Denouncement Read online

  Denouncement

  A Through Dreams and Doorways Novel — Book 2

  E. A. Foley

  Also by E. A. Foley

  Through Dreams and Doorways Novels

  Book 1: Discovery

  Book 2: Denouncement

  Coming Soon

  Book 3: Desperation

  Contents

  About the Author

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Acknowledgments

  Sneak Peek — Desperation

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Copyright © 2018 E. A. Foley

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission in writing from the author.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, organizations, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Cover by Mibl Art

  Created with Vellum

  About the Author

  http://www.eafoley.com

  Twitter: http://twitter.com/e_a_foley

  For Friends and Family

  You helped create the person I am today.

  Thank you.

  Chapter 1

  Tingling eyes and a tightness to her chest caught Iris by surprise as she stood in the parking lot surveying the people bustling around the dorm building in front of her. She watched friends hugging one another. Happy reunions. Freshmen playing it cool or saying goodbye to their parents before entering the building. All things she should be doing yet she remained frozen where she stood at the edge of the parking lot.

  “Why did you think you’d gotten over your shyness?” she asked herself.

  “You did start coming out of your shell last year. And spent the summer with friends gaining confidence and such.” Iris was in full conversation mode. It wasn’t a good sign.

  “Yes, but I know them. That’s different. I don’t know these people.”

  “You’ll know them in a few days. Besides, Zarina and Jaden will be here soon. You’ll be fine.”

  Iris grimaced at herself. Even after trying to work up the courage to enter the dorm building alone, she couldn’t do it. Her eyes twinged again. She lowered the sunglasses from on top of her head to hide any color changes from passersby and pulled her cell phone out. She called Zarina. The phone rang. And rang. And rang.

  “Hey, it’s Zarina. I can’t…”

  Iris hung up. Someone called her name. She turned around just in time to see Zarina’s grinning face framed by her shoulder-length brown hair before she engulfed Iris in a hug.

  “College! Band! Isn’t it awesome!”

  “Sure.”

  “Wow, Iris, don’t be so cheery. You may scare the other freshmen,” Jaden teased with an ill concealed smirk.

  Iris rolled her eyes at him—which he couldn’t see since she wore her darkest sunglasses—and shook her head. He got the point and chuckled at her.

  “Come get your stuff, Zarina. I want to lock the car and head inside.”

  Zarina skipped back to Jaden. She positively beamed. Iris wondered at her friend’s comfort level. Zarina was almost as bad around strangers as Iris was. Then she realized Zarina had an advantage. She’d already met several of the people in the building they were about to enter. And Jaden told her about band so she knew what she was getting herself into. Iris didn’t. Even so, Iris trailed behind Zarina and helped her grab stuff out of the trunk.

  “Where’s all your stuff?” Zarina asked.

  Iris waved to the rolling suitcase, sleeping bag, and pillow she’d left a few feet away.

  “No, I mean all your stuff for school.”

  “Oh. My parents drove me here through the early hours of the morning, dropped all my stuff off at some band member’s house, kicked me out here, and left for Yosemite. The jerks,” she added under her breath.

  “Aw, is little Iris all bent out of shape because her parents ditched her?” Jaden asked in a baby voice.

  “Ass,” Iris quipped and punched him lightly in the shoulder with a small blast of air. They’d spent a lot more time together over the summer practicing magic and had become better friends. It turned out Jaden was a lot nicer when he wasn’t stressed out about school.

  “Be nice,” Zarina chided them. “Come on. Let’s head inside!”

  “Sure. Why not?”

  “You really should learn to contain your enthusiasm.”

  “I’ll work on that,” Iris said. She glanced out of the corner of her eye at Jaden. He shook his head at her. At least she hadn’t risen to his bait this time. Why he enjoyed getting a rise out of her was a mystery. Perhaps it was because it was so easy.

  “Remember,” Zarina leaned over and whispered to Iris, “no magic for a week. You promised. I’ll let that last bit slide this time, but no more.”

  Iris nodded. She’d used the summer to train herself and her friends further. Partly to keep from forming a doorway to anywhere in the world she wanted. There was no way they could guarantee they wouldn’t be seen. The thought of being caught scared Iris more than anything. Except her friends being caught.

  The one great thing about the summer practices was everyone’s strength increased significantly. Iris’s most of all, but only because knowingly she pushed herself beyond her breaking point. It was rare for her to be void of the power flowing through the Earth or using it in some capacity. She wasn’t sure how she would get through a whole week without it.

  She’d also used the summer to flip through dozens of fantasy books to see what magical systems her favorite authors had created. Some she put to good use. Others she wished she’d never tried. She put those on a ‘banned’ list posted in the Gallery of Doors along with the ones she refused to even attempt.

