Academy Obscura: The Flame Within Read online

  I set the bowl down in my lap so I wouldn’t drop it. With a few sentences, my entire life had changed. I’d been planning on finding a job so that I could work full-time and attend college, to minimize the amount of debt I’d graduate with.

  “I-I can’t—you don’t even know me,” I said. People didn’t just give you everything, did they? My mind reeled with the implications of what she was offering. Paying for college? Traveling to Europe?

  Isabella smiled, and the warmth was back. “I am very good at reading people, Caprice. You are a good person. I have complete faith in you, and I want you to have my legacy.”

  Besides this house, I wondered what her legacy included. Was she really rich enough to pay for college outright? In Europe? I felt like I was taking advantage of a remorseful old woman. It didn’t feel right.

  “You must be tired after such a long day,” she said. “Come. I’ll show you to your room.”

  We dropped our bowls off in the kitchen sink, then walked through the dining room to the staircase. Upstairs were four bedrooms and two bathrooms. Mine was in the northwest corner.

  The room was tastefully decorated in white and pale green. The two brand new suitcases that my foster parents had bought for me stood near a white-washed dresser. The bed was a four-poster draped in green fabric that matched the curtains.

  Isabella stood just inside the door. “I hope this room suits you. Sleep in if you’d like tomorrow, I know the time difference can be a challenge. Good night.” She closed the door, leaving me alone.

  I fished my phone out of my pocket. It was almost ten here, which meant my internal clock was at one in the morning. Between that, and taking in everything that Isabella had said this evening, I was exhausted.

  * * *

  My phone chirped several times on the nightstand, waking me up. I reached for it. The time read seven in the morning. The texts were from Elena.

  How was your flight? What’s your grandma like?

  Call me when you get this!

  Are you awake?

  What time is it there?

  I groaned, silenced the phone, and rolled over. Because of tossing and turning so much of last night, I’d had like five hours of solid sleep. It always took a while to adjust to new surroundings. For the first few nights in a new place, I never slept deeply.

  By the time I got up, at ten, my phone had nearly twenty texts on it from both Elena and my foster parents. Geez, couldn’t they wait a minute?

  I went to the bathroom and brushed my teeth and smoothed my hair. Feeling a little bit refreshed, I called Antonio first so that he wouldn’t freak out.

  He answered with, “There you are.”

  “Yeah. You know it’s like three hours earlier over here right?”

  “When I didn’t hear from you last night, I got a little worried, Caprice. How was your flight?”

  “It was fine. Isabella is really nice. She cooked dinner and we talked.” I’d fill him in on the details later, once I’d decided what to do with Isabella’s offer.

  “Good to hear. Well, I won’t keep you. Just wanted to make sure you arrived safely. Now call me on Sunday to check in, okay?”

  “I won’t forget. Say hi to Vanessa and Max for me.”

  We said our goodbyes and hung up.

  I knew the conversation with Elena was going to be much longer. So I sent her a summary text, telling her I’d call a little later. I couldn’t wait to fill her in on everything. First though, I needed food.

  Making my way down the hall, then down the stairs, the air filled with the smell of pancakes. This grandma was amazing. Maybe a little too perfect with all the cooking. As I neared the kitchen, the aroma intensified and my stomach gurgled.

  I hadn’t bothered to get dressed yet, so I stepped into the kitchen wearing a new set of satin pajamas. They were black with little pink flowers. And I immediately regretted my laziness.

  Standing in front of the stove was Jaxon. He wore those hip-hugging jeans and a black T-shirt, with what had to be one of Isabella’s lace-bordered, blue aprons. He flipped pancakes in the air while chatting with my grandma. She sat at the table, already set for three, and stroked the black cat on her lap.

  I stood immobile, trying to decide if I should stay or run back up to my room. Unfortunately, Isabella spotted me before I could get my wits in order.

  “Good morning, Caprice.” She set the cat down and came to give me a hug.

