Black Sun Academy: The Next Gen. Book 1
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R.J. Rogers
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219K
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34
Chapter 1
BLAISE
Two days before my eighteenth birthday, I stop outside the house at the black metal mailbox. Yanking the lid down, I stick my hand in and pull out the loose envelopes—mostly junk mail, I’m sure—and other random bits before clutching everything to my chest, pushing the lid closed, and heading into my grandparents’ house.
Sighing as if carrying a heavy box, I place the mail on the island countertop. I shuffle through it, hoping to find an acceptance letter from one of the colleges I’ve applied to, and spot a manila envelope that looks like an acceptance packet. It’s large and thick, stuffed with what seem like important papers.
My heart flutters and begins to beat rapidly in my chest at the prospect of being accepted—until I realize I don’t remember applying to this particular academy. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever even heard of this school.
Arching an eyebrow in confusion and curiosity, I make my way to the kitchen table and spread the contents across the gray oak tabletop. There’s a slew of papers, along with the acceptance letter, which looks to be handwritten on old parchment paper.
Blaise Salvino,
We cordially invite you to attend the Black Sun Academy. Should you accept this invitation, important dates are listed below:
July 7th – Deadline for registration
July 31st – Open house
Aug. 23rd – Dorm assignment and Welcome assembly
Aug. 24th – First day of classes
The handbook: School rules and Policies, plus a map of the campus and hours of operation have been supplied within this packet as well. We look forward to seeing you in attendance come fall.
Sincerely,
Raegan Knight
Dean of B.S.A.
I stare at the papers, dumbfounded, for about thirty seconds before pulling out my cell phone. I definitely want to see what kind of courses this school has to offer.
I quickly realize there’s very little information about the academy online. Frustrated, I shove the phone aside and turn my attention back to the packet.
I pick up the image of the campus.
As I gaze at the colorful map, I hear the side door from the garage open and glance up just as my grandparents step into the kitchen.
G-Ma Lisa spots me first. “Hey, sweet pea. What are you up to?”
Grandpa Steven is right behind her. “There’s my lil’ firecracker!” he says with a smile, but it quickly fades as he sees the look on my face. “What’s goin’ on, darlin’?”
As he asks this, he and Grandma make their way over to where I’m sitting, and I promptly pass my grandmother the handwritten letter.
Grandpa peers over her shoulder so they can read the letter together, and almost immediately, I hear them gasp.
Snapping my head back so fast I nearly give myself whiplash, I look at my grandparents’ faces.
Grandma’s hand has flown to her mouth, and Grandpa’s eyes have gone wide in shock.
“What? Why do you guys look so surprised? Have you heard of this school?”
I watch as they both hesitantly nod, and then Grandma stutters out, “Y-yes.”
Lisa gives Steven a look, to which he gives a slight nod as he runs a hand through his salt-and-pepper hair. Then Grandma says, “Blaise, we need to explain some things about our family, about your parents…”
As she says this, she takes a seat across the table from me, and Grandpa slides into the seat right next to mine, taking my hand in his.
The look on their faces sends my anxiety skyrocketing.
“Um…okay.”
They seem nervous and worried, staring at me intensely as though trying to gauge what my reaction might be.
“Okay, sweetie, so we’ve never hidden the fact that your parents met an untimely and tragic end. What you don’t know is the how and why.” Grandpa’s voice hitches, and he turns his gray eyes toward my grandmother.
Grandma stretches her arm across the table, placing her hand just below Grandpa’s elbow to give his arm a squeeze, then picks up the tale from where he left off.
“Dominic and Alina were amazing human beings.” Lisa offers a wistful smile and continues, “Ali attended Black Sun Academy just about twenty-five years ago herself.”
This bit of information makes me gasp in turn.
“Back then, though, the academy wasn’t like it is today. Now, what I’m about to tell you next will shock you, but I need you to listen without asking questions.”
She holds my stare, and I bite the inside of my cheek for a second before giving a slight nod.
