Hemlock (Academy of the Dead Book 1) Read online

  “Coffee?” I asked.

  “Oh, yes. Thank you! Wait, where are we?” I took her arm and led her to the door.

  She looked behind us. “Does that boy have gills?” she asked.

  “Yes, Mom. I’ll tell you all about it when we get to the Academy.”

  She mouthed the word at me again, “Gills.”

  I pushed her out the door while offering a wave goodbye.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Mom stood there, looking out the window in my new room. She turned and removed her sunglasses, neatly packing them away in her oversized “Mom” bag that used to house everything I needed like tissues, gum, candy, toys, and more.

  She called it a survival kit. I assume every Mom has one.

  Over time, I didn’t need those things from her as often, but her habit to carry the survival kit never died.

  She adjusted it on her shoulder, looking more like a visitor in a museum than the woman I knew all too well.

  My coming here wasn’t sitting with her very well, although I know she’d never complain or make a fuss about it. Her sole purpose in life was to raise me, take care of the house, and—well, take care of my Dad. But now she was alone, and that’s what bothered me the most.

  Her timid smile, and silence, spoke volumes. It was so unlike her.

  She let her eyes wander around the room until she found something to focus in on.

  “The fireplace is nice.”

  I peered over at it while sitting on my bed. “Yeah—I like it. I’m sure it’ll be cool in the winter.”

  She wagged a finger before tucking her arms back into her sides. “Make sure that someone keeps the flute clean. Backed up smoke is the worst,” her expression changed, “and dangerous.”

  I nodded. “They have people for that.”

  “People.” She muttered, then drew her lips into a straight line, continuing to inspect the space. She stared at Nadia’s bed with clothing strewn across it. “And your roommate, is she nice? You know, the one with the—” she fidgeted with her hand. I know that the tattoo bothered her.

  “Nadia? Yes, she is, Mom. Very nice. I like her a lot. Actually,” I walked over to a large cabinet and opened the door. She leaned to the right, and I turned to show her. “She loves musicals, just like we do. We spent last night watching them after I hurt myself.”

  “What!?” Mom was on me with a hand to my face, turning my jaw from side to side, searching for cuts and bruises. She continued as she twisted my arm, trying to find the wound.

  I laughed, “I’m okay! It’s just my knee.”

  “Let me see.” She insisted.

  I sat down and pulled up my pant leg. I had chosen to wear my favorite baby blue sweatpants and a panda hoodie. I’ll take clothing with ears over clothing without, any day of the week.

  Mom lowered to the floor and looked at the cuts on my knee. She hissed. “Oh, honey. How did this happen?”

  I bit my lip as she took a seat next to me under the window. I lowered my pant leg, careful to not touch it.

  “Well, there was a party.”

  She leaned forward, forcing me to look at her. “A what?”

  I turned to face her, hiding a wince when I pulled my knee up. It was a bad idea, but too late now. She took the bag off her shoulder and set it aside, then started to rifle through it.

  “What are you looking for?”

  “Well, aspirin for me, because I’m the idiot who thought drinking a whole bottle of wine was a good idea, and some antibiotic ointment for you, so that doesn’t get infected.”

  I grinned while pulling the ends of my sleeves over my hands. “Mom, I’m at Hemlock Academy—you know, the premiere Academy of the Dead? All I need is a good spell and this will be gone, which I’m sure will happen tomorrow. In fact, they have a library here—the biggest one in the world, and I plan on being there as often as humanly possible.”

  She paused, and then removed her hands from her purse. I could tell she was upset.

  “Sure—yeah. I know this place has everything you need.” Her chin tilted downward.

  I couldn’t stand the thought of her feeling useless.

  “But you know what, Mom? Nothing beats that antibiotic ointment that you make. What’s in it again?”

  She perked up a little bit when I showed interest.

  “Well, it’s nothing compared to this place, and what they can do with the snap of their magic fingers.”

