Instant download The academy of stolen magic blakemore paranormal academy 2 1st edition sullivan gra by Ebook Home

SULLIVAN GRAY

E.C. FARRELL

The Academy of Stolen Magic

No part of this book may be copied, reprinted, or redistributed without express written permission of the authors, except for small excerpts used in reviews.

Contact: sullivan@authorsullivangray.com

“T

ake another deep breath.”

The Healer’s hand is cold on the bare skin of my back where she has lifted my sweater. I huff out an irritated exhale instead, and she purses her lips. No matter how many deep breaths I take, she isn’t going to find a trace of my powers. They’re still gone.

It’s been almost two months since the mages stole my powers. Just when I’m becoming used to this life as a suppressed supe, something slaps me in the face with a reminder. Like today’s Healer evaluation—an appointment I can look forward to one Friday a month at Blakemore. Unless I get my powers back, that is. Call me a pessimist, but I’m not holding out hope. Her fingertips move to my temples. I close my eyes, hoping to press back the angry tears I feel gathering there. The room is silent save for our breathing, and her long white braid tickles my arm. After a moment, she steps away from the stool where I sit. Crossing her arms, she leans against the counter. “Cade. I know you’re frustrated about losing your powers.”

I swallow the snarky comments I want to make. “That’s one word for it.”

I’m also angry, hurt, bitter, and maybe even a little depressed. But not just about losing my powers. That was simply the jumpingoff-point to a whole slew of terrible things. Two weeks ago, I found

out that my parents were somehow involved with the rogue mages who stole my powers. All part of a plot masterminded by my exboyfriend’s dad. Because my life sucks.

Not bad enough? I upped the ante by seeking comfort in Sebastian, my hot dragon shifter instructor. For one night, he acted like he cared about all of that—like he cared about me. I let him hold me, even kiss me, convinced he felt something too. Until I woke up on his couch the next morning to find him gone. Instead, Levi was there, ready to walk me back to my dorm. Talk about a walk of shame. I’m probably the only person on the planet to have a walk of shame after only kissing someone.

Completely mind-melting, life-altering kisses that I can’t stop thinking about. Even if I want to punch Sebastian as much as I want to kiss him again. He has not spoken one word to me since that night. Lucky me—I get to see him three times a week in his selfdefense classes, while he pretends I don’t exist.

So, yeah. I think I’ve earned a little frustration.

The Healer clears her throat. “I’d really like to get a good reading. Maybe if you took a few moments to practice some of your breathing techniques?”

“Breathing techniques are not going to bring my powers back.”

“I didn’t say they would. But if you’re this riled up, your emotions block the reading. Your whole aura is pulsing with anger. Do you want to talk about it?”

This is a little outside the bounds of what Healers normally do. But then, they’re not like human doctors who, from what I gathered from my limited experience, ask what’s wrong and then prescribe pills. Healers are a little more holistic about their care, of course with a big splash of magic.

DoI want to talk about it?

So far, I’ve managed to shut down anyone else who’s asked. Namely Willow, Kurt, and Levi. Even Ms. Ellwyn, whose friendly nature makes it almost impossible to keep any secrets during our counseling sessions. At the risk of Sebastian losing his job, I can’t tell any adults about what happened. He’s my instructor. If that’s the reason he ditched me, I’d understand. I would even wait. Things are

a little different at Blakemore, and Sebastian’s only a year older than me. Still, I know there are rules, ones he has to follow if he wants to keep his job.

Part of me feels sure this is why he ran, but he could have at least explained it to me. Without hearing him say it, my insecurities run wild. I’ve dated so many guys who were into me for my power or my position. Guys like Toby, my ex who cheated on me with a number of girls, including my ex-best friend. I want to give Sebastian the benefit of the doubt. But I can’t.

I square my shoulders. “Talking won’t help. Tell me this: did you feel something during the reading? Anything?”

“No, but—”

“Have you seen any supes at Blakemore Academy get their powers back?” I ask.

I study her face, with its deep lines and soft blue eyes. I can see the internal struggle before she finally answers me. “No.”

“Okay, then. I think we’re done.” I hop off the table and grab my bag, heading for the door. “I’ve got classes. If you don’t mind.”

“Cade, I barely felt your aura. It’s cloaked in anger. You haven’t calmed down enough for me to really dig.”

I spin to face her, clutching the doorknob to keep her from seeing the way my hand is shaking. “What if I don’t want you digging? Maybe I just want to move on and forget how good I had it before. This is my new normal. Better get used to it. Right?”

Her voice is quiet and kind. “Is that what you want?”

I slam the door behind me without another word.

Of coursethat’s not what I want. But right now, even if I got my powers back, I’d be lost.

Would I return home to my parents, who were involved in the mages stealing my power? Leave behind the only really good friends I’ve ever had?

Forget about Sebastian, who still consumes my thoughts, even when I try to push them away?

I don’t have a place in DC anymore. Truthfully, I’m not sure I belong anywhere.

As I turn the corner to head to my Elemental Connections class, I slam right into a wall of flannel. “Oof!”

Strong hands curl around my arms. I don’t even think. My body simply reacts with a move I’ve practiced with Levi in self-defense. I break his hold on my arms, throwing a punch with my left hand while I kick his knee with my right foot. Perfect execution. Sebastian would be so proud. Well. Considering the silent treatment he’s been doling out, maybe not.

As the stranger hits the floor with a grunt, my brain has time to catch up. I see his red cheek, the straps of his backpack, his wide eyes staring up at me underneath floppy brown hair. Another student. Not some rogue mage or random attacker.

My hand flies to my mouth. “I am sosorry.”

His breathing is labored. He holds up a finger, like he needs a moment, but there is the tiniest smile at the edge of his lips. I’m going to be late to my class, but waiting is the least I can do. I offer him my hand. He stares at it for a second, like he’s unsure he can trust me, then meets my eyes.

“This is a friendly hand to help me up, right? You’re not going to pull another ninja move and toss me down the hall?”

He flashes a smile worthy of an ad at a dentist’s office. A single dimple appears in his right cheek. Before I can answer, he takes my outstretched hand, pulling himself to his feet. He doesn’t let go right away, and for some reason, neither do I. It morphs into a handshake.

“Rafe Warren. Newest recruit to Supernatural Reform School. And you must be the welcoming committee.”

A giggle escapes my lips. For the first time in weeks, someone has managed to make me laugh. Someone whose golden-brown eyes are warm, whose hand strong and calloused. His smile widens. That dimple!

Maybe it’s just because I feel so abandoned by Sebastian, or maybe it’s because of everything that’s happened in the last few weeks, but this guy’s smile reaches part of me it shouldn’t. The butterflies I thought had long-since died, perk up ever-so-slightly in my stomach.

Which, of course, immediately makes me feel guilty. Not that I owe Sebastian a thing, not a single thing, but some clearly-deranged part of me still feels like I do. I drop Rafe’s hand.

“I’ve got class.” I push past him at a brisk pace. “Sorry for mauling you,” I call over my shoulder.

“Anytime!”

His voice carries after me down the hall, making my cheeks flush, but I don’t look back.

SLOTH SHIFTERS

Imanage to make it through my morning classes without attacking any more students. By the time I reach the dining hall, my anger is at a low simmer instead of the rolling boil it’s been at for weeks. The one-two punch of Elemental Connections and yoga with Mr. Norris helped. I’m not a very woo-woo person normally, but Mr. Norris has a way of making me feel at ease that I suspect involves his vamp powers.

But when I reach my normal table, I see a familiar head of brown hair above a soft-blue flannel shirt. Rafe is chatting it up with Willow as if he’s sat there the entire school year. Of course he’s sitting next to the empty chair that’s normally mine.

Willow’s eyes light up and she waves dramatically, like she hasn’t seen me in weeks. “Cade! Meet the new guy. This is Rafe Warren. Today’s his first day. I saw him sitting alone, which was totally unacceptable.”

Rafe turns to face me, his eyes flashing with surprise. He laughs, that dang dimple making another appearance. “We’ve met.”

I sink down next to him. Kurt bumps my shoulder in greeting. “Have you, now? Why do I get the sense that there’s more?”

“I may have, uh, given too enthusiastic of a greeting in the hallway.”

Rafe leans across me to speak to Kurt. “That’s her nice way of saying that she pulled out some kind of crazy attack move and threw

me to the ground. If that was enthusiastic, I’d hate to see you angry.”

Willow giggles and Kurt rumbles a laugh beside me. “Nice going, gorgeous.”

