Pursuit: Moonshadow Academy Year One Read online

  “I promise, Mason.” I relented with a frown. That was all I could say.

  Mason visibly relaxed then reached out a hand to me. He brushed a lock of my hair behind my ear then cupped my cheek. “No matter what happens, I’m proud of you. And I know your dad would be, too.”

  The rest of the car ride was silent until we finally turned the corner of our cul-de-sac. All the houses here looked about the same. White painted walls, navy blue roofs, two stories tall, double-door garage, and a mailbox placed on the right side of the driveway. I’d lived with Mason since I was thirteen, and my thoughts about this neighborhood were about the same as they were then.

  Cookie-cutter.

  Mason pulled up and cut off the engine. I got out and reached into the back for my backpack then followed him to the door. I was so stuck in my own head that I didn’t notice Mason had stopped until I bumped into him.

  “Ouch,” I groaned, rubbing my sore nose, “What’s wrong?”

  Mason looked to me then stepped aside to let me see there was a note taped to the door. I was about to ask what it was, but then I saw the logo on the front. A castle with a crescent moon shape in front of it. It was from Moonshadow Academy. A flock of butterflies danced within my stomach as I gaped at the folded note that may have the answers I’d been seeking.

  “No way,” I whispered in disbelief.

  Mason swiped at the letter, since I was too paralyzed to do much of anything. He scanned the letter, his face unreadable. I waited a few seconds to see if he would tell me anything, but...nothing. He just kept standing there looking at the letter.

  “Well? What does it say?” I asked, growing impatient. The waiting was making me nauseous.

  Mason looked down at me with a devilish smirk. “Do you really want to know?”

  I groaned, not in the mood for teasing. “Yes! What does it say? Did I make it?”

  He chuckled then passed the letter to me. I snatched it quickly and examined it, reading the first paragraph.

  Ms. Veronica Moon

  We’ve examined your application and performance exam and are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted into Moonshadow Academy for Nightwatchers in Training. We look forward to your attendance in the fall.

  I didn’t read any further than that before I screamed at the top of my lungs in excitement and jumped into Mason’s open arms. He chuckled while I hugged him as tightly as possible, the acceptance letter crinkling in my fist, but I didn’t care. I got accepted. I was going to Moonshadow Academy.

  Chapter 2

  The Portal

  Two months later...

  “Ronnie! Are you still down there? Get up here and eat your breakfast!” Mason called from the kitchen upstairs.

  I heard him, but I was too busy on the punching bag to acknowledge him. Ever since I got the acceptance letter, I’d spent more time in our basement training room than ever before. The professor wasn’t impressed with my initiation performance and wasn’t sure I had what it took to face a high-class demon head on. I wanted to make sure I proved him wrong. To prove to everyone who may doubt me wrong. I had to make sure I was prepared.

  Bouncing on the balls of my feet I continued delivering rapid fire punches, summoning forth a small portion of my magic to help enhance my physical strength. My blows caused the large red bag of sand to push back against the chain that held it up from the ceiling, and when it swung back towards me, I threw a few more punches.

  “Ronnie!” Mason yelled. “That means now, young lady.”

  I groaned through gritted teeth, throwing one last punch at the bag. I hadn’t realized I pushed more magic into my fist than I meant to. When my knuckles connected with the punching bag, a blue force of my magic reverberated, sending ripples outward in waves. The force of it had me back-pedaling, and the chain holding the punching bag snapped. The bag was sent flying until it landed on the crate full of weights. Everything toppled forward in a loud crash to the ground and spilled out in all directions.

  I winced at the chaos, ducking my head into my shoulders as if I could make myself smaller. If I was lucky, maybe Mason wouldn’t have heard the mess I made?

  “Ronnie, what was that?” Mason called out, not sounding all too pleased.

  “Nothing!” I quickly replied and jogged up the stairs. “I’m coming up!”