  “No—seriously, I’d love to know because I think it’s something I could mention in my herbal class. You know—to help teach other kids that magic isn’t always the answer. The earth provides plenty of magic with different plants. You just have to know how to use them, right?”

  Her eyes lit up, even though I could see the fading remains of dark circles still lingering beneath them. “Well, this one that I always carry with me is a simple blend of turmeric and honey, both of which are medicinal. They stop bacteria from growing and help with inflammation. I also use garlic, limestone powder, aloe vera, coconut oil, and even onions are great, too.” She bit her lip and looked around the room, “You really should have at least one aloe vera plant. Make sure to put that on your list.”

  I grinned while watching her speak. I wasn’t sure how I’d do without her because the shock of being here at Hemlock hadn’t set in, yet.

  I jumped with a yelp when Bitter Bat ran up between us. It forced me to scoot over. Bitter crawled into her lap and began to purr. Mom stroked her big ears and wide head. Bitter is a Maine Shag, and would’ve grown to about three feet in length if I hadn’t accidentally killed her before she was fully grown. Still, she’s nearly two feet long and over a foot tall, making her a formidable foe. I tilted my head while taking in the sight of the two of them.

  This is my family sitting right before me.

  I fought back the emotions that tugged at my heart. I could easily go back home with her and forget this all ever happened, couldn’t I? I parted my lips just as the door swung open wide and Nadia backed into the room. Cole was kissing her, pawing at her sides. She was on her tippy toes with her arms wrapped around his neck. They nearly stumbled and Nadia giggled while turning away from him. She reached up and wiped her lip. “You’re such a sloppy kisser.”

  My Mom cleared her throat, and they both froze in place, then parted like the Red Sea. Cole placed his hand behind his back and Nadia’s eyes searched mine. I could tell she was both embarrassed and startled at the same time. “Oh—Hi, Mrs. Dagger.” She tapped at Cole and he nodded. “Hi, ma’am.”

  “Mom, this is Cole and Nadia.”

  There was an uncomfortable silence that hovered between the three of us, I mean four, if you count Bitter Bat.

  The deep purring ceased.

  I tapped my lips, waiting for my Mom’s response.

  “So, who’s idea was it to take my daughter to a party on her first night here?”

  Nadia shoved her hands into her arm pits and blew her cheeks out. “Well, the party is just a tradition—a formality, right?” she nodded to me, and I raised my eyebrows. Nadia tilted her head and then looked over at Cole, who was losing all the color in his face. It’s funny how these kids, who will be great Necromancers, are so—I don’t know—like me? I guess I just didn’t expect it.

  “Cole,” She whispered, while hitting him from the side. He flinched, then nodded in agreement. “Yeah—it’s extremely formal, like a get to know you sort of thing.”

  Mom adjusted on the cushion bench, crossing one leg over the other. “Oh, yeah?” Bitter was forced to sit next to her, straight and tall. “So, what’s your favorite thing about this traditionally formal party?” she asked while placing the word formal in quotation marks with her fingers.

  “Oh! Spin the crown!” He grinned, but it quickly faded after he said it.

  “Mmm, is that anything like spin the bottle?” Mom
asked, as she looked over at me, then to Nadia, then back to Cole.

  “Well, it’s—” Nadia placed a hand on his chest and moved him back toward the door. She placed a finger to her lips and closed it in his face, then turned back with a nervous grin.

  “Mrs. Dagger, I just want to tell you what a great job you did raising Rook, she’s just the best.”

  Mom’s eyes narrowed and then she finally smiled. Nadia let out a sigh, while her eyes darted over to me.

  “My name is Azalea.”

  Nadia shoved her hands in her back pockets. “Like the poisonous flower?” My Mom’s expression drew blank. Nadia crossed her feet and spoke slower as her nerves took over, “They contain grayanotoxins, we learned that in class last year.”

  My Mom cleared her throat.

  “But pretty—actually gorgeous. One of the prettiest flowers ever in the history of time.” Nadia added.

  My Mom uncrossed her legs and relaxed her shoulders. “So, can you tell me how Rook got brutally injured.”

