Reclaimed (Book 1)

Chapter 9

It was two days before Summer's eighteenth birthday. Between the time they found the writing and now, not much had gotten done. The school had been on lockdown. No one could leave and no one was allowed in.

And of course the one getting the most attention was once again, Summer. This time not all of it was positive or even politely curious. The whispers around the halls were the she had brought all of this into the castle. Basically the blame was being put on her and she hated it.

However, none of the trash talking could trump what she had seen. The mutilated body in the corner of the classroom with its cold eyes staring at her was enough give her nightmares for the rest of her life.

Tracy came into the room, followed by Ash. They sat on opposite sides of Summer and watched her like she was some fragile piece of glass about to break.

"No clues were found in the classroom," said Tracy.

Summer looked over at her. "Why are there classrooms here? isn't this is just a training camp?"

"We used to teach English, some history, and let students finish out high school here," answered Ash. "They would study and get their GED."

"Why English?"

"We used to have wielders from all over the world come here. Some countries more than others."

Summer furrowed her brow. "There are wielders that aren't trained?"

Tracy leaned forward. "There are wielders who are killed for what they're born with. People call them witches."

Summer bit the corner of her lip. "So what happened to all of them?"

"The magic dwindled and so did the students," said Ash. "They just stopped coming but, there are training places in other countries. Australia, London, China, and Germany have big ones."

Summer's eyes grew big. "Crazy," she whispered. "I didn't even think about that." She leaned back against the headboard and looked over at the phoenix. "Why is this happening?"

"What?" asked Tracy. "All of it? None of us have a clue. The council is vague. We just know the balance of magic is thrown off and it's going to take some miracle to fix it."

There was a knock at the large door that startled everyone. Tracy stood up and walked over to it. She opened it a crack and peered through.

"Jasper?" she asked.

"Yes. We need your help."

Tracy walked out and shut the door behind her. The silence that followed made Summer uncomfortable. She somewhat trusted Tracy but, still wasn't sure about the others; especially Ash. He didn't say much and always seemed to be looking over his shoulder. What was he hiding?

"You can go," said Summer.

Ash shook his head and folded his arms. "Orders are to watch you."

"Just leave. I won't tell anyone."

He stared at her for a brief moment before directing his gaze to the phoenix.

Summer tapped her fingers against the side of the bed. "Do you think that message was really for me?'

Ash frowned. "Maybe. We won't have a clue unless we catch the person who did it."

"But if there's no evidence then that's impossible."

"Yeah," replied Ash. He turned his gaze back to her; his purple eyes looking mysteriously bright under his dark, curly hair.

Summer admired him for a brief second. If she didn't focus on his odd personality, then he really was a good looking guy. His muscular physique was subtle but there and his tan skin looked like a guy who spent all his time outdoors. He was tall too and despite being so angry she could see kindness in his eyes. That was the most important thing.