  Our house was an open concept with no walls separating the living room, dining room, and kitchen. Hardwood floors, white walls and ceiling. There was a stone fireplace set in the heart of the living room with a flat screen TV mounted at the top. A plate was set at the table where I usually sat. Avocado toast with a sunny side up eggs and a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice. When he placed the juice next to the plate, he noticed me and narrowed his eyes.

  “Do I even want to know what kind of mess you made in there?” he asked.

  “Probably not,” I said with an apologetic look.

  “And look at you; you’re a mess.” Mason waved his hand up and down my form as if to mentally map out where portions of my body were glistening with a thin sheen of sweat. I knew I probably smelled bad, too. “The messenger bird will be here any moment with instructions on how to open the portal, and you’re not even ready for your first day! You know, for someone who was so anxious to get into Moonshadow Academy, you’re doing a lazy job of getting yourself ready.”

  “Okay, okay, I get it!” I groaned. Mason had been my guardian for most of my teenage years. He never had kids, so when I ended up on his doorstep he barely knew how to be a parent. It certainly didn’t help considering all the baggage I was carrying with losing both my parents. It took a lot of trial and error, in addition to us finding some common ground. Eventually, it was my determination to keep training that allowed us to bond. Now here Mason was, berating me like any parent would.

  “I’ll take a shower as soon as I finish eating,” I said then grabbed one of my avocado and egg toast and took a big bite.

  I groaned with satisfaction, tasting the cool refreshing taste of the avocado mixed with the warm gooiness of the egg yolk. I made quick work of the first one, then guzzled down the orange juice in one sitting. Mason’s ranting aside, he was right. As soon as the messenger bird arrived, I was tasked with opening the portal and arriving at the entrance of Moonshadow Academy by a certain time. If I didn’t make the deadline, the portal wouldn’t open, and I’d have to re-apply next year.

  That was so not going to happen. I barely managed to get accepted this year, and I wasn’t going to blow it. “Thanks, Mason. I’ll finish the other one after my shower,” I quickly stated, looking to Mason, who was in the middle of washing the dishes.

  I jogged up the stairs and made a beeline for my room. I didn’t even know what I was going to wear. Moonshadow Academy would supply us with uniforms when we arrived, but currently I’d be wearing my normal clothes.

  I was in the middle of rummaging through my wardrobe when I heard an angry Mason shout, “Veronica Michelle Moon!”

  I winced at the sound of my full name. I guessed he saw the mess in the basement.

  “Sorry!” I called out then grabbed a few pieces of clothing, not bothering to look at what they were, and hightailed it into the bathroom. Once in the shower, my muscles relaxed under the spray of hot water. As I washed myself, I contemplated on what the academy would be like. Not much was known about the school other than it was the place to train Nightwatchers. I wondered about the different students I’d be meeting, new friends, the classes.

  I excelled in high school—getting good grades, making the honor roll, all that good stuff—but it was dull in comparison to what I would be learning in Moonshadow. Plus, I wouldn’t have to hide half of my life from the students anymore. It was nice being able to co-exist with humans, and some I considered good friends, but it was hard living by the code that all information regarding magic must never be revealed to humans. I was never able to be myself. Now, I’d get the chance to. Turning the water off, I stepped out of the tub and dried myself off. I inspected t
he clothes I grabbed in my haste to make it to the bathroom and decided it would do.

  Completely dry, I put on my navy-blue top with mesh long sleeves and paired it with my waist length leather shorts with a gold chain looped over my right hip. I was in the middle of blow drying my hair when a knock sounded on the bathroom door. I unlocked it and opened it up, seeing Mason on the other side.

  “Did the messenger bird arrive yet?” I asked.

  Mason shook his head. “Not yet, but don’t spend hours in the bathroom getting ready like you normally do.”

  I gaped at him in offense. “I do not spend hours in the bathroom.”

  At his raised eyebrow and expression that read, who in the world are you trying to fool, I mumbled. “Not all the time.”

  “Uh huh,” Mason chuckled.

