REFLECTIONS OF YOU (Brighten Magic Academy Book 1) Page 13

  "Aren't you guys upset that I'm a girl?" I asked.

  "No. Guys don't really stress about those things," Zane commented with a shrug.

  "Plus you're really nice and helped us pass the test," Kage added.

  "And you're hot," Maximus said. We all turned to him and he blushed, suddenly realizing what he just said. He quickly raised his hands. "I didn't mean that! I mean… fuck, whatever,” he huffed, crossing his arms over his chest as he looked away. I smirked, turning to Nixon who was petting Alice.

  "Your secret is safe with me." he promised.

  "What if someone else notices my aura?" I wondered.

  "Braxton should be able to do something about that," Kage suggested.

  "Oh right! Brother knows how to cloak auras and shit. Like, he can basically make you invisible for a lengthy period of time," Zane elaborated.

  "If Braxton can cloak your aura, I can stabilize it so even the professors won't be able to notice. Since we all know, you don't need to be in your male form at home. I doubt we'll have visitors but even if we do, they have to ring and identify themselves at the door. You should be fine," Nixon reassured.

  "What if-" I tried to think of another excuse but Logan sat up. I turned to face him and his hand reached out to brush the side of my cheek.

  "You're staying, Jewel,” he whispered. I smiled, looking at the others and lowering my head.

  "Thank you, guys. I appreciate it." I was grateful for their secrecy. They barely knew me but were willing to protect my secret. It made me feel excited for what was to come this semester with a bunch of interesting people who seemed unconcerned about the fact my mom had a mental illness and what that entailed. They wouldn’t gossip or shit-talk about me over it. I actually had a chance to enjoy both being a male outdoors during class time and a female indoors in the comfort of my new home.

  "Don't worry about it. If they're fine with keeping the secret, we don't need to kill them in their sleep," Logan spoke dryly, which only sounded scary and threatening.

  I gawked at him, then glanced nervously at everyone else who looked just as shocked, except for Nixon.

  "He's joking… right?" Kage whispered to Zane.

  "To be honest, I have no clue,” he replied, looking deep in thought.

  "I feel threatened," Maximus mumbled.

  "Whatever. I just want to cuddle Jewel again," Nixon declared.

  "Again?" the others exclaimed and I blushed.

  "I'm gonna go shower," I announced, getting up quickly and walking to the kitchen to place my mug in the sink, filling it with water. Then I speed walked past them, straight up the stairs.

  "What do you mean by AGAIN, Nixon?! You said you were playing fucking cards!" Logan shouted. I cringed, thankful that I wasn't in the room.

  I walked into the room, about to grab my male clothes but then remembered I could stay as a girl for a little while till we went outside. At least now I can shower as a girl. Yes!

  I personally wasn't ready to acknowledge having a penis as a male. I wouldn't deny the fact that I did do a personal inspection of my own cock and determined that attempting to spin your cock like a helicopter does NOT work. Can't judge me for trying and yes, I did sing 'WEEE' for added effect.

  "A nice hot shower will boost me up after that amazing coffee! Time to get clean," I hummed, grabbing my shampoo and conditioner and heading to the washroom.

  Who thought a simple explanation would give me a chance at a new school life? Maybe from here on out things will get easier?

  "Hot showers always make me feel better," I hummed to myself, closing my eyes and enjoying the hot droplets that rained down from the shower head above.

  Having my dorm mates be so accepting of me had really lifted a burden off my shoulders. Natala was a nice community on the outside, but not everyone was kind enough to keep your secrets without a price.

  I took a deep breath, letting the water stream down my face and hair. I finally had a chance to really take everything in, from the test to the overall atmosphere of the campus. I also took the time to do a mental review of each of the guys in my mind.

  Nixon Rose, 23 years old. He was 6'4”, Caucasian with black eyes that turned red when he used magic with small little black magic circles that allowed him to see the true side of people, or so he stated. His long red hair reached his lower back, making me curious as to why he chose to keep it so long. He loved to tease Logan and seemed to be the very relaxed type. He had a shyness to him but also a confident side, not afraid to stand off against someone or explain his thoughts. I felt he probably had some secrets and a past, which was the reason why he looked somewhat closed off at times.

