Legacy Heir: The Ash Academy Series Read online

  Ava was worried that she would never be able to look at Skit in the same way again. Skit was always playful, and Ava always thought of him like a teddy bear. But after all the adjectives Sky used she wasn’t sure she wanted to even see a teddy bear again.

  “I haven’t pried, but how’s things with Demetri?” Sky changed the subject again and Ava was too busy trying to wipe her memory clean to answer quickly enough for Sky’s liking.

  “I know you don’t really want to talk about it, and every time I bring him up you always shut me down saying you guys are just friends, but I see the way you two look at each other. Then the other day he went mad when we suggested that maybe he should stop mooning over you and just stormed off. Is there something you aren’t telling me? Are you guys secretly together or something?”

  Sky spoke really quickly trying to get all her questions out before Ava could stop her.

  “I’m not keeping some a secret love affair hidden from you, if that’s what you think,” Ava laughed lightly, trying to deflect the other questions.

  “Be serious Ava, you’re leading him on. He thinks he has a chance with you and even though you keep saying you're just friends, you guys always sit just that bit too close to each other and you are really touchy-feely with one another and that’s before we even consider all the sidelong glances and private looks.” Sky knew she was being pushy, but whilst she was on the topic she wanted to find out as much as possible. After baring her soul she thought Ava might feel comfortable enough to do the same. She was desperate to know what was going on and was really proud of herself for not having asked these questions earlier.

  “I didn’t realise you were so concerned about it.” Ava tried again to shut down the conversation. Not because she didn’t trust Sky, or that she deliberately wanted to cut her friend out, it was more a self-preservation tactic. She didn’t want to think about it. She could justify their ‘only friends’ relationship to herself if she didn’t question anything too deeply. However, as soon as she thought about it, the line between friendship and relationship, seemed to get more blurred each day.

  Sky gave Ava that look, and Ava knew she wasn’t going to get away with avoiding the issue any longer.

  “In my head we are just friends. I know we are getting closer every day, and I know he wants more but there is too much at stake. It’s not just about us dating, it would be a huge statement. The mere fact we’re friends is getting enough attention as it is. So much has happened recently, I’m just enjoying the peace. I don’t want to change anything and rock the boat.”

  Ava spoke slowly, realising the truth in her words as she said them. Sky nodded along, understanding her friend’s rationalisation of the situation. Sky had seen everything Ava had been through since starting at Ash Academy and could also see how Ava was finally starting to relax and enjoy school without having to be on constant alert from people ready to intimidate and bully her.

  “So, we are just going to go with the flow,” Sky summarised.

  “Yep, I’m gonna ride the wave dude,” Ava said in a terrible surfer accent, which had them both laughing and doing goofy accents late into the evening.

  Ava woke up early the next morning excited because today was the day she was going to see her parents. Usually she hated mornings and struggled to be coherent before breakfast. But, with the promise of seeing her family, who she had missed terribly, she couldn’t help but have a bounce in her step.

  It was a Saturday and due to a teachers’ conference no one had classes that morning. Ava and all her friends were going into town for breakfast with her parents. Initially, Ava had planned on seeing them on her own but then Demetri had invited himself along. He was anxious to consult with them about his plans to reveal the truth about his deceased parents. The same evening that Demetri had invited himself, Ava had walked into Sky’s room to find her on the phone to her mother discussing what she was going to wear to the breakfast. Apparently, she had called Ava’s mother and also invited herself along. Thinking it would be a lovely idea to see all of Ava’s new-found friends, her mother had proceeded to invite Billy and Skit as well. So, i

  t was now a full-blown outing but Ava was just happy to see her parents again. They would hopefully be able to relieve some of the stress Demetri was feeling about his parents. Ava knew her mother could be very persuasive when she wanted to be.

  “AAAAVVVVVAAAA!”

  Ava’s head jerked up when she heard Sky screaming. Opening her door, she looked down the corridor but couldn’t see her friend. She went to Sky’s room thinking how impressively loud Sky was becoming, as her room was on the other side of the boarding house.

