Crescent Wolves - G. Bailey Page 0,15

happening on a piece of celluloid, they’re happening to the ground beneath me. The next thing I know, the cool breeze off the ocean is dying down, the sky turning overcast, the sounds of the waves fading into the background.

I look around again, and my breath catches in my throat.

We’re no longer at the Marina. In fact, it’s becoming increasingly clear to me that we’re no longer in the city, period. We now stand on top of a sloping hill, with green fields stretching out as far as the eye can see. In the distance is a forest, following more rolling hills onto the horizon. It’s nowhere I can recognize, and for all I know, we could be miles away from where we just were. In fact…

“Where are we?” I ask, my voice barely above a whisper.

“A few minutes off campus,” Josie replies. She points behind me, and I follow her motion, eyebrows raising as I take in what’s on my other side. The hill continues downward, lush green grass carpeting the ground, and at the bottom is an enormous, old building. It reminds me a little of an old-fashioned boarding school, like something out of a movie, supported by tall marble pillars, with balconies on every story and ivy creeping up the outer wall. In front of it is a paved road that wraps around in a loop before snaking away towards the forest in the background.

“Is that…?” I ask, not able to pull my gaze away. Samantha nods.

It’s unlike anything I’ve ever seen, and I can’t help but suck in a breath. This can’t be real, can it? None of this is possible. Again I wonder if I’m dreaming, and again I have to remind myself that I’m not. “Where are we?” I ask, my voice sounding soft and far away. “How did we get here?”

“A teleportation spell,” Samantha replies. “It’s a taxing form of magic, especially when we’re going this far, but it’s more efficient than other human forms of transportation. Sometimes I forget what it’s like to experience it for the first time.” She puts her hands on her hips, and I can now see that she looks a little drained. “We’re on an island,” she continues. “Not far from Scotland, actually. It’s not huge, but it’s all property of the academy.”

“Now you see why coming with us was so important,” Josie adds. “This is a place away from prying eyes, where you can train in peace and safety.” She turns to Samantha, raising an eyebrow. “Although I don’t see why you couldn’t have just brought us to the front door, while you were at it.”

Samantha shoots her a look. “You try jumping three people this far. I’m beat. Besides…” She nods to me, smirking a little. “I always like to see the looks on their faces when they see it from up here.”

I clear my throat, unable to disagree with her. I feel like I’ve stepped out of the real world and into the pages of one of my fantasy books. “So what now?” I ask. “Do I have to sign up for classes? Where am I going to live?”

“All in due time,” Samantha says, holding up a hand. “We’ll start by taking you to the registrar’s office, and from there we can figure out what classes you’ll need to take first.”

“Speaking of which,” I say, “that reminds me. You said that there are - what, five different types of shifters?” Josie nods, and I continue. “But you never told me which kind I am.” I see something cross her face, but it’s gone too quickly for me to identify it. Now that the danger is over for the time being, I can’t help but feel a little curious which type of shifter I am. That’s a weird thing to think about, I think.

“I mean,” I continue, “I turned red like you guys, but I also had claws, and fur, and scales, and fangs…” I shake my head, thinking back to my monstrous appearance when I looked at my reflection earlier. “So what am I?”

Josie clears her throat. “Why don’t we start walking, and we’ll tell you what we know on the way? Would that be all right?”

I nod, and the three of us begin to make our way down the slope and towards the front of the building.

“The truth is,” she says, not looking at me as we pick our way over the grassy ground, “we’re not sure what kind of shifter you are.”

My