Alchemist Academy: Book 1 (14 page)

“Hey, Carly,” Jackie said with little enthusiasm.

“I was wondering where you hid them,” Carly said and sat down at the long table, right next to Mark. She pulled her small purse onto the table. “Hogging the newbies all to yourself?”

“We were just getting to know each other, sharing stories.”

“If we’re sharing, I say we make this interesting.” Carly tapped the bag on the table.

Jackie leaned back and blew out a long breath.

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“You know about truth or dare?”

“Yeah.” Not that I had ever played it.

“Well, this is like that, but when you touch this stone, you’ll have to tell the truth whether you want to or not.” Carly opened the bag, used a black cloth and placed a crystal stone with pink speckles on it on the table.

Jackie crossed her arms and looked away.

“Are you serious? You guys will have to answer anything I ask?” All the questions that had been in my head a moment ago had disappeared. I scrambled to think of more.

“Yes, but with each question it gets weaker, until it’s nothing but a pile of dust,” Carly said.

“I can’t believe you busted out the truth stone,” Jackie said. “You guys don’t have to play.”

“No, I want to,” I said and glanced at Mark.

“I don’t,” he said. “I think there are some things we keep to ourselves for a reason.”

“Big surprise coming from you, Mark,” Jackie said. “I’m down.”

“Okay, good. I hate small talk, and this is the fastest way to learn about someone.” Carly smiled and clapped her hands. “So, each of us just place one finger on the stone.” She pushed the rock to the middle of the table, leaning against Mark as she did.

Jackie reached over the table and put a finger right next to the stone. “Don’t be a pussy, Allie, with the questions. It would be just like you to ask what my favorite color is.”

Now that she mentioned it, I
was
interested in that question and wanted one of them to ask me. I wasn’t really sure what my favorite color was, and with the stone, I’d have to answer truthfully. I leaned close to the stone and placed my finger next to it.

Carly cleared her throat. A smile kept creasing her face before she fought it back again. Jackie kept one eyebrow up and looked from me to Carly.

“Your rock, Carly. You answer the first question,” Jackie said.

Mark scooted down the bench for a better view, or maybe just to get some space from Carly.

“Okay.” Carly pressed her pointer finger on the stone. “Now I have to answer any question honestly.”

“Why you been acting weird lately?” Jackie asked.

“I thought you were acting weird, so I started acting weird,” Carly said. “Now you two have to touch it.”

I pressed my finger to the side of the stone at the same time as Jackie. The imperfections in the stone stood out, small fracture lines and ridges.

“Why have you been so weird?” Carly asked Jackie.

“I’ve been under pressure a lot lately to make the stones I used to be able to make. I think I’m losing some of my abilities.”

Carly took a deep breath and nodded.

“Have you slept with Mark?” Jackie asked.

“No, we haven’t done that kind of stuff.” I blurted out the words almost before I could even think of them. I covered my mouth with my free hand.

“You can ask us something now,” Carly said.

“Where are you two from?”

“Richmond, Virginia, for most of my life.” Jackie shook her head. “I knew you’d be a pussy.”

“I’m from Carson City, Nevada,” Carly said.

“Couple of state capital girls,” Mark said.

Jackie turned to him. “Unless you produce a touching finger, you aren’t allowed to say a word.”

“I have another question,” I said. “What happens in the globe during retirement?”

“I don’t know,” Carly said.

“One way or another, you leave,” Jackie said. “Better, Allie.”

My finger slid down the stone but stayed pressed to it. I searched for Jackie and opened my mouth to ask a follow up, but Carly spoke first.

“Allie, are you a dark alchemist, or have you ever worked with them?” Carly asked.

Jackie froze and stared at me, waiting for the answer.

“No.”

They glanced at each other.

“Why?” I asked.

“I—” Carly said.

“We….” Jackie added.

Carly finished, “We think there are dark alchemists looking for this place. And when we get someone like you, we’re suspicious of who you are and your intentions.”

“My intentions are noble,” I said.

“Good. Why don’t you ask another question?” Carly offered.

“Is there another way out of this place, besides the globe?”

