The Tracker Hive Academy Year One - Avery Song Page 0,25

tomorrow?"

"Boo," she pouted her lips but returned to singing as her attention moved from the girls to notice board. "Kill tomorrow. Kill tomorrow."

I loved watching the girls visibly gulp.

"All right. Emma? Heather? Do you need something from the office?"

"No, Professor Sky," they said quickly, shaking their heads to prove their point.

"Then get to class," Bianca stressed.

They rushed out of the room and Bianca walked in just as the secretary came out from an office with my papers.

"Oh. Professor Sky. Glad you're here. Do you mind admitting Ms. Masters? I have to cover Office B for a moment," she asked.

"Certainly." Bianca smiled.

The secretary noticed Shadow Jade, who was still singing quietly to herself.

"Um..." She glanced at both of us. I giggled. "That's my twin, Spade Shadow Masters. It was in the box beneath my info. Everyone assumes it's my birth name since I'm adopted," I explained.

"Right, my apologies." She bowed her head slightly.

"No hurt feelings. It happens," I assured her. She gave the papers to Bianca and with one last smile, she headed out. Bianca closed the door and then turned her attention to me.

"Spade?"

"Just be proud I handled the situation without killing anyone. I think this calls for a celebration," I complimented my own actions. "And the name was all I could think of. Shadow Jade likes it."

Shadow Jade looked to us, responding to my call. "Me? Spade!" She grinned happily.

"See?"

"You could call her a tree and she'd be happy," Bianca countered.

"Not wrong, but Spade's cooler."

Bianca sighed, pulling off her glasses. "It's too early."

"You're telling me. Maybe I’ll get a coffee."

"Please don't," Bianca muttered. "You have more than enough energy. I don't need Shadow... Spade to be bouncing off the walls. I already had to stop her from hugging Alaric in the hall."

"Oops." I tried to imagine how that unfolded. "Did she squeal Daddy before or after you stopped her?"

"Neither. I was able to divert her attention with a cookie."

"Where's mine?" I pouted.

Bianca smirked. "Let's go inside the office and finalize your acceptance, Ms. Masters. Then you'll earn a cookie."

"No fair," I whined. "I was good already."

"It hasn't been twelve hours yet."

"At least fifteen minutes have gone by. What's another eleven and a half?"

Bianca gave me a pleased smile, walking over to one of the empty offices and gesturing for me and Shadow Jade to enter.

"Let's get this over with," she declared.

Why do I have a feeling this ain't ending well?

7

Told You So

"Can't I just call you Bianca?" I questioned.

"Not during school hours. I have to keep up my image or people will think I'm someone they can walk over," Bianca noted.

"Spade," I called out. Shadow Jade paused in her skipping movement, waiting for us to catch up.

"She learns quickly," Bianca admitted.

“Yes, but now I don't know if I like Spade," I admitted. "I kinda prefer her Shadow Jade name."

"You're so indecisive." Bianca shook her head. "You're lucky Tanner isn't giving you a tour."

"He would have signed the papers to my acceptance and then expelled me," I concluded.

"He would not."

"You know he would if Alaric didn't have a say," I argued.

We looked at my Shadow as she stood there patiently. "Let's go back to Shadow Jade. It's easier."

She nodded her head once. "Okay."

I reached out and stroked her head. It was a habit we'd kept up with for many years, and to my Shadow, it was a form of praise.

Spinning around, she went back to skipping along the stone path, and we carried on with my school tour.

"There are four main topics the curriculum focuses on during each semester. There's the basic knowledge component, one that I see you having no problem with. The second is based on elemental mastery. The third is Element manipulation, and finally, the fourth is based on Tracker simulation. That class is similar to gym but conducts situational assessments of assignments you would face as a Tracker," Bianca explained.

"Essentially everything I already know. Easy," I summarized, watching Shadow Jade, who stopped skipping and was currently looking at one of the many paintings hung on the cement walls.

Stopping for a moment, I turned to face Bianca. "If it's four topics, why is school five days a week?"

"Throughout the semester, each week will focus on a different class. Week one will be Tracker Knowledge Analysis, week two's focus is Elemental Mastery. Week three is Elemental Manipulation and week four is Tracker Simulation. It will go in that order, for sixteen weeks. Then there's winter break, and similar classes but at a more advanced stage. There are four