  “AAAAAVVVVAAAA,” Sky shouted again.

  Doors all along the corridor started to open as sleepy-eyed girls emerged from their rooms to find out what all the racket was about.

  Keeping her head down Ava apologised as she passed the annoyed looking girls and quickly jogged down the rest of the corridor before Sky could wake up the whole school.

  Pushing open the door a bit too forcefully in her rush to get to Sky, it banged and recoiled into Ava’s face, bashing her forehead and throwing her back onto the floor.

  “Literally, the funniest thing I’ve ever seen.” Sky looked down at Ava sprawled in the doorway. She was now laughing uncontrollably at her friend who was rubbing her head dazedly.

  “Nothing to see here people, you can go back to bed,” Sky announced to the corridor-full of girls, who were looking on at the scene with varying degrees of amusement and curiosity.

  Sky reached down to help Ava stand.

  “I would say thank you but it’s your fault I was on the floor in the first place,” Ava grumbled.

  There was a snort of laughter down the corridor. Ava looked up to see one door still open with Jade standing in the doorway smirking at all the dramatics.

  Sky glared at her causing Jade to put her hands up in surrender. Ava couldn’t blame Jade for laughing at her mishap, she must have looked ridiculous. Jade didn’t go back into her room she kept her eyes trained on Ava, deliberately ignoring Sky.

  “What’s so funny?” Sky said menacingly, taking a step towards their nemesis. Jade lazily brought her eyes back to Sky and shook her head.

  “You guys are hilarious,” she sneered, “I wish I had my phone. That little scene would have gone viral by now if I did, everyone would see what a pair of idiots you are.” With one last sneer, she turned on her heel and slammed the bedroom door behind her.

  Ava and Sky both retreated into Sky’s room, where Sky swore a blue streak, insulting Jade every way she could think of.

  “Stop,” Ava finally demanded when she could take no more.

  Sky looked at her friend, flabbergasted that Ava wasn’t agreeing with everything she said. After everything that Jade had put them through, she couldn’t understand why Ava was shutting her down.

  “Seriously, you’re going to defend that bitch. After she physically assaulted you and humiliated you,” Sky yelled at Ava, totally frustrated by her friend’s calm demeanour.

  “I am not defending her. I’m defending you and your character. You’re better than this. She did everything she did because she wanted to be popular. It backfired, and she is all alone. She gets enough hassle from everyone else, we don’t need to give it to her too,” Ava argued with Sky.

  “That seriously sounds like you’re defending her. She deserves to be hated, she crossed the line. I am not nearly as mean and cruel to her as she was to us when we first started. Why won’t you stick up for yourself?” Sky yelled. Instead of diffusing Sky’s anger, Ava had only succeeded in turning it on herself.

  “She isn’t a threat anymore. I don’t need to defend myself against her. I just can’t handle all the hatred. I want to change the system, stop favouritism and hatred, not fuel it. If I want others to rise up above their base instinct, then I have to practise what I preach.”

  Ava argued passionately, trying to get Sky to see that th
ey have to be better than those who are ruining their society. Sighing, Sky admitted defeat, she knew that Ava was right but it was so difficult to do the right thing and be the bigger person.

  When Ava started at Ash Academy she was able to see the Gifted society through new eyes. Her parents had kept her sheltered and completely separate from this world whilst she was growing up. This detachment had allowed her to see the inequalities and meanness that the houses had created. She saw how teachers turned a blind eye as they supported their house or even because they were too afraid to upset someone from a ‘superior’ house. She learnt that people kept slaves in horrid conditions. All these injustices seemed so clear to her looking at them with fresh eyes and she was determined to use her power to change things. She wanted to show everyone what they had become blind to. She dreamed of changing their society so that it was a safe space where they all got stronger together instead of holding each other down out of fear and hatred.

  “I get it. I need to control my impulse to lash out. But it’s not like I am judging someone on their lineage or their power, I am judging her on her actions,” Sky said more rationally.