“I’ve searched through many of the secret places, but I’ve never found a way out unless you use portal stones,” she answered.

“Boring. You think we’d be sitting here if we knew a way out?” Jackie huffed. “Carly, if you could have sex with one person in the Academy, who would it be?”

“Mark.”

Jackie laughed. “This is getting fun. Carly, have you ever used a stone improperly?”

“Yes.”

“Now we’re getting somewhere.” Jackie brushed her hair back and stared at her. “What did you do?”

Carly’s jaw muscles flexed and her eyes twitched. “I’ve been holding onto a time stone for a few weeks now,” she blurted out, then took a deep breath. “I made it in the house lab. And when I saw Mark today, I knew I could do whatever I wanted to him and then just use the time stone to go back a few minutes. No one would be the wiser.”

“You sick bitch, what did you do?” Jackie asked.

My mouth hung open and I couldn’t blink or think. I only stared and waited for whatever putrid thing she’d done to spill all over me and Mark, soiling us possibly for life. Mark leaned way over, getting a better vantage point to see Carly’s face.

“First, I froze him and Miss Perfect here.” Her gazed darted to me. “Then I dragged his stiff body to the lobby and into my room. I proceeded to take off his clothes and found, to my surprise, that some things still work even when they’re frozen. That was when you came in, Jackie.”

“Me?” she said with a big grin and pointed at herself.

“Yes, you marched in with fire in your eyes, but something changed when you saw Mark naked on the floor. You joined in and we took turns on Mark like he was a twenty-five-cent grocery store ride. After we had ours, I used the time stone, and nobody ever knew what happened.”

Carly pulled her finger off the stone and held her hands over her mouth. She glanced back at Mark, and I’m sure I looked as shocked as he did. He glanced down at his lap.

I couldn’t speak. This couldn’t be real, but her finger had touched the stone, so I knew it was. My anger built up, my face twitched and my hand clenched up in a fist. I took my finger off the stone and found the spot on Carly’s sick face I’d gouge out.

Jackie put a hand up, stopping my assault. “I have to admit, I
have
used a stone in an improper way.” Jackie lifted the stone off the table and tossed it in one hand. “It was the time I asked Carly to come in here and pretend this stone made you tell the truth.”

Carly lowered her hands to reveal her big smile. “We got you.”

Jackie laughed, but I didn’t think any of it was funny. I smacked the table hard with my palm. The table rattled, and that sent Carly and Jackie into more laughter.

“You really thought we tag-teamed Mark?” Jackie laughed. “Oh my god, I can’t breathe.”

Carly grabbed at her stomach, laughing. “I’m sorry, but this is just too much. Have you two really never hooked up?”

“Her finger was on the truth stone, so it must be true,” Jackie said. “You newbies will believe these things can do anything.”

Mark stood. “Come on, Allie. We don’t have to put up with this.”

I sat and crossed my arms. “I don’t think what you two did was funny at all.”

Carly took some deep breaths. “I’m sorry, but we only get to do that joke every few months, and this was one of my favorites. Please, we like you, Allie, and Mark too.”

“Yeah, it was just a joke, guys. Mark, sit back down.” Jackie got up from the table. “I’ll go grab some ice cream shakes from Beatrice. Hey, Beatrice.” The woman behind the counter moved. “Four chocolate shakes, please.”

I tried to control my breathing, but Carly had put a picture in my mind I couldn’t get rid of, even if I knew it was all a fabrication. It still felt real.

Jackie returned with a tray of four shakes in tall glasses.

I grabbed a glass and pulled it close, inspecting the contents. I put my mouth on the straw and kept my gaze on Carly. She watched me as I dropped the straw from my lips and stared at the brown contents of the glass. “This isn’t a shit shake, is it?”

Jackie spit her shake out onto the table and laughed. “No. What the hell?”

“Well, I don’t know how far this pranking is going to go,” I said.

Mark walked around the table and sat next to me. He eyed the shake and licked his lips.

“You want some?” I pushed his over closer to him.

“No.” He shook his head.

“So, what’s the real deal with you two?” Carly said.

I looked to Mark and watched his gaze move to each of us. “We’re a couple.” Mark glanced at me for confirmation.