  Jaxon turned. His golden hair caught the morning sunlight. He took in my pajamas and bare feet. His intense gaze making me blush. Then, with a wink, he went back to preparing breakfast.

  My knees grew weak at that wink. I thought I might collapse, but Isabella led me to the table in time. Jaxon was way too hot for a lazy morning like this. He shouldn’t be allowed out into the world until at least noon.

  Friend of the family, huh? He had to be Isabella’s best friend to show up and make breakfast. And he could cook—that just added to his attractiveness. Wasn’t he neglecting his gorgeous girlfriend right now? He had to have one. So where was she?

  Isabella sat across from me, leaving the spot in the middle for Jaxon. “Did you sleep okay last night,” she asked.

  I shrugged. “It’s so quiet out here. Not like Baltimore at all.”

  “We are a ways outside of the city here. It is peaceful. Today I’ll show you around.”

  Jaxon set warmed plates in front of us filled with pancakes and bacon. My kind of breakfast.

  I willed the butterflies inside of me to calm down so I could eat. It mostly worked. I focused on the delicious food rather than the hunk sitting next to me. Again, I felt that overwhelming presence from him. It was like power rolled off him in waves, even though he was casually eating and talking with Isabella. Such a mismatch. Was I imagining it?

  “Full moon is on Sunday night,” he said to her. “We’ll have to make the best of it.”

  Isabella glanced straight at me, but spoke to Jaxon. “Yes. We will. I’m sure it will be fine.”

  My interest was piqued. “What happens at the full moon?”

  They both grew still and quiet. Okay…

  Isabella spoke. “The town has a tradition. The August full moon, we treat similar to Halloween. Except instead of going out, we stay in and hide from the evil spirits who roam that night.”

  I’d never heard of such a thing. What a weird town. I was about to ask a question, when I caught the glance shared between Isabella and Jaxon. They were lying to me. Why lie about the full moon?

  4

  Caprice

  My first impressions of Estacada had been wrong. It wasn’t as dingy as I’d thought. There was a cute little downtown walking district on Broadway Street. Isabella took me from shop to shop during the afternoon. Still, compared to Baltimore, it was tiny.

  Estacada also had that cliche small town feel that everyone knew everything about everyone else. As we strolled, several people stopped to greet Isabella. All the shop owners seemed to know her too. If this were any other town, I’d think she was famous. But here, it just seemed like the normal way of life.

  We had lunch at a little cafe along the river. It was a couple blocks away from the downtown district, but the river view was awesome. Just like the languid river, I had a feeling this was a town where nothing much ever happened.

  Isabella nibbled on her fish and chips. “Tell me about your foster home,” she said.

  That was a more serious subject than I wanted to get into, but I supposed I had to talk about it at some point. I wiped my mouth with the napkin, thinking. “Well, there were four homes.”

  She looked up in surprise. “I didn’t realize.”

  “That’s fine. The first one was good, I was there until sixth grade. Then they moved away. The second home was okay, but their lives went to hell and they couldn’t keep me. The one after that was not good. We didn’t get along.” I glanced down at my plate. That had been the one with the fire—and the accusations. “Then the last one has been the best. Really good p
eople.”

  Isabella reached over, taking my hand. “I’m sorry you had to go through all of that.”

  She had no idea, and I wasn’t going to enlighten her at this point. So I shrugged. There was no changing the past. I was way more interested in my future.

  “Did you fit in with the other children?”

  “Not really. I was always a loner and outsider. Until I met Elena—she’s my best friend.”

  “Mmm. Did anything strange ever happen to you while you were growing up?” Isabella asked.

  “Like…what?”

  “Any unexplained phenomenon?”

  “Like ghosts?”

  “Ghosts, strange occurrences, anything you wished for that suddenly came to you.” She lifted her shoulders in a shrug, as if these were normal topics of conversation.

  I snorted. “Nope. Definitely no wishes that came true. That is, until I got your letter. I’d wished for that for a long time.”