  “Mom—it’s just a scrape to my knee.”

  Nadia rubbed the side of her neck and then unleashed on us like some magical truth serum had taken over. It must be a defense mechanism. “It was my idea to go—it’s a bonfire party that we have every year the first day we arrive, so it’s always on a Saturday night for the kids who show up that day—like Rook did. So anyway, it’s out in the Forest of Emma Green, which can be a pretty spooky place unless you’ve had some Irish Cream in your hot chocolate—but I don’t know much about it—and, Rook did not have any in hers, I know that for a FACT, and then there’s the game, based on the legend of Emma Green and her lover. I mean, boyfriend, not lover, lover sounds bad, but Emma and her boyfriend who went into that forest to die, actually found a patch of Hemlock under the Tree of Wisdom, which is the Tree we’ll all see, if we pass because it won’t reveal itself to you until the time comes to choose your Kingdom, which won’t happen for years, right? But anyway, Emma and her boyfriend, who was, well, a vampire—which is the only reason her Dad was like—” she lowered her voice to sound like a man, adding even more theatrics to her explanation, “you can’t be with that boy, daughter—you have to marry this guy over here because I chose him for you and he’s like us, just another Necromancing boy, screw those vampires! Which is why they NEVER had a Kingdom, until a few years ago, which is called Nightshade, by the way and it’s full of them—vampires, I mean, but we don’t have any here. They have their own school, which is pretty messed up, right?” she cleared her throat, then took a breath, which she desperately needed, “so they went into the woods, to their secret place, which like I said is actually the Tree of Wisdom surrounded by hemlock—by the way, that’s why this is Hemlock Academy.” She paused, then blinked. “Huh, I never thought about that, but where was I?” My Mom sat there with her lips parted, I did too, but Nadia wasn’t done. She snapped her fingers, and we both blinked, “So they go in there and, get this, feed each other hemlock, poisoning each other and dying under that tree all because they couldn’t be together.”

  “So, like Romeo and Juliet?” Mom asked.

  “Yes! Just like that, but anyway, spin the crown is based on that because Emma Green was wearing her crown when she died. When we play the game, it’s supposed to match you with your true love who has to kiss you, to like, seal the deal, or break a curse—or something like that.”

  Mom looked over at me. “Did you play this game?”

  I raised my hands. “I didn’t know what it was!”

  She narrowed her eyes. “Did you kiss a boy?”

  Nadia grimaced while thumbing behind her. “I should probably go.”

  “Yeah—thanks, Nadia,” I spoke through a fake smile.

  Nadia exited the room and my Mom turned to face me. “Rook.”

  “Okay, listen.” I stood up and began to pace back and forth. “First of all, I didn’t know about the party, and I did NOT drink. So, let’s just get that out of the way right now.” I glanced over and her knee was shaking. “So, then the game started, and I had no warning. Cole did the whole crown thing and of course it landed on Nadia.”

  “Did he toss it like a goldfish ring game at the fair?”

  I half-smiled. “No—there was a spell and the crown floated in the air, it spun, so um, that’s why it’s called spin the crown. But anyway, I was going to leave after Nadia got kissed because I skipped breakfast, and my stomach was aching. I mean, you know I can’t do that, and all Nadia gave me was popcorn, which is like nothing, really—so I’m ready to walk back here and then boom—this boy stepped up to the crown.”

  “What boy?”

  I bit my lip and stared past her out the window. I could see the thick forest. “I—well, he has blue hair.”

  “Blue?” she asked.

  “Yeah, just like the swallows who sit in our apple tree at home.”

  She rolled her hand, motioning for me to go on, so I did. “Is this the boy who was holding Bitter when I got here today?”

  I pulled on the long strings of my hoodie, like a fidget toy. Sliding them back and forth with nervous apprehension.

  “Yep, same one. Anyway, the crown landed on my head and I just about died, like right there. Just dead.”

  “And?” she asked.

