The best part was he gave her an address! Drew her a little map and everything—and it wasn’t far from the Laughing Coyote Ski Resort, so now she could finally go meet him.

  Take that, Levine! she thought, then realized Levine and the others had been right all along. He was fine. Her father wasn’t lying dead in a ditch somewhere.

  Relieved, she was ready to begin her day as she penned a quick reply to him and began to count the days till she would meet him.

  14

  The auditions for the games didn’t start until late afternoon when everyone was free. The entire student body came out to the training field to watch the twenty students perform. Nick was up first. Ava heard the girls giggle coquettishly as he stepped out. What was it about this guy?

  He morphed fast, shifting first into a cute little black-and-white-dotted koala, then, in the twinkle of an eye, the koala was gone. In its place was a ten-foot anaconda. It slithered through the short-cropped grass, hissing aggressively and lashing out its forked tongue.

  Then came a literal rain of fire—the real test had begun. It was amazing to watch Nick weave through every fireball raining from an unknown location in the sky. Ava checked to see if she could find the rig. Nope, no sign of where the fire came from. Whoever did it, did a heck of a job. Griffin magic was her best guess. The balls of yellow fiendish fire rained down relentlessly for exactly three minutes.

  Watching a snake dexterously avoid contact with the speeding flames was beautiful, heart-stopping art. Occasionally, he’d jolt into the air, balancing on his greenish tail.

  There was no way any of them could compete with that. For crying out loud, the guy had no hands and he was this good! Geez. The fire vanished as abruptly as it started, and everyone clapped for Nick as he slithered away.

  Ava saw Levine nod approvingly and make a note on her pad. No other contestant was as impressive as Nick. Why did he have to go first? Levine had told them the games, especially the Fire Trials, were designed to teach shifters control, to be fast, agile, all the while avoiding danger.

  Granted, the fire, which appeared disturbingly real, was fake. But still, a whisper of it on their tails, and they would be disqualified.

  Michaela went next, then Obis, followed by the standoffish senior girl who was so offended by Ava’s allergic reaction to the dust in Levine’s office.

  When it was Ava’s turn, she chose to go as a cat—it was easier. At that point, she kept trying to convince herself she didn’t really care if she was chosen or not—she was just there to play. But who was she kidding?

  In the crowd, she heard her name being chanted—it felt good. She spotted JiSoo, Tarun, Winta, and James crowded together, clapping hard.

  “Begin!” Levine called into her bullhorn after conferring with the judges.

  Ava strutted out to the field, lifting her paws in an exaggerated manner. When she got to the center, she looked around, hackles up, rising on her hind legs.

  The fire rain began.

  She jumped, bouncing off the grass nimbly. The tempo increased; it seemed faster than it was for others, but maybe that was just because she was nervous. She didn’t stop—weaving, leaping, spiraling. One nearly singed her paw, and she heard someone scream, “Look out!”

  She danced out of the way, and the offending fireball fell harmlessly far from her. Three minutes in, the buzzer went off, the fire vanished, and it was over.

  Ava the kitty stepped off the training field—becoming Ava the human once again—to watch the remaining students finish their auditions. She glanced at Levine, who pursed her lips, writing speedily on her pad. Ava wasn’t sure if she appeared impressed or not. She chose not. Maybe she should have gone with her unicorn after all, then everyone would be on their feet, clapping, cheering, hailing her on.

  Unfortunately, she couldn’t control the entire mass of students with terrifying stunts. Not like Nick. But her cat form was nimble and fast; she hoped Levine would understand that, too.

  She didn’t get to see the rest of the students audition because she was sent to a pavilion behind the field to wait with the others who already had their turn. Results were announced a short while later. Ava stood beside Tarun who had snuck over to wait with her at the pavilion. He clutched her fingers tighter than normal. With her other hand, she twirled a lock of her hair, waiting.

  Nick made it, obviously.

  And so did Michaela—she had put on an impressive display, shooting around so fast her wolf form became a blur. Ava didn’t realize the sassy punk girl was full of so much bark and bite.

