INITIATION by Imogen Rose (Bonfire Academy Book One)

Chapter One

Copyright © 2011 by Imogen Rose

Website: http://ImogenRose.com

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the author. The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.

Trust No One. The wooden plaque hanging over the bed couldn’t be any more in-your-face. As if I could ever forget one of the three Golden Rules.

After I dumped my suitcase on the crisp burgundy comforter, I picked up the envelope I spotted lying on my pillow and sat down to check out my new room.

The room was much bigger than the one I had last year. It even had a breakfast table with two padded chairs–one of which I was sitting on–and a sofa bed for guests. Cool. That would come in handy for sleepovers. All the East Tower bedrooms, including mine, had been rebuilt after the fire. They had been restored to their previous condition, as if the fire had never happened. Whoever had been in charge of the restorations had even managed to replace the old burgundy towels. However, as I breathed in the air, I noticed that the old familiar smell had been replaced by a new one–the odor of newly painted walls, laced with a hint of orange from the freshly polished wood.

It was hard to believe that the entire wing had gone up in flames just three months ago. The rest of the school hadn’t escaped the fire and smoke damage either, causing Bonfire Academy to close its doors for the first time in its history.

Bonfire Academy, hidden in the outskirts of the luxury ski-resort town of St. Moritz, Switzerland, is an exclusive school for paranormal preparation. The small, but chic town caters to those who enjoy a champagne lifestyle. It’s legendary for being the playground of the rich and famous. So, naturally, the school caters to the offspring of the upper crust of paranormal society. The thorough vetting process and annual tuition costs make sure of that. Students come here from all over the world–and beyond.

After the fire, all of the students had to be sent home, apart from the newbie vampires, who were sequestered in the basement during the restoration. Apparently, that had been a total nightmare. Still, the fact that they were able to reopen in such a short time was amazing. I was glad to be back for my third year.

There would be plenty of new rules, of course. The twins had made sure of that. But Jacques and Mariel, the infamous twins, weren’t returning to the Academy. They had been legends long before they decided to turn the place into a giant firecracker. So after six years at the school, they had been crowned the first non-graduates ever.

I tore open the wax-sealed envelope embossed with the official BA insignia. Sliding out the parchment-like sheet, I read the handwritten note. It was a short message from the student council president asking me to come to his office. I had heard rumors that it was a guy this year, though the identity was kept a secret until the school year started. Anyhow, a meeting? Ugh. That couldn’t be good. A meeting with the president was so rare that most new students thought he was a myth made up by the school to keep us in line–an imaginary creature painted in colors of fear. I knew better, of course, but the thought still made me uncomfortable. Why would he want to see me?

I was beginning my third year at the Academy, a purely voluntary year reserved for self-development enrichment, where we were allowed to choose our own course of development. Many chose to mentor incoming students; others chose to spend a year further developing their skills. I wanted to concentrate on tennis. Plus, my boyfriend was staying on for another year, and I wanted to stay close to him.