The Academy [DISCONTINUED]

Chapter 19

(Back to Moon's POV)

   My first plan was to be absolutely blunt with Winter and tell him as soon as I saw him, but there was one problem: he hated me. I had heard it in his head.

   I can't believe I trusted her. No. You never trusted her. You HATED her and hate her more, now. But I will never trust anyone again. Blizzards are the only ones who can be trusted. Never a Nightfall.

   I hesitated at his dorm door. Winter was so angry. I couldn't tell him when he was like that. He would still think I was lying. I turned away from the door. I wasn't going to talk to him yet; I needed to tell someone.

   When I got to the prophecy teens rooms, Sunny and Tsunami were the only ones there. I decided on Sunny because she didn't hate Nightfalls as much as Tsunami did. I knocked on her door hesitantly.

   "Come in," Sunny's muffled voice said. I opened the door and looked around her room.

   It was part room, part office, with a bundle of blankets neatly tied away in the back corner. Three low tables arranged in a semicircle took up most of the room, scattered with paper, pens, and maps. There were two windows where the early morning sunlight spilled in and across the room, and the rest of the walls were covered in blue/white/gold tapestries and drawings of Thorne.

   Sunny was sitting in one of the shafts of sunlight at a table, the light sparkling off her hair, making it look like real gold.

   She looked up at me, eyes widening in surprise. "Moon, what are you doing here?" Her head was filled with worry. Did something happen? Is everyone alright? Oh, she shouldn't see my room like this.

   "I need to talk to you." A flare of suspicion that was quickly squashed.

   "Is everything okay?" she asked.

   I nodded. "I need to tell you something." She took a deep breath. I said quickly, "I can read minds. And see the future."

   Oh dear, Sunny thought immediately, her face creasing with skepticism. Another Fatespeaker.

   "It's true," I said. "I know it sounds impossible, but it's true. I don't know why I was given these powers, but I need you to know."

   Sunny was still skeptical. She said slowly, "That's kind of a huge secret to keep." Her gray green eyes studied mine. "It must have been hard."

   I nodded.

   There was a pause, and then Sunny asked, "Can you tell me what I'm thinking right now?"

   "Sure." I straightened my posture, tilting my head at Sunny. "You're wondering how Tsunami will react to this- you done think she'll believe me. And part of you is worrying about Starflight, and hoping that Fatespeaker will take care of him properly." Sunny archer her brows, startled, her mouth dropping open slightly. "But mostly," I hurried on, "you're thinking about the school and wondering if it will stay open and safe. You're wondering if bringing peace to all the tribes is too hard, and if you're not the right person for the job."

   "Wow," Sunny said faintly.

   "But you are," I blurted. "You can't give up. Of course, it's hard; the whole point is that you're trying to fix something that's nearly impossible to fix. But if no one ever even tries, then it will always be terrible. You and Clay and the others... people believe in you. You have to take that gift and do something with it, not run away from it." There was a pause as she took it all in.

   "Was that a prophecy?" Sunny said hopefully. "Did you see us changing the world?" I laughed quietly.

   "When the school has lasted twenty years, the tribes will be at peace?" I shook my head. "No, it's not a prophecy. It's just faith."