  “So, I’m standing there with this crown on my head and he starts walking toward me. My heart is pounding in my chest and my stomach is swirling, and he reaches out to me because there’s this—this,” I wave at the floor, “ring of colored stones at my feet, and I was supposed to step over the ring and then kiss this boy.”

  She leaned in and pinched the bridge of her nose.

  I took a short breath. “And then I threw up.”

  Her eyes widened. “You what?”

  I sighed. “I threw up at his feet and the crown fell off my head.”

  “Oh, honey! What did he say?”

  I shrugged my shoulders while thumbing at my lip. “Nothing—I just turned and ran, and that’s when I fell down, and scraped my knee.”

  I decided to stop the story there. She didn’t need to know about him following me back to my room, or carrying me to the kitchen, where he patched me up.

  My Mom rose up off the bench, pulling me along with her. She stepped in, cupping my face and then hugged me while rubbing my back. “First of all,” she stood up straight and stared deeply into my eyes while holding my chin in her hand, “Thank you for being honest. I appreciate that, it makes me feel so much better knowing that I have such a mature and intelligent daughter staying so far away from me.”

  “It’s just an hour, Mom.”

  She tilted her head. “It could be five minutes and it would still feel like the other side of the world.”

  I wrapped my arms around her neck and held on. “I love you, Mom.”

  “Oh, my sweet baby girl. I love you most of all. More than anything else in this world, but I think I should go now.”

  She leaned back and pushed a stray chunk of my hair behind my ear. It was still purple and pink, but I think I’ll wash it out and start the first day at Hemlock exactly as I am.

  “If you want to stay you can.”

  She grabbed her bag as Bitter climbed into it, she stuck out the top. Mom laughed, then lifted it up with a grunt. “And I’ll take Bitter with me, but just know that we will come back here anytime you need us. I’m just a call away.”

  I nodded to her as she walked to my door and turned to take one last look around.

  “You’re the best part of me.”

  I fought back the tears as she opened the door and left me alone with my thoughts.

  I looked back out into the woods.

  “You’re the best part of me, too, Mom.” I whispered.

  Chapter Fifteen

  I buttoned my white shirt, slid on my black pleated skirt, pulled on my black knee-high socks, and adjusted
my red tie. I slipped on one black mary jane, then the other, and the last thing I had left was the jacket with the Hemlock crest on it.

  I ran my fingers over it, thinking about how long I had dreamed of this moment, and how hard I had worked to learn as much as I could before coming here. My mind wandered far beyond the school, beyond classes, beyond much of everything to that patch of hemlock and the Tree of Wisdom. The story of Emma Green and her forbidden love tugged at my heart. The fact that she was denied love because he was a vampire, left a terrible feeling in the pit of my stomach. It didn’t help that we hadn’t eaten yet, but I wasn’t going to make that same mistake again.

  I turned and stared in the mirror, tugging at the bottom of the skirt that brushed against my skin mid-thigh. It could’ve been just a little longer, but I can’t complain. So few kids are accepted here, and as far as I know, no humans had ever been accepted at all.

  But I now knew that I shared the same fate as the vampires —being denied admission simply because of who we are.

  I’m so grateful that they allowed me to come here. I couldn’t squander my opportunity to do something that had never been done before. I had every intention of passing and being placed, by the Tree of Wisdom, in one of the Seven Kingdoms of Myth and Magic.

  Breaking that curse once and for all—at least for humans.

  I thought about Soll and his brother, Sinn—the Selkie who owned the coffeeshop in Hemlock. It gave me a sense of pride that I seemed to not disappoint them, in turn, showing them that not all humans are selfish in nature, or want to destroy anyone that isn’t just like them. The weight of that would stay with me as a constant reminder of what I could do to bridge the gap between those with magic and those without.

  Now if someone could just do that for the vampires. But who knows? They may hate Necromancers as much as Necromancers used to hate them. The only thing I could do is help all of those with magic to see that I’m not a threat.

  Nadia hugged me from behind. “You changed your hair!” she exclaimed, because I had.