Descendants Academy: Young Adult Urban Fantasy, Belle Malory [motivational novels for students .txt] 📗

“Ah, I see. Thank you.”

He nodded, refilling my pot with fresh water. “How have you been feeling? I mean, now that you’ve ditched the lethara bracelet?”

I glanced down at my naked wrist, still bruised from where the chain used to be. For some strange reason, I didn’t have the heart to toss it into the ocean. Some of those charms were from my dad. Instead, I locked it inside the wooden chest in the back of my dorm room closet.

“Better,” I said, releasing a breath. “Less…heavy. If that makes sense.”

“It does. Lethara can make its subject feel very weighed down. Your energy looks better overall.”

“Good to know.”

Peter stirred in the rose powder concoction and turned up the heat. After a few moments, he displayed a perfect set of pearly whites. “There we go. The tea is coming to life.”

I smiled back. “You make it seem so easy.”

He shrugged a shoulder and handed me the wooden spoon. “You’ll get the hang of it. Just takes time.”

I slowly stirred, wishing that was true. “So people keep telling me.”

He glanced up, a knowing look in his gaze. “What are you having trouble with? Lilyworth’s class?”

I shook my head, staring down into the pot. “The mirrors.”

“Ah, the mirrors. They wouldn’t let me through my first four, maybe five months.”

“Really?” That made me feel less sad about my own situation.

Peter nodded. “Want to know the secret trick?”

I was skeptical of any trick since the realm’s entrance was based on the mage’s so-called worthiness. In the previous weeks, I had tried all sorts of suggestions. Spinning around three times first, unlocking spells, dousing myself in sage, and the list went on and on. Still. At this point, I was willing to try anything. “Let’s hear it then.”

He moved to the other side of the table, dusting his hands off. “Staring.”

I arched a brow. “Staring?”

“Yep. Keep staring into them until you figure it out. Before they let me through, I had all these preconceived ideas about the realm’s purpose. But if you stare into the mirrors long enough, they’ll show you what you need to know.”

Huh. Well, that sounded simple enough.

“Thanks, I’ll give it a shot.”

That night after dinner, I headed to the library to try out Peter’s suggestion. There was nothing better to do anyway. I had already finished my homework, and studying for written tests was no longer a necessity.

Also, I needed to mix things up for a change.

I noticed on the way back from dinner each night there was always a very distinctive magic present. A certain gladiator hanging around the route back to my dorm, lurking in the shadows.

It was beyond frustrating.

Xander was worried about monsters, especially since we hadn’t caught the mage responsible for chimera, and in his deluded mind, this was his way of protecting me. He made me feel safe, and it kind of pissed me off that I felt safe. I didn’t want to rely on Xander—I had to learn to take care of myself. Not only that, but I thought we both made it clear that we were going to stay away from each other, that it was for the best.

He was ignoring his own rule, giving me no say in this little one-sided arrangement. By not sticking to my normal schedule, I would show him he couldn’t control everything.

On the way down to the gateways, I started to freak out. It was super dark, and the usual lanterns had been put out for the night. Even Themus, who usually stayed well past dark, had left for his apartment.

I held up my hand and whispered, “Incendium.” A flame ignited, hovering over my palm and lighting the way. Out of the basics, fire magic came easily enough. Controlling it was the hard part, but over the last few weeks, I’d gotten better.

Once I was in front of the mirrors, I dropped my messenger bag and sat down; I may as well get comfy. If staring was what it took, I was prepared to do it all night. I even brought a blanket with me in case it got cold.

The mirror showed me my subjects again—or café girl and the hunky jock, as I referred to them. After a while, I learned their names were Mia and Ben. Watching their lives unfold presented an interesting escape. Instead of worrying about my own complicated world, it was refreshing to look inside someone else’s for a change.

Mia was the daughter of a single parent. She worked hard, studied, and played the flute.

Ben was one of three boys. He was funny and amazing at football. And shockingly, he already had a crush on Mia. In all the times I’d been here, I never noticed that. And much like myself, Mia was so preoccupied, she hadn’t noticed either.

They each had their own little quirks and habits, different in so many ways, but similar in one—they both desperately needed to be loved.

Mia’s mom was gone all the time. Ben’s parents were focused on his autistic brother. Mia had no time for friends. And Ben’s, in my opinion, were a bunch of douchebags.

No wonder the mirrors wouldn’t let me through. I would have wasted an arrow on Ben, and the poor guy was already having a hard time getting her attention. Mia was the one who was constantly busy with work and school, and she was the one who needed that arrow.

My mind had officially changed. The two of them didn’t need detention. It wasn’t enough time. I noticed the D− on the Calculus test that had fallen out of Ben’s notebook. That’s exactly how he could win her over, by convincing Mia to tutor him. I knew if she spent enough time with Ben, sparks would fly.

At some point, my eyelids grew heavy while watching the two of them. I fell asleep there on the floor, curled up with my blanket. When I woke again, I wasn’t sure what time it was, but both Ben and Mia were fast asleep in their part