Novels by R. Vaelis

"Get up! Someone’s in the vents!" Mariana whispered urgently, shoving Aditya toward the dark wooden ladder."I'm going, I'm going!" Aditya hissed back, his wet sneakers squeaking loudly against the stone floor of the underground sanctuary as he scrambled upward. "But for the record, climbing a vertical ladder with soggy socks is a safety hazard!""Stop complaining and move!" Mariana urged, climbing up right behind him. "If that was one of Edward’s spies, they’re going straight to the administration!"Aditya threw open the heavy trapdoor, hauling himself onto the stage of the old auditorium. He groaned, rubbing his throat which still felt dry and scratchy. "Do you hear anything?""There!" Mariana pointed toward the double doors at the back of the auditorium, which were still swinging shut with a soft, echoing thud. "They’re heading up to the old wing! Come on!""Mariana, wait!" Aditya called out, panting as he chased her out into the dim hallway. "My lungs are still burning from earlie

"Come on," Mariana said, her grip tight around his wrist as she dragged him down the empty corridor of the old theater wing. "We can't stand out there in the open. Edward's probably still watching.""Slow down, Mariana!" Aditya complained, his voice still a raspy wheeze. "The nurse's office is literally in the other direction. I need a throat lozenge, not a brisk jog.""A school nurse can't cure divine frostbite, Aditya," Mariana replied, pushing open the heavy double doors of the school’s old auditorium. "We need to get you somewhere safe. Somewhere the Apollonians can't easily sense your frequency.""The school auditorium?" Aditya asked, looking around the dim, cavernous room. The rows of empty velvet seats looked like silent ghosts in the shadows. "What, are we going to hide behind the stage props?""No," Mariana said, marching straight onto the stage and pulling back a heavy, dust-laden curtain. "Under them.""Under them?""Help me lift this," she ordered, pointing to a brass ring

"I wouldn't waste my time," Sebastian said, turning on his heel. "Good luck clearing out your lockers next week. You're going to need it.""That is quite enough, Sebastian."The voice was like a bucket of ice water poured over the conversation. It was cold, sharp, and perfectly measured.Sebastian froze mid-step, his shoulders instantly squaring as he turned back around. "President."From the shadow of the main office corridor, a tall, impeccably groomed student stepped into the light. Edward Vance. His school blazer didn't have a single crease, and the gold emblem of the Classical Music Club pinned to his collar gleamed like a military medal."You shouldn't waste your breath on them," Edward said, his dark eyes scanning Aditya and Mariana with effortless disdain. "Lurking in the hallway to mock the less fortunate is beneath the dignity of our club.""Less fortunate?" Mariana's voice rose, her knuckles turning white as she gripped the strap of her bag. "Watch your mouth, Vance.""Am I

"Are you seriously telling me we're walking straight into the lion's den?" Aditya groaned, matching Mariana's brisk pace as they crossed the school’s central courtyard."It's not a lion's den, Aditya. It's just the administration wing," Mariana said, not slowing down for even a second."Same difference. One has sharp teeth, the other has bureaucratic red tape. Both will eat you alive.""Stop being dramatic. The PA system specifically called both of our names. If we don't show up, Sterling will use it as an excuse to suspend us, or worse, lock us out of the clubroom early.""Maybe that's for the best," Aditya muttered, stuffing his hands deep into his pockets. "I mean, think about it. If the club gets shut down, the lyre problem just... goes away, right? I can go back to being a normal, sleepy student who doesn't have to worry about magical biohazards.""It doesn't go away, you idiot," Mariana hissed, throwing a sharp glare over her shoulder as they reached the polished glass doors of

"Mariana, tell me you see them too," Aditya whispered, his fingers still resting on the vibrating guitar strings. "Tell me I didn't just accidentally summon a pigeon army.""I see them," Mariana replied, her eyes wide as she pulled out a sleek digital tablet from her school bag. "This is incredible. They aren't even looking for food. They're completely synchronized.""They’re staring right into my soul," Aditya groaned, squinting at the nearest gray bird. "It’s creepy. Seriously. It’s like they’re waiting for me to drop a sick beat or something.""They are," Mariana said, her stylus tapping rapidly against the tablet screen. "The first chord you played was a perfect, resonant G-major. It carried a frequency of absolute peace. You essentially harmonized their nervous systems with the environment.""I did what now?" Aditya shook his head, his messy hair flopping over his forehead. "I just pinched some metal wires, Mariana. I didn't mean to perform a spiritual upgrade on the local wildli

"I’m not going anywhere with you," Aditya said, taking a step back and clutching the straps of his backpack. "And I'm definitely not ready for a lesson. I'm going to school. To sit in the back of the class, pretend I don't exist, and hope my ears stop ringing."Mariana smirked, shifting her weight as she blocked the metal gate of his apartment complex. "You really think you can just walk into a calculus class like this? Look at your eyes, Aditya. They're practically vibrating.""They are not vibrating," Aditya hissed, looking around the street to make sure his neighbors weren't watching. "It’s just a headache. A very, very weird headache.""And the mark on your hand?" Mariana pointed at his right palm, which he was currently trying to hide in his pocket. "Is that a headache too? Walk with me, Aditya. Unless you want to stand out here and let the morning commuters watch you sweat.""I'm not sweating," Aditya lied, though a bead of cold sweat was indeed trickling down his neck. "Where a