Shadow Oracle Read online

  "I'll try." Though knowing Professor Haines I'll be bored out of my mind barely five minutes into the lesson. Despite wanting to know all I can about reapers, history class can be very dull.

  But I'll get to see Mathias, and that always brightens my day.

  Two

  The Sakura Grove common room is buzzing by the time I return after my final lesson of the day. I scan the crowd of students for my friends, spotting them on our normal table at the back.

  Sometimes, it's good to be best friends with the Grove Captain, it means our table is almost always free. I make my way over, weaving between everyone else. I don't think I've ever seen the common room this full before, I wonder what's going on?

  Mathias' face lights up when he sees me, almost as if he's forgotten he saw me just over an hour ago in history. He gets to his feet and reaches out for me once I get there, pulling me into his arms and kissing me. Neither of us lingers long, not because we don't want to, but because we're aware of the other people in the room.

  "What's going on?" I ask as I take a seat at the table.

  Juliet pushes a cup of coffee towards me, and I'm grateful to see it's come from her room and not the vending machine in the corner.

  Which reminds me, I need to pick up my new machine from the office before the end of the day.

  "They've just announced the latest Grove Competition," Tobias says.

  "Which you'd think would be reason enough for him to be in his own common room," Mathias teases.

  I let out a small laugh. "Are Ilex Grove managing without their illustrious leader?" He does spend a lot of time here, but I've never known Tobias to slack off.

  "They're fine. They don't need me to compete. But Jules does need me so she's not a third wheel," he responds.

  Juliet rolls her eyes.

  "But it was fine when I was third-wheeling with you guys?" Mathias retorts.

  Tobias shrugs. "That happened twice."

  Jealousy rears its head inside me before I realise he means that Mathias didn't spend much time with them, rather than Mathias having another girl around. Juliet told me the day we met that Mathias hadn't dated since she'd known him.

  "What's the competition?" I ask, my excitement coming through my voice. This is the first time there's been one since I arrived, and while the others have mentioned them in passing, it hasn't been the focus of our lives.

  "A timed assault course," Juliet answers. "They do it every year. Anyone can compete so long as they have a team of four, but the thirty best times for each Grove are what count."

  "What does the winner get?"

  "Nothing. It's just a bit of fun."

  I have to admit to being a little disappointed, but it makes sense. The Groves are supposed to promote fun and teamwork above everything else.

  "I'm guessing we need to find someone to replace Tobias?" I ask.

  "Oi, why am I being left behind?" Tobias counters.

  All three of us give him an incredulous look.

  "Oh right. Ilex," he mutters.

  "We were literally just talking about you belonging to another Grove and you already forgot?" Mathias asks.

  "It's easy to do."

  I suppose that's true. There's nothing stopping any of us from walking into the other Grove common rooms, or even the living quarters. They're just a handy way of assigning spaces to people.

  "I can ask my school friend," Juliet responds. "I'm sure Sawyer will be fine joining us."

  Jealousy returns, and from the expression on Tobias' face, I don't think I'm alone in it. But why would he be jealous of a girl named Sawyer?

  "Have I met her?" I ask.

  "Him, and probably in passing. We don't spend that much time together anymore. His girlfriend didn't like it."

  "Even though you're with Tobias?"

  She shrugs. "I'm sure you've seen it before. Some girls don't trust their boyfriends around people who aren't them."

  "I have," I admit.

  The twins exchange a worried glance.

  "Something you're not telling us?" Juliet asks.

  "No," Tobias mutters quickly. "Mathias is just insecure about his relationship that's all."

  "What? No, that's not it," Mathias splutters.

  I reach out and place a hand on his arm. "It's okay. There's nothing to worry about. I don't have any childhood friends hanging about to team up with." I wink at Tobias, trying to get a rise out of him to punish him for flustering his brother.

  Juliet barely suppresses her laughter. "His girlfriend is in Ilex, I can suggest she teams up with you, if you want?" she says to Tobias.

  "Is that wise if she's the jealous type?" He doesn't look too sold on the idea.

  "All you have to do is spend the entire time talking about how amazing I am and how stable our relationship is and there won't be an issue." She shrugs.

  "Hmm. Why do I feel like I'm being punished?"

  "You are. But only for not being in the best Grove."

  I chuckle at their playfulness before turning to my own boyfriend.

  "You know you have nothing to worry about, right?" I ask Mathias softly. "I don't mind who you're friends with. And I don't plan on running off with anyone."

  "I know," he assures me. "And the feeling is mutual."

  Relief crashes through me. Our relationship may not feel as new as it is, but that doesn't mean I'm not aware that it is.

  He takes my hand in his and gives it a squeeze. "They're fine really," he says, nodding towards my friends. "I think they just like to get on one another's nerves sometimes."

  "I've noticed." But it's obvious from watching them that they care deeply about one another.

  "How was your meeting with Fielding? You didn't say."

  I sigh. "Nothing special. We rehashed a load of childhood stuff, making me question everything I've ever known. Nothing weird."

  He snorts. "When you put it like that, it sounds bad." I pick up my coffee and take a sip.