I shrug and nod towards Levi. “Blame that guy. He’s my partner in self-defense. Everything I learned, I learned from him.” And Sebastian.“But I see you met Willow, the actual welcoming committee. Hopefully that makes up for our first meeting.”

Rafe reaches down to pull something out of his bag, and I swear I hear him mutter, “I’d call it our meet-cute.”

My cheeks feel hot and I focus on the slice of pizza in front of me. Kurt, who misses nothing, elbows me lightly, even though he’s engrossed in a conversation with Olivia on his other side. Levi smirks at me across the table. Dang vampires and their super-hearing.

“So, Rafe. Where are you from?” Willow asks.

“Blacksburg.”

She continues her barrage of questions, hardly giving Rafe a chance to breathe in between answers. I learn that he’s a junior in high school, plays soccer, and loves Marvel. He and Levi have a brief, but heated, debate about DC and Marvel. Nerds. Total nerds.

“I’m glad you’re here,” Willow says, when they’ve finally come to some kind of comic consensus. “I mean, I’m not glad you lost your powers. But if you’re here, I’m glad you’re here.”

Rafe flicks his gaze to me. “Thanks for letting me sit with you. Nothing says new kid like sitting alone at lunch. Didn’t know I’d be eating with royalty, though. I’m honored.”

He says it lightly, without a shred of derision, but my irritation rises as I realize the reference. It’s been so long since anyone has called me the Paranormal Princess. The table goes silent. Even without my powers, I’m never going to live down that stupid moniker. With everything that’s going on, it stings worse than normal. If he only knew how far the princess has really fallen.

Kurt chuckles. “You should be. It’s the best seat in the house,” he says, rescuing me from a response. He squeezes my shoulder and mercifully changes the subject. “What’re you in for?”

Rafe tugs on the collar of his flannel shirt, ears red. It should bother me to see him squirm, but I’m still prickly from his reference to my nickname. He can squirm a little.

“I lost my powers about a week ago,” Rafe says. “Healers couldn’t do anything about it, so I got shipped to Blakemore. From what Willow says, that’s a common theme around here.”

Levi nods. That’s something he found out by hacking student records a few weeks before. Until then, most of us thought that being stripped of powers was an unusual thing. Here, though, it’s most students.

“Seems to be. What were your powers?”

I play a rapid-fire game of guess-the-supe before Rafe answers. With his lanky build, warm personality, and penchant for flannel, I’m assuming a shifter of some kind. Wolf, maybe?

“Sloth shifter,” Rafe says.

Kurt drops his fork as Levi’s jaw falls open. I nearly spit out my drink. It charges up my nose, ending in a series of uncomfortable coughs and really attractive hacking sounds. Otherwise, the table is dead silent.

Willow is the first to speak. “Well, um, wow. I know there are some more rare species, but I can’t say I’ve ever met a sloth.”

Rafe busts out laughing. “Totally joking. I just like seeing the look on people’s faces when I say that. You did not disappoint. Fox shifter. Gray fox shifter.” He says the last part like he’s James Bond. I can’t help but laugh.

“Figures,” Kurt mutters. “Tricksy.”

Chugging water, I try not to snort any more into my nose. “It’s a good joke. Totally got me.”

“Does that to most people. At this point it’s laugh or cry, right?” Rafe’s smile falters and he rubs the back of his neck. “I don’t mind. I was out in the woods when it happened. Just being, you know, foxy. I felt a wicked strong surge of power and then bam. My whole life flipped.”

I’m surprised he’s being so open. Most people don’t like talking about how they lost their powers. Bouncing my knee, I lean forward, elbows on the table. “You didn’t see who or what hit you?”

Rafe shakes his head, a strand of dark brown hair falling over one eye. “Nope. Guess it smacked me from behind. Super weird.”

His story reminds me of Willow’s. My stomach twists as I realize yet again that this happened at least in part because of my parents. I’m still not used to the idea. Every time that reality hits me, a wave of guilt-induced nausea comes with it. A thousand questions flood my mind. Did I miss signs of my parents’ involvement or did I just ignore them? And if I had noticed, would I have done anything? CouldI have done anything?

I should be doing something now, but for the last two weeks, I called off all meetings of Operation Witch Hunt. I just couldn’t handle it. The conversation drifts to other topics I don’t quite follow. My brain is too crowded with thoughts. All the peaceful centering I did this morning with Mr. Norris has evaporated.

I stand. “I’m going to head back to the dorm before class. Forgot my jacket.”

“Aren’t you wearing your jacket?” Willow asks. Busted. “My other jacket. See ya!”

As I head through the double doors, someone calls my name. I turn to find Rafe walking after me. He moves to walk beside me, hands shoved into his pockets and wearing a sheepish grin. It’s a mask I’ve seen guys wear before, that whole aw-shucks act meant to disarm other people. I’m immediately on my guard. He seems nice enough, so maybe I’m just being overly suspicious. Then again, getting burned seems to be the story of my life.

“Sorry about the royalty comment,” Rafe says. “I really didn’t mean anything by it. Didn’t realize the Paranormal Princess reference would be such a sore spot. Though, if I had to live under the microscope like you did, I can imagine it would get old.”

With a frown, I consider his words. There doesn’t really seem to be any pretense in his expression or his voice, and after all the emotional whiplash other people have given me lately, his straightforward apology is kind of refreshing. Maybe he’s like Willow, innocent and lacking a filter.

I cross my arms. “It’s fine. You’re not the first person here to call me that and probably won’t be the last. It hit me at the wrong time.

I’ve had a rough couple of days. Weeks. Months.” I smile.

Rafe laughs. “Yeah, the way you reacted this morning gave me a heads up. Fast reflexes, by the way. If I didn’t already know better, I’d guess you were a shifter.”

“Thanks. I’m actually the worst in class, so I appreciate it.”

We reach the doors and Rafe holds one open for me. I do my best to pass through without touching him. But I can’t miss the way he smells: woodsy, like cedar. Sighing, I pick up the pace. He matches mine, jogging a little to catch up and opening the dorm door when we get there. As I walk past him, he flashes me that grin again, the dimple doing its best to draw me in. Maybe if I didn’t have all this weight hanging off me … but I do.

Rafe is cute, warm, and funny, but a complication I absolutely don’t need right now. Old Cade? Would have been all over this. New Cade? Well, I’m still figuring her out. But both Cades have a terrible track record with boys. It would be completely unfair to lead Rafe on. No guys need the kind of mess I’ve got going on. And while there definitely is something alluring about his happy, good-guy vibe, it doesn’t compare to the draw I feel toward Sebastian. Even now.

“So, you’re in self-defense? I’ve got that today. Should I be scared? I’ve heard the instructor is pretty harsh.”

My heart catches. “That’s a good word for him.” Don’taskmore questions.Don’taskmorequestions.But of course, today is not my day.

“Sounds like there’s a story there.”

A very, very short one. “Nope. No story.”

I swallow through the thickness in my throat. For the billionth time in the last few days, tears threaten to fall. I almost feel bad for lying. But right now, I’m all about survival. My body craves Sebastian, the feel of his strong arms around me, the low rumble of his voice making promises he broke almost as soon as they were out of his mouth.

I’vegotyou, he said.

And he does have me, but not in the way he promised. He said it like he would hold me, keep me safe. Nope. He’s got me because the broken pieces of my heart are dragging along behind him, while

he’s doing everything he can to shake them off. Like mud from the bottom of his shoe.

“Guess I’ll see you later!” I dart up the stairs to my room before I start sobbing in front of the poor new kid.

CAVEMAN

Alot of things have changed since I started at Blakemore. One constant is dreading self-defense with Sebastian.

Okay, so it’s never alldread. More like a sliding scale of dread and excitement. But after his kiss-and-run, it’s more like ninety percent dread and ten percent desire. Maybe eighty-twenty, but only if I happen to think about his kiss.

Thatkiss.

Of course, that’s what I’m thinking about this afternoon when I walk in and see Sebastian. And Rafe. No amount of meditation or centering could have prepared me for seeing the two of them standing together at the front of the room.

Rafe spots me and waves, smiling. “Hey, Cade!”

Sebastian’s head snaps up, and it’s like the first time he’s really looked at me in weeks. His gaze might be fixed on my eyes, but it hits me straight in the chest. My feet falter just inside the classroom, like he’s pinned me in place.

He doesn’t get to do this to me. Grinding my teeth, I force myself to move across the room to where Levi is giving me an understanding look. But of course, Rafe pulls me into the conversation with Sebastian. He hooks his arm through mine and I swear I can hear the dull roar of Sebastian’s dragon as his gaze falls to where Rafe and I are touching.

