For school.”

  And just like that my heart plummeted. Right. The Academy. My lip curled.

  “It belonged to abuela Carmen. She was going to pass it on to your mother on her wedding day, but…”

  “Instead she disowned her for leaving the GRIMMs, joining a coven, and marrying a muggle?” I finished for him.

  “Ordinaire. But yeah, pretty much.”

  The pendant fell against my chest, the chain cold against me. I almost wanted to rip it right back off after learning
its origin. I’d never met my grandparents. They knew about me and I guess they’d kept their mouths shut about it, but they chose to reject me. To never know me or Papi.

  We weren’t invited for family events until after they’d passed.

  As angry as the memory made me, I couldn’t help but admire the beauty of the necklace.

  “But you still have to be careful. Don’t do any spells just yet. Not until we make sure it’s okay.” Javi interrupted my thoughts.

  I scoffed. “Yeah, okay. I’ll try not to accidentally summon a witch or turn you into a frog or something.”

  His brow furrowed. “It’s not a joke, Rose. Witches are adept at some powerful magic. Your mom had a lot of skill. You probably have it too. That makes you valuable to them.”

  My skin crawled. Skill. Skill at what?

  “I don’t know anything about spells, Javi. I’m not going to try performing anything.”

  “It’s not that simple. You have a connection to magic like the extraordinaire. You could do something by accident or without thinking.”

  A growl escaped me. “Look, I promise I’m not going to fool around with magic. Okay? Enough.”

  And why was this the first time he was telling me about this? I put the medallion on and stared at its shiny surface. Was this what he meant about a silver object being a conduit? His words echoed in my mind.

  I could do magic by accident. Well, that was a terrifying notion. What if I was sitting in class and accidentally burned the building down or something? Superpowers and magic were all well and good in the movies and books, but this was real life.

  We were in real danger. Once again, I wished Papi hadn’t left me in the dark. Left me so alone. The ache in my chest grew.

  “Hey. You okay?” Javi’s voice caught my attention.

  I sighed. “Sure. Never better.”

  His brow furrowed. “I’m serious. Are you going to be okay?”

  My throat turned dry. I didn’t expect to be so disarmed by his concern. Blinking back the tears threatening to spill out, I nodded.

  “It’s just a lot. A lot of changes and… I miss Papi.” I glanced out the window.

  We fell silent.