  Necromancer magic was off limits. Period. As was compulsion. The jury was still out on mind reading, but Iris leaned towards banning it. It seemed too large a personal violation to allow. Not to mention she didn’t know how to request it of the power flowing through the Earth. She had to add no extracurricular travels through doorways after Rowen took it upon himself to go sightseeing in Hong Kong and shared that he may or may not have been seen stepping out of his doorway.

  One thing Iris was grateful for was her friends’ insistence she didn’t try anything new without at least one of them nearby. Iris made the promised reluctantly but discovered the need within days. As she pushed herself to try out new tasks, Iris lost control of the power flowing through the Earth on more than one occasion.

  Aerianna and Zarina had become adept at healing a variety of wounds. Zarina could even shock a heart into restarting with magic that emulated a defibrillator. Iris never wanted to ex
perience that sensation again. She also promised never to pull that much power into her being or attempt anything as stupid as trying to become invisible again. She meant to hold herself to all the promises she made.

  “Ouch!” Iris yelled. “What was that for?” she demanded of Zarina.

  “Because I know what that expression means. You’re thinking about some stupid thing you tried to do in the past and whether you can make it work. You promised, so knock it off.”

  “All right, all right. I did promise. I’m sorry. Can you distract my mind, then? Because it won’t stop brooding.”

  “Easy enough!” Zarina beamed at her. “Where should I start? Hey Braden!” she said cheerfully to the guy dressed as Billy Idol at the door.

  “Welcome to the best Rock Concert of your life!” the man responded and held the door open for them.

  “How about you start with that?” Iris pointed over her shoulder to Braden.

  “The student officers dress up and theme every retreat. Fun, huh?”

  “Yeah, it is kind of cool,” Iris agreed as her eyes scanned the interior decorations on the first floor. There were posters, cardboard cut-outs of guitars, an actual drum set, glitter stars, and shiny streamers. “This looks way more fun than Pacific’s band.”

  “I told you it would be. Glad you joined?”

  “I’ll hold off answering until the end of the week. What color are my eyes? They’ve been stinging on and off all morning.” Iris raised her sunglasses so Zarina could peer into them.

  “Blue. Little on the pale side, but blue. That means you’re happy! Yay!”

  Iris shook her head at Zarina’s joy and joined Jaden in the line of people waiting to check in before passing through a set of streamers. If she stuck by Zarina this morning, her eyes were more likely to stay blue. Feeling it was rude to keep them on, she slid her sunglasses to the top of her head and let them hold back the bits of her long, blonde hair that kept escaping from her ponytail.

  “Hey Jaden, Zarina,” a man dressed as Michael Jackson said from behind a desk. He scanned a tablet for their names. “Jaden, you’re rooming with Delano. Zarina, your upper band’s man is Anwyn.”

  “Yay!” Zarina said. Her smile increased and she bounced on her toes a few times in her usual, joyful way.

  “Anwyn from Pacific?” Iris asked.

  “Yup!”

  “Another Pacific grad, huh? Name?”

  “Faye, Iris Faye.”

  “Ok, your upper band’s man is Laila. Good luck with that,” he failed to add under his breath. “She’s the Instrument Manager and is dressed like Janice Joplin. Hard to miss. Will you need to borrow a horn from us?”

  “Yes, please.”

  “Okay, then you can meet her when you check out a mellophone. All three of you can head inside. Follow the line around the circle and check in at every table. Name?” he asked the person behind Iris before the three of them left the table.

  Once inside the room, they received packets of information, room assignments and keys, picked up bedding, had the rules and regulations explained, dropped off the white t-shirts they were told to bring, and said hello to way too many people to remember them all. Iris was glad to be out of the cramped and stuffy room. So far, her eyes behaved. She took a moment to close them and center her thoughts before asking if Zarina wouldn’t mind going to the instrument room with her.

  “Hi, I’m Iris. Your new freshman,” she said to the woman behind the counter when it was her turn.

  “Nice to meet you. Laila,” the woman stuck her hand out and Iris shook it. “Let’s go outside for a minute and we can talk.”

  “Sure.”

  “I’m going to head to my room then?” Zarina phrased it as a question so Iris could ask her to stay.

  “Sounds good. Say hey to Anwyn for me.”

  Zarina waved and bounded off. Iris followed Laila outside. She pulled a flask from her back pocket and took a swig before saying, “I smoke a little, drink, and swear a lot. That going to be a problem?”

  “No. Not really,” Iris shrugged. She hated smoking herself but figured it’d be rude to tell Laila that.