  “I’ve wished for this for a long time, too. I’m so glad you’re here.” She smiled, the lines on her face deepening.

  I chomped on a french fry, working up to my question. “What was my dad like?”

  Isabella’s smile turned nostalgic. “Your father was a very good man. Very likable. A good leader. Stubborn.” She chuckled. “He always had a mind of his own and there was no telling that boy what to do. Most of the time, any way.”

  “Do I really look just like him?” I asked. She’d mentioned it a few times, but I still had no proof.

  “Very much. I’ll show you pictures at home. I actually need to take you back home after lunch. I have an errand to run. We’ll have dinner at eight. Oh, and tomorrow is supposed to be an exceptionally warm day. I thought we could go to the river.”

  “Yeah, that all sounds great.”

  Besides the weird questions and my suspicion that she was lying about the full moon, Isabella was an easy person to hang out with. She wasn’t particularly conservative or old-fashioned. And she made me feel like I could be myself—without judgement. I didn’t know how she did it. No one had ever made me feel that it was okay to let my guard down. I hoped it wasn’t a trick.

  Once we were back at the house, Isabella retrieved a framed photo from her bedroom. “This is Luca, your father.”

  I took it from her, staring into large brown eyes that reminded me of my own. We had the same oval face, and thick, dark hair.

  I blinked. There was no room for doubt left in my mind, this man was my birth father.

  Isabella’s lips curved up. “I need to go run that errand. I’ll see you tonight.” She left, leaving me in the foyer holding that picture.

  I went out to the sunroom, propping the photo on the end table so I could stare at it while I talked to Elena. I thumbed through to her number, and she answered on the first ring.

  “Tell me everything,” she said.

  I laughed at her enthusiasm. “Grandma Isabella is pretty cool. We’re getting along fine. And I look just like my birth father.” I told her about the small town, the house, everything I’d learned about my family, and then backtracked to the airport.

  “Wait. Your grandma sent a hunk to pick you up from the airport?” Elena squealed. I had to pull the phone away from my ear to avoid going deaf.

  “Yeah. He’s super hot. But there’s also something weird about him. I can’t explain it really.”

  “Well try.”

  “Okay… It’s like his casualness is a cover for who he really is. There’s this, I don’t know, like energy when he’s around. It’s like he’s full of authority or something. I really can’t explain it.”

  “Dude, you have it bad for him. I’m so excited! Just promise to tell me everything that happens.”

  “Oh, I will. Aren’t you on vacation with your parents right now?”

  “Yep. It’s been chill. Nothing nearly as exciting as you to report.”

  “Speaking of which, there’s more.” I told her about Isabella wanting to make me her heir and pay for college.

  Elena gasped. “Holy shit! That’s so amazing. You said yes right?”

  “I don’t know. I mean, she hardly knows me and she’s throwing all this at me. It seems kind of suspicious—”

  “Caprice, please. You’re the only family she has. Of course she’s going to leave you everything. That’s normal. Normal families do that. Nothing suspicious about it.”

  “I guess I don’t know much about normal families.” I leaned back on the rattan couch with a sigh.

  “Not too late to learn. And I’m the ultimate authority. My family is so normal, they’re boring.”

  “Don’t say that. I love your family. And you do too.”

  “Ugh, mom’s calling me. Gotta go. Text me tonight. Bye.” She hung up.

  Normal. Family. Two words that had nothing to do with my life. Until now.

  * * *

  That night I slept better, and it was easier to get up a little earlier in the morning. By ten o’clock we’d had breakfast, no Jaxon this time, and were out in the gardens. The Victorian house sat on five acres. Two of which had been cleared for house and garden. The rest were dense forest.

  Near the edge, I peeked through the trees, just making out the roofline of another house. “That must be your closest neighbor. Who lives there?” I asked.

  Without looking up from the strawberries that she was collecting, Isabella said, “Jaxon.”

  That explained how he’d come over for breakfast. It was like a three minute walk.