“Yeah, a couple.” It felt incredibly weird to have a label put on us. I liked being around Mark, and I think he liked being around me, but more than that seemed presumptuous.

“Are you two, like, high school sweethearts?” Jackie asked.

“I bet they’re the
it
couple.” Carly rolled her eyes.

“No,” I said. “We’re not the
it
couple. We just met a few days ago.”

Jackie leaned forward with narrowing eyes. “A few days?”

“Yeah. What’s with the inquisition here?” I asked.

Jackie laughed. “We get so bored with our old, worn-out news, when someone comes in here, we thrive on their news, their rumors, and with two of you….” She waved her hand forward. “We can’t control ourselves.”

“Well, it’s creepy,” I said and took another drink of the shake. “You two have anyone in here you’re seeing?”

Carly grimaced. “No.”

Jackie leaned back and looked to the door.

“What about you, Jackie? All the time you’ve been here and not one guy?” I asked, happy to be asking the questions for once.

“No,” she said, but she kept looking away.

“She lies. I see her sneaking around sometimes at night,” Carly said.

“Shut up.”

“I do. You sneak around.”

“Just exploring this place.”

“I bet you’re exploring something.”

Jackie leaned back and crossed her arms.

Carly opened her mouth, but the sheer will of Jackie’s glare forced it closed. The temptation to push it farther swelled in me, but I fought it down.

“I think I’m going to go to bed,” Jackie said as she stood.

“Yeah. We should do this again tomorrow. I like you guys,” Carly said.

I raised an eyebrow. “No more shenanigans?”

“Maybe just a little.” She winked.

Mark stood as well, and I shimmied my way off the bench seat. “Later, Jackie,” I called out to her back.

She raised a hand and kept walking.

Carly walked next to me and we watched Jackie leave through the door. “She had a guy. They were inseparable, but shortly after I got here, they retired him. It was a retirement we’ll never forget. Jackie and Ned wouldn’t let go of each other, and eventually the lifers pried them apart and all but shoved Ned into the dome. He cried out something, but I was too far in the back to hear it. She made some real whoppers of stones after that.”

“Why doesn’t she just get retired?” Mark asked.

“I don’t think she believes we really go home in there. I have my doubts as well.”

I was beginning to have some doubts too, but I never liked to judge things based on other people’s opinions. People seemed to look at things through warped prisms, or maybe I just wanted to see everything for myself. If the dome really didn’t send the students home, then what did it do? Where did they go? This whole place felt magical and terrible at the same time. The hate they instilled and perpetuated felt as if it had a purpose, but if in the end this dome thing did something to you other than send you home, then this entire place was a lie. Either way, I had a mission, and this day I hoped had brought me one step closer. Tomorrow, I’d push even harder.

Lying in bed, I stared at the ceiling. Closing my eyes didn’t work because the thoughts came too quickly when I did. Looking at the dimly lit ceiling gave my mind a resting space. I needed to think of something besides the truth around me.

I rolled to my side and looked at the door. The hand-carved wood seemed too intricate against the plain floors and walls. But I wasn’t really thinking about the door; I was thinking about the guy who was just beyond the door. The guy who, just a few hours ago, had been with me on this bed.

It was terrifying and exciting how I had been willing to do anything with him. I’d felt some heat for boys in passing, but I’d never had a moment like the one I’d shared with Mark. How far would I have gone if not for the interruption?

The door handle moved. I stared at it and heard a faint click as it turned all the way down. The door crept open and my heart began to race, thinking it must be Mark. I felt confusion slamming against me in a split second. Not knowing what I would let him do, what I wanted to do. I still had my shirt on, but I had taken off my pants before I got into bed. The door opened all the way and a person too small to be Mark glided into my room. I was about to scream when I saw Jackie’s face in the shadows.

“You awake?” she asked.

“Yes.”

“Good. Remember the Blue who grabbed you today at the fence?”

“I don’t think I’d forget that.”

“How would you like to play a little prank on him?”

“Hell, yeah,” I replied. It was more about doing something other than lying there, thinking about stuff, but it did sound interesting. “Can you turn around? I’m not wearing pants.”

