INTEGRATION (Bonfire Academy Book Two) (Bonfire Chronicles) (15 page)

And she would have stood a good chance of being able to do that if weren’t for Mason. She didn’t seem to have an innate repulsion toward them. However, Mason really messed up the whole situation. His very presence in the lecture hall would have Faustine concentrating on a possible bird massacre, rather than listening to the actual lecture.

We walked into the hall, all eyes on us. A few hisses came from the shifters, who had all congregated on the left side of the auditorium.

I covered my nose. “How can you stand that unbearable stench?” I asked Faustine.

She shrugged. “It just smells like wet dog. I kinda like dogs—the small ones, anyway. I’ve been thinking of getting a Jack Russell terrier when I go back home.”

“Wet? No, it doesn’t! Rotting dogs, maybe.”

She rolled her eyes. “Let’s sit in the back in case you need to hurl or whatever,” she said, pulling me down into a seat.

With my hand still covering my nose, I scanned the shifter section of the room for Mason. And there he was, glaring at us. Jagger was with him, hopefully keeping him in line. I noticed quite a few members of the academy staff scattered among the students. I saw no sign of Ryker, though I was fairly sure he was with us.

Professor Kunz was already positioned behind the podium, casting a stern eye over everyone, ensuring that no one misbehaved. The salt-and-pepper-haired warlock was famed for his short temper and unusual punishments, which normally kept everyone in line.

Normally. I couldn’t help but remember my own first Integration session with Professor Kunz. Faustine’s twin half siblings, Mariel and Jaques, had both been in the class. The two demon-shifter hybrids were incorrigibly bad, exhibiting the worst of both their species at all times. Even Professor Kunz’s looming demeanor hadn’t prevented them from heckling him from the back of the auditorium. They’d been swiftly turned into golf balls, then accompanied the professor to the range after class. Still, that hadn’t prevented them from repeating their behavior at the next session or the later ones. I looked over at Faustine, grateful she wasn’t like them.

“Welcome to my class,” Professor Kunz bellowed into the microphone. “I see that you have predictably divided yourselves into the shifter and demon groups.” He pursed his lips. “Well, by the end of this unit, I’ll expect to see the divide gone and an even distribution of both species throughout the auditorium.”

The exaggerated eye rolls throughout the students made me snort.

“Cordelia?” Professor Kunz said sharply.

I stood up. “Nothing, sorry.”

“Come on up,” he ordered.

Darn.
I walked up to the stage and glared at the snickering students.

Professor Kunz scanned the crowd. “Colton, come on up.”

A blond,
very
hot shifter stood up. He stared at me, his light blue eyes gleaming. I waited for the sneer, but it never came as he joined me on the stage. I recognized him from my own Integration classes, which meant that he must have become a member of the staff.

Professor Kunz smiled at us and then faced the audience again. “Let me introduce you to two of our Academy staff members, Cordelia and Colton. Both of them actually managed to graduate my unit, with flying colors if I remember correctly.” He glanced over at us and stroked his beard. “Well, Colton, anyway. It should be pretty obvious to everyone who the demon is and who the shifter is, right?”

Everyone nodded.

Hot as Colton was, his shifter smell was as strong as ever. I nearly gagged at having to stand so close to him. I really needed to get Professor Bern to help me overcome my repugnance at the stink.

Professor Kunz coughed, and I immediately pulled my hand away from my nose.

Professor Kunz nodded approvingly. “Hug.”

Colton and I stared at him blankly.

“Hug,” he repeated. “Each other. I want to demonstrate to our students that it is
possible
. There are even a few incidences of mating between your species, resulting in hybrids.”

Gross, but yes, I was aware of the hybrids, one set in particular: Jaques and Mariel. Faustine didn’t know about their existence yet, thinking she was her father’s only child. It suddenly occurred to me that she might have inherited her father’s tolerance for shifters.

I turned and faced Colton. If it weren’t for the stench, I’d have no problem hugging him. As shifters went, one couldn’t come across as less threatening or more gorgeous than the six-foot-six ripped hunk in front of me.

He held out his hand. “It’ll be all right,” he said, obviously aware of my hesitance.

Taking his hand, I felt my heartbeat quickening, probably from anxiety, but perhaps a bit of excitement as well. I took a step forward and met his rock hard body as his arms enveloped my waist. The hug was brief, formal, and perfectly executed, even if the detachment process was a bit clumsy. I turned and bowed to the audience; Colton followed suit.

The audience didn’t react, hushed to silence by our very unnatural performance. I glanced over at Jagger, almost afraid of his reaction. His face was set in a stoic mask, but I could only imagine the emotions behind it. I would have been positively furious if the situation had been reversed. In fact, just seeing him sitting next to Mason—even Mason in male form—pissed me off.

Jagger suddenly smiled. Obviously, my expression had betrayed my emotions. I needed to work on that.

“That’s what I’d like to see from
all
of you.” Professor Kunz beamed, running his fingers through his goatee. “Thank you for the demonstration. You may go back to your seats.”

I avoided looking at Faustine and Martha as I walked back to my seat, fearful they’d cause me to erupt into giggles.

Once I was seated, Professor Kunz continued, “You all look similar in human form. It’s easy to imagine you intermingling with humans. However, your human manifestations do not come with an infusion of humanity. You remain paranormal, and thus prone to react in a way that will arouse suspicion. You need to learn to assimilate, to move within the human population seamlessly. In order to do that, integration within the paranormal population is important. Demons and shifters are the two most challenging groups to integrate. I completely understand that it’s against the natural order of the paranormal world for you to associate with each other.