I start to pull away but hesitate. I don’t want to play games. I really don’t. But isn’t that what Sebastian has been doing with me? Push, pull. Love, hate. Kiss, run. I’m over it. If he wants to ditch me and then pretend I don’t exist, he can learn to handle a little jealousy. I lean closer into Rafe. Sebastian’s silver gaze narrows and I swear his pupils start to elongate.

“You see this?” Rafe, seemingly oblivious to the rage building in Sebastian, points to the bruise forming on his cheek. “This morning Cade gave a great demonstration of what she’s learned. I grabbed her and BAM! Next thing I know, I’m on my back on the floor.”

“You. Grabbed. Her?”

The temperature is rising around us. Heat radiates from Sebastian’s skin. Rafe blinks, suddenly realizing that this conversation has gone off the rails.

I pull Rafe a few steps back then drop his arm and put space between us. “Sebastian.” My voice is low, a warning, but I’m not sure that he even hears it.

Levi is suddenly there, spinning Sebastian around to face the windows. I jerk Rafe away and then sort of shove him toward a different corner of the room than where Levi and I usually spar.

“I’ve got a partner, but you might find someone who doesn’t back here,” I tell him.

“Is everything okay?”

“Yep.”

I eye Levi, who has his arm locked around Sebastian’s back. It could pass for a friendly side hug, except for how tense the muscles are in Levi’s arms. And the way Sebastian is practically vibrating. My stomach clenches with that flutter that feels like an echo of my powers. It rises up, stronger than it used to be, and when I mentally reach for that well of power, I swear that for a brief second, my fingertips tingle.

Maybe I should have worked harder to be calm with the Healer. Would she have read this in my aura?

“I heard he was intense, but … wow.” Rafe looks nervously at Sebastian, dragging my attention back to the moment at hand.

“He’ll be fine.” Ithink. “My advice? Stay in the back. Stay quiet.”

Stay away from me. I don’t say this last part because the last thing I want is to dive into why our self-defense instructor has gone all caveman over me. I’m furious that he thinks he has the right to, but I cannot deny the tiny spark of hope in me, wanting it to mean something.

“Warm up by running,” Sebastian practically snarls from the front of the room. He still has his back to us. A few students start murmuring. “Now.”

We all start to jog around the room. I make sure to keep Rafe in my periphery, adjusting my speed faster or slower so we aren’t together. It’s not fair for Sebastian to be jealous of me talking to another guy. He can’t ghost me, then expect me to stay away from all other males. But I also don’t want to have this whole situation come to a head in the middle of a classroom. For the sake of Sebastian’s job, my own humiliation, and, it seems, for Rafe’s safety.

Levi catches up to me a few minutes later, which I guess means Sebastian has calmed down enough to run the class. I’m trying not to steal glances his way.

“Well, that was fun,” I say between breaths. Running has gotten easier but talking while running is still not in my wheelhouse.

“You should talk to him,” Levi says.

“Ishould talk to him? Right.”

Without a backwards glance, I pick up my pace. Levi could catch me if he wanted, but I’m not surprised when he lets me go.

He’s half-right, though: Sebastian and I do need to have a conversation to resolve our issues with actual words. Even if that means we officially walk away. But if he thinks I’m going to be the one that comes to him, that is never going to happen.

AMBUSHED

Iknow an ambush when I see one.

So, the moment I walk into my dorm room and see Willow sitting on my bed, her red hair in a messy bun and her smile a smidge too bright, I groan. The cartons of ice cream in her lap seal the deal.

“How long have you been sitting here, lying in wait?”

I skipped dinner, hiding at my old table in the library, which feels sad and lonely without Levi and Willow there for our Operation Witch Hunt meetings. I drop my messenger bag on the floor, slide out of my coat, and kick off my boots. The weather has taken a cold turn, perfect for my dark mood.

“Long enough that this might be more milkshake than ice cream. Hope that’s okay. I did come prepared, though. Spoon and straw!”

She holds up both hands, one clutching straws and the other two spoons. Mentally waving my white flag, I drop down on the bed beside her. I can’t say no to Willow. I really can’t. I’ve only known her since I arrived at Blakemore a month ago, but she’s the best friend I’ve ever had.

I take a spoon and open the container without even looking at the flavor. It’s some variation of chocolate with chocolate chunks. Willow knows me well.

“Where do you want to start the interrogation?” I ask between bites.

Willow rolls her eyes. “Cade. We’re best friends. It shouldn’t be like that. We share things. As friends. And you’ve been pushing me away. I gave you some time, but it’s been long enough. I’m not going to force you, but I think you need someone to talk to.”

She isn’t wrong. I can’t keep bottling all this up.

Willow, Levi, and Kurt have all given me space for the past few weeks, though I know they’ve wanted to press me. I really don’t know where to start, though. It’s too much. Which is why I’ve been avoiding my friends and keeping things light. I couldn’t totally get away from them. I still see them at every meal, still partner with Levi in self-defense, and still room with Willow. But I haven’t gone deeper than polite small talk.

Taking another bite of ice cream, I consider what to say. I haven’t talked about my parents or my powers or Operation Witch Hunt, something we’d all been working on before I went home and found out about my parents. I’m not sure I can stomach knowing just how much bad stuff they have been involved in. All this time, I thought they were the good guys. Sure, working in the Supernatural Senate meant wheeling and dealing, but I thought it was all for the greater good, keeping the peace between the supernatural communities and the humans.

Now? I’m not sure what their end game is, and I don’t know if I want to know. Talking about it is like picking at a scab that’s still too raw.

And I most certainly do not talk about Sebastian Locke. Especially after his confusing show of possessiveness in class today that left me angry. Secretly delighted, but still angry.

That word doesn’t even touch the depth of my feelings. I know that it wouldn’t hurt if I didn’t have feelings for him. Knowing I still care about him makes my anger even more volcanic. Sometimes I feel like it’s going to erupt. I really hope he’s not around when it does.

“You still with me?” Willow asks gently.

Sighing, I give her a pleading look. “How about we start with you? Ease me into this whole talking about feelings thing. What’s happening with you and Levi?”

This is almost as dirty a trick as the ice cream. I can see the conflict on her face. Willow wants to be there for me. She wants to help pull me out of this pit I’ve been wallowing in. But I can also see that she’s bursting at the seams to talk about her vampire boyfriend. A flash of guilt moves through me. I really haven’t been a good friend.

“Are you sure?” she asks, biting her lip.

“I want details. Well. Maybe not too many.” I wrinkle my nose.

She giggles, and her face brightens. “Okay. So, things are going great, right? My family loves him, he said his family loves me. They made me a little nervous, but I think they approved.” She leans forward and starts to whisper. “We’ve been talking about blood sharing.”

It takes me a moment to follow. “You mean … letting him drink from you?”

Willow’s face creases with worry. “You think it’s a bad idea.”

“No! I mean, I don’t know.”

I take a spoonful of ice cream while I think about this. I totally would have expected for her to say they were thinking about having sex. But no, we’re supes, and the supe world can be weird. She’s thinking about letting her vamp boyfriend drink her blood. Okay. Even though I’m friends with Kurt and Levi, I still don’t know that much about the vampire community. Being here at Blakemore made me realize just how on the edges of society supes push vampires. Is it just fear of their bloodlust? Levi almost attacked me the first day I met him because he’d been blood-fasting, so I get it. He had been terrifying. And so different from the gentle, kind guy I know him as now.

“What does Levi say about it?” I ask her.

“He doesn’t want to pressure me. I brought it up, actually.”

“You did?” Sometimes Willow shocks me. I’m trying to imagine this conversation between them and I just can’t.

She nods and her cheeks flush. “I mean, it just seems like a nobrainer. He needs blood. I’m willing.”

I remember Levi saying once that he didn’t just drink blood from anyone. “This is special, right? Like, a big step in your relationship?”

“Yep. I’m ready. I think. But he’s hesitant.”

“Has he said why?” Levi is a good guy. If he’s unsure, there’s a reason.

Willow makes a face and takes another bite of her ice cream. I have no idea what her flavor is tonight, but it’s purple. “He just wants to make sure I’msure, I think. But the fact that he’s hesitating …” She sticks her spoon in the ice cream and then grabs my hand. “What if he doesn’t feel the same way I do? What if that’s why he doesn’t want to? I mean, even Kurt and Olivia are bloodsharing and they haven’t been together as long.”

I’ve seen the marks on Olivia’s neck. She hasn’t tried to hide them, clearly happy to show off the fact that she’s with Kurt. I hadn’t really questioned the fact that I hadn’t seen Willow with bites. Or thought about how that might feel for her.