  “I get that too, but still. We must be better than that. Yes, she has screwed up, but we are in a good place, and she isn’t. I think that’s punishment enough. I don’t even think about her anymore and for someone who wanted notoriety as much as she did, I think that is the best revenge.”

  Sky huffed at Ava’s logic and marvelled at her friend’s pragmatic response. It was hard to argue with Ava’s reasoning, but Sky still felt her emotions were pent up and needed a release.

  Sky turned her back to Ava and opened her wardrobe throwing three outfits out on her bed.

  “So, I have narrowed my outfit choices down to two. I can either go with cute light blue dress and cardy or I can choose a more casual jeans and top look.”

  Sky switched gears and Ava smiled at her friend’s acceptance of her opinion.

  Sky and Ava would always be like yin and yang. Sky was loud and vibrant, drawing attention wherever she went, Ava was quiet and reserved and shunned the spotlight. They worked so well because they loved one another for their differences and were constantly learning from one another.

  “Definitely the blue dress, it has a bit of purple on it which really makes your eyes pop,” Ava replied, referencing Sky’s striking violet eyes, which was the first thing Ava had noticed about her friend when they met six months ago.

  Both girls dashed between their rooms choosing hairstyles, shoes and accessories. Ava wasn’t sure who was more excited about seeing her parents, her or Sky. Since Sky had met Ava’s mum she had sort of adopted herself into the family, often speaking to Ava’s mum behind her back, much to Ava’s annoyance, especially when Sky told Ava’s mum all about Demetri.

  The girls met the boys at the bridge that divided the two schools. Together the group got a car into the local town. It was a quaint old village with cobbled streets, cute little shops and cafes that seemed to fall into each other.

  The whole town seemed lopsided to Ava. To say the shop choices were eclectic would be an understatement. As they walked she noticed there was a clothes shop, next to a potions shop, next to a pig outfitting store, opposite a café specialising in eye lash soup.

  Ava turned to the group about to query what eyelash soup was, when Demetri caught her eye and smiled.

  “You don’t want to know,” he said, matching his stride to hers, and leaning in to speak softly to her.

  “I have only been in town a few times and always with a definite purpose. I don’t think I ever really noticed all the different stores,” Ava admitted to Demetri’s laughter.

  “Oh My God! Have you never had your Tarot cards read?” Billy called out at the back of the group, causing everyone to look at him. Demetri seemed to be the only one who knew what Billy was talking about and laughed.

  “Clearly not,” Demetri mumbled to himself, seeing the intrigued looks on Ava, Sky and Skit’s faces.

  “So, what did your reading say then?” Ava asked. Billy instantly flushed bright red and started mumbling as Sky and Skit laughed and teased him mercilessly.

  Ava turned her big doe eyes to Demetri with a questioning look. Demetri stuttered not wanting to tell Ava about their readings. When Demetri didn’t answer, Ava turned back to Billy.

  “Seriously, you brought it up. You can’t expect to get away with not telling us,” Ava declared, and Billy looked to Demetri for help. Demetri just shrugged, not sure what he could say to get Billy out of the hole he had dug for himself.

  “She said something along the lines of, my True Mate is loved by another and will not see me for as long as he lives.” Billy admitted in a grumble. Instantly the whole group went quiet, at the sombre turn his words had caused.

  Demetri watched Ava’s reaction closely. They all knew that the woman she was most likely referring to was her, and as long as Demetri lived, Ava would never see her and Billy’s relationship for what it could be.

  Ava’s face was scrunched up in deep thought. She hadn’t been expecting something so serious to come from the conversation. The way Billy brought the subject up she thought he meant to say that the Tarot card reader was a charlatan.

  “Well, I guess I was practice for you then.” Ava finally looked up and broke the silence.

  They had all stopped on the side of the pathway and were huddled in a group. Demetri’s arm exerted a light pressure against Ava’s shoulder, always making his presence felt. Skit was behind Sky, his arms wrapped around her and head resting on her shoulder.

