The Haven High Book Series (Wattys2017)

Chapter 14

Cally's divination class was the best. It was set up more like a Greenwich Village underground coffee house. Dozens of low tables draped in colorful scarves were placed around the room, each one had big comfortable pillows strewn around them, incense burned in every corner, and soft classical music drifted through the tranquil space.

Each section of the room was dedicated to the various forms of divination. There was a section for mainstream recognizable methods such as: ruin stones, palmistry, crystals balls, tarot cards, tea leaves, numerology, and astrology.

And others for the little known methods such as: Pyromance the use of fire, hydromancy the use of water. Right down to the ancient Roman practice of haruspicy, the study of animal entrails to the more modern study of megapolisomancy or tasseomancy the study of coffee grounds or wine sediments left in a cup or glass.

There were literally hundreds of ways to discern the future each one more entertaining than the last.

But if you asked her  . . . any class that allows you to sit sipping a cup of herbal tea, coffee or a glass of red wine while you learn about the ancient art of I Ching is alright in her books.

Today they were learning about Enochian Chess. On each of the low slung tables sat a board similar to a chess board, but instead of two players this board was built for four. That explained the four comfortable pillows that sat opposite each other around the dozen or so round tables in the room.

Kelly took the table closest to the door and found herself sitting cross-legged next to a gorgeous halfblood Japanese girl. Kelly didn't normally pay much attention to her classmates, but she was trying to change that. Something about having become friends with Donnie made her want to be a better person. Still she wasn't one hundred percent sure if the Japanese girl's name was Mae or something else entirely, in her defense though she had only just met the girl. Apparently she was another late bloomer like Zach, because she had only manifested her powers this year, and by the look of her she was perhaps only a year younger than Kelly.

Most halfblood's powers manifested with puberty around the age of twelve of thirteen. Zach's hadn't shown up until last year when he turned fifteen. He was the last in their class to get his powers, which made their class the first class to experience a full manifestation in over one hundred years. A feat the teachers never ceased to mention whenever the kids got in trouble.

Kelly stared at the girl trying to guess at her magical heritage. Judging by her unnatural beauty and the lotus flower that she wore in her long black hair, add to that her overly colorful outfit, and it was a dead giveaway. Kelly could see only three reason for anyone to wear five different colors in one ensemble, one) they were celebrating Pride or two) they were just plain color blind, or three) the raven haired beauty obviously was wearing the five colors of spiritual enlightenment, marking her as a Japanese halfblooded Tennin.

Tennin literally means heaven's messengers. They are spiritual beings similar to nymphs or faeries in our culture. The Japanese fullblooded varieties are solitary creatures that reside on mountain peaks, and are known for their ability to fly.