  It was then that I noticed how put together he looked. His raven-black hair was gelled and combed back, his face was clean shaven, and he wore a black collared shirt, khaki pants, and black dress shoes. I gave him a raised eyebrow of my own. “You look handsome. Got a hot date I don’t know about?” I asked while using my curling iron next.

  “Maybe,” Mason muttered, looking off somewhere to avoid my gaze.

  I gave a dramatic gasp. “What! Who is he? Oh my God, is he that police guy who pulled us over last week because of the broken taillight? Didn’t he give you his number instead of a ticket?” I waggled my eyebrows.

  Mason’s face heated. “I’m not inclined to confirm nor deny. My love life is none of your concern, Missy.”

  Bull’s eye!

  I gasped dramatically, pointing my curling iron at him. “Aha! So, it is the cop! Try not to have too much fun with his handcuffs.”

  Mason rolled his eyes. “Hurry up and finish getting ready.”

  Mason walked away while I chuckled, finished getting my hair done, then worked on my makeup. After another thirty minutes, I examined my handy work in the mirror. Satisfied, I sauntered over to my bedroom to put on my socks and combat boots. I pulled out my suitcase, double checking the contents I packed and made sure I hadn’t forgotten anything. I had just zipped it back up when I saw a faint red light beaming through my window. I got up and looked out the window to see what it was only to come face to face with a bird made out of red-hot flames of magic heading my way.

  I quickly opened my window and jumped out of the way right as the bird shot through my room, crashing onto my floor and exploding until all that remained was an arrow with a rolled-up note attached. The spot where the magic exploded left remnants that glittered like red twinkling lights.

  “Mason!” I called out. I heard him running up the stairs just as I jerked the arrow up and removed the scroll.

  I turned to my door just when Mason stumbled into my room. I held up the rolled-up note to him, giving it a shake. “Special delivery.”

  “Let me see,” Mason said. As soon as I handed it to him, he unrolled it to examine the instructions.

  “You know as cool as that was, wouldn’t it have been simpler to just…oh, I don’t know…text us the instructions instead of sending a fiery bird of doom that could’ve broken my window or killed someone?” I asked. “Honestly, I’d be surprised if mortals hadn’t spotted it.”

  “Mortals can’t see the visual essence of magic, Ronnie. You know this,” Mason stated as his eyes roamed the texted in the note. It only took two seconds before he put it down. “Grab your stuff and come downstairs with me. We only have five minutes to do the spell.”

  Wasting no time, we bolted down the steps, taking them two at a time, and entered the living room.

  “Give me the jar of red sand from the basement, and try not to make a mess this time. Hurry!” he ordered while he pushed the coffee table aside.

  Since time was of the essence, I tapped into my magic, snapping my fingers and teleporting into the basement. As soon as I materialized, I ran to the shelf where we kept all important ingredients, frantically looking for the red sand.

  “It should be on the third shelf from the top!” Mason shouted from upstairs.

  I moved stuff around, careful not to drop anything, mentally counting down the time until it would be too late. Finally, I spotted it all the way in the back. I huffed out a sigh of relief, grabbing it, then teleported back into the living room. “I got it!” I announced, holding up the jar as evidence.

  I handed it to Mason, and he began using it to draw a circle in the middle of the floor. Then he drew a star in the center. It was reminiscent of the portal I saw during my initiation. The one the demon crossed through. Once Mason was done, he stepped out of the circle and handed me the note. “There’s a spell on the bottom that you need to say. You also need to put a drop of your blood in the center of the star.”

  This was it. Once my blood hit the circle, the portal would open, and I’d be leaving. I was going to be gone for three years. That realization sank in. When I returned, I would hopefully become a licensed Nightwatcher. But it would still be three years until I got to see Mason again. He was the only family I had left.

  As if reading my mind, Mason pulled me to him, wrapping his big arms around me and placing a kiss at the top of my head. “You’re going to be great; you know that?” he whispered. “I’m so proud of you, and I know your parents would be, too. Work hard, fight hard, study hard, and make your dreams come true. Don’t worry about me, you understand? I’ll be alright. You take care of yourself over there.”