  "I know. But she has some good points. Why didn't I ask more people about the ghosts?"

  He shrugs. "I guess it makes sense. You take your cues from the adults around you. If they teach you not to question things, then you don't. Though I suspect in your case, you just learned not to ask."

  A short laugh escapes me. "You're not wrong there."

  "There's a reason why you left the first chance you got."

  "I still haven't heard from them. It worries me." While I don't particularly want to be subjected to the stress of having the Shadow Association trying to get in touch with me, the radio silence is stressful in its own way.

  "Maybe they know you're working with the Supernatural Retrieval Agency and think it's best to keep quiet?"

  "Or maybe they think I'm in prison," I mutter.

  "That might be the better option," he points out.

  "Yeah, maybe." I'm not so convinced.

  "So long as they're not bothering you, does it matter?" he asks.

  I grimace. "I'm not going to be able to rest until they're gone, we both know that."

  He sighs. "I wish there was something I could do to help that."

  I squeeze his hand tightly. "Just being here for me is enough."

  "I don't feel like it is."

  "You should. I'd probably still be there if it wasn't for you. If you hadn't noticed I was gone..." A shiver runs down my spine as I consider the potential outcome. Being locked in a room by Ms Margery wasn't exactly pleasant and isn't an experience I'm in any hurry to repeat. Especially not because this time she'll probably be even angrier than before.

  "I appreciate you thinking that, but I know you. You'd no doubt have been out of there within a few more hours."

  I chuckle. "Don't underestimate the power of a cult. They'd have found a way to keep me." The truth in my words hurts more than I want to admit.

  Thankfully, Mathias doesn't try to contradict me this time, which is a small mercy. I know he means well, but being reminded of what could have happened isn't good.

 
"Syxe, did Mathias tell you about dinner on Thursday night?" Tobias asks, breaking through my thoughts.

  "No? What's happening on Thursday? Is the canteen doing that Mexican dish again? I liked that."

  Tobias chuckles. "No, our parents are coming."

  My eyes widen and I try not to let the hint of panic take over. "Your parents?" I glance between the twins, wondering which of them is going to tell me they're joking.

  Mathias rubs the back of his neck. "I was going to tell you when we were alone," he says sheepishly.

  "Your parents are coming?" I ask, just checking I'm understanding right.

  "Yes."

  "And you want me to come to dinner?" For a horrible moment, I think I've misunderstood and that they're just telling me so I don't expect them to be free, but the moment I see the expression on Mathias' face, I know that's wishful thinking.

  "Yes, they want to meet you."

  Despite the nerves, a part of me is touched that he thinks so much of me that he's already been telling his parents about me. Or maybe Tobias beat him to it. I wouldn't put it past him.

  "You don't have to come if you don't want, I can tell them you're busy."

  "But I'm not."

  "No. But I understand if this is too big of a step..."

  I give his hand a reassuring squeeze. "I want to. Jules will be there too, right?" I half direct my question at him, and half at her.

  "I will," she assures me. "And before you ask, I haven't met them before either."

  I laugh lightly. "How did you know that's what I was going to ask?"

  "It'd have been my next question." She grins.

  "You'd better prepare us well," I tell Mathias. "This is going to be harder work than the obstacle course."

  The three of them share amused looks, before the conversation turns to other topics. I relax into my seat, joining them and enjoying the knowledge that I'm around people who care about me in a way no one else has. I don't want to jump to forever so soon, but it almost feels as if I've found my family.

  Three

  I shuffle uncomfortably on my seat, trying not to let the nerves overtake me. For whatever reason, I don't feel as if I should be here, despite the fact I was given an appointment with the career adviser as soon as I asked for one. It's probably because I've never considered any type of reaper career path, which makes sense when I didn't know I was one until a few months ago.

  "Miss Weston?" a woman with curly dark hair asks from the doorway to the left.

  I rise to my feet. "That's me."

  "Why don't you come in and get comfortable." She gestures to her office.

  I smile weakly and rise to my feet, hurrying to follow her into the room.

  She gestures to the empty chair closest to the door and I take it as an invitation to sit. Nothing about the room is particularly noteworthy save for the plaque on the desk reading Ms Chobury.

  "It's nice to meet you, Miss Weston."

  "Likewise," I murmur.

  "I see you haven't had a career appointment while studying here before, is that right?"

  I nod.

  "That's unusual, most of the time we try to talk to the students when they arrive at the beginning of the year," Ms Chobury says.

  "I wasn't here then. I only started a few months ago." Heat flares to my cheeks. No one told me I had to have a meeting with the career department. No doubt everyone was too distracted with all the other things that came with my arrival at the academy.

  "Ah, I see. That explains it. So, let's start at the beginning. What career paths have you been considering?"

  I fiddle with a loose thread on the hem of my skirt. This is a bad idea. I should have done more research before coming here.

  "I don't know," I admit.

  "That's okay, we have a lot of people in your position. What did you think before you came here?"