  Obis was a shoo-in, seeing as he actually swallowed the freaking fireballs during his audition.

  Ava’s name was called next after the judges argued for two minutes straight. “Yay,” she mumbled as Tarun raised her arm and pumped her fist in the air, only succeeding in making her feel ridiculous. Smiling sheepishly, she leaned in and hugged Tarun.

  Finally, they announced the fifth contestant: Priya.

  Ava looked at Tarun in shock.

  “She’s what, twelve?” Tarun whispered.

  “Eleven, actually,” Ava responded. She couldn’t imagine what little Priya must have demonstrated to make the judges choose her.

  But it didn’t matter now. The game was on and less than two weeks away.

  Waiting would be the easy part.

  15

  Pleasure and pain went hand in hand. Ava was quick to discover in the following days that to feel one sometimes meant experiencing the other. Pleasure when she did it right and pain in her screaming muscles. The school may have passed off the games as ‘just for pleasure,’ but they treated practice like a do-or-die.

  The cafeteria had been redecorated the previous day. Long tables were removed in favor of smaller round ones, and the walls were painted with light touches of green and blushes of yellow, creating a sunny, cheerful atmosphere.

  “I swear, one day I’m not gonna show up. They want to kill us in there,” Ava griped to Winta and JiSoo at lunch.

  “Nah, that’s not who you are,” JiSoo countered. “You don’t skip classes.”

  Under the table, Tarun found Ava’s hand and held it, squeezing lightly. Above, he said with a straight face, “Chicken.”

  She struggled to remove her hand and smack his leg, but he held on tight.

  “I’m not a chicken—or a quitter—it’s just hard. That's all I’m saying. Changing the subject…JiSoo, how's your second transformation going?”

  “Pretty cool,” JiSoo said through a mouthful of salad. “I learned to buck other shifters—even big ones—up over my head.”

  “I’ll be sure to stay on your good side then,” Ava retorted teasingly, then turning to James, “What about you? Any luck?”

  James shrugged, looking profoundly disappointed. “I might be the only non-predator at this school without a second form,” he replied, forcing a smile.

  “No, Levine said everyone, and that includes you,” Tarun pointed out. “They wouldn’t have let you in otherwise. Maybe it’s just taking time.”

  “It doesn’t make sense though,” James argued. “Everyone in my family is a hummingbird. Well, except my uncle Alex—he’s a pigeon—but my family doesn’t talk about that. I mean, who are we to judge what Granny got up to in her early years…”

  “It’ll happen, James,” Winta interrupted him. “Just be patient.”

  James let out an exaggerated sigh.

  “Have you been able to heal anyone else?” JiSoo asked Ava, redirecting the subject.

  Ava sighed, “No luck there yet. Tarun is the only person I’ve been able to heal. I can’t figure out why, and I was so happy when I did.”

  “Maybe there’s something about Tarun you can’t get with the others,” JiSoo suggested, wiggling her eyebrows.

  Ava blushed and studiously avoided Tarun’s eyes.

  Winta considered the two of them, “I think I know why it’s not working on others.”

  “Really?”

  “It’s so obvious, I wonder why you haven’t figured it out yourself.”

  “Why, what’s this special theory of yours?”

  “Simple, you’re in love with each other,” Winta deadpanned.

  “What?”

  “Pshh…”

  “I mean, there…um…”

  Both of them sputtered random words.

  Winta merely quirked one aristocratic eyebrow. “Are you done?”

  Tarun looked at Ava, dipped his head, and pressed his lips to hers. Ava sunk into the kiss, her lips replying all the words they refused to speak. She felt her body tilt toward him, her fingers creep to his hair. Softly, she let his lips rove, dipping and drinking.

  “Guys!” Winta hissed. “Omigod. Levine is right there.”

  They broke apart, dazed.

  “I do love you,” Tarun whispered in Ava’s ear as he squeezed her knee.

  “I love you, too, Tarun,” Ava replied, dazzled by the sheer depth of feelings she saw reflected in his gold-flecked eyes, but she was startled out of her mushy thoughts by Winta clearing her throat.