But Levi is clearly in love with Willow. It happened fast, but I don’t doubt it for a second. Willow’s green eyes are filled with tears and she bites her lip.

“Willow, I know Levi. I bet if he’s unsure, it’s probably because he’s being protective. He wants what’s best for you. He probably doesn’t want to rush you. There’s not the slightest chance that he doesn’t love you.”

“You think so?” Her face perks up.

“Absolutely. You guys are totally in love. It would be super annoying if I didn’t like you both so much.”

She squeezes my hand. “Thank you. Now. Are you ready to talk?”

WillIeverbe?Willow makes it seem so easy to be vulnerable. That was never my strong suit. And after everything the past few months, trust is harder for me than it was before.

But what am I going to do? Keep everyone at a distance because a few people betrayed and hurt me? Maybe it’s time for me to just rip the bandage off.

Setting down my spoon, I square my shoulders. “Well. Let’s see. My parents are behind Operation Witch Hunt and me losing my powers. My ex-boyfriend cheated with my ex-best friend. And the guy I really like made me think he cared when he really doesn’t. Oh,

and then he threw a huge hissy fit today in class over Rafe. What else?”

Willow’s mouth drops open. “Rafe and Bash? In class?”

“Yep. Epic meltdown. Levi had to step in. I thought Sebastian might go dragon right there in the room.”

“I’m sorry. For what it’s worth, Levi says that Bash—”

I hold up a hand. “I really don’t care what Levi says. Sorry. You know I love Levi. But he should stop defending him. If Sebastian has something to say, he can say it to me. Except he won’t because every time he sees me, he retreats behind his wall of solitude.”

“Wow. Are you done with your little pity party?” My head jerks to look toward the bathroom, where Olivia stands, clearly not sorry at all for eavesdropping.

Despite the fact that she and Kurt are together and she’s not as awful as I used to think, Olivia and I aren’t close. She’s the first to admit that she’s not a very nicegirl. She’s honest, but her honesty doesn’t have a soft landing. It’s brutal. I both appreciate it and fear it just a bit.

“How long have you been standing there?” I ask. She rolls her eyes, then crosses the room to sit on the bed between us. She takes the carton of ice cream right from my hands. Sticking a straw in it, she sucks until it’s gone. Wiping her mouth, she hands the empty container back to me.

“Long enough to know what you need,” she says.

“What’s that?”

She grins wickedly at me and then Willow. “Girls’ night out. Now.”

CLUBBING

The Roanoke club scene compared to DC’s is like comparing preschoolers to high schoolers. That isn’t fair. Maybe preschoolers to college kids? Honestly, they probably shouldn’t be compared.

Still, I’m determined to follow Olivia’s advice and let loose. The fact that I’m doing anything Olivia suggested is baffling. But she is right this time: I need to blow off steam. So, the three of us are on the dance floor, music pounding, with a crowd of bodies moving around us. It feels … nice. Normal. For a few minutes, I can shove all my dark thoughts to the edges of my mind. Not gone, but like I’ve pressed mute. For now.

I honestly thought Willow would say no when Olivia suggested it. I mean, she was already in her pajamas and never struck me as the clubbing type. But she squealed and jumped out of bed, getting dressed in a record of three minutes.

Now here she is, busting out some crazy hip hop move. I would have pegged her for more of the hippie shake-and-sway kind of dancer, but this is way more entertaining to watch. Girl’s got moves. Olivia lifts an eyebrow and then catches my eye, smiling. Guess she didn’t know about Willow’s dancing abilities either.

A guy comes over, sandwiching himself between me and Olivia. As he grabs my hips and tries grinding on Olivia at the same time, I miss my old best friend Eliza. Or at least her ability to create a

bubble around us on the dance floor. I can’t miss someone who cheated with my boyfriend. But the bubble would be nice.

I try to shove the guy’s hands off, but Olivia takes a more confrontational approach. She stops dancing and gets in his face. “We don’t want to have sex with you. Go on!”

And then, like he’s a dog, she shoos him away. I’d feel bad, but honestly, his behavior was pretty dog-like. I can’t help but laugh, throwing my head back to stare up into the moving lights. Olivia goes right back to dancing next to me like nothing happened. When another guy approaches, she cuts him off a few feet away with a fierce glare and a wave of her finger.

Another point for Olivia. We grin at each other and I feel something shift in our relationship. Baby steps.

For a few songs, I’m able to let go at least a little, feeling the music sink into my limbs. But it doesn’t reach any deeper. People talk about broken hearts, but mine feels like a lump of coal. Black and hard and cold. If it were just Sebastian, I could get over him in time. But that combined with my parents? It’s lethal.

I don’t just feel like my parents betrayed me; it’s like they died. Or maybe even worse. When people die, you mourn them and miss them. I can’t even miss my parents because I’m so angry with them. My whole childhood and life feel like a lie, with every memory now tainted. And I still have to keep up the pretense of things being fine when they call. Which so far has meant letting them go straight to voicemail.

“I’m getting a drink!” I shout to Olivia and Willow, who nod and keep dancing.

This place is packed, likely because there is only one club in Roanoke, the closest city to Blakemore. I elbow my way through the moving bodies, ignoring a few stares and comments. After a month mostly out of the public eye, the press got bored with Paranormal Princess stories and moved on to other celebutantes. It’s a massive relief not to wake up in the morning wondering what the Internet is saying about you.

I finally reach the bar and order a water. There aren’t any open seats, so I stand by the end of the counter, sipping my water.

Willow’s fiery hair is like a beacon in the middle of the floor. But she isn’t alone. The smile slips from my face as I realize that Levi is dancing with her. Which probably means … I search the crowd. Yep. Kurt’s tall frame is hard to miss. He and Olivia are plastered together, moving their hips in perfect sync. When she looks up at him, smiling, he leans down and kisses her so passionately that I feel like I shouldn’t be watching.

I turn away. It’s not that I’m jealous, exactly. I don’t want to be with Kurt. Or Levi. It’s not even that I mind that girls’ night turned into couples-plus-Cade night. I want my friends to be happy.

But I feel like it’s never going to happen for me. At least not until I can untangle my heart from Sebastian. Much easier said than done.

Every moment I have to spend around him in class is like someone punching me in the gut. Seeing the way his muscles bunch when he demonstrates moves only reminds me how it felt to be held by him. Catching his smoke and leather scent as he walks past me to work with other students transports me instantly back to the way he cradled me on his couch. And when he teaches, I can’t tear my eyes away from his lips, remembering how they moved against my mouth. Even the rich timbre of his voice seems to find its way from my ears to my heart.

Though his display this afternoon over Rafe infuriated me, I get it. Any time he touches another girl in class, even a simple adjustment of form, I want to throw myself across the room and claw out her eyes.

I set my empty glass down on the bar, shaking myself out of my thoughts. Girls’ night out certainly hasn’t helped my mood. My stomach rolls and I head toward the bathroom. There’s a long line, which makes me miss my days of being in the VIP sections of clubs. Regular bathrooms wouldn’t have been good enough for the Paranormal Princess. But that’s not who I am. Not anymore.

A cramping feeling shoots through my gut, and I honestly feel like I’m going to puke. There’s no way I can wait in line. I’m not risking the idea of throwing up out here.

I push past the line of people and walk farther down the darkened hallway. There’s a staff door to the left and I walk through, like I have every right to do so. Looking confident is the key to getting away with a lot of things. As I pass an office, I see a door for a unisex bathroom on the left, just where I thought it might be. I duck inside.

I have my dad to thank for the knowledge that most of the time, bathrooms are grouped together. He sometimes brought home blueprints and plans drawn up for projects he had been asked to approve or advocate for. I remember him showing me how to read plans and what to look for. Plumbing is pretty simple. It’s more expensive to put in pipes in multiple locations. Thinking of my dad does nothing to help my twisting stomach.

Sighing, I lock the door behind me and lean against the tile wall next to the toilet, hoping this feeling will pass. After a few minutes with my eyes closed, it does. I move to the sink, avoiding my reflection. I run the cold water, splashing my face carefully to avoid ruining my makeup. I feel terrible; I don’t need to look as bad as I feel.

When I walk out of the bathroom, I run right into a broad chest. The guy doesn’t budge, which knocks me back a step. My first thought is that I’m busted for sneaking into the employee bathroom. My second thought, just as I’m about to politely apologize, is that this guy isn’t wearing any kind of staff uniform.

Before I can react, he grabs me roughly by the arms and shoves me back into the small bathroom, kicking the door closed with his boot.

