The Awakening (Zodiac Academy, #1)

by Caroline Peckham

While I’d been hustling for money from students at school, buying and selling their unwanted crap for them and taking a profit, Tory had been doing something much more illegal. She never really went into it because she didn’t want to implicate me, but I could hazard a guess at what it was. She always came home at ungodly hours of the night smelling of gasoline and adrenaline.

A forbidding male voice filled the air which cut into me like a knife. “Let go of her.”

confusion gleaming from her olive-green eyes which were the exact same shade as mine. Like everything about us. Bronze skin that hinted to a Latina heritage we’d never know the full truth of, and our lips were full and wide. We were a mirror version of one another except for my hair’s dark blue tips. Maybe that was why we drove each other crazy sometimes.

We'd only managed a few months’ rent here because we'd sold the single item of value we'd had when we left Pete's. A Gucci handbag I’d spotted in a thrift store labelled as a knock-off.

Tory wasn’t much for the fuzzy feelings type, but that didn't mean they weren't there. And though I sometimes wished for a few more warm hugs, she always showed me she cared in her own way.

Why do I always mess everything up?

My bones thrummed with the power of the engine beneath me and for a moment I let myself feel the ache to just keep the bike for myself. Of course the idea was absurd. Where would a girl who could scarcely afford a cellphone have gotten a limited-edition super bike from? No, I was destined to ride the bus as usual and my night time exploits would have to remain hidden.

He was tall, his brown hair pushed back in the kind of careless I’ve-spent-ages-making-this-look-accidental way that guys with too much time and money on their hands often went for. I guessed he was five or six years older than me, probably mid-twenties. Kinda hot in a strait-laced way which wasn’t really my bag.

MR EXPENSIVE SHIRT AND GREY SLACKS stood out like a sore thumb. He did have a beard, but it was carefully styled to look a certain way.

His eyes swung to me and seemed to suck everything in like a blackhole.

A waterfall of papers fell everywhere, pages and pages. Pictures of us as babies, newspaper articles about the day our parents had died in a house fire. How we'd been pulled out of the ashes, two perfectly unharmed babies. A complete miracle. Among it all was our file for foster care. Every detail we knew about our history could be found on these cascading sheets of paper. So why on earth did this guy have them?

“Shame to lose out on your inheritance though. Your real parents were the wealthiest family in Solaria.”

“Look, I'm not trying to shatter your little daydreams about this couple but they're just two random humans who got caught up in something much bigger. You don't know them from Adam. And neither do I for that matter. The fact that they're dead is a tragedy but they aren't your blood. And blood's all that matters in my opinion.” He shrugged, glancing between us. “You two would do anything for each other, I hope? Because this shitty life can go away like that.” He snapped his fingers. “All you have to do is agree to enrol at Zodiac Academy. You'll get full board, have your own beds-” He gave the couch a pointed look, “-and your inheritance will cover the cost of your stay plus you'll receive a monthly stipend from it. Once you graduate, it's all yours. But only when you graduate. That's the law.”

“Yes,” he said. “Water, air, fire, earth. You will both possess one Element, perhaps two. Your parents were very powerful, so I expect you will be immeasurably gifted.” Something about his tone told me he wasn’t happy about that.

“Welcome to Zodiac Academy. I am Professor Zenith of the Astrology department and it's my greatest pleasure to Awaken your Elements this very night. Please lift your faces to the sky, students. It's time for the stars to rouse your inner power.”

“Virtus aquae invocabo!” called Zenith in what sounded like Latin. Okay this is going from weird to insane real fast. Silence stretched out and I almost dropped my head to figure out what was going on when rain dotted my cheeks.

A deep whirlpool of power seemed to open up inside me and my breathing stalled as I felt its strength coil around my veins.

“Rogo vim aeris!” Professor Zenith called out and a strong wind gusted through my hair. I looked to Tory, finding her hair moving in the same powerful breeze.

“Rogo vim terrae!” Zenith cried and I glanced down at the other students, wondering what would happen to those who had the next power. The edges of the grass tickled my knees, and I searched the circle for signs of the next Element taking effect. A deep well seemed to open inside me, filled with a pulsing kind of energy. It tingled and then coiled and rippled like an ever-changing being that lived within me. Something brushed against my arm then curled around it. I glanced down, frowning as I found the grass growing up and spiralling around my wrist, as gentle as a caress. More of the fronds wrapped around my arms and I spotted the same happening to Tory. She looked to me with her brows arched. “I thought it was rare to get two?”

“My dears, how wonderful. You have Earth as well. Three Elements is very rarely heard of. You will be among the most powerful students at Zodiac.”

The other students were muttering, and I caught strange words like 'Celestial Heirs' and 'Vega Twins'.

“Invoco virtutem ignis!” Zenith yelled. Heat flared at my feet instantaneously and fire scored through the ground around me in a tight circle. The fire flickered out into embers, leaving a glowing red ring in the grass around my Converses. The exact same thing shone around Tory's boots too. My heart stalled as I stared down at the sight in confusion. Four Elements? But Zenith said...

As the students moved in a tide toward him, his eyes locked on me. His gaze drank me in for an endless second, then he turned and looked away toward the dark line of trees at the edge of the meadow.

The Awakening had left me reeling, trapped within my own body as I tried to adjust to the sudden onslaught of power which had filled a void I’d never known I had.