  Maximus Copperfield was 24 years old. He was 6'6” and had a mixed heritage which I still hadn't acquired information on. I was confident about my hunch that he had an African background but still couldn't put a finger on the other half. He had short brown hair which turned to gold when he used magic. He gave off a strong superior look, based on his muscle and defined build, but had a soft side to him and an apparent shyness towards girls.

  Then there was Kage Park, who was 22. He was 6'3” and had shoulder-length navy blue hair and bright green eyes with hints of turquoise blue in them. He was soft spoken and liked to ask questions, his curiosity contributing to his cute appearance and attitude. He was knowledgeable about familiars and knew Alice was really a female instead of a male, a normal assumption when people saw her owl form.

  Next was Zane Park, who was the youngest at 21. He was Kage's younger brother, but I thought he acted like the older sibling. He was 6'3” with purple hair and his green eyes were a lot darker than his brother’s, almost reminding me of emeralds with hints of purple lines in them. He had a strong personality and seemed to enjoy joking around. He had an exciting persona, making him come across as very friendly.

  The only person I'd yet to meet was Braxton Park, Kage and Zane's older brother. He was two years older than Kage, being twenty-four years old which made me really curious. He could have been accepted into Brighten three years ago. Why would he wait until now to enter, especially when he had power and skills to finish the test by himself and still get a perfect score?

  I wonder which personality he'd have more of, Kage's curious yet shy side or Zane's upfront and outgoing attitude?

  I turned the tap off, allowing the beads of water to run down my body to the wet, tiled floor. I stared absently at the floor, wondering if Mother was okay. Hey Gabriel, can you make sure Mom's doing alright? I know Dad is probably watching over her while you watch over me, but just make sure she's okay and isn’t lonely.

  I opened the shower door, looking for where I placed my towel. I'd been in the washroom for forty minutes, thirty of which had been dedicated to a really hot shower to help loosen my muscles. I would have liked to take a bath, but I wanted to wash my hair after not getting the chance yesterday.

  I felt a cold draft come into the room, but I stayed focused on finding my towel. At least the vent is working to clear the steam.

  "Why is it so hard to see through steam? I swear. Ah, there's my tow-OOF!" I crashed into something hard and lost my balance. An arm wrapped around my waist and pulled me back up. Then my body was pressed right against theirs.

  Green eyes locked onto mine, little gold lines could be seen around the irises, the green reminding me of lime. The unfamiliar man holding me had short bright red hair that reminded me of Nixon's, but had hints of gold at the roots. He had an oval face and his complexion automatically told me he was of Korean descent. His soft features reminded me of Zane and Kage. He was tall, looking to be about 6'7” and a giant compared to my 5'8”. My eyes slowly trailed to his bare chest filled with muscle and lower. At that point I realized I was pressed against a very naked Braxton.

  Don't freak out, don't freak out, don't freak out, Jewel Starfire. There's a logical explanation for this.

  "I didn't know dorms accepted females,” he mumbled, his Korean accent thick as he took a look at my breasts. He looked ca
lm but I noticed his obvious attraction to me, making my head spin and my face burn with such intensity my brain shut down. FREAK THE FUCK OUT.

  I let out a loud scream, pushing the person who I hoped to the heavens was Braxton away from me. My eyes lowered to his cock and I swear the world stopped as I stared at his massive length. How does he fit that into anything? Or into ANYONE! OMG, why am I staring? AH!!!!!

  "JEWEL!" Logan and Nixon rushed into the washroom. I slowly turned to them realizing I was still completely naked. Just my luck. My boyfriend, his rival, and now a stranger get to have a lovely view of me completely nude.

  Their hungry gazes took in my entire body from head to toe, then back up again. I didn't know what to do. Run away? Yes running away and pretending this never happened seems like a great idea.

  I slowly backed up, my eyes scanning the room for anywhere else I could run to. Maybe I could shrink myself and go through the ventilation system and run back home. Yup, totally running back home naked and never showing my face ag-

  My left foot stepped onto something slippery and I let out a shriek as my body fell backward. "Jewel!" I heard Logan and Nixon call out together. I landed on my back, hitting my head against the tiled floor and blacked out.

