A Curse of Shadows

“Oh, you’ll see.” She grins widely and I just shake my head. There’s no sense in arguing with her, especially when she adds, “Just keep an open mind and remember that anything is possible. Even in this world, there are no limits to what you can have, Isla. Your mind and your heart are at war even right now. Once you get them in sync, you’ll find the answers you’re looking for.”

There’s my optimistic best friend. She’s been so hellbent on leaning into her sassy side since last night that I almost forgot she usually does have the best advice.

“It just sucks not remembering,” I say, but before she can respond, a bell rings.

Considering this is an academy in an opulent kingdom, I expect to see children on their best behavior, wearing pressed uniforms, but that’s not at all what comes rushing out from the hallways around us.

Kids of all ages and sizes yell and laugh and come rushing by us, nearly knocking me over. They all wear matching clothing, but half of their shirts are either unevenly buttoned or left untucked as they run toward, I assume, their next classes.

Some wear little tiaras, others have jeweled pins on their lapels, but all of them radiate joy and nearly as quickly as the tiny tornados of chaos arrive, they disappear.

“That is a sneak peak of what you can expect in class,” Estee whispers as we catch up with the others. “Except there are also little ankle biters. Like, literal ones unless the rules have changed. I have vivid memories of idiot boys shifting and chasing us girls around the class anytime the teacher would step out.”

“Great,” I drawl, my shoulders drooping with the weight of how awkward all this feels.

Sosheena turns toward us, still smiling and emanating pure grace. “All right, ladies. I’ve been given instructions and while Estee had a great idea starting with the kinder class, we’re going to need to stick with the library today. How does that sound?”

“Absolutely perfect,” I tell her as I notice the headmaster walking away. “How do we get there?”

Inside the school, there are too many hallways to count, three different stairways, wide and swooping, and doors everywhere with silver plaques on them that I can’t read without getting closer.

“Right this way,” Sosheena says, gesturing toward the center set of stairs.

Estee walks with ease and I try to soak up her confidence. She has this incredible ability to believe that everything is always working out for her. Even more fascinating, things almost always do.

I had a hard time understanding that concept when she took the job in Seattle, moving away from me, but I’m sure if I said as much to her now, she’d find a way to see the bright side of that as well.

One of the classroom doors has been left open on the second floor. I slow as we walk by and notice teenagers sitting calmly at their desks. Except they’re not all wearing the same uniforms like the younger ones running past us were. I see clothing ranging from blues to maroons to charcoal grey to even purple.

“What’s with the different colors?” I ask once we’re past the door.

Sosheena answers first, eyes bright with pride. “Last century, I convinced the other leaders that it would be good for our children to co-mingle. We might choose to remain as four kingdoms after all these years, but we are still one people, and the children should understand that from an early age.”

My heart warms and I nod, unexpectedly wanting to cry for reasons unknown. “That is incredible. Do they live here while in school?”

“We have a limited number of dorms they stay in and we only keep them for eight weeks at a time so that we can bring as many children in as possible,” Sosheena answers. “We’re the only island with an academy of this magnitude, so the list to get in is quite extensive.”

No wonder she seems so proud.

The library is on the third floor and the only thing on this level, it seems. There are multiple doors to get in, each one leading to a different section. Sosheena doesn’t stop until we reach one titled “Our Beginnings.”

“You may have only been on your first life when you left here before,” she explains, “but I think understanding how your home came to be is important. So, we’ll find a couple of books here first and then go from there if that works for you.”

I nod because there is no way I’m going to disagree with her, but I do mention something Asher said before. “I was told there was a library at the castle as well. How come we didn’t start there if I’m not allowed to go in the classes today?”

“You’ll do both,” Sosheena says. “While we have an extensive library at home, there is nothing quite like the one here and today wasn’t about going to classes, anyway. You were supposed to just have a few meetings, but it seems there was a hiccup with communication and they’ve been moved out a couple weeks.”

She frowns and her chest rumbles a bit. I’m beginning to think that it’s not often this regal woman doesn’t get her way, but I’m more than okay with skipping the meetings for now. Books will hopefully be enough to trigger more memories for me.

“Well, this looks like a wonderful place to start,” I tell her with a genuine smile. “Thank you so much for bringing us here today.”

Looking around, I notice Estee has slipped away, but before I can go find her, Sosheena grabs my arm and leads me to the right.

“You’re going to love this place,” she says with glee. “There’s so much to absorb in here.”

Glancing around, I hope she’s right.

The bookshelves are at least fifteen feet tall, each with its own sliding ladder to reach the taller shelves. Every space is filled and there isn’t a single book that appears out of place.