Blazing Academy: Semester One (Academy For All Things Scorching #1) - Avery Song Page 0,63

doesn’t matter. It's broken and not a hindrance to you, Alice. You'll be able to learn without any hindrances," Clover explained. "As for your weapon, the book in your lap is what carries the excess of magic that was essentially trapped within the seal. The book is locked and can only be unlocked by you and your flaming energy. Otherwise, it'll remain locked. To carry it around, merely envision the book as a necklace and it'll shift into that form. Keep it simple, and like the others have encouraged, don't let anyone know you carry all four fire traits until next semester."

"It's dangerous, and your team won't be near you all the time. Play it safe for now as you learn more about campus and make some friends.”

"Alright," I whispered. "I understand."

* * *

"That's a reasonable worry to have," Keru answered. "She had to have known that neglecting the seal's maintenance would put you at risk. I won't ignore or sugar-coat that important fact."

He pressed against the back of the stool as he stretched his arms up. "However, it seems a little fishy that she stopped visiting you when you were young, don't you think?"

"I assumed she didn't want to see me anymore." I shrugged. "If she wanted to be in my life, she would have raised me, right?"

"True." Keru thought about it, resting his head in his hands as he stared at me. "But do you believe that?"

"That she didn't want to be in my life anymore?"

"Ya."

"I'm not sure." I shrugged again, feeling a little uncomfortable at the thought. "Even if she had responsibilities to deal with, work and whatnot, why couldn't she have said so? Or be transparent about it. Instead, I was made to feel as though I was a mistake that only reminded my dad of the misery of being a parent and losing the woman he loved to stupid mistakes. I don't know."

"Only time will tell," Keru commented. "You shouldn't let it bother you, though. Your mother's decision is hers to bear alone. It's not your fault and you never asked to be born into this world. You're not adopted or anything, and again, even if you had been, that was a decision your mom made. She should have acknowledged that it would be a long-term commitment," Keru explained. "I'm not saying you need to hate her or anything, but don't let her errors of judgment make you feel unvalued."

"You have a point," I admitted.

"But something is still troubling you," he noted, his eyes still observing me carefully.

"Is it..."I trailed off, looking up nervously to peer into his eyes. They were calm while he carried a relaxed smile. He gave me a nod of encouragement and I let go of my worries and said what needed to be let out, "Is it silly for me to be...scared?"

"Not at all," he replied. "I'm scared, too."

"You're scared? Why? You're powerful and didn't you grow up knowing about your magic?"

He quietly chuckled and shook his head. "Nah. I'm actually still new to all of this, to be honest."

"R-Really?" I was fully intrigued at the thought, hoping within my mind that he'd explain more about it. "Would it be a hassle to share?"

"Not at all," he assured me with a sweet smile. "I found out about my abilities six years ago. I didn't know about what I was because I'd been in the foster system for as long as I could remember."

"Your parents-"

"Disowned me." The way he casually said it made my heart sink at the idea. "I wasn't high maintenance or anything. To be honest, I was more like Westley. I gave off a shy persona. I didn't really register that I'd been disowned until the councillor told me to my face that my parents didn't want me. It took a while for me to accept it, and when I struggled to find a family that would take me in due to sudden 'catastrophes' following me, it made things a lot worse."

He tugged on the collar of his dress shirt, unbuttoning it the top button and revealing the black collar with a crescent moon around his neck.

"The last family I was in was the worse. They treated me like an enslaved dog, and I couldn't say a word to anyone about it. I was frightened that something would go wrong. Like a fire breaking out at night, or the stove suddenly exploding with a flicker of my emotions. I pent them all inside of me, sealing them tightly