Only a blink of time passes as the situation becomes clear, and then I’m fighting him off. For the past month in self-defense, Levi has talked to me about muscle memory as we sparred. I saw it firsthand with Rafe and I’m thankful for it now. My head is a mess of thoughts, but my body knows just what to do.

I manage a kick to the side of the guy’s knee and throw an elbow to his solar plexus. I’m about to go for the groin, but he stops my knee with a punch to my thigh, then spins me into the wall.

I cry out as my cheek hits the cold tile. He wraps an arm around my neck and another around my waist. None of the positions we practiced in class were similar to this one. Despite the pain radiating through my face, I struggle until his arm tightens around my neck. Suddenly, all my attention is on breathing.

Duckyourchin. The echo of Sebastian’s voice reaches my mind. Keepyourairwayopeninanattack.

The man’s breath stinks of cigarettes and I realize that he’s said nothing. No insults, no threats. The only sounds are his breathing and a grunt when I kicked him. My first thought was that this had to do with Operation Witch Hunt. That maybe this was the same person who stalked me in the library a few weeks ago.

His intent is clear, though, as he presses against my backside. This has nothing to do with my powers, and everything to do with him taking pleasure from overpowering me. Disgust fills me.

I strain, trying to reach for my powers even though I haven’t been able to grasp them since that night with the mages. There have been those few moments around Sebastian where I’m sure I felt a whisper of something. In class today, I swear my fingertips felt something. That gives me hope. I focus my mind, pulling with all I have.

Just for a moment, there’s a flutter. It’s almost like trying to remember a dream in the morning when you can briefly grasp the images, then they slip away. I can feel my power. I can. But my mental fingers brush past it, unable to get a grip.

My throat is painfully tight, and pressure builds in my face. My vision clouds over with pinpricks of light and dark. I’m passing out. Right here in this bathroom at a club, with hundreds of people just on the other side of this wall, where I can feel the bass thumping still. Another sound sends a jolt of panic through me. He’s unbuckling his belt.

With the last bit of strength I can muster, I reach my hands back for his face, managing to gouge my fingernails into the skin around his eyes.

The pressure on my neck loosens, but he grabs my hair, slamming my face into the wall again. I crumple to the floor, where an errant thought flits by: Ihopetheycleanedrecently.

There’s a crash and I curl into myself as the man is suddenly airborne. He hits the wall near the toilet behind me, his face striking the porcelain bowl. With a grunt, he slumps down to the floor, passed out cold.

When I look up, I’m shocked to see Sebastian standing in the doorway, his chest heaving. Something about him is different and it takes me a moment to realize that his eyes are completely silver, with elongated reptilian pupils stretching through them. His hands are tipped with long, black talons.

Trembling and overwhelmed, I drop my head into my hands, suddenly aware of the pounding in my skull. Moaning, I scoot away from the unconscious man who just attacked me, dragging myself over the floor.

Another random document with no related content on Scribd:

at the upper part and terminating posteriorly at the lower part of the body cavity.

In Fig. 63 we show the arrangement of some of the chief organs of the body, with the exception of the muscular and respiratory systems, and the fat-body. It is scarcely necessary to point out that the figure is merely diagrammatic, and does not show the shapes and sizes of the organs as they will be found in any one Insect.

Muscles.

The muscular system of Insects is very extensive, Lyonnet[31] having found, it is said, nearly 4000 muscles in the caterpillar of the goatmoth; a large part of this number are segmental repetitions, nevertheless the muscular system is really complex, as may be seen by referring to the study of the flight of dragon-flies by von Lendenfeld.[32]

The minute structure of the muscles does not differ essentially from what obtains in Vertebrate animals. The muscles are aggregations of minute fibrils which are transversely striated, though in variable degree. Those in the thorax are yellow or pale brown, but in other parts the colour is more nearly white. The muscles of flight are described as being penetrated by numerous tracheae, while those found elsewhere are merely surrounded by these aerating tubules.

The force brought into play by the contractions of Insect muscles is very great, and has been repeatedly stated to be much superior to that of Vertebrate animals; very little reliance can, however, be placed on the assumptions and calculations that are supposed to prove this, and it is not supported by Camerano's recent researches. [33]

Some of the tendons to which the muscles are attached are very elaborate structures, and are as hard as the chitinous skeleton, so as to be like small bones in their nature. A very elaborate tendon of this kind is connected with the prothoracic trochantin in Coleoptera, and may be readily examined in Hydrophilus. It has been suggested that the entothorax is tendinous in its origin, but other morphologists treat it, with more reason, as an elaborate fold inwards of the integument.

F. 64. Cephalic and ventral chain of ganglia: A, larva of Chironomus; B, imago of Hippobosca (After Brandt )

Nervous System.

Insects are provided with a very complex nervous system, which may be treated as consisting of three divisions:—(1) The cephalic system; (2) the ventral, or ganglionic chain; (3) an accessory sympathetic system, or systems. All these divisions are intimately connected. We will consider first the most extensive, viz. the ventral chain. This consists of a series of small masses of nervous matter called ganglia which extend in the longitudinal direction of the body along the median line of the lower aspect, and are connected by longitudinal commissures, each ganglion being joined to that following it by two threads of nervous matter. Each of the ganglia of the ventral chain really consists of two ganglia placed side by side and connected by commissures as well as cellular matter. In larvae some of the ganglia may be contiguous, so that the commissures do

not exist. From the ganglia motor nerves proceed to the various parts of the body for the purpose of stimulating and co-ordinating the contractions of the muscles. The number of the ganglia in the ventral chain differs greatly in different Insects, and even in the different stages of metamorphosis of the same species, but never exceeds thirteen. As this number is that of the segments of the body, it has been considered that each segment had primitively a single ganglion. Thirteen ganglia for the ventral chain can, however, be only demonstrated in the embryonic state; in the later stages of life eleven appears to be the largest number that can be distinguished, and so many as this are found but rarely, and then chiefly in the larval stage. The diminution in number takes place by the amalgamation or coalescence of some of the ganglia, and hence those Insects in which the ganglia are few are said to have a highly concentrated nervous system. The modes in which these ganglia combine are very various; the most usual is perhaps that of the combination of the three terminal ganglia into one body. As a rule it may be said that concentration is the concomitant of a more forward position of the ganglia. As a result of this it is found that in some cases, as in Lamellicorn beetles, there are no ganglia situate in the abdomen. In the perfect state of the higher Diptera, the thoracic and abdominal ganglia are so completely concentrated in the thorax as to form a sort of thoracic brain. In Fig. 64 we represent a very diffuse and a very concentrated ganglionic chain; A being that of the larva of Chironomus, B that of the imago of Hippobosca. In both these sketches the cephalic ganglia as well as those of the ventral chain are shown.

Turning next to the cephalic masses, we find these in the perfect Insect to be nearly always two in number: a very large and complex one placed above the oesophagus, and therefore called the supraoesophageal ganglion; and a smaller one, the sub- or infraoesophageal, placed below the oesophagus. The latter ganglion is in many Insects so closely approximated to the supra-oesophageal ganglion that it appears to be a part thereof, and is sometimes spoken of as the lower brain. In other Insects these two ganglia are more remote, and the infra-oesophageal one then appears part of

the ventral chain. In the embryo it is said that the mode of development of the supra-oesophageal ganglion lends support to the idea that it may be the equivalent of three ganglia; there being at one time three lobes, which afterwards coalesce, on each side of the mouth. This is in accordance with the view formulated by Viallanes[34] to the effect that this great nerve-centre, or brain, as it is frequently called, consists essentially of three parts, viz. a Proto-, a Deuto-, and a Trito-cerebron. It is, however, only proper to say that though the brain and the ventral chain of ganglia may appear to be one system, and in the early embryonic condition to be actually continuous, these points cannot be considered to be fully established. Dr. L. Will has informed us[35] that in Aphididae the brain has a separate origin, and is only subsequently united with the ganglionic chain. Some authorities say that in the early condition the sub-oesophageal ganglion is formed from two, and the supraoesophageal from the same number of ganglia; the division in that case being 2 and 2, not 3 and 1, as Viallanes' views would suggest. The inquiries that are necessary to establish such points involve very complex and delicate investigations, so that it is not a matter of surprise that it cannot yet be said whether each of these views may be in certain cases correct. The supra- and sub-oesophageal ganglia are always intimately connected by a commissure on each side of the oesophagus; when very closely approximated they look like one mass through which passes the oesophagus (Fig. 66, A). The large supra-oesophageal ganglion supplies the great nerves of the cephalic sense-organs, while the smaller sub-oesophageal centre gives off the nerves to the parts of the mouth. From the lower and anterior part of the supra-oesophageal ganglion a nervous filament extends as a ring round the anterior part of the oesophagus, and supplies a nerve to the upper lip.[36] This structure is not very well known, and has been chiefly studied by Liénard,[37] who considers that it will prove to be present in all Insects. Whether the two cephalic ganglia be considered as really part of a single great ganglionic chain, or the reverse, they are at any rate always intimately connected with the ventral ganglia. We have

already stated that the two cephalic masses are themselves closely approximated in many Insects, and may add that in some Hemiptera the first thoracic ganglion of the ventral chain is amalgamated into one body with the sub-oesophageal ganglion, and further that there are a few Insects in which this latter centre is wanting. If the cephalic ganglia and ventral chain be looked on as part of one system, this may be considered as composed originally of seventeen ganglia, which number has been demonstrated in some embryos.

