Summoned by Magic (Drexel Academy Book 1) Read online

  “Saige!” Mom’s scream startled me, and I flinched away from the ball of water in front of me.

  “Are you guys okay?” Masie came running back into the kitchen with Aiden on her heels.

  I looked from her to my parents, then back at the sink. The water dropped and splashed up the sides but didn’t reach me.

  My breath came in pants. Were they going to tell her?

  “What happened?” she asked, taking a small step toward me.

  I shook my head. “I’m not sure.”

  “Aiden, why don’t you go play in your room for a little while,” Mom suggested. He looked like he wanted to argue, but the tension on her face and in the air changed his mind. He glanced around the room one more time before turning and heading back up the stairs.

  “The water. It was floating there. Just a mass getting bigger and bigger.” Dad’s wide eyes stayed on me.

  “Saige, did you do that?” Masie asked as if that wasn’t the most insane question ever.

  I opened my mouth, but nothing came out.

  “She caused an earthquake last night,” Mom said quietly.

  I stared at her. She thought I did that too? I expected her to come up with some random explanation to make it all seem normal.

  “Earth and Water?” Masie muttered to herself. She stared down at the tile, lost in thought until her eyes snapped up to mine. “Has anything else happened?”

  I shook my head, but Dad answered. “Her nightmares have been getting worse. She refuses to sleep now. She thinks she’s causing the disasters.”

  Masie’s face softened, and she reached her hand out to me. I stepped toward her, and she put her arm around me. “Anything else unusual?”

  Anything else? Wasn’t what we said enough? There was clearly something seriously wrong with me, and she was acting like there should be more.

  I shook my head. Even if there was, I intended on keeping it to myself. The last thing I wanted was to give my parents more reason to have me locked up.

  She let out a slow breath. “And this just started?”

  “Not the nightmares,” I answered.

  “Right. Let’s go sit down.”

  Mom picked up Brielle and followed the rest of us into the living room. Dad sat in one of the armchairs while Mom took the other, leaving me and Masie together on the couch. She sat close to me with my hand in hers.

  “We hoped this wouldn’t happen,” she murmured, almost to herself.

  “What?” She didn’t immediately respond, so I looked to my parents. “What is it?”

  Mom offered a sad smile. “Please remember how much we love you, Saige. No matter what.”

  I narrowed my eyes and turned to Dad. “What’s going on?”

  He rubbed his hands over his jeans as emotions filled his face. He sniffed and finally looked up. “We have a lot to tell you, but before we start, you have to understand that we didn’t want to keep this from you. If it had been up to us, we would have told you years ago, but it was a matter of your safety.”

  I bristled at that word. Yet another thing they were protecting me from. For my own good. I wasn’t even sure what was going on, and I was already annoyed.

  “You need to stay calm too,” Masie said. “Your emotions are what’s causing the earth and water to react.”

  I flinched. “What?”

  She patted my hands. “We’ll get to that.”

  Mom and Dad shared a look, and I nearly snapped. Dad started speaking again. “We’ll start from the beginning.” He swallowed, and his gaze drifted to Masie. “You know that Mom and I met in college.”

  Why were they telling me this? I knew the story of how they met.

  “We met our best friends there too. Amber was Mom’s roommate, and Peter and I joined the same fraternity. Starting from freshman year, we were inseparable. They were like family to us. We got married just six months after them.” Dad sucked in a breath, and Mom smiled sadly. “A year later, they were killed in an accident.”

  None of this made sense. I’d never heard them talk about anyone named Amber or Peter. If they were so close, then why hadn’t they ever mentioned them?

  “The night they died, Masie showed up at our apartment.” Mom took over. I glanced over at my aunt, and she gave my hand a firm squeeze. “She brought you to us.”

  My mind wasn’t comprehending her words. I opened my mouth, only to close it again.

  “You’re adopted, sweetie,” Dad explained. “Your birth parents are Peter and Amber.”

  I gasped as the world was torn out from under me. I stared at my parents, trying to understand. They weren’t really my parents? Not by blood?

  Masie jumped in. “I’m still your aunt. I’m Amber’s sister, not Melissa’s.”

  The sound of Mom’s first name jarred me from my spiral. “What?”

  “They asked us to be your godparents, and when they passed away, we adopted you,” Mom repeated the news, but it didn’t help the meaning sink in.

  I focused on taking in several slow breaths to give myself time to process the information. I was adopted. My birth parents were dead. Killed in an accident? Was that what Dad said? Masie was still my aunt, but she wasn’t related to Mom.

  While this was all overwhelming enough on its own, something stood out to me.

  I turned to my aunt. “You said you hoped this wouldn’t happen. What did you mean?”

  She bit her lip before speaking. “We were hoping some of their traits didn’t pass down to you.”

  If I had to ask “what do you mean one more time”, I was going to break something. The ground started shaking, and Dad jumped up. “Honey, calm down.”

  My attention went to him, and the rattling stopped.

  Masie sucked in a breath, “This is going to be a problem.”

  “Please, just tell me what’s going on! The bits and pieces are making me crazy.”

  Mom blinked at me with watery eyes, Brielle asleep in her arms and blissfully unaware of my life falling apart. “Honey, we will.”