  Yup, just my damn luck.

  "There's no way I'll be able to do this."

  I stood again in the same place: the balcony where brother would once again fall to his death. He appeared at the end of the hall with a small smile on his face. "What makes you think that?"

  "I screwed up. Twice. How do you think I'll survive a semester here, let alone a year? It's going to be impossible," I stressed, knowing I didn't have much time.

  Brother began his slow walk towards me and I tried to hold back the fear and sadness that wanted to overtake me and leave me in despair like every dream I remembered.

  "People make mistakes, but it doesn't mean your path ends here," Gabriel explained as his gold eyes met mine. Regret was written all over them as he got closer and closer to where I stood.

  "My dorm mates. They won't cover for me forever! People aren't nice like that. There's always a catch," I emphasized.

  People always gave their perfect innocent faces, like when we asked for help during Gabriel's funeral. We didn't know later they would be expecting some type of compensation for their assistance.

  No payback resulted in mockery and them trying their best to ruin my mom's name behind her back. That was until she got her disease; then people couldn't continue with that plan because it would make them look like the bad individuals they truly were. Everyone knew appearances mattered. Why would these guys be okay with protecting mine with no promise of anything in return?

  Brother reached my side, turning his head to face me. "You need to have more faith in people, my sweet sister,” he whispered before continuing his journey to the ledge.

  "How can I have faith when people always let me down?" I asked softly.

  "There are good and bad people in this world, sis. It comes down to who you choose to have by your side and protect you versus those who are poking you in the sides with needles. Trust those instincts of yours," he explained.

  He turned around to face me, preparing to fall back off the balcony like always.

  "What if my instincts are wrong? What if they're clouded because of..." I couldn't finish, unsure what was really affecting my instincts. Attraction? Acceptance? The reality I was in a dorm with six men whose looks alone would be enough to send me straight to the burning pits down below for my ways of thinking.

  "Jewel."

  I lifted my head to see my brother's wide smile as tears pooled in those gold orbs of his. "Your instincts are never wrong. Listen to them. End the cycle."

  His body leaned back and just like always, he fell over the edge. The only difference was I didn't have the strength to scream this time.

  "Jewel?"

  I stirred at Logan's gentle voice. I didn't feel like waking up, trying to focus on my dream a little longer. Listen to my instincts? End the cycle? What cycle, Gabriel?

  "This is all Brother’s fault," Kage sighed.

  "None of this is my fault. Maximus told me it was the room with the door open!" The stranger with the Korean accent declared, sounding pissed off.

  "You’re the idiot that didn't read your damn paper! Ms. Landsford totally wrote the room down for you!" Maximus argued.

  "Not to mention that she even drew you a little diagram with a damn arrow. I question how you get perfect scores in everything but can't read simple directions," Zane mocked.

  "Fuck off brother! You're lucky I'm here."

  "We don't want you here," Zane replied back.

  "No one asked you to enter this year," Kage mumbled.

  "Can you guys argue later? It’s giving me a headache. I wanna nap," Nixon sighed.

  "Nap later!" Kage, Zane, and the new person snarled in unison.

  "Ah! So loud. You guys are the reason Jewel's gonna wake up cranky," Nixon emphasized.

  "Wait, we woke her up?" Kage asked.

  "Anyone would wake up with how loud all of you are. Go to the other fucking room!" Logan ordered. "NOW!"

  "Ugh, Logan’s such a pain when he's angry," Kage whined.

  "Right," Zane agreed.

  "I think someone needs anger management," Maximus whispered.

  "I agree with you," the new voice replied.

  "Let's not forgot, Jewel hit her head thanks to Braxton Park who can't read directions or see through steam," Nixon hummed.

  "Fuck off!"

  I felt my body being lifted up from what must have been a couch of some sort. The swaying motion was rather relaxing, helping me drift back to sleep for hopefully a few more minutes.