She crossed her arms and turned a tad. I flung the blanket off and walked to the armoire.

“I wish they gave us panties like that,” Jackie said, staring at mine over her shoulder.

I sighed at the privacy breach. I didn’t think they were anything special; they had a hint of pink with a red floral pattern on them. I opened the armoire and pulled my jeans from it.

Jackie pulled the front of her pants down a tad to show the top of her panties. “Before long, this is what you’ll be wearing.” She snapped the elastic band of her plain white undergarments. They could have been guys’ underwear.

“They don’t look bad.”

“Yeah, well, they give us okay clothes, but the underwear is a constant complaint from the women here.”

I slid my legs into the jeans and wondered what I was going to wear tomorrow. If I had thought about it more, I would have gone back to my house and packed.

“How long have you been here?”

“Three years.”

I sat on the bed, dumbfounded. “And you’ve never left?”

“Nope.” The fake moonlight lit enough of her face for me to see the hurt. She tried to smile, then looked away.

“Can’t you ask to be retired?”

Jackie laughed. “It’s not so simple. Listen, you’re a day one girl. You don’t need to hear about my problems. We have a Blue to get back at.” She winked.

I did want to hear about her problems, but I didn’t push it any further. I put my black boots on. They reached just past my ankles and I clasped the leather straps.

“Those shoes are amazing.”

“Thanks.” I stood up from the bed and looked at Jackie. “So, what are we going to do?”

“First, we need to make a few stones, if you’re up to it.”

“I am. I should wake up Mark and get him.” I was more excited about making stones than getting back at the Blue.

Jackie frowned. “No, he looked awfully tired. Why don’t we let him sleep?”

We tiptoed down the stairs and into the entryway. Nobody was in the main room. Jackie turned to the door under the stairs and opened it. She motioned for me to follow and we entered. A small hall opened up into a large room where several people were working with bowls and vials.

Ira looked up from a bowl and quickly looked back down as we made eye contact.

“You guys make your own stones here?”

Jackie smiled and slid a finger across a highly polished table. “Let’s just say it’s a well-known secret.”

The few other people in the room stopped whatever they were doing to give me their attention, or at least Jackie’s, as she raised her hand.

“Reds, I’m sure you know who this is by now, but her name is Allie. She’s the new girl who’s going to help us take out the stupid Blues.”

The introduction seemed awkward. I didn’t know if I should say something, so I just stood there and gave a small wave.

“Allie, I heard from the room twenty-eight Reds that you were somewhat of a specialist at making stones.”

“I guess. I don’t really know what I’m doing.”

“Good. Ignorance actually helps the process. The more you think about it like a science project, the less it works.” Jackie looked me up and down. “How much reserved anger do you have in this body?”

“Plenty.”

“Good, because I bet everyone here could use your help in making stones. That’s what this room is about, helping each other.”

“Jackie,” a guy sitting at a desk said, and cleared his throat. “I’m having a bit of trouble making this falling stone.” He pointed to the bowl and the materials sitting on the desk.

“Do you need a buildup, Walt?”

“I think it could help.”

Jackie walked toward the guy, but turned back to talk to me as she did. “Something the teachers won’t tell you is that there are other ways to make stones. For some stones, different emotions are needed … as with this particular mix.”

“What’s a falling stone?” I asked.

“It’s like a nightmare stone. It gives you the sensation of falling. Your body and mind are certain you’re are falling, even though you’re not. It’s really a terrible feeling and can last for a minute or even an hour or two, depending on the alchemist. A perfect stone to give to a Blue.”

It seemed like a nasty prank, but the Blues probably deserved it, especially after the way they had grabbed me and thrown stones at my party.

Walt faced forward as Jackie walked behind him. He kept trying to stuff a huge grin away, but failed miserably.

“You ready to make that stone?” Jackie whispered in his ear as she massaged his shoulders.

“I need a bit more than that,” Walt said.

“I haven’t even started.”

Jackie grabbed the sides of his head and ran her fingers through his hair. She bent over, tilted his head and licked his neck. Then she moved to Walt’s side and grabbed one of his hands, guided it over her neck and down her arm. He grabbed her and reached for a kiss on the mouth, but Jackie deftly dodged it and worked on his neck for a moment longer.