  Dad sat back down and nodded toward Masie. “Why don’t you take over?”

  She shifted to face me. “Right, let’s start with my family. After Amber died, my parents closed themselves off even more than normal. They’re very traditional and didn’t support her and Peter being together. When you were born, they started to change their minds, but then your parents died. They blamed Peter. I think they were in too much pain to think clearly, but they decided then to remove themselves from your life.”

  “So, they’re still alive?”

  “Yes.”

  I had grandparents, people who knew and loved my birth mom, but they didn’t want to know me? They never wanted to meet me over the past seventeen years? It shouldn’t bug me. I didn’t even know they existed until two minutes ago, but it hurt to think that they’d been out there all this time and never once reached out.

  “What about my––Peter’s––family?”

  She sighed. “His parents and younger brother died too. Around the same time as your parents. They were very sweet people and were so excited when you were born.”

  Her sad smile sent a punch of loss that hit straight in my gut. They had loved me? Would they have wanted to be in my life if they were alive? How would things be different if they were still around?

  Did it matter now?

  “Why didn’t your parents like Peter and Amber together?” It sounded like it was a one-sided problem rather than mutual hatred.

  “Well, Peter’s family is very different from ours,” she answered vaguely, looking at my parents. Dad nodded, and she continued. “His family are shifters, and mine are witches.”

  Chapter 3

  Nothing. Not even Masie sprouting horns and a tail or Mom telling me we won the lottery, or hell, even their telling me I was adopted—nothing could have shocked me more than the creepy, obviously insane words my aunt just uttered.

  “What?” I gasped.

  I looked between Mom and Dad, waiting for one of them
to crack. To burst into laughter or even smile at the inside joke.

  No one moved.

  No one spoke.

  I blinked and refocused on Masie. “What are you talking about?”

  She tilted her head. “I know this is a lot to take in. We . . .” She glanced over at my parents and sighed. “We thought it was too late for you. We thought there was a chance their powers didn’t pass on. We never told you because we were all hoping that was the case.”

  That explained why they all looked so guilty.

  “So, the earthquake? And the water? I made that happen?”

  “We believe so.”

  “Because I’m a witch?” I dragged each word out, giving her the opportunity to cut me off and tell me I was mistaken. She didn’t.

  “It appears so.”

  “Are you a witch?”

  “Yes.”

  “You have abilities?”

  She nodded, “Mine aren’t considered particularly useful anymore. I can create and remove light, but electricity makes that affinity outdated and less valued.”

  “What about my mom, Amber?”

  She smiled, “She was a great Earth witch. She could make anything grow.”

  Mom and Dad agreed.

  “I was always jealous of her ability to keep plants alive.” Mom stared at the floor, looking lost in her own memories.

  I sucked in a breath and held it in while I closed my eyes. Their abilities didn’t sound like mine. Mine were destructive and unpredictable. Maybe this was all a big misunderstanding. Either that or every adult in my life had lost their minds. Maybe I should take my brother and sister and leave for a while, and let them get their heads on straight.

  “What about my dad? Do I take after him too?”

  The three adults shared a look, but Masie was the one to answer, “You would have shown signs by now, so we don’t think so.”

  At least that was one thing I didn’t have to worry about. I wasn’t sure how I felt about the whole shifter thing.

  “Saige.” Masie’s hand landed on my arm, and I opened my eyes, staring at where she was touching me. “I’ll explain everything, but we need to go.”

  I furrowed my brows. “Go where?”

  Mom answered, “There’s a school for young people like you. They can teach you how to use and manage the abilities you have.”

  I snorted. “You’re sending me to a witch school? Who am I, Harry Potter?”

  The similarities set in, and suddenly, it wasn’t so funny. My parents died when I was a baby. My pseudo aunt and uncle raised me. Now I found out I was a witch and was being sent off to a school. I really hoped there wasn’t some evil snake-obsessed weirdo missing a nose who wanted to kill me. I drew the line there.

  Maybe I’d get an owl.

  Dad chuckled. “Sorry, kid, but from what your parents told us about it, Drexel Academy is more normal than you’d think.”

  Drexel Academy? They were serious? “You’re really sending me away?”

  I stared at Brielle. I didn’t want to leave her. Or Aiden. Or my parents. They might be overprotective, and my desire to rebel was at a constant simmer beneath the surface, but I was a teenager. That was normal.

  This. This was anything but normal.

  “Oh, sweetie.” Mom looked like she wanted to come over and comfort me, but the sleeping angel in her arms prevented her. “It’s not like that. Attending the academy is the best option for you right now. You need to learn how to control your abilities. It’s not safe otherwise.”

  “It’s not safe?” I asked.

  “Your abilities, your powers, whatever you want to call them, are getting stronger without you learning how to control them. It’s getting more dangerous. Nothing was damaged from the earthquake or the water show, but that doesn’t mean that next time won’t be worse,” Dad explained.

  I sagged against the cushions and gripped Masie’s hand. “Okay, so where is this school? When do I start?”

  “It’s in Montana, pretty isolated so the students have free-range to test their abilities without drawing attention,” Masie answered, then dropped her eyes. “The fall term starts this week.”

