Page 8 of Shadow Seer (Scythe Grove Academy 1)

"Very well. Let me get Mr Carey and we'll get you sorted on your first day," she says with a smile. "There are some forms you need to fill in, but I'll have those delivered to your dorm room later today."

"Thank you."

She gets to her feet and heads towards the door, presumably to get Mathias and bring him inside to get him up to speed.

Somehow, I still can't believe this is happening. When I started my day, it was fairly bleak. Now I stand an actual chance of having a life that isn't completely controlled by those around me.

And I'm going to welcome it with open arms.

Chapter Five

Nothing inside the academy is particularly surprising. The classrooms look just like the ones I've grown up learning in, right down to the boards at the front and the uncomfortable looking chairs. I'm not sure what I expected, but this isn't it. Most humans don't really have much of a clue about what goes on in the university level academies for supernaturals, but I don't think any of them could have guessed at how mundane this is.

"What's next?" I ask Mathias as he leads me down yet another hall of classrooms.

"It's nearly eleven, which means it's time for you to find out your Grove."

"My Grove?"

"Yes. It's like a team you'll be part of. You'll be assigned a room in one of the towers, depending on which you pick," he says.

"And let's guess, there's a password to get in, and no one who isn't in the Grove is allowed to enter."

He chuckles. "I see you enjoy fantasy books."

A furious blush rises to my cheeks. "I might."

"It's not like that. No passwords are needed. The only rooms that are locked in the Grove towers are the bedrooms, but it's just by a key and you'll have full control over them."

"That's almost disappointing," I mumble.

Mathias snorts. "Maybe. But the idea of the Groves isn't to pit us against one another," he points out. "It's supposed to promote harmonious living, or something like that."

"What are they called?"

"Ilex, Sakura, Hawthorn, and Banksia."

"Trees?" I can't keep the surprise out of my voice.

"We are reapers," he counters.

"You say that like it should mean something to me. I've never been a part of this world before."

"I'm sorry, I forgot. I'm sure you've heard of

scythes?"

"I've seen one." Two, technically. Though not up close, and I don't know anything about them.

"They help us channel our magic. The wood needed to make them is grown in special groves. I'm not sure how it works, but something about the soil imbues the wood with what it needs."

"Huh." That sounds interesting.

"I think there are some advanced classes you can do here in the fourth year if you have any particular interest in becoming a caretaker," Mathias says.

"That's amazing. I never really thought about what careers a reaper might have." Mostly because I never really had to. "When do I get to see one of the groves?" Even if I'm not particularly interested in gardening, it sounds like it would be an amazing thing to see.

"Does right now work?" An impish grin spreads over his face.