  The words were clogged in my throat, which made it hard for me to speak or even breathe. I settled for just nodding. We stayed like that for a few more seconds before we pulled apart.

  “Grab Dad’s jacket for me, please,” I said, and Mason jogged up the steps.

  Alone I stood in front of the portal. With the note in my left hand, I created one of my magic daggers with the other, piercing one of my fingers with the tip of the blade. A bubble of blood formed where I broke the skin. I made the dagger vanish then held the bloody finger over the star. I held the note in my other hand, looking down to read the incantation.

  It was written in an ancient magical language all magic wielders had to learn growing up. Without it, we wouldn’t have been able to use any spells. I muttered the spell in a breathy tone, feeling the chill of magic creeping up my spine. The minute my blood dripped down and hit the center of the star; the red sand used to form the portal began to glow. I backed away, covering my eyes as streams of red and pink began flashing incandescently. As soon as the light show dimmed enough for me to open my eyes, I saw the portal open. A vortex of pure energy swirling counterclockwise and shrinking the closer it got to the center like a whirlpool.

  Mason thumped down the steps with the coat in hand just in time.

  “Perfect timing!” I shouted

  Mason held open the coat for me, and I slid my arms into the sleeves. Once I had it on and pulled my hair out from inside, I grabbed for my suitcase. That was it. All that was left was for me to step through the portal. Nerves picked a really messed up time to get the better of me. More importantly, I was going to miss Mason.

  I went to him giving him one last hug. “I love you, Mason,” I said.

  “I love you too, baby girl. Now get going before it’s too late.”

  I willed myself to let go of him then grabbed my suitcase. I gave my uncle, who had become more of a Dad to me after my father—his brother—disappeared then faced the portal. I took in a lungful of air then stepped into the circle. I couldn’t see Mason anymore, nor could I see the living room, dining room, or kitchen. My vision was completely blinded in red and pink lights, and I found myself weightless on my feet. I wasn’t in my house anymore. I wasn’t in New York anymore. I wasn’t even in the mortal world anymore.

  I was now on my way to Moonshadow Academy.

  Chapter 3

  Welcome to Moonshadow Academy

  The moment the red flashing lights darkened and I could feel the ground beneath my feet, I knew I had arrived in the realm of magic. I had to blink a few times to stop the co
lored spots from dancing across my vision. Once I was no longer blinded, I took in my first view of the new world I was in. It was my first time coming to the realm of magic, so I was excited to see what it was like.

  Looking around, I felt oddly disappointed. Okay, this was partially my fault for imagining the magic realm like a fairytale. You know—fields of flowers, clear blue skies, little pixies floating about, dragons and unicorns. Every little girl’s dream world. But this…the reality of what the magic realm looked like was much darker. The sky was a painted blend of red and blue meshing together. Where Earth had only one moon, here I saw three in a triangular position.

  Scoping the rest of my surroundings, I looked to have landed in a beach area. The ground beneath me looked and felt like sand, but in an obsidian color and glittering like tiny diamonds. I pressed down on it with my boot, feeling the granules crunch under my weight. When I did, I saw that the interior of the sand was a vibrant red shade. Speaking of red, I looked up and noticed the ocean in front of me. The gentle current rising and falling as if it were breathing. But it wasn’t a deep blue like I was used to back in the mortal realm. Here, it was a scarlet color that made me think of blood. It was eerie and interesting at the same time.

  When I felt the softest breeze brush against my cheek, I didn’t smell salt. Instead, I smelled the woodsy aroma of magic. It was everywhere from the sand to the ocean. Raw magic that was gifted by mother nature herself. Or the magic realm version of her.

  “Definitely not in Kansas anymore, Toto,” I muttered to myself.

  Suddenly, my reason for being here in the first place came back to me. Moonshadow Academy. I didn’t need to look far to find it. Really, all I had to do was turn around and look up. My jaw practically hit the floor at the sight of the massive dark castle that stood at the top of a grassy hill.

  Does Dracula know mages have invaded his castle?