  I blinked. No. School wasn’t supposed to start for three more weeks. I still had some of summer left.

  “That’s why we have to go.” Masie stood, and I looked at my parents.

  “Now?”

  They nodded, and Mom bit her bottom lip. “Masie has taken care of everything. You’ve been enrolled, and they’re expecting you to arrive tomorrow.”

  “Tomorrow?” I repeated. What about my friends? What about Aiden and Brielle? I couldn’t just up and leave. “But I have to say goodbye.”

  Dad shook his head. “There’s no time. You have a flight to catch.”

  “You need to go up and pack, sweetie.” Mom’s voice was tight like she was holding back emotions.

  “But,” I stopped when I realized this wasn’t up for discussion. I had no other options. I’d woken up this morning expecting an ordinary Saturday, and within hours, I was being shipped off to Nowhere, Montana.

  “Come on,” Masie offered her hand. “I’ll help you.”

  I followed her upstairs, hearing the murmur of my parents talking but not able to hear their words. It didn’t matter. I entered my room in a daze and stood frozen next to the door while Masie went to my closet.

  “Where’s your suitcase?” she asked, pulling clothing off the hangers.

  I shrugged. “In the garage?”

  “I’ll go get it. You start grabbing everything you want to take and set it on your bed.” She slid past me, but I remained still.

  Was this shock? Was my body too surprised to function? That’s what it felt like.

  “Saige?” Aiden’s quiet voice made me jump, and I turned to see him peeking around the corner from where his room was down the hall.

  I forced my lips to curve into a smile. I couldn’t scare him. I couldn’t show him how terrified I was. If there was anyone I could pull myself together for, it was him. I would protect him from anything, and right now, it was me.

  “Hey.” I waved him over, and he darted into my room staring at the pile on my bed. “What’s going on?”

  I sucked in a shaky breath. I could do this. I could put on a brave face and make sure he knew I would be happy and safe wherever I was going. I didn't want him to worry about me.

  “Aunt Masie came to take me to my new school.” Simplifying the information for him helped me process what was happening. “It’s a really cool place in the middle of a forest, and I'm going to get to learn all sorts of new things.”

  His eyes widened. “A forest? Where?”

  I wasn’t exactly sure if that was true, but when I thought of remote Montana, I pictured mountains and endless trees. I’d find out tomorrow how accurate that was. Something I never thought would happen. Because really? Who thinks of traveling to Montana? Not me.

  “It’s in Montana.”

  His eyes narrowed. “Where’s that?”

  Right. He was still learning to read and do basic addition. It wasn’t like geography was in the lesson plans for first graders. I pulled my phone from my back pocket and pulled up a map. “This is where we live.” I pointed just above Pittsburgh. “And this is where I’ll be going to school.” I pointed to the middle of Montana as a guess.

  His eyes widened when he looked back up at me. “That’s so far.”

  The sadness in his voice broke my heart, and I had to look away so I could blink back the tears before he saw them. I couldn’t let him see me cry, or he would too.

  I cleared my throat and put my smile back in place. “It’s only a plane ride away. Remember when we went to Florida last summer?”

  He nodded and started smiling. “I’ll get to go on a plane?”

  “Yeah, when you come to visit me, you’ll get to go on a plane again.”

  He seemed happy with that. “And Brielle?”

  I ruffled his hair. “Of course. You can’t leave her behind.”
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  He looked back at my phone again. “Can I still talk to you?”

  “Yes, you can FaceTime me or call me whenever you want. I’ll try to always answer unless I’m in class, then I’ll call you right back.”

  He swung his legs, letting his heels kick the bed. “How long will you be gone?”

  I blew out a breath. I didn’t know. “I’ll probably come home for Thanksgiving.”

  Masie returned then and smiled at Aiden. “Hi, sweetie. Do you want to help us pack?”

  He eyed the two suitcases she sat down and shrugged.

  I went around the room with him glued to my side and had him help me decide what to take and what to leave behind. It took the pressure off me to think too hard about what was happening and made him feel like he was contributing, a win-win.

  We sat on the floor in front of my closet, and I considered my shoe collection. I had a pair of sandals and one pair of dressy heels and the rest were Converse of every color and pattern. My obsession started in middle school, and luckily, my feet stopped growing back then so I had about thirty pairs.

  “Which ones should I bring?” I peered down at him.

  “You have to take these.” He reached for the bright pink pair Mom got me to reveal to Aiden and Dad that she was having a girl.

  “Of course.” I put them next to the bed. “What else?”

  “These are my favorite,” he pointed to the teal and green tie-dye ones we’d customized together earlier in the summer.

  “That’s a good choice.” I added them to the pile.

  “And these! They’re your favorite.” He tossed my gray high-tops over.

  He was so excited and took each selection seriously until he stopped at twelve. “Do you think that’s enough?”

  “Yeah, but if I miss any of them, I’ll ask Mom to send them.”

  “I’ll help! I’ll make sure she gets the right ones.”

  I wanted to hug him, but I knew this would be one of the times he’d push me away. He was being a helper, not a baby. I had to remember that. “Thanks.”