Initiation by Imogen Rose

here.”
    “Okay, see you later, Faustine. Stay with Dax at all times, and call me if you need me.”
    I went back to my room for some me time .

 
     
     

     
     
    T ennis. That was how I decided to use my me time . Finally, some time to indulge in what I had hoped Enrichment year would be all about. During my first two years at the Academy, I had spent every spare moment on the tennis courts. Unlike most of the other players, I preferred playing the game without using any of my paranormal powers.
    Since the age of five, when I first got to attend the Wimbledon Championships in London, my dream had been to play there one day. And I had been well on my way until my powers started going berserk during puberty. Since I had gotten them under control, I could play using my raw talent only, and I hoped to get into competition tennis when I went back to Paris. I had hoped to use my last year at the Academy to polish my skills. That, and spend time with Quinn.
    Obviously, I wasn’t going to get much free time from the mentoring gig. Not that I resented spending time with Faustine, not even a little bit. I really liked her. She needed me and looked up to me. I felt kind of good about that.
    However, since I had a few hours to myself, I was going to grab my tennis racket and hope that there was someone around on the tennis courts to play against.
    “Cordelia, what’s the hurry?” Jagger shouted from behind me.
    I glanced over my shoulder, but kept walking. “I’ve got some free time, so I want to get to the courts and slam some balls.”
    “Sounds painful.” He snickered.
    “Ha, ha.”
    He caught up and strode alongside me. “I’ll come with.”
    “Yeah? Okay. I need someone to beat.” I caught a smile. I had never seen him on the courts before, and was sure he didn’t play. He wasn’t on the team anyway. I wondered what faery tricks he could use to beat me. Oh, well. Whatever. It would be fun to find out. I might make an exception and use my powers after all. “See you over there in ten?”
    “Yep.” He ruffled my hair before he sped along the corridor toward his room.
    I quickly changed into my white tennis uniform. We had to wear uniforms any time we played, even at practice. As I grabbed my tennis bag, someone knocked on my door. I assumed it was Jagger, and that he’d decided to pick me up instead of meeting me at the courts.
    “Come in! It’s unlocked!”
    When there was no response, I opened the door. No one. I looked down the corridor, but saw no signs of anyone. I had just turned to go back inside when I spotted an envelope on the floor. Hesitantly, I picked it up and sniffed it. The smell was familiar, rancid. I lifted the unsealed top flap and peered inside. A feather. I went over to my desk, got my tweezers, and carefully slid the feather out of the envelope.
    The soft, golden brown barbed feather had been cropped to fit into the envelope. What was up with that? I smelled the feather, same aroma I had caught from the envelope, but way stronger. I closed my eyes, trying to recall the source. I was immediately transported back to the shifters in the corridor. The feather must have come from the eagle. Why had it been left on my doorstep? Was it a threat? Was it her way of telling me to back off or else… what? She knew where I lived? If that was the case, she could go screw herself.
    I put the feather back in the envelope and dropped it in my tennis bag to show to Jagger. Then, I checked myself. Not that I needed a refresher, but having just come out of the Initiation meeting, and having had the Trust No One rule rammed into me again, made me take a breather. The rule included Jagger. What did I really know about him? Nothing. In fact, I had just found out that he had a brother who would be attending the school. Aside from that, I didn’t know anything at all. And faeries were notorious liars. He probably wasn’t even a full faery; there was something about him…. Just because we’d synched