The anatomy of the supra-oesophageal ganglion is very complex; it has been recently investigated by Viallanes[38] in the wasp (Vespa) and in a grasshopper (Caloptenus italicus). The development and complication of its inner structure and of some of its outer parts appear to be proportional with the state of advancement of the instinct or intelligence of the Insect, and Viallanes found the brain of the grasshopper to be of a more simple nature than that of the wasp.

F 65 —Brain of Worker Ant of Formica rufa (After Leydig, highly magnified ) Explanation in text

Brandt, to whom is due a large part of our knowledge of the anatomy of the nervous system in Insects, says that the supra-oesophageal ganglion varies greatly in size in various Insects, its mass being to a great extent proportional with the development of the compound eyes; hence the absolute size is not a criterion for the amount of intelligence, and we must rather look to the complication of the structure and to the development of certain parts for an index of this nature. The drone in the honey-bee has, correlatively with the superior development of its eyes, a larger brain than the worker, but the size of the hemispheres, and the development of the gyri

cerebrales is superior in the latter In other words, the mass of those great lobes of the brain that are directly connected with the faceted eyes must not be taken into account in a consideration of the relation of the size and development of the brain to the intelligence of the individual. The weight of the brain in Insects is said by Lowne to vary from 1⁄150 to 1⁄2500 of the weight of the body.

Figure 65 gives a view of one side of the supra-oesophageal ganglion of the worker of an ant,—Formica rufa,—and is taken from Leydig, who gives the following elucidation of it: A, primary lobe, a, homogeneous granular inner substance, b, cellular envelope; B, stalked bodies (gyri cerebrales), a, b, as before; C, presumed olfactory lobes, c, inner substance, d, ganglionic masses; D, ocular lobes, e, f, g, h, various layers of the same; E, origin of lateral commissures; F, median commissure in interior of brain; G, lower brain (sub-oesophageal ganglion); H, ocelli; J, faceted eye.

F. 66. Stomato-gastric nerves of Cockroach: A, with brain in situ, after Koestler; B, with the brain removed, after Miall and Denny: s.g, supra-oesophageal ganglion; o, optic nerve; a, antennary nerve; f.g, frontal ganglion; oe, oesophagus; c, connective; p.g, paired ganglia; v g, crop or ventricular ganglion; r, recurrent nerve

Besides the brain and the great chain of ganglia there exists an accessory system, or systems, sometimes called the sympathetic, vagus, or visceral system. Although complex, these parts are delicate and difficult of dissection, and are consequently not so well known as is the ganglionic chain. There is a connecting or median nerve cord, communicating with the longitudinal commissures of each segment, and itself dilating into ganglia at intervals; this is

sometimes called the unpaired system. There is another group of nerves having paired ganglia, starting from a small ganglion in the forehead, then connecting with the brain, and afterwards extending along the oesophagus to the crop and proventriculus (Fig. 66). This is usually called the stomatogastric system. The oesophageal ring we have already spoken of.

By means of these accessory nervous systems all the organs of the body are brought into more or less direct relation with the brain and the ganglionic chain.

Our knowledge of these subsidiary nervous systems is by no means extensive, and their nomenclature is very unsettled; little is actually known as to their functions.

Organs of Sense.

Insects have most delicate powers of perception, indeed they are perhaps superior in this respect to the other classes of animals. Their senses, though probably on the whole analogous to those of the Vertebrata, are certainly far from corresponding therewith, and their sense organs seem to be even more different from those of what we call the higher animals than the functions themselves are. We have already briefly sketched the structure of the optical organs, which are invariably situate on the head. This is not the case with the ears, which certainly exist in one Order,—the Orthoptera,—and are placed either on the front legs below the knee, or at the base of the abdomen. Notwithstanding their strange situation, the structures alluded to are undoubtedly auditory, and somewhat approximate in nature to the ear of Vertebrates, being placed in proximity to the inner face of a tense membrane; we shall refer to them when considering the Orthoptera. Sir John Lubbock considers—no doubt with reason—that some ants have auditory organs in the tibia. Many Insects possess rod-like or bristle-like structures in various parts of the body, called chordotonal organs; they are considered by

Graber[39] and others to have auditory functions, though they are not to be compared with the definite ears of the Orthoptera.

The other senses and sense organs of Insects are even less known, and have given rise to much perplexity; for though many structures have been detected that may with more or less probability be looked on as sense organs, it is difficult to assign a particular function to any of them, except it be to the sensory hairs. These are seated on various parts of the body. The chitinous covering, being a dead, hard substance, has no nerves distributed in it, but it is pierced with orifices, and in some of these there is implanted a hair which at its base is in connexion with a nerve; such a structure may possibly be sensitive not only to contact with solid bodies, but even to various kinds of vibration. We give a figure (Fig. 67) of some of these hairs on the caudal appendage of a cricket, after Vom Rath. The small hairs on the outer surface of the chitin in this figure have no sensory function, but each of the others probably has; and these latter, being each accompanied by a different structure, must, though so closely approximated, be supposed to have a different function; but in what way those that have no direct connexion with a nerve may act it is difficult to guess.

The antennae of Insects are the seats of a great variety of sense organs, many of which are modifications of the hair, pit and nerve structure we have described above, but others cannot be brought within this category. Amongst these we may mention the pits covered with membrane (figured by various writers), perforations of the chitin without any hair, and membranous bodies either concealed in cavities or partially protruding therefrom.

F. 67. Longitudinal section of portion of caudal appendage of Acheta domestica (after Vom Rath): ch, chitin; hyp, hypodermis; n, nerve; h1 , integumental hairs, not sensitive; h2 , ordinary hair; h3 , sensory hair; h4 , bladder-like hair; sz, sense-cell

F 68 Longitudinal section of apex of palpus of Pieris brassicae: sch, scales; ch, chitin; hyp, hypodermis; n, nerve; sz, sense cells; sh, sense hairs (After Vom Rath )

Various parts of the mouth are also the seats of sense organs of different kinds, some of them of a compound character; in such cases there may be a considerable number of hairs seated on branches of a common nerve as figured by Vom Rath[40] on the apex of the maxillary palp of Locusta viridissima, or a compound organ such as we represent in Fig. 68 may be located in the interior of the apical portion of the palp.

The functions of the various structures that have been detected are, as already remarked, very difficult to discover. Vom Rath thinks the cones he describes on the antennae and palpi are organs of smell, while he assigns to those on the maxillae, lower lip, epipharynx, and hypopharynx the rôle of taste organs, but admits he cannot draw any absolute line of distinction between the two forms. The opinions of Kraepelin, Hauser, and Will, as well as those of various earlier writers, are considered in Sir John Lubbock's book on this subject. [41] Alimentary and Nutritive System.

The alimentary canal occupies the median longitudinal axis of the body, being situated below the dorsal vessel, and above the ventral nervous chain; it extends from the mouth to the opposite extremity of the body. It varies greatly in the different kinds of Insects, but in all its forms it is recognised as consisting essentially of three divisions: anterior, middle, and posterior. The first and last of these divisions are considered to be of quite different morphological nature from the middle part, or true stomach, and to be, as it were, invaginations of the extremities of a closed bag; it is ascertained that in the embryo these invaginations have really blind extremities (see Fig. 82, p. 151), and only subsequently become connected with the middle part of the canal. There are even some larvae of Insects in which the posterior portion of the canal is not opened till near the close of the larval life; this is the case with many Hymenoptera, and it is probable, though not as frequently stated certain, that the occlusion marks the point of junction of the proctodaeum with the stomach. The anterior and posterior parts of the canal are formed by the ectoderm of the embryo, and in embryological and morphological language are called respectively the stomodaeum and proctodaeum; the true stomach is formed from the endoderm, and the muscular layer of the whole canal from the mesoderm.