“Mix it,” Jackie said with a heated breath.

Walt tentatively used both hands and mixed the ingredients as Jackie whispered into his ear. His lips parted and his eyes rolled up. He looked like he might pass out, but he kept the spoon in his hand and stirred. He spun the spoon around with the limpest of wrists, swaying in his chair as Jackie slid her chest against the side of his face.

A stone clunked around in the glass bowl.

Jackie shot up and pushed Walt’s head away. “You have B.O.,” she said with a disgusted look.

I looked at the door, wondering what the hell I was getting into.

Walt didn’t respond, just breathed deeply and focused on a spot on the wall.

With a cloth in her hand, Jackie reached into the bowl, grabbed the rock and wrapped it up. She dumped it into a tiny bag and pulled the string tight, then held the bag high and admired it.

“This is really going to freak him out,” Jackie said to me.

Walt looked as if he wouldn’t be standing anytime soon, which creeped me out. I turned slightly to block him from my view. Everyone else seemed to take it as something normal.

“How are you going to get that stone to him?” I asked, trying to get past what I’d just witnessed.

“Don’t worry, we’ll help you get it over there.”

“Me?” That would mean going into the Blues’ houses. A while ago, I was merely standing next to the fence and they’d gone bonkers. What would happen if they found me in one of their houses?

“But this isn’t the stone I wanted to show you.” Jackie stuffed the bag into her pocket. “I have a special stone, something I’ve been trying to make for a long time. Do you think you could give it a go?” Jackie pointed at a table.

“I can try.”

“I’m sure you can.” Jackie pulled out a chair and placed on the table a small box filled with what looked like salt, but the grains were a bit larger than table salt and clearer. A flask of brown liquid sat next to the box. A glass bowl with a wooden spoon topped off the trio of tools all the alchemists here seemed to use.

I sat in the seat and scooted forward. Jackie moved in behind me and I tensed as I thought she might start doing to me what she’d done to Walt. Jackie was cute, but I was sure I wouldn’t have the same reaction Walt had had to her tongue.

“You’ll have to summon some real hate for this one. Thankfully, from what I hear, you don’t seem to have any trouble making stones.”

I took a deep breath and looked at the ingredients near me. Everyone else in the room had stopped mixing their stones and was staring. Even Walt looked past Jackie to me.

“What does this make?”

“It’s a secret. If you can make it, I’ll tell you what it is.”

I didn’t really understand not being able to make a stone. Every time I had tried, I’d been able to make one. It didn’t seem like a major feat of strength.

The salt-like crystals were as coarse as sand. I pinched some of it into the bowl. Jackie leaned close behind me, next to my head. I turned to her and she backed away, taking a place next to me at the table, leaning on it with her hand, watching.

They were all watching.

“Is this enough?” I pointed at the salt stuff in the bowl.

“It doesn’t matter much. Whatever your gut tells you is the right amount.”

I took a small bit of the salt crystals and looked at Jackie as she frowned. I dipped in and pinched a larger portion and Jackie’s eyes narrowed. “I really don’t know what I’m doing, Jackie. I mean, I don’t even understand how these stones are made. What makes you think I can make something you haven’t been able to?”

Jackie took her hands off the table and laughed. “This isn’t something you learn.” She pointed at the bowl. “It’s something you’re born with. If anyone says they understand exactly how we make these stones, they’re liars.”

“Yeah, but you all know what the hell you’re doing, and I don’t.”

“That’s one of the reasons we can’t do it as well as you. We’ve become so used to making stones, we’ve lost the edge. When you summon the anger again and again, you become desensitized to your triggers. I bet you don’t think about your trigger much, do you?”

“I don’t….” I wanted to say I didn’t think I could ever get used to Janet’s comments, or Spencer tearing up the letter from my dad. The thought of not being mad terrified me. It would be like forgiving all the people who had done wrong things, forgiving the Dolls for their years of hate and crappy looks. “I shouldn’t have a problem.”

“Okay, but make sure you use your biggest trigger on this one. It’s a special stone.”