  “Not to ruin the moment, but do you believe me now?” Winta interrupted.

  Ava dragged her eyes away from Tarun’s reluctantly. “You could be right, I don’t think I could bear to see him hurt.”

  “All you need is that love,” JiSoo drawled.

  “You’re saying I should fall in love with everyone first?”

  Tarun growled warningly. JiSoo shifted in her seat, then proceeded to clarify, “No, I mean, you have to feel their pain, too—let it affect you like it does with him.”

  “That’s really good advice, JiSoo.” Winta nodded approvingly.

  “Maybe you’re right.” Ava considered it. “I’ve been treating it like a job to learn, but it should be a part of me, naturally.”

  “Exactly,” Winta agreed glibly.

  Ava couldn’t wait any longer. “Guys, there’s one more thing I need your help with.”

  “Anything,” Winta said automatically like the true friend she was.

  “I got my father’s last letter, and he finally gave me an address where I can find him. I just found out the place is close to the ski resort, and I was wondering if you would like to come with me. Not—not that I’m scared of going alone or anything…. But...I dunno. Plus, he said I could bring my friends…” She trailed off when she noticed they were staring at her with equally comical expressions.

  “Just shut up, Ava,” JiSoo teased. “You already know we’re going with you.”

  The first school to arrive was the Russian Fire-Breather Academy. Ava and her friends joined the mass of students that went out to greet them. The visiting students arrived on a ship bigger than Animage’s. The sails flying in the wind, adorned with a dragon-head symbol, were the same color as the sky.

  “They win the Fire Trials every time,” Tarun whispered to Ava. “The school only admits dragon shifters.”

  Biting her lip, Ava looked over the impressive ship as the visitors exited, making their way to the shores of Animage. Every single one of them, even the females, stood at least six feet tall. The students wore pristine blue-and-white uniforms. The girls matched in their printed flared skirts, under knee-length jackets and white shirts. Boys wore the same jackets and shirts, but with ties and pants. Even in their uniforms, they all looked like bodybuilders.

  The attendants stood by to direct the fire-breathers to a prepared dorm. Maroon, where Ava had once lived with Elaine, was chosen because it was the most elegant of the six main dorms.

  The next school was the Kronos Shifter Academy, all the way from Greece. Their ship arrived that evening. Ava and the girls watched them drop in with extremely tanned skin, tall brown boots, and stark white pants and shirts. They looked more like they were dressed for fencing matches rather than school. There were four boys and one girl, and, like the fire-breathers, all above average height. Known as the best school for mythicals, this school had it all, from ancient monsters to god-like beasts.

  Everything but unicorns, Ava thought smugly to herself.

  The third school sailed in the following day. Kitsune Academy was a shifter school in Japan for ladies exclusively. Ava had read that they only accepted fox shifters, sleek and extremely beautiful. Unlike the others, none of these five girls were particularly tall, but their presence was commanding, and they sashayed their way into Animage like they owned it. They wore traditional Japanese school uniforms—white and navy blue—reminding Ava of her favorite anime, Sailor Moon.

  Finally, the last school arrived, the Predators School for Boys from Nigeria.

  They were clothed from head to toe in black. The boys marched aggressively to the stairs, their footsteps echoing through the reception area and bouncing off the walls.

  Also bouncing off the walls were eager comments from almost all the Animage girls.

  “I think I’m gonna pass out.”

  “I can’t look away.”

  “Where did all those stunning gods come from?”

  Ava and her friends stood together at the base of the stairs to Indigo Dorm, watching the new school predators pass by.

  “Apparently, there’s a serious training process before they’re admitted,” JiSoo said to their group.

  “I didn’t think the rumors were true, but I’m sorta starting to believe it.” Winta watched the brutish boys move up the stairs.

  “Did you see those muscles?” Ava gushed. “How did they all get like that?”

  “Mmhmm…” Tarun remained tightlipped.

  “Don’t worry, Boyfriend,” Ava squeezed his hand. “You’re still the most handsome guy in the world.”