“When your mom attended the academy, it was a training facility for witch-hunters.” Lisa pauses, as if waiting for my brain to absorb what she just told me, and I can’t stop a bewildered laugh from escaping my lips. “Hold on, honey, there’s still more I need to tell you.”
Pressing my lips together, I nod for her to continue.
“And even though Alina came from a long line of witch-hunters, her destiny was to be so much more than that. Our son, your father, and Alina were fated to end the warring between the witches and the hunters, and they were able to do just that.
“Once the war ended, both communities agreed to convert the witch-hunters academy into a school of learning for all supernatural beings. They still train hunters there as well, but now all supernaturals are trained so that once they have graduated, they can join the Supernatural Council’s Department, or the S.C.D. for short.
“Those who join the Council are sworn in to protect the non-sups and lesser magical beings of the world.”
My head bobs back and forth between my grandparents, my mouth hanging wide open as I stare at them, dumbfounded.
I clamp my mouth shut, but open it again as I try to form words.
An image of a fish flashes through my mind—I’m sure that’s what I look like right now as I struggle to speak.
“Are you telling me you guys are witches?” My mouth is stuck in an “O” as I look at them both, wide-eyed. It’s the first coherent thought that manages to make its way out of my mouth.
But once I ask this question, the other thoughts swirling in my head quickly spill out after.
***
“Ha! This is a joke, right? You can’t really expect me to believe such fairytales… What, next you’ll be telling me that vampires and werewolves are real too!” I scoff and shake my head in disbelief.
“Sweetie, look at us. Look into our eyes. You’ve always had a sixth sense about when others are lying. That in and of itself should let you know we aren’t joking with you. That is an inherent trait that most witches possess, actually.” Grandpa gives my hand an encouraging squeeze as he takes it in his hand once more. “Darling, not only are we witches, but you’re a witch too.”
The dumbfounded look on my face is probably comical as I continue to stare unblinkingly at my grandmother.
“And on June thirtieth, when you turn eighteen, you will come into your powers as well.”
“I—what! This is just crazy!” I exclaim, shoving myself away from the table and up from my seat at the same time. “I’ve—I’ve got to go. I can’t deal with this right now.”
Turning on my heel, I dash out of the kitchen, taking the steps two at a time until I’m on the second floor of my grandparents’ house. Then I bolt down the hallway and fling myself into my bedroom.
Flopping onto my bed, I stare at the ceiling and let the thoughts dance across my mind. Vague images of my parents flash like a faulty film reel.
Hushed whispers at the kitchen table. My parents, surrounded by a group of strange people. Muttered words that I thought were rhymes. Hands glowing in different colors. My four-year-old mind thought everyone at the table owned really cool flashlights.
Other images flicker to life but are so faint they seem ghostly, and try as I might, I can’t seem to zero in on any solid memories.
I spend about an hour in my room before begrudgingly making my way back downstairs.
Walking into the kitchen, I see the empty seats where we had all been sitting, the welcome packet still spread across the table.
Backtracking, I head to the living room, where I find my grandparents snuggled up on the couch.
“Hey,” I say in a loud whisper.
“Hey, sweetie,” they say as one, each offering me a smile as they shift their gazes my way.
Releasing a deep sigh, I straighten my shoulders. “Okay. I’m ready to listen to you guys. I’m sorry I ran off like a child having a tantrum.”
Grandpa chuckles, and Grandma pulls me down onto the cushion next to her.
“Oh, baby girl. You’ve nothing to apologize for. We should have told you about who, or rather what, we really are a long time ago. But we promised your parents that we would keep you away from that world for as long as we possibly could,” Grandma says quickly, waving away my apology.
“But since you’ve received the invitation to attend Black Sun Academy, we knew it was time. We have no idea what kind of magical abilities you’ll acquire, but just believe us when we say you are a witch, and every mythical creature, every fairy tale being you’ve ever heard about is real. Supernatural beings are real,” Grandpa says in a serious tone. “Being my lil’ firecracker, I know you’ll do great at the school if you wish to go there.”
Grinning at them both, I say, “Well, I’ve got one week and two days to decide. Let’s just make it through my birthday before I jump on board with attending that academy.”
