Prophecy Girl (Angel Academy) by Cecily White Read Free Book Online Page A

what a seven-year-old would find remarkable about any grown-up who wasn’t Big Bird.) What I did remember was the effect he’d had on my mom. As soon as she saw him her whole body exhaled—not like what happened when she looked at my dad. More desperate. As if some part of her had been locked in a dark cell, holding its breath for years.
    I didn’t pretend to understand it. All I knew was that the bond was intense, it tied us to each other forever, and, if focused properly, could enable us to take out a small city block.
    I looked at our headmistress. A thin yet tangible light curled out from her chest as she gazed across the dais at Henry McFarland, our bookish campus Archivist. Henry wasn’t much to look at, with grayish hair, brown eyes, and the telltale wrinkles of pre-retirement. The best I could say about him was if you ever needed something translated or defined he could do it. He beamed back at Smalley like she was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen. At first glance, it certainly looked like they were bonded—the crackle of power, their glow of connection—but I knew better.
    They’d been assigned as bondmates at their own graduation eons ago. Before they could complete the ritual, Henry was infected by a demon virus and deemed unfit for battle by the Elders. He hadn’t gone vampiric. In fact, he’d made a full recovery. But because there was demon DNA somewhere in him, he and Smalley were forbidden from finishing their bond. Or marrying. Or starting a family. Of course, the Elders couldn’t stop them from getting jobs at the same school, taking up residence on the same street, and spending every waking moment together.
    I might have been sad for them if they weren’t so disgustingly happy.
    “Once you pass your field exams,” Smalley addressed the seniors, “you will be told the origin of your bloodline. That information is yours alone until you submit your request for a bond assignment at the end of the year. Each of you will submit your top three choices, rank ordered, drawn from the unbonded Guardian Community. With input from our faculty, final assignments are made according to your ranks at graduation, and bond rituals shall commence at the summer solstice.”
    I saw a lot of students nodding, the tension in the room palpable. Most of them were so jazzed they’d already started making out their pref lists.
    “We are also very fortunate to welcome a valuable new recruit,” Smalley said, her gaze skittering over the crowd to rest on me. “Mr. Jackson Smith-Hailey is a former valedictorian at our Monroe campus and liaison to the Institute of Paranormal Convergence. He has agreed to take a leave of absence from his position at the Enforcement Guild to fill in as Examiner and Resident Guardian until we can find suitable long-term replacements. You will each get to know him well over the next week as he conducts your field exams and determines your initial class rankings.”
    Jack stood to accept the applause and I groaned. Valedictorian? Paranormal Convergence? The Enforcement Guild? Jeez, the guy’s résumé read like someone running for public office. And now he was in charge of our field exams?
    Oh, I was so screwed.
    If I bombed my exam, then for the next six months I’d be stuck in paranormal preschool learning how to clip my fingernails without decapitating myself. I’d be denied my bloodline and instantly demoted to the bottom of every decent Watcher pref list. Alternately, if I rocked my exam, I’d probably be suited up, paired up, and taking down rogue demons before Mardi Gras.
    My resolve thickened. Come hell or high water, I would ace that test.
    I dragged my attention back to the stage. Jack’s gaze had riveted to a spot in the middle of the hall, about ten feet above the center aisle, where a slight ripple twitched like fumes off a desert highway. It wasn’t a big deal, but, for some reason, the sight made my chest constrict.
    With crisp, sudden hand motions, Jack signaled