Gift Academy (Book One in the Gifted Series)

Chapter Thirty Five

Fay

After hours of nonstop driving, we finally reach Shift Academy in Gardnerville, Nevada. It looks almost exactly like Gift and Extra Academy; huge, castle-shaped, and made completely out of brick, but it's a dark brown color, outlined with black. The front doors are wide and tall, made of black wood, and the gray marble fountain on front- similar to the palm-shaped one at Gift- is a huge eagle, spurting water from its mouth into the fountain.

I take a closer look at the fountain and notice the small engravings carved into it. They're all the same symbol, carved into it hundreds of times. I finally realize that it's the symbol of the Shifted, the same on Floras necklace, which Alison gave her as a 'reminder as to where she belongs, and who her friends and allies are'.

Alex and Oliver, along with the other Shifted, lead us into Shift Academy, opening the huge wood double doors. I look inside and it looks almost exactly like Gift and Extra. Are all the academies like this? Come on, at least one has to be unique.

We follow the Shifters through winding hallways until they stop at a small door in the back of the academy. One of the Shifters turns to us and looks at me directly.

"You, what's your name?" He asks me. His sky blue eyes scan mine, almost as if looking for any lies.

"Fay," I answer, and his eyes change. Literally. His eye color changes from a light, sky blue to a dark, cobalt blue, and his pupils dilate. After a few seconds of the sudden change, his eyes turn back to normal.

"The Fate Dagger wielder?" He asks me, and now I'm really shocked. How did he know that? I glance behind my shoulder at John, who looks just as confused as I feel.

"How did you know that?" I ask him, slowly feeling a small tug on my gut, signaling that my anxiety and shock is triggering my nature Gift. I take a deep breath and calm myself before I do anything stupid.

"It's hard to explain," the guy replies, and quickly swings the door behind him open, revealing a dark staircase leading down to what seems like the basement.

"I'll need you to come with me, along with a fire Gifted and the two who spoke with Alison," the guy tells us. Flora and Austin automatically step up.

"I'm a fire Gifted, so you don't have to worry about that," Austin tells the guy, who nods his head.

"Well, we'll need you to light the way," the guy tells Austin, who automatically lights a small flame in his hand and shoots me his signature cheeky grin before walking down the steps. To be completely honest, I'm a little disappointed that John didn't come with. I mean, I'm still the only one here who knows he's an Extra, but still. I guess I'd just feel more comfortable with the man who always has an explanation for everything with me.

The eye-changer guy follows Austin down the steps, and Flora and I follow quickly behind. After a minute or two of walking down dark steps with only Austin's fire ahead for light, we finally reach the basement of Shift Academy. It's just as big as the academy, and it seems empty at first, but as Austin lets his flame grow bigger, I notice the glass case on a stone stand up ahead. The fire reflects off the glass, and I peek inside and notice the 12-inch long dagger, similar to the Fate Dagger, hidden back in the basement of Gift Academy. This ones blade is pure white like snow with a bright silver hilt and a huge white diamond encrusted in the middle of the hilt. Austin lets his flames die, and the dagger emits a soft white glow in the room. I feel attached to it somehow, feeling the same magentic pull I felt to the Fate Dagger. I feel more alive next to it, like I can live for another two hundred years and not age a day.

"The Life Dagger," I guess, staring at the dagger in wonderment and amazement. Eye-color dude nods his head, and I realize that he looks nervous, anxious. I've never seen a Shifter whose eyes can change color like that, and John never mentioned anything about it.

My mind reels as I think this over, and I come to a quick conclusion.

"You're right."

I look over at him, and his eyes are once again dark blue, like the ocean at midnight.

I nod my head, my thoughts confirmed.

"I have way too many questions right now," Austin speaks up, looking from the guy to me and back again. I sigh lightly, wondering how on earth, heaven, and hell I'm going to explain everything I know.

"It's too much to explain now, but we'll answer all your questions later, once everything's finished," the guy replies, and I feel a small weight lift off my shoulders. That's something I can definitely wait for.

"Who's the wielder?" I ask the guy, who slowly shakes his head.

"We don't know yet. It's not meant for a Shifter," he responds, and now it's my turn to be confused.

"What do you mean?"

"The Fate Dagger was created specifically for the Gifted, so only a Gifted could wield it. The Life Dagger was created for the Winged, so only one of them can wield it, and we haven't been in touch with them yet.

"During the first war between the Gifted and the Extras, the Winged sided with the Extras. The Shifters were with the Gifted, as they are now, and they took it upon themselves to steal the Life Dagger from the Winged so they couldn't use it against them or the Gifted. Ever since they stole it, it has been here, untouched for years. Now that we have news that the Winged are helping the Gifted, we're planning to meet with them so we can find the wielder and use the dagger against the Extras," he explains, and I try to process all this information as quickly as I can. We can find the second wielder, and we'd have two daggers we can use against the Extras. That's the best news I've heard all day.

"And what about the third dagger?" I ask. He freezes up completely, staring ahead at the Life Dagger with wide eyes. His right index finger twitches nervously, and his eyes have a sort of cornered-animal look in them, like a deer caught in headlights.

He finally looks back at me, his short, curly light brown hair seeming to glow with bright gray streaks, and the freckles speckled across his nose a light orange in the light of the Life Dagger.

"The Death Dagger. And that's our biggest problem."