A short girl with a blonde pixie cut and freckles dotted across her nose offered us a friendly smile. “I’m Sofia,”

“It’s designed to look that way because the zodiac is directed by the sun. Without it, we would have nothing. Everything begins and ends with it.”

Each of them held a deep aura which set them apart from the rest of the people in the room. I would have thought they were siblings except that they looked so different that I knew it couldn’t be the case. Something bonded them together though, something so clear that I could almost see it.

The smile which accompanied that laugh drew my gaze for just long enough to rouse its owner’s attention. My heart raced a little like I was a kid caught taking candy as his dark blue eyes trailed over me. He pushed a hand through his curling golden hair, drawing my gaze to his broad shoulders for a moment before I looked away without studying the other two so closely.

I couldn’t quite put my finger on what it was, but something about Zodiac Academy just felt right. It was like coming home after months abroad. Except for the fact that I’d never been abroad or ever really felt like I had a home in my entire life, so that couldn’t be right.

“Your parents were the last King and Queen of Solaria. You return here as joint Heirs to the throne.”

Since the demise of your mother and father, the four Celestial families have held the power of the throne between them equally. They had intended to keep hold of that power with their own Heirs in the knowledge that the royal line had fallen. But with your return, everything could be about to change once more.”

And you’ll soon learn that Fae have to claim their own power if they want it. You have a lot of catching up to do if you want to reclaim the throne from the Celestial Heirs.”

The guy on the right tilted his head to the side, his long, chestnut hair tipping over his fist as he leaned his chin against his knuckles. There was something deeply animal in the way he eyed us, and I found myself lifting my chin, refusing to cower beneath the challenge in his earthy brown eyes.

A high-pitched shriek of excitement broke the silence as a tall, broad-shouldered girl with long, brown hair leapt to her feet. She started applauding so quickly that her hands were almost a blur and the wide smile on her face looked more than a little manic.

He rested his elbows on his knees, his dark eyes crawling over my flesh in a way that made heat rise along my spine. He was broader than the others, his muscles tight beneath a maroon t-shirt which clung to the curves of his powerful frame. His hair was jet black, and just long enough to shadow his eyes as it spilled over his forehead. Ink lined his biceps, disappearing beneath the short sleeves of his t-shirt, the designs intricate yet powerful in a way I couldn’t quite name. His face was cut from my very own personal fantasy, as if someone had delved into my deepest desires and drawn them into strong angles and perfect temptation made just for me. My gaze caught on his muscular body, his mouth, the stubble gracing his jaw, his mouth again... My heart raced a little faster as his eyes met mine for a moment and I felt like a lamb caught in the gaze of a lion. He was dangerous in all the right ways, and I knew without doubt that the fire in his eyes would burn me up if I strayed too close.

“These are the Celestial Heirs,” she explained to me and Darcy, naming them from left to right. “Max Rigel,” (the dark-skinned demi-god). “Caleb Altair,” (the blonde-haired beau next door), “Darius Acrux,” (my sin-filled fantasy). “And Seth Capella,” (the long-haired lothario). “This is Gwendalina and Roxanya Vega-”

“Well whatever names you go by, you’re still Vegas. The last in your line and rightful holders of the Solarian throne once you come of age. So long as you pass your assessments here and go on to graduate from Zodiac you will reclaim the throne from the Celestial Heirs.” She indicated the four guys who sat before us, and I frowned as I tried to comprehend exactly what she was suggesting. Before she gave me a moment to compute that little nugget of information, she continued to address the Heirs. “I do hope you hadn’t gotten too comfortable with the idea of holding the throne together. I’m sure you’ll want to be the first to offer the girls the hand of friendship as they embark upon this journey of education.”

“They don’t know how it works here yet. I’m guessing you didn’t realise that turning your back on your superiors is considered an insult?”

closer, Roxy,” he taunted, using that name to try and get a rise out of me. Poking fun at my dead parents’ choice in baby names. Classy.

I’d never been too concerned with making friends. Especially not the kind who demanded respect instead of making sure they earned it.

Somewhere deep inside my chest a defiant little spark lit beneath the pyre of my panic, and I clung onto it like a life raft. I wasn’t going to let this touch that flame. And together we’d ride out the dark.

“Water focus, House Aqua. My house is for those who have what it takes to face the deadly sea of life in Zodiac without flinching.”

“Earth focus, House Terra. And terror is exactly what you'll get if you don't fit in.” He gazed firmly at Tory and my gut shrivelled into a tight ball.

“Air focus, House Aer. Life with us is a breeze.”

“Fire focus, House Ignis. We aren't for the faint of heart. And frankly I don't see anyone in this line-up who’s good enough to join us.”

Seth squeezed her against his athletic body, and I wondered for half a second what an embrace from those arms might feel like.

Horror bloomed in my chest. Part with Tory? My twin? I mean…we were independent, but we were also a constant in each other's lives. She was like my left arm. I could manage without it most of the time but if it was cut off, I wouldn't be whole.

He moved to meet me and suddenly wrapped me in his arms. The exact arms I’d just been having a two second daydream about. Damn, it felt like eating a too-hot cookie fresh out of the oven. It burned all the way down but tasted divine.

Above it, carved into the stone, was a large symbol of a triangle with a horizontal line intersecting the top half of it.

and a guy wearing a beanie hat who had an excited look on his face.