  "I had no idea I was a reaper until then, I don't even know what career paths are open to me." This all sounds so bad. Up until now, my newness to the world hasn't felt so bad. Juliet and the twins are always quick to explain things when I make it clear I don't understand, and even then they do it in a way that doesn't make me feel like I'm missing too much.

  "Ah, I see." She jots down a couple of notes. "We can start with the basics if that helps?"

  "It would, thank you," I mumble.

  I hate feeling like this. I wish there was something that could make it go away.

  "Well, all the career paths open to humans are open to you. If you have a strong preference for accounting or law, you can do those. Of course, there are also specialisations in those fields for reapers too."

  "There are?" I never thought about the need for different professions like that in the different supernatural types. On reflection, it makes a lot of sense, it just never crossed my mind.

  "For accounting, there are a lot of specialisations in the reaper bounty points. You'll need to get your general accounting qualifications first..."

  "It's okay, I'm not good enough at maths for that."

  Her lips quirk into a smile. "All right. Law is the same, you need to get your general qualifications first, and then you can specialise in a reaper subject. That's either dealing with reapers who need representing, or dealing with cases where a reaping has occurred."

  "I thought reapers couldn't testify in court?"

  "We can't," she confirms. "But there are still implications when a case has been solved because of the input of reapers or ghosts and they tend to need specialists. That's also just in criminal cases. In civil cases or disputes, reapers are capable of testifying. It happens a surprising amount when there's foul play involved."

  "Oh."

  "Do you think that's something that would interest you?"

  "I don't think so, but I'm not sure."

  She nods. "That's helpful."

  I give a short laugh. "Is it?"

  A kind smile stretches over her face. "It is. Knowing what you definitely don't want to do, or what you're not sure about helps me to work out what kind of jobs are a good fit."

  "Oh." This isn't what I expected from a careers meeting.

  "There are some very specialised reaper jobs. I see your reaper bounty points are already high. You're in the top ten of your year."

  "I have a good porter on my team," I admit, my thoughts flitting to Mathias.

  "It takes a good seer to have the points you do," she assures me. "If you keep up these kinds of points, the Reaper Guard will be an option for you. They only accept the very top performing students because of the importance of their work. You'll already have experience of the kind of thing you'll be doing, but it'll be at a more complex level."

  I nod along with what she's saying, trying to work out whether it feels like the right fit for me.

  I'm honestly not sure, but it's going to give me plenty to think about.

  "There's teaching at Scythe Grove or at one of the other reaper focused academies. Then there is caretaking if you have a particular affinity to the trees that give the wood to create our scythes."

  "I don't think either of those are right for me," I say.

  She scribbles down a note. "What about law enforcement?"

  I perk up. "I don't think I considered that as an option."

  "There isn't a specific department for reapers, so in that case you'd be joining one of the agencies as a general supernatural, but it's an option. There has been a rise in reapers wanting to join, which the agencies like because of what it means for the crime teams."

  A frown tugs at my features. "I'm not sure I follow."

  "Ghosts can't become witnesses in a legal sense, but that doesn't mean they didn't see anything. Being able to talk to them is an advantage most detectives don't have," she says. "I'll include some information in the follow-up email I send you?"

  She must have sensed the interest in my reaction. I've never thought about it before, but having seen how hard Agent Fielding is working to try and help me and the other people trapped inside the Shado
w Association's grasp, I like the idea of it as a possibility.

  "You do also have the option of apprenticing to a blacksmith specialising in scythes. You're at a disadvantage because of your size, but it isn't impossible if it's what you want."

  "I don't think that's for me."

  She ticks a box on the form. "All right. So I'll send you some information in my email about a few options. There's also a career quiz that I'll include the link to that'll ask you questions and give you the most likely outcomes. You don't have to stick to what it says, but it might give you some ideas about what you want to look into more, and sometimes I find that's enough to point you in the right direction."

  "Thank you, I appreciate it." Even if it gives me yet another thing to think about. Perhaps I should have waited until after I'd dealt with everything else on my plate. But I feel like this is something important, especially when it'll involve some of the subjects I choose next year.

  "You're welcome. If you have any questions, feel free to email me or make another appointment. We're here to help you in whatever way we can. I hope to see you soon."

  "Me too." I smile and get to my feet, leaving the room with my thoughts racing. Hopefully one of the others is around so I can talk to someone about the meeting I just had. Maybe they'll be able to give me some ideas about each and what they might mean for my future.

  Four

  Before I fully know what I'm doing, I find myself knocking on Mathias' door and bouncing up and down on the balls of my feet.

  Shuffling sounds come from within right up until the moment he pulls open the door, a surprised expression on his face.

  "Sorry…" I start.

  "What for? I'm just surprised you're done already." He steps back and gestures for me to come inside, not in the slightest bit annoyed that I'm here.

  I stop as I pass him and go up on my toes so I can brush a quick kiss against his lips. I'm still getting used to what we are to one another, but it's getting easier by the day.

  "Is the career department normally long-winded?" I ask.

  "Sometimes."

  I sigh and flop down onto his bed, which is on the opposite side of the room to my own. Other than that, his room is exactly the same, just mirrored.