“I know the last week hasn’t been what it should have been, Sophie. Because of that, you haven’t received the recognition you deserve. Your mother, brother, and I are so proud of you and we are sorry we didn’t celebrate with you like we should have. We can’t wait to see what you’ll accomplish at Animage Academy.”
Inside the package was a beautiful necklace with a dark teal stone surrounded by diamonds.
“That’s an alexandrite stone. It’s meant to bring luck and love to all who wear it. It was my mother’s and now it is yours to have and to cherish.” The stone dangled in front of me at the end of a white gold chain. The corners of my eyes stung, and I couldn’t speak, thanks to the large lump that had developed in my throat.
“Thank you,” I finally managed to get out. “It’s beautiful. I’ll treasure it forever.” I fumbled with the latch and Dad took it from me and gently put it on around my neck while I held my hair up. Mom’s eye had gone watery as she stared at both of us.
“Well I don’t know about you, but I’m ready for some cake.” Simon had a way of cutting through emotions to the really important tasks at hand. He lifted a fork.
“To my sister, Sophie. The best animage in all the land. And to Jackie, who graciously, although unwittingly, donated her birthday cake to this momentous occasion.” Mom and dad both raised forks to match my brother.
“Hear, hear!” they said. After I recovered from laughing again, I grabbed my own fork and dug into the cake. The steady flow of anxiety that had been with me since the Revealing Ceremony finally gave way to a burst of excitement. I couldn’t wait to get to Animage Academy.
Chapter Three
Even early in the morning, New York City was alive. Not even a heatwave could stop the bustle and noise. The sounds assaulted my ears as Simon and I waited outside the hotel. Sweat dripped down my back despite my tank top and shorts. I sat down on the curb and tried to push the sounds of people arguing one street over and cars honking down the street away from me. My hearing was getting more sensitive every day. I glanced at my smart watch again, it was only 30 seconds past the last time I looked. Maybe time had frozen. Maybe 8:00 a.m. was never going to arrive. Unable to sit still, I stood up and rubbed my back against a nearby column.
“What are you doing?” Simon was peering at me from under his eyelashes, not bothering to open his eyes all the way. We had arrived in the city late the previous night, and I didn’t think either of us had gotten much sleep.
“My back is one big itch,” I said. “It has been for days.”
“Well stop,” he said. “People are staring.” I bit my tongue and stopped. I was trying to be patient with Simon but his moodiness since the Revealing Ceremony was starting to grate on me. This wasn’t easy for me, either.
“Is everything ready?” Mom asked as she and Dad came through the hotel doors. She started to bite one meticulously manicured nail and then stopped herself. I hoped she wasn’t going to start shedding feathers like she sometimes did when she was nervous. Simon stood up and took the leather suitcase from Mom’s hand.
“Yeah, Mom,” he said. “We’re ready.”
“Honey, will you hail a cab?” Mom asked Dad. He nodded and stepped toward the street. I grabbed my blue duffel bag and followed Mom and Simon as they carried everything else to the street.
“I really wish you would have packed one of the nice suitcases, Sophie,” Mom told me.
“Why?” I asked her. “No one’s going to see it. Besides, the academy provides almost everything. I have everything I need right here,” I said, holding up the bag. Mom looked as if she was about to say something else but then turned back around as a cab stopped for us. I handed the luggage to Dad as he loaded it in the back.
“Nice tats man,” a guy walking by called to Dad. He waved a hand and continued loading the bags. Dressed in a polo and khaki shorts the dark grey scales on his arms and legs were visible. Both Mom and Dad were able to get away with their animal traits among humans. Dad’s scales looked like tattoos and the few feathers Mom had in her hair looked like a trendy style choice. It made traveling and being out in public much easier. It made me wonder if I would get any physical traits once I started shifting. Part of me wanted something to appear, just so I would have a better guess about what animal I was going to be. I didn’t know if I could wait until my birthday in September to find out.
We all loaded into the cab. I was sandwiched between Dad and Simon in the back. When the doors shut and the car started moving, I felt like I’d left my insides back at the hotel. The excitement and nerves created a combination of anxiety I had never experienced before. And sitting stuffed into a car wasn’t helping.
“I don’t think I can breathe.” My dad laid a hand on my knee.
“You always take the bull by the horns, Sophie. You’ll do just fine at the academy.” The rare compliment from my dad warmed me and chased away some of the nerves.
The cab stopped. I checked my watch. 7:30 a.m. stared back at me in the illuminated face. I slid out after Simon, eager for my first look at my home for the next four months. We stood in front of an old building. That wasn’t it. I turned around and looked across the street. An abandoned warehouse. I spun in a complete circle. We were surrounded by nothing but abandoned warehouses and derelict buildings.
“This can’t be it,” I