“So why bother? The same reason you need to integrate with the other paranormal types and eventually humans. You
have to
be able to live undetected among humans. No species can betray the other to the human world, not even demons and shifters. So you will at least have to have each other’s backs when it comes to that.

“Unfortunately, there is more than normal strife between the demon and shifter populations this semester. It’s not my job to be Dr. Phil and have you work out your issues on an emotional level, but it is my job to give you the tools you need to learn to tolerate each other. Of course, for those of you who wish to delve into this phenomenon on a Dr. Phil level, we have academy therapists and psychiatrists available. Feel free to make an appointment with one of them. I would recommend Dr. Amour.” He paused to allow for the chuckles he obviously had expected.

“Despite the name, she’s tough as nails and levelheaded. My job here is, first and foremost, to give you the tools to allow you to be able to tolerate each other. I also hope to teach you to go beyond that, to learn to cooperate and work together. Those of you who are able to embrace and excel at this class will go on to exciting positions once you leave this academy.

“There are a few of you who are already destined to work in prominent positions in the future, which will require application of the skills you learn here. So, listen up and learn; otherwise, you may lose out on important, powerful positions.” He adjusted his notes.

“You are probably wondering what positions I am talking about. Well, to name a few, these will include positions within the diplomatic service, government agencies, and of course, the city paranormal councils.”

Professor Kunz moved over to the screen descending from the ceiling. The room darkened somewhat, and an image came up on the screen. The professor flicked his laser pointer to the first bullet point on a list. “This unit will consist of six more sessions. After that, you will undergo a test, not a written one, but one in a simulation chamber, much like the one used during your Initiation process. The pre-tests to record your base lines will take place during the next month, before our next session.”

His pointer kept moving down the screen as he spoke, but not at the right speed, which was very distracting. He stroked his beard again, making me wonder if it was itchy. I’d hate to have that awful growth on my chin.

“You’ll have the next section on different days. I will email you the dates and times. There will be one for the shifters, one for the demons, and a few different ones for the hybrids. Then we’ll move on to two combined sessions, followed by three individually tailored ones. Any questions?”

He didn’t expect a response to the obligatory query. No one ever asked any questions, as everyone wanted out of there as soon as possible. So there were gasps of surprise when a solitary hand went up.

“Faustine?” Professor Kunz boomed in response.

She rose from her seat. “I’m wondering about the simulation tests. What if we don’t pass? Will we still be able to graduate?”

I smiled. She must be worried, since she hadn’t even completed her Initiation process yet and probably felt preordained to fail. She was hardly going to be able to host a tea party with the shifters in just six weeks. Or maybe she could, as long as Mason wasn’t involved.

“Unfortunately, yes,” the professor replied, the displeasure clear in his voice. “The failure rate is so high that if we let this unit impact graduation, we’d have very few students ever leave this school. However, you won’t graduate
with honors
if you don’t pass. And remember, unless you want to work
for
someone rather than have people work for
you
, you’ll need the honors diploma.”

Faustine nodded.

“Thank you, Faustine, you may sit now.”

“I have one more question.”

“Okay.”

“Say, if we’re not really intending to have much to do with the paranormal world once we leave here, do we need that diploma? I mean, I’m just planning to head home to regular high school.”

Professor Kunz raised his eyebrows and waved for her to sit. “I guess not, Faustine, but you can never know what your destiny is. It’s best to be prepared. Your father sent you here for a reason. Take advantage of all the skills offered to you, including this one.”

He turned off his pointer and brightened the lights. “With that, this session is over. Hybrids exit first, then demons, and finally the shifters.”

I stood up. “Come on, Faustine, let’s go.”

She pulled me down. “Let’s wait and go out with Martha,” she said, jerking her head at Martha, who was chewing on something.

“What’s that?” I asked Martha.

“Diced beef,” she responded.

Faustine giggled. “Martha needs to feed constantly when she’s near shifters or she transforms.”

“I don’t blame you!” I said. “Can I have some? It might help with the barf reflex.”

Martha held out a little Ziploc pouch, and I took a handful of the cubed bits, popping them into my mouth. “Delish! Where did you get these?”

“Professor Bern had the kitchen supply them after my Initiation tests. Good, aren’t they?”

I nodded. Once the hybrids had left—and I noticed that Mason didn’t leave with them—I took Faustine and Martha back to my room.

“Martha, do you have to be anywhere right now?” I was hoping she did, so I could bring Faustine with me to The Smelt’s office.

“No, not really. I was going to try to find Ryker and hang out with him for a while. I haven’t seen him for ages. I was thinking of heading over to his room. Why?”

“We’ll walk you over. Then, I have to go see Frau Schmelder. Faustine, come with?”

“Oh, I’d rather stay here and play in your closet, plus I have some homework to do. I’ll be fine; you go.”

“I can stay,” Martha offered. “Playing in your closet with Faustine almost tops an afternoon with Ryker.” She grinned.

“To be honest, I’d like you to come with me, Faustine. I’ll update you on the way.”

I could feel Martha fighting the urge to pry; she deserved a gold medal for effort. We walked over to Ryker’s room and knocked. Martha looked disappointed at the lack of a response, but brightened when we ran into Chun in the hallway. Once she was out of earshot, Faustine nudged me.

“So?”

“I need to borrow your nose.”

F
austine flared her nostrils as we knocked on Frau Schmelder door. I stifled my snort as The Smelt shouted for us to enter. I had asked Faustine to concentrate on the smells in The Smelt’s office. She’d been intrigued and wanted to know why, but I didn’t want to influence her findings, so I told her that it would be better for me to tell her why later, after the meeting. I could see her fighting nosiness, but she eventually relented.

I pushed open the door and walked in, a bit hesitant after my last visit.