  "Jewel? Can you hear me?" Logan's voice woke me up again a while later. This time I opened my eyes. The lights were dim and it took a moment for my vision to adjust. When I turned my head, I saw Logan's relieved expression.

  "Hey Precious," he whispered.

  "Hey. What's wrong?" I asked, unsure why he still looked uneasy now that I was awake.

  "Do you remember what happened before you hit your head?"

  "I hit my head?" I replied, coming up with a big blank otherwise.

  Logan frowned. "I'm so killing Braxton,” he mumbled.

  "Who's Braxton? The name sounds familiar… hold on." I thought for a moment, knowing I had heard it before, but my brain was still very sluggishly playing catch up.

  "Is Jewel experiencing memory loss?"

  I lifted my gaze to see Nixon come in with a cup of water. Logan sighed and nodded. "I think so. She doesn't remember what happened or Braxton so far."

  "With Braxton, that's understandable. He didn't introduce himself. As for what happened, give her a few minutes," Nixon suggested. I looked at the glass of water, now feeling thirsty. Nixon smiled and came to kneel next to Logan.

  "I figured you'd want some water, Jewel. Can you sit up?" Nixon asked.

  "Sure," I replied. Logan helped me sit up and Nixon offered me the glass. I accepted it, giving them both a smile before I drank the cool liquid. Something felt off with the taste but I didn't mind. I was super thirsty and even after I finished the entire glass, I didn't feel satisfied. How long have I been unconscious for?

  I felt something move under my blanket and Alice's fox formed popped out from underneath. "You've been knocked out for a couple of hours. It's evening now." Her soft voice entered my mind.

  A few hours? Hmm… wait I think my memory is coming back. I tried to recall what happened and the pieces were finally starting to come together.

  I remembered I took a long shower, and thinking that I hoped Mother was okay. I got out of the shower to look for a towel and bumped into a huge mammoth of a beast and his cock… Oh no! Nope, never mind I don't want to remember. Reverse that!

  "Jewel? Do you remember now?" Logan inquired.

  "She should. I put magic in the water to help her recall," Nixon revealed.

  Logan glanced at him accusingly.
"Do you poison everything?"

  Nixon rolled his eyes. "It's not poison, it’s magic and no. Just felt it would be better to help her remember earlier on than waiting for it to hit her all at once when she saw Braxton again," Nixon shrugged.

  I blushed, feeling utterly embarrassed that Nixon, Braxton, and Logan all saw me naked before I slipped and passed out. Oh my goodness. What if I fell with my legs wide open? Free pussy viewing! I'm gonna die.

  Alice moved up the blanket to rest on my lap. "If it makes you feel any better, you didn't. Logan did some crazy magic thing and a towel fell on you before Nixon and Braxton got a good glimpse. He then ordered them both out and made sure you were clothed before bringing you out for medical attention."

  "Medical attention?" I asked out loud.

  "I'm assuming Alice just told you a summarized version of what happened after you passed out?" Logan clarified. I knew he was trying to hide his own shyness regarding the matter, but his cheeks tinted a light red despite his efforts.

  I gave my empty cup back to Nixon who looked relaxed as usual. I lifted the blanket to hide beneath it. "Goodbye cruel world." I mumbled, wanting to go back to sleep and just be unconscious forever.

  "So dramatic," Alice snorted, moving around the blanket until she found the opening and snuck beneath it to cuddle next to my face.

  You're not helping.

  "I'm here to cuddle with you while you forget your most embarrassing moments which have all somehow happened in less than 24 hours. Bravo," she replied.

  Yup, TOTALLY NOT HELPFUL.

  "Jewel, come out. It's not that bad," Logan reassured. I slowly poked my head out from the blanket to frown at him.

  "In less than 24 hours, I not only failed at hiding my disguise, three different men got a lovely first class view of my body. Oh wait, scratch that. Four strangers saw me in nothing but my lingerie. THEN, two strangers and my boyfriend saw me completely naked before I slipped on I don't even know what and knocked my butt naked self out," I concluded.

  Logan opened his mouth to retaliate but then his face grew red and he looked away. I groaned. "SEE!" I pointed to him.