  “Great! We’ll get along just fine.” Laila took another swig from her flask and put it back in her pocket. “Let’s get you an instrument and then I’ll help you take your stuff up to our room and introduce you to the rest of the mellos.”

  “Thanks,” Iris said. She’d have to get used to being called a mello rather than a French horn.

  “So, where are you from?” Laila asked as they entered the elevator.

  “Pacific.”

  “Ah. You’ll find us way different from Pacific. Hopefully, it’ll be a good thing.”

  “It has been so far,” Iris smiled in earnest.

  “Good to hear. Oh, and just as a warning, these elevators are old and slow. I recommend taking the stairs as much as possible.”

  “Thanks for the heads up,” Iris said as they exited onto the fourth floor and walked down the hall on the right to the end.

  “This is us. Just drop your stuff on the bed for now. We only have a few minutes to introduce you to the rest of the section before we need to head downstairs.”

  They exited the tiny, cramped room—which gave Iris trepidation since she, Aerianna, and Violet were going to be in a triple for the year—and went next door where there were half a dozen guys all over six feet tall.

  “Hey everyone, this is Iris. Iris, that’s Ara, your fellow freshman, Anthony, Paul, Marc, Alex, and Thorin, Ara’s upper bandsman. You already met Jasmine—she’s dressed as Beyonce—and Cameron is wandering around somewhere dressed as Blake Shelton of all people.”

  Iris shook hands with each member of the mello section as Laila introduced them to her. Her eyes kept darting back to Thorin. When they twinged, she turned away from the guys and tried to focus on what Laila said.

  “They’re all cool. We’re small, but the most awesome section. I doubt the section is as large as you’re used to from Pacific, though.”

  “You’re from Pacific? That’s so cool. I’m from . . . hey, weren’t your eyes blue?”

  Chapter 2

  “They are blue,” Iris muttered and looked at the ground. Her eyes seared. Who knew what color they’d be now. There were too many conflicting emotions. Fear at being shunned like she’d been her whole life seemed the strongest.

  Thorin bent down to look her full in the face. “No, they’re not. At least they aren’t right now. But they were blue. I’d say they’re more of an amber now.”

  Iris looked at Thorin. Her eyes locked on his. They stilled her breath for a few moments. Heat flared in her chest. Her eyes seared.

  “Wait! They’re changing. Now they seem purple,” he continued.

  “That’s awesome, let me see.” Ara joined Thorin and bent down to stare at Iris.

  Iris tried to back away, but the wall stopped her movement.

  “Hey! Back the fuck off, you two. Leave her alone.”

  “It’s all right,” she said with a sigh. “I’m used to it. I’d hoped to keep my emotions in check today, but knew it was futile. My eyes change color with my emotions,” she explained to the group surrounding her.

  “That is the coolest thing I’ve ever heard!” Thorin exclaimed.

  “Really?” Iris looked up from where she stared at the ground. She tried to squash the flicker of hope that she’d be accepted as it flared in her chest. It bloomed when Ara spoke.

  “Yeah, duh,” Ara agreed.

  “Thanks. I didn’t get a positive response throughout school.” Iris allowed the joy sweeping through her body to blossom into a huge smile.

  “I bet not. These guys are fairly indicative of the response you’ll receive here, so don’t sweat it, all right?”

  “Thanks. That’s good to know.” Her eyes twinged again, but she didn’t avert her gaze this time. “What color are they now?” she asked no one in particular.

  “They’re back to blue, but it’s a darker blue than before. How did you know
they’d changed?” Thorin asked.

  “Apart from all your expressions?” she said with a half smile. “I can feel them. It’s not quite painful, but that’s the best thing I can liken it to. It’s really subtle. Sometimes I can control them, but it takes too much effort. It’s more like convincing myself I feel a certain way, so I don’t try often. I usually just wear sunglasses.”

  “That’d probably be the best idea for a few days. Especially if you don’t want to be the center of attention. I wouldn’t put it past someone to try pissing you off or whatever to see what other colors your eyes will become. Anyway, it’s about that time. Let’s head downstairs, shall we?”

  “Hey,” Iris said before everyone could take more than a step. “I’d appreciate you guys not telling anyone outside the section about my eyes yet. Anyone from Pacific already knows, but I’d like to keep this on the DL for now.”

  “No problem!”

  “Sure thing.”

  “You got it!”

  Iris grinned.

  “Man, I was hoping they’d change colors again. They just got a prettier blue. Do they get all polka dotted or anything?” Ara asked as they exited his room.

  “No,” Iris laughed. “Nothing that cool. If I’m really happy or sad or something, they sometimes get specks of silver or gold in them which kind of gives off a polka dot effect.”