  “He said he was a family friend.”

  “He is. Our families have known each other for generations. I went to college with his grandparents.”

  “Both of them? Which school?” I went back to pulling what I hoped were weeds from a raised bed of tomato plants.

  “Just a local college. We all grew up around here.” Isabella tossed a strawberry at me, which I caught and popped in my mouth. It was sweet. Perfectly ripe.

  I pulled my long dark hair up into a bun. Last night hadn’t cooled off too much, and this morning the temperature climbed into the upper eighties. I was really looking forward to being on the river.

  Half an hour later we were weaving our way through the garden and back to the house. For a single woman, Isabella had a huge, beautiful garden. She must spend most of every day tending it.

  We stepped into the cool, air-conditioned kitchen. I scrubbed the dirt from under my nails in the kitchen sink before going upstairs to change. My clothes were still in the suitcases instead of the dresser. I wasn’t sure how long I was staying.

  I selected my red bikini and a pair of cutoffs. Once dressed, I slipped on black flip-flops. My hair was piled high in a messy bun. Luckily, I didn’t burn, so I never bothered with sunscreen.

  With my phone in my back pocket, I went downstairs. Isabella wasn’t in the kitchen or dining room. On the other side of the entry foyer was the seldom used living room. I peeked in.

  The room was large with a fireplace on the far wall. A couple of couches and several chairs made for a cozy environment. It was the perfect place to curl up in the winter months. Another thought crept into my head: This place could someday be mine. I’d never thought of owning a house before.

  I pushed the thought away. Orphans didn’t end up with houses like this. Did they? Only a month ago, I was faced with the reality of putting myself through college. I wasn’t a good enough student for a scholarship, so it would all be loans and whatever small grants I could go after. My plan was to go for a business degree, get a stable job, and try to build up an okay life for myself.

  Now I felt like a princess in a fairytale. I was heir to a castle. My education would be covered. Maybe I could study a subject I really loved instead of business. Like English Literature. That was a dream.

  I turned away from the living room, pressing my back against the cool foyer wall. It was too good to be true. I was feeling hopeful, and that was dangerous. No one gave to another without wanting something in return. What did Isabella want from
me?

  Voices reached me from the front porch. The door opened, and in came Isabella with Jaxon on her heels. Today he wore jean shorts with his black T-shirt. His long legs were muscular, suiting the rest of his build, and sprinkled with golden hair.

  When I looked into his face, his eyes weren’t on mine. They trailed down my half-naked body, taking in the bikini top and the proud C-cups it concealed. Then his grey gaze swept over my bare stomach, down to the cutoffs, and over my tanned legs.

  Plenty of guys had looked me over before, but this felt different. When his eyes met mine there was no humor or flirtation there. Instead they were like steel—hard and serious. The intensity made me want to back away, but I was already up against the wall.

  He broke the spell with an easy smile. It changed his face so completely, that for a moment I was caught off-guard. “Hey there, Caprice. Ready to go to the river?”

  Isabella had gone up to her room and was just coming back down the stairs.

  “I, uh, still need a towel.”

  “I’ve got one for you,” Isabella said. “Let’s go.”

  I took the back seat for myself in Jaxon’s SUV. The weirdness that I felt toward him was gradually wearing off. But I’d never forget his steely eyes. Did he think I was unattractive, or was it something else? I mean there were plenty of girls prettier than me. Especially those tall, beautiful, blond girls. My lips were too big. My legs too short.

  Or it could be something worse. Maybe he thought I was an imposter trying to dupe Isabella. They seemed close, so she probably told him about her plans for me to inherit. If I were him, I’d be suspicious too.

  I sat quietly in the back, feeling guilty for no reason. I hadn’t done anything wrong. Except not coming clean about certain details of my past. But I didn’t want Isabella holding my past against me. I wasn’t angry at her for tearing my parents apart. Although I could have been, and she trusted me enough to tell me and risk my anger.