F. 69. Digestive system of Xyphidria camelus (after Dufour): a, head capsule; b, salivary glands; c, oesophagus; d, crop; e, proventriculus; f, chyle, or true stomach; g, small intestine; h, large intestine; i, Malpighian tubes; k, termination of body.

The alimentary canal is more complex anatomically than it is morphologically, and various parts are distinguished, viz. the canal and its appendicula; the former consisting of oesophagus, crop, gizzard, true stomach, and an intestine divided into two or more parts. It should be remarked that though it is probable that the morphological distinctions correspond to a great extent with the anatomical lines of demarcation, yet this has not been sufficiently ascertained: the origin of the proctodaeum in Musca is indeed a point of special difficulty, and one on which there is considerable diversity of opinion. In some Hemiptera the division of the canal into three parts is very obscure, so that it would be more correct, as Dufour says, to define it as consisting in these Insects of two main divisions—one anterior to, the other posterior to, the insertion of the Malpighian tubes.

It should be borne in mind that the alimentary canal is very different in different Insects, so that the brief general description we must confine ourselves to will not be found to apply satisfactorily to any one Insect. The oesophagus is the part behind the mouth, and is usually narrow, as it has to pass through the most important nervous centres; extremely variable in length, it dilates behind to form the crop. It may, too, have a dilatation immediately behind the mouth, and in such case a pharynx is considered to exist. The crop is broader than the oesophagus, and must be looked on as a mere dilatation of the latter, as no line of demarcation can be pointed out between the two, and the crop may be totally absent.

In some of the sucking Insects there is a lateral diverticulum, having a stalk of greater or less length, called the sucking-stomach; it is by no means certain that the function this name implies is correctly assigned to the organ.

The gizzard or proventriculus (French, gésier; German, Kaumagen) is a small body interposed in some Insects between the true stomach and the crop or oesophagus. It is frequently remarkable for the development of its chitinous lining into strong toothed or ridged

processes that look as if they were well adapted for the comminution of food. The function of the proventriculus in some Insects is obscure; its structure is used by systematists in the classification of ants. The extremity of the proventriculus not infrequently projects into the cavity of the stomach.

The true stomach, or chylific ventricle (Magen or Mitteldarm of the Germans), is present in all the post-embryonic stages of the Insect's life, existing even in the imagines of those who live only for a few hours, and do not use the stomach for any alimentary purpose. It is so variable in shape and capacity that no general description of it can be given. Sometimes it is very elongate, so that it is coiled and like an intestine in shape; it very frequently bears diverticula or pouches, which are placed on the anterior part, and vary greatly in size, sometimes they are only two in number, while in other cases they are so numerous that a portion of the outside of the stomach looks as if it were covered with villi. A division of the stomach into two parts is in some cases very marked, and the posterior portion may, in certain cases, be mistaken for the intestine; but the position of the Malpighian tubes serves as a mark for the distinction of the two structures, the tubes being inserted just at the junction of the stomach with the intestine.

The intestine is very variable in length: the anterior part is the smaller, and is frequently spoken of as the colon; at the extremity of the body the gut becomes much larger, so as to form a rectum. There is occasionally a diverticulum or "caecum" connected with the rectum, and in some Insects stink-glands. In some Hemiptera there is no small intestine, the Malpighian tubes being inserted at the junction of the stomach with the rectum. The total length of the alimentary canal is extremely variable; it is necessarily at least as long as the distance between the mouth and anal orifice, but sometimes it is five or six times as long as this, and some of its parts then form coils in the abdominal cavity.

The alimentary canal has two coats of muscles: a longitudinal and a transverse or annular. Both coexist in most of its parts. Internal to these coats there exists in the anterior and posterior parts of the canal a chitinous layer, which in the stomach is replaced by a remarkable epithelium, the cells of which are renewed, new ones growing while the old are still in activity. We figure a portion of this structure after Miall and Denny, and may remark that Oudemans[42] has verified the correctness of their representation. The layers below represent the longitudinal and transverse muscles.

F. 70. Epithelium of stomach of Cockroach (after Miall and Denny): the lower parts indicate the transverse and longitudinal muscular layers.

In addition to the various diverticula we have mentioned, there are two important sets of organs connected with the alimentary canal, viz. the salivary glands and the Malpighian tubes.

The salivary glands are present in many Insects, but are absent in others. They are situate in the anterior portion of the body, and are very variable in their development, being sometimes very extensive, in other cases inconspicuous. They consist either of simple tubes lined with cells, or of branched tubes, or of tubes dilated laterally into little acini or groups of bags, the arrangement then somewhat resembling that of a bunch of grapes. There are sometimes large sacs or reservoirs connected with the efferent tubes proceeding from the secreting portions of the glands. The salivary glands ultimately discharge into the mouth, so that the fluid secreted by them has to be swallowed in the same manner as the food, not improbably along with it. The silk so copiously produced by some larvae comes from very long tubes similar in form and situation to the simple tubes of the salivary glands.

The Malpighian tubules are present in most Insects, though they are considered on good authority to be absent in many Collembola and in some Thysanura. They are placed near the posterior part of the body, usually opening into the alimentary canal just at the junction of the stomach and the intestine, at a spot called the pylorus. They vary excessively in length and in number,[43] being sometimes only two, while in other cases there may be a hundred or even more of them. In some cases they are budded off from the hind-gut of the embryo when this is still very small; in other cases they appear later; frequently their number is greater in the adult than it is in the young. In Gryllotalpa there is one tube or duct with a considerable number of finer tubes at the end of it. There is no muscular layer in the Malpighian tubes, they being lined with cells which leave a free canal in the centre. The tubes are now thought, on considerable evidence, to be organs for the excretion of uric acid or urates, but it is not known how they are emptied. Marchal has stated[44] that he has seen the Malpighian tubes, on extraction from the body, undergo worm-like movements; he suggests that their contents may be expelled by similar movements when they are in the body.

The functions of the different portions of the alimentary canal, and the extent to which the ingested food is acted on by their mechanical structures or their products is very obscure, and different opinions prevail on important points. It would appear that the saliva exercises a preparatory action on the food, and that the absorption of the nutritive matter into the body cavity takes place chiefly from the true stomach, while the Malpighian tubes perform an excretory function. Beyond these elementary, though but vaguely ascertained facts, little is known, though Plateau's[45] and Jousset's researches on the digestion of Insects throw some light on the subject.

Respiratory Organs.

The respiration of Insects is carried on by means of a system of vessels for the conveyance of air to all parts of the body; this system

is most remarkably developed and elaborate, and contrasts strongly with the mechanism for the circulation of the blood, which is as much reduced as the air system is highly developed, as well as with the arrangement that exists in the Vertebrates. There are in Insects no lungs, but air is carried to every part of the body directly by means of tracheae. These tracheae connect with the spiracles—the orifices at the sides of the body we have already mentioned when describing the external structures—and the air thus finds its way into the most remote recesses of the Insect's body. The tracheae are all intimately connected. Large tubes connect the spiracles longitudinally, others pass from side to side of the body, and a set of tracheae for the lower part of the body is connected with another set on the upper surface by means of several descending tubes. From these main channels smaller branches extend in all directions, forking and giving off twigs, so that all the organs inside the body can be supplied with air in the most liberal manner. On opening a freshly deceased Insect the abundance of the tracheae is one of the peculiarities that most attracts the attention; and as these tubes have a peculiar white glistening appearance, they are recognised without difficulty. In Insects of active flight, possibly in some that are more passive, though never in larvae, there are air-sacs, of more than one kind, connected with the tracheae, and these are sufficiently capacious to have a considerable effect in diminishing the specific gravity of the Insect. The most usual situation for these sacs is the basal portion of the abdominal cavity, on the great lateral tracheal conduits. In speaking of the external structure we have remarked that the stigmata, or spiracles, by which the air is admitted are very various in their size and in the manner in which they open and close. Some spiracles have no power of opening; while others are provided with a muscular and valvular apparatus for the purpose of opening and closing effectually.

The structure of the tracheae is remarkable: they are elastic and consist of an outer cellular, and an inner chitinous layer; this latter is strengthened by a peculiar spiral fibre, which gives to the tubes, when examined with the microscope, a transversely, closely striated appearance. Packard considers[46] that in some tracheae this fibre is

not really spiral, but consists of a large number of closely placed rings. Such a condition has not, however, been recorded by any other observer. The spiral fibre is absent in the fine capillary twigs of the tracheal system, as well as from the expanded sacs. The mode of termination of the capillary branches is not clear. Some have supposed that the finest twigs anastomose with others; on the other hand it has been said that they terminate by penetrating cells, or that they simply come to an end with either open or closed extremities. Wistinghausen[47] states that in the silk-glands the tracheal twigs anastomose, and he is of opinion that the fine terminal portions contain fluid. However this may be, it is certain that all the organs are abundantly supplied with a capillary tracheal network, or arboreal ramification, and that in some cases the tubes enter the substance of tissues. Near their terminations they are said to be 1⁄30 to 1⁄60 millimetre in diameter.