  “Who are we kidding?” James grunted. “It’s like they were hand-picked just to torment us.”

  “Oh, whatever,” Winta pushed James on the shoulder. “Hey, I think that—is that Levine?”

  “What? No,” Ava swung around to look. She was just out front...there’s no way. And that’s certainly not what she was wearing.

  “She looks like a model. That white dress does wonders for her. Our headmistress has a killer figure,” Winta gushed. “Who knew?”

  JiSoo’s bottom lip dropped. “She’s hugging another headmistress, like a normal person, and kissing her cheeks. That’s not how she usually acts.”

  “That’s not all; don’t you see it?” Winta squinted and leaned farther down on the staircase.

  “See what?” Ava asked.

  “They look exactly alike,” Winta confirmed. “That other headmistress she’s hugging is our Levine.”

  “So Levine is a twin?” JiSoo’s eyes bulged.

  “Did you know about that?” Winta looked flabbergasted.

  “I don’t think anyone knew. Everybody looks shell-shocked,” Tarun pointed out. “Look around.”

  “That’s the Kronos headmistress,” JiSoo observed. “I guess it makes sense a griffin would run a school full of mythicals. And she sure got the elegance in the family.”

  The gang watched until the new arrivals were long out of sight and then settled in their rooms to get ready for the Snow Dance, which was to take place in less than two hours. JiSoo ravaged her closet, searching for the best dress to wear to the event.

  “I thought you picked out your dress weeks ago,” Ava questioned her.

  “I did, but now it’s just all wrong. You know what, I think I’m just gonna lie down until they’re gone,” JiSoo griped, collapsing on top of her pile of clothes.

  “C’mon, this is your chance to show off, too. Kaelan will be tongue tied when he sees you.” Ava dragged her up and began to search through the pile on JiSoo’s bed. “No, this won’t do, not this, not…what is this?”

  Ava held up a long, vibrantly colored two-piece, high-waisted dress that looked like it wrapped across the front and was adorned in rich, detailed embroidery.

  “That's my hanbok—traditional wear in Seoul. My parents made me bring it.”

  “This is perfect!” Ava squealed in delight.

  “I’m not wearing that colorful pile of discomfort. I only brought it to make my mom happy. You know I don’t like long dresses.”

  “Well, you’re going to try it on for me first. Look, it’s so pretty.”

  “Ava, it’s practically a tent. I’m not showing myself in front of all those elite and richly dressed shifters in something like that.”

  “Twenty bucks says all the Kitsune girls will be in their traditional kimonos.” Ava popped one hand on her hip and stared JiSoo down. “And probably looking stunning.”

  “Twenty bucks? What am going to do with your American money, huh?”

  “Not the point. Just put it on.”

  “Not happening.”

  They bantered back and forth until JiSoo finally agreed to put it on. After about another ten minutes of convincing on Ava’s part, JiSoo agreed to keep it on.

  After finally settling the great clothing debate, JiSoo stylishly piled Ava’s long purple tresses on top of her head, letting a few soft tendrils trail down the sides of her face.

  A brush of eyeshadow left her eyes smoky and dreamy. Ava shimmied into her short black gown that had tiny stones sown on the neckline. She twirled in front of the full-length mirror—the dress hugged her figure, showing more than it covered.

  Ava did JiSoo’s hair, pinning back some of the front with a silver butterfly barrette, brushed the back of her pixie cut until it lay flat, and even added a faux ponytail to make it look longer. A little magic with some blue eyeshadow and a touch of lip gloss, and JiSoo was as stunning as royalty.

  “Girls?! Are you ready?” Winta blustered, bursting into their room. “I can’t wait anymore with Michaela blaring death metal in the room, besides, I just saw Tarun in the hall. He’s getting impatient.” She looked exquisite in her floor-length red gown, her short curls packed in a tight poof on top of her head. Her brown skin popped nicely with her dress.

  “We are; just let me get my purse.” Ava searched through her pile of clothes.

  “Oh, we look so pretty, the boys are going to be stunned.” Winta beamed as she admired her friends.