Chapter 5 Crimson Academy

“Crimson what now mum? What is Crimson Academy?” I asked, still looking at Mum after the words had left her mouth.

Gianna sat up straighter like someone had just mentioned her favourite thing in the whole world. “Wait, you really don’t know Crimson Academy? The famous Crimson Academy? The one and only Crim….?”

I held up a hand to stop her, basically interrupting her. “Yeah, yeah, yeah, I get it. Crimson Academy. What about it?”

Gianna leaned forward, her eyes bright. “It’s the one and only school in all of the realms that takes magical beings. Magical students. Magical teenagers, right when they turn sixteen. That’s where we go to learn how to use what we have, how to control it, and how to live with it without hurting anyone or ourselves. All kinds of magical beings like us. It’s the place that actually understands what we are.”

Mum nodded and gave a small smile. “She said it perfectly. That’s exactly what it is. It's completely amazing, Nimona.”

I stared at both of them. A whole school just for people like… whatever I was turning into. An academy full of magical beings. The idea felt so big and strange that I almost laughed. “You’re telling me there’s an actual school for monsters and creatures and people who can shoot fire from their hands?”

Gianna shook her head quickly. “Hey, we are not monsters. Monsters are those ugly things that attacked us earlier. We are magical beings. We have magic. We have power. That’s very different. Monsters tend to be those hideous things that only want to destroy. Aren’t I pretty? Aren’t you pretty? Girl, don’t mix us up with those things.”

I couldn’t help the tiny smile that pulled at my mouth. She had a point.

Then Dad spoke, and his voice was firm. “Nimona is not going back to Crimson.”

I turned to him fast. “Back to Crimson? Have I ever been to Crimson Academy before? Daddy you're hiding a lot of things from me and honestly I'm beginning to get scared about all of this.” I said, calling my dad, daddy after such a long time.

Dad’s face tightened for a second, but he didn’t answer the question. He just repeated himself. “You are still not going.”

“Why can’t I go?” I asked, feeling the frustration rise again. “I belong there, don’t I? You just said my powers are waking up. Where else am I supposed to learn what to do with them?” Okay…I had to admit, I do ask a lot of questions, I thought. But still, they were important questions that needed reasonable answers. This was a life changing thing!!!

Dad shook his head. “It’s not that simple. It really isn't. Earth is safer for you right now. We can figure this out here. You have me and your mother. There's also plenty of time for you to master your powers right here on Earth.”

Mum reached over and put her hand on his arm. “Gregor darling, listen to me. You know hiding her awakening powers on Earth is becoming dangerous. Those creatures already found her once. They will keep coming. She needs teachers who know what they’re doing. She needs to be around others like her. She is not a little kid anymore. She turned sixteen today. And although I can't tell her everything yet, she deserves to go. Her powers are awake, and Crimson Academy is the best place for her to learn how to control them.”

Gianna spoke up next, her voice softer but sure. “I’ll be there with her the whole school year. Through thick and thin. You don’t have to worry about her being alone. I’ll look out for her every single day. We're literally besties now.”

Mum kept her eyes on Dad. “Her powers are waking up here on Earth, and that puts both her and this world in danger. She needs someone to teach her properly. She needs new friends who understand. She needs to be around other magical beings. Keeping her here any longer isn’t protecting her anymore. It’s putting her at risk.”

Dad was quiet for a long time. He looked at me, then at Mum, then at the broken living room around us. Finally he let out a heavy breath and nodded once.

“All right,” he said. “She can go.”

I sat there for a moment, letting the words settle. Just a little while ago I had been so angry at them for lying to me all these years. That anger was still there, somewhere in the back of my mind, but something else was growing louder. It was my curiosity. A whole school full of people like me. A place where shooting fire from your hands wasn’t strange. A place where the red strand in my hair actually meant something. And here was Gianna and those…those guys, they demonstrated magic too, which was pretty awesome, especially Alvin. Get it together Nimona, I said in my mind.

I looked down at my hands, remembering the way the red fire had felt when it left my palm. Then I thought about Gianna’s words, about other magical beings, about teachers and friends who wouldn’t look at me like I was broken or dangerous.

So there really were other people like me out there. A whole school of them. And I was going to walk into that place and find out exactly what I was.

I leaned back against the couch and let the thought turn over in my head. Other magical beings. Powers. A whole new world waiting on the other side of whatever portal they used. But I just can't help but feel angry at what my mum and dad did. It's the most unfair thing in the world. I mean imagine I told them that they had magic, how would they react….oh wait! That's just absurd.

Then a small, funny question slipped in without warning. How did Mum even

know about Crimson Academy in the first place?