  “What do you mean?” Billy said, confused.

  “Well, we got to practise at a love triangle. Though it wasn’t a love triangle, just a lot of miscommunication,” Ava said, as if that explained it. Not realising that everyone was looking at her in disbelief that she hadn’t grasped the enormity of the reading foretelling that she was Billy’s True Mate.

  “What’s a True Mate anyways?” Ava forged on determinedly, ignoring her friends continued incredulity.

  “It’s an old phrase. I’m not absolutely sure what it means. We tried looking it up afterwards but couldn’t really find anything about it. What we could find suggests that it’s like loving someone on another level,” Demetri explained quietly.

  “Still kind of missing the point,” Sky said, surprised at her bestie’s blindness.

  “No, I’m not. I know what you're all thinking, but it’s not me. It can’t be,” Ava said blushing, refusing to meet anyone’s eyes as she said it.

  “Sorry, I didn’t mean to make you feel awkward,” Billy said with a sigh, wishing he had never brought the subject up.

  “No Billy, don’t be sorry. I think it’s important that you know that the person the Tarot reader was talking about is not me.” Ava looked Billy straight in the eye, so he could see her conviction.

  “If Demetri died tomorrow,” Ava struggled even saying those words, but the importance of what she had to say forced her to push through.

  “If he died tomorrow. I wouldn’t love you. Not because you’re not loveable or amazing, but because I couldn’t. I don’t know how to explain it. I’m not ready to love Demetri yet either, but our souls, our lives, and our fate, are connected. Not even I can deny that. If he was gone there wouldn’t be another option for me. It sounds cruel, but at the same time, surely knowing that is a good thing? It means there is someone else out there for you.”

  Ava botched up her explanation and she fizzled out at the end when she saw the pain in Billy’s eyes at her words. Demetri’s hand discreetly slipped into hers giving her a squeeze of understanding. Their weird and complicated relationship wasn’t something they had discussed and her attempt at putting into words had made her feel slightly self-conscious. She hadn’t meant for it to sound like her and Demetri having a romantic relationship was a forgone conclusion, but as she said it, she realised the truth in her words. There really was no one else for her.

  “O
ooh look Skit, there are those shoes I was telling you about,” Sky declared loudly, dragging her reluctant boyfriend away from the train wreck of a conversation.

  “I get it,” Billy said quietly, when the smaller group grew silent again.

  “Billy mate, it’s hard to explain, but the way I feel for her, when you find it, you’ll know.” Demetri tried to comfort his friend. Billy looked up at Demetri with a frustrated scowl.

  “Stop pitying me for Christ’s sake man. You got the girl and I didn’t. You don’t need to make it worse by looking at me like I am a kicked puppy,” Billy exploded. Demetri instinctively stepped forward in front of Ava to protect her from Billy's anger.

  Ava grabbed on Demetri’s arm trying to tug him back. When that didn’t work, she walked around him and placed a hand on both boys’ biceps.

  “Ultimately, you won’t know the truth till it happens,” Ava said simply, looking between the two boys.

  Demetri was nodding in agreement and Billy just rolled his eyes. Frustrated that his two closest friends couldn’t understand that his feelings for Ava were real.

  Still holding on to both of their arms Ava started walking and the boys fell into step beside her, letting her change the subject.

  “Anyway, I heard Louise asked you out the other day,” Demetri teased Billy over Ava’s head. Ava elbowed Demetri in the ribs for teasing Billy about his potential date, and Billy reached behind Ava and playfully punched Demetri’s shoulder.

  “Yeah, she is probably one of the only girls who is not part of the ‘I love Demetri’ fan club,” Billy teased back.

  Ava smiled to herself as they walked beside her, bantering to each other over her head. It was a great worry for her that their relationship had become strained because of her. She was pleased that even after that extremely uncomfortable conversation it seemed as though Billy wasn’t holding on to any ill will towards Demetri.