F 71 —Portion of the abdominal part of tracheal system of a Locust (Oedipoda): a, spiracular orifices; b, tracheal tubes; c, vesicular dilatations; d, tracheal twigs or capillaries. (After Dufour.)

We must repeat that such a system as we have just sketched forms a striking contrast to the imperfect blood-vascular system, and that Insects differ profoundly in these respects from Vertebrate animals. In the latter the blood-vessels penetrate to all the tissues and form capillaries, while the aerating apparatus is confined to one part of the body; in Insects the blood-circulating system is very limited, and air is carried directly by complex vessels to all parts; thus the tracheal system is universally recognised as one of the most remarkable of the characters of Insects. Many Insects have a very active respiratory system, as is shown by the rapidity with which they are affected by agents like chloroform; but the exact manner in which the

breathing is carried on is unknown. In living Insects rapid movements of contraction and expansion of parts of the body, chiefly the abdomen, may be observed, and these body contractions are sometimes accompanied by opening and shutting the spiracular orifices: it has been inferred that these phenomena are respiratory. Although such movements are not always present, it is possible that when they occur they may force the air onwards to the tissues, though this is by no means certain. It is clear that the tracheal system is the usual means of supplying the organisation with oxygen, but it appears to be improbable that it can also act as the agent for removing the carbonaceous products of tissue-changes. It has been thought possible that carbonic acid might reach the spiracles from the remote capillaries by a process of diffusion,[48] but it should be recollected that as some Insects have no tracheal system, there must exist some other mode of eliminating carbonic acid, and it is possible that this mode may continue to operate as an important agent of purification, even when the tracheal system is, as a bearer of air to the tissues, highly developed. Eisig[49] has suggested that the formation of chitin is an act of excretion; if so this is capable of relieving the system of carbonic acid to some extent. Others have maintained that transpiration takes place through the delicate portions of the integument. Lubbock[50] has shown that Melolontha larvae breathe "partly by means of their skin." The mode in which the carbon of tissue-change, and the nitrogen of inspiration are removed, is still obscure; but it appears probable that the views expressed by Réaumur, Lyonnet, and Lowne[51] as to inspiration and expiration may prove to be nearer the truth than those which are more widely current. In connexion with this it should be recollected that the outer integument consists of chitin, and is cast and renewed several times during the life of the individual. Now as chitin consists largely of carbon and nitrogen, it is evident that the moulting must itself serve as a carbonaceous and nitrogenous excretion. If, as is suggested by Bataillon's researches,[52] the condition accompanying metamorphosis be that of asphyxia, it is probable that the secretion of the new coat of chitin may figure as an act of excretion of considerable importance. If there be any truth in this suggestion it

may prove the means of enabling us to comprehend some points in the development of Insects that have hitherto proved very perplexing.

Peyrou has shown[53] that the atmosphere extracted from the bodies of Insects (Melolontha) is much less rich in oxygen than the surrounding atmosphere is, and at ordinary temperatures always contains a much larger proportion of carbonic acid: he finds, too, that as in the leaves with which he makes a comparison, the proportion of oxygen augments as the protoplasmic activity diminishes. Were such an observation carried out so as to distinguish between the air in the tracheal system and the gas in other parts of the body the result would be still more interesting.

We know very little as to the animal heat produced by insects, but it is clear from various observations[54] that the amount evolved in repose is very small. In different conditions of activity the temperature of the insect may rise to be several degrees above that of the surrounding medium, but there seems to be at present no information as to the physiological mode of its production, and as to the channel by which the products—whether carbonic acid or other matters—may be disposed of.

In the order Aptera (Thysanura and Collembola) the tracheal system is highly peculiar In some Collembola it apparently does not exist, and in this case we may presume with greater certainty that transpiration of gases occurs through the integument: in other members of this Order tracheae are present in a more or less imperfect state of development, but the tracheae of different segments do not communicate with one another, thus forming a remarkable contrast to the amalgamated tracheal system of the other Orders of Insects, where, even when the tracheal system is much reduced in extent (as in Coccidae), it is nevertheless completely unified. Gryllotalpa is, however, said by Dohrn[55] to be

exceptional in this respect; the tracheae connected with each spiracle remaining unconnected.

Water Insects have usually peculiarities in their respiratory systems, though these are not so great as might à priori have been anticipated. Some breathe by coming to the surface and taking in a supply of air in various manners, but some apparently obtain from the water itself the air necessary for their physiological processes. Aquatic Insects are frequently provided with gills, which may be either wing-like expansions of the integument containing some tracheae (Ephemeridae larvae), or bunches of tubes, or single tubes (Trichoptera larvae). Such Insects may either possess stigmata in addition to the gills, or be destitute of them. In other cases air is obtained by taking water into the posterior part of the alimentary canal (many dragon-flies), which part is then provided with special tracheae. Some water-larvae appear to possess neither stigmata nor gills (certain Perlidae and Diptera), and it is supposed that these obtain air through the integument; in such Insects tracheal twigs may frequently be seen on the interior of the skin. In the imago state it is the rule that Water Insects breathe by means of stigmata, and that they carry about with them a supply of air sufficient for a longer or shorter period. A great many Insects that live in water in their earlier stages and breathe there by peculiar means, in their perfect imago state live in the air and breathe in the usual manner. There are, in both terrestrial and aquatic Insects, a few cases of exsertile sacs without tracheae, but filled with blood (Pelobius larva, Machilis, etc.); and such organs are supposed to be of a respiratory nature, though there does not appear to be any positive evidence to that effect.

Blood and Blood-Circulation.

Owing to the great complexity of the tracheal system, and to its general diffusion in the body, the blood and its circulation are very different in Insects from what they are in Vertebrates, so that it is scarcely conducive to the progress of physiological knowledge to call

two fluids with such different functions by one name. The blood of Insects varies according to the species, and in all probability even in conformity with the stage of the life of the individual. Its primary office is that of feeding the tissues it bathes, and it cannot be considered as having any aerating function. It is frequently crowded with fatty substances. Graber says: "The richness of Insect blood in unsaponified or unelaborated fat shows in the plainest manner that it is more properly a mixture of blood and chyle; or indeed we might say with greater accuracy, leaving out of consideration certain matters to be eliminated from it, that it is a refined or distilled chyle."

Connected in the most intimate manner with the blood there is a large quantity of material called vaguely the fat-body; the blood and its adjuncts of this kind being called by Wielowiejski[56] the bloodtissue. We shall return to the consideration of this tissue after sketching the apparatus for distributing the refined chyle, or blood as we must, using the ordinary term, call it.

There is in Insects no complete system of blood-vessels, though there is a pulsating vessel to ensure distribution of the nutritive fluid. This dorsal vessel, or heart as it is frequently called, may be distinguished and its pulsations watched, in transparent Insects when alive. It is situate at the upper part of the body, extending from the posterior extremity, or near it, to the head or thorax, and is an elongate tube, consisting as it were of a number of united chambers; it is closed behind, except in some larvae, but is open in front, and has several orifices at the sides; these orifices, or ostia, are frequently absent from the front part of the tube, which portion is also narrower, being called the aorta—by no means a suitable term. Near the lateral orifices there are delicate folds, which act to some extent as valves, facilitating, in conjunction with the mode of contraction of the vessel, a forward movement of the blood. The composition of the tube, or series of chambers, is that of a muscular layer, with internal and external membranous coverings, the intima and adventitia. Olga Poletajewa states[57] that in Bombus the dorsal vessel consists of five chambers placed in longitudinal succession, and not very intimately connected, and that there is but little valvular structure. In

Instant download The academy of stolen magic blakemore paranormal academy 2 1st edition sullivan gra

The Academy of Stolen Magic

Blakemore Paranormal Academy 2 1st Edition

Sullivan Gray E C Farrell Gray Sullivan

Destroyed by Magic Guardians of Magic 0 5 1st Edition

Night Tracker The Gods Of Night 2 1st Edition Elena

Broken Magic Academy of the Elites 2 1st Edition

Trials Academy of Unpredictable Magic 2 1st Edition

Bad Memory Jessica Shaw 2 1st Edition Lisa Gray [Gray

THE ACADEMY OF STOLEN

MAGIC